La vachey

We're sitting outside the camper under the tarp with the kids in bed listening to fast flowing water. Wearing fleeces, hats, full legs, socks..... Yes we're back in the mountains and its glorious! We're in northern italy now at Tronchey campsite near la vachey close to the mont blanc tunnel. Already had some rain which was actually rather nice (how british) but what is just wonderful is that it is so so quiet, just the waterfall and river and occasionally a sound to remind us there are other people here. It feels like we've come home! We camped here a couple of years ago on our way into switzerland and fortunately it hasn't changed a bit. We left deiva marina about 2pm after spending the morning in the pool and sorting out the camper. Its hard to believe we only drove for 4 hours - the climate and environment couldn't be more different. The children were so excited to be wearing clothes to bed again and to have their duvet back, and it was like they had a surge of energy out of the stifling heat which had started to show in shortness of patience and general grumpyness.
An ice fall sounding distinctly different yet similar to thunder just broke the silence and a dog is now barking in the distance along with zoe stirring ... back in a mo.

Ok so not quite a mo.... We've been here 3 nights now already and plan to leave for france tomorrow. Its been lovely. The sun has shone but there's been a distinct alpine nip in the air. We feel very relaxed now. We've spent quite a bit of time around camp playing with the kids or they've been scootering about, flying the kite, recreating the colosseum out of granite rocks, (which today were moved into the camper and will make a vast improvement to our fire pit in the garden!), running about and walking by the river. Ant's been fishing a couple of times including a bitterly cold 6.30 start this morning but unfortunately they weren't biting (well they were, but not the flies he took with him..and to rub it in a cheeky italian cast over his shoulder with a worm and fished out the whopper he was after whilst he'd bent down to change to a different fly). We headed out today for supplies and to the playground a couple of miles along the valley and the kids had another go at bungy trampolines. Its been windy and cooler today and feeling more like september is just around the corner. Zoe ate polenta last night and loved it and tried her first fish finger today! She is so strong now standing at every opportunity and is desperate for jems old blocks walker.

After a freezing night (ant was convinced that it must have snowed outside and even though the heating was used zoe still woke up about 10 times) we had a leisurely start to the day and a little reluctantly packed up again. After a stop off to buy some italian wine we said arrevederchey to italy and bonjour to france and headed off for Dijon through the mont blanc tunnel.