January 25th 2012 - Cibiana, the Dolomites

Our day in the mountains actually started with (you guessed it) a visit to the playground. In Treviso. Having purchased a ball the day before, there were all sorts of games to be played, many involving rolling and tossing said ball through complicated routes along the playframes. It also involved Throw the Ball High. Some football (with hightly dubious rules) and quite a bit of Catch. As well as the usual slides and swings. 

After lunch, we set off for the W&W's retreat in the mountains. Here's the countryside getting hillier.

"**** me, I've finally turned into an angler fish!"

Actually, she was just caught in the middle of taking a deep breath before counting the 'seconds' (again, in the loosest sense) it took to go through one of the many tunnels we went through. I think the longest was about 3.8 km long. What with copious tunnels and monolithic bridges boring right through or spanning the mountains, the roads are truly an impressive feat of engineering round here.

The first of many walks. Lara rapidly developed an obsession about climbing the various peaks she could see. In the backgroud here is Antilao. For this one she was told, no, you can't go up there unless you're an expert climber, it's too dangerous. We spent the necxt two days listening to how she was going to become an expert climber, and use her ice axe, and come back and climb Antilao. I dunno, possibly when she's ... eight.

Who's the leader?

Ah, yes, this was the snowman we found - which Lara said 'is a little bit scary.' We didn't enquire too deeply about why it... ahem... he... was scary. Oh well, this is Italy, after all.

Alan being offered a bit of 'snow cake'. Whether he wants it or not.

There's a spring and a pipe on this mountain walk, too. This one was frozen solid, though. It was great weather while we were there but still jolly nippy. It had been minus 17 a few days before.

The gigantic building below is an Austrian cattle shed from about 1850. Don't ask me.

See those two houses in front? See the roof just peeking behind the back one, like a shadow? That one's the W&W's block.

They have such a great view I can't imagine they'll be hanging many pictures up on the walls. Sunset, from the sitting room.

An evening card game.

Another Lara self-timer special, with her favourite toy. Alan.

"Dear god, I ordered Quatro Stagioni and they've brought me Siciliana. One can't get the staff any more. The youth of today...." Actually, I was telling her a 'horror story' about a 'little girl' who happened to be eating a delicious pizza, when her unscrupulous mother distracted her and somehow the pizza kept disappearing. Same with the strudle and the biscuits that followed. It elicited raucous but slightly nervous laughter from her.

Looking up whale sharks and gulper eels, as usual. For her 'Oceans' party, the costume she'd really like me to make her is a goblin shark. You may not know what a goblin shark looks like. It's ugly in the way only truly deep-sea creatures can manage. Not only that but it has a huge, pointed snout. If I made her that she's poke someone's eye out each time she turned round. I think I've got my work cut out for me.