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It’s time for a run. I go through the usual ritual – watch, phone, sunglasses, running pack, and of course my Swiss Patriot wristband.

The routine is familiar, but of course my surroundings are anything but. Can you spot the difference between these photos?

At the top you see the A464 which links Shifnal to Wolverhampton. Beneath it is my usual running heaven, the Lauterbrunnen valley. No prizes for guessing where I’d rather be, but at least the Wolverhampton Road is quiet this morning. A nice run in the sunshine.

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This morning I need to go shopping. The big question is, after 178 days lying idle, will the car start? To my amazement, it did! Alastair’s gadget pumps up the tyres.

The queue to get into Tesco was at least 100 metres long, so I shopped at our local Co-op. Everything in our flat seems to be working OK, which is a bonus.

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We left Wengen this morning. I desperately didn’t want to go, and coffee, hugs and waves with Ali and Emily only made me feel more sorrowful. 💕💕😢 To be honest, it’s always a bit like like this when we leave, but after almost six months in Wengen, and such a strange season when we’ve had to support each other much more than usual, it’s tough to let go. I know it’s a cliché, but for me, it was emotional.

Sitting in seat 27E waiting to go. Airport deserted.

Not many flights this afternoon.

Next stop, London Heathrow.

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James and Julie invited us down for a barbecue last night. Before we ate though, we had a couple of games of kubb on the lawn.

Their house is about 100 metres below ours, and they have an uninterrupted view of the valley. The waterfall is floodlit in the evening.

It got a bit chilly after dark. Warm blankets kept the cold out.

Today has been spent closing the house down and packing. We have a flight back to Heathrow booked for tomorrow afternoon, and while it might still be cancelled, we’ve decided to go to the airport anyway and see what we can do. Ali is cooking tonight.

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Popped up to the village after dinner last night and had a few drinks with Andy at the Caprice. He has a new Bavarian beer called Bock. Very nice too.

This morning Val was off early to the hairdressers. I went up to meet her later, and during our lap of the village we heard cows coming up the hill. Normally this is a big event and very popular with tourists, but this year the dates have been held back to discourage crowds.

We’re off to James and Julie’s for dinner tonight.

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Emily’s turn to cook last night, and she prepared a real feast.

It’s a bit chilly on the terrace, so we ate inside.

This morning Val called EWL (our electricity supplier) as the cloakroom light switch, which has never worked properly, has finally given up the ghost. Sandro came and replaced it just after lunch, leaving us time for a walk.

We lost hundreds (probably thousands) of trees in the storms in November. It’s important that they are made safe so that the forest paths can open. It looks like the foresters have been working hard here.

Sleepy Wengen in the afternoon sunshine.

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We got a bit wet last night on our trip down to Lauterbrunnen. It was well worth it though, as we had a really nice dinner at the hotel Oberland, with a few drinks at the Caprice when we got back to Wengen.

The rain passed over during the night, and this morning was much brighter. This evening it’s Emily’s turn to cook, and she wants to have a barbecue, so I spent an hour sprucing up the terrace. After lunch there’s time for a run in the valley, before returning home to make my signature tartiflette.