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Val was out early for work this morning. It was a nice day once the sun came around the mountains. View from the Lauberhorn down to Kleine Scheidegg, with the Eiger towering above.

This afternoon we ambled up to the Hotel Alpenruhe at the top of the village. Our old neighbours Andy and Jana manage the hotel, and by chance the owners were there too. The hotel has a lovely sunny terrace, and it’s warm enough for coffee and cake outside.

Oskar will be 5 years old tomorrow. Like all kids, he loves opening his presents.

It’s hard to believe he’s 5; I remember the day he was born as if it was yesterday.

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We usually have a Christmas meal with our buddies the Zwickys, but they’re away with family this year, so we’ll have our get-together early. They live across the valley in Gimmelwald now, so we’ll meet them in nearby Mürren for dinner. We’re a bit early, so we start with a drink in the Eiger pub by the station.

Mürren is smaller than Wengen, and there’s not much happening in the evenings here. However, the village does have something that Wengen doesn’t; a splendid Chinese restaurant.

We order lots of food and enjoy a lovely meal.

After dinner, it’s time for the kids to open their presents.

A lovely night out. There’s a full moon tonight, and the views of the mountains from our balcony are spectacular.

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More giggles in Rocks last night. Richard has arrived.

The village is still pretty quiet, but a few tourists are starting to arrive, so Val has some work this morning. View of the Lauberhorn from her ‘office’.

A treat tonight, we’re off to Mürren for a meal at the Chinese restaurant.

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Considering it’s December, we’ve had a lovely week. Glorious sunshine and mild temperatures make for very enjoyable skiing. Up we go again today. Here’s the view of Wengen from Männlichen, 1000 metres above the village.

We had a good ski – no stops for coffee today. Eventually we arrived at Scheidegg. Scheidegg doesn’t get nearly as much sun as Männlichen at this time of year, so it was pretty quiet. There’s a new snack bar just above the lifts at Arven.

Eventually it was time to ski home. The home run faces west, so we can enjoy the last of the sun on the way.

Pizza at the Caprice tonight.

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Michael got a nice shot of us with Angela last night.

Nice skiing today, Val gave her new boots a good work out. From left – Rachel, Bob, Emily, Val, Angela.

The fog in the valley has been getting thicker every day. This afternoon it reached our house.

More sunny weather to come, apparently.

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Val needs new ski boots. We had a look around the shops in Wengen yesterday, but couldn’t find anything suitable, so today we’ve travelled down to the big sports shop in Interlaken.

Buying ski boots isn’t like buying normal footwear. You have to abandon any thoughts about your favourite colours, or preferred makes. You just want the boots that fit properly and have the right amount of forward flexibility. This means that you have to try a lot of boots on.

Fortunately, Kaspar works here, and he can help. He’s done all the training, and Val tries lots of boots and soon identifies the best ones for her. Kaspar heats them up in an oven and they are moulded to fit Val’s feet perfectly. We’ll try them out tomorrow.

Since we’re down here, we can enjoy a lovely lunch in the Cafe de Paris.

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It’s another nice day, a few clouds but still bright and mild.

Coffee time.

Val ‘queuing’ for the lift at Läger. It’s even quieter than it was yesterday, there’s barely a soul around.

It’s grim down in the valley – a layer of thick fog covers the lake and the villages down there.

Back in the village, we need some shopping. Dogs are not allowed in the Co-op, and we found this tiny one waiting patiently on top of the gardening shelves just outside the door.

More shopping this afternoon, Val needs new ski boots.