Well, that statement is not always true. There are, of course, some very nice sunny places – like Seychelles. Like Noosa. But right now, on Day Three of my honeymoon in the Swiss mountains with the snow coming down steadily and turning this gingerbread world into an even more magical white land, snow is good. Very good.

Of course, being on one’s honeymoon means that there must have been a wedding. And oh yes, there was. A beautiful magical wedding that will stay with me for life. I will talk about it of course. Soon. But right now I want to talk about the snow. The beautiful snow.

The place: Rougemont. About 8kms from Gstaad, the land of minxy mink coats, blue fox hats (oh I want) and Rolex watches (or Cartier Tanks, or Chanel J12s, or Hermes Cape Cods…). Rougemont is no poor cousin though. Oh no.  Our chalet looks over the church where Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton married. For the second time. Apt I think, that this is where Simon and I are having our honeymoon. I always did love Ms Talyor.

Simon’s best man, Richard said in his speech at our wedding that Simon had a curse on him – that wherever he went, snow would not. Well if that is true, perhaps I am the cure because it has been snowing like crazy and it’s forecast to snow for another week. This makes Simon very happy. Very, very.

My brand new husband is connected to the snow in a way that makes you want to laugh out loud with joy. It’s like watching a child unwrapping a bike on Christmas day. He loves it and I don’t think it would be wrong to say that he needs it. He needs it like people need a holiday in the sun. I love him even more when we’re in the snow, he has as lightness about him.

Especially when the skiing is so good.

When I first met Simon I couldn’t understand the facsination with skiing. It’s cold, you have to work hard and there is no real need for a bikini. But over the years I have known him, I’ve fallen in love with this sport. Sport? Love ? Me? Well yes, strange as it seems, it appears that I have not only fallen for the man,  I’ve fallen for his sport too.

That’s not to say though that I always possess skiing finesse. Oh no. Like any relationship, with the highs, there also comes the stacks. And yes, tears aplenty.

But, the past two days I have skied pretty well for me. I think all those weekends in Buller’s sludgy, obstacle-riddled terrain has paid off. I am a determined girl but I do owe most of my skiing ability (when it comes) to Simon. And he agrees with me. On day one he proclaimed that he deserves some kind of recognition for bringing a complete novice to skiing competency in only two years – or, if we’re talking seasons, four.

Of course, being good on the groomed runs is not enough. There is now off piste powder to be conquered! So I remain in constant tuition. I have never seen, let alone skied, powder before so this type of skiing is a brave new and very frustrating world. I have already head planted twice and breathed in snow through both my nostrils and mouth simultaneously – not something I would recommend…

And here we are: the morning of day three. And it continues to snow. There will be powder everywhere Simon tells me (”An epic day, Sal”). I may head plant some more but I don’t care. Even if there are tears (mine), there will be smiles too (both of ours). So much beauty makes it hard to be sad for more than the time it takes to get both skis back on and say, “ok, lets go.”

Til next time,

Sal x