above the pollution

I don't want to put off potential visitors but the winter pollution problem right now seems worse than usual, perhaps exacerbated by the long run of clear weather and accompanying temperature inversion, and (in our neck of the woods) the effect of the many new houses filling the valley with wood smoke.

Sad that we seem hell bent on destroying what we love most, and that we don't find a way of reducing our impact, other than rationing our wood-burning to weekends. The atmosphere, particularly in the evening, is thick – on Friday Juan could feel it hit his lungs approaching the eastern suburbs from Switzerland. Sore throats, coughs, runny noses and itchy eyes are an occupational hazard of living in the Grenoble basin.

But once are up high, it is glorious. Today we went up Beauregard for perhaps the 20th or 30th time since moving to France. It's the hill we see from the house and is my favourite Sunday (or any time) half-day walk. Even Juan, long scornful of its "tameness", now enjoys its charm, and the huge payback in views for modest effort.

We crossed paths with a lone skier, some kids playing with toboggans, walkers and two kite skiers supremely at ease as they switch-backed across the slopes, the kites lifting them high off the ground...

suspended on the slope facing "our" valley

Lower down the snow cover was very patchy...

... and our snow shoes came on and off and on... at regular intervals.

looking towards the Ecrins / Dévoluy over the Laffrey lakes

descending to the village of Les Arnauds

Wonderful, and aptly named, Beauregard.