After my accidents over the Christmas period which resulted in me getting whiplash and damage to the sacro-iliac area of the back, I was looking forward to a long weekend with Ross’s Queens boys (as in old college mates, for the avoidance of doubt) in our chalet in Champery.

A visit to the osteopath the day before we left deals a bitter blow as I am told not to ski – if I want to be fit and well for our trip to Niseko in Japan in three weeks. So I am resigned to being chief cook and bottle washer. No matter – the first day is a white out and I am not bothered, but the second – oh my! – fresh powder and brilliant sunshine. So I have to be satisfied with a walk round the village, and hunker down to read the proofs of my book. So there is a sense of achievement, though perhaps not what I had in mind.

Here are some snaps from today.