Well I must fill you in on last night…. I checked into my tipi up in the forest. It seems I was their first guest of the season, and the ONLY guest. I had a big tipi, which could sleep probably 8 or 10, all to myself…. not sure at this stage whether this is a good thing or not. The spot here is absolutely ideallic. There are Christmas trees all around me with pine cones everywhere. 
Carole and her Dad have caravans nearby and the main cooking and dining tipi is a little further away with the horses.
After a brief settling in period and a wander down to the fast flowing glacier river below, we all made our way over to see the horses.
I was introduced to each one, although I’m not sure I’ll remember all their names. Here I also met Ava who looks after them all and runs the ranch along with Carole’s Dad, who is her partner. As it began to get dark, we retired to the cooking tipi, where I was amazed to see Renay, Carole’s Dad stoking up the fire of an Aga (or similar) in the middle of the tipi. We were going to have Racotta (a Swiss dish of potatoes and cheese). 
Meanwhile, Carole prepared a ‘Flat’ (a large rectangular pastry covered with fruit – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, etc and next covered with latticework of pastry to cook in the Aga. We all sat down and shared of bottle of very nice Italian wine (their local, called Inferne!) Firey, I saaid to Renay…. ‘Hell’ he replied! After a most enjoyable evening, which included locally picked and pickled mushrooms, artichoke sauce, hot chillies and other delights, rounded off with Grappa and a delicious coconut liquor…. time for bed! As we arrived back at the camp in pitch darkness, 
I suddenly found it a bit scarey going to sleep on my own in that tipi in the forest. Actually it was ok… a little cold at first in near zero temperatures but my sleeping bag and rug was snuggly warm eventually and I woke at about 6 to the sound of the mountain stream and the birds singing. (All the afore mentioned really belongs to Monday.)
Just using this opportunity to update the blog over breakfast as Carole has lent me her laptop while she and Renata have gone on an errand somewhere. Enjoying Expresso and delicious crusty bread for breakfast…. better get stoked up before riding this afternoon. 
The weather up here has been kind so far and, although cold at night (there is still snow on the mountains here), when the sun is out it is really quite warm in the day. So glad I bought that zipper jacket in Como for the mountains though. Time for another Expresso and then a walk in the sunshine I think…..
Wandering up in the forest behind my tipi I was photographing some alp flowers then heard a bird sound in the tree nearby. I must be close to a nest or upsetting them in some way, because a pair of large tit-like birds were flitting about making alarm calls less than a metre from me. I couldn’t make out what they were and only had my mobile to photograph them. Black heads and white faces… Must check them out.
by the time I returned from my walk Carole and Ronata were back and had laid out some lunch on the decking. It was a beautiful hot afternoon and we just chilled out for a bit …Ronato in the hammock!
By the middle if the afternoon, we headed off down to the ranch to saddle up for a ride. Carole and I watched as Ava gave riding lessons to Andre, a local man in a cowboy hat, on handling his horse. 
Andre is used to driving horses and not riding. Eventually we saddled up our horses. I was to ride Carole’s Ashira, whose birth she had witnessed and first tottering steps. Ashira was now 12 zears old. Carole would ride a small Icelandic pony with a shaggy mane and tail. While Ava and Andre would keep their mounts. Ava had a 4 year old that she was training and Andree a big heavy black mare. 
As I hadn’t ridden since Banff exactly a year ago, I was grateful for some tips and general ingtroduction to the horse in an Enclosure. Before long, we set off on our preliminary trek and I soon felt at home in the saddle again.
Dinner in the evening was to be a barbecue. Already Ronata had it lit for our return and Carole set to work preparing corn on the cob, mushrooms, courgettes, Swiss sausages and salad. 
The meals are long social affairs here and although we started eating around 6.30, we were still chatting and laughing over shnappes at 9.30! Shnappes, it would seem is a general term for liqueurs. These included something very like Baileys called Haselnuss. My favourite was Coconut Rum, there was Brandy and Whisky and several lethal little numbers whose names I can neither spell nor pronounce! 
I find the Swiss language impossible to understand. It is quite a gentle language and although a mixture of French, Italian and German, I still cannot pick out any recognisable words… must be my brain slowing down… so every so often I start an English conversation and they try their best, bless em… all good fun!