We went by train of course, and it was interesting to see the reaction of my colleauges, some of whom were more seasoned to the experience than others. Unfortunately we were delayed by an hour in Paris – my longest ever delay in France – but apart from that the journey down to Bourg St Maurice went swimmingly.

On the first day we were on the slopes by 9.30am thanks to the efficiency of the boot-fitters at the luxury chalet where we were staying, and on the last day we had the luxury of snow-shoeing to a house in a tiny hamlet in the mountains in time for a late lunch (or “linner” if you will grant me the liberty to merge the words “lunch” and “dinner” in the same way as brunch does for a mid-morning feast). Getting back on the night-train at 9pm was a very relaxed affair and overall the timings were very much to the benefit of squeezing lots into the five days without getting stressed.

On my return I discovered that someone has developed a wave-powered boat! This is utter genius, and I can’t wait to find out more about it and write more here. At 31 feet, it’s a pretty small vessel, 13 feet smaller than the yacht Kate is planning to take from Mexico to Australia (more on this soon) but the concept is inspiring.

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