My familyY, all three generations of it, recently met in Val D'Isere, France, to celebrate my brother's 50th birthday.

We were blessed with heaps of snow throughout our holiday, but on occasion it was too much.

We even got stuck inside our chalet for a day because avalanches had closed the roads. This made quality catch-up time with the family plentiful but, as keen skiers, we were all somewhat frustrated.

The next day we woke up to a spectacular day and were first out and keen to get up the mountain.

We were treated to this magnificent sight en route to the ski lifts - the air sparkling with snow and steam rising from the river because the air was so cold. It was literally postcard perfect. What a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday.