The trade - Chamshare and working for food!

So yesterday I volunteered to help paint someone's house. My legs were killing from skiing and I though a good deed may lead to a free home cooked meal.

I was left to merrily mask away the windows in the porch, but could not help but notice the feeling of being watched. Was it the pant sniffing yeti? No, it couldn't be, I had my deadly encounters with him last night, at the hours of 2, 2.30, 4 and 5am. So what was it I wondered? In any case I carried on with my porch inspired masterpiece, and began to whistle away.

Gizmo

What was that! A scraping of nails on wood slowly got louder and louder, until a creak of the front door alerted me that this was no peeping Tom. I heard the faint howl of a horrifying night wolf to realise that a dog, similar to Gizmo from The Gremlins was watching me. Intrigued by the tunes of fighting fire with fire in whistle fashion, I am sure that the beast's, (known as "Peanuts") head rotated 360°. For fear of being buried for a later snack i slowly closed the front door and continued with the painting at hand.

Peanut Lookalikey

 In any case, the owner returned, I was rescued, the painting was completed and a hearty meal of pizza given in return. Seasoning can work if your here on a budget, and don't mind spending an hour or two working after a snow day.

A good site to use if you are looking for trades, buys and sales in Chamonix is Chamsocial. This is an absolute gem that will allow you right into the heart of Chamonix life. It contains items for sale, events, competitions, work, it's brilliant! Make sure to remove yourself from the emails otherwise you'll get 100 or so everyday.

As for getting home after helping out, at any location after 7.30, it's crud. If you can get back before then, great. However if the buses are finished, and the only way home is to walk, it can be a little bit too much. Fortunately the French seem very 'offay' with Hitch Hiking, if you just keep going for it and don't be disheartened you will finally get a lift. I think it deserves a whole post on tips, so keep your eyes peeled for some good advice!