Daily Prompt: SOS

Posted in Challenges by angloswiss

You’re at the beach, lounging on your towel, when a glistening object at the water’s edge catches your eye. It’s a bottle — and yes, it contains a message. What does it say?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us WATER.

Aare

One of the problems with Switzerland is that we have no real beaches, at least none with an ocean or sea to accompany it. Just plain old river banks and lakes and the rivers and lakes are sometimes used as a dumping ground for anything unwanted. The last time they cleared out the local river they found at least 20 bicycles, not to mention empty beer bottles.

However, it was one of those sunny days when suddenly threatening clouds appeared on the horizon promising a nice storm complete with thunder and fork lightening. I was just thinking about packing my bits and pieces together and making a run for it when a suspicious plastic bottle came swimming past with the words “read me”. I read Alice in Wonderland when I was a kid, but the bottle said “drink me” (I think), but I was not Alice in Wonderland. We were having rumbling warnings from the thunder and the lightening was reflecting in the water casting a blood red tinge over the surface.

This was becoming interesting. Was I receiving a message from beyond if I read the bottle? I cautiously waded into the river and fished out the bottle. It was empty – what a disappointment. How can I read something that contained no mysterious letter. Perhaps I would have found the Brad Pitt of my life. I examined the bottle and found the label was a folded piece of paper. I removed the label discovered it was a large piece of paper containing a message. It began to rain, no, it was pouring so I took shelter beneath the branches of a nearby oak tree.

“Dear Victim Finder” – it began.

“When you find this message you will probably be surrounded by a raging storm. The heavens have opened and the lightening is forking everywhere. If you are standing beneath a large tree, take care. It might be that the tree will be struck by lightning.

This is a message from beyond. Now and again they let us out to mix with the living, and if we do it properly some fool person will read our words. We are all doing fine down here. Old Nick is a nice bloke and makes sure that the fires keep burning. Now and again we have to stoke them up, but life it would be boring with nothing to do.

I would move to the next tree if I was you, the bloke upstairs has decided to strike this one with a thunderbolt. Yes that’s right, standing beneath a bus shelter is much better. You see, the tree is now just a smouldering piece of wood – that could have been you. Do not bother to thank me, just one of life’s hazards.

So what is this message all about? Blame it on WordPress. Yes, it is their fault. They gave out a prompt about finding a glistening object being a bottle and containing a message. Ok, we do not do glistening down here, more dark and mysterious, sorry for that. We had to stick the message on the bottle as our claws could not push the message into the bottle.

So now you can write something interesting and informative in your daily prompt (if you survive – you never know). Move away from the bus shelter, it seems it will also be struck by lightning. You see, now it is just a piece of shrivelled metal, do not touch it, it is hot enough to fry an imp (just a saying we have down here).

Just a minute: where are you running off to? Now my words of wisdom are laying on the ground. You living can be so ungrateful sometimes.

Yours for ever and ever and ever
Son of ………”

Sometimes I just do not trust those Daily Prompts, you never know where they come from and where they lead to.

Daily Prompt: SOS

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30Jan2014

Daily Prompt: Generation XYZ

Posted in Challenges by angloswiss

Think about the generation immediately younger or older than you. What do you understand least about them — and what can you learn from them?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us AGE.

grandfather

I do not want to think about the generation immediately older than myself. I am an only child, my father is 98 and lives in England – I live in Switzerland, problem enough. My sons are now old enough to look after themselves, one being at home. I am not really interested in learning anything from the older generation or younger. What do they understand least about me and what can they learn from me? They have their own lives to live and so do I.

The gentleman in the photo is my grandfather pictured in his uniform from World War I (1914-1918) and it seems that in Europe this year there will be many celebrations commemorating the centenary of this war. My grandfather was not a young man when he was pulled into the army. He was in the medical core (see the emblem on his sleeve) and my dad told me his main occupation was collecting the dead. I think that expression sums it all up.

My father was a baby when his father left for the French fields of war. My grandfather returned after the war and my dad asked his mum who that man was in the uniform. She answered “your father”.

Who was my grandfather? I remember him as an elderly quiet person, sitting in his chair in the corner.

According to my dad his younger years were not so quiet. He spent one night in prison as he assaulted a man that insulted my grandmother. Yes he had quite a temper. Dog racing was quite a hobby of the men in my part of East London. My grandfather visited the dog track with his colleagues and my father gave him some money to put a bet on a dog for him as my father could not go. This was the night when my grandfather arrived home in the early hours of the morning, quite inebriated. Yes, the dogs won, but there were no profits to be shown. They had dissolved into refreshments at the bar.

His working life was a night watchman at the Lloyds Insurance Company in the city of London. He worked his whole life during the night. It seems he was successful as during the war years the company kept his job open for when he returned. I remember he had a lovely old clock celebrating his many years as an employee of Lloyds. My dad told me of Friday evenings when he was a boy and the complete family would go to the local market of Stratford. There were oyster stalls and it was the custom to eat oysters. I was surprised; I have never tasted an oyster in my life. It was often combined with an evening at the local cinema or at the Theatre Royal in Stratford.

So what did I learn from grandad: protect the honour of your partner and do not spend the winnings from the dog race on liquid refreshment.

Daily Prompt: Generation XYZ

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29Jan2014

Blogger Creative Challenge 285: Imagination

Posted in Challenges by angloswiss

A sign from above

“No way Bog am I going to guide our ship through that hole in the clouds. I do not like the look of that planet.”

“Chib, how do you know what the planet looks like when we have never landed there?

“BogI saw enough on the telescreen and the biological breakdown of the cells. No thanks, that is a dangerous place. They even have animate beings that live.”

“Chib we live as well and we are friendly. Just because the objects living on that planet have only two legs and two arms that does not mean they are bad, they are just different and you know our great leader Glog tells us not to be racial.”

“Glog tells us a lot, but he has never been on one of our inter planetary discovery expeditions. I remember when we landed on that planet with the three rings. No-one lived there we thought, until we discovered they were invisible. Feeling those sticky fingers all over one of my heads was weird, especially when you do not see anyone.”

“That was an exception. This planet has no rings, just one moon and the inhabitants are not invisible.”

“Bog, they have hair growing on their bodies. I do not like objects with hair. Remember planet Chong?”

“Chib planet Chong only had hairy objects. The inhabitants had one eye and three noses poking through their hair. On this planet they have hair growing on their head and their noses and eyes are hairless”

“Bog they only have one head. Let’s go before it is too late. I do not like beings with one head. They might become jealous of us and try to steal one of our heads.”

“Chib, your imagination is running away with you. Only one head means only one brain, so do not worry, they are a primitive race.”

“I do not like primitive races. What is the name of this place anyhow?”

“Earth”

“Earth? But that is where they have that place called Downton Abby. I have seen it on the TV in our intergalactual programme. I love that programme. If they had three heads like we do it would be just like life on our planet. Perhaps it is not so bad after all.”

“Have you ever seen an earth news programme Chib?”

“You mean???”

“Yes Chib, that is not Downton Abbey, that is reality. Let’s go Chib. I have decided I do not want to land on this Earth place either. They might not like us because we are different.”

“See, Bog, I told you. This planet is not made for us.”

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29Jan2014

Daily Prompt: Write Here, Write Now

Posted in Challenges by angloswiss

Write a post entirely in the present tense.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us NOW.

Solothurn Main Station

Waiting for the train: it will arrive soon. I must concentrate, pull myself together. People just walk past and ignore me. Just a commuter, perhaps a musician with a guitar case on my shoulders, travelling to a music lesson or one of those street musicians that sit on the pavement and collect a few pennies for singing and strumming a cover version of something that arrived in the hit parade ten years ago.

If only they knew. There is a commotion on the platform and the town band arrives and organise their instruments. The air on the station is pregnant with the sounds and smells of an approaching train. A tiny mouse runs along the railway tracks from a train that no-one sees, but he feels it in his little pawed feet. “How sweet” a schoolgirl tells her friend and they both point their eyes in the direction of the mouse.

I do not have time to study the antics of a mouse that will one day be crushed by the wheels of an approaching train. There are more important things to do. The band strikes up its tune, a march, something military. It suits the atmosphere and the person arriving on the next train will be happy to find he is being honoured. There are some that will not be celebrating the arrival of this person. They are waiting in a prison for their execution because they said too much, and the band plays on.

My hands are trembling. “Keep still you fool” I tell myself. It will be done and done with in a few seconds. There is a distant rumble, the air along the tracks vibrates, a noisy monster is arriving and now is the time. Open the guitar case and take out its contents. The tune I will be playing will be swallowed by the patriotic clang of the band. My music will be honourable, but not for all. My brother and my father will clap their hands when they hear of how my music will be celebrated.

The train pulls nearer. I am counting the carriages, one, two, three and there I see him dressed in his pompous peaked hat with his rows of medals. I put my hand in the guitar case and remove not a guitar, no I remove a round object: remove the pin and throw with all my might. The train window splinters with shards of glass. The noise of the band is drowned in the noise of the explosion: hand grenades are loud but effective and the carriage of the train explodes in a shower of metal, blood and gore. The deed is done and I leave the station. There will be no survivors this time.

Daily Prompt: Write Here, Write Now

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28Jan2014

Daily Prompt: BFFs

Posted in Challenges by angloswiss

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned from the person you’re the closest to?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us FRIENDS.

photocourse - movement 046

First of all can someone tell me that BFFs is supposed to mean? No forget it, probably not so important, I do speak and understand English so I suppose is self-explanatory.

I am very close to my three felines, but they have only shown me how to sleep sixteen hours a day and estimate the taste of tuna fish. My children no longer listen to what I say as they do their own thing and to be quite honest I do not always share their music taste.

That leaves me with Mr. Swiss. I never really learnt to play drums, although he did show me how to do a basic (and very basic) accompaniment using the brushes. As his taste goes more into the jazz world, I learned that Cannonball Adderly was not a secret weapon of the American CIA, but a jazz alto saxophonist from the jazz hard bop scene. I also discovered that John Coltrane was not a special type of railway car, but plays quite a good saxophone and Theolonius Monk was not a member of a religious sect, but plays piano, also to be heard together with John Coltrane. I married a jazzer and after 45 years I am probably a mini authority on a music that is not my speciality. It does sort of grow on you, and when you begin to recognise who is playing without asking Mr. Swiss, then you are getting somewhere. We have a rather large collection of jazz records, LP’s (you know the big black flat records with lots of different tunes before the CD was discovered). Today everything is on a so-called iPod although the record collection is still part of our daily life. There are a few special Miles Davis records amongst the collection. I think I could say, you name it, we have it.

There is a small corner of CD’s somewhere with some Paolo Conte, Lucia Dalla music, they are mine.

What else did I learn from Mr. Swiss – Swiss German? I am not sure about that one, it just took over and that is our home language.

We are not really soul mates; life would be boring if we were. We both have our own interests, but now and again we do share our likes. One is reading books and the world of literature. It does not matter what you read as long as you read. I grew up with the English book world and Mr. Swiss with the German book world (and some other continental influence). I even discovered when we eventually founded our joint venture as man and wife that he had some books in German and I had the same in English. I can read German books in the original language with no problem. Due to this I have found my way into the realm of German authors.

I think the most important lesson I learned from this complete Angloswiss mixture was that there are other countries with other customs and other ways of life in the world. I sometimes get an impression from my English family and friends that they feel sorry for me being in a place where there is no English spoken, no English food and no English way of life. They also ask me what I think of various British television actors and comedians who I have never heard of and then it seems I am pitied as an important part of my background is missing. I can only say, do not worry. I am happy where I am, have absolutely no wish to return to England and do not want to change my surroundings.

That’s that, I am a bit on the tired side this afternoon, had my weekly hour Tai Chi Course this afternoon. You might think it is all slow movements and no stress, but there is a lot of concentration required and I did not learn that from Mr. Swiss, that is all my own work.

Daily Prompt: BFFs

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27Jan2014

Daily Prompt: Obstacle Course

Posted in Challenges by angloswiss

Think about what you wanted to accomplish last week. Did you? What are the things that hold you back from doing everything you’d like to do?

Photographers, artists, poets: show us BARRIERS.

The ¨Train in Feldbrunnen

It often happens when we drive home from town, the train is on its way. It passes through our village every twenty minutes and the barriers go down: switch off the car engine and wait until the red lights stop flickering and then move.

I have a few red lights during the week, but I adapt. Somehow lack of a working life can perhaps lead to boredom if you do not organise things. If I want to accomplish everything I have on my weekly plan, I have to move my responsibilities around, but everything is possible.

Last week it was time to take two of our felines to the vet for the annual jabs. Mr. Swiss made the arrangements and I was going to leave him to it. When I was a working woman I would take two of the felines on my own early in the morning before going to work. Mr. Swiss worked in another town and it would not have been possible for him to help. With advancing years we are not as fit and ready as we used to be, so I told Mr. Swiss I would come with him to help out. He was a happy Mr. Swiss and I had to start organising. Being a woman with a multi-tasking gift, my grey haired 50 shades of brain had to work overtime. Thursday morning and I clean the kitchen, so how am I going to fit a feline transport with Mr. Swiss into my tightly packed routine: no problem. I cleaned the kitchen on Wednesday afternoon, meaning I had to shift cleaning the doors to Tuesday afternoon – are you with me? Tuesday afternoon is actually my Tai Chi afternoon, but luckily it was postponed last week due to skiing holidays. I then had Thursday morning free for my work as assistant feline helper with two cages.

We arrived together at the vets. I left the car with two caged felines and Mr. Swiss searched for a parking place. In the meanwhile I had struggled up the steps to the vets and deposited the felines in the waiting room. As there were no injured hamsters or pregnant snakes I was admitted to the surgery. Mr. Swiss arrived and we battled with two annoyed felines who definitely did not find that it was an ideal day for jabs.

We arrived home with two jabbed felines and it was all over and done with half way through the morning. What did I do? I told you I am a multi tasker and realised I had an hour’s time to either sit at the computer, read a book or clean the shower. Of course, I cleaned the shower because I knew I would not have to do it in the afternoon if I did it now. There was nothing holding me back and I had the prospect of a free afternoon to blog away on my prize winning book which I have not yet began and probably will never begin. You can blame it on the housework and felines that I was held back in beginning to write my book.

That was my eventful action packed week. I did help Mr. Swiss to change the bed linen and even did some ironing, as well as a few garden jobs. Otherwise life continued as always in the Angloswiss household. There were no dramas, no accidents (which is not so normal for me). Mr.Swiss and I were recovering from our colds which we manage to exchange and so there was a large usage of paper handkerchiefs – oh what an exciting week we had. He sneezed and I sneezed alternatively.

Daily Prompt: Obstacle Course

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26Jan2014

Daily Prompt: Your Days Are Numbered

Posted in Challenges by angloswiss

It’s January 26. Write a post in which the number 26 plays a role.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us NUMBERS.

Garden

At the first look at the title I thought I must write (again) what I will do on the 26th, knowing that this day might be my eternal departure in this world. Yesterday my attention was drawn to a headline (by a fellow blogger who is definitely a serious blogger) Enormous Craft Detected on the Moon meaning that the end is nye, so get ready we will be invaded by an unknown species from outer space. I was surprised, as usually the nation over the big pond keep such things secret, or use them as a subject for the newest Bruce Willis “save the world” film. Instead the vaults of the CIA/FBI and NASA similar organisations were opened. Of course, I did not close an eye all night, waiting for strange creatures to walk through the walls of my bedroom with almond shaped eyes, and glistening white skin. It did not happen, so here I am writing a daily prompt about what is actually the meaning of the 26^th for me.

My birthday is on the 6^th (December – in case you want to mark this important date in your calendar) and the only connection I have with the 26^th is that it is a day after the 25^th. The 25^th was always pay day when I was a working woman, although if it was on Sunday, it would mean that the money was only ready to be picked up on 26^th. Today I am a senior citizen and both the Swiss and the British government choose to send my money at the beginning of the month, so the 26^th has lost all its important meaning.

This morning began as any Sunday morning, although it was the 26^th. Mr. Swiss and I arose and took a normal breakfast. I did my normal tour de computer to see if the Martians had landed during the night and afterwards planned my day. As I was cooking roast pork and chose the low temperature cooking way (niedergaren in German, but the English language does not yet seem to have the word for this) I had to plan very carefully and by nine o’clock my meat with the veg (carrot, celeriac, leek, garlic) was all underway in the oven, garnished with large leafed parsley, rosemary, sage. thyme and bay leaf. The rosemary, sage and thyme came from the garden. We had a mild Winter this year and it is still fresh and growing.

You are still wondering what the photo above has to do with all this? I am coming to that part. Oh, isn’t this 26^th day of the month exciting! Whilst the apartment was filling with appetising smells from the kitchen I did my normal wip through with the vacuum cleaner and other housewife hobby machines. In the meanwhile Mr. Swiss was finished in the shower and ironed a few items. He was ready for a walk in the country and I was still in my nightdress. I moved onto the shower and afterwards discovered I still had time until final dinner preparations (there were only noodles to cook). What to do with my spare time? It was 26^th day of the month and this must be celebrated according to today’s blogging law. My first thought was a daily Tai Chi practice, but it was too early in the morning.

I then took a glace through the window. My bushes and trees no longer resembled the growth in the photo but were now bare, no leaves, but the branches and twigs were still there and my buddeia had decided to slowly strangle the remainders of my rose bush. Then the sun shone through the clouds. I took my courage into my hands and stepped out into the wilderness, commonly known as garden. Armed with my secateurs (that’s a word for my garden scissors) I attacked the buddleia. Before it knew what was happening it had a short back and sides and the rose bush waved its head it appreciation, although its pleasure was short lived as the rose bush was the next in the row. I moved on to a deteriorating overlarge sedum which I quickly trimmed to the ground. The next in the row was the spiraea and one large branch of the eurasien smoketree. I had planned half an hour until 11.30 a.m. and my time was up. The other branches of the smoketree will be cut on another day. I am sure that for some plants in my garden the 26^th will remain a memorable day. In the meanwhile Mr. Swiss returned from his hike in the Swiss countryside and the noodles were cooking.

So there we have it, the 26^th remains in my memory as the day the garden was cut halfcut. What this day will hold for us, I do not know. I hope the moon is still there this evening and the mysterious object on the dark side remains where it is.

Daily Prompt: Your Days Are Numbered

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25Jan2014

Daily Prompt: Teach Your (Bloggers) Well

Posted in Challenges by angloswiss

We all know how to do something well — write a post that teaches readers how to do something you know and/or love to do.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us TEACHING.

Painting on Building Bahnhofplatz, Solothurn

This photo is of a painting on the wall of an ordinary apartment house in our local town of Solothurn. At the top you can see our cathedral with its surrounding baroque style towers and the figures are walking towards the bottom down the moat walls until they arrive at a green meadow. All the people in the design seem to be doing something, connected with their trade or just enjoying theirselves.

So now for the theme of the prompt. Anyone here want to learn fluent Swiss German, how to write the Cyrillic alphabet, or perhaps find out what html is all about on the computer and not just copy paste, but go into the details and do it all in computer language? No-one? I do not blame you, at my age I would not want to do that again.

Of course I could write a post all about the secrets of training felines. I have three and since twelve years, but the only thing I have learnt that I can pass on is that you cannot train felines, they train you and humans are just here to obey and not command in this respect.

Most of the things I can do were more or less self-taught. You do not speak to a Swiss German in his own language by going to school and learning. You can learn German, which is difficult enough at school, but Swiss German – no. Just listen to what the others say and do it the same, on the basis that you stay in the same town and do not wander around to other towns. Living in Bern where the words of the language are about 10 words per hour, is different to living in Zürich where the words arrive 100 words per hour (the time difference is only figuratively speaking). What I mean is that the Bernese take their time, no rush and you arrive comfortably at your target. Zürich is a business centre and so decisions are made quicker. Not wanting to either criticise or praise, but being originally an Anglo that grew up speaking cockney, things can become complicated in Switzerland. There is a Swiss dialect to suit each Kanton/State, even towns: after living here almost fifty years I have now got the hang of it, although I would not like to spend time in the Kanton of Valais. I have the feeling it is only the Valliser that understand their dialect. The Bernese Overland can also get very complicated, but thanks to the ski tourism from other countries, most people speak or at least understand English.

I could give a few cooking lessons but every housewife has her own favourites and specialities. My ratatouille is quite favoured at home; I also manage quite a good chilli con carne, not to mention my homemade pizza. I make spaghetti Bolognese, al sugo, al pesto, arrabiata, carbonara etc. etc., but who am I to tell you how to do it.

I brought up four children, but that was learning by doing and still is, although I now only have one at home. I have been married for 46 years this February and that was definitely learning by doing on both sides of the fence. We began married life speaking English but after a year I was slipping into the local lingo and English only now exists at home if we have visitors from English speaking countries.

As far as being a teacher is concerned. I taught English in a Swiss evening school, but it is not my thing. I am not an expert in pedagogy. Just knowing the language is not enough, you have to bring it across to your victims and not show them how well you can speak it, so I gave that up.

And now for some Tai Chi practice, which I am still learning and practicing daily. You are never too old.

Daily Prompt: Teach Your (Bloggers) Well

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24Jan2014

Daily Prompt: BYOB(ookworm)

Posted in Challenges by angloswiss

Write the blurb for the book jacket of the book you’d write, if only you had the time and inclination.

Photographers, artists, poets: show us BOOKS.

Me and computer

Hidden in a cottage on the edge of a cemetary somewhere in a European village where no-one knew her or her blogging background things happened again. She was sure this was the place where she belonged, Her fingers quivered as they raced over the keyboard. It was a fight against the powers that wanted her and the powers she needed.

The terminal glowed with illuminated vibrancy but she continued undaunted. She was writing the blog of a lifetime and she knew it would be her last blog. There was too much at stake to give up now. The ghosts of her blogging life were waiting in the bytes of the computer, their hunger wanting to devour the prize winning words of her last blog.

A laugh filled the room, she stretched her hand out for a glass of red wine but it tumbled out of her hand, spreading its red juice and blood similar stain over the keyboard, mixing with the crumbs remaining from her breakfast of strawberry jam and toast. She found the various shades of red suited her work, it was 51 Shades of blood red. That this was going to be the last blog she wrote, but she would leave the world of Blog with a deafening roar, a text to shake the foundations of all prompts and challenges.

Read on and discover a blog world unknown to most. What lies behind the backdrop of this devilish work of occult and mystery? Are you hungry for the ultimate judgement of THE Blog? This masterpiece will not disappoint. Why did she have to die? Where was the body? Was this blog finished being guided by an undead brain. An occult adventure on every page. WARNING: not to be read in bed before sleeping.

Daily Prompt: BYOG(ookworm)

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23Jan2014

Michelle’s Weekly Pet Challenge – Let’s Go to the Vets

Posted in Challenges by angloswiss

“Ready Tabby, ready Nera?”

“Ready for what Mrs. Human?” the two felines asked, looking at me with that “is she mad” look in their eyes.

“Its end of January, time for the annual visit to the uncle doctor for your jabs.”

“Forget it Mrs. Human, do you have a death wish or something. No self-respecting feline goes voluntarily to the vets.”

Tabby then retired to the top of the cupboard where it was impossible to get her and Nera disappeared outside. Only Fluffy was left, but it was not his turn. Fluffy likes a ride in the car but he will be his turn next week. Mr. Swiss and I were left with a problem: thirty minutes to spare to get the two felines into the car. Suddenly Mrs. Swiss called.

“I have them both in their cages. They are ready to go.”

“How did that happen?”

“No problem, just opened a tin of tuna and they were both suddenly in the kitchen after hearing the sound of the tin opener and munching away. I just picked them up and packed them in the cages.”

I had a look. Nera was snarling “let me out, let me out” and Tabby was scratching at the bars.

“Mrs. Human, that was not fair” said Nera.

Mr. Swiss and I put them into the car and we were off to the vets. We arrived and the two felines were waiting for the treatment. I must say Tabby was quiet and waiting with no problem and took the treatment calmly.

Tabby at the vets for jabs 2014

It was then Nera’s turn.

“Just a moment” said the vet and sent her assistance to organise the preparations. The assistant returned complete with two strong leather gloves gauntlets, and a large thick red blanket. Nera was packed with strong leather covered hands and put on the table, her head being hidden under the blanket. On the way she resembled the horror hound from a Hollywood film, showing four very long teeth with her mouth wide open and I could swear there was sparks and flames showing in her eyes. She did utter a few snarls and growls to complete the picture.

“Mrs. Human, what are you telling everyone? It was my right to defend myself. I was insulted by two females who had no respect for such an important member of the feline family. I am a direct descendent from Bastet and should be treated as such. My dignity was insulted – no, don’t put that photo here for all to see.”

Nera at the vets for jabs 2014

“Sorry Nera, but this photo is unique. As you received your life saving jab and had the full attention of a vet and an assistant. Shame we cannot see your wonderful facial features, but they were covered by a red blanket.*

“Mrs. Human hissssssss. I will kill you.”

“No-one is going to be killed. You will survive, Tabby has survived and when we arrive home you can finish the plate of tuna fish you left. OK”

With thoughts of a waiting plate of tuna fish, the return journey was peaceful, Nera watching the changing scenery from the car. When we arrived home and opened the cages the felines jumped out in a split second.

And so the deed was done for another year. Mr. Swiss and I both relaxed and when we arrived home we had two felines that had already forgotten their morning adventure and finished their tuna fish in the kitchen.

Michelle’s Weekly Pet Challenge

Being honest the title is based on a remark made on one of my blogs by a supporter.
"You always turn a topic inside out and on its head" were words also applied by a visitor to one of my blogs. I think she hit the nail on the head.

Prompts are there to act on, not just tell everyone what you had for lunch or your likes and dislikes. I trust that on my blog you find something spiced with humour. Mr. Swiss, my other half, has been known to say that not everyone always understands my humour (I do not always understand his).

Blogging is for me coupled with having fun. I do what I want to and not what I have to.

Disclaimer: Not reponsible for any spelling or grammatical mistakes. I do my best, but having two langugages revolving in my brain (yes, I have one), sometimes the result is more bi- than unilingual.