I thought let’s have a good old fashioned rose for a change, nothing special or dramatical, just a rose – you have to love them.
Daily Archives: 29/05/2017
Share Your World – May 29, 2017
What is the most famous landmark or building you have ever seen?
That is really a difficult one, because most famous is relative.
This was 24 years ago, a 46 year old me, on my trip to New York with Mr. Swiss for a week and never to be forgotton. I have seen the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the colosseum in Rome, and of course all the London famous monuments, but for New York I had to cross an ocean knowing it would probably be the only time that I would ever be in the States. I was going to show a photo of me standing in front of Lady Liberty, but on this photo taken on Ellis Island, you see the complete New York skyline, what could be better? And the twin towers were still standing – I even got to the top of one of them.
Do you like long vacation or lots of mini-vacations?
Today I don’t like any sort of vacation, for me it only means stress. I live on holiday and no longer need to go places and see things. I prefer to visit local places and as long as I have a camera with me I am content.
What is your favorite natural or state park?
I live in a natural park, surrounded by wild meadows, trees, and a river runs near it all, not quite through it, but only a few minutes away. It is teaming with wild life and I love it.
What is your fantasy vacation?
I have been blogging for many years, 9 in WordPress. My fantasy vacation would be one day to travel and visit all those wonderful friends I have found on this site (yes Cee, you are also on the list). I know it is no longer possible, but it would be a dream come true. I met one of them last year, when she was passing through Switzerland, and all being well will probably meet another next year. I just wish it does not remain a fantasy.
What are you grateful for from last week, and what are you looking forward to in the week coming up?
I am grateful that last week has come and gone. There were noise emissions from the builders renovating our block that reached the borders on the ear drums. The grand finale was last week on Wednesday and now the worst is behind us. We had four days without builders due to Ascension day and the Friday afterwards and then came the week-end. Today they have returned, but the drilling an destruction is now finished. Painting and insulation does not make noise thank goodness.
This week I have really hoping for peace returning to our daily lives.
One Word Photo Challenge: Frame
Sometimes you walk past an object and find, yes, that is an ideal photo. Why or for what reason at the time, you do not know, but it is unique, something you do not usually see. That is what happened when I saw the entrance to this house. A door frame in a wall covered with ivy – a picture in itself.
Daily Prompt: No Detonations in My World
We are being renovated and an army of buiders with their machines moved in two months ago and took over. At the beginning it was “only” the building of the scaffolding. The constructions artists were fitting pieces of steel together with their tools: nothing dramatic, just the echoing clanks of metal against metal, but we could live with it.
Then the professionals moved in and took over. There was no longer the tightening of nuts and bolts, it was the real thing. War had broken out in our corner of a tiny village somewhere in the depths of Switzerland. The outside wall layers were removed and then came the insulation. We were now left with bare brick walls and cement. This was the part where we were bombarded with the ceaseless noise of pneumatic chisels, scraping away the plaster from the brick walls – this was not a detonation or even an explosion, it was a permanent noise of driving instruments into brickwork, only a pause for the morning break and the lunch time.
War had broken out, at least that was the feeling we had. Now there is peace and quiet. All the insulation and its accompanying plaster has been removed after a month of noise and hammering. The detonations have stopped. We can hardly believe our luck. The Moor has done his duty, the Moor can go at last, but not quite. Where there was an army, there is now only one or two adding a few final touches.
But wait, what do I hear? The noise of a solitary drill. I had to investigate – was it all beginning again? I found one man attacking one wall all on his own, but this was just a small job, a remainder.
I think I have now got a taste of the noise that a war can cause. I remember some years ago Switzerland had one of those military parades on the road to celebrate something or the other and their centurion tanks were passing by. We lived on the first floor, but if I stretched out my hand I could have shaken hands with the driver, they were so big and powerful: the buidings shook with the vibrations.
My mum and her family were in London during the second world war. They slept in the garden in a so-called Nissan hut, made of metal for protection. They lived in the dock area of London, which was a popular place for detonations. She was once allocated to “fire watching” in the factory where she worked during the night. If a bomb hit the factory, she was to report it to the firemen on duty (if she survived). It was one of the worst nights of the war and the next time is was told to go, she stayed at home. The next day a policeman knoced at the door, ready to arrest her – probably for treason or something like that. However, her brother was already a prisoner of war and my grandmother said no way was her daughter also becoming a victim of war. The policeman left without mum.
Unless you live in a war torn country, and there are enough of them around today, we have no idea of the noise, the devastation and wondering if you wake up the next day, and wake up to your house undamaged, the street, your surviving family.
And I complain about a little bit of building noise. It is now late afternoon, and all I can hear are the birds singing, a distant radio and the breeze in the trees and conversations mainly in Italian between the builders. No detonations, because we are not at war.
Good Morning
Yesteday they let me out on my own, although I have a feeling they did not really notice I had gone. After a fully packed day with ironing and cooking in the morning and blogging in the afternoon I decided to make the most of the evening. We now have the hot summer weather which is too hot for me. However, in my computer room I sit in front of the windows and it is the shady side of the appartment. I can open the windows, play with my computer and combine it with fresh air.
I was all set by 7.00 in the evening, when the temperatures were cooler, and with my mobile phone in my pocket and my camera hanging over my shouder I was off, not forgetting my walking stick. I did say goodbye to Mr. Swiss, he asked have you got your phone, of course. I decided to take the path to the local castle. I cross the main road and am already at the beginning of the long upwards walk.
I often wonder why they build these castles on a hill. This is not a fortified castle to protect us from the invaders from the other villages, but a nice castle once used by the French Ambassador to Switzerland as his summer residence. It eventually went into the hands of the Swiss family Von Sury d’Aspremont, one of which had the honour of serving as commandant in the Swiss Guard in the Vatican some time in the 40’s or 50’s – not sure of the exact date. In the meawhile the castle is now in the hands of the local authorties.
And so I made myself on the way uphill. I noticed the crops are now growing nicely in the fields surrounding the castle – see photo. It seems the new chicken house has now been shifted next to the path, which was handy for a photo on the way. It is a movable chicken coop on wheels, so the chickens do get a change of secenery now and again.
Sorry for the red fencing blocking the perfect view of the chickens, but it is probably there to stop them escaping and crossing the road. I think we have the happiest, most satisfied chickens in Switzerland. They have their own personal rooster and have a large space for taking walks.
I made my way to the top of the hill where there was an empty bench waiting for me to recover. I was glad to reach the top as it is quite strenuous walking uphill, but was rewarded by some great views. Here you can see our local red train making its way to our village station, with a background of Swiss Alps. You cannot always see the alps, it depends on the weather, but yesterday was a good day.
With this view I decided to rest awhile on the bench before taking the downhill walk to home. By the way the tall white building on the right in the background is the Kanton/State hospital. I noticed that walking downhill is easier than up. I heard the village church clock telling me it was time to go home. The weather was perfect: a gentle breeze, and just the sound of birds.
And today back in the old routine, although a very quiet routine for a change. There was a ring at the door, one of the workmen wanting access to our hobby room in the cellar to remove a grid from a space next to our window, which he could not access from outside. He is a nice guy and told Mr. Swiss that we will now have peace and quiet for at least 6 weeks. They will now begin to renew the isolation and paint the facade of our building, but it will take time until they reach us. We are not sorry, as the noise and dirt emission was gradually wearing down our nerves. We have just had four days of peace and quite due to a national holiday and realised how good it used to be. We still have the scaffolding in front of our porch, but it is not a hindrance.
Enjoy the day, make the most of it, I am now taking a walk with the vacuum cleaner and eventually will make my way to the supermarket as the cupboard is getting bare.
Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss 