What could be more mundane on a snowy day in Switzerland than a snow plough clearing the sidewalks to make it safer. On my way in the car this morning I think I took about 5 different photos of snow removal. The whole country seems to be busy with clearing the stuff away that arrived in the middle of the night.
If you could hire someone to help you, would it be with cleaning, cooking, or yard work?
You mean I have to choose? I can still cook and clean, although that does not mean that I enjoy it. Gardening is slowly becoming out of the question as I cannot bend down, but for that I have a strong son that does it in a few minutes that would take me a few hours. He is willing and never complains. I asked him to gather the Autumn leaves and five minutes later there was not a leaf left. He is autistic but a wonderful help and does everything with a method. And I do not have to hire him, he does it automatically.
If you were to move and your home came fully furnished with everything you ever wanted, list at least three things from your old house you wish to retain?
My computer and all my online stuff including iPad, my walking stick and my Kindle. Otherwise no problem. At the age of 71 I am not so bothered. I cannot take it with me in any case.
What calms you down?
Who needs calming down? What really gets me is when the computer has a funny moment. I ask Mr. Swiss for help and then we both need calming down.
What inspired you or what did you appreciate this past week? Feel free to use a quote, a photo, a story, or even a combination.
I had a visit from my son and daughter-in-law and got to meet my grandson. He makes a lot of noise, is discovering that he is in the world and I became a real grandmother. What could be better.
I also met a neighbour in Facebook of all places. I was dithering around on a web site belonging to the community where my dad moved to. I also knew the area very well because most of my relatives moved into the area. I posted something about my dad and met his ex-neighbour that I also knew on my visits. They had two wonderful little kids. And then I got a message from someone that was our neighbour where we used to live in East London and moved to the same area as my dad, and even visited him a couple of times. After a few backwards and forwards I realised who he was. It is always good to meet people from the past.
I thought I would bring something seasonal today and took this photo this morning in the store. I have a poinsettia at home, but this is one of the special Christmas editions with glittery stuff on the leaves and bracts. I am not really sure that I like it this way, a bit of a cheap Christmas gimmick, but I suppose there are people that like them for Christmas on the table.
I still have my poinsettia from last year, but only green leaves. It has grown quite well, I fed it throughout the summer outside, but I do not have the patience to try for coloured bracts.
“Which way Fred?”
“No idea Joe, just follow the prints.”
“Those females can really get confusing. Looks like they went that way.”
“Which way?”
“The direction of the clawprints: straight ahead.”
“But I don’t see any clawprints straight ahead. They seem to be going in circles.”
“Typical female of the species. She said she was going for the food cantine at the end of the path.”
“Which path? It’s all covered in snow.”
“And then she said just follow her tracks.”
“But this seems to be a main traffic path. Everyone is hopping in the same direction.”
“Then we have to sort out which tracks are our birds. I know Mable’s claws anywhere, They are pointed and sharp.”
“But Fred, all our claws are pointed and sharp. They all look the same.”
“Joe, think. You should really know your own bird. I am sure the claw on the right is Gladys.”
“How comes you recognise Gladys claws Fred?”
“I recognise every birds claws Joe, don’t forget I am the boss of the flock.”
“Fred, that does not give you a right to know every mate’s claw. I had suspicions when she laid the last batch of eggs.”
“Me Joe, no never, I would never fertilise another birds eggs. Only my Mabel’s eggs, they are the best.”
“I am not sure Fred, the latst batch did have a strong resemblance to you. They all had that little bend at the end of the beak, like you.”
“Their beaks all bend a bit when they hop fresh out of the egg Joe. And now concentrate. That’s my Mabel, the claw on the left, the big one, she always had big feet and it is pointing to the left, so let’s go.”
“But they are pointing in all directions of the compass. Fred look there they are, sitting on the bird house.”
“Sitting on the bird house? We don’t sit on bird houses, we leave that to the small fry, the idiots, the sparrows. We sit on trees.”
“Not in winter Fred. Then it is every bird to himself. Look Gladys is flapping a wing to come and join her.”
“Stop Joe, where are you going?”
“To the birdhouse. No pecking around in that wet stuff on the ground and when Gladys calls, I go.”
“Wait for me, I can smell sunflower seeds and I love sunflower seeds. Mabel I am coming.”
This is as near as I will get to the morning view of the garden. I had to put the phone camera on zoom to get a better photo. Mr. Swiss warned me not to go outside because we have freezing temperatures and it had begun to snow some time in the night. It has now stopped snowing, but I can hear the sounds of the snow clearing machines in our area already. I also just heard the sound of an ambulance on its way from the hospital, and Mr. Swiss said it is the second time this morning. Everyone has been warned to drive carefully as our roads are not as safe as they should be at the moment, having a layer of ice on top of the snow just to complete the picture.
It looks very pretty, but these are the days when I do not appreciate the beauty of the snow so much, only the dangers that lurk for me. I have memories of going to work in the early morning hours in Winter and being thankful to arrive in one piece with the car. The highlights were when it continued to snow throughout the morning. I then had to release my car from the snow piles to be able to drive to the nearby supermarket when I did some shopping and had lunch in the restaurant. In the evening, driving home, the day was completed with a 10 minute drive that now took at least half an hour, if not more, to arrive home safely.
This morning we have to visit the store for food, but only at 10.00 a.m. approximately and we are hoping that by then the conditions will be just pretty and not treacherous.
The other garden does not look much better. Mr. Swiss is now describing the horror scenes which we will probably meet on the way to the store. I now have a disappointed magpie sitting in the tree opposite waiting for his daily bread ration. Mr. Swiss warned me not to go out due to skid danger. He is now preparing the bread himself and will chance a walk to the other side of the garden for the birds.
I have discovered jigsaw puzzles on the computer. Actually some time ago, but it feeds my creative mind. I have done most of the free ones and have now discoverd a jigsaw a day which is free and appeals to my imagination. I don’t even get a photo of the completed jigsaw, just a date to click. They are quite fun and I can even choose the size and amount of the pieces. In between reading a book I quite enjoy them. In this cold, unfriendly weather it keeps me out of mischief.
It seems that the iPhone, iPad etc. have yet another update which I will now procede to install and so I must go onto other duties. Have a good day, wear good winterproof shoes with nice big profiles on the soles to avoid slipping around too much if you have snow. Those in Australia, make sure you apply enough sun cream to avoide sunburn (lucky people). I will leave you with the third candle of our advents wreath burning – our only Christmas decoration.
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain!
My "bump" was in 2016 when, aged 48, I suffered a stroke. This blog charts my recovery. (Header clipart licensed by pngguru.com.)
Enjoying life and the empty nest while easing into retirement,
Fiction Writing
I am Ahmed Abdi, a Wordpress blogger and storyteller who searches for stories that inspire people. I love writing because it’s a reflection of how I perceive the world around me. Lost in a world of endless chaos in my childhood, Unforgettable moments of tragedy and triumphs taught me the art of storytelling where I found myself through letter writing and then turned into stories but then sadly had lost everything I wrote for years. In 2018, I decided to create a Wordpress blog site that would allow me to store and retrieve every piece. Stories from my community, city and people are what make my writing so interesting and inspiring! I’m a tea lover so a cup of tea sometimes makes my blog.
Dil se Dil tak...
My site is all about my travels around the world and in Australia, plus daily life photos!
Je crie, donc je suis
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Enjoy Photography and sometimes Writings 😋
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