There are a couple of yellow roses, some big yellow daisy lookalikes and something yellow still in bud.
Daily Archives: 31/05/2018
Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Ground: sand, dirt, grass, paths
Local railway tracks
At the Hairdressers having my hair cut
A wild meadow with dandelions
Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Ground: sand, dirt, grass, paths
Daily Prompt: Retrospective or Who Killed the Daily Prompt
Today I was reflecting on a year ago.
They had begun to remove the shell of the building where I lived. The outside walls were being removed piece by piece until you could see the bare bricks below. It hurt to see this happen, not only the increased noise and vibrations from the machines, but we asked why. Someone made an offer, a good offer to make a few renovations, all in the name of improvement. The insulation was not good enough, the paint was peeling and in general the building was ill. Some even said it was dying, and it was only 20 years old. How old does a building have to be before it dies. My house in working class London was built in 1884, but in 1992 it was demolished. Even Victorian buildings lived longer that our building.
There was nothing we could do, there was a vote and the mjority (the youngsters of course) said yes, it was necessary. We golden oldies found it was not really necessary and definitely not to the extent of a rebuild.
After eight months and a lot of inconvenience the builders removed their skeletal scaffolding. We had been newly insulated, thicker and better of course. We got a new coat of paint, in a very pale shade of green. We even had new blinds and a new sun blind in green of course. A thousand photos later the job was done.
After all the inconvenience of the alternations, which we are still not sure why, we have got our daily situation back. The porch has its tables and chairs again, my computer is on the table and Mr. Swiss can relax in his sun chair. We even now have modern stripy curtains on the windows, because the blinds were removed when the work was being done and we had to have something else. One of the positive effects of the rebuilding I find.
And now what about this. Our grid, our daily prompt is being demolished. There will be no noise of destruction, it will just disappear between dusk and dawn tonight and become a shell, a memory, something we all treasured and would look forward to daily. Perhaps the powers that be have something bigger and better, we will have to wait and see. I do not like this doomsday atmosphere that is arriving. First this week’s photo challenge (which is also being killed) has a title of “All-time Favourites” so how final can you get. I did not participate this week, I felt disappointed when everything is just summed up as all-time favourites, it is so final, so sad. And today daily prompt wants a retrospective. If they kept it there would be no need to look back on anything.
Good Morning
It was a pleasant afternoon yesterday, sunshine a light breeze and warm. Now and again I thought I heard a distant rumble, but everything was OK on our side of Switzerland. During the evening there were more rumbles and in the late evening, just before I decided to retire to my nest, it began to rain. It was not just rain it was a downpour, a torrent. I am not sure if hailstones were also included. It was dark outside and I too wet to have a look. It was still thundering when I went to bed which somehow sent me to sleep. This morning the world was OK. My garden still existed and there were no little ponds anywhere. In some parts of Switzerland roads turned to rivers, and there was a snowy similar landscape caused by hailstones. Even Zürich Airport was closed.
And look who has returned after an interval of a year. As soon as it rains there are back. I should have been warned yesterday because I found one of these, a mini example, in the bedroom in front of the window. I had been doing stuff with the window and probably it sleeked in. They do tend to sleek, no rush for a slug. Anyhow I deposed of the single example in the bedroom to the garden, but this one was taking a walk on the porch looking for food probably. I re-organised my garden some time ago and have now only plants that do not fit in the diet of a snail, but they never give up. I used to put salt on them, but had a guilty conscience when I saw the chemical reaction. I also have pellets which kill them. I eventually gave up and if I see one I pick it up and throw it into the meadow. after all they cannot help being slugs.
Yesterday I decided to stay at home and no big wheelchair journeys were planned. I visited the supermarket in the morning and filled up on food for the next two days. Today is Corpus Christi, so big deal as all the shops are again closed and people in our Swiss Kanton, which is roman catholic, are not working. When I was a working lady Mr. Swiss worked in the Kanton of Bern so he did not get the day off as Bern is Swiss Reform Church. I always volunteered to work on that day as we had to have a skeleton staff. It was nice an quiet and Mr Swiss was working in any case. I would take the day off at a later date. Now I am a golden oldie and every day is a holiday more or less, except for shopping and doctor visits.
Yesterday I finished cleaning all my windows on the West side. Thank goodness we have nice metal blinds that we pull down at night and my windows remain splash free from the rain yesterday. Actually cleaning windows is becoming a strenuous task since breaking my leg, but I survived. I have now noticed that my left leg is definitely shorter that the right. It seems to have shrunk after being broken, even the surgeon and physio therapist lady mentioned this. I now notice when I walk that I definitely have a tilt towards the right and if I stand I can see the difference. It is only a few centimeters, and now I am something completely different. You must always make the most of these things.
Today is a day of relaxation although I think I might clean the doors. I have to do something to pass the time, do not want to get bored. I will leave you with the first rose that has flowered in my garden this year and I noticed there are more buds to open. The photo is by courtesy of Mr. Swiss, but I am not sure if he was taking a photo of the rose or our garden frog king.
Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss 