I know, another unknow flower, but I cannot only take photos of the flowers that I know. This way I might learn what they are.
Daily Archives: 26/10/2018
A Photo A Week Challenge: Reflections
I was at the local River Aare this week and got my fair share of reflections. It is just that time of year with clear air and sunshine and colder temperatures. The scene was set and I made the most of it.
Pull Up A Seat Photo Challenge: Week 8
Dad, aged 92 in 2007, on one of my annual visits to London. He was taking it easy in Waterstones Book Store whilst I was hunting around for a few books. I think he was glad to find a seat to relax.
Which Way Photo Challenge: October 25th, 2018
Over the Rötibruck in Solothurn, Switzerland
and up the stairs with the shadows
and a look through the Kronegasse, also in Solothurn, Switzerland
Daily Inkling: I know a Ghost
It’s the Friday before Halloween. Tell us the story of your ghost encounter, real or fictional.
I wrote this in 2002 and discovered it in my archives.
“There’s a tap on the door and a groan from outside”
“It is only the wind, you do not have to hide.”
“But I see through the window a face looking in”
“A reflection from the moon, it’s the usual thing”
“I hear voices that cry, and wolves that now howl
I am frightened, I must hide, something is foul”
“But wait, it is silent, all I hear is a cough
I know all is good, I switch the television off”
“The “Return of Dracula” was showing as the scene,
Do not forget, tonight is halloween.”
“And now I feel safe, but wait, there’s a tap at the door
I will open it”
“No don’t, you cannot be sure.”
And now it was quiet, no sound to be heard
A black raven sat on the house roof
A very strange bird.
FOWC with Fandango: Toxic
Of course Christmas is not toxic, a time of joy and peace and love to all mankind. At least most of it, although I do not do Christmas. I have really arrived at the point when it is an annoyance.
The Christmas tent is already prepared in the local supermarket, ready and waiting. Today is 26th October, in one day less in two months, it will be Christmas Day, when we all sit beneath the Christmas Tree with family members and eat the Christmas dinner which is usually prepared by he matriach of the family, which I have become, so why should I rejoice and enjoy. For me a time of stress, composing a Christmas dinner and toiling away in the kitchen on the evening of 24th December, which is when we have the big deal in Switzerland.
It is quite easy to explain. For the next two months I will be bombarded with TV advertisements showing fake Father Christmas’s with fake snowfalls in a fake little village somewhere and to top it all up we will have the Coca Cola truck who has discovered how to use the name of Christmas for publicity. I know I am the Christmas grinch, but I have had many Christmas seasons in my life and it was not always easy.
The stress before buying the right Christmas presents for everyone. I know some people that proudly tell us how they have completed their Christmas shopping already in the month of September, usually by Facebook proclamation, which does not interest me. It is also a reason why I have abolish Christmas presents with one exception. The children in the family, they can make their own decisions later in life and the smile on a child’s face at Christmas is irreplaceable.
Ok, I tell you I am a complete atheist and so perhaps I am the toxic person in this whole Christmas show. Today I realise that the whole thing is a money making publicity show. I celebrate for the others not for myself and thank goodness I now have at last a quiet time at the end of the year where I do not fall asleep under the tree (which we do not have). Just three of us, no Christmas tree and please no presents. If I really want something I can buy it myself.
The plastic curtain is reading to be opened, behind which lay shelves of Christmas decorations to buy. I no longer bake for Christmas. When I had a family with four kids I would do the whole show and spend weeks before Christmas making our Christmas biscuits, and even taking a selection to work.
There is one positive aspect. I can take some photos at our local Christmas market. Sometimes I sympathise with Mr. Scrooge and who knows I might even get a visit from the ghosts of the Christmas past, present and future.
RDP Friday: Slide
When our block of apartments was renovated they had to remove the edge of our porch with some of our plants to allow for room for the scaffolding poles to be embedded.
After eight months of work with the mess the poles were at last removed and it was time to fill the ditch in front of our ground floor apartment with earth again.
It is amazing the ideas the building companies develop to deal with the job of moving earth into its original place.
I imagined the builders walking to and fro with shovels of earth to fill the gap, which would mean another week of work.
The work was settled within a few hours with the help of this slide monster. The earth was in a truck, and it was pumped into the tube.
The tube was guided by two men and another that spread the arriving dirt afterwards. The job was finished within and hour. Note there is also the worker that watches to see that the job is done properly. There is always a watcher when a manual job is to be completed. That must be a super job, just watching. The lady was also watching, but she was holding up the protective sheet to stop the mess arriving on the freshly painted walls.
There are slides and slides, but this was a tubular slide for earth replacement. Simple really I suppose, You just have to have the idea.
Good Morning
Yesterday afternoon was a nice sunny one again, as the last two months. A wonderful blue sky with only streams from the passing jets from various places all over the world. The highest point, Hasenmatt (Rabbit Meadow) is in the middle of the photo with our Autumn trees in front. I always get this view when I wheel into town, photo take just outside of our village.
As I wheel along in my chair I always cast a glance behind the station on the raiway. There is gap in the fence and the horses are usually grazing. It seems that one of the horses has a foal, the little one at the front.
Eventually I arrived in town and noticed we have a new group of street musicians.
The note they had pinned to their little case was sending greetings from St. Peterburg. I often wonder how these musicians live when they arrive in a foreign country. Perhaps they just play their way through Europe. It was a brass group and the music was good quality. I could have stayed a while but I had a quest, although they were very friendly and I got a nice smile from the guy on the french horn, so I wished him a good day (in russian of course – one of my foreign languages, but not so good).
I was on my way to the southern part of town, known as the Vorstadt, as they were having their “Obsttage” (fruit days) on the so called Rossmarktplatz (Horse market square). This was a first time, so I thought it might be a good opportunity to get a few photos.
It was a little disappointing. This square is very small and is just a wider space along the sidewalk. I was surprised that they held something like this where they did. I did not have a big problem with the wheelchair, but there was not a lot of room to move in. The main stall, and almost only one, was similar to a normal market stand with a bit of this and that, so where was the fruit. There were also a few tables and chairs to have a drink and something to eat, mainly Swiss apple tarts.
The fruit was basically apples which you could buy, although I think this year everyone with an apple tree in the garden has enough apples for the complete winter, I know I do. As you can see the whole thing was on the edge of the main road, although not a road with a lot of traffic, but one with the bus route.
There was also a table with dishes with apples to try for a free sample. Next to each dish was a label saying which farm it came from. I had a quick look, but hardly had room to turn the wheelchair. It was all OK for a change, but they could have done a lot more. Fruit is not only apples, although there were some vegetables on display.
All local farm produce of course, and very impressive.
I decided to move on home. I had to cross the River Aare and saw the local swan family having a swim.
This was only part of the family. The cygnets are no longer so small. We have a family like this every year and it is amazing how the parents keep the kids at home until they get their white feathers. Next year they will probably have families of their own.
I crossed our Wengi Bridge with a view of the Landhaus and the St. Urs cathedral in the background. There was also a boat on the river. As it passed under the bridge I heard the voice of a lady through the microphone telling the passengers where they where with a little history of the town. This is something new. We have the official boats that travel from Solothurn along the river for a couple of hours to the town of Biel in the West, but local boats were never seen. Seems to be a new tourist thing.
And now to move on as today is big shopping day. Since I have taken the shopping quest in my own hands, I can organise much better and Mr. Swiss is not sad about it. He has other qualities. Although yesterday it was a massive list, but without a list I would forget most of it. I am still at a loss for Saturday evening, but I can always make a pizza if other ideas fail me.
Enjoy the day, tomorrow is the week-end although being a golden oldie week-ends are just extended week days. I leave you with a souvenir from the town seen outside the flower store – a bowl of chrysanthemum. They always seem to have special flowers in town in wonderful intensive colours, but the price is also quite intensive.
Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss 