Had no idea what a stymie is so I assume that it is something Anglo-American. However, after looking it up in the dictionary, I am in the picture.

And so one day I decided to take a wheelie along the river which is just along the path to where I live. I should have been warned as I wheeled on and heard the cracks of gunfire in the distance. No, we Swiss are peaceful people, do not have shootouts with the neighbours and there is even a special season for hunting, but in our area there is nothing to hunt except for a few hedgehogs and deer are protected if you happen to find one.

Evetually I reached the part on the path that had been closed with a sign “Stop. Danger – shooting. Access forbidden.” Yes our soldiers were having their annual practice. Switzerland – soldiers? Of course. we are peaceful, but perhaps the others not so much, so we have a part-time army. Every able bodied Swiss is a soldier. And if he is not so able bodied, then he is a civil service recruit, helping in senior homes etc. They are called up for 3 weeks a year, given a uniform and a rifle and shown how to do it. My No. 2 son did his service for 3 weeks annually for many years until it had been completed. He was in with the heavy artillary – tanks etc.

You cannot give a gun to a soldier without having  practice, so once a   year they have their little practice sessions and on this day they had occupied our local river path to do their duty.

I then saw the shed with the sign hanging outside to emphasise that there was action. Red and white are the colours of our Kanton.

I had no choice but to wheel back home in my chair and let the soldiers do their duty. Slowly the noise of the gunshots faded into the distance.

FOWC with Fandango: Stymie