Many months before it flowers again, but at least we have the memories.
Daily Archives: 05/10/2019
FOWC with Fandango: Esoteric
Marrying a Swiss is the easiest part, he loves you, you love him and after bringing together the official documents you get married, although that was not as easy as it sounds. No document must be older than 3 months so how do you get a British birth certificate that was issued when you were born in 1946. No problem: you contact the brits and tell them and for a fee they send you a new certificate. Of course this is combined with a visit to the British Consulate in Basel, with your hand on a book (probably the bible) to swear that you are who you are, another few Swiss francs in expenses. I did not mention at the time that I am actually a 100% atheist, did not want to comlicate things. And if your husband to be cannot find his divorce papers from the previous marriage that happened many years ago, they have to be re-organised – 1-200 Swiss francs, yes getting married to Swiss can become expensive. Eventually you can go ahead even with the original birth certificate (they are prepared to wait for the new one being issued within the three month age limit).
And now you can start Swiss life. Of course you have to learn the language: German. Not quite, because the Swiss speak in about 40-50 different dialects (apart from four different languages) according to where you live. No problem, although I spent the first two years in Zürich speaking Zürich german, and now live in Solothurn, next to Bern, where the dialect is more in the direction of Bernese german, although actually we speak Solothurn german.
But now to get down to the basics to please your freshly baked Swiss husband. No, meat pie or fish and chips will not be the solution to the cooking delights of daily Swiss life. You must learn how to cook a Swiss Rösti. Actually it is quite plain and simple: grated potato fried in a a pan and turned at half time to bake evenly on the other side. Make it in a teflon coated pan and not the original iron frying pan, otherwise it will stick. Admittedly it took me a few years to achieve what is in the picture, and it is not even genuine It comes from the days of Swiss farmer cooking where it was served for the hungry farm labourers for breakfast. I serve it for dinner. If you are a genuine Swiss housewife you already cook the potatoes the day before you make the Rösti as they supposedly have a better consistence. As I do not know what I am doing the day before, mine are cooked and grated on the same day, The original Rösti was fried in pig fat, but being an esoterical person concerned with the fine details, mine is cooked in butter.
Lesson one of the esoterics of Swiss life. One day I will explain the details of the Swiss sport of Schwingen and Hornussen – curious, then have a look in Wikipedia.
RDP Saturday: Amidst
Mistletoe amidst the trees
Growing where it should not
A parasite feeding from the others
Making their life a little hot
The trees are being patient
They might lose their leaves
But mistletoe has no chance
due to arrival of Christmas thieves
What once hung in the branches
Will now be missing
It now hangs over the door
To encourage Christmas kissing
October Photo a Day Challenge: 5. Birds
What bird do you choose when you have so many photos of birds? I decided on this one, as one of the most recent. I was on a wheelie in my chair through the local area and saw this beautiful speciment of a red kite above my head. Taking photos of birds is not so easy I find, as they do tend to move most of the time and suddenly disappear behind a tree or even worst, settle in the tree out of sight.
We are at the foot of the Jura mountain chains and often get visitors from the higher slopes. It is wonderful to watch them circle in the air gaining height constantly.
My neighbours are a flock of crows and often they go for a collective fly around, cawing their way through the scenery. Not for nothing are a group of crows known as a murder of crows.
Another group of feathered neighbours are the magpies. They are a little more shy than the crows and wait in the trees until the coast is clear and then pounce on the bread I throw out in the morning during the winter. Some say you should not feed them with bread, but there is always bird seed available for my sparrows and the crows and magpies tend to prefer a beak full of food. Anyhow they are thriving during the past 20 years that I have been living here.
And let us not forget the blackbirds whose main occupation seems to be gathering worms for their babies during the Spring.
Good Morning
Nothing special this morning. It rained through the night, just a steady drizzle and left us with a grey lid over everything. As you can see no signs of autumnal decorations on the trees, at least not from my front yard.
However to brighten up my day I treated myself to another azalea from the store yesterday. They still have their special offer, but have now reduced the plants to the back shelf. They are still blooming proficiently and I made the most of the opportunity. I was so pleased with the progress my pink/white azalea was making, I decided on a red one this time. The sales lady even gave it a nice supply of water when I purchased it and wrapped it twice in paper. Since the colder weather has arrived I have had to find room in the apartment for my plants. As Mr. Swiss has the habit of closing the blind at the main window in the living room as he does not like the bright light, I have to avoid that window. However I have found an alternative in the living room next to another window for my three orchids and a couple of other plants. I am keeping the azalea in the kitchen for the time being.
Today is Saturday and that is my watering day. Except for the azalea, which need a regular water supply, I give all the others just once a week which is enough it seems. They are thriving at the moment. My orchids are now almost 3 months in my possession and still full of flowers.
I cannot say so much about the garden and the only ones left are now the late rudbeckia. Even Mr. Swiss finds they are good plant for photographs, and he rarely takes a photo. This time he even went on the search for a real camera instead of his phone. I have a super smaller pocket Canon Camera Power Shot G15 and so I gave it to him as I very rarely use it. He seems to be finding his way with it. Perhaps he has a new hobby.
Since his back problems, he can no longer play the drums for as long as he would like to which is a shame. He began to play as a teenager. He still has two sets in the hobby room but his days as a musician are now over. Through him my knowledge of jazz had a great improvement.
I am thinking about going for an excursion this afternoon, although the weather is not so inviting and if it continues to rain it will be a stay at home day. The cows can wait. I still have a pack of ready rolled pastry in the fridge, and the apples have been removed from the tree, so I might be tempted to bake a Swiss apple flan. Yesterday I was at the store for the week-end shopping and was surprised how little the bill was compared to a normal week-end. I think I am now adjusting to the new family eating customs. Mr. Swiss and I eat a normal plate full, and No. 1 son eats everything that is available.
And now to move on. Have a good beginning to the week-end, take it easy and relax, and I include a thanks for those that work through the week-end which is not easy I know when the the others have their free days. I remember I had a Saturday job serving in a store when I was at school to help to boost my pocket money, although as a working housewife and mother I had a permanent Saturday job (and Sunday).
See you around
The village chuch
Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss 