26 | November | 2020 | Chronicles of an Anglo Swiss

Not exactly how to cook a perfect gravy, but gravy was a mum word. It would come out of a packet, was a powder and brown coloured. You mixed it with boiling water and there you had your brown liquid to cover the meat.

Me, I do it myself, with a little help from the juices coming from the meat. In later life when mum was still amongst us, I would visit her or she would come to see me in Switzerland. By that time gravy no longer existed in my vocabulary, it had become a sauce. That really made mum a little uncertain so she began to used my “sauce” word, although pronouncing it as if it was a foreign language, which I suppose it was, as we used the word in our Swiss German dialect. Somehow it did not have the same delicate ring to it as it should have had. On the other hand gravy was mum, I survived on it and no harm done.

FOWC with Fandango: Gravy

Whether it is a good morning or not you can judge for yourself. It is very misty and cold and I am glad to be in my nice central heated kitchen. It is very unfriendly weather and the only activities seem to be the birds. I have never seen a bird that shivers and this morning they are everywhere having a peck at the food. The robin has been here quite a lot, waiting for the others to go so that he can enjoy it on his own. The magpie was also here. I had put out a few peanuts in their shells, and she made off with them one after the other. I have taken a few photos, but with my Nikon camera as the quality is better. I will have to upload them first of all. The phone camera does an immediate upload into my photo host, so you can see them straight away.

I did venture into town yesterday and when I arrived all the Christmas lights were switched on. I had the brilliant idea to do my shopping and afterwards take a few photos on the way home. As you can see the lights are hanging ready, but no light. It was only a test they were doing to see if everything was working and when I returned to town after shopping they were just hanging there. It seems we will have to wait until 1st December to see then again, but then they will be here throughout Christmas and the beginning of January.

I also noticed that our old Arsenal building has been prepared for the annual Christmas calendar. Every year they decorate the windows and on each day of advent another window is uncovered with its illuminated picture. It has become a tradition in our town. Luckily the building has 25 windows.

When I got home I completed my order for the store. I no longer do week-end shopping myself, but order it from the store. They are improving their service constantly and I can now order for the next day, although at the moment I am ordering once a week. If the weather gets too difficult in Winter I will probably be ordering more often.

There was quite a noise outside yesterday when I departed for town and I noticed that our murder of crows had decided to go on a group flight and eventually settled in the top of the trees. It is our local colony and have always been here. They were probably here before they even built out apartments.

This morning began with action. Again time for fresh linen on the beds. Before I have breakfast I put the new cover on my duvet and cushion and strip the bed. After breakfast and a shower, I finish the beds, including that of Mr. Swiss. He is no longer able to do it himself. I can still manage, I have my own system.

No. 2 son also called yesterday to say he will be paying us a visit. He is now working in his home office because of the pandemic, but he has a small apartment in the town near us where he works and he will be seeing to it today as he has not been there for some time. Life is certainly different with Mr. Covid and the problems he brings.

And now I am off to deal with this and that. Cannot sit at the computer all day, there is food to be cooked and housework to be done. Have a good one, look after yourselves and keep away from the others at a nice safe distance.