At last the clouds are clearing in the morning and we have a sunrise. This was when 10° C was the temperature which is quite warm for this time of the year. It if continues my crocus will begin to grow. According to the forecast it will stay this way over Christmas but afterwards it will get colder with some snow. However, I will wait and see as you never know what will really happen.

This morning my cleaning lady is busy for the last time this year and I will see her again in the new year.

I noticed a new bird in the tree opposite the garden yesterday and am still trying to work out what it is. It looks like a pigeon, but we do not have piegeons here, they stay in the town.

Yesterday I visited the local store and got my vegetables for the Christmas holiday. Now I have almost everything I need, so the main stress is over. I noticed yesterday the store had more people shopping. I suppose that were doing the same as I was, getting the last provisions in for the holiday. Many people also now have their Christmas holiday so have more time. I will be off again this afternoon, but I now have almost everything. Tomorrow will be my last day of shopping before Christmas and then I can really sit down and take it easy.

I suppose we are lucky here as there is no lockdown for the Christmas and people can still invite family for the holidays, although the amount of people is limited. In Britain it is a different story and there will be no family parties or celebrations. It has now become too dangerous with this new development of the corona virus which spreads faster and everyone is living in a lockdown. Who would have ever thought that something like this could happen. I also had to learn to live differently. Our Swiss government always advised to have a stock of basic food in case of emergency. I think they were thinking of wars or natural catastrophes. Now we have something that no-one really thought could happen.

I will be glad when life gets back to normal and I do not have to live in my own little bubble avoiding contact with others. I notice a new vocabulary is developing in the english language. Words like “bubble” and “lockdown” now have another meaning as well as “key workers” and “self-isolating. I even saw that there are variations to the cockney rhyming slang and the expressions “a Miley Cyrus” now means “virus”. We do not have conversations, but contact via “Zoom”, although I am more into Face Time with my No. 2 son living on the other side of Switzerland. I had contact yesterday and it was lovely to see my grandchildren as we were talking. They are growing, the oldest now 3 years old and the baby already a year old and now finding her feet. It will be lovely to see them again in reality, but that will be next year.

In the meanwhile we are really getting some real clouds and now and again even the sun appears. I am now off to prepare dinner. I wish you all a good day.