Author Archives: angloswiss

Good Morning

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River Aare 18.06 (17)

It was another great sunny and warm day yesterday so I made the most of it for a wheelie in my chair along the river. Even on a Monday there were walkers enjoying the scenery, most of them with their dogs. I even saw a couple of men fishing on the river bank, but this one decided to do it in style.

River Aare 18.06 (4)

He was doing the right thing. Why sit for hours on the side of the river when you can be among the fish on the river.

Dogs 18.06 (8)

And then I met the lady with her two dogs. She was quite annoyed because she was throwing them a stick, which they obediently took in their mouth and dropped it in the river before returning to the bank. She tried to retrieve the stick from the river and almost fell in. I was watching with my camera when her dog decided to leave the river. Of course he did what all dogs do after a swim, had a good shake to get rid of the surplus water. Luckily I was warned and backed away with my wheelchair, otherwise I would have got a free shower.

As I was wheeling along I wondered where the ducks and swans had gone. I got to the bridge and there they were all gathered together on the other bank, so I naturally wheeled over to the other side.

Ducks 18.06 (14)

For me this was a photographer’s paradise. I had never seen so many ducks gathered together in one place. I am not sure what the big white ducks are, but I never see them so much otherwise. Perhaps they were gulls.

Swans 18.06 (2)

I also managed a find a swan pair amngst the ducks. I had to get onto the bridge and take the photos through the spaces, so some of the photos had a red tinge on them from the paintwork.

Ducks 18.06 (4)

I eventually had to tear myself away from my duck photos and made my way home. I just wish that they would make a nice smooth layer of pavement on the river path as it gets to be a very bumpy ride between the stones. I really enjoyed my excursion yesterday, because I discovered a lot of interesting stuff to take photos of.

River Aare 18.06 (15)

As I was crossing the bridge one of our street cleaning machines approached. The bridge is only for pedestrians and bikes, but these machines are small and light enough to go over the bridge and they keep it all nice and clean. I bet that guy had never had his photo taken before when working, but he just nodded as he passed by.

This morning the cleaning lady is here, so I am a little later with my Good Morning. Mr. Swiss is in town and will buy a few bits and pieces in the store. We had an emergency situation yesterday when I saw there was only one bottle of Pepsi in the fridge, although I can drink tap water if necessary.  He will be replenishing the bottles today. It is another wonderful day today, so it looks like I will be on my travels again this afternoon, but this time not the river. I will take it easy and do the cemetery run and castle probably.

And now to go, I have a few windows to clean, although they are clean, just a brush up. Make the most of the day, take it easy and see you all later.

River Aare 18.06 (9)

Flower of the Day: 18.06.2018 No Idea

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Special Flowers

I really do not know what these are, but took the photo in the store at the end of March. From January until March I could not get out to take any photos because I was laid up recovering from a broken leg. It was only at the end of March that I was able to go anywhere. Anyhow they are very pretty and I am sure someone, somewhere will know what they are.

Flower of the Day: 18.06.2018 No Idea

RDP #18: Stellar

Posted in Ragtag Daily Prompt by

Full moon behind the clouds

“Dracky look, it is a full moon night tonight.”

“I thought it might be, bring me my sunglasses Morticia. I am feeling my age.  I am no longer the youngest.

“And what’s all this with the sunglasses? Vampires do not buy sunglasses at the opticians.”

“Of course not, if Nosferatu saw me I would be the laughing stock of the coffins. I order them online.”

“I noticed we are getting more parcels lately, but you should really keep Alfie tied up in the garden. Since the postman lost a finger  after his last visit he now just throws the parcels over the quicksand instead of bringing them to the door. Werewolf bites are not very pleasant. It took a while to show the postman the safe path without sinking into the mire and now the parcels sink in the sand if he doesn’t aim right. You were lucky that Alfie thought it was a game and retrieved the glasses.”

“That was why there were teeth marks in the frames. Naughty boy Alfie”

“Growl, growl”

“Down boy, take your teeth out of my neck.”

“Where has the romance gone Dracky. 300 years ago you would take me in your arms and hitch onto my neck and make the most of it. Today you even order the blood online from the blood bank. You hardly leave the coffin.”

“I am feeling my age Morticia and you know I love you, we are tied together by some mysterious sort of blood group.”

“Let’s open the window and gaze at the stars and the moon together.”

“You must be joking Morticia. Think of all those bats flying around outside. They will think it is an open invitation and fly in. Some of them might even be vampires in disguise and my next delivery from the blood bank is only next week. There will not be enough to go round. You know how greedy they can get. It is late and I am feeling tired.”

“It used to be “the sun will soon be rising and we must hurry to celebrate the remains of the night”. Where are you going Dracky?”

“To the cellar of course, where are my bat slippers?”

“They are in front of the fire to keep them nice and warm, I know you hate having cold feet.”

“Another problem when I get older, Dr. Mabuse said it is bad circulation and he should know. How comes you keep so fresh Morticia.”

“No problem, but I go out for my blood supplies where it is fresh and young. I know where my blood comes from. That blood bank stuff is suspicious and I am sure they freeze it now and again to keep it fresh. They even deliver it in refrigerated boxes.”

“You think so, perhaps I will accompany you the next time.”

“Why not, but not in your bat slippers, at least wear a decent pair of shoes and forget that t-shirt with the words “I am not aneamic, I always look like this” people might start to believe it.”

RDP #18: Stellar

Good Morning

Posted in Good Morning by

Morning garden

When the morning view from the kitchen window were I am sitting at the computer looks like this, then you do not mind it being Monday morning. The sun is shining and the birds are chirping, so what could be better. To finalise it all I am eating my breakfast. I cast my mind back to the days when I was a working woman and Mondays were the beginning of a working week. Up early in the morning, shower, eat, and depart in the car with No. 1 son. I would drop him off at his workplace and arrive at mine to begin work at about 7,00 in the morning.  It was then switch on the computer at work and look at the orders of the day. Working in export all over the world, whilst I was sleeping others would  be working in the Far East, and they never did seem to realize that work was not a 24 hour job.

Felbrunnen 16.06 (7)

Now I am a lady of leisure and can enjoy life in my little village somewhere in the backwoods of Switzerland where the cows say good morning to the flies. What a shame that you only get the chance to enjoy all the fun when you are no longer as fit as you used to be. I always looked forward to retirement, no longer having to go to work, but just enjoying life. Then you discover your body no longer wants to play and you can be glad to move around with support.

Those long walks in the countryside enjoying nature are now in a wheelchair and the only big excursions you make are to the specialist for a check up. One bright point on the horizon is that I can now get my permit for parking in places reserved for the handicapped. I manage my shopping trips now with just a stick for support (may the walker be banned forever after recovering from a broken leg) but after walking around in the supermarket I am a little exhausted when returning to the car. Having it parked outside the main entrance makes a lot of difference as I am always worried about falling.

Yesterday I spent the day at home. The weather was OK, but cloudy. I now have enough to do on the computer with my daily prompts and some challenges. The daily prompt sponsored by WordPress is no more. They do nothing more for the bloggers and so a few enterprising and helpful people are organizing something to replace it. The problem is that I do not really want a full time job on the computer prompting network. Just one prompt a day is enough, with my cat’s contribution as well. Unfortunately Tabby does not have opposable thumbs like the humans, so I have to do the keyboard work for her. She supplies the contents, from a feline point of view.

I see we now have three variations of a daily prompt from three sources, there might be more, but they do not arrive in may reader, so I have had to make a decision and have settled for one. This does not mean I will not try the others, it depends on the time I have. Photography is another hobby, as well as finishing the day with reading a book. In the morning I have a housewife clean up and there might be a shopping trip on the plan. There is also ironing and washing somewhere on the way and cooking a meal.

Who am I kidding, I have more to do now than when I was a working woman – so much for the golden oldie days of relaxation and retirement.

In the meanwhile  a hungry fly arrived at some jam remainders on the table,

Fly eating

I decided to enjoy his meal, it might be his last. The fly swatter is always near and according to where he or she is and what I am doing, his hours might be numbered.

So enough of this drivel, I must now move on to some occupational therapy with a vacuum cleaner and mop. Have a great beginning to the week and it will soon be Friday again. Time goes fast when you are enjoying yourself.

Spiraea

Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge: June 17, 2018

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Cows 12.06 (20)

Yes, and now on the ther side, those flies can be such a bother.

Solothurn 10.06 (1)

“At last, I was so thirsty. Now you can give me the bottle top again. I will save the rest for later.”

Blackbird 16.06 (1)

“Those kids are never happy. I fill their beaks with worms and they cry for more.”

Cee’s Odd Ball Photo Challenge: June 17, 2018

RDP #17: Antediluvian

Posted in Ragtag Daily Prompt by

Fly

All this eternal life stuff can get boring. You think I only live for a few days? Forget it. I have been here for so many years, they call me Methuselah. Of course not everyone has the luck to get away with it so long, you just have to make sure you are in the right place at the right time when the ship arrives. Now that surprises you, doesn’t it?

I will now let you all into a little secret, although no-one would believe you if you told them. Even the humans are forgetting where they came from. Where do the flies go in the Winter? You never see us, because we are not there. We tend to fall asleep when it gets colder, the deep freeze syndrome happens, and the ship arrives. At least we think it does, that is the story we are born with. It is all in the feelers, because we never knew our mums and dads, they just left us to get on with it, you know survival. We are sucked up by the ship and off we go back to the warmer areas where we stay until the deep freeze begins again and we are then returned to where we came from, instead of being  sucked up we are blown out I suppose.

There are a few newcomers, but they only have one thing in mind, and that is food. I survived all that years ago and have seen it all. You just have to be clever and dodge the fly swatters and everything stays fine. In the antediluvian days, before all this plastic stuff was invented, we were swatter free. No surprise attacks from above, just a human hand, but they never did understand the aerodynamics of the situation. We feel a wind blast before the human even thinks about about raising his hand.

Flies do not die under natural circumstances, only by accidents, and they do happen. I say just keep away from bread and jam, and cakes, even fruit can be a threat and then you will survive. Look where we live. Imagine if you spend a complete summer in a heap of cow dung and even enjoy it, and survive. You can survive anything. I still have a few ancestors around and we reminisce about the good old days up to the necks in … you know what.

We were the first and will be the last. Think twice before you take a fly swatter in the hand, you will be reducing the first witnesses of creation. Forget what the rats say, they are just show offs, without us they would be nothing.

Fly

RDP #17: Antediluvian