Each pansy seems to have its own expression on its face.
Author Archives: angloswiss
FOWC with Fandango: Referee
Even the chickens hid from this fight between the two goats, although I think they were just playing. A year later one of the goats had her own pen with her two calves.
RDP Monday: Ephemeral
On the other side of my garden there is a small meadow and if you look further there is the next garden belonging to my neighbour. The meadow is full of wild flowers, many of which I know the name and others that I just guess. A daisy is not just a daisy. there are different types of daisy. Grass is not even grass, but has its own flowers which form the many seeds for the further existence of the meadow. The whole concept of this meadow is to let is grow and it needs no gardener to do the work. When our estate was built this part was sewn with the seeds of the wild, those that no-one really wants in the garden and so they have their own garden.
It begins to grow as soon as the last days of Winter are saying goodbye. First of all a few green shoots and a month later you discover that the green shoots are developing with their own way of life: no leaf is the same as that next to it and some are already taller than the others.
I just took a walk outside with my mobile camera and this is what greeted me. I would now probable need a machete to carve my way through to the neighbour next door. the grass has grown tall, most of the plants have flowered and now there seeds are left and that is the excellent idea. This meadow is protected until the end of June, to give time to the plants to spread their seeds for the next year’s display. When the men have done their work and everything has gone it is not the end. Even until October there is the beginning of the following meadow. And next year the short life of our local meadow continues.
Do you see the nicely coloured pink flowers at the edge of the meadow? I am not entirely innocent for that. I had some sweet pea in my hedge to brighten it up and the seeds were mine. It seems that over the years my sweet pea plants have joined our meadow and now we have them growing here and there from my original plants.
Some things are short lived, but they return. I love my little wild meadow.
Good Morning
What a wonderful morning. I had to go on a search for some clouds but found them as they are deciding to say goodbye for the day. I even found the moon who was still hovering around reflecting the sunlight. Yes, we now have summer and our weather prophets have already issued the warning that we are to expect temperatures of 38°C this week. I noticed yesterday that the heat had arrived. Only late in the evening did i feel a cool breeze. For me this means that my camera excursions will be less as I can no longer travel around in my wheelchair when it gets too hot. I feel very uncomfortable.
My garden is naturally thriving under this weather and so are the insects. As long as they stay outside I do not mind. Yesterday Mr. Swiss spotted a giant spider in the apartment in the evening, but I have not yet met him and do not want to. We do not have the poisonous varieties in Switzerland unless imported on a bunch of bananas and this morning he had disappeared. Otherwise there is a odd earwig that has taken the wrong path, some other unknown creepers and fliers and outside we have many firebugs.
These do not do any harm an are more busy walking around attached in pairs to propagate the species. I think their main diet consists of chewing seeds.
Today I am off to the store again and we are gradually compiling the list of things to buy. There is a bit of a stressy time approaching. Tomorrow I take Mr. Swiss to the doc for a routine examination. Next week he has his eye operation for a new lens, two weeks later they will do the second eye. In between I will have to take my son to the station on a Saturday morning to get the 7.30 am train to the next station where he will get on the coach to take him and his handicapped group to Italy for a two week holiday. These things used to be dealt with by Mr. Swiss, but now it has fallen into my department of responsibility.
I should now really get a start to the day whilst the weather is still cool enough. It is finished with rain now for a while and another chore I have is watering the garden in the evening, although Mr. Swiss helps with the front garden, whilst I do the back garden.
We now have the lazy hazy days of Summer upon us. Funny how we look forward to it and when they arrive we wish it would cool down, My cat has now begun to sleep outside during the night, she has also now switched to her summer programme.
Enjoy the day everyone and think of me this morning when I will probably be doing my weekly clean up of the doors (one of my housewife hobbies). I hope to see you around later. My new google photo programme likes to play with my photos now an again and after taking a few photos of my garden yesterday, it has combined them to a sort of panorama photo, which I found quite good.
FOTD 23rd June 2019: Chrysanthemum
FOWC with Fandango: Dearth
The railway is our only link if you have to go places. I have a car, but last week I had to go to the eye doctor and have eyedrops put into my eyes, meaning driving was out of the question. I decided to order a taxi for the journey to the doctor, which was about a 10 minute drive, but costing 20 Swiss Francs.
I would risk the return journey by train with my walker. The doctor’s office was on the other side of the railway, but there is a foot tunnel to the my side of the station where the local train waits. I am not very happy about walking distances with my walker, but decided to take the chance. In the doctor’s building there was even a lift that took me down to the foot tunnel.
It is quite a long tunnel, but I was glad to have the lift and so I hobbled on through the tunnel with my four wheeled walker. When I reached the other side there was a ramp I could ascend thank goodness and then I arrived at the station for my local train.
I had to wait a while, thinking I had just missed a train. They run every half an hour, but it seemed that the national bike race, the Tour de Suisse, was taking place through out town and all public transport was stopped for an hour. Eventually the train arrived and I knew this would be the most difficult part. There was enough space and I easily found a seat, but the local trains tend to sway from side to side and I was hoping that I would be able to keep my balance. It was only a short trip, but uncomfortable. After leaving the train I had a five minute walk to home (10 minutes for me). This was the next trial and tribulation, but I arrived safely.
Now the comparison: 20 Swiss Francs with the taxi and 5 francs with the train and all its problem and lack of comfort. Too many dearths are not so good is all I can say.
RDP Sunday: Help
Call me silly, helpless if you want, but there are times when I need help and others find it a normal daily deed. My car was getting thirsty, not quite on the “showing red light” stage and there was probably enough gas left to take me more than 100 kilometers, I do not really know, but before the red light began to show its intention I decided it was time to fill up the gas tank. I do not even know how much gas my car needs to fill a tank, but it seems 55 liter after checking on Internet.
So today, Sunday afternoon, I decided to fill her up. The photo even shows where the gas pump is (extreme right). The parking spaces were completely empty with the exception of one car that was giving driving lessons. And so I settled into the parking space next to the pump. Climbed out of the car to check and discovered it would be a little more comfortable to put the pipe into the gas tank opening if I would move forward about half a meter. As I was alone I decided no-one would see my antics so I climbed back into the car and shifted forward. My probablem is also that I am not very certain on my feet and need to use a stick for support. There was no room for my walker.
And then some sort of miracle power sent help and a lady drove up to the empty space next to mine on the other side to tank up with her husband. She was even using the same type of card that I now use. I told her to go ahead as she had more idea than me and whether she would mind helping me out. It was the perfect solution. I could see how she operated with her card and various codes, printed the receipt and then I realised it was a piece of cake. She stayed and watched my amateur efforts and I was so glad. It worked perfectly and half an hour later I was home with a full tank of gas – no problem. Mr. Swiss said he thought I was going on Monday when I went shopping, but I told him I prefer an empty parking lot. He said he never thought about tanking up when the car park was empty – typical man I suppose.
Today I need help. I have no-one for support in the family. Mr. Swiss is now semi invalide and has walking problems. I used to rely on him for advice, but even that is no longer so available as he has also forgotten a lot. At the age of 73 I am learning to live with life and its daily problems. Just filling up a car tank after so many years of leaving it to Mr. Swiss was bothering me, but I can do it.
