Marshes and wanderings

Easter is my favorite holiday here in Geneva as we have both Good Friday and Easter Monday as official holidays giving us a whole 4-day weekend!

If on Friday I managed to catch up a bit on paper work and on Saturday I spent a lovely part of the middle of the day with friends in Féchy eating at another friend’s restaurant, Sunday, April 1^st was dedicated to simply going with the flow.

Amongst other things that flow took me on a walk in one of my favorite areas: “it was a miracle” as I have heard said – the sun was out! The marshes after this wet winter are full and almost overflowing the boardwalk in some areas, still lovely to be out and about.

Today, the 2^nd was spent in another of my favorite activities: getting a bus pass and simply wandering. Weather dry if not brilliantly sunny so did end up at the Botanical Gardens where some of the flowers and trees are finally starting to bloom, but also dipped into the cathedral near the train station (organ) then after lunch took the number 15 tram to its’ end. During the return changed and hopped on the 18 to CERN – and back – before catching a 2 back to where I had left the car in the underground parking lot near the yacht club.

An inexpensive and lovely way to spend a day.

Also enhanced by the memory of another friend and such wanderings.

Notre Dame, Geneva

some of the rhodes are already in bloom

On the gray wall of the BIT, Geneva

Botanical Gardens in Geneva - finally a glimpse of spring

Lunch in the Park or…

A lovely spring day.

A great combination: errands needing to be run, things needing to go to younger son’s flat and time to leisurely have lunch.

It was a beautiful day and all went well so I decided that I deserved lunch at the Botanical Gardens. If my first round didn’t produce a parking, the second had someone pulling out right in front of me close the entrance: it was meant to be!

There were tables in the sun protected from the wind, the meal was delicious (I discovered this restaurant several months ago, but rarely have time to get there) and the walk in the park thereafter produced a few photos of the first timid flowers.

Having enjoyed all of these even the drive in stop-and-go traffic upon the return didn’t phase me as there was the view of the lake and Mont Blanc to be enjoyed.

Absolutely delicious - a mixed salad as well.

One of the crocus spots in front of the former bird cage

crocus

Spring reflections

Or should that be reflections on Spring?

There is truth to the saying that the older one gets, the faster time goes: here we are already well into the fourth month of the year and I am already playing catch up.

Although Spring officially started a couple of weeks ago, my mind set wasn’t there until yesterday.  For one thing, as winter was so mild, Spring was more of a concept than an actual fact, for another, in spite of the mild Spring, flowers are just barely starting to bloom.

But we have changed to daylight savings, the calendar does mark the pas

sage from Winter into Spring, but more importantly: whilst browsing in the grocery store – I can’t drive yet so do the grocery shopping with M after our morning coffee – I came across some new place settings as well as hand and dish towels in a color, that for me, embodies Spring - lime green.

Couldn’t resist (and it must be said didn’t even try in spite of the fact that I already had some lime green cloth place settings…) and arrived home with them. That of course led to the purchase of more tulips to fill the beautiful vase that is just perfect for tulips.

It also led to my finally turning off the lights in the tree next to the garage.

Spring has finally sprung at #15.

The first bare legs...

Large catamarans jostling on the lake and the heat off in the car: one could almost believe

that Spring is just around the corner!

To the disappointment of any male readers, the bare legs that caught my attention were those of a male on his bike waiting at the stoplight. Looking around I noticed that the majority of the pedestrians and all the other cyclists, motorcyclists etc. were still in long trousers or dresses and jackets. Still, one of the first reminders that although today is cooler than yesterday, we will eventually get to Spring.

I had already seen the light starting earlier – if I hadn’t seen it the cats certainly made me aware of the fact – forget about 6 a.m., 5 a.m. is beginning to get interesting as far as they are concerned.

Then as I returned from town there were a couple of catamarans speeding along the lower part of the lake – soon the races will begin.

Traditionally our Auto Salon hails the first days after winter: it is currently running, but today was the first day that it truly seemed like it was no longer winter.

Also for me to turn the heat off in my car means that there was enough sun to have it warm after sitting out; that my winter coat is all of a sudden not as necessary and the winter scarf can be down right stifling. Ah Spring. Glad you are making an appearance.

Spring has Sprung

It may sound mundane, but oh the riot of color and warmth of that phrase.

Walking back from picking up the mail and having coffee – with good conversation – everything was blooming; a tractor was laying manure along the vines; the birds were swooping and tweeting; and everywhere plants and flowers are putting on their spring best.

Even the electric box fell in with the plan.

Tomorrow we spring forward (in time) and life is good!