My normal is your exotic and

Vice Versa

Last Sunday was such a beautiful day that I decided to take a walk that I hadn’t done in a long time: up to my village, across what I call the “spine” and back down via the lakefront.

In a short time I can see both the alp mountain chain (including Mont Blanc on a clear day) and the Jura mountain range; the lake; the vineyards (almost ready for harvesting); small villages, large and small lakefront properties; the harbor itself and any other wonders along the way.

I often reflect upon how lucky I am to have such glorious surroundings – some days I even take them for granted, until I realize that many envy me my life. But then, it’s all a matter of perspective (with a touch of “the grass is greener on the other side of the fence”) as I might find your surroundings extraordinary, if they differ totally from my daily sights.

Enjoy wherever you are, whatever you see.

lettuce for the fall

the upper road - Juras in the distance

part of the vineyards

grapes are almost ripe

property on the lake front - calm day

taking off - calm lake

wind's up today... five days later - another lake

the wind and waves change the color today

A walk in the woods: take two

Fingers of fog and blankets of mist shrouded my

solitary walk in the woods.

The rhythm of my steps measured by the

twit and tweeter of the smaller birds;

punctuated only by the odd cow bell marking

the minutes.

Happiness is… or

At least for this moment.

Three smooth flights: all on-time and with sufficient transit allowed to not have to rush to catch the next one (o.k. it made for just as long of a day as going all the way to the West Coast of the USA with only two flights). I didn’t dare say it by the time I was waiting for the last one, but I have rarely had as easy a trip.

Laying vertically after all those flights and a 24-hour day

Seeing the moon out the window over the mountains as I lay in bed.

Waking to see the rising sun out the same windows (guest bedroom has a whole wall of windows looking out over the surrounding mountains: not a road, nor person in sight, only trees and nature. It is hard to sleep under those conditions as one could spend the whole time just enjoying the view.

Being able to get into the walking trousers that I had left behind (see former blogs about recent not-so-much-a-diet as a got-to-come-to-grips-with winter kilos. Now I didn’t say that it is a pretty sight, but at least it was doable.

B & K’s having gone to the trouble of buying me a lemon for my morning drink (o.k. no juicer meant that I had to get creative, but peeling and cutting into chunks and putting through a garlic press certainly did the job: as they say, necessity is the mother of invention); of having also pointed out to me the various coffee options available in the house.  Not my only addiction, but perhaps the best known one is my need for a cup of coffee in the morning and somewhere in between 15:00 and 16:00 in the afternoon.

Taking a walk around the “loop”: my brother’s street circles at the top of Monte Sano (appropriately named meaning as it does “health mountain”). The temperatures were perfect for a light sweatshirt and a brisk walk. Enough low-level up and down for me to feel that I have had a walk: there were birds that I don’t have at home such as red cardinals, robins, but there were other more house sparrow types that I do have; the trees and vegetation is in about the same flux of spring as at home; the streets still quiet.

Knowing that I have three whole weeks to enjoy being here.

Having family and friends who are always willing to house-sit and keep the home front secure.

Happiness is: also tempered, and thus made more precious, by not having Domino to walk with me; thinking of favorite walking spots and missing the beach by my younger sister. Losses make us appreciate even more those who remain, both human and animal.

But this happiness won’t be denied: my current waves of the stuff could warm many a corner if I could only think of a way of canalizing it.

Happiness is: being alive to enjoy it!

Breakfast with the cows or

Easter in the Swiss alps

OK the little village where I rent for the six “summer” months of the year is not very high (1’100 meters) and is on the back side of the middle chain of “alps”, still it is the Swiss mountains and a lovely spot to rest and relax.

This stay was no exception (o.k. we won’t talk about the printer problems nor the hours spent updating the client’s data base at least today I am free all day).

And the weather was also no exception. Arrived in the Spring to blue skies and many trees in bloom or starting to unfurl their leaves: Good Friday remained just that – good; yesterday though we enjoyed (???) winter with snow flurries and 0°C temperatures – my walk was bundled up; today – Easter Sunday – the sun dawned to early spring (fresh but sunny).  The French have a saying: in April don’t take off a stitch (en avril n’ôte pas un fil) and in May, do what you may (en Mai fait ce qu’il te plait), in May do what you want.

 

Started the morning fully rested (that’s once in a row) and decided to enjoy the cows with my breakfast. No that doesn’t mean bacon, nor did it mean picnicking in the prairie (too early and cold for the real cows to be out of their barns), but simply using my “cow” mug – one which I had bought several years ago with the intention of memorizing all 26 Swiss cantons (states). Gives flavor to the spot.

This day’s checklist:

• Get up: was successful, ✔
• Breakfast: with the cows and since it’s Easter Sunday allowed myself the delicious, but without any redeeming nutritional value, white bread from the restaurant next door (many mountain restaurants have what are known as “bread deposit” rights – instead of having to go down to the next village for bread, the bakers bring a small amount of bread to the local “deposit”) along with the Sunday paper (not the L.A. nor the New York Times, but certainly adequate compared to the normal week’s editions). ✔

 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

• Quick walk in the forest: ✔

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

• Shower and dress for the day: ✔
• Pack and clean (minimally – after all I’m the one who will return): ✔
• Off for lunch with friends at the tip of the lake: ✔
• Lovely lunch with friends ✔

 
 

 
 





 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

• Leisurely drive home ✔
• Wonderful, wonderful day ✔✔

Guest Editor: Scooby-Doo 2

It is different sleeping in the mountains: tired, but excited so didn’t sleep all the way through.

This morning, I learned that a Sunday in the chalet is entirely different from what I have observed up until now: the hostess got the Sunday paper and proceeded to have coffee and breakfast (peanut butter and jelly) for almost an hour – who could have imagined?

Sunday paper in Switzerland

My window

Then as it was already warm outside I was packed into a backpack and we set off to discover the wonders close to home: waterfalls, wooden bridges for the walkers, etc.

Fountain - many along the way.

Pedestrian bridge

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I even got to hug a tree (don’t I look relaxed about that? The second time I was feeling a bit more confident).

Wild strawberries- nummy...

After resting on a bench in the full sun I could understand her muttering about the heat so, after sniffing out a wild strawberry, I graciously allowed that we could return home (after all I didn’t want her to end up fainting like my mistress’s mother a couple of weeks ago, nor have her throw me over a cliff… amongst the mutterings was “he is just too hot to be carrying”).

The chalet was a cooler 24° (75° F) and as I write, she is taking a shower, so I hope that she will come out with her usual good humor: wonder what’s for lunch?

Reconnecting with nature

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First walk of the season: only the short round as having not regularly walked in 6 weeks thought that I had best be reasonable; read lazy. Drizzle, fog, snow-powdered trees slightly higher, nothing could diminish the pleasure of being out and about in the fresh mountain air.
Even the dandelions looked beautiful!