Boom, boom, boom

Halfway to the village I jumped when I heard the first “boom”: although the workmen were on site they were just discussing the day’s activities (at least that is what I presumed as all seven of them were just standing at the edges of the construction zone) so it couldn’t be their machinery; I hadn’t felt anything so reckoned that it wasn’t lighting or thunder (and the bits of grey cloud were far enough away so that I hadn’t even taken an umbrella); school started last Monday, but surely the students weren’t yet to the point of setting off explosions (and it is a primary school in any case even if one never knows these days how much mischief a 6^th grader can get up to)…

Then the penny dropped: end August – the grapes are starting to ripen – and as a consequence the noise canons are back to scare away the birds. Hard to imagine that it is already almost time to harvest the grapes, but the booms give away the game and can’t be ignored: summer has truly flown the coop and fall is on its way.

Fondue

For those who have never heard of such a thing, fondue is a Swiss dish of melted cheese: that at least is the short definition, but how to describe what fondue really is… a wonderful meal usually shared with family or close friends as it involves dipping long two-pronged forks into a communal pot in which cheese has been melted into white wine. Now that’s the dry description – again how to explain the setting (usually some chalet with wooden ceilings, checked red and white table clothes, waiters and waitresses in typical Swiss costumes – you’re on your own here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fondue the ambiance, the joy in such a simple meal of bread and cheese.

Needless to say, for those of us who live here, there are many animated discussions as to the best type of fondue, the best restaurant for fondue, what drink should accompany it, in any case: it is still a treat.

Fondue at Café du Soleil, Geneva