Showing posts with label village. Show all posts
Showing posts with label village. Show all posts

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

Taking it easy, if only for a day.


Sometimes one just needs to take the day off on a holiday!                     

Having never had a full-time 9 to 5 job I really have also never known the pleasures of a true vacation or a day off where one doesn’t even think of the office. Of course there have been many other advantages: the possibility of working all the hours of the day when one has a project to finish; the possibility of working on a Sunday or holiday then taking off a half-day in the middle of the week; one is never bored as always somewhat aware of “keeping in touch with the client”.

But sometimes, very rarely and thus all the more appreciated, I have been able to convince myself that since the rest of the world isn’t working, that I don’t need to either!

Yesterday was such a day: Whit Monday to the British, Pentecost to the catholic European countries, my American friends have no equivalent, but then we have no President’s Day either so things even out.

I left my mountain retreat after a quick walk in the forest: summer has struck with a vengeance and so suddenly that most of us were unprepared – hard to get in the hot mode when you have had the heat on the day before! Anyway walked early as the only option and even then it was already 27°C (80°F) at 1’100 meters (3’600 feet) just before 9 a.m.!

Yvorne, VD, Switzerland
On my way home stopped to have lunch with a friend in a small Swiss town known for its white wine: Yvorne.  Couldn’t believe that I had actually never even driven through it although it is well known in wine circles, but I hadn’t.

Found a lovely terrace, had a lovely meal as there was a slight breeze and good awnings then meandered leisurely along the French side home.  A great little holiday: must try it more often.


Entry to Yvorne, Switzerland

Very appropriate decoration at the entry to Yvorne































Notice the seafood in honor of my relatives who are fishing in Alaska.

The carpaccio of beef was just as delicious looking.

Friday, May 30, 2014

Stopping to smell the roses, or


Stopping period. 
Anytime I want to take a look around or investigate a patch of clover (still looking for the natural four-leaf one), or anything else for that matter, due to my history of shuffling, stumbling, tripping, I would be well advised to come to a complete halt before proceeding to lift my eyes from the ground!

This morning’s hike, first through the woods, then up the mountain road to the meadow at the top of one rise and back down, passing mountain rivers along the way had me however thinking that “stopping to smell the roses” might be also:

Just an excuse to take pictures!

Didn’t actually smell any roses, but the presence of several colors of lilacs had me trying to see if they had a different smell according to color and the recent rains have enabled woods chips and downed logs to possess that most foresty (I know, I know – sometimes one just has to make up a word: “naturey” was a recent one by my housemate) of smells.

But mainly it was about the photos… below

Tenacity

rain drops

River in slow motion
new growth

beautiful!


Rhode in full bloom

small alpine village across the mountain

Really: a stone as a pillow. But looks soft enough.