Hostess gifts….

When we are invited somewhere, be it for a coffee or a several nights stay, we, or that is my generation, were brought up to bring something for the hostess.  I have several coffee groups and slowly we decided that we would no longer celebrate the birthday person, then we eliminated the gifts although I reserved the right to bring something – and continued to do so for those where the hostess goes to the trouble of making homemade cakes and the like. In other groups we have all agreed to not bring anything, but those meals and stays are a little more important and something is appropriate.

I have been told by one of my guests that I am extremely difficult to buy for: right, I don’t need anything, I have no particular passion or hobby to which one could contribute, however this past long-term visit by family members did prove to be very productive as things were bought that I actually could use and were even “needed” due to older items and the like. I do enjoy my new mats at the front door – and back.

And during this latest baking spree, the gift givers will be happy to know that I actually did use the apron!!!

It’s started…

 

What one might ask?

Knowing that I live in Switzerland – the snow? Well that started, stopped and in the coming weeks will be a reoccurring affair, or not – depends on the year.

 

The car? That’s always a good thing.

 

The flu season? Already a possibility, but hopefully not until I have my vaccination next week.

 

The aging process? Well in hand

 

The blessings of family? Ah, that’s ongoing and now that I am a grandmother again even better with the years.

 

The wrapping of presents in light of the upcoming yearly Christmas event? Nope, not good at that and it is often a last-minute-affair or bundled into a sack with a piece of tissue paper over it in guise of real wrapping: wrapping presents, as my handwriting, is NOT one of my strengths!

 

Ah, getting close, the Christmas baking marathon.

Just put the first of many batches of brownies in the oven  and from now through the New Year there won’t be many days when at least one lot of cookies gets baked. I take after my aunt, for whom I was named, and my mother. I love baking.

 

It would be a sad year when I can’t bake!

 

 

Getting older is wonderful!

The great thing about getting older is that you don't lose all the other ages you've been. -Madeleine L'Engle, writer (29 Nov 1918-2007)

 

I’m one of those “weird” people that has actually liked all of my ages… so far. Maybe I’ll change my tune at 80 or 90, but for the moment that holds. There are some that I would not wish to go back to: the angst of the 20s, the stress of the 40s, but bring them on, each birthday is simply proof that I was born, have had a rather decent life and continue to do so!

 

When I look at old photos, or find old letters, what a wonderful reminder of what I was, how things were, the family and friends that existed.  I remember once, back when neither of my sons looked like they would ever settle down or found families, I would think “I never knew my father-in-law, I may never know my grandchildren, but the one did exist and the others probably will”. Time has proved me right in that I now have two adorable grandsons and the hope that my younger son may too eventually have a family, at least I haven’t heard that he doesn’t want one.

 

There are many other great things about getting older, but just the privilege of doing so is enough for the moment. And I’ve always said that if I end up in a wheel chair, I’ll be doing wheelies down the corridor.

 

 

 

 

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On being “serious”…

Ernest Hemingway, author, journalist, Nobel laureate (21 Jul 1899-1961) wrote 

The man who has begun to live more seriously within begins to live more simply without”.

 

The pandemic has helped some of us start down that road. Stuck at home, some – not me I have to admit – started taking a look at all the accumulated “junk” (was going to say “stuff”, could have prettied it up and said “things” or “belongings”, but no, most of it is truly junk) and doing something to eliminate at least some of it.

 

Others were able to finish projects started long ago, even others started new projects: one English magazine proposed doing at least 50 new things per year; imagine doing or learning something new every 7 days. I’m afraid that I would fall by the wayside very quickly. However, “they say” that something can become a habit if only one does it three times in a row, so there is hope.

 

I am going to may a concerted effort to live more seriously!

 

WITHOUT  =  SIMPLER

Lights of the season…

 

Help alleviate the dark and gray. I am sure that when the Celts first chose to celebrate at this time of the year it was due to the necessity to lift spirits by inventing something, anything, to lighten up, literally, their lives. The Christmas tree with lit candles was adopted by the English in the Victorian Era, coming from the Prince’s German origins. This custom, in turn,  was borrowed from pagan yule rituals that celebrate the return of the light of the sun as the days grow longer after winter solstice.

And they do indeed help: I smile at every Christmas Tree, every candelabra decoration, every string of lights around a chalet.

It’s the one time of the year where we don’t speak too much about the “waste” of electrical lights, but then we also are using more eco-friendly light bulbs.

Let your lives be lightened.

 

 

The light is gone...

16:15 and night is almost upon me: the winter gray and rain add to the earlier and earlier sun sets, that is if there were a sun to set, and it is NOT my favorite time of the year!

The only positive as far as I’m concerned is the upcoming festivities and the fact that as of the winter solstice in 3 weeks sundown will no longer come earlier: it will freeze for a few days then we will have turned the corner and start gaining again. Long life the 21^st of December, more important to me even than Christmas!

 

One of the best…

 Birthdays yet

 

Thanks to all of my delightful and thoughtful family and friends.

 

This year I had decided to go back to a favorite hotel with a long-time friend.

On the day itself, first message from my older son, then a continual flow of WhatsApp, sms, email and I am sure physical cards although I wasn’t home to receive them.

I was on a high even before attending the concert that we had chosen: Andras Schiff

Who played a Bach, then a Hayden, following by Mozart and Schubert. After that we were sure that he couldn’t do anything else, but the Brahms encore was perfect.

 

Back to the hotel where we were going to have our dessert: what a surprise, they presented me with a birthday cake! I had wondered when I got an email during the afternoon offering my a percentage on my next trip if they realized that I was actually in the hotel, yes – not only the computer program, but the people who run the hotel.

 

I went to bed on a cloud.

The only negative of the whole day was the rain, but that did NOT spoil my parade this year.

 

 

Credit goes to the chef of the Golfhotel in Saanenmöser, Switzerland. It was every bit as good as it looks!