Inspiration, or lack thereof.

I have friends who can simply sit down and write, anything, nothing, and it always makes sense, is entertaining or educative. This is not a particular gift of my, but inspiration can be found in so many places: today it was the weather and the miracle of my second grandson.

 

I woke up to 10 cm. of snow on the car, my older son sent a message to say that in light of the road conditions perhaps I shouldn’t come to which I replied, the meal is ready, I’ll be careful and might be a bit late.

 

The main roads in the villages were not too pretty, funnily enough the outlying ones where one didn’t expect it, were great and I was actually on time. And my two-week-old grandson was passed over to me for a moment of pure joy. There is nothing as precious as holding a new-born baby! The older grandson benefitted as well as he could go for a walk with his mother.

 

Blessed am I even if uninspired.

 

 

The end of a frustrating day….

 

Or administration is simply way too time-consuming!

I won’t go into my problems, but this morning I set out to solve two separate admin problems. After two hours, neither was entirely put to rest.

 

This afternoon was spent taking things to the recycling center, getting minimal groceries, picking up a couple of magazines: there had been at least 5 weeks of nothing. No one quite sure what had happened, but nice to see things perhaps back in order!

 

Then I took some toys up to the neighbor that have been here way too long, made another small carton of Duplo bricks for my grandchildren, spoke to my sister and my sister-in-law and all of a sudden the day is done, and so am I.

 

Some days are like that. 

 

Depositphotos.com

 

Escalade in Geneva or...

 

Scaling the walls and running for fun.

 

Last year due to the pandemic neither the race (the largest one in Switzerland) nor the parade took place. This year they were able to run the race, over two days and with half the participants of normal years, ie “only” 26’000 instead of the 43’000 of 2019!

There are categories from the 4 and 5 year-olds who run with a parent, through all the ages and up to the Elite.

This year I did watch part of it on Sunday, the atmosphere is such fun that one forgot that we were wearing masks even outside. The children were so enthusiastic and even I found myself cheering them on, I who had no one running!

 

The Elite saw mostly Kenyans winning, but even they, although happy to win, were in it more for the pleasure than anything.

 

This is the 43^rd edition of the run, the celebrations about Escalade having been going on much longer.

 

But what is “Escalade”?

In1602, Geneva, a rich and prosperous republic, attracted the attention and jealousy of the Savoyards. Charles-Emmanuel 1er, wanted to make Geneva his capitol to the North of the Alps and intended to combat Calvinism with the support of Pope Clement VIII, in spite of a “peace, sworn to and re-sworn to”.  So during the night of the 11^th to the 12^th of December (the longest night) 1602 a troop of 2000 soldiers tried to take the town by surprise. They came from the plains and mercenaries started climbing the walls, which surrounded the city (thus the name Escalade). The alarm was sounded, the cathedral’s bells (never mind that it was now a protestant church, we still call it the cathedral), in particular the Clémence (still exists), were rung. Citizens armed with whatever they found to hand and their courage joined the fray and come morning 54 of the enemy had died and only 18 of the Genevans and the Savoyards gave up. One figure of note was the Mère Royaume who was known to have killed one climbing soldier by pouring her hot vegetable soup on him. Still today we have chocolate cauldrons filled with marzipan vegetables to celebrate this fact!

 

In any case always good fun, great hot wine, chocolates and the like.

 

spectators of the race in Old Town Geneva

Runners, probably the 9-year olds

Hot wine... best part of the day!

 

 

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