July

July 17-19: Weekend wrap

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Another weekend wrap! This is becoming quite the habit.

Friday was a fun day. Liliane’s mum, Hertha, arrived early with Rene, who had gone to collect the lawnmower (which now runs like a Ferrari … touch wood) and picked her up on the way home. She is in such good shape, mentally and physically, it’s hard to believe she’s 91. Her wicked sense of humour also takes you by surprise sometimes!

Liliane and I went grocery shopping together to a ginormous bulk centre called Growa. We spent an hour or so wandering around with a huge flat-tray trolley grabbing this and that – she bought beer, wine, meat and dog food etc, and I bought beer, feta cheese, spinach, filo pastry (can’t find it anywhere else anymore!) and dishwasher powder. Woo hoo, hold the phone, we went to town!

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Hertha, as the sun sets

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Everyone’s here except for Eve

That afternoon Lotti, Fritz and Paul joined the five of us for dinner beside the pool. We played cards (I lost twice!) and had a huge barbecue. It was a late night but a fun one. Hertha said she really enjoyed it because Rene stayed the entire time. He’s feeling fit enough to socialise more which is great.

Saturday morning it rained briefly for the first time in a very, very long time! At last! Leo went to work for a few hours so I did odds and ends around the house, and once the sun came out again, cleaned the pool, swam a bit and mooched a bit, then Liliane cooked dinner for us all again. We’re good at doing this ‘sleep and repeat’ kind of thing each weekend (although I’m glad we didn’t have another barbecue. It feels like we’ve done nothing but eat meat!).

Later we played rummy and I didn’t lose. At last! Rene brought out some long thin cigars which are twisted/crooked like a small tree branch. I can’t find any pictures of them on the internet, and didn’t take any in the darkness, but we had a laugh smoking them. We could also hear, sporadically, music coming from the Gurten Festival on the little hill of Bern, about 20km away. And it rained again! We sat under the tent and enjoyed hearing and seeing rain again after less than 12 hours.

Today, Liliane’s friend Lene arrived from Germany. Both she and Hertha will stay about three to four weeks so we’ll see them again when we come back from Sicily. Leo had an idea to go to the Rose Garden in Bern, but we both felt too slack. I had a swim and cooked dinner (Jamie Oliver’s spinach and feta filo pie with salad. I love it! Meat free at last!) and then finally at 9.15pm, dragged myself (no, not really) upstairs to write here. It was a great, hot weekend, with two bursts of much welcome rain.

In other non-weekend news, I’ve been experimenting with Dr Bronner’s ’18-uses-for-one-bottle’ liquid soap as shampoo and body wash. It’s been about a month now, and I’m still unsure of the result. My hair feels like it’s coated in kind of a sticky wax, and the effect makes my hair look greasy/stringy. If it dries naturally, it sets into loose curls, but if I blow dry it, it feels like I’m amping up the waxiness even more.

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Natural lavender liquid soap from Dr Bronner. You can clean almost anything with it apparently. I just wish my hair responded a bit better

So the jury is still out. I need a haircut and am loathe to have it washed with their products, because it means I’ll be back to the drawing board again for this experiment. I’m kind of hoping after a few months, my hair gets used to not being washed in all those chemicals and silicone and so on. Maybe I can ask them to just wet it and then cut it like that?

Dr Bronner’s soap comes in all sorts of smells and is available worldwide (I’ve linked to the American website, where you can see all their products). I was given lavender by Claudia when she and Dani came to visit last month. I’ve previously bought the baby/neutral smell and peppermint. I tried washing my hair with those ones too with similar results to now, but I gave up on the experiment after only a week or so, because I couldn’t cope with the sticky/clumpy feeling. Fingers crossed I can persevere and come out a winner.

This is all part of a desire to cut down on the products I use and to be more aware of the ingredients of things. Half the contents of Nivea and other store-bought products are three words long and impossible to pronounce. It would be nice to be rid of stuff like that. Our skin is a big sponge and I’d rather it be soaking up natural goodies rather than chemical nasties.

I’ve started putting things together in a carry-on suitcase for our trip. I was hoping to take a 22 litre backpack but I think that might be pushing it a bit. Not that I’m taking much! I’ll do a post about that on Friday, hopefully. Love the challenge of travelling light!

Wishing you a wonderful day.

July 16: Vincent-esque

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On my ride home from the city after lunch with Leonie, I finally stopped to take a photo of the new flower field and all the colours. It’s nice, but just doesn’t have the pizazz of the old field – perhaps not seeing the Alps behind makes it somewhat lacklustre?

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The new flower field is blooming well. Lilies and dahlias and glads and sunflowers and …

The wheat is being harvested right now. And I mean right now. It’s just after 10pm and I can hear the machines working overtime. They’ve chopped the tops off and collected the wheat, and the stems remain behind to be made into hay bales. They’re making hay while the moon shines.

I think this scenery would make Vincent van Gogh reach for his brushes, don’t you?

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Blue and yellow – great combination

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Picture perfect. Imagine some swirls in the sky!

I cleaned Liliane and Rene’s house for four hours today. That’s enough fitfor15in15! Whenever I’m at their house, I jump on the bathroom scales – seems I’ve lost another kilo. Unfortunately, the dress I bought in Spain in 2011 still doesn’t fit comfortably. Maybe I should just accept it as a post-Camino memory and move on?!

Tomorrow, Liliane’s 91-year-old mother Hertha arrives. I can’t wait to see her again, she’s a crack up! She called me last Friday to say how much she’s looking forward to visiting. She only lives 35 minutes away, but comes three times a year for a two-to-four-week holiday. Plenty of giggles will be had next week – our last week before we go to Sicily!

Wishing you a wonderful day.

July 15: Close encounters

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No, not on the bike! With the camera! 🙂 (I can hear my mother breathing a sigh of relief from here!)

Today, after work, Iva cooked a barbecue lunch for Pastora and I on the terrace at the office. And then Iva and I jumped in the Aare. I need a waterproof case for my phone so I can take some action shots as it truly is a wonderful experience I want to share! The water was a gloriously refreshing 19.5 degrees.

My 15 minutes of exercise today was walking along the river and then swimming back to the office. We were gone for about 40 minutes, and I think 10 minutes of that was swimming.

Here are my afternoon ‘close encounter’ snapshots from the garden. I enjoy the results of the olloclip we bought in Strasbourg for my birthday and should use it more. Several of the cacti have flowers at the moment. What a treat.

Wishing you a wonderful, colourful day.

July 14: Stinker!

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You know when you watch a movie, wanting it to be good, because one of your favourite actors is in it? And a few minutes in, you realise it’s going to be bad? Maybe really bad? But you keep watching, hoping you’re wrong?

We just watched “Identity Thief” with Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy. Shocker. Stinker. Rubbish. But he was in it. And yes, he played a character he’s played 100 times before, but he was still good in it. He can do no wrong in my eyes! But wowsers, that movie was rotten.

It was almost a stinker of a day too, but it only made it to 29 degrees :). Not bad at all. Had a nice day – worked this morning then met Claudia at the Marzili, but we didn’t swim in the Aare. We just lazed around in the shade and chatted. Bruce is running well (jinx!).

I’m slowly catching up on correspondence which is a nice feeling. I used to be a prolific letter writer, but these days it’s just emails – or fitfor15in15!

Ever wanted to hear some true Aussies talking? I watched a ripper video today that has really helped Leo with his Strayan, I mean Australian. If you’d like to understand us a bit better (or at all!) have a gander. I’d be devo’d if I didn’t get these Aussie blokes’ lingo! I hope you enjoy it too.

Wishing you a wonderful day.

July 13: Getting organised

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I’ve been a bit slack on all fronts recently, and today was the day to sit down at the desk and get organised. I’ll only be working Tuesday and Wednesday this week, and took the chance today to reply to comments on the blog that I’ve neglected, send some emails to people who I’ve neglected (still many, many more to be sent!) and write some posts on this neglected blog.

There was also the chance to lie on the lounge by the pool and start a new book :). I thought about resurrecting Monday Runday, but that idea quickly faded. Too hot, too unmotivated, too many things to do … too many excuses!

The grass has turned from a rich green to a golden yellow/brown. Walking across it is like walking on hay. We certainly need some rain (but can it come at night, so it’s cooler to sleep?!)

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Dry yellow grass

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Hydrangea coming along nicely! It didn’t flower at all last year

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The crocosmia is starting to flower!

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The poor old blue delphinium isn’t as majestic as it was last year

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The glads are nearly flowering. They’ll be white and orange

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The snapdragons, which I thought were goners, have come good again

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I didn’t plant this gladioli here, it just sprouted on its own

I did send a job application off today too, so that’s something. Fingers crossed!

And you know what else I did? Deleted the card game off my phone that stops me from reading books. Mum and I are addicted to card games, it must be in our genes, but today I decided enough was enough. It’s distracting me from doing things I want to do, like be in contact with people, learn new things, read new books, write some stuff, generally get moving and out of the twilight zone, which I seem to enter every time I open that app on my phone. Not good! Not good at all! Sure, there’s a place for some relaxation, but I was becoming way too reliant on it as something to do, when there are so many other wonderful things to be doing.

Nutritionally, I’ve been a bit naughty too. I’ve eaten ice creams. And chippies. But hey, all’s good. I’ve realised it’s incredibly hard to quit sugar, and I’m not quite ready to do it just yet!

Wishing you a wonderful day.

July 10-12: Weekend wrap

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Sun, sun and more sun this past weekend. Combine that with not much inspiration to write, and you get another weekend wrap!

Friday I went to work and then for a quick drink with Iva and Pastora afterwards. Claudio, our regular waiter at Cafe de Pyrennes, was amazed we only stayed for one drink, but we all had things to achieve in the afternoon.

Mine was to mow the lawn for Rene, but the lawnmower is having petrol flow issues, so we canned the idea. That night, we went to dinner with The Usual Suspects (minus Eve, who is in Finland for a gymnaestrada event) which was very lovely. Leo and I ordered a tower of food, literally, which was a nice summer change to what we would normally choose.

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I almost caught Rene smiling!

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Lotti, Leo and Paul

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With Fritz and Liliane

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Leo and I shared a tower of cold food. The gazpacho was delicious

Saturday, Rene spluttered the lawnmower into life long enough to do the job and I cleaned the pool. We then spent the afternoon and evening by the pool with The Usual Suspects again, playing cards and enjoying a delicious barbecue. We watched a little bit of the women’s Wimbledon singles final but mainly we were outdoors. Congratulations Serena!

Sleep and repeat. Sunday we spent time by the pool again, but without the combined dinner. We watched pretty much all of the men’s Wimbledon singles final too. Poor Roger. I feel so disappointed for him on his quest to become the first man to win eight Wimbledon singles titles. Maybe next year? Djokovic was just too good.

I started and finished a sweet book on Sunday too – Waiting for Doggo. I’ve written a review here.

All up it was a very relaxing weekend. Very quiet. Not a lot of exercise, just some light swimming. But plenty of socialising!

Wishing you a wonderful day.

Waiting for Doggo by Mark B. Mills

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A sweet story about an ugly dog creating beauty all around him

My friend Louise, who works for a big publishing house in Australia, gave me this book when I visited last year and it’s been sitting on my shelf growling at me to read it.

Yesterday, lying in the glorious sunshine, I finally sunk my teeth in, and after going to bed and not being able to sleep, I lapped up the whole offering with gusto.

Waiting for Doggo by Mark B. Mills, published in 2014, is filled with lovely ideas about love throughout its 213 pages. It doesn’t break new ground, floor you with its ingenuity or make you reach for a pen to write down memorable anecdotes, but it does leave you smiling.

Doggo is a dog brought into a faltering relationship to try to save the day. When his rescuer Claire ups and leaves her boyfriend of four years, Dan, he’s left with the unfriendly bundle as a reminder of what went wrong. But he’s not really sure what went wrong!

A new job for Dan gives Doggo new surroundings and an opportunity to show his true colours. He becomes the office postman, delivering the mail to those he likes. It’s sweet little things like this that can easily be missed in this tail, I mean tale, of love lost and discovered again.

Of course, Doggo becomes more than just the ugly mutt – he’s a sign of hope. As Doggo’s personality shines, he makes Dan a better man too. The dog’s interest in Jennifer Aniston, and Dan’s work colleague Edith, means he has an eye for detail that would possibly swish past Dan in the wag of a tail.

Waiting for Doggo was a lovely read – very simple and sweet – and a wonderful way to spend a few hours; lost in the workings of a London advertising agency and the characters it holds. Nothing stressing, nothing confrontational – all just as sweet as the little dog who surprises everyone.

The ending leaves an opening for a sequel perhaps?

July 9: Girly afternoon

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Sonja, who I met in Paris in 2011, came to visit today. She’s a German orthopedic surgeon who’s been living in Switzerland for 10 years. We haven’t seen each other for about 18 months, if not more, and her company was wonderful medicine!

We drank Aperol Spritzeseses and gas bagged and swam. I didn’t go to work today as we had made these plans a while ago. It really was a great afternoon just hanging out at home.

The doctor was just what the doctor ordered. Brilliant for my mental fitness.

Speaking of doctors, René came home from hospital last night which is good news. I have a feeling he’s not a great patient – very grumpy when he’s told what he can and cannot do!

Can you relate to that too? I know I can!

Wishing you a wonderful day.

July 7: Not sure what to say

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Death hasn’t often lurked in my sphere, but in less than two weeks, two friends have passed away – Annie in New Zealand on June 25 and Elisa in Australia today. Both were way too young, had been sick with different forms of cancer, and leave lasting impressions.

I didn’t write about Annie at the time of her death because it didn’t feel right. I’m not even sure I should write about her and Elisa now. They were both fighters and I think, if anything, I want to acknowledge their fighting spirits.

Fingers crossed they’re feeling fantastic, wherever they are now. I hope Annie has her immaculate wardrobe and pearls, and Heineken still quenches her thirst. I hope Elisa is surrounded by music and white horses and dances under the stars every night. Needless to say, family and friends would have preferred for them to be with us a little longer, but wow, they sure gave it all they had when they were here. The only consolation is they’re no longer in pain.

I wrote to Bronwyn, Annie’s best friend, who I met Annie through, with a collection of thoughts and memories. Bronwyn read them to Annie’s cousin, who asked to use them in the eulogy. Leo came up with the idea of foregoing eulogies by telling those around us what we would say about them at their funeral, while they’re still alive. I know not everyone is presented with an opportunity like this, but isn’t it a lovely thought?

Wishing you a wonderful day.