Mailman?

A sudden visit from a family. You think they look alike?

Ok, enough with the sheets

After the overwhelming feedback decided to go for the pink. Nice, ain't it?

Shocking

The only matching colour I found today was a pillowcase in shocking pink. Now I'm discussing with myself if I should get a mattress sheet in the same material and colour. Too much? On the other hand it's covered by the sheet. Thoughts?

Unplanned

Went into town today to continue my hunt for mattress sheets (after trying to explain it in German as "undersheets" I have now learned it's called "fixleintuch"!). None of the large stores have colours that match my fabulous purple sheets. I only found a nice pink pillowcase to match.

However, I ran into a couple of Christmas presents so wasn't totally a waste of time.

Since it is such nice weather today in Zürich I walked around in sandals and just a t-shirt (yes I had pants too). And I closed up the boat for the season. Unfortunately I left my phone at home so no pic.

Then I had a stroll along Limmatquai to my fav place, where I sat down with my book and a glass of wine. Not a bad way of spending a Friday afternoon.

I just don't understand where all the people come from! Trams were packed. All outdoor places were full of people. The department stores were busy. After all, it's only 370,000 people living in Zürich. Where from? I have no clue. Other than that Zürich is so popular, so people travel here just for fun. Yes, that's probably it.

And when I got home I had a clear view over the mountains. Yes, today is a good day.

New hood

Neighbour is moving to new hood in a couple of days. Got the keys today. We did the ceremony with cutting the band, only to be met with a locked door. Real estate agent messed up the time.

Good thing was we discovered a restaurant next door open in the morning. A coffee and a conversation about that it sucks that we cannot smoke indoors anymore did the trick. We were able to go back to meet the agent an hour later. After having some nicotine. Outside.

We, the neighbours, don't really approve of her moving, but since it's only 2 tram stops away (19 mins walk) we eventually said yes.

Plus the fact that we now will get another housewarming party! When, when, when???

Ze future

Watching a reality show from an airport. They interviewed some Germans who got delayed going home to Munich. "I don't look to ze future, I don't look to ze past, I live now". I.e. he didn't mind waiting. Two thoughts. First of all, it's nice to get my prejudiced thoughts confirmed, that no German can say the word "the". Also, a German who lives just for today? What an oxymoron ;). But I'll be happy to see anybody who can prove me wrong!

Sheets in place

Planning on a nice sleep tonight.

Party going on 3 days

Felt a bit off today to be perfectly honest, after having partied until 4 in the morning. But if it's one thing I have, it is stamina. And I had promised a friend to meet her in town tonight for drinks. After catching up she insisted to go to my fav place, and who was I to object? After all, it's her birthday on Monday and she needed a treat. Now she's on her way home with the music program safely tucked in her pocket, eagerly asking me when we'll go next time. What can I say? My friends have taste.

Cake!

Very happy they didn't put the exact number of candles on the cake...might have burned the place down!

Gifts gifts everywhere

Dunno why, but yesterday I was showered with gifts.

There were flowers, drinks, chocolate, cards, candle holders, a spa voucher, a feature thingie for the kitchen holding cutting boards and a painting made just for me (love it, fits my new colour scheme as well as being enough intriguing for my taste).

And a dinner made just for me.

As well as greetings from South Africa, Australia, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany and even Switzerland. I am a lucky girl!

Sheets and curtains

Went to order my new curtains for the guestroom today - purple of course. Also found satin sheets that would fit nicely with the new scheme.

Modern look is what I'm going for.

From ugly to beauty

Beautiful flowers from a friend.

Pretty gross

One can never be happy. Just when I thought I found a cheap and effective medicine for the occasional cramps in my extremities, it turns out to have side effects. This is what came off my hair brush after washing my hair yesterday. Yikes!

Ginger bread

When we went to Ikea last weekend I bought some Scandiavian food for the forthcoming trip to Bulgaria. Aaaarrrggggh! Anyway, recovering from the shivering one of the things I bought was ginger bread. I LOOOVVEE ginger bread, so the odds of letting the box alone until Christmas was zero point something to nil. Tonight I crumbled. Ginger bread with a slice of cheese is like a piece of heaven. Then you repeat it. And repeat it. And repeat it. And on it goes. Sorry Bulgaria, but you will never ever experience the joy of Scandiavian ginger bread. And cheese.

The longest tunnel

We're there. Well almost. Only another 6 years before it's finished.

Profile No 2

Project goes on.

Hard work

Spent a nice afternoon with a friend. She is always overwhelmed by being invited for lunch, which she has no reason to be. I make her work. Today we made a sketch for the installation I'm planning, we installed a de-humidifier in the basement. Ok so no rocket-science, it involved opening a box, and putting three pieces together. But still. Then we measured the windows in the guest room for new curtains. And then we ate. And drank. And skyped with the cousin who she met. And talked. And talked some more. Actually, we talked all the time. Can't think of a better way to spend an afternoon.

Mg

Lately I experienced occasional cramp in my toes, both when sleeping and when walking. Was told by the neighbour that magnesium would work. She got me 20 tablets for the humungous amount of 1.15 CHF in Denner. And to my utter surprise after having a tablet a day for three days it has worked. No more cramp. It's like when my aunt told me about using garlic for a wart. And it disappeared. Who needs doctors when one has friends?

Leaving Zürich zone 10

Who would've known that there are nice villages surrounding Zürich? I'm like lost when I leave zone 10.

This is Stäfa, where they had a really nice delicacy shop. And wine cellar.

Got another ride

Got a ride

I like to travel in style. In a Porsche from 1962.

Close to Zürich, but only just

I am not keen on Oerlikon, which is a suburb to Zürich. In my mind it's full of "funny" people. However, they do have a few nice houses.

Houses that used to be homes for "workers". Bet they now cost a bit more than "workers" can afford.

Curtains no thank you

I am really not a curtain person. Open windows, open views is much more my thinking. However. I have a guest room, and I'd like my guests to feel like they can close the view without using the blinds. My new colour scheme is purple. Have an oak floor, very light, and the furniture will be changed into black to match the granite floor in the hallway. All the paraphernalia will be purple though, like the curtains, a lamp, the candles and I will buy new purple sheets to cover the birch-wood bed. After all, there is only so much I'll spend on the guests :) Had a friend for dinner tonight and I had gotten a colour pattern with me from the curtain shop. He knew without me saying so which colour I had chosen. Predictable, moi?

Profile

Step one on my new project.

And we had a nice dinner too. His wish was my homemade meatballs, and that's what he got.

New thinking

Have decided that the project of putting up a wall with photos of my life is very 90's. And since I'm a bit allergic to old and been there/done that things, I have a new plan. It involves building construction paper, a pen, my metal construction builder who did my kitchen shelf and a bit of innovative thinking (at least I'd like to think so) by myself. To be continued.

A long time ago

Here is one of the houses I lived in. The top two windows to the right on the black top...those were mine. The balconies on the house are new.

Many happy memories from there.

Showered in gifts

Directly imported from Funchal.

For liverloving people

Fortunately I have friends who share my love for liver! Very nice lunch yesterday.

Niqabitches

Read more here.

Hungary stinks

My view of Eastern Europe hasn't gotten any better.

With a little help from my friends

It does help with a friend showing up with flowers and sweets. Didn't take long before I ate 25% of it...

Still a bit to go with the bootstraps though.

Down

Felt a bit down lately. I know, in my situation with a fab flat, a boat and good friends I am really not allowed to feel bad. But feelings are difficult to rationalize. It helps with friends who keep in touch. Tomorrow I have a lunch planned with a good friend, on Monday another good friend is coming for dinner. Also sent a text to my 80-year-old aunt today. As a reply I first got an empty msg, then a text saying "vlah". First thought was I reckoned she had gone senile, second thought was "has she got a new mobile that she hasn't learned yet?". A minute later the fixed line called, and it turned out to be the latter alternative. It is good to have friends who care, but nobody else but me can lift me up in my bootstraps. And right now I cannot be arsed.

Grandmas plant

Have my fav plant growing into the ceiling. I tried to remove the branches out of the curtain hanging thingies in the ceiling today, only to realize I have to remove the metal sticks and the hanging devices with it.

And when I did, a huge bug showed it's ugly head...apparently living in the ceiling. Not a nice discovery.

First move is to make new fishing thread hanging hooks. Next is to invite a few friends to can help me take the branches out of the ceiling, then replace the hooks and drape the plant in a way that it can continue to grow nicely.

Where would I be without my friends?

Zürich today

Another beautiful day in Zürich. And yeah, the baby got to tag along.

Some old things are good

Like wine, women and trams. Went to the Züspa today. This is an autumn exhibition, a quite large one with something like 6 exhibition halls showing everything from household equipment to wine to furniture to art to electronics to whatever you can think of, where we tasted an excellent Amarone (65 CHF per bottle!).

Funny that it is an autumn exhibition, since the weather today was 23°C and sunny. Very strange for October. Not that I'm complaining.

On the way back we took the Züspa-tram, one of the old ones that still have a conductor shouting out the stations and that was built around 1930. They run them only sometimes, and it is all voluntary work. But it's nice, and everybody starts smiling.