Visiting the wilderness

Once a year I am invited to some friends who live in the wilderness. They throw a yearly summer party. Not only are they very hospitable, and cook very good food (omg, I was still full when I woke up this morning), but they live in a sort of paradise. And this was only the starter.

They have a garden full with flowers, a place where rhubarb, cabbage, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, potatoes, salad, beetroots, tomatoes, grapes and everything you can think of is growing. All they need is a cow and they would be totally self-supporting. In the garden next-door goats are roaming and the immediate neighbour has cats, one of them very friendly.

I may be a city-person but to visit this place once a year is good for the soul and mind.

PS. It was funny coming back on the train, and it was ticket control. The conductor looked at my ticket for a long time, then at me, and said "I don't know where this place is". Then we explained to her how beautiful it is, and how little a place it is. She smiled and moved on.

Re-gifting

I think re-gifting is great. Sometimes you receive things you don't want, and then you can pass them on to somebody who can better appreciate them. Hopefully.

I wouldn't mind if things I give away would be re-gifted. But I probably would prefer not to know about it.

Reason I thought about this, is that I'm off to a party this evening (in the wilderness mind you!) and hadn't thought of getting a gift, so searching my own flat I found something I think they will like. Perfect!

Though still thinking about who will appreciate the wooden plaque stating Bulgaria on it, that I got some time ago...

Guests

Had a visitor yesterday and as usual I prepared too much food, so it was good I had somebody else over tonight for the leftovers. But he also brought and made a fab tartar. I am spoiled!

Dog aboard

There is a first time for everything, but this particular dog didn't seem to mind a cruise at the lake at all.

But it was funny, later when back on dry land, I was taking a walk alone with the dog and even though she walked with me, she kept on looking for her owner. When we got back to the parting point, she didn't wanna go any further. She's a polite dog, and listens even to me, but she really is a one-man-dog.

When we met up again with the owner, she was so, so happy. There is something very endearing with such devotion.

A kid with taste

I've been invited to yet another baby birthday party. Oh dear! Not sure I'm up to it, but it was funny the other day when I met the neighbours kid, who is now...oh lemme think...I think 3,5 years old, and she tugged my shirt, saying "it's purple".

Yes indeed. And she might not be as impossible as I thought.

Light

Since a couple of months there is construction work going on outside my house every night, they start around 11pm and it goes on until the morning. I've been told they are going to be finished end of August.

Normally this doesn't bother me, I'm lucky enough to live in a house that is very isolated. For example, I never hear anything from the neighbours kids. And for this I'm very grateful.

But last night I woke up around three. I don't think it was so much about the noise but the light! Somehow these monster machines they use lit up, and it reminded me of when I was living in this little town and a light woke me up then too.

Turned out to be a fire. A big one. A whole block of apartments just burned down. That was scary. I seem to remember an old guy died in that fire, 'cause he couldn't get out in time. There's another reason not to get old.

English cooking

Hahaha, it's exactly how I have experienced English so called cooking. Bland, bad-looking and having no taste at all. Am watching UK Masterchef and in the first season the contestants were asked to cook a kinda dessert (I think), with something flowers looking a bit like fennel, deep-frying and in a pomegranate/raspberry sauce.

That reminds me of two Americans working in my home country, inviting a bunch of us for dinner. First of all, they thought that you dress up at work and down at home, whereas "my" people do the opposite. The host opened the door, clad in shorts and a ripped t-shirt, where the men came dressed up in suits and tie.

The food that they served tasted of absolutely nothing, since they thought that's how we liked it. Not even salt was used.

Maybe time the Americans learn to distinguish that there are different countries in Europe! Even though it may be questionable whether Turkey and Hungary are really Europe.

Cruise

A great day on the lake. Very few boats out there, just the ferries and a few police boats. Highlight of the day when one police guy waved to me. Me thinking: oh, come search me please :).

Weakness

I don't eat that much, the reason I'm kinda chubby is that I don't move enough. Like today. I went shopping and realized I had spaghetti at home for ages, and probably best I eat it soon. But what to eat with? Bought bacon, and visualized it with an egg and the cheese I already had. Yum!

But on the way out, I saw these pizza slices, thick with melted cheese, and with various toppings. Couldn't resist.

After eating said slice, I wasn't hungry enough to cook the spaghetti. But I was peckish enough to eat a few slices of the cake I baked the other day.

This is my problem. No regular times for food, and eating what is there and available. I really have to get my act together!

Happy I was born where I was

I have now watched two documentaries about life as a woman in Iran. It is difficult to understand the totally different circumstances under which we live.

The first one was about women who "get married" to a man for a pre-set period of time, say 2-6 months. Of course with the blessing of an "Imam", a so called spiritual leader of the Islamic community. The woman in question was 17 and the man 65, and the Imam thought it was totally ok. Hello? 2013 is calling Iran. And the reason the woman agreed was that she got paid. Fortunately for her this particular woman disappeared before her time was up and took the money with her. Well done!

Unfortunately a lot of these women left with no choice turn to prostitution and drugs. No wonder!

The second documentary was about a man with four wives and a whopping twenty kids. It has a phenomenal opening scene, when you see the mother of the man, sitting on a mat, saying "my son likes pussy". "A lot". Indeed.

The husband compares wives to sheep, they may look the same but are slightly different. Or when wife number four cannot have children, "you're like a well, if no water comes, you dig a new one". Charming view!

And he hits the women and the kids, when they don't do what he wants. And not a little, he breaks fingers and bones, leaves them with a fist full of hair. When one the many kids made a slight dent on his moped he said "kids like that deserve to die". Other cultures, including mine, would call him an asshole. Actually, I'm pretty sure the Iranian women do too.

And even though the Mum of the man claims "I have five sons, and they are all stupid as sheep", it doesn't help much the women of today.

In the end the man takes a fifth wife. A virgin who believes that love will conquer all. Gosh, is she in for a rough awakening!

You know, rather than helping out here in Switzerland, with so called non-profit organizations, I would like to help them. But how?

Züriducks

So the ducks arrived. Now I'll have to think about how to paint them. Ducks with whiskers? Black&white ducks? Hmmm, worth thinking about.

The last supper

I'm watching Masterchef New Zealand ('cause Masterchef US is in the middle of a season and the next episode is another week). Anyway, I kinda like it, since it's not as fierce as the US version (compare Biggest loser), and they have a "last supper" episode. Like cooking a meal as if it was your last to eat.

It got me thinking, and I'm pretty sure I would choose crayfish. Freshly cooked, just with dill and salt and eaten with toast, a good rich cheese and mayonnaise. Last time I had it was when I brought it from my home country, and shared one kilogram with my friend. It was delish!

But it also got me thinking about the time when I lived in Denmark, and bought only three of those delicacies to enjoy on a Friday evening. Expensive as hell! Only to come home, set the plate and myself down to enjoy and then realize the thingies were not cooked, they were raw! Oh the disappointment.

Today I probably would've tried to cook'm myself, but back then I got angry and binned them all. What a waste!

Cat vs dog 1-0

Had my internet friends dog visiting today, and it went like expected. My two furry ones shot away like the blitz, hiding under the bed, while the dog were sniffing around being interested yet cautious.

Not even after the dog ate their food, they came out.

But later I got hold of one of the cats, introducing her by holding her tight, even though she resisted, but when I finally put her down she kinda stayed, staring the dog down, thick tail wagging to and fro.

And that's as far as we got today. Will be interesting to see if they mellow later.

Dessert

My neighbour has a speciality, she does a fantastic dessert. It's airy, filled with whipped cream and berries of the season. And best is, she gives me leftovers when she had a party. Sometimes she sms's me, saying there is a plate outside my door. Yum!

But I thought I should be able to do this myself, so I tried the other day, using the technique she instructed me to, and voila, it worked! Ok, it may not have looked as nice as the one she creates, but it tasted fabulous made with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. There are two witnesses who can testify if need be (have a nice holiday and yes, I'll try not to kill your plants).

So I thought I'll make another one, making it look as good as my neighbours. But lo and behold, there were no strawberries available so had to settle for figs. Mind you they were fresh, even though they were imported from Turkey. But I must admit the taste (yes I tried) wasn't up to par so had to come up with an idea.

Cognac! Only I didn't have any cognac at home, but found a funny little bottle with Eastern European letters on it, and now the figs are marinating (and possibly getting rid of whatever they held in terms of bacterias before) in that juice.

Keep your fingers crossed it'll turn out if not good, at least edible.

Lost skin

You know that the biggest organ of the body is the skin, right? Lately I have noticed. And it's all because I was on the lake for too many hours burning it. And funny thing is that when I was younger wounds and burn sores healed in what seemed to be a minute. Nowadays it takes more than a week for the skin to even react.

But every day since a few days now I keep on picking up my own skin from the floor (or rather hoover it up with the AnimalPro purple handle Dyson :).

Still, it's downhill from here on. Hot flashes, two grey hairs and skin dropping off the body. Mind you, I'll be slimmer then, won't I?

Hard as nails

When I was young and vain, I wanted very much to have long nails with paint on them. Back then my nails split all the time and never really looked good. Even with nailpaint.

Today, it's different. My nails grow like grass and I have to cut them every week. And I cannot be arsed to paint them.

Ironic, isn't it?

Hey, how're you doing?

I got a "hey, how're you doing?"-flirt today by a construction worker. I know, it's part of their job description to whistle to passing women or talk to them if they're near enough, but still. It gave me a nice feeling (hurray, I still haven't lost it!) and he got a smile.

Duck race 2013

I missed this last year, but don't intend to do so again. It's a duck race supporting the Zürich cancer fund.

I bought a pair of them. For my cats of course :).

There are options, you can have them send the ducks to your home and then bring them yourself to the race or have them do it for you. I chose to have them sent to me. Haven't yet decided if I'm gonna paint them, but I will definitely register nick names for them.

I just hope I can get them back after the race.

Smokey

Had a bit of a mishap today in the kitchen. Was preparing a grill and put a whole plate full with meat (suck on that you vegetarians :), and stuck it in the oven.

Then I relaxed and went on my computer to watch yet another episode of US Masterchef. After some minutes I realized it smelled funny. Smoke! And not the cigarette smoke that is ever so common in my flat, but smokey-smoke. Oh dear, the oven was smoke-filled.

45 minutes later, with the fan on full blast, it was still smelly. And the cleaning lady was here earlier today, leaving the flat with an aroma of cleaning liquid. Darn!

Anyway, fortunately I have another oven, so eventually we could enjoy a nice dinner. But as usual, the guest had to work for the food.

That should teach'm Swiss

Haha, several people have pointed out to me that Oprah Winfrey was not allowed to buy a hand-bag, while visiting Zürich and her friend Tina Turner who got married the other week.

I would like to mention that I'm not responsible for all stupid people in Switzerland, but I think it's rather funny that it comes at a time when Switzerland is restricting access for foreigners. Not entirely sure of the details, hoping I'm safe.

Nevertheless, it's really Pretty-Woman-funny that one of the richest women in the world would be denied shopping in Zürich. I hope they sacked the shop assistant on the reason "how-stupid-can-you-be-while-working-in-a-shop?"

And let's all hope that we can stop judging people because of how they look. I would benefit I'm sure!

World cat day

I was informed that yesterday was "World cat day". Ok, I am a cat owner and crazy about my cats, but a world cat day? Do the cats appreciate this?

Nowadays it seems to be "days" about everything. Why not let it be about something important?

A present

I got a present today. I'm not entirely sure what to think about it. It's a cook-book called "neerim needlers' nibbles and nosh" and it holds ingredients like "Turkish pide", "Tahini paste", "tamari", not to forget "sponge fingers"!

I'm thinking of putting my finger (guess which one?) into water for half an hour. Maybe it'll become spongy then.

Veggie and bio and all that nature can offer stuff

 

I have a friend who frequently comments on this blog, but who has complained that I do not provoke enough. Ha! Loadsa people would say otherwise.

Tonight I visited her and her family, so it's very tempting to exceed her expectations of my blog, and totally diss everything. But the veggie lasagne was actually very good.

And it's difficult when she served Ikea meatballs covered in white chocolate (ok, they were not really), 'cause it was delish.

But it did surprise me that she had no opinion on "green electricity". I just got a letter from the local provider, and wanted an insight into what to do. Now, there's your provocation :). Answer that if you can!

Greed

Today I managed to get my hands on a copy of "Blick am Abend". It's one of the two free papers here in Zürich, and the morning paper is elusive. Probably because I don't get to any tram or bus stop before the morning is over.

Anyway, today I read about the CEO of REGA (the rescue service organization, funded solely by private people) having a salary and bonus compiling a whopping total of half a million francs! What?

I understand that about two million people pay around 30 francs each yearly to support this rescue service, which means around 15,000 people have to pay a yearly fee just to support the CEO. I am so changing my will!

5°C and lasting?

I dunno about this fridge I have, or foodcenter as it was called when I bought it. For weeks now the temperature in the fridge have varied between 10 and 15 degrees C. Normal temp is 5.

The catastrophe is 1) that the wine bottles have condensation on them, and 2) the food doesn't last long at all.

But today, all of a sudden, the temp is back to 5°C. Mind you, the fridge is almost empty, and I'm thinking it's because of that. But what good is a fridge if you cannot store food in it?

I wonder if it's possible to find a person who is technical and can fix a fridge through one of these date sites?

Chop chop chop

Had my plant specialist over today, and she turned out to be a savage. Chop, chop, chop she went and all of a sudden my plant which was growing in all directions, looked normal again. She assured me that it'll grow even better from now on.

I have put some of the leftover leaves in water, hoping they will root, and if they do, she'll get a new plant.

It's a pleasure to watch an expert doing his or her work. And I'm an eager learner. How did that come about? Me, interested in plants?

A visit to the countryside

I must admit, having sunburn and hormonal bodily heat waves in the hottest summer in 10 years, is not a good combo. 30°C outside at night, and 28° indoors. I'm frigging constantly sweating.

But even so, it was nice today when I was walking the dog with my new friend in a new area of Zürich. Well, new to me that is, I doubt it's new to the people who grew up there. It was very pretty with farms and flowers and even animals, like sheep and horses (and no, not like the time when I remarked there were pigs, and they turned out to be cows, I didn't have my glasses on).

We passed the swimming station at the lake, where dogs are not allowed, and continued through the forest to a place where dogs could take a dip. And did they! We were sitting on a bench, having a cool glass of wine/water, watching at least ten dogs chasing things, swimming, having the time of their lives. Very relaxing and lot of fun.

And then I was invited for dinner to the new friend. I love seeing how people live, and this guy loves colours. I bet he'll be really surprised when he'll visit my place, since I understand that black and white are regarded "non-colours".

It ain't gonna happen

Had a friend over this afternoon. It was very pleasant, sitting on the balcony, enjoying cold cuts and prosecco and talking about everything and nothing.

Among other things we talked about death, she had just been to a funeral. She is convinced that there is a next life, and that it's beautiful. I'm equally convinced there is not, but this is one time when I'm hoping I am wrong.

However, if some people are so convinced the next life is better, how come not more people are committing suicide? As I understand it, people commit suicide because of erroneous religious beliefs, psychological reasons or they got into a jam they think they cannot get out of. Not because they think the next life is better.

But it's a beautiful thought (however wrong) that one day I could meet up with my forefathers again. Or even better, my foremothers!

Oh, and she meant that the good people are dying young. There's a thought. Then I'm sure I'll be a 100!

Pots and pans

Talking about old people. Went to the bottle bank today to deposit empty bottles, and I dunno if it's new, but I only saw it recently. You can now also get rid of pans and pots in the metal container.

And I've become more cautious with my pans. I don't like scratches in them. They contain bacterias and whatsit plus the fact that I have more than I need. So I binned a pan.

There was an old woman there too, and when I threw away the pan, she looked at me like "are you crazy?". I was almost expecting her to dig down the bin trying to pick it up. But being heavy and very old, she didn't. Should I have offered her the pan?

102 years

If my grandmother had lived she would've been 102 years today. I wish she had. She was a grand woman, who definitely knew what she wanted. Some people say I'm like her. Which I take as a compliment.

My grandmother was a smoker, which means that she ate quickly, and if everybody around the table wasn't up to speed, she used to go around picking up our plates. If you weren't finished you had to hold on to your dish. It became a joke in the family, but she didn't mind. She ruled the family. She was 84 when she died.

However, we have had quite different lives. She had her first child at 22, being unmarried, then another child with another man, then yet two children with the man she finally married. It couldn't have been easy in those days, but she was feisty. And I loved her.

Even more so, my great grandmother was only 15 when she got my grandmother. And unmarried. This was in 1911 and I'm sure a scandal back then. However, she did marry the father later. I was a young kid when she died, but I have visited her grave. I have vague memories of her, but she must've been something. I wish I would've had the opportunity to get to know her.

Swiss national day

Today was perfect, hot, not a cloud in the sky, and the water in Zürichsee is finally good for swimming, nearly 25°C. 31°C in the air, but when you're in the sun like we were it is much, much hotter. I think I might have burned a bit, since "sunscreen is for wimps". Probably not one of my better quotes.

Every time I come down to the bridge, seeing my boat there amongst all others, I feel so lucky. There I am, a foreigner, having a boat in the middle of the city. How cool is not that?

Took a pic of my Swiss flag, but it didn't cooperate fully, it was a wee bit windy. But if you look closely, you can see that there is still snow on the top of the mountains.

We were swimming like crazy, one of my guests were a real water-person, she spent more time in the water than in the boat. And she was the spitting image of a previous guest, only younger. Mind you, she was the daughter of the former guest, "only with the boobs higher up" as she was described.

136 years to life

I don't write about politics often. It doesn't mean I don't follow what's going on, or am not interested, but I think there are others better suited to comment.

However, I have to react when I see a headline saying he's only getting 136 years prisontime, but avoided lifetime. Excusez-moi? Have I missed something? Are we now getting to be much older than before?

It's about this whistle-blower Manning guy who leaked stuff to Wikileaks. I have no opinion on that really, haven't read up on the matter. Think I can see both sides.

But really? Would I prefer 136 years in prison or a lifetime sentence?

Actually, if I could serve my sentence in my home, with my cats, having deliveries of wine and food, I wouldn't be exactly unhappy. I think I would only be unhappy if it had to go on for 136 years.

Reptiles

Had a neighbour visiting today. She told me a funny story. Not funny-funny since somebody died in the end of it, but still.

Yet another neighbour of ours has reptiles. Not sure what sort, but she measured like 40 cm's, I guess it's like crocodile-looking creatures.

One day when she was looking after them, when neighbours were on holiday, one of them seemed dead. Or at least didn't move. She couldn't get hold of the owner so left it overnight.

Next day she went there, armed with gloves and a box. Only to realize the supposedly dead reptile was gone. She raced back, screaming to her husband, "the other one ate it"!

The husband is a more quiet one, not easily upset, and told her there is no way an animal can eat an equally sized reptile. I'm not sure, but don't snakes do that?

Anyway, it turned out that the son of the neighbours had been there before her, found the dead animal and buried it in the garden.

Personally, I don't understand how people can have crawly things as pets. I don't care if you're allergic. You cannot cuddle with a mini-crocodile. So what's the point?

I just wanna delete

It pisses me off. I take quite a few pics for the blog, and I name them to be deleted, so that I don't have to keep so many Mb's (or gigas for the younger) on my computer. But every time I try to delete a folder, it says that only the administrator can do so. Who do they think is the administrator of my computer? Somebody else?

So now I have to first delete each picture individually and then the folder. Seriously. Something is very wrong with Windows.

Greens

I met up with my plant friend today, the one who knows everything about green stuff. And I got a gift. First I thought it was a plant called mother in law's tongue (yes I know, but there is actually a plant called that) but it is an aloe vera. It can apparently grow pretty big with a flower on top, so now I really have to care for it a lot. It would be embarrassing if it died.

She is also coming to help me with another plant I got earlier this year. It is growing out of proportion, and I don't know how to handle it anymore. New branches are evolving everywhere and are now lying on the floor.

But help is on the way. She'll know what to do.

 
 

Too hot

Ok, enough. I haven't had a good nights sleep in more than a week. This having 28°C in my bedroom is no fun. I sleep with as little on as I can, without being naked, and with no cover. Yet I wake up several times at night in a pool of sweat.

This is no longer fun.

I try with one of these ice-coolers from the freezer, place it on various body parts and for 5 seconds it's cooling. Not enough.

So I was thinking, since it's too hot during the day, to take the boat out early, very early, in the morning, have a swim and come back before the sun is too hot again.

Only I'm not sure I can keep awake until then. And the first tram is going at 5.30.

I put the alarm on 5.00...but what are the odds I'll get up then? Same as me winning the euromillion I think.

Something is rotten in the state of Switzerland

Fucketifuck. When I got up this morning I noticed some worms on my kitchen floor. So ok, they were no more than half a centimeter but still. I hate creepy-crawlies.

With the help of lots of kitchen paper I picked them up and killed them (I dunno what the cats are good for, isn't it their job?).

And I couldn't understand where they came from, it wasn't so long ago I went through the cupboard where I keep flour, sugar etc. Until I was gonna take the trash out and lifted the plastic bag out of the container. Ouch! Loadsa worms.

I swallowed, took the trash out quicker than any time before, then went back and emptied the bin in the toilet. Then I showered the whole container to make sure none of them were clinging on.

Last thing I need a Saturday morning is a worm drama, getting my adrenalin going. It's enough that it's nearly 40°C outside. Again.

Baby-bambis

Too cute!

Dog-walking

Ha! Once again my gut feeling proved me right.

So I met up with this guy I encountered on the dating site, and he turned out to be perfectly normal. A plus for the dog, who was a real sweetie. And who liked to have a dip in the water.

We met up, took a walk through the forest, had a few glasses of wine at the restaurant at the top of the mountain (haha, I realized before I met him today that his handle on the site means no alcohol, and got worried, but good thing, he wasn't a teetotaller).

He was easy to talk to, and wants to meet up again. I may have just made a new friend.

91 days

My friends Mum is visiting. She is here in Switzerland to see her grandchild and look after it when the parents aren't. To help out.

When she entered Switzerland she was asked if her return ticket was booked. It was. After 91 days, i.e. going back home on the 91st day. Not good enough according to ze Swiss border police. "You cannot stay more than 90 days!". When she claimed she wasn't going to, they meant she had to rebook the flight to go back on the 90th day instead of the 91st.

Only in Switzerland!

I wonder what ze Swiss means that a retired person would do staying one day more? Is she perhaps after three months a threat to the country? Will she suddenly turn against Switzerland?

What I think is that the parents would suddenly lose childcare and have to stay home, losing tax money that we (I) so sorely need to support the Swiss system.

So even if I can apply for a Swiss passport next year, I'm afraid I'll never be totally Swiss.

PS. Apparently a month is always 30 days even if it isn't. At least in Switzerland.

Planting

Yesterday I learned how to take better care of my plants, so today I've been adding soil, removing dead bits and re-planting in bigger pots. It now looks really professional on my balcony!

Plant expert

I think that all friends should be required to work a bit before getting fed. Yes, what a splendid idea!

Hot walk

Went for a walk today with the mother of a friend of mine. It was very nice. Mind you, it was 35+°C and I was sweating like a pig! The water in the bottle I brought was tasting more than lukewarm.

But getting up on the hill, having a cheese plate and some wine was reward enough. And the walk down watching all the trees full with fruit and flowers didn't hurt.

I think there are worse ways of spending a day.

Two smiles

I must say I didn't have very high expectations when I decided to join a dating site a few days ago, and at first my suspicions were confirmed.

When you have registered a certain percentage of your profile, you're allowed to join a chat-room. That was a waste of time I can tell you. Nothing of importance said, and bad jokes.

Howevere, you can also view profiles and send or receive a "smile". I must admit I've taken a bit of a passive approach here, just posting an enough interesting profile without revealing too much, and then waiting.

Yesterday I received a "smile". Checked the profile and no, I don't think I'll be wanting to meet an overweight married man who's looking for a woman. No answer from me.

However today I got another "smile" from what seems to be a perfectly normal guy judging from his profile. And a plus, he has a dog. So playing it safe, we'll meet up somewhere in town and walk his dog and see what happens. He's either dull as a "insert appropriate", or an interesting person. Either way, nothing to lose.

Smaland

My Grandmum used to have a cat. He was a big male with one blue and one green eye, and completely white. Unlike most white cats he wasn't deaf. He was called Smaland.

Smaland was clever. He slept in my Grandmums bed, but when he wanted to go out for a pee in the morning, he knew there was no chance in waking her up, so he went to my Grandad. This was the time when my grandparents were old and had chosen to have separate bedrooms. So Smaland went to wake my Grandad up, to tell him he wanted to go out.

My Grandad was a kind person. Every morning about five or six he went up to let Smaland out. Mind you, a man that age probably had to get up anyway, but still.

But what I was thinking about were my cats. My Granny claimed that Smaland couldn't go to sleep without her sticking her head in her bedroom saying "nighty-nighty". So even if he was already stretched out on her bed, he wouldn't sleep until she had told him it was all right.

And me not being superstitious I cannot help but thinking about it every time I go to bed. Only my kittens seem to be ahead of me. By the time I have shut down the computer, closed the doors, brushed my teeth and gone to bed, they are already preparing to sleep in their usual places.

Nevertheless, I still say "nighty-nighty" to them.

Sense

Sense function my ass. And it doesn't help with the labelling 'dynamic intelligence' when the fridge doesn't work. It is set to an optimal 5°C, and stupid me thought the display showed the actual temperature. NOT! It just shows what it's programmed to.

I noticed some weeks ago that there were water drops in the fridge. Actually, what I noticed first was that the wine wasn't cold, to be perfectly honest. And it ain't getting any better.

According to a old thermometer, it is now 14°C in my fridge. Not cold enough by far.

I dunno about you, but I expect when I buy the latest and the best equipment that it is the best, and I really do expect it to last more than four years.

Oh, how I miss the good old days when I bought a piece of equipment and it lasted 20 years. Probably because it didn't have all these electronic stuff in it.

Bauknecht, I'm coming to get you! Be very, very afraid :).

Wanted: Friends

Haha, not as bad as it sounds. I do have friends. But I thought of it recently, I don't have enough friends and acquaintances here in Zürich who are free during daytime.

Yes I know what you gonna say, and I know, not many people have the luxury of having a lot of time on their hands. But there's gotta be people out there who do have time. I mean I see them when I'm out there.

So I succumbed and registered into one of those websites where they claim you can meet new friends.

When I first logged on to the chat-room (a common one where everybody online can comment) it was an idiot who talked about his cleaning lady coming to visit and "I'll be off now for sex, back in ten". Sigh.

One can only hope it was a joke, but even so, when a joke isn't funny, it's not a joke. Maybe he was German?

7%

Popped into my fav pub today, where a friend told me he heard that 7% of the people are "crazy". So weird they should see a psychiatrist. Mind you, I think that everybody who has a "psych" included in their profession, really needs to see one.

But hey, who am I to judge? Since I think most of those 7% frequent my pub.

Betty Bossi

Whoever Betty Bossi is, doubt she exists, she has a fab business idea. Everything I buy these days seems to have her label.

Nowadays ready-stripped salad is the same price as a whole, and you don't have to rinse or cut. There are all sorts of mixes with avocado, beetroot, coleslaw, radish or whatever, served in not too big portions. There are salad dressings, like mustard and chili/mango flavour. And all of it has the label Betty Bossi.

I wish I had thought of it in time! It's not too cheap, but not enough expensive so that I won't buy it. Which means I'm like most people. Oh, perish the thought!

PS. Yes, I might have been watching a few episodes of Downton Abbey lately.

Flat evaluation

The last couple of months I've been going to and fro about getting an evaluation of my flat. I know, it's not like it's been on my mind all the time, but it's a nice-to-know. And I do keep myself updated of what's happening on homegate.ch out of pure interest.

And tonight I decided it was the time. Ok, so it's just a general evaluation of the price for a measly 29 francs provided by homegate and my bank, but still. It's an indication whether I'm rich or not. On paper. I have no intention of moving, when I leave it'll be feet first.

So I had to laugh when the site only accepted Visa or Mastercard, not even the card that my bank themselves issue. Now I look fw to tell them that (and to receive a free evaluation for my effort), if only I could find the email of the new bank contact.

Irrtümlicherweise

I have one up on the tax authorities! That's worth a lot. Today I got a letter asking me to 1) clarify a simple matter and 2) we're sorry we withheld a heap of money for you and it'll be paid back to you shortly. Irrtümlicherweise means erroneously. And I learned a new German word.

I knew that. Of course I did. But money stored with ze Swiss authorities is as safe as it goes in this world. And it pays interest, unlike the banks. So I didn't mind when I got a letter a year ago with printed text and somebody had stricken the line "it will be paid out to you within two weeks" by hand.

But now they're on to me. I'm sure I'll be paid the interest I'm due, but I'm not sure it'll work next year. But hey, who knows? Ze Swiss authorities are slow...

Downton Abbey

Since I borrowed the series I've been glued to the telly. Never mind that it was nice boat weather and other things to do, I couldn't let go. Episode after episode, I was not moving from the sofa.

It shows everything we have today, but in a smaller way. It's like a society in miniature with all the different people, the classes, the intrigues, the joys and sorrows in every family. I especially like the old auntie who plays a role in every plot in the house, and yet somehow has a practical approach. And yes, I might identify.

Cannot wait for season 4!

A full day

So my distinguished guests who were supposed to join me on Friday got delayed and instead came for lunch on Saturday. It was great to catch up.

And later in the afternoon we went for a cruise. It was a bit of a drama at first with the lake police making random checks on boats (part of me wanted to scream "here I am, come search me", the other part took one look at the wine (plastic) glass I had next to me and thought probably not a good idea), and then later when my male passenger opened the door in front when we were parking, and if it hadn't been for my reptile-quick shout "close the f' door" it wouldn't have been anymore. To his defense he was equally quick in responding to my command. I guess it's because he's been married many, many years.

Then we had dinner at a place outside Zürich, grill and lots of stuff. And even if it included a baby it was very nice indeed.

Carpet sale

For some reason I woke up this morning thinking about a carpet I have in the basement. It's been stored there since I moved in almost four years ago, rolled into plastic after having been dry-cleaned for half a leg.

So realized it was time to do something about it.

Dragged it from the cellar, rolled it out in my flat, took a pic and posted an ad. Five hours later it was sold for 50 francs. I am so getting addicted to earning money from getting rid of things I don't need anymore. Mind you, the dry-cleaning cost more than that, and I no longer know why I did it. Guess I thought I would use the carpet in my new flat.

However, when I rolled it out there was a faint whiff of well dampness, so now I had it hanging on the balcony half the day and it's like new.

And it's more stuff in the basement. This is exciting!

Improving?

I dunno. I used to be pretty quick in picking up things, including languages. That was before I tried to learn German. Mind you, I'm not a linguistic person, but I did all right after practising a lot.

And I know I am pretty much fluent in English, and can understand other languages, but with German I am very unsure.

Some of my friends correct me once in a while, and I don't know whether it is that I speak so good that the few mistakes I make need correction, or if I am so bad that the corrections are made to make my talking intelligible.

It's excruciating not knowing!

Sausages and cheese

Am having some distinguished guests on Friday, and I know one of them likes sausages. The best ones are available at a stand on market day in the main station. Googled and hurray, it was today. And I agree, it does help that the very cute guy still works there and recognizes me. Nice feeling.

He wants me to taste everything, so after shopping you feel like you had a full meal.

Only problem is he's very sales-oriented, and I always leave there with more than I intended to buy. But hey, he gave me a sausage for free! Smart, cute and with social skills. Hmmm...

Complaining bitch

You know, being older I have mellowed. Well, at least in comparison to how I was earlier.

A couple of months ago, I bought a pair of silky shorts to sleep in. My old ones, I guesstimate about 20 years old, are a bit, how can I put it?, well worn. They have holes in them and are coming apart. Still comfy though.

So the new pair came in handy. Only, after only six weeks they were torn on both sides and not, like some might suggest, 'cause I bought them too small. They were actually bigger than my old ones.

Of course I went back to the shop, H&M where I tried to look like somebody who likes shopping with my neighbour, but failed miserably. I was offered a voucher back for the full amount. Fine with me, I will shop there occasionally. And after all, it was only 25 francs.

But just in case they would've been difficult, I had brought my old pair (unwashed) to throw in their face. Luckily it wasn't needed.

Furthermore, the new dishwasher liquid pump I ordered for a 155 francs and which was sent to me without the pipe, I paid for. But not without asking for a warranty, and mentioning that I thought a device of that quality and price should have a longer functioning period. It paid off so to speak. I now have an email saying, should it fail again within the short period of time (4 years) I had it, I will be given a new one for free. I had to create a new folder in my email "to be saved".

It pays off to be difficult. At least if the company isn't sold in between, and the new owners will claim they know nothing about it. I wouldn't hold my breath.

Nature/bio dinner

I really do hate the weather sites, none of them shows the same and none of them are accurate. So tonight we cancelled a boat trip, due to thunderstorm warning and guess what? We're still waiting.

But I guess it wasn't so bad with drinks and dinner on the balcony.

I am especially proud of the drink I invented tonight. Squeezed fresh lime (well semi-fresh, it's been laying around for a week or so), crushed ice and the Koskenkorva strawberry that's still around. Yumm...ie :). Or yummy for those so inclined.

And I did the nature yogurt thingie that was suggested to me, so without knowing the measurements or how the cucumber was supposed to be cut, I think I kinda succeeded (it was a bit of a hairy moment when I couldn't find mint, only peppermint, and only bio!, but it turned out all right). So nature yogurt, sliced or diced cucumber, fresh (pepper)mint and a bit of salt.

I sent the leftovers with them when they left. Veggies are fine, but meat is better (good thing I passed by a hamburger stand earlier in the day!).

Walking a thin line

So since yesterday I've been thinking about how they got that wire from the top of one church on one side of the river to another high building on the other. You know, the guy who was walking across. And no, I haven't googled.

On the boat yesterday there were suggestions about "they put the wire on the ground, then raised it to the right level". But if so, did somebody climb up the facade of the building? Or did they have a guy in every window of every floor?

Another one suggested a cannon, which shoots an arrow with the wire attached to the building across. Hmmm.

Today an academic thought it was two cranes, but couldn't explain how the wire got sent from one crane to the other. Yes, we do have lots of cranes in Zürich, but they normally don't drive around.

This is a mystery, which one of my readers will have to solve. I can recommend google :).

Last day of Zürifäscht

Decided to take some friends with me on the lake today. It was absolutely fabulous. But after an hour or so, one of them couldn't take the waves so we decided to come back closer to the city. There we enjoyed a flight show by some really adventurous pilots. Looping was the name of the game. And an hour after that, we decided to park the boat and enjoy the city from the bridge. The captain needed a drink :), and the lake was crawling with police boats.

That's when we noticed a guy (I guess it must've been) walking on a thin line going from a church over the river to the other side (you see the little dot in the middle of the pic). The bridge was packed with people, also my little bridge, and so I had to park being watched by hundreds. I made it!

But really? Walking a thin line that long? What possesses people like that? I have no clue. I myself have no death wish.

Now I should take a shower, eat something, then go back into town and enjoy the last few hours of the "Fäscht". Am I gonna make it?

Garden party

Today (ok, yesterday technically) my neighbours had their yearly garden party. Normally they would invite loadsa people, but this year it was only neighbours. And most of them were off on holiday, or having plans already made. So we ended up being only like 15 people.

It was actually nicer, 'cause you get to speak to everybody and not only "mingle" and say hi. And I took a walk around the place and made some pics of the fab gardens they have.