A busy week with kids

It's been almost a week since my last post. I've had a really busy week. Hardly had any time with my laptop. I'm teaching at a summer camp all week. I haven't been this happy about it being Friday in a long time! I'm actually really enjoying it. The kids are great. A nice small group of 8 kids and we're 2 adults so I can't really complain. But I'm not used to it anymore and was exhausted after the first 2 days. Slowly getting used to it again now. But it's a long day with the kids - 8:30-16:30.

I'll write a proper blog tomorrow night and tell you all about it.

Is Switzerland changing my taste buds?

Could it be the good chocolate or freshly baked bread that has been totally changing my taste buds these past 3 months? For 29 years I did not eat pears, I hardly ate apples, I didn't drink coffee, definitely no espresso and didn't like sparkling water at all. What's happening? I now eat at least one apple and one pear every day and I love pears now! (psst... they come from South Africa :-) I've had a coffee and a cappuccino since arriving here and last Sunday I even had an espresso and it wasn't bad at all. I bought a sparkling water by accident and even that was drinkable. I'm eating stronger cheese and starting to find mild cheese a bit "boring" actually. Has all this got to do with settling in with the Swiss or with nearing 30?

Cycling along the Limmat

To work of the good Swiss food I either go for an hours cycling most mornings or a walk along the river Limmat. From our apartment I walk 5 min to the train station with André when he leaves for work. Then I pass underneath the train station to the other side where the river is. I cycle all along the one side, then cross a bridge and return home on the other side of the river. It's so beautiful especially on a sunny morning like today. Lots of other people are out walking their dogs, jogging or cycling and once in a while I pass a fisherman.

André bought me a purple girly cycling jacket this weekend for rainy days and it has pockets so I can take my camera along! I'll take it with until I can get a picture of the swan family here with their six fluffy babies. Didn't see them today..

So here's some photos from this morning's cycle.

A convent above. Isn't it beautiful?

A surprise in my post box

I went to the grocery store this morning and before opening our front door when I got back I always check for mail. I love getting mail! Even the junk mail newspapers and ads. I don't get much else and I've now got loads of time to read all the ads. And besides getting excited about the junk mail we are eagerly awaiting our permits. It's been 2 1/2 months now since we applied...

Anyway so this morning when I got back the post box is empty. But wait, what's that I hear? Could it be Mr Postman's scooter? Ah yes it is! Here he comes around the corner on his yellow scooter! I greet him and watch him place envelopes in the other peoples post boxes. Am I going to have to go upstairs empty handed? No wait, the last envelope is a BIG brown one. Something interesting... "Does this belong to you?" I assume he asks. "Yes that's me! Thank you very much."

I rush upstairs with my big interesting envelope (and the free newspaper he gave me) wanting to keep it a surprise, but I can't help myself, I peep at the stamps and the address written in German. Can only be my mother! Yes it is!

So are you also curious to know what's inside? Shall I open it?

It's a magazine!!! Yippee! I've been longingly looking at the magazines here while I wait for a train. All in German... A few times I've considered buying one because I miss buying magazines once in a while and it would improve my German, I tell myself. But then I also tell myself, you know you'll probably just end up looking at the pictures because it takes too much effort having to read a sentence three times to get what it's about.

Here it is. That's my name right there on the envelope:

Frau Anneliese Mostert

This one my mom sent me is a South African magazine. My mom must have bought it before she left Cape Town. I'm going to enjoy this! The last magazine she brought me when they came to visit last month I read like I've never read any magazine before. I read each and every page, not skipping a single article. I even read the adverts. I knew it might be a while until I get another magazine so I savored it and made it last for weeks.

Dankie Ma! Ek gaan die een geniet!

xxx

Our Kitchen-window-bird

This Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the tree right outside our kitchen window yesterday evening. He sat there posing for us for quite a while. Long enough for André to run and get his camera and lean half way out the window to get some great shots!

André was worried that his bird photography would come to an end here in Switzerland, but it seems it's only getting better and easier- being able to sit at the kitchen table taking photos while his wife cooks dinner!

Wedding celebrations from afar

Yesterday good friends of ours got married in Cape Town. Of course with us being here in Switzerland we couldn't go to the wedding. But they were in our thoughts the whole day. I was thinking back to our wedding and all the excitement of the day, and wondering what our friends were doing.

After another visit to the archery shop in Luzern yesterday morning to replace some broken arrows we headed off to Lake Luzern. It was a beautiful summers day. I packed a picnic lunch and we brought some champagne. We celebrated our friends' marriage on the beach at the lake. We made them a little video clip message and if you want you can sneak off to my vimeo page and see it.

Some ducks and swans came to visit:

We were hoping to rent a motorbike for the weekend, or half of the weekend, but it was a first come first served basis and when we got to the BMW motorbike shop the bike André wanted was already taken. Another time then...

With our friends getting married yesterday it gave us more reason to go out for dinner. A while back when we were in Schaffhausen we had this great curry at a restaurant there called Lemongrass. It was so good that André decided last night that's where we're going for dinner! It's 53km (45min) drive from our home but it was so worth the drive! We had really good curry and for dessert we had apricot sorbet with Cointreau over it. Mmmm... We only got back just before midnight, our first late night out here!

The turkey hunter

Monday night André took part in an archery tournament at Baden archery club. They had to shoot at a moving target. A (fake) turkey was put on wheels and then pulled across the field by one of the guys while about 15 other guys each got to shoot one arrow per round at it. Sometimes the turkey 'ran' fast, sometime slower and sometimes it would unexpectedly stop before carrying on again. It even charged right at them once! This turkey just kept going, it wouldn't die!

If you look carefully you can see the turkey.

The guys then got points each round according to how accurate they shot the target. At the end of the competition the scores were added.

After having his bow for only one week, André came second! I was so proud of my bow hunter :-) Especially when he brought his prize over to me: a chocolate! First prize was some real turkey meat from the grocery store! (Personally I think second prize was a way better prize to get.)

André even beat the president of the club (who came 3rd). Perhaps not such a clever move since he still needs to be approved as a member of the club...