Category: Life in Switzerland
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Graffiti – and book cover news!
While our north-side windows here overlook lovely woodland and the lake, the view to the south is plain street. A couple of trees, a car lot – and, diagonally across from us, a building site where they’re constructing a new primary school. Up until last week, the board fence surrounding this site was an inconspicuous…
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Surviving parenthood…
It’s often said, and it’s true. You need nerves of steel to be a parent. All those little day-to-day situations you have with kids – Put your shoes on, please… no, we can’t take the cat… because it’s raining and you’ll catch cold barefoot… please leave the cat alone… okay, your wellies, then… the cat…
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A budgie called Balthasar…
So the new princess is Charlotte Elizabeth Diana. A tactful choice that – presumably – pleased everyone in the family. I’m glad they included Diana. It isn’t easy, choosing a name for a new arrival, no matter how many legs they have. Many and varied were the discussions in our house before Son 1 arrived.…
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Ghost Cat…
Last week, while rummaging through a miscellaneous selection of old documents in search of my ancient and seldom-used National Insurance Number (which I failed to find), I came across a photo of N and F, neighbours from way, way back. And I remembered Tapsy. This isn’t a happy story, but it’s one that made an…
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The A-Z of Moving House…
Three weeks and counting…. Three weeks on Tuesday, we get the keys to the new flat. That’s the day we check it out with the building company to make sure that the appliances actually work and all the doors fit etc. The builders then have the rest of the month to fix anything that needs…
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Shiva, our rescue dog…
She died on June 18th, 2013, late one stormy night. We’d had her for nine years; Shiva, my first dog, and whether or not she was also my last remains to be seen. They were nine years of contrasts; we had amazing but also terrible times with her – it was a real rollercoaster of…
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Word Perfect… English as she is spelled…
‘You should give lessons,’ a friend said to me, years ago now. ‘After all, you can speak perfect English.’ I reckoned it was a good idea. Here in sunny Switzerland there are lots of people who want to learn English. So I did the appropriate courses and emerged a while later as an English Language…
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I don’t believe it!!!
It was a real Victor Meldrew moment. The first of two, actually. There I was in Switzerland a couple of months ago, rooted to the spot in our nearest big-town washing machine retailer, eyes popping and mouth hanging open… But let’s start at the beginning. Washing machines, as we all know, don’t last forever and…
linda huber 