the week :: through the lens

it has been on the back burner, i have not been taking a lot of photos for a while now, and that should change. so i put the "hand made" lens back on the camera body and got started this week. it touched me in a special way, as i wander and have the camera ready be it in the kitchen, or living room table... this enables me to see with new eyes and i like it. we will see if it sticks, it is a start to a new friday review of what caught my eye. there is to be said, that i was inspired by erin boyle and her blog "reading my tea leaves". she does a wonderful job and it is so inspirational to have a look at her photos...

:: 1. life will change

:: 2. red currents soon to be harvested

:: 3. cousins, having a good time

:: 4. right in the front of H50, a provisional sign?

:: 5. Zurich and it's reformation, remember the print maker Froschauer

take it in the fly

it just sums it about up, i feel like i'm whizzing and not really in control anymore of the things going on around me. days should be planned and events organized, papers handed in and food prepared. but that is really not quiet what is happening here. i'm taking one day after an other and can barely think of tomorrow while running through today. but i'm still "on the bike" and rolling fast ahead. maybe it turns all out ok and food is on the table tonight and even tomorrow night. a good by present handed to one of or long time community members put together by next wednesday. before then there is a family gathering in our garden next sunday to celebrate Amos konfirmation. in my thoughts there is lebanese and turkish food planned for a lunch buffet, though i'm not sure yet where to get the hummus....
decorations planned but flowers not ordered yet... some things will be spontaneous and as i do know Amos doesn't mind and people are bringing all kinds of desserts, the pool is up and will be a wonderful way to stay cool.
i guess i should stop worrying and look forward to thea's cello recital tomorrow night and my friends birthday party on saturday night. and of course i'm in school all day thursday, with a meeting on friday morning. you see, it's a bit too much, but let's hope and take it one by one...

the week :: through the lens

it has been on the back burner, i have not been taking a lot of photos for a while now, and that should change. so i put the "hand made" lens back on the camera body and got started this week. it touched me in a special way, as i wander and have the camera ready be it in the kitchen, or living room table... this enables me to see with new eyes and i like it. we will see if it sticks, it is a start to a new friday review of what caught my eye. there is to be said, that i was inspired by erin boyle and her blog "reading my tea leaves". she does a wonderful job and it is so inspirational to have a look at her photos...

:: 1. grilling in the garden, summer evenings are wonderful

:: 2. such a great harvest of snow peas, we all love them

:: 3. lots of work is getting done around the house, with many helping hands...

:: 4. at the Landesmuesuem in Zurich, looking at the swiss Press photo 2017


just four, no i'm not stressed out and it is hot and there is too much to be done to even think more about it

mid years look at my list

it is not quiet the middle of the year, but time to look back at my list.
i love looking at it and filling in what i have already done and read and enjoyed. it seems a lot to me, though i know, that is highly subjective. it's ok and i love living life with this perspective.
the past few weeks have been very busy, the added appointments with thea had to be squeezed in and soon the girl will be a proud owner of glasses. i have spent many days in school and just looked at the water of the river limmat in zurich, as it has been hot and it was kind of tempting  me to jump into the cool water. no not really, i rather just look at it and it cools and quiets me just fine.
there is to say, summer has started here, unusually warm and overall, i do love love love it!

but now to the list of things i want to get done and enjoy this year:

1. finish A's quilt as well as the other one, both are sandwiched, it should be a matter of a few weeks...
- A's is quilted and the framing is pinned to it.....

2. hand in the papers a couple weeks after finishing the course.
- so far so good, both papers due so far have been handed in early and the one for early july is at a friends for proof reading

3. practice the ukulele twice a week no, nowhere there

4. sewing the linen pants i have in mind

5. buy a beeswax-wrap and figure out how to do it my self...
- it just so happened, that a friend of mine was in munich and was able to stop by this store, he got me a set of wraps and i use them and am very happy. and even better, you can get them now in switzerland at change maker, for a reasonable prize!

6. visit the gewerbemuseum in the city, to see this and the münzkabinett for this

7. go on a two day get away with naomi

8. knit, crochet or sew at least one project a month
- the hat for myself
- thea's dress
- naomi's skirt
- finished up an old project, the potholder

9. stop by this store in zurich

10. rent a snow board for a few days in february, when we are in adelboden
- i did rent a snow board for 5 days and i was super happy and everything hurt, but i learned a new skill and i will improve on it next year.

11. say not quickly no to the kids, but pause and then respond

12. read good books
- the last Song, by Nicholas Sparks
- zwei bemerkenswerte Frauen, by Tracy Chevalier
- the Chameleon's Shadow, by Milette Walters
- Verspottet, geachtet, geliebt - die Frauen der Reformatoren, by Ursula Koch
- Ulrich Zwingli: Prophet, Ketzer, Pionier des Protestantismus, by Peter Opitz
- Zankapfel Bibel, by Ulrich Lutz
- A good American, by Alex George
- "Solange wir leben, müssen wir uns entscheiden", Jehuda Bacon/Manfred Lütz
- The Audacity of hope, Barack Obama
- verspottet-geachtet-geliebt, die Frauen der Reformatoren, Ursula Koch
- Kochen im Hause Luther, Thomas Correll
- Gestillt Nachtgespräche mit David, Daniel Zindel

13. have dinner out, with friends or just joel, for a change....

14. don't buy any plastic bottles (water, tea, etc.)
- so far so good, though i caught myself already a handful of times wanting to get a drink and then realizing, that i don't have my travel mug along. so i abstained.... maybe some good thing too

15. carry the bamboo mug i own in my hand bag, to use at any given time for take away beverages
- yes i do well with this one

16. organize a little house concert for our friends and neighbors

17. go on a two or three day hike with joel, a week in the dolomites is in the planning for july

18. run 25-30km a week and participate in a race
- i ran the 10k at the winterthur marathon event....

19. be especially patient and supportive with Thea practicing the cello
- this is coming along and now knowing that she does need a special portion of patience, helps in making that extra effort. she is doing well and it really is her instrument.

20. watch a good movie in the theater, with a friend

21. write snail mail birthday cards, no emails, no sms, no what's up, neither count blog comments...
- this is coming along well, though i'm skipping some not very close friends, but decided that this is fine with me, just sending out a letter with a little present and i do smile while putting this in the mail.

22. enjoy the garden with our chickens and try getting some veggies of the ground
- the chickens are fun and laid a lot this spring and with the veggies, i got three little wooden crates going with a pumpkin plant and cucumbers and some butterfly plants (fenchelkraut)

23. try new recipes, chines noodles and things, more fermented vegetables and carrots and lebanese spices. maybe borek and other kinds of food from the balkans

laundry and strawberries

o the goodness of strawberries, right from the field!
i was out on the field with a friend and picked 14lbs. of course it could easily have been double the lbs, but it started to rain and we ran out of time. my days or so filled up, but i could not say no, when she called on sunday evening, she wanted to take me along on monday morning at 8:15am. of course i can do that, putting one load into the laundry machine at 6:30 before breakfast, hanging up that one and putting the second in at 8 and then the door bell rang for me to jump and go. grabbing a few bowls and buckets a flying skirt and gone for a couple hours...

everyone loved the fresh berries and i managed to put a few containers into the freezer for winter-desserts!

it was a morning well spent and the first load of laundry catching a quick spring rain, maybe just a drizzle, was dry by 4pm. what a happy laundry day, topped off with sweet fruit.

elder in full bloom

it's elder season and i love it. the scent when running in the morning is wonderful and as the blooming season is long, almost four weeks or so, i enjoy it for a few weeks already.
thinking this year, i would not have the time to steep some cordial, one morning, i just had to collect while on a regular run at the rise of day.

boiling water, adding sugar lemons and citric acid, and then just add the elder flowers and let it sit for two days. covered with a cheese cloth up on the balcony for good sunshine. stirring twice a day and waiting for the flavor and the sparkling to "enter" the sugary water.
it's was absolutely worth while, we served it on saturday, to our house guests, and they as well as our kids and teens loved it.
there is still one person in the family, who is not convinced of this wonderful drink, and i guess i have to give up on this one. he just doesn't like the taste and smells of elder flowers and there i can't help anymore...

one more note:
i have been absent a bit much the last few weeks. life is super busy and school has picked up. two days in school is just a bit much for me. good thing this is over by friday. now all the different recitals and end of school projects and events are catching hold of us, but it's just three more weeks until summer brake!

on the table

a leisurely afternoon in our garden, joel tending a fire for almost all of the afternoon, the kids jumping on our trampoline resting and playing what ever else. reading and just relaxing. it seemed fitting for a hot sunday in june. school is not out yet, the kids are in school until july 14th and then will be a 5 week summer brake. i know it is very different from the us, and around this time of year, i still feel it and want to give my kids the summer brake already.
though it has not been to hard this year, as we just had two short weeks, one at the beginning of may with ascension thursday and bridging friday. the other one a week ago with pentecost, as the kids got monday off. another 4 weeks and we are through. though a few more tests and a few more special days, school outings and themed learning, sports days and forest days, the teacher really try hard to make it as fun and summery light as possible. and i have to say our kids have not been complaining, so far so good...

after a rather early grill dinner, joel, thea and i went to aclassical concert. the swiss piano trio had an open rehearsal at our church. and after bringing thea to bed it felt right to sit down again with a glass of wine, the two of us and after a moment it became a little party with the boys coming home and other house friends joining us. well that's life together at it's best!

the week :: through the lens

it has been on the back burner, i have not been taking a lot of photos for a while now, and that should change. so i put the "hand made" lens back on the camera body and got started this week. it touched me in a special way, as i wander and have the camera ready be it in the kitchen, or living room table... this enables me to see with new eyes and i like it. we will see if it sticks, it is a start to a new friday review of what caught my eye. there is to be said, that i was inspired by erin boyle and her blog "reading my tea leaves". she does a wonderful job and it is so inspirational to have a look at her photos...

:: 1. up in the sky, no i don't need to fly

:: 2. dramatic sky scape, the same day a few hours earlier

:: 3. the wonders of those soft flower pet
als and the pollination process

:: 4. focused fun!

:: 5. and finishing off the week with a beautiful mother and chicks (spotted it at a friends house)

geo path :: mettlen-toos

on the path of early settlers...
late spring in the woods of my childhood, the geo path near schönholzerswilen is an unexpected path for hidden treasures. it is not super spectacular landscape, but it has it's own vistas and hidden treasures. in the rolling hills of eastern switzerland, there have been people building houses and working the land since the 16/17th century bc. findings of early bronze pieces, charred grains and other kinds of items are telling us stories of old.

along that geo path are those big boards with historic facts and interesting information. when we were hiking it just a few days ago, we discovered those dried up springs on most little pine trees.
this happened at the end of april, the latest cold spill in switzerland. it was a really bad one and set nature back to february. there will be no cherries, apricots or other stone fruit in this country, the apple harvest will be reduced to a minimum and as those dried up pine springs tell us, the trees are coping with it their own way. still and quiet, just little new growth if at all.

and while i write those lines, and looked up some creative organic farmers blog, i really had to chuckle and yes got a good laugh (too bad for the english speakers here...) as i want to share his humor with you. and in case you get a chance to try ueli's wine "mariage" you have to, it's a wonderful one, be it the red or the white.

weekending

visiting the place i grew up...
it is not the same anymore, but it still is a little oasis of beauty and solace for me. the place my brother lives and loves with his family. the cows right in front of the house are still the ones belonging to the neighbor and my brothers cows ave moved a bit north (100 yards) as my brother has built a big new barn with his other neighbor, also a dairy farmer. together they built a common barn with a milking robot.
we love to visit and every time enjoy the surroundings and quiet of the country side. this time there was one particular perk...
the oldest cousin has bought her first moped, and she has allowed both boys to ride her "töffli", so much fun so exciting and wow "den wind in den haaren!"

and all the little bunnies, so super cute. i absolutely forgot how soft and furry those babies are! of course naomi wanted one right away, not just one two or three...
and playing has been a fun part too, "drecksau" a card game. i did not take part in it, but it seemed fun to play and lots of laughter, easy for beginners and fitting to play on the farm, while the pigs were calling for food in the back ground...

and then, there was not just a wonderfully delicious chocolate-banana cake for afternoon coffee, but comfort food for dinner. in the evening sun, a glass of mariage, a local organic white wine, with home made hearty "gerstensuppe", bread and tart flambée. sitting around such a dinner table with extended family is in this case, really not to beat.
thank you j&d for having us over and sharing a bit of your every day and passion for living a farming-life with us.

the week :: through the lens

it has been on the back burner, i have not been taking a lot of photos for a while now, and that should change. so i put the "hand made" lens back on the camera body and got started this week. it touched me in a special way, as i wander and have the camera ready be it in the kitchen, or living room table... this enables me to see with new eyes and i like it. we will see if it sticks, it is a start to a new friday review of what caught my eye. there is to be said, that i was inspired by erin boyle and her blog "reading my tea leaves". she does a wonderful job and it is so inspirational to have a look at her photos...

:: 1. i love asparagus, locally grown and plentiful

:: 2. peonies, wow was the only thing i could mouth, when those peonies arrived at my house

:: 3. and still my neighbors poppies, so delicate

:: 4. an other "project"awaiting us here, though mostly fun yet

:: 5. and a bit of zurich, as i spend one day a week there and love to stroll through the niederdorf while i have some moments between school hours

salads

it's hot for late spring, it feels like the middle of summer with temperatures in the high eighties! just the end of may, ups no, the beginning of june!
still it's technically not summer and already so hot. so we are in full swing of eating cold lunches as well as cold supper. lots of green lettuce with fennel, feta and spring onions, radish and those still old but rather sweet carrots. lovely and yummy.
elias started to make his own kind of pasta salads, with sauteed onions and cherry tomatoes (they are grown regional but in green houses....) not that we would need the green house for heat those days....

i love it and dinners are a vegetable event now a days, even though it's just late spring and the harvesting season will be upon us by august... but those spring greens are strong and the kids complain less than other years, i'm thankful and lets hope it stays that way.