Monday Gardening

Frith got up the Cherry tree to lob off a few limbs, opening up a beautiful window down the valley towards the vineyards at Le Fel. Gay and Bri exposed the wall behind the roses we planted last visit, and mama finally finished transplanting the raspberry bushes brought over from our fab raspberry patch in Zurich—hopefully we'll have a pot to eat in the summer!

Ili watering the raspberrys.

Bea and Ili in Grandma and Grandpa bri's hats.

Catching rays then hailstorms

More sun seeking today, but then the skies grew angry then threw the most gigantic hailstones at us. The biggest I think I've ever seen. Bea got one on his nose, but it didn't put him off running around collected them in his nice new pinny from Grandma. Certainly a very dramatic place.

Catching a few rays.

Catching gigantic hailstones.

Saturday shop

We'd a long list of things to replace in the house for the new rental season, so while Gay and Bri looked after the kiddiewinks, Chris and I headed off to the stores. A fab new bench later gave Chris and Brian a hard time as they assembled it (but a cool beer was waiting). It was the first real warm day so it pulled us out in the garden while we busied ourselves. Brian spotted the resident lizard (I think this is the species) and we saw a pair of cuckoos whizzing through the valley. Brian and Bea where searching for fossils in the garden rocks, and Bea was impressed that he was the first person to see inside them.

Bri and Bea bash some rocks in the hunt for fossils.

Grandma and Bea looking over the valley.

Jazz night at the Chou Rouge

Grandma Gay and Grandpa Bri arrived today, and we'd booked a table at the Chou Rouge for a lively night out in Entraygues. The live band was great (Bea particularly enjoyed watching the musicians), and we squashed into the corner for tapas style food and some fine wine. As it's run by a high-spirited English pair, the atmosphere was fun and we met with some people we've got to know over the last year. Nice for us to be able to take the little ones out and not stress over 'improper behaviour' as is the norm in Zurich.

Chocolate river and mango ice cream

Headed into Entraygues for ice creams and supplies. The river was super high and chocolate brown. A roaring fire and warm baths were a must.

First day at Neuvic

Since we left Neuvic two weeks ago it has bucketed down with rain, so we were lucky it finally ceased when we arrived. Just enough to have a lazy day settling in, saying 'hi' to the horse at the bottom of the garden and a spot of tree climbing. 

Off to France for the Spring break

While Chris wrapped up at work, mama packed and we headed off in the late afternoon to France and arrived at 2 am in the wee hours of the morning for our spring vacation. Phew.

Visit to the garden

Spent time at the garden to plant our spuds before vacating to France for the second time this month. We have had Zinnia with us since yesterday (she stayed overnight), and all three kids kept themselves busy and very content finding worms (while I was digging in potatoes), picking flowers and swinging in the hammock. Last time we went to France, Bea said he missed his friends, so this time we've made the most of hanging out with them before we go.

Sunday storms

We headed out with the bikes today, in between hail and showers, towards the Polyterrace for a peddle. But after getting drenched we dived into the Zoological museum to dry off. I grabbed some paper and pens, the kids grabbed some chairs, and they started to draw the cutest thing they could find — a little Bambi. When the sun shone, we were released out onto our bikes and scooters again.

Saturday swim with Papa

Frith has taken Bea and Ili swimming in Kaferberg, joined by friends Sophie and Charlie.

Last day at Kindergarten

Bea went to the woods for the last day at Kindergarten before his two week holiday, and they built a fire and played amongst the trees. It luckily stayed dry until they walked home. Ili had a visit from Miya (from Ili's Spielgruppe) in the morning, although most of interaction was between the mama's (we really get on well), but we hope the two little ones will become good play friends in time. In the afternoon, we all went over to Bea's friend Viktor's house for a playdate. His mother is heavily pregnant with only a few weeks to go before their daughter arrives. The holidays start today!

On Viktor's balcony overlooking the city.

Lazy day at home

Bea seems happy in a room full of girls, and he had two female friends over to play this afternoon before heading off to his music and dance class, so he was in heaven! Ili will also start a music group too on Tuesday mornings after the Spring holiday — for both parents and children—and all in Swiss-German, so both Ili and I will be skipping and singing around the room (hopefully). 

Snakes and ladders.

Zurich Zoo - Pantanal

We checked out the Pantanal area at the zoo which finally opened last month to see the giant Anteaters (they are BIG!), or as Bea prefers to call them—Panteaters. The area has undergone a lot of work and is fab, but with Brazilian animals in the cool climate of Zürich, a lot of them had hid in their enclosures so Bea spotted 'zero' through the binoculars from the lookout platform. Ili enjoyed petting the young kid goats in the regular zoo, and Bea had the chance to hold a snake (but of course he didn't). He was very brave though and did touch one.

Afternoon at the allotment

The sun came out today, and Bea has been wanting to plant his oak tree that he has grown from an acorn. So it was a good excuse to head to the allotment and he insisted in planting it in with our onions! Ili was off exploring a nearby allotment who have a patch for a rabbit where they let it nibble the grass (they bring it with them). I found Ili inside the hutch — see assured me it was empty before she opened the gate. Bea confirmed there were no sightings of runaway rabbits. We also planted our spuds on Bea's garden patch, and our butternut squashes.

Bea with his oak seedling.

Bea and Ili in the rabbit pen on the allotment.

Sechseläuten ("six o'clock bells")

Just to get us from the Easter holidays to the Spring holidays (end of this month), we have another holiday today (so Bea was off Kindergarten). It's Sechseläuten, where a snowman (the 'Böögg') is set on fire at six o'clock this evening with his head filled of explosives. The time it takes from the lighting of the bonfire to the head taking off is indicative of the type of summer we will have — apparently — and it symbolises the passing of winter. The bonfire was soggy-wet this morning—and we watched them build it fagot upon fagot which Bea enjoyed lots—so I'm guessing it will be a delayed explosion. The children don't want to go and see it tonight — can't think why! Perhaps they like their snowmen chilled. Ili enjoyed stepping in the muddy puddles and there is a procession this afternoon, which we'll visit with Antonia and Annette.

The building of the bonfire around the Böögg, at Bellevue, Zürich.
Bea watching them pile the bunches of branches up high.
On our way to see the Böögg with all our brollies up.

Sechseläuten parade

The parade was a bit of an endurance test with Swiss seriousness at its best — not many smiles on parade at all. If it wasn't for the kids in the parade throwing sweets at the audience, or the horses doing the occasional poo poo, then Bea, Ili and Antonia wouldn't have enjoyed it half as much. We took a walk up the back streets in the hope of avoiding the crowds on the main thoroughfare and bumped into the Arabian contingency (not sure how this relates at all — one big mystery to me) of men with their faces darkened wearing dishdashas, and we bumped into a couple of camels (one of my highlights). For standing so long in the cold and wet, the children deserved the helium balloons they'd been begging for. Not sure how many others saw the irony, but in the face of all this seriousness and tradition, we'd been standing outside the Magic X erotic megastore. Anyone interested in seeing the Böögg on fire click here.

Painting at Schindlergut

We used to go quite regularly but haven't been for a while, and as it's been so cold and grey this week we went painting this afternoon at the local Gemeinschaftzentrum. Ili didn't want to paint but Bea decided to paint a dinosaur — Triceratops to be exact. After splashing some paint around we continued on the bike and scooter and peddled down by the river Limmat. Bea is getting really good at peddling up hill, and Ili is doing just fine on the scooter.

Jasmine for France

On the hunt for some good climbers for France, we went to the Bürkliplatz market this morning and bought a beautifully fragrant jasmine — although Bea says it smells of poo.

A struggle in the morning

For the last two mornings, I've had to lift Bea out of bed and plonk him at the table. This morning he insisted on bringing his pillow and almost went back to sleep. It's a shame he's been so tired as the school photographer came today to take group shots and individual snaps. With all the effort to actually get him out the door we both forgot, so he wasn't as nicely polished as he could have been! Will post the pics when we get them (here now).

Hot Cross Buns

Bea nearly didn't make it to his music and dance session this afternoon as his eye was inflamed (he rubbed it sore, perhaps due to the pollen?) plus he is still exhausted. But, he knew they were having homemade hot cross buns after the class (they were all singing about them before Easter) so we made it over there. 

Bea and Ili spy the hot cross buns in the window outside Malika's class.

Missing friends

Bea said he loved France, but wished all his friends could have been there, so as school is out on Wednesday afternoons, he overdosed on playing with his buddy Zinia until bedtime. This morning, the whole Kindergarten group all had a visit to the dentist to have their teeth checked over. 

Travelling back from France

After a 6 am start on the road, we got back to Zurich at 2:30 pm. Bea and Ili slept until 10 am so it was a relatively painless journey for them. And now we've discovered videos on the iPad on route (Charlie and Lola a top favourite about an older brother and his 'funny little sister'), it was a very easy journey indeed. Then Frith slipped away to Edinburgh for a few days — back Friday night.

Easter Monday at Neuvic

 

Papa took Bea and Ili to see David's donkeys while mama planted her lavender hedge. They also walked further down the valley to where the 'donkey man' keeps his pair roaming around. They got a bit of a fright when they all came face to face, but apparently Ili's shocked scream put the fear into them and the donkeys fled (which frightened Ili even more). Later on, when she heard David's donkey's braying, she stuck her fingers in her ears and cried. Poor Ili, hope she'll not be put off. 

Ili and Bea (up the Cherry tree), at Neuvic.

Easter Sunday at Neuvic

We had an Easter egg hunt and papa made a trail of sugar Easter eggs around the garden leading to the 'treasure'. Pity neither of them like chocolate! We planted our rhubarb and a very small strawberry patch at the back of the garden.