More advent singing

Bea had Advent singing again before school today, and as Monday's recording was a little quiet, this might be better. Songs are a mixture of Scandinavian (ja dan duia), Italian (Dormi dormi, del bambin), African (Amani leo) sung in Swahili, German (Leise rieselt der Schnee) and Spanish (Feliz Navidad). 

https://soundcloud.com/zurichsounds/fulladventsinging

Rocking around the Christmas tree

Picked up our little Weihnachtsbaum today! Just a wee one, and enough for the children to decorate and run around—at Swiss prices, there's no dosh left to buy pressies to put underneath!

Advent singing at the school

It was the first day of Advent singing at the school today, where the children can be heard, but not seen! The parents/grandparents are invited to listen from the school foyer, while the children sing higher up the stairs. Here's a few samples of the children in voice. . .

https://soundcloud.com/zurichsounds/advent-singing

https://soundcloud.com/zurichsounds/advent-singing-second

https://soundcloud.com/zurichsounds/advent-singing-third

The Circus!

Bea had his birthday treat with friends today, which went really well. His friends were well behaved (apart from one little moment) and very cutely entertained themselves with Chinese Whispers all the way to the Circus "Salto Natale" on the tram (it was out near the airport). They happily stuffed popcorn, coke and ice cream, and all seemed to enjoy the circus performances, which were a great mixture of acrobatics and comedy. Back home for a fondue dinner and play afterwards. It was certainly a lot easier that a big party — so just a few children was a great formula. I did think for a moment it was going to be a complete disaster, as about 10 minutes into the show, and the first hair-raising performance (two stocky guys propelling a female performer high into the air for her to somersault, and land back down on a thin flexible plank perched across the guys shoulders), when a guy a few rows in front of the children collapsed and had what looked like a heart attack! Of course the children didn't know which way to look. But luckily for him (and us!), he walked out after the paramedics sorted him. . .  All the fun of the circus, and more . . . 

Saint Nikolaus Day

Samichlaus, along with his helper Schmutzli, visited children in the Hof this evening, where he traditionally brings fruit and nuts in a little jute sack and gives the children some "words of wisdom". I volunteered to make and fill the bags for everyone this year, so the kid got a few more chocs, a little less nuts, and a few more Christmas cookies than usual!

Visit to the woods

Took a trip to the woods after school today (Zurichberg) to collect pine and fir cones for festive decorations. Nice, but freezing cold . . . !

Wobbly tooth

Bea lost his second tooth today. Here he is giving it a wobble and helping it on it's way!

More candles and crafts

The children wanted to join the last candle-making session today, so we did that this afternoon — they're getting very productive now! And then afterwards, one of the children's grandmother runs a Christmas craft session for the children in the Hof here, and Bea came back with these creations! Table decorations with candles wrapped in crepe paper, surrounded by cardboard on a base of highly flammable polystyrene!! They looked lovely for the five minutes I'd allow them to burn!! What was she thinking . . . !

Singing Christmas Tree

The "Singing Christmas Tree" is in full voice at the moment, and I took the kids there tonight which happened to be a performance by an International school, so most Christmas songs were in English. Funny that Bea and Ili are more aware of the Swiss and German songs than the English ones. In a weeks time, Bea will start the Christmas singing at school, and parents are invited to listen in the mornings before school starts.

Second time on ice

Bea improved tonnes today, glided more, and landed on his bottom a lot less. Ili joined us too and Bea pushed her around on one of the skating animals which was cute! (youtube link)

Candle dipping

Tis' the season to test your patience with candle dipping. But the kids love it and Bea and Ili got busy with their colourful creations.

Snow. . . at last!

Finally, we have the snow we've been promised all week. Amazing how excited the children still are with the snow arriving—even in Switzerland where it's not uncommon — and Bea and Ili gathered it in bucket loads from the roof terrace before cramming it into the bath, and finally in the freezer to preserve it! I did explain that there would likely be more tomorrow.

BIg lunches

We've started a regular lunchtime swap, with some children coming here for lunch and then Bea and Ili going to their place on alternate weeks. More time for mums, and more fun for all, hopefully. . .  Ili and the youngest boy got on like a house on fire today. Hope the friendship flourishes.

Playing with fire

Just a cute picture of Bea playing with candles.

O Tannenbaum

The first part of O Tannenbaum . . . Bea's been asked to practice the second part after his Wednesday class this week.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN19-yu9AZE

Ice skating

We haven't skated for over a year (last time at the Dolder), but as there's a new ice rink at the local Polyterrace, we had a whirl this afternoon. Bea was a bit shaky at first, but improved over the hour, although he still spent a good time falling down he's determined to keep practicing.

Marshmellows and chestnuts

Here's Bea toasting marsh mellows, freezing cold at a friends birthday get together, while Ili and papa took a trip lakeside. In the evening, we passed through town for some Heissi Marroni (roasted hot chestnuts), from one the stands dotted all over town. Yum!

School swimming lessons

The parents were invited to the weekly swimming session this week. Here's Bea at the pool . . .

Bea turns SEVEN!

Wow, time has whizzed! Bea's 7th birthday today, and while a regular school day he made a request to go to the Blinde Kuh (Blind Cow) restaurant in the evening, which was everything but regular! Although the chefs are fully-sighted, you are served in absolute TOTAL darkness, and guided to your table—after checking the menu in the only lit part of the restaurant—by forming a train and placing your hands on the waitresses' shoulders (who are blind or partially-sighted) and being led through several sets of theatrical dark curtains until you are surrounded by total blackness. I've never experienced darkness like this (you can see NOTHING), and you are left to rely on only sound and touch to find your way around the food on the table. While clumsily rooting around for the glass of wine and knocking cutlery on the floor (which was impossible to use), it struck me at how much better the children were at getting their bearings. As if playing a game, Bea shot under the table to pick up anything that headed down under without problems whereas I didn't feel I could even leave my chair, and Ili tunneled between papa and I like a mole underground. Bea managed to pour his own drink from a bottle, and when asked if he needed more by the waitress, was able to deduce without hesitation the coke bottle was still half full (we were shocked) — but he did it by feeling the cooler temperature towards the bottom of the bottle. For the first five minutes or so, Ili was asking for the light to be switched on (as expected), but soon settled into the "challenge" of eating and drinking in the dark, and of course, eating with hands is not a problem, and her strong hearty voice helped call the waitress when we were ready to leave! It was actually quite noisy as there is a great need to keep talking to "feel" were everyone is. Bea loved his roast lamb, and even in the dark managed to avoid his vegetables and generally found it a whole lot more entertaining that we did. Dinner games turned towards doing all those things that are fun while going unnoticed, like hiding drinks (and worse!) and the urge to have a huge food fight had to be controlled. But a fascinating and eye-opening (metaphorically) experience none-the-less!

Arriving at the Blindekuh

The only lit area, with the menu.

Survived eating in the dark.

Hot chestnuts

Dinner out at friends Saturday night with roasted 'maroni' (chestnuts) and bubbly in the garden first. Yummy! Movies for the kids, (too many, they were exhausted), but a lazy Sunday to recover.

Puddle jumping

Autumn has finally arrived. . . . and good fun for some.

Italiano amico

Ili has become increasingly good friends with a little Italian girl from her Spielgruppe called Martina who only has basic German like Ili, so, it will be interesting to see how they continue to communicate. (The picture is a couple of weeks old, but the only one I have of them both).

Dancing for their supper

Took this little video of Bea and Ili warming up as we were waiting for friends to come over for dinner. They've got some moves . . . . !
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM7-vDKKEKc&feature=youtu.be

Räbeliechtliumzug

It was the yearly parade of carved Räbe (turnips) into lanterns tonight which is a sort of harvest festival-type celebration, where the street lights are turned off for the local parade of school children to march through the area (dragging parents) behind the wagon of lanterns and brass band (groovy). Our local one starts and finishes at Bea's school, and as it was our fourth one, we can almost sing the songs now!

Halloween

Friends party for pumpkin carving and then "trick or treating" where the kids were terrorising the neighbourhood. Apparently it's only been the last couple of years that Halloween has been a thing here and after the kids' riot on the streets tonight, I wouldn't be surprised if it's banned! Only in Switzerland would the kids be given a whole box of Lindt chocolates (apparently they thought the kids were collecting for charity!) and we later persuaded the trick or treaters that the chocs were obviously meant for the mummys! Bea and Ili were wizard and witch and was hilarious fun. (Sorry, picture don't quite capture it!!).

Bea is the wizard!

Pet pigs

We've housed a couple of guinea pigs for a colleague of Chris's the last couple of weeks and they luckily managed to survive Bea and Ili's playtime with them. Was good to have a "pet trail" just to reaffirm we don't want the smelly little rodents in the house again.

On the rocks!

Joined friends in the hills who have a mountain chalet today (Bea is friends with their son). Great landscape — reminded us of Scotland — which was very typically Swiss but in a very unspoilt region, with views to the Alps and the Jura. The kids clambered around on the rocks, messed in streams, and there were still grasshoppers to chase. The chalet was right next to a farm and at the end of the day the boys watched the cows in the milking shed. Great to be out of the city again and was only an hour from Zürich. The warm "föhn" mountain winds this week luckily brought us superb weather too!