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! 

School visit

Open morning for parents at Bea's school today. Although we couldn't join the regular Friday swim session as the teacher was sick, we joined the class for the rest of the morning. Certainly a lot more serious than Kindergarden, and the new teacher was a tad nervous, but all seemed okay.

Spielgruppe again . . .

She was a bit teary-eyed at the start, but was having fun when I arrived as Ili had her first day back at Spielgruppe (Ili's turn in the cart in the piccy). Gorgeous day for October!

Merry on the merry-go-round

Ili invited to a birthday party (a friend turned three) and Juan was here for the weekend. Here they are, merry on the merry-go-round. Oh, and then the very popular guinea pigs arrived (we're piggysitting them. . . ).

Kids back to Zurich

After a very twitchy wait at the airport hanging out for the kids to arrive, Bea, and Ili (escorted by Dad) arrived safely back in Zurich after their 12 days away. It has been nearly seven years since we've had more than a couple of days away from the little ones!!! Headed out to the thermal baths in Zurich for the day (no pics).

Back to Uzès

Locked up Neuvic, pissed off (in the pissing rain), and were drawn to head south again for the sunshine, the relaxed meanders around Uzès . . . . and the restaurants!

Gardening at Neuvic

Stayed at Neuvic for a few days. . . . too much work in a couple of days to call it a holiday (closing the house down for the winter).

Day in the Luberons

Took a day trip to to very stunning Luberon mountains in Provence. Perhaps somewhat too perfect and we had to get away from the villages (tourist coaches crammed full even out of season), and we took a walk up to the ceder forests to appreciate the landscape from afar. Stunningly beautiful.

Frith in Gordes, before the flocks of tourists arrived.

Gordes, Provence.

Lavender fields in the Luberon.

Walking down from the ceder forest.

Uzes was a gem of a town

Stayed for a couple of nights in Uzès (near Avignon). Gorgeous old town to walk around at night, with some fab restaurants.Yum.

Ardeche - blast from the past

Quite a few years have past since Chris and I first went to the Ardeche as young 20 somethings (hold on, Chris was still a teenager!) to camp "wild" in the gorge. So, on our journey down to southern France for a few days away together we retraced our steps, and found the spot. My memory was surprisingly clear, but it was made easy perhaps as our camp was opposite a naturist site — you don't forgot a-clad-of-naked-men-hopping-around-on-the-rocks sort of detail that easily! 

Camels in the woods

Wow, it's eerily quiet here without the little ones, but a great opportunity to grab some "timeout", so we got some exercise in—bike ride (can go much faster without Ili on the back!), and then a walk in the woods at a reasonable adult pace. But where are the little ones when you need them as when in the middle of the woods three camels on a day trip from the zoo came sauntering by. . . . kids would have loved it!

Kids on a trip!

Dad visited to pick up the kids to take them to the UK for the autumn holidays ("THANK YOU!"). Saturday morning, as we were packing their bags, Bea and Ili were making little paper passports for their toys that would travel with them (Bea's penguin — place of birth: South Pole, etc). And then when at the airport they had passport photographs done of both the fluffy penguin and Ili's orangutan to complete them. Funny.

Another piano piece

And a link on youtube—hope it works!
http://youtu.be/rXE7pNkOQ8g

Bea playing "regenbogen"

Here's a little movie of Bea on the piano today playing his favourite piece of the moment. . . . .