:: our last days in suisse ::

In less than 48 hours we'll be on our way, about to step onto a 13 or so hour flight to Hong Kong followed back to back by a 12 or so hour flight to Auckland. Time has gone by so quickly this last week and I had intentions to write on a few different topics before leaving Switzerland, but wanting to at least record some memories from our last days this post will be a patchwork of thoughts and experiences that have covered the last couple of weeks. We can barely realise that we're on the threshold of stepping out into a big family adventure, moving to my home country and starting something new together. We're really excited, but it is also true that this last week of sickness and lack of sleep has knocked us back and hoping for a full night of good sleep tonight tends to occupy our thoughts first and foremost before we launch out on our marathon trip across the world. 

At this time of year those of us who live up in the mountains realise that, despite having to deal with the windy roads up to our villages, we are blessed when the brouillard arrives. It's a phenomenon common in this area during autumn and winter and occurs for up to weeks at a time due to the combination of the humidity of the lake (Léman/Geneva) and valley below which is surrounded by mountain ranges on either side. Otherwise known as fog in English, the brouillard blankets the valley in a thick cloud while (most of the time, to be fair) us mountain folk enjoy the beautiful, sunny, blue-skied days above the cloud line. Last week the first brouillard arrived and I took advantage of the beautiful light filtering through the autumn-coloured trees and swirling strands of mist through the forest behind our home to go for a little adventure walk with the girls.

We were treated with just one day like this, as the following days we, too, were surrounded by the thick, almost-suffocating blanket of cloud. That lucky mountain-folk thing doesn't always work ;o)

Sometimes the cloud would fall and the sun would pierce through, reminding me that, as hard as it was to realise at the time, the sun was just meters above us as well as one of those beautiful blue-skied days, so we went looking for it. And sure enough it was right there...

I couldn't help but make comparisons to the presence of God. There are times when circumstances feel like they are smothering life and it's hard to see very far ahead, find anything to be thankful about, or believe that He even exists. But He is always there, as hard as it is to imagine on those cloudy days. Simultaneously He is there, in brilliant sunshine beckoning us to step up just a little higher and enjoy the views and the refreshing life-filling warmth and energy that comes with the presence of the sun...

Well, after the days of fog came the snow. Cold, cold, cold! And with the snow our beloved 'Tin-tin' car went off to live with someone else. We had (not so) secretly hoped we might be able to leave her with Eti's dad, a fellow Citroën 2CV lover. But someone else heard she was for sale and was more than happy to take her away. So she left us with wonderful memories of fun adventures, including some engagement snaps that were taken exactly four years earlier.

Before she went we drove her into the forest nearby and took some photos while the girls happily ate some gâteau and we enjoyed our last drive together. Onto new adventures we go...

With toys becoming more scarce by the day I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the local Schilliger Home and Garden store already had their wonderful Christmas displays up, giving us a great idea of something to enjoy doing together. We went last year and the girls loved the big moving animals. This year no less! We had fun walking through the beautiful displays and then going to watch and pet the real animals for sale. It was great fun for all three of us :o) For the girls to squeal with excitement at the sight of the animals and for me to enjoy the squeals with a smile :o)

We had a goodbye party last Sunday with many of our friends and family coming and going throughout the afternoon and evening, as snowflakes fell outside. It touched us a lot to see so many of our friends and to remember again how many people we will miss! But there are many promises of Skype calls to come and even several who are determined to come visit us and explore New Zealand. 

The following day a thin blanket of snow on the ground inspired papa to get out the bob and give the girls a one-off winter experience before we head off to sunnier, warmer places. They took it all very seriously but had a lot of fun with their adventure-loving papa :o)

It was a treat for us to spend the last few months in this beautiful home. This week some major renovation work took place so we scooted next door to Grand-papa and Grand-mamans and have enjoyed playing by the fireplace as we recover from the bugs that were determined to plague us during our last days here...thankfully on the way out now!

During our days we find various ways to occupy ourselves. Amélie's current favourite is to draw 'cargos' (a.k.a. escargots, or snails)! She is an avid little artist and always drawing little squiggles on her paper, explaining what she's drawing with each one.

Grandpapa always has a knack of creating fun out of the bits and pieces to be found in his office or workshop. As a result, when he has work to be done at home, we have to work hard to keep the girls from climbing the stairs in search of him!

Helping Grandpapa make the coffees after lunch has become a daily ritual, taken very seriously by one and playfully by the other. Some people end up with two coffees in one cup due to some buttons being pressed often, and several coffee beans a day are lost to little mouths. But the main incentive is the "choco" that accompanies the coffee :o)

Speaking of "choco" these two love anything that includes chocolate...like icecream, and eating it with fingers :o)

Eating snow "icecream" with Grand-maman also went down a treat...and produced lots of giggles from the observers :o)

So these are some of our days lately. One more full day to go and then we're all go. A lot of goodbyes have been said over the last week or so. And the hardest are to come. But we will enjoy our time together and celebrating a birthday tomorrow, as well as finishing to pack the last of the suitcases that will accompany us all the way to New Zealand. We managed to sell or give all of our 'big' belongings and are now almost empty of everything that won't be coming with us. The rest - eight suitcases and bags full - will help us start our kiwi adventure...

Well...the next post, as promised to our friends here, will come from New Zealand! I'll do my best to include an understable French translation too :o)

Au revoir to our beautiful Suisse and to your people who are dear to us. A bientôt! 

Have a great weekend out there! 

:: our weekend with erika ::

We've enjoyed a lovely weekend on the German-speaking side of Switzerland with our dear friend Erika. Like when we were in Tessin, the Italian-speaking part, we found it funny being in the same country but not being able to understand or respond to a language that is completely foreign! But we had Erika to do the translating, and we enjoyed her company, particularly as it is the last opportunity we had before we move to go to her home. 

In the days of anticipation leading up to our weekend I was also excited to see that the weather forecast was amazing. I haven't ventured into the German-speaking part very often but almost every time we have the weather hasn't been wonderful. Seeing forecasts of sunshine and mid-30's added to the anticipation! As a result Erika was able to show us some of her favourite places. 

We started off in this beautiful river spot. Despite the warm air the water was freezing! But we ventured along to see if we could find a good spot for the girls to play and to have our picnic lunch.

We passed a REGA team who had been doing some water-rescue exercises further up the gorge, then came across this intriguing hut frame which Erika wondered may have been a make-shift sauna. We stayed there a little while until the girls' rock-throwing antics became a little risky!

 

When we didn't find a good place to stop and stay a while for eating, playing and napping, Erika suggested a nearby camping ground further down the river, which proved to be a wonderful discovery. Perfect for the girls with a playground, shallow water and a swimming pool and a great place to enjoy our picnic and let them sleep afterwards.

Rivella - Swiss famous and a drink we're going to miss!

Our little cervelat men for lunch :o)

After a nap for the girls, a swim for the bigger girls and a gorge trip for Eti, we packed up our things and headed up into the hills to a farm that Erika knew served meals with a beautiful view across to the Jungfrau, Eiger and other infamous mountain peaks across the valley. It was a fun, relaxed meal experience, obviously well-known to the locals and in a lovely garden setting of a beautiful big chalet home, surrounded by a menagerie of farm animals, which the girls enjoyed seeing!

 

Yesterday we changed our plans to take a cable car to the top of a near-by mountain, instead opting to allow the girls a morning sleep in their beds, with time for us to pack and play some games...Erika being famous among our friends for providing fun and just a little bit competitive games! Afterwards we ventured into Bern, our capital city, and up another cable car to the top of a small mountain (by Swiss-standards!) where we found a great park complete with several different play areas, a ride-on train and an impressive view overlooking the city down below. It was a wonderful place for little people to explore and to enjoy our last couple of hours together before Erika had to head back down to her job at the hospital in the city. 

Goodbyes are becoming more difficult as the time to our departure for NZ looms closer. With a couple of overseas trips for Erika to come in the next two months our chances to see each other are limited. There is a tug in my heart with this move. One big part of me is really looking forward to being back "home" closer to my family, to friends and with the possibilities of making new friends and the open adventure that is ahead of us. The other part of me struggles as I see that family and friends here dread our departure, peppering Eti with questions of what we'll do and how it will be hard for his family. It's hard not to feel guilty and responsible, or want to say "But I've lived so far from mine for so many years!!" It helps to remember, as Erika reminded us before we left, that life is full of changes and adventures, goodbyes and hellos. And it's not easy but it's rich and we can trust God that He's already there preparing our way.

:: sunny sunday weekend ::

While the weather wasn't entirely always sunny, and drops of rain did fall from time to time,  the day was great and it included some photographing of sunflowers (something I've been wanting to do since spotting them in bloom). And the forecast for the week ahead is (finally!) sunny and warm. Us mountain folks have been getting some 'chilly' weather up here lately!

Our weekend has been full and fun here! I thought I'd share some photos. Yesterday we celebrated Sally's birthday a little earlier than her real one because today she went back to where she's living and studying here, so we wanted to celebrate her and also say goodbye. It's been wonderful having her company around these last three weeks! 

The girls were more than keen to try out the chocolate cake (as were we!)

As some of Amélie's current most-used words are cow, milk and caca (poo) since her visit to a local farm three weeks ago, and I wanted to buy some more fresh milk there, we went for a late-afternoon visit on Saturday. No caca was seen, but the girls enjoyed seeing all the cows in the milking shed and the milk being pumped through the pipes, trying to kiss the pigs and saying hi to the dogs! What a wonderful place for kids! My highlight was buying the milk, fresh cream and some gruyère cheese. Such things as well as buying eggs from a local farm are topping my favourite-things-to-do list right now :o)

Our Sunday has been a great one. Church was great and the girls enjoyed the creche (they're still getting used to it and don't like to let us leave yet, so I stayed there - they even shared me with other little people who needed cuddles!). We went to the BBQ after church, dropped Sally back to her place and then went to see one of our dear friends, Evelyne, enjoying some delicious apricot tart and apple juice on her balcony, and catching up, surrounded by a beautiful rainbow of flowers, warm sunshine and a view across to the rain falling on the Alps.

Then on the way home, enroute to Grandpapa and Grandmaman's, we found a spot to stop near a field of sunflowers (which are dotting the lake-side landscape with their bright, sunny faces). Not long afterwards the sunny weather was over and the rain set in, so I was grateful for the chance to capture these...

I'm going to miss this beautiful part of the world! We must soak it up while we're still here!