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...
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!
