Monday 31 December 2012

TipTopSwiss 366:366

So here we are on the last day of 2012, and the last day of TipTopSwiss366.

It's been a year of many firsts - our first full year of living in Switzerland, my first (and second) half marathon, my first trip in an ambulance, a first visit to Italy, and so many 'first time I've done (...) in German' that I gave up counting!
I now own a Freitag bag, my neighbours finally greet me in (Swiss) German as much as they do in English and I get annoyed by untidiness, inefficiency and people and things being 'unpunktlich' so I'm certainly more Swiss than I was this time last year!

Today's picture is from earlier this month and is chosen as the traditional greeting to wish someone Happy New Year in German is En guete Rutsch or have a good slide.

Happy New Year to you all!

PS If you've enjoyed TipTopSwiss366, I'm going to carry on the Swiss theme on SwissMiss-Adventures which has sadly been neglected since last January thanks to this blog!
And I have a new challenge for 2013! It's called...

http://lisasmiles365.blogspot.com



Sunday 30 December 2012

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In the UK we have Blue Cross Days. In Switzerland we have Rotstiftwochen or Red pencil weeks.

Saturday 29 December 2012

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Isaac's birthday outing today took us to Bern and the Zentrum Paul Klee. Really enjoyed the exhibits, especially Die Engel Von Klee exhibition. And the building was pretty spectacular too! www.zpk.org

Friday 28 December 2012

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My favourite lamp post in the park! Reminds me of Narnia but no sign of Mr Tumnus.

Thursday 27 December 2012

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My lovely reindeer window art. It's our chosen way of making the house look festive with a minimum of mess and damage. It also stops us walking into the huge windows!

Wednesday 26 December 2012

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Liking the Olympic 50p pieces. My nephew is collecting them - from his Mum's purse of course!!

Tuesday 25 December 2012

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Merry Christmas! Fröhliche Weihnachten. ¡Feliz Navidad! Joyeux Nöel. Buon Natale.

Sunday 23 December 2012

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Carol service at Sutton Coldfield Baptist Church. Christmas carols + candles + being at SCBC = happy Lisa

Saturday 22 December 2012

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Jude loves Dylan and Ruby. He's been hugging and playing with them constantly since we arrived in Burgess Hill.

Friday 21 December 2012

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Jude has new glasses. I've been trying them on for size and pulling silly faces too! Isn't that what everyone does in Nandos when waiting for food?

Tuesday 18 December 2012

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I love these brightly coloured cows. I must find a way of smuggling one into England for my garden...

Monday 17 December 2012

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Well! Somewhat amused by this box beside the Migros stand at the run yesterday!

Sunday 16 December 2012

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Today I ran the Silvesterlauf for the second time. Still elbowed rather a lot but I was ready this year!

Saturday 15 December 2012

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As the trees weren't for sale until Friday and we're going to England mid holidays, a 'real tree' wasn't an option this year.
We were going to do without and just put up the decorations and the lights, but then I went to IKEA and saw this.
So this year we have a cardboard Christmas tree. Very minimalistic too as the boys didn't want to put decorations
on it bar chocolate bears and a few mirrored bells and stockings. And we love it.

Friday 14 December 2012

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Great to see the Winti Nativity carvings are back - and they're even better than last year. New stable and a star. And snow too!

Thursday 13 December 2012

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Late night shopping in Winti tonight - and the whole of Oberer and Unterer Graben is lit with tea lights. All along the shop fronts, around lampposts, on windowsills and in star shapes along the middle.
Winti ist sehr schön.

Wednesday 12 December 2012

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In December households in lots of villages and neighbourhoods in Switzerland take it in turns to decorate a lighted window each day. It's a lovely alternative to an Advent Calendar and one that is shared with your neighbours.
Here's one I spotted today.

Tuesday 11 December 2012

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Mince pies! A little British tradition in Switzerland, thanks to 'Baking Lisa' (I'm Running Lisa!)

Monday 10 December 2012

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I got stuck at the level crossing on my run AGAIN! This time I snapped the beautiful horses in the snow.


Sunday 9 December 2012

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Love the way that the snow is hanging on that railing like a wave. And, as the boys said, the post has an "snow afro"!
And it's snowing again. Wonder how our world will look when we wake tomorrow?

Saturday 8 December 2012

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These bright red berries dusted with snow stopped me in my tracks as I ran. So pretty.

Friday 7 December 2012

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Fondue-Zelt today for Grade 8 Mums' Christmas lunch. Heavy snow falling as we ate - very Christmassy!

Thursday 6 December 2012

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Not only do I have my own 'garden' (aka Lindengut Park) but also my own snow plough! Well, it belongs to Stadt Winterthur but it parks outside my window!

Wednesday 5 December 2012

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Getting ready for Sankt Nikolaus or Samichlaus tomorrow, baking biscuits for the neighbours. Look and smell delicious so I wonder how many will actually make it into the bags...?

Tuesday 4 December 2012

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Norwegian omelette? I'm not sure that's what I'd expect if I ordered an omelette...

Monday 3 December 2012

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I love these dates. I have to ration myself or I'd eat the whole box!

Saturday 1 December 2012

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Something is afoot in Obertor this evening. There's a man inside that yellow illuminated tent fixing cables or something. His friend is outside the AXA building opposite. He's not so fortunate. He just has a ladder and a torch down his end of the hole.

Friday 30 November 2012

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Funny glasses on the boys' advent calendars. - and they survived the post! Thanks Nanny Mu!

Thursday 29 November 2012

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We love Velostation, the perfect plane to park your bicycle safely and securely.

Monday 26 November 2012

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Lots of pictures today from Zibelemärit today in Bern. A whole festival for onions. Only in Switzerland! And to add to the artistic onion strings, the onion bouquets, the onion models of pigs, ladybirds, people and the onion tarts, soup and bread, you are randomly showered with confetti and hit on the head with plastic hammers by the fellow market visitors. It comes as a bit of a shock, even if you are forewarned! 


Sunday 25 November 2012

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The number 12 tram from Stettbach to Glatt via Dübendorf. Jude's a happy boy. That tram will always be his favourite!

Saturday 24 November 2012

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Jude's 11th birthday party this afternoon. You can tell he's getting more Swiss - he was concerned about his friends making noise during 'quiet time' so scheduled it for the end of said period then got worried when people were early!

Thursday 22 November 2012

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Christmas lights twinkling away. As you look down from Obertor to Untertor, they look like a river of light. Very pretty.

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Monday 19 November 2012

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Still feeling rotten but cheered by these videos from Saturday. I've been trying to upload them to Facebook all day to no avail so I'll try here. The beautiful panorama from the top of Pilatus accompanied by the sound of the Alpine horn (and an annoying man who kept shouting at his Dad!), and the music makers themselves.

Sunday 18 November 2012

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I'm not feeling well today so no picture :0(
I'll use one from yesterday when we went up Pilatus.

Saturday 17 November 2012

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Rosehip tea today. I have a cold so it was very welcome - coffee and colds do not mix! And I love the little cloth teabags too. Makes a very pretty picture as the teabag goes into the water.

Friday 16 November 2012

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The ISW 10th anniversary event was great - a stressful day leading up to it but a great time come 'showtime'.
I promised to take loads of photos and managed...4 acceptable ones! And I only took 2 of them. Thanks Jade for capturing Krislyn, Carolina and me :o)

Thursday 15 November 2012

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Tomorrow is the ISW 10th anniversary event. Getting excited!

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Today I noticed these corn-like sculptures near ISW. After more than a year of walking nearby, that's the first time I've seen them!