kitschenette - life in the swiss lane

I love you

I love you, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

I found this scrawled on the window today.

My girl is so sweet (I am of course assuming she intended it for me, and not Snowy, her Alaskan Husky stuffy, or Polar Bear, her other fav stuffy).

When I teach I use the window as a whiteboard. It has fetching scenery behind it, bringing that little bit of nature into the classroom :) In any case, the kidlets are well used to scribbling and drawing on it, so I often find little gems of creativity inching their way up and down the window pane.

The state that I am in

I'm sipping the last of Monika's home-made gluhwein - it's hot, spicy, sweet and really, really good.

Today I have been tending to my much-neglected internet 'empire'. Finally changed the banner on this blog, which I've hated for ages but been too lazy to do anything about. I'm not sure if the new one is much better, but at least it's something different to look at. Hooray me for crossing things off my to do list.

I'm listening to the Belle & Sebastian BBC Sessions. i love the tracks 'Here comes the sun' and 'There's too much love' - so cheerful! so optimistic! I bet the sun is shining every day in Belle & Sebastian world. Can you tell I am still suffering sun withdrawal?

Not that I should be complaining. This made me smile. And today The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman arrived, as did the ginormous Bones compendium. I'm trying to ignore the fact that I haven't yet read the 800 page book set for my next book club meeting (Tuesday). I just want to burrow down against the cold and dark and work my through the Sci Fi component (all 3 parts) of this list of 1000 Novels Everyone Should Read. That should keep me going for a while. Perhaps by then it might be spring?

Today is my dad's birthday. Happy birthday, dad!!! Miss you heaps, and love you lots. Hope you make it home safe and sound.

SAD (seasonal affective disorder)

i just can't seem to wake up today. I blame it on the dull greyness outside the window - the sun isn't shining, so my body thinks it isn't time to wake up. Or maybe it was Lola lying next to me coughing and grinding her teeth all night (that girl drives me crazy with the teeth grinding - but what to do? we've been told she'll grow out of it, and that it is not damaging her teeth, but oh man, is it annoying). Or maybe it was Max also sneaking into our bed after a bad dream. There were 4 in bed and ...only 2 managed to get any sleep. Probably it's just SAD. I need me some light!!! And warmth!!!!

Thus said, Manuela and I are advance-planning our annual girl's weekend away, in May. Maybe Barcelona. Or even Prague. I'd love to visit Barcelona again, for the food market alone. Somewhere warm, bitte!

Other things of note:

• I finished reading 'The Gargoyle' by Andrew Davidson. Not bad. Pretty graphic descriptions of burns and subsequent treatment.
• I'm listening to The Rural Alberta Advantage a lot. It grows on you after a few listens.
• Check out these short videos of bruno and his friends skiing and snowboarding last weekend in Lenzerheide, expertly spliced together by Andy. I love Andy's plaintive 'owwww...' at the end of the second!!!

Yawn. More coffee needed, stat!

Sunlight through windows

Sunlight though windows, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

Bruno and I went away for the weekend with some friends to Lenzerheide. Our friends had rented a beautiful old chalet. Inside lived some wonderful furniture...a high-walled felted olive greeny-brown sofa, which I just wanted to pick up and take home, as well as these big sturdy floor cushions (made of sacking, perhaps?). The sisal flooring was deliciously rough-textured beneath our feet.

On Saturday I walked around the frozen lake and watched the dog sled races while the more energetic and skilled members of our party took to the slopes. When I got back to the house, a beautiful mellow sunshine was streaming in through the windows. What do you think I did next? Got out my book and curled up like a cat to soak up that blessed warmth, of course.

Later in the afternoon I made zopf dough and put in a big dish of veges to roast - a perfect quiet weekend afternoon.

'Belligerent old shit seeks love'

I subscribed to the LRB for a long time, but gave it up when it was a toss up between a delicious subscription and the good ol LRB (quite indicative of my changed priorities). I think i used to read it only for the lonely hearts column at the end. The ads reminded me so much of so many academics I knew, clever and funny and self-deprecating, with a back story of low self-esteem masquerading as confidence. So I enjoyed reading this article. I especially liked this one:

'Normally on the first few dates I borrow mannerisms from the more interesting people I know and very often steal phrases and anecdotes from them along with concepts and ideas from obscure yet wittily-written books. It makes me appear more attractive and personable than I actually am. With you, however, I'm going to be a belligerent old shit from the very beginning. That's because I like you and feel ready to give you honesty. Belligerent old shit (M, 53). Box no. 6378.'

The New Year has begun, and it didn't start well. We had some tragic news from my family in New Zealand. My step-sister's husband and 2 of her 3 children were killed in a terrible car accident. Her youngest child survived, although badly injured. I still can't believe it. And my sister's life is irreparably changed. In a split second her world fell apart. My heart hurts for her. Whatever shock and disbelief that we are feeling here is nothing compared to what she is experiencing. How do you pick up your life after something like that??

Origami fish

Origami fish, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

Max came home today with a squadron of storm-trooper (he is still stuck in his Star Wars obsession) origami fish. But he needed more for his army, so he spent the time after lunch madly folding away.

Big Bertha

Big Bertha, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

Took a trip to the brocki while the kids were at the Zauber Laterne (Magic Lantern) cinema club. Spotted Big Bertha nestled in amongst the other golf clubs.

Max, Daddy

Max, Daddy, originally uploaded by kitschenette.

A quick hug while walking today.