Getting Out and About

A pink sunrise sky reflected in the windows of a passing house. 
The walls were bathed in a lovely shade of pale purple.

Three weeks into confinement and being  enclosed within the four walls of my apartment,
I started to go for pre-dawn walks.
It was wonderful to leave home under a still-dark sky, listen to the birds singing
and gradually watch the sky lighten.

One morning, I captured a sweet crescent moon above the roofs and chimneys near my home.

The sky showed me all its prettiest shades of blue and purple.

One morning, I saw a solitary worker at his computer around 6.30 in the morning.
This was in the Radio Building in the neighbourhood just above mine.

Lilac and pink and tree silhouettes.

Mountain peaks from further up the hill and a hazy sky.

I stopped in my tracks to listen to a blackbird singing on a chimney top.

As the days got longer and the mornings lighter, I was able to capture flowers too.
My walks were any time from 5.45 am and I was always home by 7 am.
There are extremely few people out and about at this early hour, maybe a dog walker or two
or a jogger, sometimes an early-morning worker, like the young man above.

Lockdown meant that only people holding jobs that were absolutely necessary
were out and travelling by bike or bus.

Discovering sweet smelling lilac towards the end of my outing
was pure joy!

Pink blossom and white lilac were so refreshing
and I lingered awhile to take in the wonderful perfume.

Apple Blossom full of promises of autumn apples.

Pink blossom and colour coordinated shutters which I can now see
in the lightening sky.

On Sunday morning, I left home a little later to capture the spring colours.
Pretty fluttering birch leaves and smudges of blue muscari flowers in the grass.
I only met early-morning dog walkers and we all respected the 2-metre social distancing.

More lilac!
What a wonderful flowering bush.

From April 27th, Switzerland started to ease lockdown and a few changes were made:
Doctor's surgeries opened
Physiotherapists and Osteopaths could work again
Hairdressers and podiatrists were allowed to open
and crèches for pre-school children.
Garden centres opened too and were immediately flooded with enthusiastic gardeners!

Face masks are recommended when we go out into public places
but especially on public transport.
Hand gel is also something useful to have in a pocket or bag.
Mine is really lovely
and made with 71,9% alcohol with added AloeVera
and these essential oils: Teatree, Lavender and Lemon.
Frequent and thorough handwashing is an essential hygiene measure
every time we return home after going out.

The brightest and most cheerful violas on my balcony.

One last pre-dawn sky taken around 6 am.

My crocheted temperature blanket with a few warmer colours coming in!
I have more crochet work to show, but that will be for next time!

Such strange times indeed, but times in which we can discover new values,
read interesting books, 
watch uplifting films,
go for walks in nature
and consider ourselves extremely lucky, compared to so many.

Films I have enjoyed since my last blog entry in April:
The Bucket List with Jack Nicolson and Morgan Freeman (laughter and tears)
Forrest Gump: with Tom Hanks (touching and lovely)
You've Got Mail: Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks (happy ending)
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind, based on the true story of Malawian 13-year-old William Kamkwamba , who saved his town from famine by building windmills that would provide water and electricity.
(It's dramatic, inspiring and reminds us how fortunate we all are...)



Lily of the the Valley for the month of May.

18 comments

  1. Hello Sandra,
    Your post is full of eye candy! Each image beautiful as is your fiber art.
    I enjoyed the purple/blue theme in the first part.
    So glad to hear things are opening up a bit for you. Here too, though I have not gone to town since that change, so i have not experienced it yet.

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    1. Thank you, Tammie. Those very early morning shots were wonderful to capture and experience. Yes, things are opening up bit by bit. There will be another decision made on May 11th when all shops will be opening. We are told to continue respecting social distancing and measures of hygiene when we go out.

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  2. Such beautiful pictures as usual. I particularly love the purple shaded house with the reflected pink sky.

    We are waiting for news on less restrictions in a couple of days . . . 7th May.

    Hugs, Sarn xxx

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    1. Thank you, Sarn!Those very early morning walks allowed me to capture those gorgeous colours in the sky before daybreak!
      It sounds as if things are moving in the right direction in the UK now too. The economy needs to start up as there will already be a huge deficit and loans to pay back for all those companies which have been saved from bankruptcy-

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  3. What a delightful set of photos! Sandra. Had I not been living through this time I would have thought you had been on a retreat. You obviously are moving in the right direction. Thanks so much for reaffirming what I believe about how we look at the way we live.
    We have another month doing stay at home time. I personally think it will end up being longer. A few places have opened up, but there is a long way to go. It seems like most people would rather take things slow, and I agree with that.
    Enjoy those early morning walks. I love looking at what your eyes see.

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    1. Many thanks, Sandy. Yes, taking things slowly feels the most sensible and safest way to go about things. Although most things are opening up on May 11th: all shops and also bars and restaurants, I do not plan on going to any of them. I don't need anything and can make do with how things are right now. The virus will be around for a while and to minimize a second wave, we need to continue respecting social distancing and strict hygiene rules. It will not be forever, but we need to take responsibility of our own actions. Yes, I have been enjoying my early morning walks, they have been wonderful at keeping my spirits up in times of adversity.

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  4. Such lovely morning walks. It's a beautiful time of the day! If I had to pick a favorite it would be the house with the pink shutters! Absolutely beautiful and so well composed! Your temperature blanket is wonderful. I love seeing the gradual change in colors. You may have noticed I haven't been posting or commenting much lately. I've been so involved in other things and trying to stay off the computer. It's been such a nice spring to be outside, so that's where I am!

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    1. Thank you, Cathy. Yes, I do love very early mornings and I loved that sunrise shot of the house with the pink shutters too!
      Our temperatures are going up and it will soon be too hot to sit in the sun on my balcony. Luckily I have a big canvas awning which brings me shade.

      It's true that I haven't seen you around for a while. I'm glad that all is well.
      Since I've been completely on my own since nearly ten weeks now, I find that I use my computer more often to remain in contact with others. The social interaction is so important for those of us in this situation. So my computer is my best friend these days! I still get out early mornings and then again at the end of the day to enjoy the outdoors! In-between, I love my balcony and flowers!

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  5. Beautiful pictures and blue shades!

    Sandra xXx

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    1. Many thanks for visiting. Glad you especially enjoyed the shades of blue!

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  6. Beautiful photos! Love all of them.... so happy to hear things are opening up by you and here as well.
    Stay safe and hopefully things will go back to normal.
    Xo Anna and Liz

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    1. Many thanks, Anna and Liz!
      Everyone is being very cautious here and mostly respecting the 2-metre (6.5 ft) social distancing and wearing masks when shopping or using public transport. I don't think that things will return to the 'normal' that we were used to at the beginning of the year. This virus is going to be around for a good while yet. So we need to be careful.

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  7. HI Sandra,
    I remembered you said you gave up sugars and gluten, and I thought of you when I posted my Baked Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole! It's a simple, healthy version of a casserole.

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    1. Thank you for reminding me about this recipe which was one of my childhood favourites and which got my own children to eat more vegtables!

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  8. I came to your blog after reading your comment at Anabelia's. A very pretty blog you have here and fascinating to see your photos and scenery. I enjoy being up early and the idea of being active early but I find it very difficult *getting up* early because it is not nice to leave a cosy warm bed for a cold house!

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    1. Hello Jodiebodie! So nice to welcome you here in my little world! Nature is my first love and whatever the season, I love to connect to everything around me. I understand that not everyone is an early bird, but we all have our own internal clocks and mine seems to have been set on 'dawn'. So glad you enjoyed your visit here and I hope you will return!

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  9. Hola Sandra.

    hoy descubrí tu blog, me fascinan las fotos que has tomado en tus paseos matinales, como aprovechar la naturaleza.
    Estamos en el tiempo de disfrutar de cosas que antes no se notaban. es tiempo de paciencia y dominio de la realidad.
    Es mundial, el permanecer en nuestros hogares, por nuestro bienestar, asi que el tejido, y las manualidades nos ayudan en este tiempo.
    La manta tejida, muy bonita.
    Estoy en Sudamerica,mi pais, Ecuador.
    Me encantan las manualidades, el tejido, el patchwork, estoy tejiendo las flores de ANABELIA CRAFT DESIGN, ya tenemos algunas flores, son encantadoras.
    mi blog...http://atelier-de-yayi.blogspot.com/, espero tu visita.

    saludos y bienestar para ti y tu familia.

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    1. Thank you for your visit to my blog, Isabel.
      I don't read Spanish, but I have a slight idea of your words since I speak French and can understand a little Italian.

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