Winter Walks and Crochet

The beautiful snow came - and I took my little red star for a walk!

The snow-plough pushed the snow to the side of the paths

It was firm and crunchy underfoot.

A few brave leaves still clung onto to the otherwise bare branches

and we got a blue sky that day.

Hurray!

I go for walks every day and was happy to see these baubles and garlands

still decorated a tree in someone's garden.

I finished my Temperature Blanket.

Each two-row square represents the coldest and the warmest temperature of each day.

There are 361 squares and five rows of the border

which make up the 366 days of 2020.

A Leap Year!

A few extra shots to show different aspects.

On the left we can see the colder days of the year,

they corresponded to December 2020.

The way this one is folded, we can see the warmer days.

Here we can see the winter, spring and summer.

I've never crocheted anything over a whole year before.

Sometimes, I didn't feel like doing it, especially during the summer,

but I'm glad I saw it through until the end.

It tells a colour story!

What I love about the month of January is that spring flowers can be found in the florist's shops.

Tulips are a great favourite and these deep pink ones with green stripes

were really beautiful.

Down to the park Mon Repos

to enjoy the tall trees and nature.

The fountain had icicles around it.

They were shining in the sunlight.

Some of them had broken off.

The red berries on the holly are always a welcome sight

Tall trees in the park against a sky of blue.

My little box of Hyacinths will soon be coming into flower

I've taken down the Christmas decorations to create a feeling of spring in my home.

A fresh dark pink cloth and a crocheted Mandala which I made sometime ago.

Tender pink tulips to complete a new look

and my Kindle e-reader which I've decided to use much more

as I already have far too many books and all my bookshelves are overloaded.

Let's keep our spirits up in going for regular walks, good reading

and uplifting films and documentaries.

Flowers in the home bring in some colour and beauty too.

 

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.