Aeroplanes!

A blast from my past, Simon found some of those balsa wood rubber band aeroplanes we used to play with as kids. Here they are in action at the local school playground this morning. (spoiler alert: they are still just as fun as when I was a kid)

Sunday Sunday

So the weekend before we 'went to Italy', you may remember Gran Helen came to visit. On the Sunday we took the tram into town, down by the lake, to let the kids play in the water. You won't believe that this isn't a real beach!

Well. obviously this isn't the beach, but it is close by

So there you have it, a Swiss beach. The only thing to distinguish the Swiss beach from a real one was the lack of amusement arcade, pier or Fish and Chips. Therefore we promised Bluet lunch at a restaurant that we had never been to. but that specialises in her favourite food - The Spaghetti Factory. Needless to say it was a great success-




After lunch, Ilona fell asleep in her pram, and we decided to walk home from the city centre along the river......

And then up the hill to our house via the grape vines

The next day it was time for Gran Helen to head home by aeroplane, not the airship pictured. We took her most of the way to the airport, and then a delightful visit was over.

A trip to Italy

This last weekend we decided we needed a change from German Switzerland. Also it was a long weekend. As you may not know (we didn't until we moved here) there is a corner of Switzerland that is Italian. It is about 90 miles away as the crow flies, but seeing as there are some big mountains in the way, it took us three hours to get there by train - still taking a train round and through the Alps is pretty cool. Anyway, we arrived Sunday afternoon in Locarno, a small town in Ticino, the Italian bit of Switzerland.

Holiday Monday -

Having never been to Italy, I can safely say that it seemed to be very much like Italy in that there was a large Plaza where we ate Pizza and drank some wine, some delicious Gelato, an old castle, a church up a hill that had to be reached by funicular, and Bluet's highlight, a beach volleyball ('hollyball') competition which she could probably have watched all night.

Visitor

Last weekend Gran Helen flew in from Cambridge (via Luton). Bluet and I met her at the airport (where, as Bluet said, she was 'a bit shy', but quickly remembered Gran Helen). So far I have managed to upload photos of

1) Gran Helen reading to Bluet; she did this quite a bit which was much appreciated by Bluet and parents alike

2) Ilona on the 'wing'

3) the beginning of a long walk

4) someway along the long walk

Aeroplane!

5) destination - a restaurant at the end of a long walk

6) homeward bound

more to come....

Sun and water

Last Saturday we headed off into town to run some errands, and so Bluet could get her hair cut. It was hot and sunny, as you can see. Then on Sunday we headed over to a friends house where they had paddling pools - sadly the water was not quite as warm as Bluet would've liked, although this did not stop Ilona getting through 2 changes of clothes.

Ilona, in a moment on her own, decides to play with Bluet's Lego

Waiting for Bluet's hair cut

A video

From this afternoon, just before dinner

Rain and Trains

Last Friday was the 1st of May holiday so we had a 3 day weekend. Unfortunately the weather was miserable, so we had to postpone our BBQ in the garden until Saturday, when there was an interval in the rain. On Sunday we decided that if it was going to be a wet weekend, we needed to go somewhere. So early in the morning, after enjoying a Starbuck's coffee, we boarded the train and headed to Luzern to visit the Swiss transport museum. It is a lot like other transport museums, but smaller. There were some cool mountain trains, and Ilona was delighted to see all the aeroplanes, running around shouting 'airplane' 'airplane' 'airplane' just like Benny shouts 'spaceship' in the Lego movie. So a good afternoon's entertainment, and then we headed back on the train with the playground on the top deck, which excites all children.

Ilona awaiting the BBQ

At Starbucks

On the train. Note rain on the window

On a boat at the museum