Just An Average Day In ParadiseJul 3, 2011
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European Hotdogs
Peter Cleans The Spillway Walls
James Attacks The Water Gate Mechanism
| July 3, 2011 Brenda and Penny woke up with a craving for some exercise and took a long walk to the next village, Roche, in the cool but sunny morning air. While we waited for their return James and I made a breakfast of Peter’s homemade bread, leftover rosti, bacon bits and poached eggs. It was a non-traditional breakfast for the Swiss but one we would consider everyday breakfast fare. James told us that the Swiss would consider this more of an evening meal. James and I undertook to haul some logs and debris out of the mill pond so that they wouldn’t damage the water gates if there was a heavy rain. In the course of leaning over to push one log closer to shore, James dropped his sunglasses into the murky water. He wasn’t able to fish them out easily so he ended up going in in his skivvies in order to locate them with his feet…a mucky endeavour if I’ve ever seen one. The girls sat in the shade playing with Dylan and reading while Rosmarie resumed knitting a cute sweater for Dylan. Lunch was European wiener and baguette hotdogs cooked over the open fire and boy, were they good! Rosmarie asked where the term “hotdog” came from and in no time, Susann had the research done. It seems the American Society for Sausages and Hotdogs has come up with an “official” history that you can find on the web…who knew? As we finished up lunch, James got Dylan laughing out loud with goofy noises and faces which all the Grand Aunties and Uncles found greatly entertaining. Peter had begun pressure washing the stone bridge and water gates of the mill pond, getting rid of years of accumulated moss and grime. James and I joined in and we launched a boat into the mill pond so James could work on the bridge face and water gates from that level. He soon found it necessary to tie off the boat as the pressure washer tended to propel him across the pond rather nicely. It’s a good thing he’s young and has good balance because standing up in the boat with a pressure washer is a shaky proposition indeed. A few late afternoon beers and rosé wine led us to another great dinner…an appetizer of tuna, avocado and apple slices stacked like a layer cake, followed by the main course of spatzli and braised beef with carrots (Rosmarie and Susann seemed to plan the meals around all my hot buttons). After dinner I discovered a hammock installed under the willow tree where I reclined to watch winging swallows chase the evening bugs against the clear sky. We warmed up by the fire pit as it had cooled off quite a lot after the sun went down. …Just another great day in the blissful and quiet peace of the French countryside. |
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