gincoleaves: Dezember 2007

HAPPY NEW YEAR !

I'd like to wish each and every blogger, near and far, and

every blogger reader from the East to the West, a

very very healthy and a prosperous NEW YEAR 2008!

May everything you touch turn to gold ! ! !

Last minute little bag for DIL's sister

May the spirit of Christmas bring you peace
The gladness of Christmas give you hope
The warmth of Christmas grant you love.
Author unknown

A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL !

Let's do it the French way

Christmas is around the corner, and I haven't bought a single
present for anyone in my family!
This morning I went down town, with not a clue what to buy.

Two Sundays before Christmas, we're given the opportunity

to shop from 1pm to 6pm, which is an extra day for people like me

who shop for that last minute gift.

I don't like buying last minute presents - because it's never the right present.

This year, I think I can blame it on the fact that we arrived back from SA

almost at the end of November and I never realized that I have to move my-

self and get ready for the big Christmas shopping.

So this morning I went down town to have a little look see.

I strolled, looked around and searched for a few hours then

give it up as a bad job.

I decided to go into one of our town's largest bookshops in search of

an English book on embroidery ideas.

(I will post a few of my favorite things and my most loved hobby in

the new year.)

As this is a very large book store, I felt rather lost as where to

start searching, I found a shop assistant who directed me to the English

book department, but

on every ocassion, I was lead a little astray, so the fourth assistant

was nice enough to take me directly to the Dept. where I wanted to be.

When I thanked her for helping me but "Please where are the English

books?" she gave me a surprised look and said,

"Sorry, we don't have these books in English, unless you've ordered

something?!"

Neither my disappointment nor hers could save the day!

Back on the cold and busy street, I licked my wounds for not finding

one single English book in the bookstore, and stepped into the KIOSK

(the place to buy cigarettes, assorted sweets/ chocolates, newspapers

and magazines) and bought the December issue of MARIE CLARE.

A wonderful magazine, jam packed with super ideas for those who

love embroidery and handcrafted goodies !

I don't feel so bad about this glorious magazine being published only

in French - if English is not available, I'll just

geeev it a try, in zeee French waay!

C'est si bon !

Christmas at Home.

Christmas in South Africa is a summer holiday. In December, the southern summer brings glorious days of sunshine that carry an irresistible invitation to the beaches, the rivers, and the shaded mountain slopes. Then the South African holiday season reaches its height. Schools are closed, and camping is the order of the day. In South Africa there is no snow, but it has many flowers, many beautiful varieties of cultivated and wild flowers being in their full pride.
In the cities and towns carolers make their rounds on Christmas Eve. Church services are held on Christmas morning. Christmas Eve celebrations in larger centers include "Carols by Candlelight" and special screen and floor shows.

Homes are decorated with pine branches, and all have the decorated Christmas fir in a corner, with presents for the children around. At bedtime on Christmas Eve, children may also hang up their stockings for presents from Father Christmas.

Many South Africans have a Christmas dinner in the open-air lunch. For many more, it is the traditional dinner of either turkey, roast beef, mince pies, or suckling pig, yellow rice with raisins, vegetables, and plum pudding, crackers, paper hats, and all. In the afternoon, families go out into the country and usually there are games or bathing in the warm sunshine, and then home in the cool of the evening. Boxing Day is also a proclaimed public holiday usually spent in the open air. It falls on December 26 and is a day of real relaxation.

Christmas in Switzerland
A tinkling of a silver bell heralds the arrival of Christkindli - a white clad angel, with a face veil held in place by a jeweled crown. The tree candles are lit as she enters each house and hands out presents from the basket held by her child helpers.

The week before Christmas, children dress up and visit homes with small gifts. Bell ringing has become a tradition, and each village competes with the next when calling people to midnight mass. After the service, families gather to share huge homemade doughnuts called ringli and hot chocolate.

In Switzerland, the Chlausjagen Festival or Feast of St. Nichohlas is celebrated at dusk on 6 December with a procession of "lifeltrager' wearing gigantic illuminated lanterns in the shape of a Bishop's mitre on their heads.
The Swiss wait for the Christ child called Christkindli, to arrive with gifts for all in his reindeer-drawn sleigh.

In Switzerland, during the holiday season the Star Singers or Sternsingers dressed as the Three Kings parade through the streets of cities and towns singing Christmas songs.

In Zurich, Santa visits in a special fairytale tram and gives the children a ride through the city, singing songs with them and sharing a basket full of sweets.

Post gone Missing

As Christmas is just around the corner, I thought this

true story will be just the thing to blog about.

Just imagine the Christmas cards that you've posted to friends and

family, don't reach their destination, OR, only one of the

cards finds it's way back - 93 years later! !

This post card in the picture, was sent off in 1914 but it strayed and stay-

ed missing for 93 years, and it's now made it's appearance in

Northwest Kansas.

It is indeed a mystery where this card spent most of the last

century, and how is it possible that it wasn't thrown away?!

Truth is stranger than fiction!

Tannenbaum, Ooh Tannenbaum ! Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree!

Have you decorated your Christmas tree yet? (Here we decorate on
the 24th December)

Have you baked your Christmas cookies yet? (Here we buy the dough

all ready made, but me being a South African, I prefer baking it myself)

Have you sent off all your Christmas cards?

Have you bought all your Christmas prezzies?

Is your Christmas menu all planned for the BIG DAY?

I am still suffering from "jet lag", so I've done very little of the above mentioned

except send off my Christmas cards.

We must slowly but surely get a move on to good ol' Germany for

some thorough food shopping - else we will surely go without that

long awaited Christmas lunch !

The picture above is the ever so famous Christmas tree (in Zürich) decorated

with SWAROVSKI crystals.

Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to see it in person, but

Girl-child is forever raving about it's beauty and splendour!

If you haven't done any of the Christmas duties yet, please have a

look and listen to this, I hope it will help to get you into the Christmas

spirit ! ! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMn2r_DQ4CE

Our House, in the middle of the street....!

Ever since I've started blogging just over a year now, I have been grumbling
and groaning about how I miss my house in South Africa, and how much I miss
gardening, feeling the good earth on my hands, or simply going for a quiet
stroll down to the very bottom end of the garden!

It really isn't easy to be a home owner when you are living in Switzerland, I
kid you not, you must either have mega bucks to afford the walls that
you can call your own, OR you must have a very rich Uncle tucked away
somewhere along the
the family line.

Little ol' me don't have either of the two options mentioned above - poor
as a wee church mouse I am!!

A lot of people living here in Switzerland are in the habbit of hiring a communial
garden.
I cannot give you the size of such a hired garden, but it isn't very big, so most
people will grow a few veggies and a couple of flowers, and they will have only
enough room to place a little garden shed. Some folks will go to all
extremes and get a housy that looks like a "Heidi in the Alps" house"

No matter how much effort you've put into that little house, living
in it is not allowed!

In the very early years of living here, I must admit I have considered
hiring one of those, JUST TO DO A LITTLE GARDENING!!!

But let's be honost here, who in his right mind wants to travel some
distance before he/she can get to his garden.
No way! - I want to step out of my kitchen door or out of my front door
and fall right into MY GARDEN!!

SO, One day while my good friend and I went galavanting again she drove
me to the last house we lived in, in Southern Africa.

We even went to the house we lived in before this one, but for some
unexplained reason, NONE of the photos came to life!!

Unfortunately I couldn't take more pics of this house where we lived
and left behind so many wonderful memories.
As I was clicking away, the new owner appeared, so before he got sus-
picious and think that someone
had criminal intentions, I got back into my friend's car and we disappeared!

Gincoleaves are falling down.........!

If anyone had a camera handy yesterday morning, this is exactly what

I was doing - but I was doing this in the safety of my own home.

We have a very small threshold that seperates the livingroom from

the entrance hall, and another silly little step that leads from the hallway

into the bedroom.

Whatever the purpose of these silly things, is still a puzzle to me, but

after what had happened to me early yesterday morning, I am

convinced that these blistering things are placed into the floor

just for people to trip over.

I had just finished drinking my second cup of morning coffee, when it

happened.

When I got up from the table and walked over to the bathroom, I tripped,

and made a bee-line straight down to the floor.

I must have hooked onto the threshold, still wearing slippers on my feet,

but the strangest part of the fall - was how I saw it.

Honost to goodness I was not under the influence of alcohol (8.20pm will

be an absolute disgrace, I dare say)

From some dizzy height I was looking down at myself, all in slow motion,

saw the floor coming closer and closer - and came back to reality the moment

I hit the hard floor!

Somehow I tried to ease the fall by holding out my arms and hands

in front of me. (I was going to hit the floor in any case, so that stunt wasn't

going to make any difference)

Moments laterI felt the pain.

My main worry and thoughts were "I must've broken my legg!"

I reached the floor like a ton of bricks (what an awful sound)

The poor ol' legg looks like I've been to some crazy tatto artist, my

hip is bruised and changing colours like a camelion, but apart

from beeing battered and bruised - NADA is broken!

The part that suffered most, was my left wrist, and by midday I was

in such agony (besides the fact that I couldn't do anything ) I was con-

vinced I was going to pay a visit to the emergency hospital and have

the wrist x-rayed.

But, here I am, all bright eyed and bushy tailed, (tail looked darn

awful yesterday) typing my story away.

Perhaps I have become a little paranoid about the Christmas season, be-

cause last year at exactly this time my husband Mr. CC was lying in the

Intensive care unit.

That would have been a piece of cake if a broken or sprained wrist was

the cause ! !

So please everyone, watch out for thresholds and hidden obsticles in

and around your homes! ! !

Another Spitting Plus for Africa.

A newly discovered giant spitting Cobra , meauring nearly 9 feet
and carrying enough venom to kill at least 15 people is seen in
this picture released by WILDLIFE DIRECT December 7, 2007.
Wildlife Direct, a conservation group, said the Cobras were the world's
largest and had been identified as unique.
The species has been named Naja Ashei after James Ashe, who
founded Bio-ken snake farm on KENYA'S tropical coast where the
gigantic serpents are found.

It is known whenever the Cobra or Rinkhals rears up, he will

aim straight at your face when he does his "spitting bit" and some

species can "spit" up to 3 metres, the poison is ejected in a spray

and the chances of you NOT getting the deadly poison in your eyes are

slim.

I dread to think what kind of tricks this new found beauty has up

his "sleeves!"

Time

Time is the only thing that lies between a problem and a solution.

During that time we sometimes need to act swift and effectively,

but most of the time we just need to relax and sit it out.

How very true, but how often do we handle a problem in this

way by staying cool calm and collected?

I don't know who wrote these wise words, but I found it in a

South African magazine.

A little shopping down South?

While we were in South Africa, my Son took a week's leave so

that he could show us around, and naturally the womenfolk (Girl-

child and myself) wanted to see all the new changes and the shopping

areas of the City where we once lived.

As all you Ladies will agree with me, shopping isn't

exactly a man's kind of thing, but somehow we managed to "sprint"

through one or two large Malls situated in the Randburg and

Sandton Area.

The following week I made up for lost shopping time and my good

friend took us to a Mall called CLEAR WATER.

What caught my eye was this "plant" known as the BITTER ALOE

but if you'll take a closer look, you will see that all the "leaves" are made

from tiny green beads.

Later that day my friend took us to the all familiar Shopping Centre

in Randburg called the HYPERAMA.

In the past year I've been complaining about foodstuff which is un-

known here in Switzerland - so just to give you all an idea of what I'd

call a Supermarket, I simply had to take a picture of this foodstore, and

there's plenty more to this picture, but I couldn't get it all onto the pic.