Nonna and Ella Tili

Super Auntie Eva - thanks for taking care of Ella!

One more rider in the family!

Ella bringing order into things...!

This was Mama's freshly washed and carefully folded laundry once upon a time, as well as a well stocked cooky box...

...completed exhausted after having sorted out ALL the toys in bed.

Inventory of the kitchen cupboards once again...

... and friendly sorting out of bears, lions, marmotts and donkeys...

...finished off by the milk bottle, which will be desperately searched for a minute later!

Saturday, 18th of October - Indian summer in the Jura mountains

Well, things did not start off well - little Ella Tili wanted to sleep rather than go on a hike this morning! An unhappy little girl waited for the train, and neither Mama nor Castor managed to cheer her up!





After a short nap in the train, however, she studied the map herself in a much better mood, and we set off into the forest behind Le Bemont along a beautiful trail...

...only for Ella to conclude after a few hundred meters that she did not like this path, and down she sat! Off she went for another sleep, now carried on Mama's back!

But then, when we arrived at the "Couleurs du terroir" coffee shop in Montfaucon that little girl all of a sudden was fully awake - and hungry! A full bottle of milk and an entire fruit roll from Wenger's Delicatessa bakery disappeared in no time, while Mama chose absinthe, dalmassine and more of the things Wenger's do best...!
By now the rucksack had definitely become too heavy to carry Ella Tili any further, so she had to walk down the alley to Pre-Petitjean on her own...with a little help of Castor, the good old lad, of course!
No train at 1 gave reason enought for lunch in the garden of the hotel de la gare - delicious goat cheese wraped in jambon cru let no wishes open with Mama...

...and this little advert that Mama spotted makes sure that H4 will soon return to that place again!

A bientot Papa!

H4 (Castor took the picture, that is why he is not seen!) stood on Tramelan station saying a bientot on a cold September morning. I am snug and warm in a cloth and under Mama's cape. Later that day I went for my second afternoon to the creche while Mama studied and Papa flew East.

Climbing out of the bath in four easy movements...

Although playing in the bath is great fun and I can literally do it for hours, I am always on the look out for new challenges. The latest is climbing out of the bath - in a safe and controlled manner. I do it in four easy steps:


Make sure you form a wide solid base at all times when standing up in the bath. Once stood, hands placed wide apart reduces the chances of slipping, falling over and banging your head. Ouch!


A good wide stance, a good wide hand placement with fingers spread for maximum traction on a slippery surface like tiles. Lean slightly forward and then begin to raise the knee onto the side of the bath.


Remember, at least three points of contact, ideally follow the contours of what you are climbing with your body, one arm out front ready to pull up, rear knee up nice and high, and most importantly look ahead in the direction you want to move.


Et voila! I'm out and now in a position to look at the magazine that had been left lying around, tantalizingly out of reach while I played in the bath!

Un Chocolat Chaud...the ultimate morale booster

There can be no dispute, after a long climb up to a mountian hut, albeit on Papa's back, there is nothing like a chocolat chaud to bring a smile to your face!

Danke Nonna!

Es war sehr schön mit Nonna: sie hat mit mir "der Joggeli wot ga rite" 100 Mal gespielt...

It was great with Nonna: a hundred times I went for riding with Joggeli...

...und 1000Mal habe ich Büchli mit Ihr angeschaut!

...and at least 1000 times I have been looking at books with her!

Wenn Nonna gekocht hat, habe ich mit Ruedi einen Apero getrunken...

When Nonna has been cooking, I had sundowners with Grandpa Ruedi...

...bis ich endlich wieder mit Nonna mehr Büchli anschauen konnte!
...until finally I could continue to look at books with Nonna!

Nonna hat mir einen wunderbaren Geburtstagskuchen gebacken!

Nonna has baken a very sweet birthday cake for me!

Auch Cousin Marco und Tante Eva haben uns besucht...aber ich habe nicht verstanden warum Marco nicht aufstehen und mir mit spielen wollte!
Also Cousin Marco and Aunt Eva visited...but I could not understand why Marco did not get up to play with me!


Und sobald Nonna wieder Zeit hatte, haben wir noch ein Büchli angeschaut!

And as soon as Nonna hat time again we looked at yet another book!

THANK YOU NONNA FOR EVERYTHING! I LEARNED SO MUCH OF YOU! SEE YOU SOON AGAIN!

Wer sieht Nonna und Ella? Who can spot Nonna and Ella?

...von unserer Loft in Tramelan September und Oktober 2008.

...from our Loft in Tramelan, September and October 2008.

Bloody cold now!

It is bloody cold now in Switzerland, but just before these cold days, and minutes before a real storm broke out over lake of Biel we managed a final swim to close the season, in September!