These were my thoughts just prior to Mums's visit. Not published until now, but I am trying to quickly and briefly catch up! Sometime in October ...
Well, I have been slack. All I can say is things have been very up and down, and very busy.
Financially difficult, until we got our health insurance sorted a little better. Busy for a number of reasons. For me mainly due to my Sommerreitkurse – we had the last two lessons in early October. Then the Patriouillenritt season began – so I have spent two weekends riding all Saturday, and then Sundays recovering! Got some good results in the dressage riding classes, so I was very pleased, and thrilled with Jessika’s effort. It’s a challenge to tune in to her enough to get her to deliver but she will give – you just have to ask correctly!
Jason has been beavering away at work, and also been quite sick – a classic cold, but quite possibly the worst he has ever had. I used to hold the record for colds and flus. It seems that he has unfortunately taken over that mantle!
We went to Bellinzona for our wedding anniversary in early October. The castles and scenery were spectacular, and the food wonderful. But the hospitality at the hotels wasn’t great, and the choice of places to stay really ordinary! We spent Friday afternoon, Saturday and Sunday morning exploring the castles, museums and restaurants in and around Bellinzona. Jason took some beautiful photos, which I will link to in due time.
Having spent some time there my recommendation to anyone visiting Bellinzona is to find accommodation in the surrounding area. Especially that area north of Bellinzona known as Alto Ticino. There are some hotels, and many more agri-Turismo, holiday houses and bed and breakfasts in these beautiful valleys. Lugano has more accommodation options, but the atmosphere is very touristy and resort like, which was not our cup of tea.
If you do stay in Alto Ticino then a car is the best way to get around. It is fine to stay in small villages e.g. the Centovalli and travel by train. However other more remote valleys only have intermittent bus services. So getting to and from the places you want to visit can be inconvenient, especially if you have a tight schedule.
I had a job interview at Novartis in October. It was quite long (2.5 hours), very hot and uncomfortable. No job offer unfortunately. The opportunity to get my foot in the door at Novartis was too good to pass up. Especially with my rudimentary German skills. At worst it was a line into recruitment central, a chance for us to get to know one another, and discuss my skills and abilities, and see what flows from that. Fingers crossed there will be some other opportunities come up.
Making plans for Mum’s visit. Maija and Djuks will be visiting too, for the second week of Mums visit. Cool!!
Ciao for now!
Friday, 9 May 2008
Sunday, 11 November 2007
Patrouillenritt Season ... or the Patrol Ride 29 Sep 2007
A patrol ride is an activity, a little like a gymkhana which is directed to all types or riders, horses and ponies. The final rankings are generally a minor issue, the main point being the team spirit and participation.
A patrol consists of two riders, with a prescribed route and regular stations, or stops with activities at each. Each station has a task to carry out; in pairs, alone, from the horse or from the ground. Riders depart the starting gate in their patrol pair at fixed intervals (every 5-15minutes) and work though the stations along the marked route.
Here are Tamara and Franziska looking on while they wait to do their next task. This was a memory card game, so while the horses relaxed their riders exercised their powers of recall ...
The spectrum of tasks is very wide: from tricky questions on the topic of horses, all the way to sophisticated skill tasks such as crossing a rocking bridge/ramp on horseback or hanging laundry without the horse moving: only the organisers imagination is the limit.
The recipe for success is based not only the will of the horse, their trust in the rider, and their partnership overall. The horses appreciate the game, often unwilling or nervous horses turn out to be eager participants once they have a problem to solve, and riders are continually challenged to be flexible and adjust to new situations.
Here is an example of blowing up balloons, and pinning thim to a line while remaining on your horse ...
Patrol rides run throughout the year and are very popular. Non-riders are always welcome, either as spectators or as helpers at stations, at the canteen or with the organisation.
The likely audience for Patrol rides are all riders, horses and ponies, who enjoy challenging their skills and teamwork.
I have done three so far, and they are lots of fun. I still think that Reiterverein Dornckerberg organised the best. It had a good balance of tasks, challenging but not too hard. I felt like I was able to contribute (which is difficult given my limited German skills) and the tasks were well thought out and set up. The organisation was perfect, and the canteen was spectacular (more kudos to Waltraud and Riccardo, Roman and Rocky). An endless supply of food from the grill, beautiful cakes and drinks flowed all day. Inevitably one learns things, as well as joining in and having fun!
More photos from Reiterverein Dorneckberg are available at their gallery.
A patrol consists of two riders, with a prescribed route and regular stations, or stops with activities at each. Each station has a task to carry out; in pairs, alone, from the horse or from the ground. Riders depart the starting gate in their patrol pair at fixed intervals (every 5-15minutes) and work though the stations along the marked route.
Here are Tamara and Franziska looking on while they wait to do their next task. This was a memory card game, so while the horses relaxed their riders exercised their powers of recall ...
The spectrum of tasks is very wide: from tricky questions on the topic of horses, all the way to sophisticated skill tasks such as crossing a rocking bridge/ramp on horseback or hanging laundry without the horse moving: only the organisers imagination is the limit.
The recipe for success is based not only the will of the horse, their trust in the rider, and their partnership overall. The horses appreciate the game, often unwilling or nervous horses turn out to be eager participants once they have a problem to solve, and riders are continually challenged to be flexible and adjust to new situations.
Here is an example of blowing up balloons, and pinning thim to a line while remaining on your horse ...
Patrol rides run throughout the year and are very popular. Non-riders are always welcome, either as spectators or as helpers at stations, at the canteen or with the organisation.
The likely audience for Patrol rides are all riders, horses and ponies, who enjoy challenging their skills and teamwork.
I have done three so far, and they are lots of fun. I still think that Reiterverein Dornckerberg organised the best. It had a good balance of tasks, challenging but not too hard. I felt like I was able to contribute (which is difficult given my limited German skills) and the tasks were well thought out and set up. The organisation was perfect, and the canteen was spectacular (more kudos to Waltraud and Riccardo, Roman and Rocky). An endless supply of food from the grill, beautiful cakes and drinks flowed all day. Inevitably one learns things, as well as joining in and having fun!
More photos from Reiterverein Dorneckberg are available at their gallery.
Winter woolies
It started to get quite cold in October. Jessika showed it too ... her coat is thickening up, so she is beginning to look like a wooly pony! I grabbed a couple of photos of her in early Autumn, before it became too pronounced!
"Who me?"
Hmm, that phone looks suspicously like a horse treat, give it here ...
"Who me?"
Hmm, that phone looks suspicously like a horse treat, give it here ...
Riding with Emma
Here are some long awaited photos of Emma and Nishka (sorry for the delay Emma ...) out on a ride. Emma Johansson is a really cool Swedish girl, partner to Jon Beves - an Australian colleague of Jason's in Basel. Emma and Jon held our hand when we first arrived in Basel. Franziska kindly allowed Emma to ride Nishka, so the three of us set out on a hack in early October.
A great combination ...
Thank you Nishka!
And I know its blurry ... but the grin on Emma's face said it ALL.
ciao for now!
A great combination ...
Thank you Nishka!
And I know its blurry ... but the grin on Emma's face said it ALL.
ciao for now!
Wedding Anniversary
Mum sent us this beautiful arrangement for the 4th of October. Here is a pic ...
Thanks to everyone who sent messages wishing us well, it was really appreciated! It is really good to have a bit of a pick-me-up around this time, as we also spend a lot of time reflecting on Jason's dad Roy Price.
Thanks to everyone who sent messages wishing us well, it was really appreciated! It is really good to have a bit of a pick-me-up around this time, as we also spend a lot of time reflecting on Jason's dad Roy Price.
OLMA - Swiss Agricultural Fair 2007
OLMA is the major annual agricultural and trade fair in the eastern part of Switzerland. St.Gallen has historically been the economic center of eastern Switzerland and a trade centre of regional significance since the 15th century. It has been the official site of this fair since 1943. The name OLMA is an acronym for "Eastern Swizterland Agriculture and Milk Exhibition". It opens on the 11. - 21. October, and the cantons of Uri, Schwyz, Obwalden and Nidwalden were the guest cantons in 2007.
These four cantons are historically very important in Switzerland. In early August 1291 the cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden (now split into Obwalden and Nidwalden) signed the Federal Charter and united in the struggle against Habsburg rule. In 1315, the Swiss defeated the Habsburgs (rulers of the Duchy of Austria) and secured their own place within the Holy Roman Empire.
Enough history for the moment ... the exhibition had animals, and food and home-wares. The weather gave me my first real taste of winter with temperatures down to zero. Being picked up at the sparrows fart (about 6am), meant that I was safely (and warmly) seated in Riccardo’s four wheel drive on our way out of Basel to meet up with Nadia, Waltraud and Roman. We headed over the hills just outside of Passwang, and temperatures dropped to a low of zero, perhaps even -1C. Driving across the north of Switzerland to St Gallen – about an hour east of Zurich, things warmed up to a fresh 6C.
The most impressive animals included:
Bimbo, the meister bull of the show. Massing 1290kg he was a real hunk of ... hmm. Enough said.
There were some impressive pigs. Some for their endowments ... this boar fathered a number of litters at the show.
Others since they were just so cute ... I loved the piebald pigs!
Some cows/heifers, as refined as Bimbo was massive!
Ah ... the baking. It was really impressive the amount of pride and detail given to all kinds of trades and crafts. My favourite of course was the baking. Many specialties were available, some virtually unknown outside Switzerland. I tried my first, and probably last 'Vermicelli'. This is a concoction of meringue, cream and chestnut puree. I LOVE chestnuts. However altogether this was a little sweet for me. I will still make a plug for chestnut puree... it is starchy, low in fat and with an earthy-sweet flavour which is good in both soups and desserts. Two of my favourites are lentil and chesnut soup, and chocolate chestnut swiss roll. Everyone else had those yummy looking pastry cream cones ... next time!
So far, I knew little of the various cantons, except perhaps their names. The Swiss Confederation consists of 26 cantons. What better way of approaching them (from my point of view) than via their culinary specialities. The three cantons of Zurich, St Gallen and Uri’s specialities are the only ones I couldn’t remember or identify from my photo. I think Uri’s is a type of air dried beef, and St Gallen had something to do with corn, and Zurich an edible (obviously!) oil.
Aargau: Ruebli Torte – Carrot cake. A little trivia … for centuries, two villages in the Aargau - Endingen and Lengnau - were the only places in Switzerland where Jews were permitted to live. They were not permitted to own houses or to live under the same roof with Christians. For the slow process of Jewish emancipation in Aargau and Switzerland, see here.
Appenzell Innerhoden and Ausserrhoden: Appenzeller Käse (cheese)
Basel Stadt and Basel Land: Cherries – simple, but good and used to make a popular local Kirsch.
Bern: Bärner Platte – king of the mixed grill!
Fribourg: Pears are a popular autumn harvested fruit
Geneva: Cardoons, which make a local specialty Gratin de Cardons (or Kardy in Swiss German, I think the French sounds a little more elegant here !!).
Glarus: Glarner Schabzieger, this unique cheese has a mysterious green hue. It has been given the unprepossessing English name of sap sago. Goodness knows why! Surely Schabzieger is not that hard to say! The green color is due the addition of clover. Not only does this herb add an interesting tint, it also gives the cheese a unique sharpness. Sap Sago is made to be a grating cheese and is not commonly eaten straight. It is excellent grated over steamed vegetables; especially cauliflower, broccoli or potatoes. In Switzerland, this conical cheese is often grated and blended with butter to create a piquant spread for bread or crackers.
Graubünden/Grisons: Capuns (chard-wrapped dumplings)
Jura: Tete de Moine – Bellelay cheese is a semi-hard cheese with a silky body which easily melts in your mouth. It is not cut, but pared into the shape of delicate rosettes. The paring technique increases the amount of air coming into contact with the surface of the cheese, altering the structure of its body and allowing the full flavour of the cheese to develop. A special paring device has been manufactured, which like that fondue set, can become a dust collector if you don’t have a handy supply of Bellelay cheese on hand :-).
Lucern: Luzerner Chügelipastete – a type of casserole served in a pastry case. Can be large (for up to eight people) or made in an individual serving size.
Neuchatel: Taillaule neuchâteloise, a yeast raised bread with raisins and lemon, baked in a tin and recognizable by the deep slashes in the crust.
Obwalden and Nidwalden: Sbrinz, a hard mountain cheese (or Hard Bergkäse). This hard, grainy cheese is one of the world's oldest, dating back to 23 A.D. Made high in the Alps in Switzerland's central region, Sbrinz is often compared to Parmigiano Reggiano. Like Reggiano, Sbrinz comes in massive 80 pound wheels and is made from unpasteurized cow's milk. Aged for at least 18 months, this cheese is hard enough to grate. The Swiss enjoy it shaved in paper-thin slices and served as an appetizer with air-dried beef and tomatoes.
Valais: Raclette. In origin a simple rural dish (as for fondue). A big wheel of Raclette cheese is cut in half and mounted in front of a fire. As the surface of the cheese melts and browns it is scraped off onto the individual diner’s plate and eaten with accompaniements – potatoes, pickles, onions, salad, tomatoes, fruit, bread and seasonings. Now eaten all over Switzerland also like fondue. We had the pleasure of traying Raclette at a special Raclette night arranged by the Riders Club that nadia is the president of. More on that later, but here is Jasons photo
Vaud: Saucisse aux choux - a typical dish of pork and cabbage-filled sausage, which is served with the famous papet vaudois (leeks and potatoes).
Schaffhausen: origin of the famous Schaffhauser Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) grape.
Schwyz: Schwyzer Alpkase
Solothurn: Solothurn Torte, Hazelnut meringue cake with a light cream filling. I think this cake may have won Solothurn the crown for 2007 in the presentation of regional specialities.
Thurgau: Thurgauer Tafeltrauben, table grapes … their prominence in this region is closely related to Schaffhausen’s product (Schaffhauser Blauburgunder or pinot noir grapes). These regions are neighbours.
Ticino/Tessin: Merlot wine. Jason and I actually had some lovely merlot in Bellinzona. Castle Grande bottles its own wine from the vines which grow on the slopes of the castle mount. It is superb, not what we expected from such a small bottling in the middle of a bustling town!
Zug: Zuger Kirsch – a Cherry based spirit, used in Zuger Torte, which seems to me very, very closely related (suspiciously so) to Black Forest Torte. I make no assumptions about whose is the original! I just choose to enjoy them both, and appreciate their unique taste :-)
These four cantons are historically very important in Switzerland. In early August 1291 the cantons of Uri, Schwyz and Unterwalden (now split into Obwalden and Nidwalden) signed the Federal Charter and united in the struggle against Habsburg rule. In 1315, the Swiss defeated the Habsburgs (rulers of the Duchy of Austria) and secured their own place within the Holy Roman Empire.
Enough history for the moment ... the exhibition had animals, and food and home-wares. The weather gave me my first real taste of winter with temperatures down to zero. Being picked up at the sparrows fart (about 6am), meant that I was safely (and warmly) seated in Riccardo’s four wheel drive on our way out of Basel to meet up with Nadia, Waltraud and Roman. We headed over the hills just outside of Passwang, and temperatures dropped to a low of zero, perhaps even -1C. Driving across the north of Switzerland to St Gallen – about an hour east of Zurich, things warmed up to a fresh 6C.
The most impressive animals included:
Bimbo, the meister bull of the show. Massing 1290kg he was a real hunk of ... hmm. Enough said.
There were some impressive pigs. Some for their endowments ... this boar fathered a number of litters at the show.
Others since they were just so cute ... I loved the piebald pigs!
Some cows/heifers, as refined as Bimbo was massive!
Ah ... the baking. It was really impressive the amount of pride and detail given to all kinds of trades and crafts. My favourite of course was the baking. Many specialties were available, some virtually unknown outside Switzerland. I tried my first, and probably last 'Vermicelli'. This is a concoction of meringue, cream and chestnut puree. I LOVE chestnuts. However altogether this was a little sweet for me. I will still make a plug for chestnut puree... it is starchy, low in fat and with an earthy-sweet flavour which is good in both soups and desserts. Two of my favourites are lentil and chesnut soup, and chocolate chestnut swiss roll. Everyone else had those yummy looking pastry cream cones ... next time!
So far, I knew little of the various cantons, except perhaps their names. The Swiss Confederation consists of 26 cantons. What better way of approaching them (from my point of view) than via their culinary specialities. The three cantons of Zurich, St Gallen and Uri’s specialities are the only ones I couldn’t remember or identify from my photo. I think Uri’s is a type of air dried beef, and St Gallen had something to do with corn, and Zurich an edible (obviously!) oil.
Aargau: Ruebli Torte – Carrot cake. A little trivia … for centuries, two villages in the Aargau - Endingen and Lengnau - were the only places in Switzerland where Jews were permitted to live. They were not permitted to own houses or to live under the same roof with Christians. For the slow process of Jewish emancipation in Aargau and Switzerland, see here.
Appenzell Innerhoden and Ausserrhoden: Appenzeller Käse (cheese)
Basel Stadt and Basel Land: Cherries – simple, but good and used to make a popular local Kirsch.
Bern: Bärner Platte – king of the mixed grill!
Fribourg: Pears are a popular autumn harvested fruit
Geneva: Cardoons, which make a local specialty Gratin de Cardons (or Kardy in Swiss German, I think the French sounds a little more elegant here !!).
Glarus: Glarner Schabzieger, this unique cheese has a mysterious green hue. It has been given the unprepossessing English name of sap sago. Goodness knows why! Surely Schabzieger is not that hard to say! The green color is due the addition of clover. Not only does this herb add an interesting tint, it also gives the cheese a unique sharpness. Sap Sago is made to be a grating cheese and is not commonly eaten straight. It is excellent grated over steamed vegetables; especially cauliflower, broccoli or potatoes. In Switzerland, this conical cheese is often grated and blended with butter to create a piquant spread for bread or crackers.
Graubünden/Grisons: Capuns (chard-wrapped dumplings)
Jura: Tete de Moine – Bellelay cheese is a semi-hard cheese with a silky body which easily melts in your mouth. It is not cut, but pared into the shape of delicate rosettes. The paring technique increases the amount of air coming into contact with the surface of the cheese, altering the structure of its body and allowing the full flavour of the cheese to develop. A special paring device has been manufactured, which like that fondue set, can become a dust collector if you don’t have a handy supply of Bellelay cheese on hand :-).
Lucern: Luzerner Chügelipastete – a type of casserole served in a pastry case. Can be large (for up to eight people) or made in an individual serving size.
Neuchatel: Taillaule neuchâteloise, a yeast raised bread with raisins and lemon, baked in a tin and recognizable by the deep slashes in the crust.
Obwalden and Nidwalden: Sbrinz, a hard mountain cheese (or Hard Bergkäse). This hard, grainy cheese is one of the world's oldest, dating back to 23 A.D. Made high in the Alps in Switzerland's central region, Sbrinz is often compared to Parmigiano Reggiano. Like Reggiano, Sbrinz comes in massive 80 pound wheels and is made from unpasteurized cow's milk. Aged for at least 18 months, this cheese is hard enough to grate. The Swiss enjoy it shaved in paper-thin slices and served as an appetizer with air-dried beef and tomatoes.
Valais: Raclette. In origin a simple rural dish (as for fondue). A big wheel of Raclette cheese is cut in half and mounted in front of a fire. As the surface of the cheese melts and browns it is scraped off onto the individual diner’s plate and eaten with accompaniements – potatoes, pickles, onions, salad, tomatoes, fruit, bread and seasonings. Now eaten all over Switzerland also like fondue. We had the pleasure of traying Raclette at a special Raclette night arranged by the Riders Club that nadia is the president of. More on that later, but here is Jasons photo
Vaud: Saucisse aux choux - a typical dish of pork and cabbage-filled sausage, which is served with the famous papet vaudois (leeks and potatoes).
Schaffhausen: origin of the famous Schaffhauser Blauburgunder (Pinot Noir) grape.
Schwyz: Schwyzer Alpkase
Solothurn: Solothurn Torte, Hazelnut meringue cake with a light cream filling. I think this cake may have won Solothurn the crown for 2007 in the presentation of regional specialities.
Thurgau: Thurgauer Tafeltrauben, table grapes … their prominence in this region is closely related to Schaffhausen’s product (Schaffhauser Blauburgunder or pinot noir grapes). These regions are neighbours.
Ticino/Tessin: Merlot wine. Jason and I actually had some lovely merlot in Bellinzona. Castle Grande bottles its own wine from the vines which grow on the slopes of the castle mount. It is superb, not what we expected from such a small bottling in the middle of a bustling town!
Zug: Zuger Kirsch – a Cherry based spirit, used in Zuger Torte, which seems to me very, very closely related (suspiciously so) to Black Forest Torte. I make no assumptions about whose is the original! I just choose to enjoy them both, and appreciate their unique taste :-)
Baking Links
Thanks to Rose's newsletter see my links for Real Baking with Rose, I found a rather amusing piece of advice about a flour, with the eponymous name Kate Flour. Essentially it seems to be about reducing the moisture content of the flour to improve the gelatinising qualities of it during baking. Now all I have to do is get a microwave ... :-(. Thanks to the range of flours in Switzerland/Germany I have no trouble sourcing good cake flour, but it is always good to know!
BTW here is a photo of my first attempt at making Klingers ...
BTW here is a photo of my first attempt at making Klingers ...
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