Night time!

So night finally arrived and I must stay the evil Jack-o'-Lantern  turned out better than the friendly one!

How to make a Jack-o'-Lantern

Today it was beyond necessary to go grocery shopping. During my grocery shopping I couldn’t help but notice all the lovely orange pumpkins on display everywhere I looked! Now this being my first real autumn it’s also my first real exposure to such tempting displays. Naturally I couldn’t resist! I would have to buy one and make my first jack-o’-lantern. I’d heard they were pretty tough to carve out so I thought I’d start small, and not be too ambitious. So I bought a little pumpkin that was destined to become my jack-o’-lantern.

After numerous referrals to youtube, I felt like I was ready to tackle my lantern. There are a lot of videos on youtube about carving out a pumpkin, some are great some leave much to be desired! Well if you are interested in making your own jack-o’-lantern (which is well worth it, because its enormous fun!) you’ll need a pumpkin, a knife, a bowl for seeds and newspaper to put the fibres and other such unwanted things.

1.       Start off by cutting the top of the pumpkin off. It’s important that you cut it at an angle so that when you put the lid back on it doesn’t fall into the pumpkin, so the top needs to be wider than the bottom.

2.       This is the fun part. You get to stick your hand into the guts of the pumpkin and yank them out! So much fun!! Separate the seeds from the fibres, keep the seeds for roasting and throw the fibres away (though if you’re anything like me, you might keep them and turn them into a soup later on).

3.       Smooth out the inside of the pumpkin with a spoon so it looks nice. This is actually easier than it sounds. The sides scrape away nicely (more soup fodder)

4.       Next best part, draw on the face! I used pencil, cos I’m not much of an artist and know I’ll have to change a few times.

5.       Once you’re happy with the face, time to carve it out. I only used straight lines, cos those are easier to carve and less likely to lead to a screw up. Push the pieces inside the pumpkin to remove them.

6.       Time for lighting!!!!! I, however, have to wait another 4 hours til its dark enough for me to light mine up. Oh waiting is the hardest part!!!

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Now for the intellectual stuff. Jack-o’-Lanterns are actually an Irish thing, coming from Samhein a festival celebrating the time when fairies and spirits are active. Originally they were carved out of turnips (not an easy feat I’m sure!). When Irish people arrived in America, they brought jack-o’-lanterns with them. In America, though, pumpkins were in better supply, and easier to carve so the lanterns were made from them instead. As Samhein is celebrated from the 31 October – 1 November it follows that they were adopted for Halloween.

Now go make your own Jack-o’-Lantern!!!

Crisis Averted

Today has been a pretty relaxed day. The weather outside has been horrendous and relegated me to purely indoor activities. This has been great for my German lessons but there is only so much German one non-German speaking person can handle in a day!!

Thankfully my boredom was alleviated for a few minutes by the sudden and abrupt entry of a bird through a door that was not open more than a couple of inches! Well a second later the cat was off the chair and after the poor, confused bird who flew into one window followed by another, and another. Fortunately the bird slipped down between the stairwell, giving me enough time to capture the cat and forcefully lock it in a room while I attempted to remove the deviant bird.

I grabbed a towel from the bathroom intending to bring it down mid flight, wrap it up and release it outside, unscathed and constantly indebted to me for saving its life. The reality was a little less heroic. The unfortunate bird had been dazed in all the confusion and merely sat on the step staring up at me as I approached it. I was able to cover it in the towel, slide it off the step and let it out outside. It a moment of beauty the bird looked up at me and our eyes locked for a second in which is can only be said that the bird displayed enormous gratitude before it took flight, escaping me, the house and the cat.

After having thoroughly searched the house and failing to find any sign of the bird, the cat is now sulking with me for spoiling her fun.

What is that stuff falling from the sky??

After to days of lazing around the house, doing nothing much but studying up on some German, I decided I need to get out and do something. That something was a hike up to the highest village in the surrounding mountains: St-Cergue. I'm not quite sure how far it is, or actually how to get there, I just knew I had to head up through the forest, so that's where I headed. It was also supposed to rain r snow today and I wanted to ensure that I was high enough for it to be snowing on me, rather than raining on me!!

It was a windy and rather frigid morning when I set off. The wind was whipping through the trees so much so that I was stopped by an elderly couple who were walking their dog. They were worried about me hiking in such weather warned me to watch out for falling trees! Something I'm rather grateful for as that hadn't even occurred to me. Swiss trees don't fall down, that just wouldn't sit well with Swiss order. I'd always imagined Swiss trees to rather gently place themselves on the ground when they were too tired to stand anymore. It seems only right. Fortunately I did not encounter any trees that were inclined to rip themselves from the ground onto my path. The wind, however, did make for beautiful autumn scenery as it gave any indecisive leaf the motivation to fall.

All around me was a rosy array of colour highlighting the path ahead of me. As I mentioned I was not quite sure exactly how to get to St Cergue, I just knew its general direction was up. So up I headed, come path or no path... If anyone ever tries to convince you that it is a better option to walk directly up a hill, instead of taking the path, do not listen to those crazy ramblings! There is no truth in it being easier to go straight up. That is why there are very few paths that go straight up a mountain. Take the long way round! 

Although the hike was long, and continuously uphill it was one of the most delightful hikes I've done. This is partly due to the beautiful autumn colours that surrounded me, but mostly to do with the "weird things falling from the sky". I kept noticing, out the corner of my eye, small little things that I initially thought were seeds falling from the trees. When my brain caught up and thought wait a minute, there no seeds falling from trees in autumn... I took a closer look at what turned out to be SNOWFLAKES!!!! I had left the rain behind and was now wandering though the forest, higher and higher, following the snowflakes as they got bigger and fluffier. What does it matter if you don't know where you are going when you are surrounded by the first white fluffy snowflakes of winter!

We only part to meet again

As a traveller one thing that is a certainty is having to say goodbye. Saying goodbye does get easier but is never easy. We often meet people who will have a lasting effect on our lives, only to have them make a quick stop and then disappear again. Some of the most life changing experiences I have had have been with people who were in my life for a brief but intense period. Other people have a permanent place in your heart and as John Gay says "we only part to meet again".

There are many romantic notions about saying goodbye, only to meet again in some happy time in the future. These notions do not take into consideration the heartbreak and loss felt when actually going separate ways from people who are special. Goodbyes fill the heart with sorrow and a feeling of loss and it is seldom that looking towards seeing each other again provides much comfort.

Today I said goodbye to my parents, who are returning to South Africa while I stay in Europe. We perhaps see each other once or twice a year and those times are precious and treasured. However, the joy of seeing each other again is clouded by the sadness involved in having to say goodbye. There are so many joys and wonders in travelling but parting from those you love is a sacrifice that only time can heal.

     Why can't we get all the people together in the world that we really like                                                      and then just stay together?  I guess that wouldn't work.  Someone would leave.  Someone always leaves.  Then we would have to say good-bye.  I hate good-byes.  I know what I need.  I need more hellos.  ~Charles M. Schulz

Snowy cycling

I often get bright ideas about adventures that seem dramatic and exciting but turn out to be a little bit ill thought out and perhaps rather impractical. That is what happens when you embark on a cycle trip through Switzerland, in autumn, without being fit and not having checked the weather! I thought I had planned well, I had actually consulted a map of the route. It seemed very doable, even in my dreadfully unfit state.

It turns out that you need slightly more planning in a cycle trip than just a consultation with a map. A puncture repair kit is a good start. Seems like its not a good idea to decide to cycle a couple of hundred kilometres without packing said repair kit. Once packed it is almost assured that you will not get a puncture the entire trip. If forgotten, you will receive a puncture in the most remote place on the route. Fortunately for me however, Murphy was not in his element and though I did get a puncture without having a repair kit, it happened within a mere two kilometres from the nearest train station. Yes, I gave in after my first puncture and took the train. Good thing I did! I arrived in Interlaken where I was going to meet up with a couple of friends and set up camp with them. The next day it rained almost non stop the entire time! Not great cycling weather to say the least.

When we went our separate ways I once again headed off on my bike, puncture successfully repaired. About 5km along I got another puncture. We had forgotten to check the tyre for the offensive object that punctured my tyre in the first place. As punishment said object punctured the tube again. This time I was prepared with my repair kit and solved the puncture problem right there on the side of the road.

I was heading to a small village called Lenk where I had a job interview at a hotel bar and club for the winter (I did get the job!). The first night I arrived there I barely had time to get some food, set up camp and cook before it got dark and then very very cold. That night happened to be the coldest night they'd had so far that autumn. I could tell! I woke up freezing a few times and only recovered as morning approached. When I peered out my tent the grass outside was frozen, as was my entire tent! I could actually snap off bits of the sheet of ice that covered my tent. I don't think I have ever been so happy to see the sun rise as I was that morning!

The next day was beautiful and sunny leading me to hope for a more successful night that night. After my interview I enjoyed the sun by hiking through the mountains that I hoped would soon be my home. It was not to be the case. Although that night was not as cold as the previous I did wake to pouring rain, not ideal for cycling. Hoping that I could wait it out I immersed myself in my kindle at a coffee shop. When I looked up again the rain had turned to snow and sleet. Things were definitely not looking up for this trip! My aim was to get lower down where it wouldn't be so bad. Cycling in snow and sleet is not fun! It tends towards leaving you wet and with very frozen fingers. I cycled in such weather for 14km before calling it a day and once more taking a train to my destination: this time a conveniently located friend who is adult enough to have a roof over her head and central heating!

Next time, better planning shall be involved and definite consultations with the weather report!