February 2018
Sunday, 11th February 2018
This afternoon our gospel choir - Gospel Bridge Hombrechtikon - sang a varied and colourful concert in the Roman Catholic church in Hombi. My main task was to accompany the choir at the piano, but I also sang in some of the numbers and conducted one song.
The big surprise was the size of the audience that turned up. Having a good audience is a real encouragement, and I think we performed all the better for it.
Concert review
The big surprise was the size of the audience that turned up. Having a good audience is a real encouragement, and I think we performed all the better for it.
Concert review
Friday, 23rd February
Winter sport holidays
This week we’ve been having winter sport holidays.
And our main sport this year has been called “moving house”. After having lived for just over seven years in this pleasant little flat at the very top of Bochslenstrasse, it’s time to move on.
So we’ve been sorting out the things we want to keep, putting them in boxes, labelling them and storing them in the garage, ready for the move.
Other things we’ve been taking to the recycling centre or simply disposing of them in black bin bags.
We’re moving at the end of March and the new flat we’re moving into is in Hombrechtikon Tobel, just about 3 minutes from here on foot.
And our main sport this year has been called “moving house”. After having lived for just over seven years in this pleasant little flat at the very top of Bochslenstrasse, it’s time to move on.
So we’ve been sorting out the things we want to keep, putting them in boxes, labelling them and storing them in the garage, ready for the move.
Other things we’ve been taking to the recycling centre or simply disposing of them in black bin bags.
We’re moving at the end of March and the new flat we’re moving into is in Hombrechtikon Tobel, just about 3 minutes from here on foot.
Escaping above the fog for a day
But the week hasn’t entirely been spent putting things into packing cases. Today we escaped up above the fog in Elm in Canton Glarus.
We went for a good walk up into the mountains and then sledged down again. Halfway down the toboggan run we came across this tiny old house, where my wife used to spend holidays in her childhood.
We went for a good walk up into the mountains and then sledged down again. Halfway down the toboggan run we came across this tiny old house, where my wife used to spend holidays in her childhood.
Saturday, 24th February
The embarassing things kids say
This afternoon we attended a wedding in Küsnacht and something funny happened while we were travelling home on the train along the Gold Coast.
Just across the aisle from us, a young family were sitting: a mother and two small girls. They were speaking English and from their accent I would say they were Canadian. They were playing I-spy - you know, the game that goes:
“I spy with my little eye something beginning with S.” The other players try to guess what the first player can see. “Scarf?” “No.” “Shirt?” “No!” “Seat?” “Yes!”
In the case of the Canadian family, they were guessing not with letters of the alphabet, but with colours.
“I spy with my little eye something blue.” “The seat?” “No.” “Your glasses?” “Nope!” “My jeans?” “Yes!”
Then it was the turn of Esmeralda, the bigger of the two girls.
“I spy with my little eye something grey,” she said, and I just fancied she glanced impishly in my direction. The family started guessing. “The arm of the seat?” “Nope.” “The floor?” “Nope!” “Your boots?” “Nope!!”
“You’ll have to give us a clue!”
“It’s alive!”
The mother looked around and spotted me in the seat just across from her. Alive and (at least in part) grey. “You don’t mean him, do you?” she asked, rather embarrassed.
But the mother’s embarrassment was spared, because just then the train pulled into Meilen station and she hustled Esmeralda and her sister out onto the platform.
Just across the aisle from us, a young family were sitting: a mother and two small girls. They were speaking English and from their accent I would say they were Canadian. They were playing I-spy - you know, the game that goes:
“I spy with my little eye something beginning with S.” The other players try to guess what the first player can see. “Scarf?” “No.” “Shirt?” “No!” “Seat?” “Yes!”
In the case of the Canadian family, they were guessing not with letters of the alphabet, but with colours.
“I spy with my little eye something blue.” “The seat?” “No.” “Your glasses?” “Nope!” “My jeans?” “Yes!”
Then it was the turn of Esmeralda, the bigger of the two girls.
“I spy with my little eye something grey,” she said, and I just fancied she glanced impishly in my direction. The family started guessing. “The arm of the seat?” “Nope.” “The floor?” “Nope!” “Your boots?” “Nope!!”
“You’ll have to give us a clue!”
“It’s alive!”
The mother looked around and spotted me in the seat just across from her. Alive and (at least in part) grey. “You don’t mean him, do you?” she asked, rather embarrassed.
But the mother’s embarrassment was spared, because just then the train pulled into Meilen station and she hustled Esmeralda and her sister out onto the platform.
Front page story
Look back to 1665: the Plague Year
Contact
If you’re interested in English lessons or translation and checking services, please feel free to contact me in the language of your choice - English, French, German or even Lingala!
Here are my details:
Here are my details:
Mobile
078 609 56 51
+41 78 609 56 51
+41 78 609 56 51
Location
Tödistrasse 9, 8634 Hombrechtikon
(New address from 24th March 2018)
(New address from 24th March 2018)
If you are travelling from Rüti / Wolfhausen, drive past the Hombrechtikon place-name sign for about 300 metres and turn right into Tödistrasse, just before the Tobel bus stop.
Approaching from Hombrechtikon
If you are approaching from the centre of Hombrechtikon, follow the signs to Rüti. At the Tobel junction (the Methodist Church is on the left) turn left. Tödistrasse is the next turning on the left, just past the Tobel bus stop.
The entrance to our new flat is about 100 metres from the junction with Rütistrasse, on the left-hand side of the road.
The house number is number 9 and we are on the first floor.
There are a few visitor’s parking bays a short distance beyond the entrance, on the left.
There are a few visitor’s parking bays a short distance beyond the entrance, on the left.
Arriving by bus
If you arrive by bus from Bubikon, get off the bus at Tobel and follow Tödiweg until you get to Tödistrasse. Our house is on the right.