Enjoying the beauties of nature in Heidi’s Country

Normally I do not write about the same place several times (this is the third time in this particular case!). However, on one of many weekends that I have spent in this very special hideaway somewhere in the heights of Switzerland, I could not help but capture these beautiful landscapes and I wanted to share them with you.

These are photos of mountains, meadows, old huts (or “mazots”), chalets, pastures, grazing cows, horses, blue/grey shades of sky, wild flowers...and me barefoot in this wonderful green land that I have nicknamed Heidi’s Country. 

I hope you like this very special place!

Lots of Love

When these young cows saw us arriving, they rushed up to the fence to see us. 

One even posed for the picture…look at her leg…Sweetheart and I had a good laugh…so cute…

I never get tired of this beautiful scenery of nature

Never get tired of photographing wildflowers

I never get tired of watching cows grazing. There are various breeds of cow out in the pastures, for example: Hérens, Montbéliarde…

The Montbéliarde cow

The Hérens cow

Did you know that they eat all their food twice? Once the cow has grazed a large amount of grass, it will lie down quietly and regurgitate what it has eaten in small mouthfuls which it re-chews for better digestion.  This process is known as rumination or, more commonly, chewing the cud.

Here is a ruminating Hérens cow.

The region is full of “bisses”. These are irrigation or mill water supply channels carved into the mountainside.

Another attraction very dear to my heart are the various improvised tiny sanctuaries where one can place a lighted candle.

Heat and Dust by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (1975)

The beautiful, spoiled and bored Olivia, married to a civil servant, outrages society in the tiny, suffocating Indian town of Satipur by eloping with an Indian prince. This is her story and that of her step-granddaughter who, fifty years later, goes back to the heat, the dust and the squalor of the bazaars to solve the enigma of Olivia’s scandal.

Author: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, was born on 7 May 1927 in Cologne in Germany to Jewish parents. After moving to India in 1951, she married an Indian architect. The couple lived in New Delhi, and had three daughters. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala began then to elaborate her experiences in India and wrote novels and tales on Indian subjects. She lived in Britain where her family took refuge in 1939 and became a British citizen. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala died in her home in New York City, where she had moved in later life, on 3 April 2013 at the age of 85.

My thoughts: This fictional historical novel was on my bookshelf for over twenty years. I read it before Easter this year and I wondered how it was that I had forgotten it all these years…Anyway, I loved this powerful gem of 181 pages, a winner of the Booker Prize in 1975.

The story takes place in India in 1923 in the English community. The narrator, Olivia’s step-granddaughter, easily switches from the past to the present, to tell us the story of Olivia and to recount her own personal search for spirituality in India. One gets an insight into the culture, customs and difficulties encountered by expats or travellers in search of wisdom, peace and spirituality, as well as learning about the scandal that took place in the 1920’s concerning Olivia, the first wife of the narrator’s grandfather.

I loved the two worlds described in the book, but I preferred the story of the old era - its characters are picturesque.

The main character, Olivia is married to Douglas, a very educated, noble man who is a workaholic and is obviously incapable of understanding his wife’s needs. Olivia is very feminine, she loves playing the piano and reading, but often feels bored and is not enthusiastic towards the British community. At a dinner party, she meets the Nawab and gradually becomes attracted to him. The Nawab is the opposite of her husband Douglas. The Nawab is the prince of Khatm. He is both an exciting man and one who knows how to influence people to his advantage. He is a man with few noble values and, therefore, is disliked by the majority of the British community, with the exception of a very few people, such as Olivia and Harry, everyone’s best friend. The latter is a handsome homosexual, who is a helpful and sensitive person in whom Olivia confides.

To sum up, this is a wonderfully profound and pleasant read. In case you wonder, Olivia ends up leaving her husband for the promise of an exciting life with the Nawab...

Marbled Chocolate Banana Cake

I love making easy, quick and tasty cakes for every day! I am always super excited when I see a new recipe with ingredients that I like and that are easily accessible. At the end of March, I came across this super sexy recipe and I thought I would give it a try. It was a beautiful spring day and, alone in my kitchen, with the voice of Adam Levine for company (singing “So cold” - I love that song!), I felt happy. Making cakes always put a large smile on my face...

This is a rich but delicious cake which is great on its own, no need to add any toppings. Enjoy!!

Ingredients:

4 large eggs

200g sugar

150g butter, softened

200g flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

100g crushed banana

100g chocolate powder

50ml milk

* Cake size loaf mould: 24cm (L) X 10cm (W).

Preparation:

Beat the 4 yolks with the sugar and add the butter at room temperature and beat until light and fluffy. Add the milk and then mix the sifted flour with the baking powder.

In another bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff (until they form peaks), then add them to the above mixture and fold them in gently.

Then divide the batter into 2 equal parts: in one mix the crushed banana, in the other mix the chocolate powder.

Grease the cake mould and sprinkle it with flour and alternately pour the two batters into the loaf mould, so that it looks marbled. Bake in a preheated oven at 180º for 40 minutes.

Once cooked, let it cool and remove from the mould.

Exhibition at the Musée de Carouge «Ma vie de Courgette, on vous dit tout!»

In mid-May, I visited the new exhibition at the Musée de Carouge “Ma vie de Courgette, on vous dit tout!” which runs until 20 August 2017.

I loved it a lot. It was a rainy and grey day, but I do think that the sun always seems to shine down on Carouge, no matter what the weather is doing. This neighbourhood is a “must see”, just like this museum which exhibits works of local artists.

I went all by myself to learn more about the film by Claude Barras “My Life as a Zucchini”, a worldwide success which has won many major cinematographic awards.

The exhibition presents the “backstage” of this Franco-Swiss production. Step by step, the exhibition reveals the construction of this animation film shot using the technique of stop-motion. It makes us understand by showing us the  production process: storyboard, sketches, costumes, sets, puppets and so on...

In the hall of the museum, a large panel with the main characters of the cartoon. There is a description of each one below.

Who is Courgette? 

Courgette (or Zucchini) was nicknamed Courgette by his deceased mother. He is nice, but doesn’t let anyone tread on his toes. He is a little boy with big eyes and blue hair who, having become orphaned, is placed in an orphanage named the Foyer des Fontaines. Gradually he conquers the whole planet!

The success of the film lies in its sincerity and poetry. The tenderness and humour of the different characters shine through.  Although dark and sad at the beginning, it shows the adaptability of the hero and his friends as well as their optimism.

The author’s message is: “My life as a Zucchimi is a tribute to all children who are alone or in difficulty, with hope as the key.” 

We can see various drawings and scale models.

Ahmed: is a kind boy. He was placed in the home after his father committed a hold-up and his mother abandoned him.

Aunt Ida: Camille’s aunt is a vulgar, lying and selfish woman.

Madame Papineau: the Director of the Foyer des Fontaines, has severe airs, but she proves to be of great generosity.

Office of Mme Papineau.

Rosy: a dynamic, jovial, generous and protective educator! The children will learn that she has a lover and that she has just become a mum.

Gendarme Raymond: a policeman with a big heart.

The canteen of the Foyer des Fontaines.

The boys’ dormitory in the Foyer des Fontaines.

Classroom at the Foyer des Fontaines. 

Chalet in the mountains.

Walls of a room.

Foyer des Fontaines, seen from the outside.

Musée de Carouge

Place de Sardaigne 2

1227 Carouge

Entrance Free

Tuesday to Sunday from 14:00 to 18:00