BOYD, STEVE and THE TEN TENORS

WOW!! What an awesome couple of days Roger and I have had. Boyd and Steve from The Ten Tenors (an Australian group) came to our home in Schopfheim yesterday. We took the boys on a walk up the hill from our place (we all needed to blow cobwebs away). It was a lovely sunny day, but as you can see from the photo, freezing cold! We then brought them back to our place for cheese, pate, beer, relaxing in our home, watching the Olympics and a good old Aussie Roast followed by Butterscotch Self-Saucing Pudding. What a treat for them as well as us. We put them on the train back to Loerrach at 21:45.

The Ten Tenor's Concert was tonight in Loerrach. They have another one tomorrow night. Boyd was able to get us 6 tickets so we invited very special friends to share the evening with us. It was the most wonderful concert entitled "The Power of Ten". We were thoroughly entertained and enjoyed ourselves immensely.

Thank you Boyd and Steve. What great guys.

Up the hill and looking back to Schopfheim - Roger, Boyd and Gaynor

Steve, Roger and Boyd

You guessed it. Here we are all dolled up with the boys after the Concert

Carla and Johanna with Steve and Boyd

Stephen, Barbara, Roger and Gaynor after the Concert

MY COUSIN - MS ELIZABETH BENNETT ! ! !

Did I really have a 24 hour visit from my cousin Liz a few weeks back? I keep asking myself this question, as I am sure it was a figment of my imagination. But no, there are photo's to prove she was actually here in our little home in Schopfheim.

Liz had a whirlwind tour of various places in the world (as crazy Aussies do in the European winter). I was lucky enough to be on one of her destinations this time, even if it was only overnight. It was absolutely wonderful to see Liz and we talked and talked and talked. It was a bit sad saying goodbye actually. Liz lives just outside of Canberra, NSW in a gorgeous home she has been renovating for as long as she's been there! I think she's almost finished. My darling cousin.

All kitted up and ready to head out the door.

Rather Liz carry the luggage on her back than me!

Off to the train station with my darling as an escort! Rog was meeting a friend in
Basel and bringing him back to Schopfheim! Never a dull moment around here!

FRANCOISE'S 50TH PARTY IN FRANCE

We were invited to Francoise's 50th Birthday party. Roger helped her design her invitations and had a lot of fun doing it. Francoise had found this special little Bistro 2 villages from her place and we had such a special night with her friends celebrating this special occasion. We travelled into Basel by train and then Kevin and Mark drove us to Biederthal. Francoise organized a B & B in her village Leyman so we didn't have to worry about leaving early to catch the tram. It would have been quite impossible actually. As it was, we didn't get to bed until 1am!!

Francoise looked stunning in purple. She requested that her guests wear some purple.
Here she is cutting her lovely Birthday cake.

Gracie (from Crossroads), Mark and Kevin

Gaynor speaking with Francoise's brother Michel and wife Caroline

Francoise with friends

Friends from Crossroads

Francoise's husband Uli and his 2 brothers

Aussies loving the snow ! ! !

This is certainly the snowest winter we have had since we've been in Schopfheim. The last few days have been white and beautiful and now the roads are just starting to get slushy and hard to walk on. But we have managed to do the shopping and get in supplies we need, so all we have to do is walk to and from the Bahnhof (station) to catch the Zug (train) into Base in the coming daysl!!



Putting my darling to work!! Roger has found the metal dust pan is the best way to shovel the snow off the steps and get rid of the ice around the front gate! He wears a glove on his 'bad' hand as it gets too cold. But doesn't he look the picture of health? He is actually. I can tell you he's eating like a horse this winter.

Looking down Gartenstrasse (our street) with our neighbour Heinz
hard at work. There is much more snow around now (photo taken on
Saturday and it snowed round the clock till Sunday afternoon).

Taken outside our front door looking towards the railway

line and the way we walk to the station.

Neighbours at the back. Such a lovely picture and it still looks like this.
We always marvel at the beauty of the snow and how
different it is living with 'white'!!

GIRL'S NIGHT - FRIDAY 29 JANUARY 2010

Carla and Gaynor just before eating. I met Carla at a Ladies Day back in 2006. She lives here in Schopfheim and we often meet in the street or on the train. She's a lovely friend and we have meals with her here or try and catch up for coffee whenever we can.

I met Johanna through the German Church we go to in Loerrach. When we first arrived Johanna, Erik and Juro took us to Church in their car each Sunday. They have been such great friends to us, always looking out for us, inviting us for meals, playing games together, walking.

We had been here 2 months when we went to a local pub for English chatting (and to see who was there). Marianne was at the pub as she was wanting to improve her English. We instantly had a connection - and the rest is history. I absolutely adore her and love spending time together whenever we get the opportunity. Marianne lives up in the mountains about 35 min. from our place and she is a teacher. We are the same age!!

We met Anke and her South African husband Francois through our Mosaic website actually. They moved from England and eventually have settled in Schopfheim.

This post is purely for me really! I am going to cherish my Girl's Nights held here in our home in Schopfheim. If I'm lucky I will have 7 more! Carla has told me I must have one everyone month until we head back to Australia. Carla made a yummy chicken dish, Marianne brought the most delicious salad, Anke brought dessert, I made rice and Johanna brought wine! We always have such good laughs together and this time we were googling together and being rather silly!! We watched clips of Susan Boyle, The Ten Tenors, Kevin Costner (trying to sing) and Oettinger trying to speak English. We were in fits of laughter.

We decided we had to celebrate our birthdays in the months we have left. Carla's is in October so I told her she could have February or May!!

So, you can imagine, when I wanted to get a good group photo of my 4 girls, they just weren't co-operating. I've decided to post the 4 photo's just to teach them a lesson!!! I just love these ladies and am trying not to think about life without them. It's hard.

Johanna, Marianne, Carla and Anke

PS Just to let you know Roger wasn't out in the cold while I was having fun with the girls. He met a friend from Basel in one of our lovely local Gasthauses and they thoroughly enjoyed being entertained by a lively band. They had a great time together!! Roger did have to help me with the dishes Saturday morning!!

Boxing Day walk

We awoke to the most glorious sunny but bitter cold day on 26 December 2010. Having eaten so much the day before we thought it a good idea to go for a 8 km hike up the hill just at the back of our place. It sure is up, up, up and a good test of our fitness. But we made it without too much trouble and it was worth the effort as the views are spectacular. We knew we'd be able to see the Swiss Alps from the top. We climbed Hohe Flum for a better view (a tower right at the top of the hill and no mean feat for me as I don't like ricketty, wooden stairs at all). But I was determined to do it, just for the view. There were so many people out and about enjoying the sunshine and the exercise.

The Swiss Alps (you can just see them) from Hohe Flum

A view of Schopfheim. We never tire of this beautiful view

Yes, there was a little snow on the hills in the distance!

Christmas Day - back tracking!!

I have so many photo's I want to share with my family and friends the best place is here on my blog. Apologies that I haven't blogged for such a long time. Life seems to have taken a dramatic turn for us and sometimes I find it hard to write, especially when I'm not feeling very happy.

Christmas Day was spent with good friends who came from Basel and France. We ate so much food and had so many laughs it was a great day and eventually ended with goodbyes at 10pm. We didn't have snow on the day, so I still can't say I've had a white Christmas. Oh well!!

Around the table - Gaynor, Uli, Mark, Francoise, Kevin and Ilona

Uli and Francoise

Mark and Kevin

Here we all are with the salmon!

Ilona and Gaynor

Mark was insisting the salt grinder wasn't working!!

The flaming Christmas Pudding made by Kevin. Very, very yummy! Very, very filling!!