If you read my piece of BACK TO WORK, you know now I am back doing my regular nothing or as little as possible, and definitely enjoying it very much.
After my stint in my former job, it took me a while to recover the rhythm of a retiree, where one activity a day is enough to have “full days” and the rest of the hours are spent reading, playing with my kitties and plain doing nothing, but slowly so it lasts!
RETURN TO LEISURE (2)
On the first day of August, Switzerland celebrates its national day, where tradition says that fires are lit on the top of the mountains to commemorate the messages sent by the first Swiss to communicate and signal danger or good things. Also as part of the celebrations, fireworks are organized in every town or commune to enhance the festive mood. However, this year we have suffer of a terrible drought and lack of rain, most of the grasses are burnt by the scorching sun and very high temperatures and in many other countries around Switzerland forests have been burning and looses are incredible to forestry and agriculture due to lack of rain and of water in general.
So many communes have forbidden setting fireworks to prevent any potential fire that could become really dangerous, except of course if the fireworks can be organized in the middle of the lakes – when they have water, as many are as dry as a desert.
One of the problems of fireworks, besides the danger of starting forest fires, is that they tend to be loud, very loud even and that most animals do not like that noise, as thunders are also scary and I imagine cannons would also be. My two cats are not the exception so when the fireworks started they both took cover under the bed or under a sofa and remained there for the duration. At first I did not recognize the noise of the fireworks as I was sure there would be none, but curiosity, that killed the cat but not me, forced me to go out and find to my great surprise and pleasure that fireworks were on, in the middle of the lake and that they were really great. The Castle of Nyon, which I can see from my balcony, was all lit in the national red with white crosses. The show lasted almost 30 minutes and it was really nice, beautiful and noisy but once a year is not too bad.
It was a moment of beauty most enjoyable and the weather was being very well behaved also.
During this month of August I also celebrated my birthday and the day was full as I received beautiful flowers and many many messages with good wishes and friendly thoughts that made my day, and also I had dinner with my dearest friend that came from far away just for that.
RETURN TO LEISURE?? (3)
But not all was rosy as I had a tooth that suddenly woke up and realized it could be a pain in the …. mouth, a really big pain, and of course it started on Friday late afternoon, when most dentists are already gone, looking forward to a relaxing week-end, while I was suffering and my face got all distorted and all the horrible things associated with teeth. I have total absolute horror of anything to do with dentists, visit for control is already a big stress, but when I know they will have to get into my mouth and pick and peck inside with their spiky instruments of torture, it is almost unbearable. Some people almost faint at the sight of a spider or the idea of taking a plane, well, for me it is dentists. However it had to be done so there I am courageous and forcing myself into the cabinet, where a very nice young lady told me not to worry – making all even worse but she did not know that. I asked for a major doses of anaesthetics even before she started considering what to do and she obliged, a doses for big bulky heavy pachyderm went into my mouth but their effect was zero, zilch, nada… so she could not even consider taking a look, prescribed antibiotics to reduce the inflammation/infection and sent me home. The reprieve was almost worse but after few days all looked normal and after about 10 days I had to go back, knowing that this time I was not going to escape so easily.
The doomsday finally arrived and she again obliged with a massive doses of anaesthetics and this time after a while they worked, so in she goes, well not she but her hand and the spiky instruments and pliers and whatever else she used to dislodged the little bit of tooth that was left after a caries that had been fixed some years ago, a crown set and then dislodged and swallowed and the bit of tooth left there to be a witness to the solidity of teeth and the frailty of my courage.
The hole left in my mouth feels like one of those sinkholes that appear in the crust of the planet and can swallow cars and houses and everything. When I try to gage it with my tongue it almost feels as if my brain is going to escape through it. Luckily the brain is in short supply and is being kept in place by some bony structures and blood vessels and other things inside, so for the time being no brain leakage!!
After the successful extraction I returned home, took a painkiller and a looong nap, trying to forget my ordeal. The sinkhole really behaved well, did not bleed very much, did not hurt – painkillers oblige, and in general has been ok, but I still feel the hole probably three times its real size. I have to go for a control in a few days and hope the dentist will consider all is well and I do not have to return to them in the near future – for dentistry purposes, I consider a near future in the next 15 years or so!
And this is back to Leisure!!!
RETURN TO LEISURE (4)
Continuing with my routine that one activity a day is already a full day, and only two days after my mouth was woman handled without pity for a miserable little piece of tooth, I had a far more pleasant activity.
I have to explain first that when a person turns 60, (s)he becomes a Senior and has some limited privileges such as joining the groups and organizations established for Seniors, then when you turn 70 in many communes of Switzerland the communal government organizes an outing for the oldies, they call us nicely “ainees” but it really means the ones that are in the forth or fifth age, i.e. beyond 70. Of course the outing is not a walking trip to the mountains or marathons or the like, but simple outings to have a nice day, not too much movement or extraneous exercise.
For me this one was the first opportunity since the year I turned 70 I had just left hospital and was in no state to take a walk, even in my own flat, then Covid arrived and ruined all the plans of outings for a couple of years, especially in big groups and then this year we are all daredevils and decided to take advantage of the invitation.
The meeting point was by the pier of my town. I arrived early to make sure I found parking for Choqui and then went to the meeting point. And suddenly lots of people started arriving from all corners of the place, in small or large groups with the common denominator that most had white hair or were bottle blond or bottle redheaded. Very few of us were natural brunettes with few white hair and of course the number of canes and walking sticks and walkers was great. There were few “youngsters” to help in the logistics of embarking all of us on the MS Lausanne, big boat that services the various ports of Lake Geneva and that had been freighted for our outing. The boat holds up to 1,200 persons, but for the occasion it was only for us the oldies, and we were ONLY 500!!!
The weather was magnificent and the sun shining in full splendour, all were happy and smiling and looking forward to a nice tour of the lake. Once in the high seas of the lake we started towards Geneva and seen from the water, the coastline looks different, it was fun to identify the various towns by their churches, castles, houses or lack of. In the meantime we also enjoyed the company of others, met some for the first time others were known from before, so the mood was relaxed, the lunch was pleasant, and finally we arrived close to Geneva, with the international world of Geneva with its very distinct buildings, where I had worked so many years, then the Bains de Paquis with the lighthouse and the pier full of people having fun, enjoying the sun and just doing nothing in a good spirit.
Since the boat cannot go further into the city it turned around and all the while we were enjoying the famous Jet d’eauwhich is a landmark of Geneva and that was in full splendour showing all why the city is beautiful. As background one could see the spires of the Cathedral and also the ferry wheel installed in the English Garden. We started the return to my town always enjoying the tour, with live music in case you wanted to dance, which some oldies did and of course as is normal, the trip back home was faster than the outgoing tour.
Nonetheless, it was a very pleasant day with a four hours tour of the lake, good company and excellent panoramas. The return to terra firma was as usual a bit chaotic as everyone wanted to debark soon but in general all went well, I returned home and had a quiet nap. Too much socializing for a single day but ready to do it again next year if all goes well.
….. continues in the next chapter, RETURN TO LEISURE (5)
Mementos of my life 