And finally

This should get me up to date with my phone photos!

News for today, I passed my last two Open University modules from Year 1, S187 Elements of forensic science and ST174 Inside nuclear energy! The pass was never seriously in question, although it's the only official mark you get - there is some additional feedback and I was scored very highly on that too, which is nice to see! That will definitely help to keep me motivated for my current studies. S294 Cell biology is proving to be a wonderful recap of things I've already come across in other courses, S240 Analytical science is looking like it will be very useful for when I next come across an analytical technique, and S205 The molecular world is, well, turning out to be a substantial challenge. But I have two twelve-hour flights and many hours of train journeys ahead of me in the next few weeks...

I managed to get out for some walks by the river, although not as many as I should to get ready for Japan. The local herons are almost always out.

Christmas has reared its ugly head again, mainly in the form of chocolate and cake. Advent calendars seem to be the thing here, rather than selection boxes. I like the rather optimistic resealable sack o'chocolate.

I know about umami - the mysterious "fifth taste" - but didn't realise it was so in fashion. First "umami paste" at Coop (made entirely of non-Japanese ingredients) then "umami spray" at Globus.

Globus also had some yuzu and ginger-based hot sauces that look very nice indeed, and what I can only describe as icing soy sauce.

We wanted to get David's nephew this for his birthday, but the parents voted for an equally acceptable Playmobil pirate ship set.

There were further culinary delights in the shape of a (real, wooden) box of different smoked fish from Germany, and the wonderful Japanese baker/patissier Hiro Takahashi has started to sell his cheesecake as well as his breads at the Korean food shop in town. I also had a look in the window of Merkur, one of my usual stops when I need Swiss gifts.

Although there isn't much in the way of autumn colours yet around Adliswil, I walked back from Leimbach on Monday and saw some beautiful foliage there. Hope to be seeing the Japanese version of it soon! (Just as beautiful, but fewer sheep.)

Sheep! Paris! Fire!

Yes, I'm combining a few unrelated photos here!

First, some floppy sheep seen on the way back from the local surgery. 

And next stop, Paris! I was there for four days with Mom and Dad in September, and Dawn came up to join us for the weekend. I saw a few fire-related things - an old tender and river fire brigade - that I snapped for Austa, and we did the obligatory Bateaux Mouches trip.

We also visited the excellent museum of oriental art, which unexpectedly had a traditional fireman's jacket made of indigo dyed fabric.

I also found some Japanised French in the museum gift shop.

And after Mom and Dad were disappointed by two of their old favourite restaurants, we found a few more good ones. The Bistro des Amis around the corner from the hotel had simple, delicious food!

Although not nearly as many shops were open on Sunday, including Book Off! Paris must try harder.

After a last tea and cake (a the gourmand) at the station, Dawn headed back to Geneva by train and I went back to the airport. We both got a guidebook to Japanese shops in Paris, though, so I'm sure we'll be back!

Bristol

We went to Bristol at the beginning of September 2013, combining the ITI Translation Workshop with meeting up with some friends we hadn't seen in ages. I didn't know much about the place, but one of our friends is a very serious amateur photographer who certainly made the place look good.

We arrived to a beautiful sunset at the airport, followed by several days of very nice food.

Our hotel was near the planetarium, science museum and aquarium, and there was an art event on with lots of themed statues of Gromit (of Wallace and Gromit). And feral seagulls who were after your lunch.

One of the microbrewery pubs also served German sugar-free cola.

We also got to see Bristol Temple Meads Station, by the inimitable Brunel.

And of course, we went to the aquarium! And found more Gromits.

David flew back before me, as I was attending the ITI AGM, and I had a wander around the shopping area afterwards. Shops open on a Sunday! The novelty!

 Hmm. Not sure about M&M scented candles, especially if they're called "Nutty Lemon" and "Tarty Pear". And WH Smith had some amazing Hello Kitty stationery!

 And even though I thought they had disappeared, Bristol has a HMV!

We went on a boat tour, which was excellent, and had some great food. Bristol is definitely on our to-go-back-to list. Utterly charming, with the understandable exception of Saturday night.

The wall

The last of three boxes for my second year courses at the OU has arrived! That should keep me out of trouble for a while. gulp.

I have loads of photos that I haven't had the time and/or energy to do anything with, but hopefully I will get around to them soon.

Ding, ding! Round two...

Year one of my Open University course is almost over (bar rewriting the last two assessments until they're due on Monday)...

And Year two is about to begin!

First to arrive were my S240: Analytical Science books. I think I'll enjoy one half of the course (Health and Wellbeing) more than the other, which is more earth science, but they'll still both be interesting. This is 30 out of the 120 points I need for Year 2, with another 30 coming from S294: Cell Biology and a whopping 60 points from S205: The Molecular World - chemistry, which is probably my weakest point at the moment. Hopefully I will defeat it with the aid of this course, rather than having it defeat me by means of the course...