Foxy!

We took our guests to see the Wildpark last Saturday, and saw all kinds of things - wolves, bears, wild boar, beavers, alpine ibex, wild cats, lynx, elk, buffalo... and the cutest red foxes!

This one didn't care that there was a crowd of people just a few feet away. Maybe we were in the cage from where he was looking.

In your eyes

Himself looks out at Lake Zurich on a sunny Saturday.

Brand name tentacles

Walking back from dropping friends off at their hotel last night, we passed by something himself had seen before and referred to as the "tentacle window display". Turns out it's the windows of Louis Vuitton, empty of their products and instead filled with the characteristic dots and eyes of artist Yayoi Kusama.

Not quite right

Last Sunday we went for a walk along the ridge of the hills behind us, taking the Felsenegg cable car up from behind the station. There was something a little bit curious about one of the road signs.

Nothing wrong here, some lovely German literalness - cable car street. But what's that at the bottom?

Hmm. Didn't know there was a combat kitty.

And this spotted in the 2Fr shop by the station today. Another I'm-not-sure-that's-licensed moment!

暑中お見舞い申し上げます

炎暑ことのほかきびしい中お変わりなくお過ごしでいらっしゃいますか。

色々とお世話になりながらもご無沙汰してしまい申し訳ありません。お蔭様で相変わらず元気に暮らしています。

この写真は京都水族館で見かけたかわいいハコフグです。

この暑さはまだしばらく続きそうです。くれぐれもご自愛ください。

Summer greetings!

Japan has a tradition of sending greetings in mid-summer, the hottest time of the year, to keep in touch with friends and family. So I'm sending you this exceedingly cute boxfish who was causing a logjam at Kyoto Aquarium. (They're really sweet. Until they get startled, release a toxin and kill everything else in the tank.)

We'll be in Zurich for the foreseeable future, so please let us know how you're doing and if we can see you sometime soon, here or elsewhere!

Swiss Miss

We had a nice lazy day yesterday - Swiss national day - sleeping in, having a late lunch, heading out to meet a friend, ending up at the apartment of some other friends for BBQ, then down to the lake for some amazing fireworks. I had no idea what you could get these days, some of the rockets and cakes were amazing. We headed home after midnight, and got utterly drenched on the way back from the station by a sudden thunderstorm. (Himself wondered if all the fireworks had seeded the clouds.) I'm sure the fire brigade were glad to see it.

We also got a leaflet from a nationalist party asking us to sign a petition to kick criminal foreigners out of the country (I'm sure that must already be a law, you can get kicked out for being on benefits here) - but there seems to be one foreign cat they're happy to let in... And the amusingly-named "Lady Crackers".

Finally!

When I was in Tottori in May, my client took me to a 'recycle shop' where people sell what they don't want or need (clothes, furniture, electronics, games, books... you name it) and others buy what they fancy. In my case, this meant Japanese fabric, and especially kimono and yukata. I got two kimono with matching haori (overcoats), one kimono on its own, a yukata and a roll of cloth for 2,000 yen. Posting it surface mail cost 4,000 yen! And it's finally arrived, just over 2 months since I posted it. Now I just need to learn to sew well enough that I don't waste them...

Sleepy sushi

Seen in a shop window off Oxford Street.

You're in the army now

Actually, I was in Migros.

I made this

Thanks to Austa's gift of her magical red sewing machine! In case it's totally unclear, it's a boat-shaped coaster.

Mass religion

What look like fake miraculous medal bracelets, seen at Clockhouse in C&A.

In other news, it's hot and sunny (more ghost thunderstorms that never appear) and although it was financially painful being where I am, we have a Dyson again. All hail.

In the gilded cage with the other animals

Right now, I'd be happy if I never saw the palace of Versailles again. I wanted to leave almost as soon as I got in, via a massive queue that ran the length of the courtyard by 9:10am. By the time we got in it was twice as long. Brawny Russian blondes who put their lethal-weapon elbow in your face as they shove in front of you, seeking the perfect shot. American schoolchildren deliberately setting off the motion detector alarms around works of art. (No response at all from the staff.) Chinese tour groups with audioguides glued to their ears who go to move through the space you occupy like you don't exist. I've checked it off, I'm done. I'd go back to the gardens, but that's it.
After all that, we headed to one of Dad's recommended restaurants - kind of. Same restaurant, La Criee, but in the rue Lagrange instead of by Montparnasse Station. (Let's just say I had no desire to go back there either after getting the train to/from Rennes.) Thankfully it's just as good as the Montparnasse branch, and I enjoyed wonderful prawns and sea bream and gratin dauphinois followed by a cafe gourmand. Mais oui.

A pharmacy too far?

A pharmacy vending machine at Charles de Gaulle airport - all over-the-counter stuff. CDG was inconvenient, but that's pretty good considering. Someone (Zurich airport, Air France, CDG) lost my luggage tag, then I left my padlock in the ladies after opening my case.
So far, Paris is full of stairs, intermittent rain, closed tourist spots and enormous queues. Basically, as inconvenient and balky as its infamous airport. But the food is good, and we just roll with it, and we enjoyed a river cruise with commentary and we're off to a friend's for dinner.

Infiltration

We've snuck into the oh-so-hip graffitti-covered Rote Fabrik by the lake. It's supposed to be an anarchist commune or something similar, but serves as a reasonably-priced (for here) cafe and ideal place to hang out when the weather is fine.
It was supposed to be raining heavily today, but has been warm and alternating overcast and sunny. I even planted my butterfly-attracting plants, lavender and shiso!

Pass and pass again!

Just got the results for my first two OU short courses, Empire of the Microbes and Molecules, Medicines and Drugs - both passed! ^_^

That's me 1/3 of the way to the Certificate in Contemporary Science (with the other 2/3 received and half being studied now) and a mere 1/18 of the way to my degree...

Instant gratification

The plus side to giving your friends omiyage while they're at work - as long as they work at the florist counter!

Last meal

On wifi in Centrair, and having a green tea latte, sweet potato muffin and yoghurt and granola with fig sauce before I have to fly away...

Exit centre stage

Just checked in at Nagoya's Centrair Airport, where the luggage belt says my case is 21.4kg. Hmm. Well, I'm not going to argue.

Going to return the phone now while I can still find a postbox. Talk to you again from the other side of the world!

Really?

Drinkable collagen, given to me by the lady at the pharmacy where I got a drink this morning. She thought my Japanese was so good she gave me two...