Excitement

My kids and I don't need much to get excited about.

The sight of a green budding and promising tomato on our beloved tomato branch mmade us giddy with joy.

Catastrophic

Shrek's idea of a catastrophe can be simplified to being out of coffee. He cannot function without his stimulant of choice.

DEPENDENCY

Shrek's maxim

Shrek has undeniable wisdom and rife life experiences which leads to him formulating gems such as the following

'One drop of black ink is all you need to render any other colour black (or shades of black)'

I wonder whether I should be proud for having such a smart hubby or worried he is capable of being a potty mouth.
He is definitely unique and I'll give him ccredit for that.

Beware of the onslaught of piggy flu

All the talk making the rounds and all my read up on swine aka piggy flu is giving me the heebies jeebies. Fear of the imminent outbreak or 'pandemic' is alarming and fear inducing.

I hope that getting really alarmed and worked up about it means people will be on high alert and finally the pandemic never concretises.

I am actually giving second thoughts to travelling eventhough ticket has been paid for in full.

This is one of the rare times when it would be beneficial to live under a rock or as in the case of most Swiss montagnards, live isolated from civilisation and humanity and be surrounded by vast nature.

Who would have thought that their way of living and isolatory lifestyle would protect them from society's ills and diseases? They will die not from disease but from desperation and loneliness.

Sulky baby

I am not quite sure where he got it from but Petit Suisse is distinctly a lil sulky baby and will cry at the tiniest things.

He bawled his eyes out tonight over an insignificant incident. Shrek had prepared the kids for sleep and readied himself for his monthly Pfaff ironing session when Petit Suisse beseeched Shrek to let him help. Shrek refused the kind offer because Petit Suisse will only slow him down and get in the way and it was already way past PS's bedtime.

Petit Suisse then proceeded to have a tearful sulk...he whined and sulked about the fact his offer of help had been rebutted and rejected. He was a dejected mess.

I told him that he could help me out if he stopped moping and sleep like he should. He eventually calmed down.

It should be noted that when I ask for help PS usually does not oblige or is he inclined to assist me but he offers help at the most unexpected moment and when I least expect him to.
Goes to show how unpredictable PS is .

He is such a sensitive soul my darling Petit Suisse.

Lil Miss N really knows how to pull/tug at my heartstrings

She spontaneously came up to me and said 'Tu es mon amour'. Altogether now awwwwww

Exclusivity

Baby Taz behaves and reacts like a unique child. The concept of sharing seems to escape him. Whenever one of the other children sits on my lap, baby Taz makes a habit of pushing said child out of the way so he can have my whole undivided attention. This would be fine except my attention cannot be monopolised because I have his other three siblings most notably a 2 month old baby who demands and needs my full attention.

It is in times like the 'full orchestra' orchestrated by Ben and Baby Taz's high pitched and shrill voices or screaming and crying that the 'eight limbed/legged/handed Henry the Octopus' would come in ever so handy. One can dream...

The good, the bad and the ugly redux

The good

Ficelle de Bourgonne
Tomies
Morbier
Cœur de poivre rose
Comté


The ugly so so

Cœur fourrées avec lardon

I am experiencing slight overdose of cheeses. I need a holiday in a tropical country where dairy is not accessible or easily available. I will not be eating dairy products for a good month or so and when I come back refreshed I will surely be ravenous for dairy again.

They said it

When asked by Shrek who the most important person in the household is, Lil Miss N without the slightest hint of hesitation or doubt coolly replied 'Me of course'.

I come in a close second.

Lil Miss N has a very healthy dose of narcissism or healthy self-image and self importance already.

Canicule

It felt like a heat wave today. The crowds and populace all had the same idea and found themselves at where else but the swimming pool. The swimming pool was swamped with thousands of people from God knows where. I did not realise up until this point that Geneva was overcrowded and resembled chaos. For some Swiss it is better to stay away on days like this.

The kids enjoyed themselves at the peril and expense of adults who are parental figures.

I was poolside and thus did not even so much as get my feet wet as I had 2 babies to take care of in the shade.

The swimming pool is for the brave. So much concentration. There were long lines everywhere, to buy tickets, to get in and to get refreshments, snacks or to the WC. Luckily I had a double pusher and was spared the wait. Whoohoo. One small consolation at least.