I can see clearly now !!!

I can see clearly now the dirt and grime is gone thanks to SHrek !
Shrek was wonderful today. He wiped the floors, cleaned the windows and was generally very pleasant unlike his ogre usual self.

Big points, props and kudos to Shrek !

I have included photographic evidence of Shrek in action because for the very first time in a year and a half since we moved in he actually cleaned the windows .

It is cumbersome and I can completely see why it is not a household chore/task that anyone looks forward to.

Well done Shrek, my vision is no longer impeded by grime.

It is not going to last for long though as luck would have it we live with four little rugrats aka monsters (though we love them dearly) and they can be counted on to ruin any efforts Shrek may have made in meticulously cleaning the windows by leaving their prints and paws on the glass panes.

High

Shrek is rather addicted to participating in auctions. I have an explanation as to why that is the case.

First of he loves the atmosphere, the ambience and the buzz surrounding auctions. He has his eye on several prizes and he is overcome by an adrenalin rush whenever he scores his prize for a ridiculous price (much similar to my scoring a bargain whenever I go bargain hunting). All of this to put it simply that Shrek is an avid auctioneer who is learning the ropes as he progresses from debutant to a seasoned pass holder. It is not even acquiring the goods or getting a cheap deal, it is simply being there and absorbing and breathing the aroma of all that an auction entails. He is becoming a usual suspect and familiar face amongst the attendees of auctions.

Shrek is an auction enthusiast and I incidentally do stand to profit from some of the gains he makes in the process.

Shrek's romantic gesture

Shrek has been making a big effort lately. He vaccuumed, wiped the floor and tidied the kitchen to the best of his ability last night. On top of all that he even cooked a wonderful dinner from scratch, i.e. did not provient from a package or ready-made section of the supermarket.

He made rack of lamb accompanied by mash potatoes agrementée by spices and coriander.

We shared the intimate dinner by candlelight with a bottle of red Beaumes des Venise 2001 and ended with Lindt Pralinés Intense Noirs.

This morning I had a bath, mud mask and painted my own finger and toe nails. Shrek cooked eggs Benedict and petits pains and a filling brunch was had by us.

That is a weekend to remember.

Now Shrek can widen his arsenal and learn some more recipes to woo me.

Thank you Shrekkie for all your efforts and gestures !

Nomination

I hereby nominate Shrek for the title of

tuh ruh tuh duh duh duh

'Launderer of the year'.
as he has begrudgingly and obligingly but most important of all patiently and painstakingly washed cycle after cycle and load after endless load of soiled laundry. He also has a once a month rdv with the 'Pfaff rolling pin' for a session of being the designated ironing man. I admire Shrek and want to congratulate him on a job well done and am extremely grateful for such a wonderful partner.


Our Sibir Silence gets my vote for

'Washing Machine of the year'

Shrek's culinary prowess

I have to congratulate Shrekkie for a meal well prepared and executed tonight. He made pan-fried Perche du Nil and sautée button mushrooms accompanied by white jasmin rice.

It was yummylicious.

We all revelled in Shrek's exhibition of culinary mastery.

Hard sell

Shrek has to be praised for having courageously fought off the insistent door to door salesman trying to weasel his way into selling us a security system we do not need thus helping a damsel (Princess Fi aka moi) in distress from committing a fatal, fatal mistake.

I was silly beyond belief and fell into the trap of leaving my contact details on a 'supposed competition' and led the security system salesman to my house. Luckily Shrek was there to save the day!!!

Nein zager aka nay sayer + hard sell = NO DEAL

Amen to that...

Sometime it does pay to be cautious and to be 'Sviss', after all it might save one from falling into the trappings of 'empty or misleading' promises and signing a dead end contract.

A few of Shrek's fave things

'ça marche ou ça marche pas'


Shrek may look scary and tough but he's really prone to being stricken with sickness, allergies and tummy aches. I have to be extra careful or else he will contract cramps, food poisoning and itches at the blink of an eye. He is too sensitive and sensible à fleur de peau.


Shrek's most favourite phrase is 'It works or it does not work'. If it works --it can connote anything from tools to devices to objects to machines to services etc then it will be retained but if it does not then Shrek will decree it worthless and useless and thus worthy of being binned/trashed.

I do not oversimplify things the way Shrek does. It is Shrek's way of compartementalise and categorise things which can be applied to some but not all things.

Shrek is cute that way. If both of us viewed the world in shades of grey then it would create discord also. It is variety that spices and liven up life as we know it.

Shrek has made a concerted effort with household chores in general and I have made a note of all that he does.

Shrek scores on both efficiency and effort.

Ironman

Shrek really enjoys his once a month/once every three weeks or thereabouts ironing session. One can hear him humming and singing along to 'Nostalgie compilations' while simultaneously ironing away... It is a blessing in disguise for me the Pfaff and Shrek combo.

Capri stew

Bravo Shrek for always balancing your faux pas with wonderful/thoughtful/good/kind deeds. The capri stew Shrek made 3 days ago tasted really great as left over today because like all stews that have been sitting for a while, the flavours stemming from herbs and spices have had time to seep into the meat leaving it flavourful and aromatic.

Another little victory and you can add capri stew to your repertoire. Although just the day before Shrek had made a weird concoction of veggies...broccoli and carrots were way too crunchy and tasted almost raw, zucchini was overcooked and mushy, in short not the greatest dish you have cooked or far from it.

Just to even things up and keep it all balanced in an equilibrium. While I am at it, I have to declare Shrek the greatest oyster opening champion/ Roi des huitres. Once he even opened his share and let me eat every single one (all 12 of them) all by myself, it shows that he has great self-control, does not fancy oysters as much as me, a bit of both and that he really loves me to be able to watch me thoroughly savouring every last bite without taking a single sip/taste of the fruit of his labour. Opening oysters is a pain in the ass and I am glad that Shrek is able to spoil me once in a while.

Love is when you can open oysters and let your partner eat without requesting a taste.

Swoon...

Crêpe flipper

Shrek's skilful arms and dextrous hands flipping the crêpe at Chandeler (sic) which happened in February where the French and by extension Swiss farewell the end of winter and cold or welcome/greet verglas (the return of silver frostbites/glazed frost) by having a Crêpes party.

The song goes something like...

Shrek you can post the lyrics in the comments section, ta muchly.

Anyway if your crêpe slips on the side then you will apparently attract bad luck.

My children love Chandeler (sic) and Shrek was happy to oblige. This is backlog but I wanted to share a photo of Shrek skilfully handling the crêpe flipping. Crêpes are one of the few food Shrek has managed with his improvisation that turn out to be quite good. Although the thickness of his crêpes are somewhat irregular, matters not because the kids are fond of Shrek's crêpes and I will more than readily admit I am hopeless at making crêpes...so I leave this task in Shrek's reliably strong arms. What a man yeah !!

Well done

Newsfeed

Shrek has been rather helpful and placid lately. He has been somewhat transformed, tamed and domesticated much like myself. This analogy is taken directly from his favourite book 'Le petit Prince'.

Bravo Shrek ! Keep up the good work and do not slide back into abominable and lamentable behaviour.

Benben

Shrek has made some improvements re my maternity stays. It took him only four tries to get it almost right. Almost because it was not quite but nevertheless I appreciate the efforts he made in getting the house in order for my return from the maternity. I highly appreciate because it might not seem like much but it was still a surmountable mountain.

It is wondrous and amusing how I was the one delivering a baby and Shrek was visibly exhausted from watching. His excuse was he had not slept properly for days. Newsflash neither had I...and he had not experienced the pain before, during and after and the final hours of pushing which ended in joy because I would have been mighty upset to have to go through C-section after all that had taken place...the long and arduous wait and the prolonged suffering.

It's over and Benben is finally here and that's what matters most finally.

Also the children were fed and lobotomised... but once again it was reassuring that at least he was able to feed and lobotomise the children, no baths etc... or surplus, just the basics but that'll do.

Thank you Shrek for your gestures...

Sew, a needle pullin thread !

Shrek is a consumate garment adjuster when called for. He shortens hems, expands and fixes chemist labcoat's flaps, make button holes and most of all use a sewing machine etc... He is a rare pearl indeed because in this day and age one will be hard pressed to find a person let alone a macho man (with a feminine eye for detail) willing and able to adjust and tailor garments/clothing to meet his needs.

I cannot begin to say how totally clueless I am when it comes to sewing.
One cannot seek for perfection. Perfection does not exist and so I am not an all-rounder who can hem.

I do have lots of graces and strong points in other areas to make up for my shortcoming. I am a consumate lover.

Shrek the laundry 'Hamster'

Applause and congrats must go to Shrek for his marathon yesterday. He loaded, unloaded and hung up at least 5 machines of dirty laundry. His self-congratulatory relief was short-lived though as soon as he had emptied and seen the bottom of the laundry hamper for a brief moment it began slowly and surely filling up again.

The never-ending saga of repetitive chores continue...

Bravo Shrek for the effort and please keep it up. Your exasperated wife thanks you from the bottom of her laundry hamper.

Merci mille fois.

From Ikea to onion tears...

Bravo to Mr Fix it and ultimate DIY guy whose favourite furniture store is IKEA. He does numerous DIY projects around the house and constantly is asked by Petit Suisse and Lil Miss N to fix broken toys with super glue or replace the broken slat in the sofa-bed.

In short thank god for Mr Fix it..He does wonders!!!


Muah muah muah

I am keeping a balanced and equilibrated perception of Shrek. He is an all-round human being with major faults and endearing and charming qualities. I guess if the pros outweigh the cons then all things considered he is a multi-layered and complicated albeit fallible Homo sapien prone to the whole gamut of emotions and spectrum of expression.

The onion analogy is apt and Shrek's tough/rough demeanour tend to hide his otherwise soft layers underneath which have to be uncovered layer by layer patiently. It is no wonder Shrek's obsessed with the incorporation of onions in almost every dish. I have slowly adapted and have begun to use it on a regular basis as well. I do like sweating/browning/sautéeing the onions first though as it rids off the ghastly smell and brings out the sweetness that is inherent in them. Shrek has to be treated with a similar approach to how one would tread an onion: ever so delicate but full of bite.

The daily interactions that I have had over the years all 6 and counting have taught me that onions may induce tears uncontrollably but once conquered there is heavenly taste that is imbibed onto all other food to be savoured and it is an enhancement not to be scoffed at.

Shrek's dada

Shrek's new dada or obsession or what he goes gaga over : the catalogue to Auctions held at 'Hotel des Ventes' which sells paintings, art, rugs, jewellery, antiques as well as collectibles and furniture.

No guesses as to which objects arouse and get me most excited!!

Shrek is making up for huge gaps he had before because he had not discovered the hidden gem yet.


It's better late than never and I highly appreciate his raising the stakes at auctions (preferably with a reasonable thinking cap on) to gift me with divinely alluring adornments.

I am going to get my 30th birthday gift and more all rolled into one offering from my sensitive Shrek !

Shrek's surprise

I am deeply touched and grateful for Shrek and all my children's presence in my life. Shrek came home with a grand bouquet de fleurs that is overwhelmingly big, a cake which he decorated and a box of 'Mon Cheri'. I am over the moon with the thoughtfulness and all the efforts Shrek has been effecting. I will cherish my small but lavish 30th birthday celebrations.

Thank you Cheri and mes petits b'chous.

I love you all wholeheartedly!

Endearingly and affectionately yours,

IRON MAN saga continues

He is not content being pigeon-holed as an IRON MAN. I think it's a rather chivalrous gesture for him to iron his own chemises for work. I do not mind the other household chores so much but I abhor ironing. It must be said I did not ask to be pigeon-holed as a full time housewife whose only dominion consists of home duties and taking care of children but I have found myself here so it's only fitting Shrek should sacrifice and share a bit of the burden. I think Shrek would be carrying the torch for champions of ironing the world over. He does it so well and has recently acquired a rather auspicious equipment called PFAFF iron roller that would facilitate and hasten his ironing thereby rendering it mere childplay.

Behold mere mortals Shrek is the newly crowned king of IRON MEN !!!

I cannot wait when the time comes to don my suits and rejoin the workforce, employ my faculties, engage in adult conversations and start feeling slightly more important than a simple-minded housekeeper/round the clock nanny. I am engaging in wistful thinking again. --SIGH--

Human beings are such fickle creatures. One is never satisfied with ones present. One always always yearns for the greener grass on the other side. Insatiable

Shrek is a Zebra

Shrek's laundry filters have only two colours : black or white. I am worried that he might be colourblind. I have to sort out the clothes: wool, silk or anything that requires a soft wash from the ordinary mostly cotton and polyester and then Shrek will mindless load the washing machine with either black(colours included) or white only vêtements. He has ruined quite a few woollen items of clothing. He should eschew the whole ordeal but he has been rather conscientious lately with his share of household chores/tasks hence he employs his resources in loading but more importantly emptying the washer and hanging of clothes.

One can be a pharmacist but one cannot distinguish between 'fragile' and 'normal' garments. It is the lack of attention to details/a deficit disorder which I might add can generally extend to the whole of the male species.

Shrek's magnifique creation

I have to document one of Shrek's many endeavours in the kitchen. This happened a while ago but I do not recall having posted the 'picture is worth a thousand words'. His efforts were not in vain for I think the meal was forgettable. There is always Better luck next time Shrek. I remember having previously mentioning casually Shrek's tendencies to overdo/overkill the theory of throwing together all the ingredients and hoping for the best. Somehow Shrek needs a refreshment course in the culinary art of preparing simple yet delicious meals.

I forgot to add that esthetically speaking it is rather colourful and appealing. Taste wise I can vouch for its originality and authenticity but tastiness, my memory betrays me...

Although I must admit that I do thoroughly enjoy his 'stir-frieds' and his 'mi xao don' which as luck would have it sometime can have too thick or too little sauce depending on chef Shrek's mood... Need I say more.