Countdown to Mockmas

Most people (mainly children) look forward to Christmas with such eagerness and anticipation, longing for the big day to finally come. I'm no different. I love Christmas - the food, the colours, the decorations, and most of all spending time with family. However, at the moment I'm not counting down the days until Christmas. I'm counting the days until Mockmas.

Yes, you read that right - Mockmas.

"Mockmas" was a term coined by my brother Adam for our family Christmas this year, which is taking place on Sunday 4th December. The reason is that we can't all be there for the real Christmas Day, so we are having our own pre-Christmas Christmas to ensure we all share in the fun and festivities together.

This year is Lydia's first ever Christmas, so we really wanted her to wake up on Christmas Day (the real one) in her own home, with the tree and decorations all around. I know that she won't remember anything of her first Christmas, but it's a special moment for us. The first Christmas that we'll share together as a new family. I'll even attempt to cook a proper Christmas dinner for my in-laws, allowing Lydia to have a blended version as well.

Both my brothers will be visiting their in-laws on Christmas Day this year as well, so Mockmas is our opportunity to have our normal family Christmas, albeit a bit earlier than usual. I'm looking forward to Lydia's face when she sees the decorations and the Christmas tree, and then the fun of opening presents. Again, she probably won't realise what's going on around her, but we will enjoy it nonetheless.

I know my family is looking forward to it as well, and I'm happy that we will all get to share this moment together.

Just means that I need to sort out all the Mockmas presents before next weekend. I've already bought a few but not all, with some people harder to shop for than others... Fortunately, last minute Mockmas shopping shouldn't be too stressful as all the other shoppers still have a couple of shopping weekends to go until their big day, leaving me free to casually saunter around and pick up what I need (and possibly stop at Burger King and/or Subway if need be).

Ho ho ho!

When translations just don't work

Switzerland is a very multi-cultural country. Well, it would have to be, considering it has 4 official languages (German, French, Italian and Romansch).

The fact that there are so many official languages means that the vast majority of products sold in Swiss shops and supermarkets have names and descriptions in at least two different languages. Coming from the UK where all products are packaged with English descriptions, this can be both a shock and a source of amusement.

Sometimes I come across items in shops that I think look interesting, such as a sandwich in my local Coop supermarket. When I turn the packet over to see what's inside, I find that the ingredients list is written entirely in German. Scheisse - ich spreche keine Deutsch! This means I have to take a leap of faith and hope that the contents of my sandwich don't contain too many e-numbers or unmentionable animal parts.

On the plus side, some product packaging can be very entertaining, as sometimes the translations don't really work. This is particularly prelevent when it comes to the use of English words, or words that in the local language are perfectly acceptable but their English counterparts have an entirely different effect.

My favourites are shown below.

This is fairly innocuose, simply being the producer's way of showing that the type of carrots in the tin are baby carrots. The reason why I found this so funny was because I imagined someone asking "What's in the tin?", with the response being "It's carrots, baby!". Oh how I chuckled...

Going quackers for Christmas

I am a massive fan of Christmas. I love everything about the festive season, from singing along to Christmas songs and putting up the tree and decorations, to the big turkey dinner and spending the day with family.

It's a time of year when everyone seems to feel more positive and happy. Whether that's because they are dreaming of gorging themselves on chocolates and mince pies or because they just like shiny decorations, people are more fun at this time of year. It may only be mid-November, but I have already seen some Christmas decorations hanging out of people's windows in my village.

We bought our tree and some decorations a couple of weeks ago, but we won't be putting any up until we get back from Mockmas (my mum's cleverly-coined term for our early Christmas celebrations) in England at the beginning of December. That hasn't stopped me from getting into the Christmas spirit though.

In the last couple of days I have found myself singing some Christmas songs to Lydia, including such classics as Bing's "White Christmas", Elton's "Step Into Christmas", Jonah's "Stop the Cavalry" and Mariah's "All I Want For Christmas Is You". Singing those famous songs made me feel all Christmassy, and I decided to do some Christmas-related searches on Google for some inspiration on how to either celebrate Christmas or the decorations we could put up.

One of the first things I found was this:

Penguins dressed as Santa and Elves!! What could be better than that??

This has very quickly become possibly my most favourite picture of all time. It's from the March of the Christmas Penguins at the Everland attraction park in Yongin, South Korea in November 2010. I have never had any particular desire to go to the Koreas, North or South, but I think I now have a very good reason.

In fairness, these penguins were probably a bit warm with the extra layer of clothing, given that the temperature in Yongin mid-November tends to be about the same as these penguins' (they look like the African/Jackass penguin species from the Spheniscus order) local habitat temperature. Might have hampered their ability to swim as well...

Anyway, I am a massive fan of Christmas, and I love penguins. That's pretty much what this blog entry is about - I just wanted to share the picture of Christmas penguins with the world.

Seriously, are there any better photos in the world?

Hooray for Christmas and hooray for penguins!

How to calm a screaming baby

The title of this article might be slightly misleading - this isn't my advice to give to other people to help calm their babies. Oh no, quite the opposite; I'm actually looking for tips on how I can calm my own screaming child.

As with any baby, it is incredibly hard to know why they are crying, as they can't tell us in words. When a baby screams we naturally check their nappy, see if they are hungry or too hot or too cold, and try playing with them to calm them down. If all of this fails, what else can we do?

The current problem in our family life is that Lydia - now 6 and 1/2 months old - is going through a phase where she cries (that soon escalate into screams) whenever she is left on her own, or even when we are right next to her but not directly interacting with her.

This phase has lasted over a month now, and is incredibly tiring as we have to keep picking her up to calm her down, meaning we struggle to get on with any other jobs (such as housework or entertaining guests).

I'm well aware from advice given by our families and friends that every baby goes through this phase, but I haven't yet had any advice on how to deal with this phase. Ok, I go to work during the day Monday to Friday to at least I have a "break", but my poor wife Christelle is at home all day trying to cope with a baby who cries every time she is left to play on her own down or Christelle leaves the room. This is naturally very stressful for her, and we haven't yet found a way of calming Lydia down successfully.

When I get home from work I look after Lydia, playing with her and sitting next to her on her playmat to keep her company while she interacts with her toys. This allows my Christelle some time to recover, but it doesn't really solve the problem of getting Lydia to calm down on her own when we are not with her.

I tried Googling this topic for some advice but found only mothering websites where the women were boasting about how their baby plays by themselves, which was really not what I wanted to read. Thanks for nothing, proud mummies.

Lydia has a number of noisy, flashing toys that she can interact with, but this often only calms her for around 10 minutes at a time, and sometimes not even that. Aside from carry her everywhere with us, I'm really stumped for ways of getting her to play on her own without screaming at the fact that she isn't in our arms.

So, I'm putting a call out for any advice on how we can cope with this phase in Lydia's development. Any tips, hints or suggestions would be hugely appreciated and any such advice that turns out to be successful would earn you our eternal gratitude.

Sit Ups

Last night Lydia did something that really surprised us, something totally unexpected yet an inevitable part of human baby development: she sat up by herself.

Christelle had been playing with Lydia on the sofa and noticed that she wanted us to make her sit up (as she very often does), probably so that she could see more of what is going on around her. Lydia has always been a very curious baby in this respect, and often gets annoyed and irritable when laying down - I think this is because she is worried she will miss something.

Anyway, Chris said to Lydia, "If you want to sit up, you will have to do it yourself". I then served dinner (a nice chilli con carne that could have done with being a bit spicier) and we started eating. All of a sudden I heard Chris give out a yelp of surprise - I looked up and was amazed to see Lydia sitting up next to Chris. It was probably just coincidence that she did this after Chris challenged her to do it, but even so it really was remarkable.

My cheeky little monkey

She had a kind of blank, "I do this all the time" look on her face, which I imagined was her way of showing us that it's no big deal to be sitting up. For us it was such a surprise to see our little baby, who marks her first six months of being in the outside world this Friday, sitting up through her own volition. It serves as yet another reminder that Lydia is growing up.

I love seeing her develop and learn new things, but part of me is worried that it is all happening too quickly. I look back at the past six months that have positively flown by and I wonder where the time went. I won't glamourise it and say it has been easy; we have had more than our fair share of tantrums, sickness and other tough moments. But they all pale away compared to the happy moments when Lydia began to smile, to laugh, to rollover, to discover her feet and her hands. She even plays "peekaboo" with us, showing that there is intelligence behind those beautiful blue eyes.

My little baby will be a toddler before we know it...

Pushy people

Manners. Being polite. Consideration for others.

...do these words mean nothing to the youth of today?

Every day I get the bus to and from work, and am shocked by the brazeness of people who simply push their way onto the bus, usually by cutting in front of me and various other people, just to suit their own needs.

It might be my British upbringing that has taught me to queue and wait politely for pretty much anything, but these old world values don't seem to have carried over to the present day.

Just when the bus arrived and stopped right in front of me, I stood to the left side of the opening doors - maybe one metre away from the entrance - to allow people on the bus to leave before I climbed on board. I was amazed and shocked to see the other people at the bus stop, who were behind me, brush me aside and force their way onto the bus, without giving a second thought to the departing passengers.

I've seen old ladies brushed aside as well, so I'm not the only victim. Earlier this year when I was on crutches after an operation on my knee (see my blog entry "So...What's New?") and my wife was heavily pregnant, we headed down to the local shop to get some supplies. Walking up to the entrance, people exiting the shop literally pushed past us and expected us to move out of their way, despite our very obvious handicaps (I know being pregnant is not a handicap, but you know what I mean). The nerve of these selfish bastards!

Has society now decided that we don't need to wait for anything any more? Is it now socially acceptable to be an ignorant git?

Ah, young love...

Yesterday I babysat someone else's child. On my own. For the first time. Ever.

The child in question - Matys - is 6 months old, and therefore requires a good deal of attention to keep him occupied and happy. His mother, Sandrine and my wife Christelle headed off to a zumba class for an hour or so of exercising fun, leaving me in charge of little Matys and Lydia.

Normally I would have panicked in this situation and probably been a bit useless. Fortunately for me, Matys is a very calm baby. He was born a couple of weeks before Lydia and has always been surprisingly calm and easy going, which is a stark contrast to our little Ms. Curious. He makes Lydia look hyperactive in comparison.

Another year goes past...

It only seems like yesterday that I was desperately cramming all my possessions into my tiny Peugeot 106 - like playing a real-life version of Tetris - and setting off on what was destined to be the biggest adventure of my life so far.

In reality it has now been more than two years since I left England.

These last two years might have absolutely flown by, but when I look back over all that has happened during this time gives me an appreciation of just how much my life has changed since I boarded that ferry: I have lived in three different apartments, bought a new car, found a job I enjoy and seen many, many beautiful things. But above all that, the biggest and happiest change was the birth of my daughter Lydia, and watching her grow a little more (both in size and in character) with each passing day.

I only realised this morning that my two-years-in-Swiss anniversary had just gone, and that prompted me to read through what I wrote this time one year ago about my first year in Switzerland (see my blog entry "12 Months Later"). To be honest, I still feel the same about everything I wrote. For example, I'm still a bit annoyed about the shops not being open on Sundays, I still hate Swiss TV adverts and I still believe Switzerland is not that expensive when you live there. Granted, with the current exchange rate it's not going to attract the more stingy tourists, but for those of us lucky enough to live here it really isn't too bad.

Having read through what I wrote about my first twelve months here, I thought I would offer up a few more thoughts on what life is like in Switzerland, should anyone else look to follow in my footsteps, as well as some thoughts on life in general.

Review - Les Chevreuils

This is a special place for me as it was the venue for my wedding reception in 2009. I really enjoyed it then but being at a wedding is different to simply eating in a normal restaurant. So, this review is based on my experience here for a meal in April 2011 (described further in my blog "An Anniversary Treat").

This restaurant, which is also a hotel, is located at Vers-chez-les-Blancs near Lausanne, surrounded by woodland and countryside. It also has views of the French alps from it's garden. It might not be the easiest place to find if you've never been there before, but their website offers advice on how to get there. There is a metro station at Epalinges (Croissettes) and a bus that stops just near Les Chevreuils, so it is fairly accessible if you know where you are going.

The building itself is quite old and homely, giving it a welcoming feel. The staff are helpful, especially when it comes to proposing an aperitif or selecting a wine to go with your meal. Ah yes, the meal. That's where Les Chevreuils really excels.

I started my meal with a little amuse bouche of cauliflower purée with mushrooms and green pesto. It took a couple of spoonfulls for me to appreciate it, but I ended up very satisfied.

Foie gras - yum!

After finishing this, along came the entrée - foie gras. The thought of foie gras might make some people feel a bit queasy, but I decided to give it a go (how do you know you don't like it if you don't try it?).

I made a good decision as it was delicious. It was succulent, tasty, surprising, and very, very moreish. I think I accompanied every bite with contented "mmm" noises, which probably annoyed my wife and any other diners who happened to be within earshot.


Beef and some veg



My main course was a a big chunk of beef with vegetables, and this was very nice indeed. The beef was well cooked and vegetables were nice. The sauce added extra flavour to the dish and complemented the meat really well.

I rounded off my meal with the cheese selection, which I was slightly disappointed with as it was a very standard selection (camembert, gruyere, epoisses and roquefort). I enjoyed the roquefort but the others failed to hit the mark. My palate might have been tainted by the deliciousness of the foie gras though, so the subsequent dishes were probably better than they seemed at the time.

Posh-looking food

The food is always presented in the style that you see from famous Michelin-starred chefs on programs like Masterchef, which peak your interest as soon as the plate arrives.

Some of the combinations can be a bit hit and miss though - my wife had vegetables in lemon grass topped with celery-apple flavoured ice cream. It apparently tasted as odd as it sounds.


Overall though, the experience was enjoyable and the food was a delight. The only downside of the evening was when the bill arrived. As you can imagine with food of this calibre, you are expected to pay a healthy price for it. Hey ho, that's what credit cards are for!

Address:       Route du Jorat 80, 1000 Lausanne
Telephone:   +41 (0)21 785 01 01

Ratings:

07 / 10 - Location - pleasant countryside setting

08 / 10 - Food - very good, although some combinations are weird (vegetables and ice cream, anyone?)

05 / 10 - Price - I won't lie, it is expensive to eat here, so if you want a good meal for less you should look elsewhere; if you are prepared to pay to eat well, look no further!

Overall - 07 / 10 - the food is fantastic (if you've picked the right dish) but the prices are rather high.

Review - La Terrasse

Styled as a kind of Italian restaurant / brasserie, La Terrasse is in the little village of Bussigny-près-Lausanne, home to yours truly. It offers a range of foods from steaks to fondues to pizzas, all at fairly reasonable prices. The pizzas can be picked up for takeaway, and the ambiance inside is very welcoming.

I have eaten here a couple of times and the food is pretty good, although on one occassion (as written about in my blog, "A Quick Visit from Mum and Dad - Part II") I took a friend's advice and asked for the garlic sauce with my steak. I was expecting a juicy steak with a sauce that hinted at garlic; what I got was a nice steak covered in chunks of chopped garlic. It was more like a spread than a sauce, and the vapours from the garlic started making my eyes water before the waitress had even put the plate in front of my eyes. I couldn't quite finish my meal on that occassion, and stank of garlic for several days afterwards.

Despite the garlic setback, the quality of food at this restaurant is above average, as evidenced by a nice steak with peppercorn sauce (not a garlic clove in sight). It isn't particularly expensive, and pizzas are a good price at around 18.- CHF each.

I haven't been able to find a website for La Terrasse, but I managed to find one that has a fair amount of information for anyone who is interested.

Address:       Rue de Lausanne 9, 1030 Bussigny-près-Lausanne
Telephone:   +41 021 701 11 59

Ratings:

05 / 10 - Location - easy to get to as it is on a main road into the village, but not otherwise appealing

07 / 10 - Food - good, as long as you don't have the garlic sauce

08 / 10 - Price - Very reasonable, a two course meal would come to around 30.- CHF

Overall - 07 / 10 - a nice place to come for a pleasant meal with good food and reasonable prices.