Exploring the Earth's abundance
Given you celebrate Christmas, do you have a special name for December in your language?
We do in Switzerland. It is called Adventszyt in Swiss German or Adventszeit in German. This special time of the year starts with December 1st this year. That is today, hooray!
We have a tradition to make what is known as Adventskranz – Advent wreath – and light a new candle every Sunday for four weeks leading up to Christmas.
A month has passed in a twinkling of an eye since our first look at grapevines in February, don’t you think? Let’s see what this means for our grapes.
Not much of a difference compared to February, I guess. They are still sleepy, the buds also remain very small and are well protected from bad weather. But the undergrowth is greener and that is why sheep are now grazing within the vineyard and freely using the grapevines to scratch themselves :-).
That does not mean, nothing is happening… Read more
Winter in Central Europe can be quite demanding. Especially, when the sky remains grey for several days in a row (or weeks in some parts) and the vegetation does not add much colour, either, as it comes in fifty shades of brown.
While last winter was one of the darkest ever, this one is gentler on us. As a matter of fact, it is quite the opposite as we are spoiled with so much sunshine that February broke records for the amount of it in Switzerland.
Either way, the awakening of nature is something many of us long for. Nature so wonderfully shows us the circle of life, the rhythm of the seasons, and the alternation of quiet rest and powerful growth, don’t you think?
Looking down to the ground is therefore worthwhile right now, because it is that time of the year when the brown soil turns into a wow. The wonder does not last long, however, so I would like to share with you what can be marveled at on a stroll, a bike ride to work, or on a sneak peak into other people’s gardens ;-).
Surely, you all know snowdrops! But what about spring snowflakes that are not made of snow as the word spring in their name may suggest? Read more
A warm welcome to this new story!
Today I’d like to start a series that will accompany us on a monthly basis throughout the year. Are you in to to see your wine grow, develop and change over the seasons?
Isn’t it mind-boggling to watch nature awake after (the European) winter? To witness nature coming into the tender green of spring dotted with rose, red, yellow and white flowers, insects flapping over meadows, birds singing to their fullest?
In summer the light green is turning into a darker heavier one changing into a colourful blast in autumn before going to what looks like a deep sleep at the beginning of winter. Read more
The sun is shining, the sky is blue, the temperature freezing cold, though. Still the birds sing and the air smells a bit like spring.
While it may somewhat feel (if you ignore the icy mornings) and sound a little bit like spring, I reckon winter still has us in its grip. It is January after all.
Having said that, the title and the featured image of this story is flowery. What? In winter? Yes, you will see colours, flowers, and green landscape pictures today. For arid regions amazingly come into bloom whenever there is enough rain no matter what time of the year.
How do you feel about snow? Does it make you dance? Does it give you the joy you so often experienced as a child? Do songs like the one in the title of this post come to your mind and stick for the day? Or is it simply a nuisance to you?
Do you get any snow at all in your corner of the world?
White landscapes are magical and snow is a natural wonder for me. So today, I feel like sharing some winter photographs – which I have taken in the Swiss Alps – with you. It wonderfully coincides with the first snow of the season in the lowlands of Switzerland for we awake to a winter wonderland this morning. Unfortunately, it does not last long as temperatures have already risen above zero and streets and pathways have immediately been “cleaned” with snowploughs.
Most people here still hope for a white Christmas in the cities and lower regions, but it is rare these days. Mountain resorts, however, are lucky as snow has fallen in huge quantities lately. The following pictures give you a little idea what to expect when visiting the Swiss Alps in winter :0).
Enjoy and come visit! Read more
A warm welcome, dearest readers!
Many of you enjoy summer now, some of you experience warm temperatures and around twelve hours of daylight all year round, and a lot of us see the days rapidly getting shorter and the nights becoming longer at this time of the year.
That is why I thought to share a little collage of those long dark nights in December, which actually become quite sparkling and twinkling in our cities.
See some of Zurich by night Read more
