That title might sound like a reflection on my previous post, but no — it’s a pun-charged reference to NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. The idea is to produce at least 50,000 words of fiction during the 30 days of November. I’ll save you the trouble of opening a spreadsheet to do the calculation: that’s an average of 1667 words a day.… READ MORE.... …
Blog Posts
One year ago today, we arrived in Zurich with a carload of Branston Pickle. One year ago tomorrow, I started work. In an unintentional recreation of this momentous journey, I recently drove back to England for a few days. On the return ferry crossing, I did something unusual, and coughed up the extra £15 to travel first class from Dover to Dunkirk.… READ MORE.... …
The raiding party has been and gone, carrying off my wife like a trophy. So once again, the apartment is empty and silent — and seems even more so in this bright sunshine. Chatting to my mother-in-law last week, shortly before the great departure, she opined that the flat is beautiful and the view over the lake lovely. “But”, she added helpfully, “I would be lonely living here on my own”.… READ MORE.... …
My arse collapsed, finally, as I creaked past Feldbach station. “No more”, it implored. “No more, you bastard.” And so the plan to cycle the 69 circumferential kilometres of Lake Zurich fizzled out, like a fag end tossed into a puddle, precisely two thirds of the way through. Forty-six of these clicking, biting blighters had drilled their way into my lower legs and wriggled upwards, filling my underpants.… READ MORE.... …
There are, naturally, thousands of ‘wanderweg’ trails in this country, all carefully waymarked and classified. These include seven national trails, criss-crossing the nation, four dozen regional routes and 140+ local ones. But that’s only part of it. All of these are broken down into smaller paths or creatively joined up with lesser local trails to form an intricate network of new routes.… READ MORE.... …
Is hiking the new running? Walking is a major pastime here, whatever the flavour. From casual family meandering, through Nordic walking, to backpacking weekends in the mountains, it’s what folk do — particularly on Sundays, when the shops are shut, and noisy DIY is verboten. In this religious nation, Sunday is a day for wholesome activity. In winter this means messing about in the snow — downhill or cross-country skiing; strapping tennis racquets to feet and tramping across fields; skating on frozen lakes. … READ MORE.... …
Good Friday: Another hour in the Ferrari magnet yesterday evening, panting like a demon, followed by a mountainous salad, bath, and early night between fresh sheets. Sleep arrives within seconds. I must have been glowing like a radioactive cadaver. Today, up at 7, already at my desk, seated before my transcendental panorama, bowl of Birchermüesli in hand, squinting through the early morning sun shooting off the lake.… READ MORE.... …
Joining a new gym is like starting a new job. You wear clean socks, and are treated extra nicely. In return, you feel the need to make a good impression, which usually means pretending to be someone else entirely. You can’t find things, and don’t like to ask, particularly if your questions have to be in German. This sense of pampered disorientation leaves you unsure whether you’re having fun or not.… READ MORE.... …
It’s a good time to take stock: on the day when two marathons close to my heart (and in the case of Zurich, close to my home) take place, and a week after so many good friends of this website admirably complete marathons in Brighton and Rotterdam. My last run ended so miserably that I couldn’t immediately bring myself to talk about it here.… READ MORE.... …
Up at 6:30 a.m. today after a sleepless night. I first did what I always first do – step out onto the balcony at the front of the apartment and take a look at the Horgen Morgen. The Swiss like regular blasts of cold air in their lives. It’s a habit I’ve learnt to appreciate. At least twice a day, someone will throw open one of the huge windows in our office.… READ MORE.... …