Their Pride and Joy

Posted by Jules on August 1st, 2009

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Me voilà 1st of August, Swiss National Day and all alonesome.  This is my least favourite day of the year along with New Year’s Eve.  Lexi and Mr. Jules are down at the lake watching the fireworks.  I was distinctly informed by them that they did not want any party poopers along for the ride.  Sophie G. is at the Luna Park in Geneva and Ollie is nurturing a wounded ankle with Lucy Locket in attendance sparking their own fireworks upstairs so it’s me and you, folks.

Lexi asked me over breakfast in the garden this morning why I disliked the 1st of August so much.  It’s not that I hate it, I explained it is just that I am not Swiss.  You have a Swiss passport she pointed out, but it’s only paper I retorted. You, on the other hand, have Swiss DNA running around your body, so go and enjoy.

I did go out on the boat at lunch time to watch the Swiss pride and joy Alinghi on a PR outing from Morges to Geneva.  It is rather an impressive sight, slicing through the water at great speed and us crashing over the waves following along with hundreds of other boats, sirens hooting, cow bells clanging, the girls sitting up front screaming with delight.

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And proud the Swiss should be.  For a nation that is sea-less and holders of the America’s cup it  is rather like learning to swim in a bath tub and winning gold at the Olympics.  For a moment there in all the excitement I felt almost Swiss…   

 

 

Living in Switzerland 3 Comments

Francesca Prescott said,

August 2, 2009 @ 7:11 pm

Wasn’t it a beautiful sight? I was in Coppet with Mr Prescott; we couldn’t take the boat out as my husband had a knee operation three weeks ago and can’t “débâche” the “bateau”. But we stood there with everyone else with giant grins on our faces and cheered as Alinghi whooshed by. Did you see the sailing boat with the giant flag with “Yes You Can” scrawled on it? And all those motor boats zipping along with Alinghi! Lucky you to have been there! It was a wonderful moment! Such perfect weather, too. Like you, I felt almost Swiss… We didn’t do the fireworks, bonfire and soupy village thing either. Instead, we sat in the Jacuzzi with little glasses of Limoncello, wondering who the heck was blowing thousands of francs on fireworks just down the road.

jules said,

August 2, 2009 @ 7:31 pm

Have you lost both arms then? Why can’t you debâche the bateau? Not like you to go all girly…and go get your boat license, lots of women drivers really going for it, I was quite proud of my own race.

Francesca Prescott said,

August 2, 2009 @ 9:25 pm

I definitely have a girlie side. I don’t do bateau debaching if I can possibly avoid it…am rather squirmish with all the green gloopy stuff that clings to ropes and appendages. As for the boat license, I’ve thought about it often over the past twenty years, but we have a Bosch (Boesch?) boat and it has a mind of its own when it comes to tricky manoeuvres. I’ve also been warned that it sinks at the slightest oopsy daisy. And all those knots to learn…pffff….Besides, even if I’d taken Rescue Remedy, put my rubber gloves on and debached the bateau, Mr Prescott’s crutches might have slipped and then what? The Rega? Trust me, we were far better off on “terre ferme”.

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