Autumn 2015

After having an uncomfortably hot summer (over 32 C for weeks, sometimes to nearly 40 C), we've had a very warm autumn and are having a record warm winter!

 

It's been great for getting outdoors and enjoying the autumn fairs.

 

 

An afternoon in France, near the Swiss border.

 

 

 

 

We chanced upon a small fair

Our veggie garden produced some excellent peppers and chillies this year, and a king-size sunflower. The zucchinis were hopeless thanks to the heat and drought but the herbs flourished.

Check out our massive sunflower head!

The kids are crazy about rocks and crystals at the moment and they are amassing quite spectacular collections. Flynn displays some he has just dug out of our garden.

In Switzerland there are autumn pumpkin festivals in each village. They are held in the local farms and you can buy a variety of pumpkin foods (cake, soup etc) plus lots of other things to eat and fresh produce, plus there are kids' activities and competitions, with wine and beer to lubricate the event.

Of course Halloween requires pumpkins too so we selected our own and then carved them ready to terrify the locals.

 

We took a trip to Europa Park in the last school holidays, a theme park in nearby Germany. This time we stayed at the hotel by the park, which was decked out to delight kids and adults alike.

You can stay in this lighthouse, or eat in the restaurant there.

And the mini relplica made out of tiny pumpkins is almost as cool.

What, more pumpkins!

 



Flynn and Benjy are fearless when it comes to rides and will go on anything they meet the height restrictions for, including ones I wouldn't go on if they paid me.

Then it was time for the Basel Herbstmesse, or autumn fair. The boys were uber-excited!

There's a kids' village at one of the fair locations, where the kids can make all sorts of things, including cookies, woodwork, bread, and candle-making, as below. The boys made beautiful candles for Christmas day.

They have a lot of little kid and well as big kid rides, which the kids also love.

And of course the day wouldn't be complete without something like a hotdog.

 

Final stop, balloon stand. Then home on the tram.

 

 

That's our new fence by the way.

Then we're off on another day to one of the other fair locations (there are four in Basel), where they have some SERIOUSLY scary fair rides. Note, we are wearing Tshirts, in November!



Benjy and Flynn prepare for a journey to the depths of the ocean.

Did I mention that the weather has been crazy warm? These photos below show tomatoes growing in our window boxes at the end of November. Normally it would be cold enough for snow at this time.