Everything is so easy today - Photography

This photo was probably taken at a photographer's shop around the end of the 19th century and shows my great grandmother and great grandfather. He got married when he was 20 years old and soon the first of 16 children arrived, one surviving daughter my grandmother she had 11 surviving brothers. I can imagine them both very excited and dressing in their Sunday best for this photo. I treasure this photo very much as it is one of the few, if not the only, photo I have of them. So at this time, you did not take your camera with you, indeed you probably did not have one, and only special occasions were photographed. A wedding photo was something few and far between.

As the years went on photography became more popular and the camera became something that most people had, even if it only took black and white photos, such as this one.

Nothing special really, although I touched it up a bit. It must be almost 61 years old and shows me with my mum when I was a baby. If you went on holiday in those days you took the camera with you and made photos. When you got home you took the photos to the chemists and he got them developed for you and after a week's waiting you got your ready photos. Even then, however, if you wanted a special photo you went to the photographers and this was the result

You can even see the photographers name and address on this one. I still remember that day. With my mum and dad I was taken to the photographers for a photo. I don't know why, but I think it was something to do for a nice photo for gran and grandad, although we had a few copies and had one framed on top of the piano. I had never had a doll's house and that was the only thing that interested me. The photographer put my hands on the roof. Note the bow in my hair, my mum seemed to have a thing with bows and I think every photo of me until I was about 8 years old showed a bow in my hair.

So photographs were taken over the years, the film was developed and eventually the colourful days came. I remember coloured film being very expensive at the beginning, but it soon got cheaper. However, photos were still only taken at special occasions, weddings, family get togethers and holidays.

This one shows me and my boys on holiday about 30 years ago. So already we have made progress with the photos. We bought albums and put them in. As the boys got older we went on holidays to other countries and there was no problem. You took the camera and took photos. We had started off on the photos with a visit to the photographers and already we had our own cameras. At first you had a film to roll into the camera, afterwards something called the instamatic was invented. You just put a ready made cartridge in to the camera, and then suddenly that went out of fashion and we were all equipped with 35 mm films.

Then the computer was invented and along came the digital camera which most of us use today. Our children take it for granted today that photos are taken and afterwards loaded onto the computer. You can then improve them in light, colour, contrast and whatever. Some of us have quite elaborate and expensive programmes for this, but there are also quite reasonable programmes, some free, for fixing the photos. Why I am writing this blog is that it came to mind today after a discussion in a photography group, how much that we really take for granted, including myself.

When I see the few photos I have from the past, I would have loved to have had one where my grandmother was cooking, or washing. Where she was perhaps getting on a bus or train. A photo of my grandfather at work, or even my dad. You only took photos on special occasions. Probably one of the reasons why I always have my camera ready for a photo. I love taking photos of everyday life, of machines, of shops and now and again perhaps a tourist theme of a mountain or a sunset. But today I have the choice. I am almost ashamed to say I have almost four thousand photos on my Flickr photo stream and almost as many on the computer. I even have the choice to make them private that not everyone sees them. I can show them to people in other countries via computer. We are very lucky, but I feel even luckier to know how it was to get excited about getting the photos back from the chemists shop after waiting a week for them to get developed. And here a digital photo to just round up this little blog.

Nothing special, but I am sure my great grandfather and his wife would never have envisaged that one day their great grandaughter would sit in a car and take a photo of the motorway (showing the new bridge in the town of Grenchen - Swiss motorway Solothur-Biel).

Was Today Friday 13th?

There are days when you think what shall I write? Then there is a blow of fate and you know what to write. Today was such a day. I had the day off work. Yesterday we were all celebrating Corpus Christi – which actually meant I was cleaning the kitchen and other homely hobbies like ironing and putting some plants in the garden, so I decided to take the day off today which meant 4 days in a row and back to work on Monday. As life was getting boring with no special household chores today I went to see how Mr. Swiss was getting on taking a walk with our blind cat Fluffy. Of course I took the camera with me and accompanied by our big fat black fluffy cat Nera I went on my way. I soon caught up with Mr. Swiss and Fluffy and Tabby was also there, so they all smiled for a photo, well I thought they might, but I suppose cats don’t really smile.

When we got back home Mr. Swiss emptied the letter box to see if anything special had come and opened a letter addressed to him, but actually it was for me, he said. It had his name on it but he meant the contents related to me, so what did we have? A letter from the Kantons police. Here is a translation of the content:

“On Friday 9^th May, 2008 at 07.04 hours (in the morning of course) the following breakage of the law was registered according to article 90 of the national law relating to traffic:

Car registration no. SO ......
Place: Riedholzstrasse, Feldbrunnen (the road to work)
Direction: St. Niklaus (just as I left the castle grounds)
Measured speed: 38 Kilometers per hour
Allowed speed: 30 Kilometers per hour
Safety margin: 5 Kilometers per hour
Speed Exceedance: 3 Kilometers per hour

Well I must say they are very exact arn’t they?

Then came the hammer: Speed exceeded within city limits around 1-5 Kilometers per hour = CHF 40.00

We request that the fine of Forty Swiss Francs is to be settled within 30 days. You will then save (I will save – big deal) further following costs. If you do not transfer this money within the said time, we will commence with the proper actions and give the records to the office of the district attorney. This fine will not be registered.
Should this reservation be sent to the vehicle driver or you would prefer the proper criminal procedure (I am already a criminal?), please return the formula duly filled out on the back of this letter. etc. etc.”

The pink slip at the end of the letter is a ready made payment slip for transfer of the money to the police. In other words I got a speeding fine for being 3 kilometers too fast. Although the letter was addressed to my husband, it seems this is because the car is registered in his name. Perhaps according to the law he should pay but I decided not to pursue this matter. I never really wanted this S90 Volvo. I had such a sweet little fiat and I am sure I that car would never have exceeded the speed limit. When hubby got the senior citizen status we only needed one car, so mine was sold and we kept the Volvo. The problem with a Volvo automatic is that it almost drives itself, just put the foot down and it goes. They are so well made you just don’t notice that they are going fast. Smooth and noiseless – the only problem is the size, but finding two parking spaces empty next to each other is no problem in the park house and at work I always take the space where I can drive straight ahead with no complicated manoevers. Unforunately you have to put the foot on the break youself and look at the speedometer now and again. What annoys me is that where we live we have a 30 Kilometer per hour limit and no-one really keeps to it. When I think of those poor cats that have to risk their lives crossing over the local road. You never see a police control in that area. Come to think of it you never do see them. They must have been hiding behind a tree when I passed and waiting for me. I didn’t get a photo, just a letter. Mr. Swiss says be glad as they are very expensive photos. Apparently I got the cheapest fine possible.I told him it was the car’s fault, but he didn’t really agree.

The Alternative EURO2008 Football Tournament

The EURO2008 is being played in the countries of Switzerland/Austria this year and Switzerland have decided to have their own small EURO2008 in the mountain village of Gspon in the Kanton of Valais somewhere in the mountains of Switzerland. This evening they brought a report on the tv of the preparations being made. As you can see from the photo the football pitch is surrounded by mountains and it actually lays at an altitude of 2,000 meters above sea level. The tv reporter was quite out of breath during his comments.

Eight teams will be competing: Switzerland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Austria, France, Sweden and the Netherlands. Information given by the organisers says that the event will prove to be original and unforgettable for the teams, fans and media as the games will be played at the highest elevated soccer field in Europe. The European championship will also have the highest level of competitive sport played among the wonderful views of the Swiss Alps. What is not mentioned is that the balls used in matches on this football field often get lost – the local team lost 20 last year. If you kick the ball too far and too high it can be that you have to climb down the mountain to find it again – see photo.

Also mentioned is that each team will be hosted by a friendly, experienced, local tour guide who will escort the teams to games as well as to special events designed to share the local customs and traditions of the mountain villages (perhaps how to milk a cow or a cheese making afternoon).

At the moment the football pitch is covered by a ski piste, but as the games only begin next week, the pitch will be prepared by then. Another fact to bear in mind is that the football pitch is only to be reached by cable car or by walking – no problem for our fit footballers. They showed this evening on the television the arrival of the Dutch team. It is believed they will have most problems accustoming to the altitude, thus they are the first to arrive. They were shown proudly dressing in their orange football t-shirts.

Naturally the rules have had to be adapted. The field is smaller and penalties will only be taken at 7 meters, distance for a free kick and corner kick will be 5 meters. Playing time is only an hour with a 10 minute break and there will be a maximum of 8 players and minimum of 5. Probably there would not be room on the field for more players. And the delight of every footballer is that here will be no offside rule as well as no back-pass rule.

It also stands that all player passports with photo and a numerically ordered list showing family names, Christian names and the dates of birth of all participating players are to be handed over to the technical commission before the tournament. You never know, perhaps trained mountaineers might try to smuggle themselves into the team.

Personally I believe the Swiss want to be sure to win something as their chances are not so high in the EURO2008. If they are lucky and meet Holland in the matches, then their win chances will be high. Of course if the Italians send a team from the Dolomites or the Germans from the Hünsruck then the Swiss chances may dwindle. I am looking forward to the tv coverage of these matches. May the best team win.

Miserable Monday

Even the view from our front garden towards the Jura mountains looked very dismal today. It was not so warm and it had rained during the night so it was quite damp. This afternoon I noticed the sun poking through the clouds, but no big deal. We did eat outside on the porch this evening, but I left my laptop indoors as I knew I would retire inside afterwards.

The wet weather has been doing my new lawn good and I am quite satisfied with the result. Shame my neighbour on the top floor Mr. Black (also known as Mr. Misery) is away at the moment enjoying his villa somewhere in the Swiss countryside, otherwise I am sure he would appreciate the change from the nature paradise to the conservative official garden I now have.

Everyone to their own taste I suppose. One thing is certain this is the Swiss garden - everything neat and no grass stalk out of place - except for the bits where I put a little bit too much fertiliser on it, but according to the gardener everything will grow again with no problem.

And here is my pride and joy. Does not look like much, but I was determined to save my walnut tree from the new look in the garden. I planted the walnut about eight years ago in Autumn in the garden as I read they have to go through a Winter before they start growing, and sure enough there was a stalk coming through the earth in Spring. I put it in a pot, and last year I had my first harvest - two walnuts. I bought a new pot, the biggest they had in the supermarket and have now replanted it, hoping for a huge harvest of walnuts this year. On the other end of the patio I have my horse chestnut tree, although I will have to cut that one down this Winter. Planted from a chestnut it has grown quite well. These are the only two experiments I have saved from the old garden.

We also have a peony rose which are supposed to flower at Whitsun, the Germans even have a name translated called Whitsun rose. Ours were a week later this year, but the weather wasn't up to it up to now. I have a new photo programme on the computer called Piknik and you may notice I enjoy playing a bit with it.

So that was short trip around the garden this evening - I took the photos before the evening meal, it's a bit too cold to go out now. Where were the cats, well they disappeared in all directions. Nera was chasing some sort of flying insect and Tabby even caught one and made a meal out of it afterwards. What did you say Tabby?
"Well we didn't get any tuna fish this evening, so winged insect is just as tasty, although a short lived thing. Two bites and it's gone."
"Mine flew away" said Nera "so I had to make do with the dry stuff we all get because it is supposed to be full of vitamins."
Which goes to show that you can spoil the furry monsters how you want to but they are never satisfied.
"Mrs. Human"
"Yes Tabby"
"Show all them humans that look at the things you write that nice photo you took of me in the garden this evening. I am sure it is the best one of me yet - at least I am not sleeping. You never know Garfield might look in one evening and decide I might be the ideal partner in his next film."

How could I resist such a wish from Tabby.