MULTIPLY Writing Prompt #5: Fly Away

I know my mother did not like me from the day I was born, although this all came to light many years later. Returning to my birth, I entered the world on a Friday afternoon, full of hope for the life before me. My mum was just glad that I had eventually arrived. She was not happy about me actually being born, especially as a father was not present. He never really knew that I was on the way. I was the result of a quick ten minutes in the boiler room of the chemical company where my mother was employed as a packer. Unfortunately on this day there was an accident in the company. It seemed that two containers containing two different gas mixtures got mixed together through a mistake made by an apprentice laboratory worker and the gas mixture expanded to such an extent that it caused a leak somewhere in the pipeline. My mother was so occupied with the boiler master that she did not notice that all employees were being told to leave the plant, so she remained.

That was my past history in a nut shell, so on the day of my arrival this little incident was more or less forgotten. I was sleeping my baby sleep in a small bed next to my mothers in the hospital and she decided to take me in her arms, probably with the intent of seeing what it was like to have a son. That was when I made my first mistake. I just could not wait, and sort of floated into my mother’s arms on my own. Mum put me down like a piece of hot coal, and decided that having an illegitimate son was one problem, but a freak that could fly was an even bigger problem. That night she packed her bags and left the hospital through a back door. To this day she has never been seen since.

Luckily my mother had an older sister Marge. Now Marge was one of those women that was convinced her purpose in life was to have a happy family which was my luck as she adopted me. Marge already had five children and was expecting number six so I suppose she thought that one more was no problem. Marge was married to Jim, a quiet man, never said very much and was just happy to have a regular factory job, read his newspaper quietly in the evening and be looked after by Marge and the children. As the children got older, they were given various chores to do in the family. Growing up in a large family had the advantage for me that my flying facilities were somewhat hidden. I had been given the name of Joe and so as I grew older my chores were established. I seemed to be the one with most speed so I soon had my work to do.
“Joe, can you go quickly to the shops and bring some milk” or “Joe we need potatoes, but quickly” and Joe did his job perfectly. Of course I was quick. I would walk to the corner of the road and then it was up in the air and a quick flight to the shops when I was sure that no-one was watching. One day I was flying to the shops and was seen by one of my half sisters, I think it was Maureen. When I got home in the evening Marge was waiting for me. Jim was also there, although said nothing as usual.
“Joe, I heard something from Maureen today that I can hardly believe. Now don’t lie to me, tell the truth. Can you fly?”

“Yes Aunt Marge, no problem.”

“I told you not to lie, people cannot fly.”
“But he was flying along the road” said Maureen “I saw him, and he was quick.”
“Marge don’t you start telling lies as well, Joe cannot fly. It is not possible.”
So what did I do? To avoid getting Marge and I branded as a liar I took a flight around the living room.
“Well, just look at that” said Jim. I think that was the first sentence I had heard from him since I had been with Aunt Marge. Aunt Marge was just looking at me with her mouth wide open. After she recovered she made her decision and the next morning I was taken to Doctor Smith.
“How can I help you” he said to Aunt Marge.
“It’s my nephew Joe, he can fly.”
“People cannot fly” was the answer, so I did another round trip in the surgery to prove Aunt Marge’s point.
Doctor Smith called the hospital and made an appointment for an examination. To cut a long story short, nothing really resulted in the examinations. They did find out that my bones were somehow composed differently to the normal human bone. There was talk of further examinations, but Aunt Marge decided it was all costing too much money and to leave things as they were. I must say Aunt Marge was a very logical person.

Time went past, and my flying talents were never again spoken about. I decided to keep it to myself; then came the day that the circus was in town. Aunt Marge was still producing children but the older children were already working and bringing money home. The oldest daughter had already got married and was expecting Aunt Marge’s first grandchild. I was also now leaving school and looking for work. I thought postman would be a good choice. I was sure I could complete my rounds at the post quickly. Anyhow, a family excursion was planned and we all went to the circus. It was fascinating to see the clowns, although it seemed to me that many circus artists were not as normal as others; fire eaters and dwarfs, as well as acrobats that could twist and turn their bodies in all various shapes. Then there were the trapeze artists. I was fascinated and my brain started ticking.

The next day I took a walk to the circus and asked to see the manager.
“What can I do for you boy” he asked
“I want to be a trapeze artist.” Was my answer
“Do you have any experience.”
“Sort of, I am used to working in heights and have no fear of falling. I am sure I would be perfect for the job.”
I think I saw a sort of smile on the manager’s face, but my luck was in. One of the trapeze artists had twisted his ankle on a landing manoeuvre and they needed a substitute quickly. The manager decided it was worth a trial and took me into the tent and told me to climb up to the trapeze. I decided not to fly up as it could be that the manager might have some doubts. However, I reached the trapeze and then started swinging to and fro. The manager called “somersault” so I did one. He then called “double somersault” so I obliged and so on. After an afternoon’s trials I got the job. I even managed a triple somersault, which seemed to seal the deal. When I arrived home Aunt Marge was so pleased that I had found a job, although she was sorry that I would be leaving and travelling with a circus.

What more shall I say. The circus job was a success. The manager was particularly pleased as people came from near and far to see me: I was soon the circus star. It was at this time that I met Marilyn. She worked with me as a trapeze artist. It was my job to catch her when she did her tricks and she told me she had never felt so safe before working on the trapeze. We were a pair until one fateful day. Marilyn came to my dressing room and I flew over to meet her at the door.
“Joe did I see you flying just now.”
“I thought you might have guessed Marilyn, yes I was flying. It’s just something I can do.”
“You mean that all the time we have been working together, you could fly and never told me.”
“Marilyn does it really matter. We love each other and that is the main thing.”
“No, Joe, no way.”
“But Marilyn, I thought we were going to marry this year and start our own circus.”
“No, sorry Joe. I do love you, but please understand I just cannot marry someone that can fly, it’s just not normal. Think of what people would say if they found out.”
“Marilyn, it would just be something between us.”
“No, Joe, I just couldn’t.”
So my wonderful romance with Marilyn was at an end. She decided to leave the circus and shortly afterwards I head she had married one of the acrobats. It was then that a new chance in my life arrived. I was thinking about leaving the circus when after a performance a knock came on my dressing room door. I opened the door and it was the first time I met Charles. Charles worked for the country’s government and they had problems. One of their top spies had been caught by an enemy nation and it was a matter of importance that he was rescued, especially as he knew many secrets of our country.

Charles was one of the heads of the espionage department of the government and I had been watched secretly by his personnel for some time. They had taken photos of me and made films showing my flying talents. Indeed the material had been examined by various experts at the ministry and they were completely convinced that I could fly. Confronted with such evidence I could not refuse. My next job was organised. I became an agent for the secret service. I was issued with a new identity and sent to the country where the agent had been imprisoned. During the day the prisoners were escorted to an area outside the prison for their daily exercise. I had been trained and it was my job to fly into this area, pick up my country’s agent and fly away with him. Of course I had been supplied with material to make the pick-up job easier. A special apparatus for carrying the prisoner, but everything went well and I just flew away with the agent. An aircraft was waiting for us on a small field near bye and we escaped. It was a full success.

Over the years I accomplished many missions for my country. My work was kept completely secret and in the countries where I did my work nothing was said. After all, who would believe that there were people who could fly?

Today I am retired. Looking back on my life, I have no regrets. Financially I am doing well. My wages from my trapeze days and my civil servant work have enabled me to live a comfortable life. I would have like to have shared my life with a wife and children, but that is one of the disadvantages of flying. As soon as a woman entered my life and realised my gift, she decided to find somebody that was normal,

Writing Prompt #5: Fly Away

MULTIPLY Creative Challenge #39: Exhilaration

Are you now ready, the time is just right
The raft is waiting, there might be a fight
A mountain stream, its beginning so soft
But down in the valley the water has coughed
itself to high speeds, ripping stones in its wake
So put the helmet on just for safety’s sake
I approach the raft with careful steps
I need no help for extra peps
The journey begins, take the oar in hand
now there is just water, we have left the land
Rapids are ahead, but I have no worry
Just take it easy, no need to hurry
Our boats man is strong, his skin is so brown
He is also good looking, I won’t wear a frown
I now feel relaxed as our small raft speeds on
My trust in the boats man makes all my fears gone
We now turn a corner the boat makes a jump
So hold your oar steady, the stream has a bump
Up and down and now to and fro
This is the life, I do not want to go
I could stay on this trip forever and a day
The exhilaration is perfect, I just want to stay
But slowly the water has calmed we are finished
The strength of the stream has now been diminished
The raft come to a stop, the river banks we meet
Where a picnic is waiting, such fine things to eat.

Creative Challenge #39: Exhilarating

MULTIPLY United Friends Challenge #116: The Secret of Dark Vale

Mystydragon's Challenge

You have been offered the gift of healing everyone of everything - do you accept the gift?
Write a story showing the pros and cons of the dilemma of such a gift;
or write a story as to why you refused the gift if you choose not to accept it.

Dark Vale was a small unnoticeable village sandwiched between two hills. It was very seldom that a car found the road through the hills on its way to a larger town. Since the motorway had been built, it was much quicker to take a tunnel or by pass road and so Dark Vale was left for its rural life to take its course. Of course, not all were farmers, and some of the 300 people living in the village made their livelihood by working in one of the nearer towns, perhaps as a white collar worker, or in a factory, but each of those people working away from home during the day were glad to be able to return to the peace and quiet of the village in the evening. The children growing up in the village visited the local school until they had to visit the college in one of the surrounding towns.

If the inhabitants of this quaint little town could look back in history they would have seen that one day a woman and a man came across one of the hills and were the first settlers. It was the middle ages, a superstitious time, and the couple in question were glad to escape from their small town and find somewhere to live quietly and away from the questioning minds of the neighbours. James and Catherine Dark decided to name the land where they had settled Dark Vale and it was there that they had a small farm. They were happy to be independent, living on their farm produce and needed no other help. Their children grew up on the farm, but as time passed the sons found wives in villages near bye and the daughters moved to the other villages, or perhaps stayed in Dark Vale and their husbands moved into the area; slowly but surely the village grew and today it was a more or less small modern village.

Returning to James and Catherine, they were actually fugitives. Catherine Dark had inherited something from her family which was a speciality that all first born daughters of her family carried with them through life. It was not known where this particular gift originated, but it existed. Catherine was able to cure people of their illnesses. She had been warned by her own mother to keep this for herself and only to use this power in secret. It was the reason why they left their original home. Word got around of this gift and Catherine was in danger of being burnt as a witch.

Today the descendants of the Dark family still lived in the village. Some years ago a mother and her daughter were sitting in the sun out in their garden. Jennifer was five years old. Suddenly her cat Tiddles came into the garden.
“Tiddles, what have you got in your mouth” Jennifer asked
Jennifer’s mother saw Tiddles and was shocked. “Jennifer leave Tiddles alone, he seems to have caught a bird, there is nothing we can do.”
Jennifer was feeling very sad. “Tiddles put the bird down, you are hurting it.” By this time Tiddles was tired of his new plaything and dropped the half dead bird at Jennifer’s feet.
“Jennifer please leave the bird, there is nothing you can do”, but Jennifer took the bird in her hand and started stroking it. There was a flutter and suddenly the bird flapped its wings and flew away with no problem. It was then that Jennifer’s mother realised Jennifer had inherited the gift that had been passed down in her family. Some daughters had it stronger than others.

One day Dark descendants, now known as Smith, received a letter to say that Jennifer’s cousin Samantha would be paying them a visit. When the two girls left school they went their own way. Today Jennifer was working as a nurse in the local vet’s surgery and Samantha was now working as a journalist.

Samantha was glad to see Jennifer again.
“Oh, Jenny how I have missed you over the years as well as our wonderful village of Dark Vale. It has hardly changed over the years. Even the same people seem to be living here.”
It was a fact that the inhabitants of Dark Vale seemed to stay. It was a very healthy population.
“Hi, Samantha, it’s lovely to have you here. How is life in the big city?
“To be quite honest, it is interesting meeting new people. Working as a journalist means seeing new places and travelling all over the world, but I am glad to be able to return for a few days. I thought we could perhaps go for a picnic tomorrow up on the hill. It is the week-end and I remember how lovely it was when I lived here.”
“That it such a good idea” answered Jennifer. The next day the two girls made some sandwiches, took a bottle of wine and made their way up the hill. The weather was ideal. They found a comfortable place under the shade of a tree and after finishing their food and wine, they decided to make themselves comfortable. Samantha decided to take it easy and she was just drifting off to sleep when she felt a prick on her leg.
“Jennifer, I think I have been stung by a bee.”
“That is not so bad Samantha, I have some ointment with me in case something like that might happen.”
“No Jennifer, I am allergic to bee stings, and once nearly died. Oh dear, I feel the swelling has already started” and when Jennifer looked at Samantha she could see her face turning red and she was having trouble breathing.
Jennifer now had a problem. They were a long way from civilisation and something had to be done quickly, otherwise Samantha could suffocate. Jennifer knew what she could do but heard the warnings from her mother and grandmother in her mind. “We should keep it amongst us and the villagers. Your gift is a wonderful gift, but it is better to keep it and not let it get known in the world of today.” So what could Jennifer do? She listened to her heart and put her healing hands on the bee sting. In the matter of a few minutes Samantha was breathing normally again and there was no sign of an inflammation where she had been stung.
“How did you do that” asked Samantha.
“Do what?” asked Jennifer
“You cured me with your hands. The inflammation has disappeared and I feel fine. I have never seen anything like it.”

“Just forget it, it was no problem.”
Jennifer just hoped that she would forget it, but Samantha was a journalist and it was Summer. Summer was known amongst journalists as the most uninteresting time of the year for stories, so when Samantha returned to her work place, she made herself busy telling the world, at least the local world, about her cousin’s healing hands and the wonder of Dark Vale.
Then it started.
There was a knock at the door in the small farm house in Dark Vale where Jennifer’s family lived. Jennifer’s mother opened the door and was immediately confronted with cameras, microphones and about 10 people from the local television and newspaper.
“Is your daughter Jennifer at home?” they asked
“She is at work. What do you want from her, and please stop flashing with those cameras.”
As she was talking an ambulance pulled up at outside the house.
“We have organised the transport of a few patients from the local hospital. We thought your daughter could show us her healing properties on them.”
It was then that Jennifer arrived home from work.
“What is going on?” she asked. “What are you all doing here.?”
“Here she is” called one of the journalists and immediately Jennifer was surrounded, cameras clicking and films rolling. “Now you can show us how you heal people” and stretchers were pulled out of the ambulance showing patients with broken legs and other problems.
“Please go away. I cannot help you.”
“Just touch my leg” said a patient “give me the chance to walk again”. “and me and me” the voices surrounded Jennifer. Suddenly everything went black before her eyes and she fainted. She woke up to find herself in a hospital ward.
“Where am I?” she asked.
The nurse came over “You had a circulatory collapse; probably the warm weather and the people. You were not getting enough oxygen. It seems that you are getting better now and we can release you. Your mother is waiting.”
Jennifer’s mother was waiting for her and her cousin Samantha was also there.
“Samantha what are you doing here. If it wasn’t for you, this wouldn’t have happened.”
“I am sorry Jennifer, but after you healed me so well on that day, I just had to bring the story in the newspaper.”
“And now you can see what has happened. I will be quite honest with you Samantha. Yes, I can heal people, but how many people shall I heal? Do I have to pick special favourites, or shall I just advertise and let everyone come to me for their healing chances; how do you expect me to cope with all the people that need help?”
“I just didn’t realise …”
“No Samantha, you did not realise anything. If you do not realise, how do you expect others to realise. Life on this earth is a balance of many factors, but it is a fragile balance and can quickly be destroyed. My gift is something individual. Perhaps there are others with this power, but if there are they keep it for themselves knowing the danger of having it made public.”

Jennifer returned home hoping that she would not be besieged by reporters at the door. It so happened that at this time a comet had been sighted in the sky. One that returned every five hundred years and this was now the main theme in the newspapers. Jennifer and her healing powers were soon forgotten and a new story was making the headlines.

Dark Vale reverted to its normal daily life. It was true that people living in this village were rarely ill. They knew no real dangers to their health. The vet where Jennifer worked was also very popular. People knew that their pets were in good hands at this animal clinic and nearly all animals were successfully treated. Some years later Jennifer married one of the vets in the clinic. Her first born was a little girl. It was interesting to watch how the little girl would play with the birds that she had healed with their broken wings.

United Friends Challenge #116: The Secret of Dark Vale

Wedding Anniversary and a Cat

A strange title, but it was not really the title I wished for. It all began forty years ago when I got married. A short interlude at a registry office with two witnesses, but as well as getting Swiss citizenship I got the man of my life. Some time over the last years, I cannot remember exactly when, I was visiting my father in London on my own. I had a fall and broke my arm. I was delivered to the local hospital and had an emergency operation on my arm. Before the operation they told me to remove my wedding ring. I had to tell the hospital staff that I had never removed the ring since I had been married and could not take it off any more as it was fixed. The size of my ring finger had sort of adapted to the size of my wedding ring. The nurse tried to get it off, there was a lot of pulling and pushing going on, but to no avail. The ring was stuck. It seems that it could be dangerous when have a full anaesthetic in an operation if you have rings on your fingers. Anyhow I remember waking up after the doctors had fitted my elbow together again with various screws and metal plates and suspended around my neck on a silken band was my wedding ring. I noticed a few bruised marks on my finger. I do not know how they managed to remove it, but I could proudly say they had to put me to sleep to take it off.

I have been walking around for the past 10-12 years without a ring on my finger. So what did my husband give me on my ruby anniversary, a wonderful new wedding ring. It is custom in Switzerland to have the ring engraved inside with the date of the marriage and the husband's name and this was all done by the jeweller. It's a wonderful ring and I am so happy.

The day did not exactly go as we planned it. From Wednesday until the end of next week I have a holiday from work, so we had decided to take it easy on our anniversary - no stress, just make a nice day of it. Unfortunately Tabby, one of my cats, had other plans. When I arrived home from work on Tuesday my husband said Tabby seems to have problems. We noticed she kept stretching out her head as if she had swallowed something. This reminded me of my big fat cat Nera who had been at the vets twice for this problem. Once she swallowed 25 cm of string and the other time we never really found out what she swallowed, but it was not fun until it passed through her.

We decided to leave Tabby as it was evening and have a look in the morning. The result was that at seven o'clock the next morning (my 40th wedding anniversary) I was on my way with Tabby in the car to the vet. After an examination, thank goodness she had not swallowed anything, but her throat and tonsils (I did not know that cats had tonsils) were extremely swollen. I assume she had a sort of a cat cold. As they had to put her under sedation for the examination I could only pick her up in the afternoon, so that was our quiet day gone. We celebrated the wedding anniversary with a nice lunch and in the afternoon I fetched Tabby. She had been given antibiotics and I had tablets for her which I should give twice a day.

The next instalment was this morning when we wanted to give her a tablet. Now cats are not known for their co-operation when taking medicine, and this morning Tabby was no exception. The poor thing still had a sore throat and we just could not give her the tablet. After another call to the vet I could bring her again and the vet gave her the medicine in a jab. (I dread to think what this is going to cost). I have to go again tomorrow morning for the third jab. It seems that her throat should be clearing up by tomorrow, although she will have to take the rest of the tablets.

She hasn't really eaten anything for the last two days, although that is not so bad. She will when she is hungry and her throat is better. The problem with cats (or any animal for that matter) is that they can dehydrate, so the vet has to give her an infusion as well.

My husband and I have both been suffering with a cough and cold over the past couple of weeks, so perhaps she might have caught it from us. I asked if the other cats could be affected. The vet said it was possible. I told her that if my big fat cat Nera gets it then I will leave her at the vets until she is healthy again. Nera does not like people touching her, and if you try to give her a tablet she will probably have your finger. We even managed to weigh Nera at the vets a couple of weeks ago when she had her annual jabs. She is the heaviest cat I have and tips the scales at six kilo. That is actually slightly overweight for a normal cat.

So that was the story of my wedding anniversary and a cat. The things that can happen.

MULTIPLY Writers Block Challenge #55: Word Problems

“Doctor we have an emergency patient waiting. I have never seen anything like it.”
“I am on my way nurse. Oh no, this looks really bad; strange symptoms. Every time he opens his mouth meaningless words fall out. Hello can you hear me; can you give me an answer to my questions?"
“Doctor I think he is trying but the words are just falling out and taking no sensible form or shape. If only they were making sentences.”
“How did this patient arrive in the hospital nurse.?”
“It seems he was attending a banquet and was going to hold a speech. When he stood up to speak it happened.”
“What happened?”
“I think I can give the information you need doctor”
“Who are you?”
“I am his friend and was with him at the banquet. I saw it happen.”
“Do you know this person very well.”
“Yes doctor, we work together.”
“Can you give me a reason for this to happen? Did he show any symptoms at work during the day.”
“Not really, he seemed to have a heavy cough, but he smokes, so I thought it was due to the habit of smoking. He has been smoking quite heavily lately; more than usual.”
“That is interesting. Is there any reason for the heavier smoking?”
“I think it might be the stress he has in the office. Our directors have been put under pressure lately and it has all become too much. I noticed he coughed up a couple of letters during the day. His speech at the banquet was based on our annual turnover and profits, but the words just came tumbling out making no sense.”
“And now please tell me where he works and what his job is.”
“Oh, I thought you knew - he is the managing director of our bank.”
“Nurse, just put the patient alone in a room and leave him for a few days. The complaint will cure itself. When he wakes up his bank will not exist any more.”

Writer's Block - Challenge #55: Word problems

MULTIPLY United Friends Challenge #115: The Future

Qwith's Challenge

From Barbara DeMarco's Pen on Fire p.8

Think about what you wish for and imagine how you'd like your life to be in 6 months, a year, five years from now. Age doesn't matter here, especially if you think that you should already have realized your dream or that you're too young to see your dream come true for a good many years.

Focus on the dream itself. Envision your future as you'd like to live it. Have you secretly wanted to transform a guest room or corner of your garage into a writing studio? Write about that, down to the type of flooring it will have and the type of chair you'll sit on.

Be specific: How will you spend your days? Do you see yourself writing full time? What will you write--stories, articles, essays, poems, novels? Don't skimp on details.

Fate may just need to know the color of the walls or the make of the car you'll drive or the design of the desk where you'll sit if it's going to fulfill your dreams.

It's important to see yourself iin the sort of life you want. If you can't see yourself as a writer, how will you ever find your way there?

This is a challenge and not a challenge for me. First of all I have to go back before going forward. I left my home country, England, and arrived in Switzerland at the age of twenty. My goal then was to learn a foreign language. This goal was achieved and after living the last forty two years of my life in Switzerland I speak fluent German. My past life was composed of bringing up my two children and then returning to the world of business. In three weeks I will be retired at the age of 62. Apart from my daily work as an export clerk, I always cultivated my private interests. I actually only really started writing more seriously about a year ago. My husband was always interested in literature and art and I shared these interests to a certain extent, but we mostly have different tastes. He prefers to read everything in German, although his English is good and I read the German authors in German and the English in English. That is perhaps a short introduction.

So what will I be doing in five years – I would not dare to think further. I have no real ambitions as a writer. For me writing is fun and should be an enjoyment. Am I a good writer or not? I cannot answer this question myself and would not dare to. I flow between two languages and in character I am very down to earth. This might show in my writing. I can be very logical and I find I am not at all lyrical. My poetic efforts are based on rhyme. I just enjoy telling a good story. How this will look in the future is difficult to foresee. I sometimes sit at the computer, a blank screen in word and ask myself what comes next? I start to write, may it be a challenge or a picture and most of the time things seem to fit into place. I do not ask myself what will happen in five years, but whether I will have an idea for the next week. When the ideas flow, then I write, but will the ideas still be flowing in five years. I have never really tried to get anything published, although I was once asked for one of my stories. I had a book of short stories published, but by a self publishing organization, comparable to Lulu, but in Germany known as BoD. It was an experiment on my side, but I actually did sell some copies of my book.

After my retirement I intend to keep the knowledge of the foreign languages I have needed over the past years of my working life. I speak French and Italian as well as German and for ten years learnt Russian and I would like to take up my Russian again. It was never perfect, but I can still write and read in Cyrillic and it would be a shame to give it up completely. Man forgets so quickly what he once intensively learnt.

I am satisfied with my surroundings and do not really want to change very much in my home. Perhaps it is a sign of getting older that everything around you should remain as it has always been. I know that my three cats would join me in this wish. I have a room that I could call my office and can work in peace and quiet on my writing, as well as on my photo projects. My oldest son is autistic and still at home. He is lucky and has a regular job in a nearby factory. My youngest son is working in Belgium and visits when he is on holiday.

As far as transport is concerned, I have no dream car. I just need a car that moves. It should have no problems, and not be in the garage for repairs most of its life. Public transport in our village is a train into town. From town there are connections all over Switzerland, without having to use the car. I drive, but can just as well walk or take the local transport. I cannot say that I really enjoy driving. I have become a bit of a stay-at-home person over the years. When I was younger my husband and I would spend our holidays in other countries in Europe and we once even stayed a week in New York; an unforgettable experience. We now live in the country, surrounded by nature, a river just around the corner and I am satisfied. If we do visit one of the larger towns in Switzerland such as Zürich, Bern or Geneva, we are usually glad to arrive back at home. The fast life of the cities is to be consumed in small doses. I think I will spend my future days indulging in reading, writing and photography. Most likely taking walks in the countryside and taking photos of the surroundings. I like to take macro photos of insects.

I was actually wondering whether to meet this challenge or not. Basically it is not really something that I study in quiet moments. There are stages in life when there is always something in front of you. I have now been educated, had a family, worked and now retirement looms ahead. What is left in life? When I think of my father in London who is now 94 years old, there is a lot left in life, but I will now take it as it comes and enjoy it by doing what I want to and not what I have to.

United Friends Challenge #115 The Future

MULTIPLY Pictures to Words #5: An Ad Campaign

Got a headache? - an aspirin will cure it

Buy white socks and forget your problems

Your local tattoo shop has the answer to everything


As a waste disposal unit goats are perfect - you throw it away, they eat it

Something to fill an empty place on the plate



An apple is versatile, it can be eaten and used as a weapon

You are never alone with a beer

Pictures to Words #5 An Ad Campaign