WordPress Daily Prompt: A Form of Flattery

Write a post about any topic you want, but in the style of an author or a blogger you admire.

I might have a few admirers, like Mr. Swiss, my three felines and perhaps even others that may be addicted to my daily words of blog, but please do not even attempt my style, I have enough difficulties with it myself. In this sense, I will repay the favour and not attempt to copy any styles that my colleagues-in-blog have, no way. Even my faithful feline decided that it would be more worthwhile to take a catnap than read my words of wisdom.

Now I am left with any topic I want and what could be more suitable than a Voting Sunday in the Life of Switzerland. Yes, today our votes will be cast again: a regular event in the political life of this little country, about once every two months according to our great new ideas of improvement. Last week Mr. Swiss thrust an envelope in my hands and said “sign”. Of course I wanted to know what I was signing, although I do trust Mr. Swiss, but his ideas are not always mine. He had neatly completed the voting slip with Ja and Nein according to his ideas (yes and no) and all it needed was my signature of approval, although he did not say so much about approval. Here a small description of what I am to decide.

In the case of citizens that confuse Sweden with Switzerland a small explanation. Switzerland is much smaller and it might be that you enter our country and leave without even noticing you were there. Sweden is much larger, but there is a connection and not only the name. Today Switzerland is giving its approval (or not) to our government to buy a Swedish plane to replace the planes at the moment in use in our Swiss Air force. Yes we have an air force, it is just the navy that does not exist as we also have no ocean.

The Swiss government are very clever, they chose a plane that it so new that when they decided to buy it, it only existed on paper, a design, but it looked quite pretty and it seemed to have everything that a plane should have, like wings, an engine and a tail end. To fill you in on details it is known as Gripen – you have never heard of it? Neither had I. Eventually one or two examples were seen flying over our alp scenery, being followed by the keen eyes of a couple of politicians and many camera lens belonging to a few Swiss Citizens who happened to be in the right place at the right time. Of course these aircraft looked good, very dynamic and there was even a film on the daily news programme. However, Switzerland is a federal country, a democracy and before the government pay a few million to the Swedish for their new, super, never before bought aircraft, the people give their consent. Today the deal will be made or not. I will not say what Mr. Swiss voted (which is also my vote – we almost always agree), but I am really only interested if my car is OK as I cannot fly a plane.

Of course there are other points on the list. We are voting for a minimum wage. It seems the amount stipulated by the government, 4,000 Swiss Francs per month, is considered a little high by many. In fact so high, that if accepted, it would probably mean the ruin of many small companies. I do not wish to go into details, but I have a handicapped son (autistic) working in a local factory. If something like this is accepted, then he and many others would probably no longer have a steady job, so there again Mr. Swiss and I agree.

There is also something about doctors and medicine and I really do not know what it is about, so I left that to Mr. Swiss and just signed regardless. He being Swiss understands it all much better than me. It is sometimes very confusing living in a country with almost eight million population to decide on how things should carry on.

There are a few other local issues, something to do with energy and a new organisation. Another point is to decide on which days you are allowed to have a kantonal (Kanton=State) holiday or not. Being a golden oldie, every day is a holiday, more or less, so I have no idea what I voted – I am sure Mr. Swiss put the Ja or Nein in the right place. We also have to decide on a law in connection with hooligans at sport occasion. Who pays for the damage, searching people attending the occasion etc. etc. I do not attend sports, but prefer to watch on the TV, so there again, I just signed.

As you can see everything in Switzerland is organised, planned and runs like clockwork, although our banks might sometimes make little mistakes costing a few thousand, but that’s life.

Otherwise the weather is perfect, sun, fun and voting to do – and up to now no magical grid with the new great look, but things can only get better.

And I have written this blog in my own style, not the best, not the most perfect and definitely not worth a Nobel or Pulitzer prize (but who knows?). It did say a blogger you admire and as I walked past the mirror and caught a glimpse of my reflection …….. I am sure that tomorrow our grid will be up and running again, all our hard written blogs will be seen and acknowledged. Nobody is perfect and we will kill the WordPress grid demon eventually. 

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WordPress Daily Prompt: The Sincerest Flattery

Publish a post in the style of a favorite author/blogger or photographer. 

Photographers, artists, poets: show us COPIES.




Do not worry, I am not publishing in the style of anyone, especially not J.R.Rowling or that 50 Shades of something woman. I am publishing in the style of my favourite author/blogger and photographer – ME. It was just a coincidence that I had a photo of the window of a book shop in Bern. It was the time when the last Harry Potter book appeared and they had an advertising campaign in the window.

Today I am a little late with my remarkable, never-to-be-forgotten wonder blog, but that has its reasons. Sometimes things happen in the course of your life that cannot be postponed or put on one side. They have to be done, and if you do not know how to do it, then ask Mr. Swiss (in my case). It is time for the annual filling out of the income tax form in Switzerland. I do not know how this is done in other countries and I cannot remember my dad sitting and pouring over complicated forms telling his financial life history once a year in my homeland of Great Britain.

I suppose Switzerland is a financial nation. It seems we live from the flight capital that migrates into the country through devious channels, but the capital that is in the country, earned by its diligent hard-working citizens, has to be taxed. This is not an easy thing and up to now in my 45 years of Swiss married life I have managed to disappear when the tax form is being filled out, after all I am married to a finance genius (he is Swiss). It is expected from every Swiss citizen that they can complete these forms independently. It seems the rich and wealthy can engage a financial institute to do the work, but the John Doe’s of Switzerland have to do it themselves.

It has been decided that I should be able to fill out a simple tax form (according to Mr. Swiss). There are certain rules connected to this work. You collect all documents with financial details to avoid searching and losing time. This is very good in theory, but in practice? The forms are available online (thank goodness), although you cannot send them per e-mail. You have to print them and send them with original signatures when the final judgement day arrives, sometime in March I think. This afternoon was my first lesson, accompanied by some colourful language I managed 1-2 pages of information. There are about 200 pages to go (not really but it appears to me). I was sitting in the pole position at the computer and Mr. Swiss was giving instructions as my feeble mind only learns by doing. I got the hang of it and now know what to fill in and where, but are still not sure of the whys and wherefores. I am sure in five years I will be able to do it on my own.

My appointment with my chief accountant was around 4 o’clock in the afternoon so I had time to clean a few windows and empty the vacuum cleaner before we began. Emptying the vacuum cleaner is not as easy as it sounds. It is one of those modern Dyson type things, so it has to be completed outside on the porch, otherwise you could get a touch of silicosis from the dust.

It is now early evening and I am sitting at my computer and typing my blog. I cannot disappoint by followers with an blogless day, now can I, although I was tempted to answer this blog with a “No”. Of course, if anyone would like to flatter me by copying my unique, wonderful, memorable style of blog I do not mind – just let me have your e-mail address that I can supply the financial details of my bank account.


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WordPress Daily Prompt - Imitation/flattery

Write a post about anything you’d like — in the style of your favorite blogger. (Be sure to link to them!)

When I saw the title of this challenge, I had to shake my head a bit. I do not have a favourite blogger. Blogging is a hobby of mine. I enjoy writing about this and that so where do I start. I do not copy, but can be inspired. Over the years I have been blogging starting with good old Yahoo 350, and then Multiply which dies today, I have written many blogs and read many blogs. Now I have arrived in Blogger and WordPress. I have learnt over the years that a backup is always good, but now I don't have a backup in that sense any more. I just have two places.

Pondering over the subject of this blog, Mr. Mad came to my mind. Now who is Mr. Mad. He was the first Blogger colleague I had, starting on Yahoo 350 and then via Multiply. I loved his blogs, they were amusing in a sort of satirical way. His main character was Mr. Tiddleywinkles, his cat who of course spoke fluent human language and really kept Mr. Mad up and running.

Mr. Mad inspired me to start blogging about my own three cats (they have their own site on WordPress). I even started a series in the sense of Mr. Mad called "Reservoir cats", but the writings now only exist in a few blogs that still exist. Hier is a link to one of my parts Reservoir Cats 3.

I did not know Mr. Mad personally. He was english, from North England, and starting writing his blog as a bet for a case of beer (so was Mr. Mad). He had to write for three months. At the end of his three month writing session he got his beer but became so popular that we were all calling for more, and we got more, for at least three years. Mr. Tiddleywinkles was killed in the meanwhile, but he had three brothers, also known as Mr. Tiddleywinkles, so they would take over one by one. They all belonged to the Kittykat club, based in Manchester, who fought against crime. Mr. Mad had a hard time keeping Mr. Tiddleywinkles under control, but we were all part of his fan club.

The stories gradually did not come so regularly and we realised that Mr. Mad did have some health problems. One day he found it was time to stop writing. Perhaps he might return, he would have to think it over.

A few months later one of my blogging colleagues in Multiply informed that Mr. Mad was no longer with us. He had died a few weeks after his last entry. He probably felt what was going to happen. We all missed him terribly and he was and remains my favourite blogger. I am not going to attempt to write in his way, but here is an original that I found still on Internet. Today Multiply dies on the socal side of things and the blogs will probably die with the site. I have managed to rescue this one, the first he wrote, in memory of Mr. Mad and his writings, may he rest in peace.

"A Totally ruined Week-end
As you all know the Haggis Hunting Season started yesterday, me myself and Mr Tiddlywinkles were all prepared and ready to hit the Scottish Highlands.
I had my sturdy brogues set out as well as a decent pair of Plus Fours, tweed jacket and not forgetting my deerstalker hat, and my home made bow and arrows, ( I used to have a double barrelled shotgun, but the police took it off me because they said I was mad, well of coarse I'm Mad that's my name  I just wonder sometimes if my name was Sane, would I have been allowed to keep it.

I believe it was Friday night when the shit hit the proverbial well you know what it is, Mr Tiddlywinkles says all of a sudden, I'm not going, WHAT, I had everything prepared, train timetables everything, even a guide to show us the best vantage point's, it cost me an arm and a leg. I even bought Mr Tiddlywinkles a new sack to put the Haggis in. Now myself and Mr Tiddlywinkles have been living together for a few year's now, and this has never happened before, WOW,WOW, before any of you get the wrong impression, let me explain something to you all.

Mr Tiddlywinkles is a cat ( CAT ) so stop that snickering, I will explain how we met that fateful day. I was outside having an argument, with a neighbour, (now you all know me well by this time , and the last thing I want to do is have an argument with anybody ) after this said argument I turned around to go back into my humble abode, and sat on the doorstep was a cat, I snarled at it as I was pretty wound up at the time, the cat just snarled back at me, then walked in my house and jumped on my favourite chair, what could I do, I said SHOO KITTY, get out , but no nothing, that was about 4 year's ago, and he's still here, we often sit up till the wee hour's of the morning discussing thing's like world politics, the problem's that beset us all, and we have sorted them all out, but who listens fucking nobody, ( sorry about my French ) So the weekend was totally ruined, and with it being Friday, Mr Tiddlywinkles demands his Friday treat which is, fresh salmon steaks, poached in fresh cream with a side dish of mice and rat escalopes, and what do I have, pig's trotter's boiled in vinegar, a bit of tripe ( that's cows stomach ) followed by a nice Bury black pudding with strawberry jam. My God look at the date."

Wordpress Daily Prompt Imitation/Flattery