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Friday 17 October 2008

MULTIPLY Creative Challenge #23: Pleasure

Along the river Aare by Feldbrunnen


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At the moment the Autumn is giving me a lot of pleasure seeing how the leaves are changing colours on the trees and gathering on the paths and roads, nature is painting a picture once again.

"Mrs. Human what are you waffling on about." My black cat Nera has arrived on the scene.
"Nera is right Mrs. Human" Tabby cat also has to say something "what is so fascinating with a few old dead leaves laying around. Now we cats know something much nicer in Autumn."
"OK cats" I said "tell me all about it."


Nera

"It's time for the mice to start preparing for a Winter. The only use the dead leaves have is for them to build a nice warm home for survival. But us cats are too clever for them and the best place to find a nice juicy mouse treat is under a pile of leaves in Winter." Tabby waved her tail in agreement with Nera's words and Tabby had something to say.


Tabby

"Yes Mrs. Human Autumn is the best time for finding mice. The fields are full of them gathering a few rations to keep them going through the Winter and if we cats are clever we find the mice. That is the real meaning of Autumn and not all that sloppy stuff with colourful trees and nice landscapes. After all you can't eat the trees, but a mouse, now that is something different."
"Tabby is right Mrs. Human" Fluffy my youngest cat arrived on the scene "although I am blind and can't go out on a mouse hunt, I can smell them in the air and if I am lucky one might find his way into the home and build a nest somewhere."


Fluffy

I decided to end this conversation. "Cats, just listen to me now, I find the Autumn something fantastic in colour and I have a real pleasure in seeing the trees change their colours. For us humans it is not a time to find mice and to eat them and I certainly do not want to see one single poor little mouse in front of the window or in a nest in my living room as a complement to your cat food - Am I understood?"
"But Mrs. Human ..."
"Nothing Mrs. Human, keep your diet extras outside, I do not want to know anything about them, and if I see just one mouse within a few inches from our home then I will cancel the tuna fish on Wednesday evening for at least a month."
"No, not that Mrs. Human" they all called in unison.
"In that case you know what to do" I said "and now I would like to continue my work entitled "pleasure".
"But mice are also a pleasure ......"
"Cats, be silent" and they all walked off wagging their tails in frustration.

So to continue - where was I. Ah yes, about the pleasures of Autumn. Another feature of my Autumn days is my apple tree. When we moved in ten years ago it was the first thing I bought and planted in our garden. It was a special offer at the supermarket, an apple tree seedling and not very large. I had to wait at least four years until I had the first apple harvest.

"Mrs. Human, you don't have to wait four years for mice, they arrive every year."
"Nera cat, will you let me continue. I am not going to start a mouse breeding station in my garden. I want to talk about my apple tree."
"Apple trees are boring, cats do not eat fruit and we don't like apples."
"Nera that is enough, my garden is not designed to feed cats. Is that clear and now disappear, go and have a sleep somewhere, you do that so well."
"Meow, meow ......." and Nera wanders off meowing to herself something about primitive humans not appreciating the nice things in life.

So my apple tree - this year it seems to have had a record harvest. We have so many apples we don't know what to do with them. I have already picked half of the apples and the tree now looks like this.


Apple Tree



We have been eating apple pie and apple cake for the last two weeks and I have give my neighbours some, as well as bringing some to work. We decided to eat those we have picked up to now and leave the rest on the tree hoping that they will stay fresh until we get round to eating them. The farmers are now turning their apples into Swiss cyder, but you need a machine for that.


Apple Tree



So that was my pleasure report from Switzerland with a little help from my cats. Autumn is a wonderful time of the year, no Summer stress, taking it easy. At the moment we have some lovely sunny warm days in Switzerland and we can really enjoy life. I was going to tidy the garden up, but everything is still flowering so I have postponed that to the first week of November when I have a holiday.


Cemetery, Solothurn, Autumn colours

Creaative Challenge #23: Pleasure

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