In a Swiss valley

I promised to post a picture of the painting I want to buy from a friend, the artist of it. My husband though just does not like it, and still hasn't changed his mind, so it has to go back. But here is a picture for you before it does. Plus one of the reupholstered sofa. Click on them for a bigger view.

this was sent to me by my brother. You may have read it before, but I found it funny

Men Are Just Happier People

NICKNAMES
If Laura, Kate and Sarah go out for lunch, they will call each other Laura,
Kate and Sarah .
If Mike, Dave and John go out, they will affectionately refer to each other
as Fat Boy, Godzilla and Four-eyes.

EATING OUT
When the bill arrives, Mike, Dave and John will each throw in £20, even
though it's only for £32.50.
None of them will have anything smaller and none will actually admit they
want change back.
When the girls get their bill, out come the pocket calculators.

MONEY
A man will pay £2 for a £1 item he needs.
A woman will pay £1 for a £2 item that she doesn't need but it's on sale.

BATHROOMS
A man has six items in his bathroom: toothbrush and toothpaste, shaving
cream, razor, a bar of soap, and a towel from M&S.
The average number of items in the typical woman's bathroom is 337.
A man would not be able to identify more than 20 of these items.

ARGUMENTS
A woman has the last word in any argument.
Anything a man says after that is the beginning of a new argument.

CATS
Women love cats.
Men say they love cats, but when women aren't looking, men kick cats.

FUTURE
A woman worries about the future until she gets a husband.
A man never worries about the future until he gets a wife.

SUCCESS
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend.
A successful woman is one who can find such a man.

MARRIAGE
A woman marries a man expecting he will change, but he doesn't.
A man marries a woman expecting that she won't change, but she does.

DRESSING UP
A woman will dress up to go shopping, water the plants, empty the bins,
answer the phone, read a book, and get the post.
A man will dress up for weddings and funerals.

NATURAL

Men wake up as good-looking as they went to bed.
Women somehow deteriorate during the night.

OFFSPRING
Ah, children. A woman knows all about her children.
She knows about dentist appointments and romances, best friends, favourite
foods, secret fears and hopes and dreams.
A man is vaguely aware of some short people living in the house.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
A married man should forget his mistakes.
There's no use in two people remembering the same thing.

Today is my husbands birthday. 51 years old. last year we went to France, this year we go to work instead
For his birthday I bought him 3 bottles of beer - 2 Danish, 1 British, with strange names like, Black, or Brown sheep or similar, plus I got him a Sleeptracker. This is a thing that looks like a watch, that is supposed to track your sleep patterns and wake you up at the optimal point in a time window you set. It seemed like a good idea when I ordered it.
I had to pay customs duty though, which was annoying. Turns out it was being sent from Austria, despite the .ch at the end of the website address. I hate that when it happens.
And now it is wrapped up to give to him tonight. I am a bit afraid he may not be as impressed with the idea as I was though, plus of course, I guess it is not compatable with me setting an alarm clock. So he needs to try it when I am next away, which could be a while, as there is a travel ban in force in my company at present.
Ah well, he will enjoy the beer at any rate

I like autumn. Well, I like all seasons, although Winter is a bit nippy here.

Your Autumn Test Results

You are a energetic, warm, optimistic person. You approach everything with a lot of enthusiasm. When you are happiest, you are calm. You appreciate tradition and family. You enjoy feeling cozy. You tend to be afraid of change. You are never ready for things to be different. You find hard work to be the most comforting thing in the world. You like the feeling of accomplishing something. Your ideal day is active and full. You like to keep busy with your favorite things, and you appreciate a routine. You tend to live in the moment. You enjoy whatever is going on, and you don't obsess over the past or future.

At the offices our "generous" landlords have decided that the facade needs a clean. Not sure when this was last done, but it was well overdue. The entire 5 stories
(is that how you spell it? ) is covered with scaffolding and masked in gauze.
The men wear masks and overalls and are spraying the building with copious amounts of some solvent or other. It stinks in our offices, especially on the side being done. The staff are complaining of headaches, not surprisingly. I did call the landlord today, and he assured me that this stuff is not toxic, I hope he is right. I will be very glad when they move down a floor, cos it is getting unbearable.

Thankfully I am going to Copenhagen on the weekend, for a business trip. I am really looking forward to that, and will take lots of photos. At some point I will do a mass upload onto here, I promise. I have Madeira, the flat and the painting to post, but can't find the lead for my camera to download them!

I want your opinion on the painting at least, as my husband has now decided he does not like it after all, and I need to give it back. Very sad

from Reuters news:

All Swiss animals are equal - but some more so than others

AFP - Monday, September 1 04:54 pm

- Want to get rid of your goldfish? Swiss owners who have been flushing them down the toilet -- still alive -- must now find other methods since strict, new animal protection laws went into effect Monday.
(Advertisement)

Instead, a fish must be first knocked out and then killed before its body can be disposed of, the law stipulates.

The new legislation spells out in exhaustive detail how all domestic animals are to be treated, whether they be pets, farm animals or destined for scientific experiments.

Wild animals are also covered by the law if they reside in zoos or circuses.

Just like in George Orwell's satire "Animal Farm" however, some animals enjoy more "equal rights" than others.

Not only are goldfish now afforded a more "dignified" death than being dispatched round the U-bend, but it is now also forbidden for Swiss anglers to practise catch-and-release fishing or recreational catching only to throw the fish back in the water, or to use live fish as bait.

In the domestic sphere, common household pets such as budgies and hamsters can no longer be kept by themselves.

The same applies for more exotic breeds such as lamas, alpacas and yaks -- admittedly not your average pet but a common feature in zoos.

Even sheep and goats must have at least "a visual contact with their fellows," according to the new law.

Man's "best friend," the faithful hound, comes in for special treatment as dog owners will be obliged by law to take special classes on how to raise Fido properly so he is less likely to bite.

And Swiss dog-owners wishing to "customise" their pets as a fashion accessory will not be allowed to crop their tails or ears -- nor "force them to have surgery to get droopy ears."

But one cannot help but wonder if the animals would really welcome all the provisions Swiss lawmakers have generously bestowed upon them.

Pigs, for example, are often said to be happiest when rolling around in the mud -- but now they have the legal right to a shower to freshen up.

Nothing about cats then - that's okay, would hate our 2 to start demanding their rights, like fresh litter more often

And those Goldfish, how do the police know which toilet they swam down?