Although I spend the majority of my days at my desk, it’s always the trips into nature that end up being the memories of the week.
At the moment, I’m simply enjoying every minute I can spend outside. The lushness and diversity that nature has to offer feels so good. There’s something new to discover every day, different flowers or trees are in bloom, you catch different scents. And everything has something of summer about it, even if there are a few gray days. The sky itself is full of life. Swifts, pigeons, ravens, bats and there’s always a bird singing somewhere. A blackbird is now singing its morning and evening song right on my balcony and is making my day just that little bit sweeter. The whole thing is a complete contrast to what else is going on in the world. And to our digital life, whose omnipresence I am increasingly averse to. Maybe it’s my age, but I don’t really care. The good life and happiness, which should be the focus, don’t need apps or an intelligence that thinks for me. I started the new week with reflections like this. Literally. An early morning run under a bright blue sky reflected in the calm waters of the Rhine was the prelude to a week in which I was once again able to get a lot done that needed to be done or that I had planned to do.
A peaceful start into a new week
No stop until Friday
After that, I went through the rest of the week in one go. It really always feels like that. On Monday, a moment of reflection on what you want to achieve in the next few days and then off you go. One thing leads to another and in no time at all it’s Friday and the working week is over. The rhythm always changes at the weekend. Even as a self-employed person, I have retained this division between working days and weekends. Or rather, I can’t get over it. After all these years, after school, training and being employed, this division of the days is just too ingrained.
The little joys of everyday life
The beauty of Swiss Jura in spring
The highlight of the week came on Saturday. The weather was perfect and a hike was planned. Alarm clock at 4.45 a.m. and 1 1/2 hours later on the train to Biel. From there, it was a 6-hour hike over the mountain ranges of the Swiss Jura to the summit of the Chasseral. We had planned this hike two weeks ago, but then had to cancel it due to bad weather. I’m glad we did, because now the meadows and forests are in full bloom. The colors and shapes of the leaves and flowers captivated me and gave me a lot of inspiration for new painting ideas.
Abundance of flowers
Back down into the valley
After a picnic on the grass with a wonderful view over the Swiss Plateau and the lakes at our feet, the hike continued. Two hours through the Combe-Crède, a steep gorge down into the valley that looked more alpine than low mountain range. In addition to all the impressions, the physical exertion also felt good – once it was over. Nothing better than ending the day on the sofa after all that physical exertion, showered and clean, lazy and deeply satisfied.
View from Mount Chasseral and the Combe-Crède canyon
