We hope you are all well and enjoying life. Here is our little June update blog.
For the second year our little village of Frauenkappelen hosted the Old Timers vintage and classic car rally. This took place, as advertised, on Father’s Day. I am not sure why such an event does not take place on Mother’s Day, there were at least a couple of women owners with their cars, at the show. But to be fair, restoration does seem to be a largely male preoccupation
Whatever, there were an advertised 250 cars on show, and the village brass band, and tables, and beer, and sausages, and all the makings of a good time. I, personally, find it a bit discombobulating to realise that I am twice as old as some of the vintage cars; in fact I owned some of them in my youth, Morris Traveller for example.
1. 1. A fine example of a Morris Minor delivery vehicle
For the kids, and adults, there were rides on a vintage fire engine that made irregular trips up and down the main road through the village.
2. Fun for children of all age, from 8 to 80
One of the oldest cars was this amazing American La France, a massive vehicle that from what I understood has a 14 litre engine and chain drive from the engine to the rear axle. Amazing. Despite its name it was an American company that built fire engine in New York.
3. This beautifully restored American la France is from circa 1917 .
4. A Rambler, possibly the oldest car at the rally.
And we should not forget the Soviet block’s contribution to automotive industry
5. A perfect Trabant, with matching caravan, probably more perfect than the original
There were many cars from my youth, but favourite is from my father’s cars, the old MGs from the 1930s and still going strong today.
6. Heading home at the end of the day, an MG still looking good.
7. And lastly, another dream of my childhood, a Jaguar D type in racing colours, from the early to Mid 1950s
As some of you may be aware, Europe has been in the grip of a heat wave for the last several weeks. It was extremely hot during the Oldtimers Rally. But that was only a foretaster. Since then the temperatures in Switzerland have been in the mid to upper thirties (centigrade), with humidity at about 65%, so it felt like being back in Laos.
8. People took to the River Aare to cool down.
The River Aare is dammed in Frauenkappelen forming the Wohlensee, originally built to provide cooling for the nuclear power plant just below the dam. This gives the locals a well appreciated swimming area with a pop-up bistro during the summer months.
9. We swam in the lake, diving from a boating pontoon.
Below the dam you can drift downstream in the current for about a kilometre. Of course, the downside, but a small one, is that you have to walk back again.
10. Below the dam at the access to the river, with the impressive electricity supply buildings.
Last month I included a photo of a red squirrel in Barbara’s garden. Barbara sent a new picture of the same squirrel’s attempt to deal with the heat.
11. The red squirrel prostrating itself in the bird bath, trying to get cool.
We made a trip north to stay with Ursula’s sister-in-law, Kiri, near Cologne. We went by train, so much more relaxing than driving, and probably quicker – the train reaches speeds of 250 km an hour in places.
12. This train, not ours, exemplifies the Swiss attachment to chocolate.
It was just as hot in the north as it was in the rest of Europe and we spent much of our time relaxing in the shady and cool garden.
13. Relaxing and keeping up with the Football World Cup
We returned home from Kiri’s a bit fearful of the state of our vegetable garden. We had arranged with one of the other allotment gardeners to water our plot while we were away, but it was so hot and dry we were still a little concerned. We need not to have worried, the garden was looking good.
14. Our plot with spinach, tomatoes, paprikas, peas and cucumbers, and herbs
Unfortunately there is no water supply to the garden so we have to carry watering cans to it. Hence the water barrels, The green structure is to protect the tomatoes. Last year most of them were destroyed by the rain. This year almost a drought, of course.
And that, mostly, was our June.
Best wishes to all.
Ursula and Chris