30 April 2020

As the Covid gates open on the outside it feels like the colours on the inside are brightening as well. I get excited about things and privileges that I previously took for granted. Freedom means different things to different people. What each of us longs for most is unique to each of us as individuals. With many rules in place worldwide, we still cannot do everything that complete freedom would allow us, such as flying to South Africa. However, we are going to seize every opportunity with the limited freedom we do have.

Irises in Belvoir Park

When my Covid cage door opened, my first outing was to a park where different kinds of flowers and blossoms form a spectacle during different times in the spring season. May is the Irises’ turn and I wanted to see the last of them. The green lawns and variety of Irises in Belvoir park were beautiful, but the most beautiful of all was the space.

Lake Zurich

Zander’s biggest wish is to be in water. We miss the sea a lot. We miss the white foam waves on the blue and sometimes green water, the smell of salt hanging in the air and then of course the refreshing feeling of cold water rinsing your body. Our nearest water is now Lake Zurich. The lake’s water is still very cold, but I could see by the smile on Zander’s face, every icy drop was worth it. On the way back we bought him a delicious “cookie-dough” ice cream, because swimming and ice cream are equal to a holiday feeling.

Lucerne

Charl’s biggest wish is to be somewhere else without responsibilities for a while. We boarded the first train to Lucerne. Lucerne is a typical tourist city and usually packed with Chinese tourists armed with their cameras. What a strange sight not to see anyone next to the lake! The exception was one masked stray soul with her whole body and backpack covered with plastic. Luckily, the Chapel Bridge across the Reuss River was just as beautiful as ever, perhaps even more beautiful without all the tourists.

After a first year of change and adjustment, we were excitedly looking forward to our first European summer vacation. Typical Goosen style we booked a complex holiday with lots of tickets and booking.com deals. Even though the writing was seen on the wall, it was still a disillusionment when the boat cancellation between Denmark and Russia and the flight cancellations came through one by one. The state’s recommendation is that residents spend their summer holidays in Switzerland.

In Switzerland, the recommendation is that we should try to live despite Covid-19 and without panic. It is a challenge to keep morale high and create spirit in any country with so many social distance rules. We took part in a national fun run this weekend as a spirit-building activity.

Over the weekend, people had to cover 10km on their own time and route and then register it on a website. We covered 10 km in the forest near us. To keep my own morale high, I planted my first seedlings in Switzerland in two pots I brought along. The blue-purple Lavender and blood-red Malva make me long for my lovely garden in Welgemoed.

Kind regards

Emsia