That's just too young to die...

Our good friend Judith died yesterday and it's only just beginning to sink in at the moment. Throughout her last five years of battling cancer she has always remained pretty much the same Judith we knew and loved so it's really difficult to suddenly know she's gone. It was all so damned quick, one moment we're planning to see here at Christmas and the next it's an impossible engagement. It's odd how it hits you - for me, it was just as I was typing an email to our mutual friend, Gillian. Just having to say her name in the past tense made me burst into tears. Here she is enjoying the company of two of her best friends....

Sad news on Saturday's fire

It seems that two people died as a result of the fire, one in hospital and one in the building itself. There are still the odd signs of smouldering fire as well as the continuing smell of burnt wood.

Fire in Kaiseraugst

We were woken up very early this morning by the rather terrifying shouting across the road as the local nightclub was ablaze. Soon the fire was out of control and there were fire engines and firemen everywhere. We witnessed the rescue of 3 or 4 people, one of whom was taken from a blazing window. We will wait and see whether there are any casualties but our landlord said that 2 people were still missing.

The Ease of Going to the Cinema in Basel

One of the great things about Basel is that it's really easy to go to the cinema with no worries about language problems as the films are always shown (in one cinema or another) in English (with German & French subtitles). So we went off to the Pathé Kuchlin to see the latest Bond movie which was appropriate as I've just ordered the last two DVDs to complete my Bond collection! I always enjoy them even if this one has had mixed reviews - I don't care I like 'em all (even OHMSS!) and this darker, edgier version that Daniel Craig brings is thoroughly enjoyable.

Basel Region Walk #1

Here's the little walk that we managed today on a beautiful, if slightly chilly, day here in Switzerland. After the weather this week it was no surprise to find a little snow on the walk up to Sissacher Fluh. At the top we were rewarded with a great view over the hills to the Engelberg Alps, all covered in relatively fresh snow. At the other end of the walk (entitled, "Vantage Point to Vantage Point") was the Aussichturm, which we didn't climb this time as we had already walked for four hours. It is only a 50 minute walk from Kaiseraugst so we'll be back, I'm sure. So we've now completed the first of the "Basel Region" Walks that are listed on the wonderful Swiss Tourist website, www.myswitzerland.com . It was enjoyable and we're also looking forward to the higher walks in the Jura soon.