Tired legs
Geisshorn in the background. The highest peak around here. 2249 m.
Unexpectedly I found some very nice mushrooms. At least nice looking. Cleaning them, today, I found out that they all had extra protein. Nasty little worms, unvisible at the outside. As we all prefer other sources for protein, about 80 % landed in the waste. But the remaining 20 % were very tasty. Unfortunately indeed only to taste, as the whole mushroomharvest was only about one kilo from beginning. But it was nice finding them :-) Usually I never find mushrooms - except these beautyful red ones with white dots.....
Saturday was also the day the sheep came home from the mountainpasture. Not our sheep, they are around all summer long - other peoples sheep. Huge ugly white sheep, out of some are made the most excellent sausages, or hot dogs. Or better - hot sheep. So saturday night we had the same programme as with the cows, on wednesday; tent, music, beer and sausages. But in smaller and not until so late.
Friday was the day I did my very best to beat my record in alpine walking ( or speed hiking...). I did beat my self by two minutes: 38 minutes. Maybe even a little less. But only maybe, so I'm not sure if I did beat my contrahent Bertram. But on the other hand he is much taller than me an younger, so I will leave him in the believe he is faster than me. I doubt I could make it faster, I think my legs reached their physical limit in fastmoving and longstepping. Hui!
Tomorrow I'll take it easy, cooking for the family (Emil has monday off), ironing and maybe do some gardening. JuNi and I are harvesting weed. So we hopefully can harvest some more edible things next year. (We had the potato crop for lunch today....) Niki has decided I shall extend the vegetablegarden with the double, so he has been digging like a mole, last week, and together we've tried to produce nice black good earth. So, sometimes I really do efforts to be a good housewife. The motherstuff is easier and more fun, but householding and gardening and cooking and that kind of stuff is not really my thing. But as it is part of it and makes me feel good I always do my very best :-) And I reckon I haven't been THAT bad, throughout the years, because tomorrow is Emils and mine 24th wedding anniversary! Or was it today? We're never quite sure wich day counts, as we needed two day to get married as we wanted to do it properly. Seem to have paid off :-)
T.
September 21st
That was yesterday. The day the cattle comes down from the mountainpastures. Same procedure as every year! Die Almen. It's called Alpfahrt here. In other places Almabtrieb. Well, the milkcows came a little earlier, as I wrote. They need more to eat, of course, as they have to produce a lot of milk.
The weather was nice; blue sky and snowy higher regions.
In the village there was a huge tent. I think 90 % of Tannheims population was there, at some time during the day and evening. Some longer than others. Yaaawn.......
T.
Summer coming to an end
Swimming-in-the-lake-season is over. Now it's more mountain season.
This is sunday lunch pic-nic, sunday 2 weeks ago, on one of our "kitchenwindowviewmountains"
Here the lunchnap, last monday September 12th, at Timmelsjoch, on the border between Austria and Italy. I have to admit that the car is only 10 min. walk away :-)
After we came back from Scotland, Julia and Niki made the reflection, that they hadn't seen much of Austria and the closer surroundings. So true! So we decided to take a little trip, on Emils two days off, last week.
We took the tents with us, in case we would stumble over a nice spot to put them up. We did! Pordoi Joch in the Dolomites. It was a full moon night and this is the early morning view from my sleeping bag.
The camp ground is just above the village of Canazei, at the Sella group. At about 1850 m. We skied here, two or three winters ago. The "Sella round". 
We even had a bathroom for a small refreshing wash-up and brushing teeth.
That night was incredible beautyful. Not the best hotel can offer you that view and feeling. For breakfast we drove on little bit, to the next station, for cappuccino and a croissont, in the morning sun. We had two really great days in magnificant nature.
The week before that little trip, Julia, Niki and I made another little camping trip; I had to go to Saarbrücken to get the horse trailer, as so often (belongs to our neighbours Hotel Jungbrunn)(we can use it) and have long thought about combining it with a visit to Luxembourg. That is only another 80-90 km to go. So on monday we went there, had a look at the town in the afternoon, drove back to Saarbrücken, stayed over night in the trailer and went home next morning. Back home at lunch time on tuesday. Tomorrow I have to take the trailer to inspection, reminds me.
We have also done quite a lot of mountainbiking and some alpine - walking. Generally known as "speed hiking", since this summer. Somebody stole my idea!!!!! They even brought a reportage in the radio, about this "new" sport.
As usual - I was too slow........
But Julia made some new fotos the other day, actually, as I still intend to take it up in my programme.
What about this? I still intend to call it "alpine walking!
Except for hanging around in the mountains, we got Opa's (= grandpa's) 2 cows down from the mountainpasture. (Lucky that we had brought the trailer ), because the pasture is getting rare, up there. The rest of the cattle is coming on wednesday the 21st.
Further I have finished five buckets and cans of paint. Now one bathroom door is yellow, the horse stable is partly freshened up and 4 barrels and 4 cavallettibars have been painted. Julia and Hombre are training for a local competition. Trail riding, like.
Niki and Emil have made a lot of firewood so we are well prepared for fall. And Julia and I have brought loads of sawdust, to keep the stable cosy and clean.
Autumn is actually my favourite season. When everything is getting slow and cosy after the fast active summer (which I of course, also enjoy, but I wouldn't like to have summer all year long; then you couldn't look forward to it!)
Almost forgot the new bench we made friday evening; on the sheep pasture, overlooking the village and our "farm".
Of course we had to try it out, at once, with an after-work-beer.
Oh, almost forgot; I have a sad announcement to make: The Hen got killed last sunday night :-( By a weasle.Because I forgot to lock it up properly. I feel sooooo sorry!!! I hope the weasel enjoyed the meal, though!
For my own comfort, I am sure, that our hen suffered less and had a better life, than any broiler you can buy in a supermarket. Or the chicken nuggets in a fast food restaurant.....
T.
