Nine years ago

[Lozzles]

Yes, work took us over there before the boys had started school. We lived here in Sigriswil in the Bernese Oberland

It really is as beautiful as it looks. There were lots of wonderful things about living there and I'm glad the boys spent their formative years there, but I'm glad we came back to the UK. I could speak some Swiss German and our eldest was fluent, but our youngest struggled with a number of things. It's a long, long story, but we came back due to the schooling apart from everything else.

[Ally]

That looks lush Lozzles..so clean and fresh.

[Kaz]

It looks as though Julie Andrews should be running around in the middle of it Just beautiful Loz

[tonicha]

Beautiful, just beautiful. But cold, I would have thought too

[meriad]

That is very beautiful Loz

Ton & Ally - your love for your adopted countries comes across in most of your posts; I'm glad you're both so happy there. You hear so many stories of ex-pats who are as miserable as anything mainly because they haven't bothered trying to fit in with their new countries and expect things to be just like back home but with warmer weather....

Kaz, if you get stuck with the German cousins give me a shout; happy to translate as well. Where are they from in Germany?

[Kaz]

Thanks Ria, that's very kind. I will if we get stuck

They grew up in Dusseldorf, my late Aunt P was Mum's sister and she married a German man and they moved back to Germany when the children were little - my cousin Z was about 5 - my Nan took me one year when I was about 13 to visit and I loved Germany. It looked so new and modern compared to England and they took me on the monorail in - I think? - Wuppertaal???? Not sure how to spell it. Aunt P died the week my H was born she was only in her mid 50s and after that the German family kind of lost contact, but Z found us again

Z (the cousin who emails) and her family live in Sulingen in the North, her elder brother J lives near Monchengladback and the other sister D lives in Detmold