So 2020 started normal enough. Here are some gulls in Zurich. Note how they are not socially distanced.
Public transport in Switzerland is highly efficient. See how fast this tram moves.
Some happy normal people going for an evening out somewhere. Not a face mask to be seen, yet.
A balmy January evening and I decided to photograph Aarburg at night. I believe part of this is used as what you would call a "YOI" in the UK.
Last normal trip, a day trip across the Dutch border to Maastricht from Germany. This is the Basiliek van Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Tenhemelopneming.
By this point, the nonsense has started and I decided to get some fresh air and stay well away from everyone by climbing up this hill and photographing this castle. I think going inside was already impossible by this stage.
And so started many months of what you know as "WFH" and what is stupidly called here "home office" (yes, in English). Every evening a lonely walk around the area, perhaps stopping to talk to some of the locals like this one.
I [re]gained an appreciation for the local scenery and for the capabilities of the GCam App on my phone.
By the Summer, things were looking better and I was able to travel to Germany. Standing here and looking this direction on the night of 16th-17th May, 1943, you might have seen a Lancaster coming straight for you. Indeed, that might have been the last thing you saw.
An astrophotography evening on a bridge between Einsideln and Euthal. The Milky Way shots were rather noisy on my old camera, so here's a shot pointing the other direction at the comet "Neowise".
I even managed to get home to my family in the UK and see the foxes in the neighbour's garden. I thought I'd be able to come home for Christmas.
Trying out a new lens on my Olympus camera.
By Autumn, things are getting worse again, borders closing, but one "international" border I could still cross unrestricted was to Liechtenstein, which, to all intents and purposes, is another Swiss canton that happens to be run by a Prince.
For the first time I visited the Klöntalersee in the Autumn rather than the Spring. The water is very clear and very still, giving amazing reflections
After a rather lonely Christmas, we had heavy snow in February of 2021 and driving to the supermarket became trickier.
By April, the weather was improving and the air was still relatively dry, giving excellent views across Zurich to the Alps from Waid.
Similar scene, shortly after sunset.
I drove over the Brünigpass to Iseltwald, seen here.
As a variation on walks around the local area, I often walked around the perimeter of the eerily quiet Zurich Airport. This restaurant contains an IL-14 but gastronomy was totally shut down at this time. Note the coronavirus notices in the doors.
We had wonderful diversity of waterfowl on the local river. Sadly incredibly heavy rains came that lasted for weeks and all were lost, including I believe one of the adult swans.
A wet weekend visit to the town of Aarau and some artistic editing.
Park Seleger Moor, south of Zurich actually looks better just after it has rained
And boasts many frogs
The lake of Obersee is close to Klöntalersee in Canton Glarus
This little zoo is located on a language border (French-German)
A cooler Summer's day in Zurich
On my way to Germany, suffered a damaged wheel/tyre valve on the Autobahn, so made a stop in Heidelberg and stayed for the night. Enjoyed a beer and a meal outside with a former work colleague who lives there.
A great grey owl at the "Falknerei Bergisch Land"
Barn owl
Red Kite
A second attempt to photograph the Milky Way, this time just walking up a nearby hill and accepting the light pollution from Zurich
Jupiter and its moons were visible (640mm equivalent focal length)
And Saturn and its rings, if you squint
End of the Summer and a trip to Bern
Being driven to British Car Meeting in Morges on Lake Geneva in a friend's Morgan (Lake Biel shown here) in early October '21
An MG at the BCM
Roads? Where we're going, we don't need "roads"
Trips to Germany for less than 24hrs didn't require a corona test. This is Freiburg-im-Breisgau and the little streams that run in channels along the streets are called "Bächle" in the local dialect.
Met up with some fellow car enthusiasts in the French-speaking region again. This is "Le Landeron".
Made it back to Germany for a longer stay. This is the Baldeneysee (actually a wide part of the river Ruhr)
Germany's answer to Versailles, Schloss Nordkirchen
...and its surrounding grounds
After all these years, I finally made it up the Rigi, where Switzerland was founded in 1291
...just in time for sunset
An actual social event. The IMechE Switzerland Christmas dinner for 2021 was held in the Hotel Victoria in Glion sur Montreux. I took this photo during breakfast the morning afterwards.
I stayed in the same hotel and woke up to a fantastic view of lake Geneva
In early 2022 I was in Lucerne during the "LILU" festival
Back in the Siky Park zoo, I was hoping for snow, but found this black swan instead
Tigers are like pet cats in so many ways
Another "finally". Finally caught up with one of these, and not too far from where I live either.
If you've made it this far, you might be pleased to see something almost relevant to this forum! This mint machine is some childhood nostalgia for me and is located in the City of Norwich Aviation Museum which I wanted to visit for several years.
Something for Fraser, if he's still around on here?
I remember these seats.
This for me was the real star. This is possibly the first aircraft I ever flew in.
A final Air UK machine. I remember talking to Garry about Air UK and aircraft that used to fly to the CIs.
Ex CityJet Avro RJ85 EI-RJN
Here's the control panel for the Vulcan's bombing "computer" as used to target the runway at Stanley. Seemed topical.
After Norwich I did a little photography project in the Fens that I haven't posted online. A night in Cambridge and then on to Duxford
You need a fisheye in the American hall!
