Monday, July 18, 2011

Fleurs à Couper

When I was little I would go out to the field two blocks from our house and pick some pretty purple flowers and "catepillar white flowers". They were a surprise for Mom. When I got a bit older I would venture to a neighbor's house around the block to clip some roses. Pinks, reds, yellows, whites - every color you could imagine! Leave the money in the mailbox; it's only "25 cents for short stem and 50 cents for long". 


Twenty-ish years later I go with my daughter to pick some flowers from the "Fleurs à Couper" about three blocks from our house. A farmer has planted sunflowers, gladiolus, dahlias and margaritas. A strangely  welded metal "caisse" acts as the no-change cash register. There is, or was, a knife meant for cutting the flowers which has gone missing.

The prices range from 0.10€ for a margarita to 0.60€ for a gladiolus. 


We found a few gladiolus to take come with us. The folks in the background of the above shot took tens of sunflowers as if they were decorating for a wedding or some kind of festival. 

When is your next party or dinner with friends? Think about going out to the local farmer's market or directly to the fields to get some freshly cut flowers! 



Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Saturday, July 9, 2011

The Book Cupboard @ Voltaplatz

A bit more about books, books for adults...

Need a good summer read? Already finished your good summer read? Look no further than the Buecherschrank at Voltaplatz in Basel. (It's the first of it's kind in Switzerland! How exciting!) The book cupboard is sponsored by the Christoph Merian Stiftung and is meant to support St. Johann's literature-minded community. The book cupboard is essentially an anonymous book exchange!! Super (spoken with a Swiss accent, of course)! Take one and leave one!

http://merianstiftung.ch/buecherschrank-basel/

The book cupboard is located at the new paved pedestrian area at Voltaplatz (the intersection of tram 1 and tram 11) not far from the Florida Café.



 
I took a look inside a few days ago and it was overflowing with potential summer entertainment. I found books in German, French, English, Japanese and many other languages I wasn't sure of. I found one for myself! (Can you guess which one it is?) Next time I pass by I'll donate one of two. What a wonderful concept!




I would recommend taking larger donations of English books to the AWC library at GGG Basel West or to Centrepoint.

http://www.centrepoint.ch/
http://www.awcbasel.org/

Happy Summer Reading!!

Sunday, July 3, 2011

JUKIBU!

JUKIBU? An exclamation of hope? A kind of animal? A foreign word for sure!

Well... it's the children's library in Basel! JUKIBU means "Interkulturelle Bibliothek fur Kinder und Jugendliche"or in English, the Intercultural Library for Children and Young Persons. Easily accessible by tram 11, the blue french buses, on bike or on foot this library is amazing! It touts a collection of children's books in 50+ languages!!

Photo by Geoff Parks Photography

Along with books, there are also DVDs, CDs, bilingual book readings and culture events!

The volunteers (no, they are NOT paid so be nice:)) are very friendly and ready to give you a tour or answer your questions. Try using your German skills, but don't worry if English is all you've got. 

If you are a member of the BCT (Basel Children's Trust - recently changed from Basel Childbirth Trust) you will receive a free membership. Non-members will pay a minimal fee.

http://www.jukibu.ch/

** Summer hours: from July 2  to August 15 open the following Wednesday afternoons: July 6, 13, 20, 27, August 3, 10 from 15:00- 18:00.