Dwight Peck's personal website

A visit to Lisa's new house in Ollon


Ollon, Switzerland. Professor Durham has got a new house, and on 14 October 2006, whilst transporting IKEA bookshelves thither, it's time for a good look-round.

You may not find this terribly rewarding unless you're included here, so this is a good time for casual and random browsers to turn back before they get too caught up in the sweep and majesty of the proceedings and can't let go.

After many long years spent in the frustrating task of finding a suitably large Swiss habitation for purchase -- wedged (wedged!) amongst toppling piles of books and video films, surplus leather jackets and fairly demanding kids, in a fourth-story walk-up rental in Aigle, Switzerland -- Lisa's finally found the perfect place.

Ollon, not far from Aigle on the train line leading up to Villars, has many more old-world charms than we ever suspected, as we were just motoring through in a hurry on the road up to the mountains. It's got lovely narrow streets, a nice old church, spectacular views out across the Rhône valley to the Dents du Midi, cute little shops, and, of course (in summer), flowers everywhere.

And, just outside Lisa's front door, it's got pink buildings.

The view up the street from Lisa's front door, in the quartier called Carroz.

Flowers are the Swiss obsession, and it works.

Views of the back streets of Ollon, 14 October 2006

Prof Durham and fountain

Lovely narrow streets in Ollon

Lovely narrow streets in Ollon

The view from Lisa's backyard

Lisa's backyard, with the original hopelessly inaccurate sundial on the wall

Lisa in her new backyard, with the hopelessly inaccurate sundial still on the wall. Lisa's youngest, Dr Dante (a.k.a. Dr André), was with us for the IKEA trip and for lunch on the balcony, but missed out on the photo opportunities. Lisa's oldest, Dr Mercedes, is in York at present, but her room here is filled higgledy-piggledy with stacks of books, like all the other rooms.

The neighborhood

Lisa in front of her house (staring fixedly at the pink one across the road)

Atop Lisa's front door -- hieroglyphics and the original date of 1788.

Lisa's livingroom -- the hundreds of other rooms in the house are not yet ready for photographing until the piles of books and films have been sorted out and put up on shelves.

Like the diningroom.

Christmas 2006 in Ollon


Feedback and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, . All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 6 December 2006.


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