Dwight Peck's personal website

Ollon, Canton de Vaud, Switzerland

Ollon, Switzerland. Some years ago, Professor Durham acquired title to an old house of faded elegance in a lovely Swiss village, and in autumn 2013 the rentable flat on her rez-de-chaussée came free, so she invited us along. Now we've just got to figure out where to put everything. Especially the books.

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.

The Ollon Scoping Mission, 13 February 2014

Ah, a fine place to park nearby. Kristin's presently on mission in the USA, and we've been entrusted with taking measurements of walls and doorways for our forthcoming move.

The front door -- we're on our way

An inscrutable crest of somebody's arms, and the date 1788

Oh, a spacious something-or-other room (still to be decided). Of course, all rooms look spacious with nothing in them.

A very suitable kitchen, that's a plus. We can mix up a fine ratatouille in here, if needed.

But that little fridge is not going to do the necessary.

The spacious something-or-other room again, with a door out the back

Oh, lovely. The first flat I've had with a place to sit with an improving book out in the soothing sunlight in the past 18 years. (In Bassins, for 13 years, I had a plastic lawn chair to take out next to my car in the carpark.)

The guest bedroom. Or a nice study for me, if we don't invite any guests.

The something-or-other room, with two doors into whatever lies beyond

The ballroom. Or as Elizabethans might have said, the Great Hall. A large room, formerly at least two rooms and maybe more, a doctor's cabinet at one point, with his waiting-room, operating theatre, recovery room, and trauma centre.

Very commodious. The livingroom and the bedroom. But . . .

what about all the books?

Well, there's always the boucherie, the butcher's shop, opening out onto the street (the arched door). That's a possibility, let's have a peek in.

Hhmmmmmm

It has got a few shelves in it already. That's a plus. Though there's no electricity.

But is it climate-controlled? The care of old books is an art and a science.

We'll have to think about it.

We've measured all the walls, doors, and windows, and we're ready to leave.

It had better not always be raining here.

After the move -- Scenes of Ollon

Feedback and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, . All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 25 March 2014.

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