Chavannes, that Shopping centre of all things Swiss has changed. I stand corrected. Meeting friends for lunch there, to my surprise, they were offering doner kebab and Middle Eastern lunches. Clearly menus evolve, albeit slowly, to meet the expectations of their new groups of visitors and residents.

And, yes, there were roadworks from Coppet to Geneva.

Some things however are firmly in place. Buying an entire box of chocolates from Guillaume Bichet might put the monthly budget in serious peril.

And, who knew, but stamps have sell by dates. I sent a few Xmas cards to friends in the UK using an old book of stamps. To my horror and shame the recipients were told the stamps were “old” and they had to pay 2.50 for the pleasure of receiving my Xmas card. I told all of them to Forgetaboutit.

From the Mughal exhibition at the V&A a few choice takings:

And from the Silk Roads at the British Museum One woman =5 bolts of silk.

Finally the beauty of a well decorated door for the season.