Vineyards in Autumn

I have been experimenting recently with the settings on my camera. Until now I have let the camera do the work for me but wanted to teach myself how to use the manual settings to get - hopefully - better pics.

Different scenes - playing around with the depth of field really makes a difference to a shot.

Can you spot the difference?

You just can't get orange cheese...

This was a comment that made us laugh. An American friend was chatting to one of his countrymen, and this was a complaint about living in Geneva. Cheese capital of the world Switzerland does not sell orange cheese in a spray can.

Not that I am bashing the Americans. For Expats this is one of the biggest gripes - that some favourite food stuffs are just not available in the host country. Which is why the American/British food stores thrive in Switzerland and elsewhere in Europe. It is the taste of home, the comfort food that we crave, no matter how good the food here is.

I have been an Expat for 18 years - it was my Expat Anniversary on 3rd September.  When I first moved to Germany I would spend time, money and effort sourcing British food. I was delighted when Marks & Spencer opened stores in Cologne and later in Frankfurt. We would drive to Frankfurt several times a year and stock up on baked beans, tea bags, Chicken Korma with Naan bread, "real" bread and all the goodies that we could not buy in Germany. When M&S pulled out of Germany a couple of years later, I was devastated and resorted to filling every nook and cranny of the car when we went to Scotland on holiday. I recall having tins of beans around the spare wheel.

Slowly but surely though, I began to find decent alternatives. Heinz Baked Beans were available in the German supermarkets - expensive compared to UK but not worth weighing the car down with them. I could live without white loaves and bacon, and was happy to wait until we visited Scotland, eat all the food that we miss here but not want to import it.

I found that by using German or French recipes that it is much easier to source the ingredients, and that I do not crave the food from home so much. Aside from Tunnock Caramel Wafers, of course.

When we moved to Geneva, I found that I could buy Self-Raising Flour in France (Farine de Gateaux, if you are looking for it) and baking powder that actually makes cakes rise. The Dr Oetker baking powder sold in Germany and Switzerland is a one-rise baking agent. The British baking powder is similar to American baking powder and is a two-rise baking agent. This is why the German and Swiss cakes are denser than the British. It is all but impossible to make a decent Victoria Sponge without the right baking powder.

Being able to bake  meant that I could make the specialty breads and cakes that are not available here, such as Soda Bread, Scones, Hot Cross Buns. With the French Levure Chimique. my scones rise in the oven, cakes are light and fluffy and all is well in the world. Nothing like good cake to make one feel better when homesickness strikes.

I do understand the wailing of the Americans not able to buy orange cheese in a spray can. Being the inquisitive person I am, I asked my husband to bring me back a can when was in America this summer.

Hmm. Sharp Cheddar flavour.

Nutrition facts

We had some problems working out how to get the cheese out of the tin...

... before discovering that one has to push the nozzle...

...like this.

Our daughter worked it out fast enough though.

And how did it taste? Not as bad as I thought it would. It does contain real cheese, after all. It was a bit bland (perhaps we should have tried the Sharp Cheddar) and not particularly cheesey. The fact that refrigeration is not required did put me off a bit, as it shows how processed and full of preservatives the cheese must be.

Would I miss it if I could not buy it? Absolutely not, in fact it is languishing in the fridge right now (old habits die hard). Can I understand why Americans miss it? Yes, I can. Americans would probably shake their heads in bemusement a the Scots abroad with their Irn Bru and Sliced Sausage, not to mention Haggis and White Pudding. A taste of home is cheaper than a flight home and staves off the homesickness for a little while.

PS. Any Americans in Geneva area who would like a can of Orange Cheese?

Kindle vs iPad - a test

Anyone who knows me is aware of the fact that I love gadgets. So when my husband called from the States to say that he had bought an iPad, I was estatic. The slightly obsessed owner of an iPhone (aren't all iPhone owners worryingly over-attached to their devices) since arrival in Geneva, I waited impatiently for his return.

I already have a Kindle, bought earlier this year so I thought that a comparison of the two gadgets would perhaps be helpful for anyone currently considering which of the two devices would be best for their wishes.

I have the Kindle2, which is no longer available but the functions of the new Kindle3 are similar, in fact if the reviews are to be believed, even better. The new one is available through the Amazon.com website from $189, or on the UK website for £149. These are the prices for the 3G versions, there is a slightly cheaper version with just wifi but I would advise against this, as the 3G capability is one of the best things about the kindle. The purchase of books through the Amazon Kindle store takes place through the mobile phone network completely free of charge. As long as you have mobile reception, you can download a book - pretty much worldwide.

The set up was extremely easy, connect to computer, register the Kindle, download a book or two and off you go. Since I already had a Kindle account from using my iPhone Kindle application, the books that I had already purchased were wirelessly transferred.

Amazon offers over 670 000 books, newspapers and magazines. The newspaper and magazine offer is interesting for those living overseas, as you can have your favourite reading material delivered wirelessly every morning, wherever you are. Obviously. it is not the same as reading a newspaper as it is black/white but you can keep up to date with the news from home easily.


Reading on the Kindle is like reading a book, the screen is not backlit (unlike the iPad) so you can read a book even in the sunshine, on the beach. The only drawback with this is that you cannot read in the dark, or in low light.

Up to 3500 books can be stored on the new Kindle and if you leave the wifi off then you should be able to go for a month without recharging. This is an improvement on the old Kindle that I have, which has to be recharged more often, but it is still fine for reading for several days, eg. on holiday.

There is an “experimental browser” on the Kindle which to be honest is pretty useless. I tried it a couple of times but soon gave up. It was so slow and unwieldy.

Otherwise the Kindle is very easy to use. Books can be downloaded directly on to the device, or via Amazon.com – which is slightly easier to navigate. I like the fact that the Kindle connects to the US or UK store, meaning you can buy books in English.

So to the iPad. It will set you back a good bit more than the Kindle, the cheapest version is CHF 649 if you buy it here in Switzerland, a bit less expensive if you bring it back from the States, but of course you will have to pay tax on it.

That is a lot more expensive – so what do you get more?

A lot. The main attraction is the browser, which is very easy to use. The touch screen keyboard is surprisingly easy to use, I can even touch type on it. I also like the instant availability of the browser. No waiting for the computer to power up, just switch on and you are ready to roll. Great if you want to have a quick browse of your favourite websites while you have a quick cup of tea, or to check the address of the museum or park that you wish to go to.

If you are a person who likes games (or have children) then the iPad is great too. I kept my two kids occupied at a recent ladies lunch by passing over the iPad (while hissing at them not to break it or they would not be seeing any pocket money in the next decade).

The famous Apple Apps make the iPad fun to use. Whether you want to be informed of the weather forecast for the next couple of days, track your period (really!) or play the piano, there is an app for it.

The eReader on the iPad is somewhat predictably called iBooks. The basic idea is the same, you download a book, this time only through the iBooks app not on the computer, and pay via your iTunes account. When I first started using iTunes, I was registered through the German website which means that the majority of the books offered in German which although I can read, I prefer to read in English.

There are books in English but they are difficult to find. The possibility of browsing “English Books” does not exist. Amazon do offer different content in the different countries, and there are about half as many books available as on Amazon. To get around this, I downloaded the Kindle app on my iPad and have synched it with my Amazon account. This means I have the advantages of the larger selection, easier search, more English titles. It also magically synchronises between the iPad, Kindle and iPhone so that I am never without a book, and for this bookworm that is a truly fantastic thing.

I found using iBooks similar to using the Kindle, as I mentioned the only disadvantage is it is not easy to use in the sunshine. Due to the high price, I doubt very much if I would risk taking it to the beach anyway.

In comparison to the Kindle, the iPad connects to the mobile phone network via a SIM card, or through wifi so if you are not home you will need the more expensive 3GS model otherwise you have to search for a cafe with wifi.

The iPad is an all-singing, all dancing alternative to a buying a second computer. It is not suitable as the only computer in the household really, as it is missing a USB port and Adobe Flash capabilities, and you have to set it up and synch it through iTunes. I imagine that the iBook store will improve in time but at present Amazon is miles ahead so I would advise downloading the Kindle app.

The Kindle is a device for reading eBooks and doesn’t do much more than that. It is smaller than the iPad and a good deal lighter. Downloading books is free and can be done anywhere you have a mobile phone reception. It is of course a lot less expensive. If this is what you are looking for – a way to download and read books on the go and you do not need the browser or games – then it is the best option.

Smallest print size on the iPad

Smallest Print on the Kindle2

Largest print size iPad

Largest print size Kindle2

Keyboard on Kindle2

Accessing menu is slightly easier on iPad

Dark screen good for reading in the dark

so as not to disturb snoring husband