May and June this year have been particularly wet. In Germany, Austria, France and Belgium in some particular areas there has been heavy flooding. The damage caused through continual rain seems to be in the billions for Germany alone.

Switzerland on the whole has not been as affected as some of lower lying areas of Europe.

The temperatures here are still only between 12 and 20°C. But as soon as the sun shines for a day or two it feels like summer has finally arrived.

The village of Homberg is tucked away, just above and behind the hills of Steffisburg (Thun). It has a very romantic feel with a lovely active church on prominent small hill with an incredible view.

A few houses are just along the road passing through Homberg. Most farms in the typical local style are strewn all over the area.

Now in January temperatures (a little higher up) are often below the freezing point. Famers’ life tends to slow down too.

Since 2015 the birth rate in several European countries has been dropping. Only during the pandemic there was a short reversal followed by sudden drop and a continued decline.

Europe is looking at an aging population and growing health costs.

Quite a few younger couples also worry about the clouds an uncertain future and prefer not to have children.

In our church however we have many young families with kids and many babies being born or on the way.

At the beginning of July it started raining heavily. Here in Switzerland there was not too much damage that happened but the water levels in some of our lakes were rising to record levels. Many rivers rivers stepped over the river banks and some small creeks turned into raging torrents. In mid July catastrophic flooding took place in Germany and Belgium too.

A month later the situation is back to normal.

This summer Central Europe has been hit by flooding and the South by huge forest fires. The changes in climate seem to take an increasing toll.

The weather in April is fluctuating enormously. A couple of days it is so comfortable and warm that people start wearing T-shirts. Spring flowers and shrubs start blooming and the blackbird chirps its beautiful melodies. And then the temperatures suddenly drop below 0 and a snow storm covers the whole spring beauty under a blanket of snow. After a couple of days the snow is gone again.

In April is the time to exchange the car’s winter tires with the summer ones. The grip is much better with the right tires. And the water faucets on the outside of our homes can be turned back on again. In winter the water inside could freeze up and the burst the pipes.

In Switzerland waste paper gets collected weekly on a specific weekday (here every Wednesday) for free. Waste paper is not garbage. It is considered a valuable raw material that is used for the production of new paper articles.

About 80% of all paper gets recycled.

Recycled paper is turned into fibers. Those fibers are then used to produce new paper products. In comparison with recycled paper fibers, to produce paper from wood takes 60% more energy and 70% more water. That makes recycled paper quite environment friendly.

February is usually the month of the year with the lowest temperatures. This year it wasn’t only the cold that kept people inside, but also the corona virus. Until the end of February Switzerland is still in a lock down mode.

To our relief the measures show positive results. The corona infections and the death rate have fallen dramatically. An immunization program is in effect that will keep tackling the virus.

During the dark winter months of the lockdown the number of mental health issues has significantly gone up. Due to the home office mandate many people lack the social interactions and the face to face conversations they were used to. Singles find it difficult to get to know potential partners. People suffer being lonely. And domestic violence is on the rise as kids and their parents are stuck at home. Not only the economic damage but also the psychological one caused through this pandemic is not to be underestimated.

Europa has gone through a serious second corona wave over this winter season. In Switzerland our second lockdown only started in mid January and will last until the end of February.

During this new lockdown almost all white collar workers are now working from home! Government offices, banks and private companies have all been able to switch to home office mode – and it works amazingly well!

This second lockdown is similar to the one in spring. But this time masks are mandatory and only 5 people (including children) are allowed to meet. Shops are still open but only for important commodities such as foods and household items. Schools are open, but universities have to function via the internet. All restaurants are closed. 

There is however a light at the end of the tunnel. The hope is that immunizations and warmer season will bring down the numbers and finally allow us to return to a life that looks more like what it used to be.