A Visit Across The Border Into France
BOUTIQUE BOTANIC
Copyright Vladimir Kagan February 1, 2015
This Blog is not going to be Earthshaking, but my life in Geneva has taken an introverted course. Trivia becomes important and so I will entertain you with an afternoon’s outing.
France is only minutes from my sister’s home. The border is unmanned but if you cross it as a foreigner, you’d better have your passport… just in case.
Gaillard is a none-descript town on the other side of the border. It is a bedroom community for a lot of foreigners who work in Geneva but can’t afford its housing.
A selfie with my friend Gloria at the entrance to the Boutique Botanic
Magnetized plant holders for the refrigerator
Tanya’s favorite destination is Boutique Botanic – a supermarket for all things creepy, crawly, swimming or that fly. If it grows in the garden, on a terrace or in a pot, it is a gardener’s heaven. When Tanya gets into the doldrums, this is her destination.
Things Creepy crawly that live in the water
Bug eating flowers Friendly flowers
Bonsai trees - not the best I've ever seen - but good for starts
My sister Tanya with her adorable dogs - two miniature poodles and a chihuahua
The mission: Buy dog food for her three adorable little yappy dogs; get some pots for repotting her plants; pick-up a fish or two for her aquariums. Yesterday she was the mid-wife to 13 guppy babies. It took her three hours to help the mother-fish through her ordeal. If ever there were a fish veterinarian, Tanya would qualify. She massaged the mother’s tummy until one by one they popped out into the fish-world. It is important to separate these babies from the mother and the adults in the tank as they are cannibals and consider their offspring’s a great hors d’oeuvre.
Thousands of fish and coral aquariums
Thai fighting fish in prison - if you put them into the same tank they'll kill each other
But I divert: Tanya can never pass a birdcage without acquiring just one more tiny member for her aviary. Selection is a delicate process; watching their flight, ferreting out the weak from the most energetic and prettiest.
Birds galore
...and for decorating your shelves there is an entire menagerie
Tanya's great friend, Isabella, choosing greens for the salad
An amazing selection of raw honey
On this visit we bypassed, the mice, hamsters, turtles, guinea pigs chinchillas, and rabbits. However, we selected a few more must-have fish for the aquarium, chose two pots for her plants and to fill the balcony, selected one more tree. I nearly forgot to mention: attached to this Nature Emporium is a grocery store selling only bio-foods. (None of which looked appealing to me) but Tanya stocked up a week’s supply…I longed for a French Crepe Suzette… not available at Botanic. But we did make them at home, loaded with sugar and flambéed Grand Marnier… not bad for an afternoon’s outing.
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