bosshard.net

Nevis, 26th December 2017

Willi and Uschi

The VoiP number +41 44 586 5060 is located in Zurich, Switzerland and reaches us anywhere in the world over the Internet; if no answer, please just leave a message on the answerphone with your number and we will call you back within 24 hours.

The Nevis numbers: Land line +1 869 469 8818 with answer machine; Cell Willi +1 869 660 2000, Uschi + 1 869 665 8322 – these numbers are only valid when we are on island! Use WhatsApp!

The entire green top of the trellis lies bent 45° forward into the pool, leaving the backside bare, In the front, the pathway to the stairway

Luckily, Nevis was not at all affected from hurricane IRMA 2 weeks ago. Neighboring island like Barbuda, Antigua, St. Martin and St. Barth were heavily damaged though.

Hurricane MARIA came in on a slightly different path, hit Dominica in a very bad way and then came directly to Nevis, hitting on Tuesday around 2 pm with heavy winds and torrential rains.

We lost some trees and frangipani, as well as the trellis on the east side of the pool deck which gave those lounging under it a fine natural green shade and those above in the house a weekly change of new flowering of a clematis-like beautiful local plant.

Due to the continuous very heavy showers, it seems that the cistern started to fill up quickly and even overflowed into the bedrooms, the living room, and kitchen too. Obviously, the existing overflow pipe was insufficient to take care of the vast quantities of downpour. The hatches which would become the final exit for water to escape from the cistern were wrongly placed in the bedrooms instead of outside the house when it was built in the 1980’s …

David Johnson, our caretaker living in the house could obtain a pump and after 5 hours working it, he got all the water out of all rooms at which time the heavy rains started once again….

If I have further important information, I will make updates as and when it becomes available.

Uschi and I expect to return by December 20th.

La Tour de Peilz, 18th December 2016

Dear friends,

This is the very first time in 22 years since my retirement in 1994 that I am writing this note from Switzerland and not from the Caribbean, the reason being the colon cancer the doctors discovered last spring when Uschi went for a blood check to undergo a knee operation. The details are in the article below, or on bosshard.net under Family, Not so Great news, and updates. After the 12th chemotherapy session on Jan. 3, 2017 and some other check-ups, we hope that we will get permission to fly to Nevis at the end of January for a 2 months’ rest in our house there so that Uschi may recuperate from the 6-month ordeal.

2016 started out fine enough. In January, we had Hans & Sylvia Friedli for the 7th time visiting us for a fortnight in Nevis before departing on a Caribbean cruise. Then we had lots of parties in February and March with some golf and a run to St. Barth for some freshly flown-in French mussels and purchases of food tîtems. On the way back to Switzerland in late March, we caught up with several friends in Miami.

As usual, I went on my yearly Japan trip in May to see sumo and meet with my former key staff in a nice new restaurant run by a staff member of a former top client. One day I was happy to sponsor Barry and Karen Wilson for an afternoon at the Kokugikan Sumo Arena in a special box with armchair seats for some most exciting bouts, after which they invited me to a superb teppanyaki dinner.

Uschi should have undergone a knee replacement on July 4 and for that, she had to get a new blood test; the yearly one done in October 2015 was too old. It showed she was anemic, and the reason turned out to be a tumor in her colon. This was removed in an operation in Lausanne on June 8th, and her bi-weekly chemotherapy started a month later in the Providence Hospital in Vevey on July 11th.

On July 23rd, I celebrated my 80th birthday (3 days late) with 80 guests: I had chartered the 100+ year old paddle ship m/s VEVEY. Nobody was aware that Uschi had cancer as she felt excellent on the 13th day after her very first chemo session. We had a great time with fine weather despite the poor weather forecast, superb dinner with fine wines in the Salon Belle Époque and a great live orchestra as accompaniment till 1 am.

Because she had felt great during the second week of treatment at the beginning, she could drive to her hometown twice, on one occasion we visited friends in London, and another time we took a one week river cruise on the Rhone which was most enjoyable, but after October, the accumulation of all those chemicals made it difficult for her. The second week also became quite difficult, as the doctors had predicted all along. Now we are staying home and Uschi is resting whenever she feels too tired, but she is mostly in good spirits. Her forward-looking positive attitude is a great asset in all this and certainly greatly assist her chances to come out of all this a winner.

In November I flew for a short trip to Thailand to visit an old friend, Max Kagi, 86, wo is quite sick in his house in Phuket. He has been living there since the return of Hong Kong to China, sailing and playing a lot of golf. For some years, he no longer could walk, and with water in his lungs, he could hardly talk when we saw him 2 years ago, now he no longer recognized me. His Thai “wife” and daughter (not by him) look after him very gently, feed him, change diapers, etc. The sad thing is that his son by his deceased Chinese wife managed to obtain his father’s power of attorney and has now sold all his real estate in Switzerland and transferred the proceeds to his personal account in Hong Kong – he even canceled his father’s health insurance! And until it was changed to his Thai account, the son even used the old man’s state pension (AHV)!!! What a little bastard that Jackie is! Now the former multi-millionaire is living on a mere 2.200 Swiss francs’ state pension … I have a foreboding that I will not see him alive next time I am in Phuket … so I am happy I went this time to bid farewell.

During the last weekend of November, we visited our son’s family in Dättlikon because Keana, 12, our second grand daughter, was again performing in a ballet at the Theater in Winterthur. We try to go there every year, and as in years before, it was a delightful performance under the most excellent direction of Mrs. Claudia Corti – I just found out that she is related to Mario, our brilliant former CFO.

For Christmas, we will visit our son and his family in Dättlikon near Winterthur where the rest of the family is congregating, too. It will be the first time for us as we normally are in Nevis. We are very much looking forward to it.

In closing, Uschi joins me in wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a most wonderful, happy, successful and healthy New Year of the Rooster 2017!

Willi and Uschi

*The Zurich number +41 44 586 5060 is in Switzerland and reaches us anywhere in the world over the Internet; if no answer, pl. just leave a message with your number and we will call you back within 24 hours. The Nevis numbers: Land line +1 869 469 8818 with answer machine; Cell Willi +1 869 660 2000, Uschi + 1 869 665 8322 – the cell numbers will answer only if we are in Nevis in 2017 expected from 28.1. to 22.3.2017.

The netsuke chosen to represent 2017 is a rooster in stained boxwood, inlaid eyes, early nineteenth century, unsigned, property of Robert S. Huthart, Hong Kong

The Chinese do not place too much importance on the Rooster as they do on a number of the other zodiac animals.

It is nevertheless said that the Rooster can get into a human being in order to impose good or evil things on mankind.

The Rooster is also a symbol that is found in formal gardens; censored fights were held and enjoyed as early as 500 years ago.

As the 10th animal in the Eastern Zodiac, the Rooster indicates the hours between 5 pm and 7 pm. It is the counterpart of the Hare.

Actually, the lunar calendar begins on January 28, 2017 so anybody born till then is rightfully still born in the year of the monkey. For practical reasons, however, most people use the calendar year to decide under which zodiac sign they were born. It ends on February15, 2018. In the past Century, Rooster years were 1909, 1921, 1933, 1945, 1957, 1969, 1981, 1993 and 2005.

Best wishes for a great Year of the Rooster to all readers!

Both Uschi and Willi wish you a wonderful spring and summer season with lots of fun, happiness, good health and some great relaxation or a vacation with friends and/or family. For our 2017 Newsletter, it should be ready around mid-December 2017 right here.

By the way, if you would like to read the contents of all the pages in smaller or bigger characters, it is very simple: go to View, Text size and choose your preferred size. That is all it takes – try it!

The netsuke chosen to represent 2016 is a Monkey, squatting, pointing at something on his left hand holding down a tortoise. Ivory with well defined hair-work, eyes inlaid in dark horn, early nineteenth century, signed Okatori.

The monkey was first worshiped in return for some supposed services rendered to the individual who went to India, by special command of an Emperor of the Tang dynasty, to obtain the Sacred Books of the Buddhist religion. This Emperor deified the monkey, or at least he conferred the august title of “the Great Sage equal to Heaven” upon that quadruped.

The monkey is believed to have the overall control of hobgoblins, witches, elves, etc. people often imagine that sickness or want of success in study and trade, is caused by witches and hobgoblins. hence the sick, or the unsuccessful, worship the monkey in order to obtain his kind offices in driving away the evil influences of various imaginary spirits or powers.

The monkey is considered a sensual and very impudent animal. In old long bygone days, monkeys were used in the Imperial stables to watch over the horses which are believed to venerate.

The monkey is probably the most popular animal and has been made the hero of many legends.

It is said that if you are born in the year of the Monkey you are likely to be an erratic genius.

During the last century till now, years of the Monkey Years were in 1920, 1932, 1944, 1956, 1968, 1980, 1992 and 2004, and again in 2028. In 60 year cycles, the 12 zodiac animals are repeated 5 times, representing the 5 elements Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.

Of course it is not that simple; 60 is merely the most common denominator of 10 x 12, the ten representing the 5 elements but in order to make it ten, the Japanese have adopted a big (elder) brother and small (younger) brother of each of the five stated elements. In all eastern languages, big brother and younger brother is one noun each, and not formed by a noun (brother) plus an adjective (younger or bigger [elder]) like in western languages. Actually, in 2016 the year of the Monkey starts on February 8, 2016 and lasts till January 28, 2017.

As the 9th animal in the Eastern zodiac, the monkey indicates the hours between 3 pm and 5 pm.

Best wishes for a great Year of the Monkey!

Both Uschi and Willi wish you a wonderful spring and summer season with lots of fun, happiness, good health and some great relaxation or a vacation with friends and/or family.

By the way, if you would like to read the contents of all the pages in smaller or bigger characters, it is very simple: go to View, Text size and choose your preferred size. That is all it takes – try it!

Nevis W.I., December 19th, 2015

Dear Friends,

As usual, we started the New Year of 2015 in our house in Nevis and also as usual, we old folk stayed there till mid-March when we took a speed boat over to Reggae Beach and a taxi to Bradshaw International in St. Kitts. This time, however, we boarded a BA flight to Gatwick from where there was an easy connection to Geneva.

In May, Willi made his annual pilgrimage to Japan to see his friends and Sumo while Uschi drove to Kempten via the home of our son Nic and his wife Alexandra and the 3 grand kids Leonie, Keana and Matteo in Dättlikon, near Zurich, to see her relatives and friends in Germany.

Japan was sort of sad as Willi’s best friend Sam had passed away on the very day of his 84th birthday in 2014; also the traditional Old Boys get together is, sadly, constantly dwindling. Without telling anyone, I went with a friend to the Sosanji temple on a bright day to pay my respects to Sam.

Our customary visit to Chiang Mai started on October 15. Apart from the customary visit to the dentist, we met with Marc & Luxami Dumur, Ping Kaiwala, Pimpan Charoenjit, Hans Baumann. Claude Marsens unfortunately was not available this year in Bangkok.

Again we flew into Haneda, from Bangkok, with a far shorter ride into town than from Narita. After a few days at the Royal Park where we were treated royally as always, our friends Adi & Susi Schulthess flew in from Manila where they had visited their youngest son Eric and his family.

We were scheduled to start on a long planned trip to the Japan Sea to see the local sights, the changing colors of the Japanese maple leaves and of course, to taste the fine cuisine of their famous Inns in the hot spring areas. We had rented a Toyota Alphard, with 4 very comfortable seats, and a driver. We stayed one night each at the following places, except in Osaka (3 nights)

IKAHO, GUNMA PREF. KAICHORO
MATSUMOTO, NAGANO PREF. MYOJINKAN
TAKAYAMA, TOYAMA PREF. WA NO SATO
TOYAMA, TOYAMA PREF. RIVER RETREAT GARAKU
NOTO PENINSULA, ICHIKAWA PREF. LAMP NO YADO
YAMANAKA ONSEN, ICHIKAWA PREF. KAYOTEI
MIKUNI ONSEN, FUKUI PREF. BOYORO
AMANO HASHIDATE, KYOTO PREF. MONJYUSO SHOROTEI
KINOSAKI ONSEN, HYOGO PREF. NISHIMURAYA
OSAKA SWISSOTEL NANKAI

In Tokyo, Hideki Nagano drove us to his mother’s Sadako’s home where she not only prepared a sumptuous kaiseki luncheon but also showed us her many beautiful kimono designs and dyes.

After Tokyo, we proceeded to Honolulu where we met Martin Wyss and his wife for a very nice Hawaiian meal, had chats with Valerie Reisert and Baby Handl; later flew over to the Big Island where we had a good time with Kimo + Karen Dejon. We were driving around the whole Island but due to the thick clouds could not take the long expected helicopter trip to the Mouna Kea.

From Kona, United brought us to Los Angeles from when we rented a Ford Edge SUV that was our transport for 3 weeks. We met Jurg and Joan Mattmann for lunch in Temecula where we also stayed at the comfortable South Californian Winery with quite nice wines. From there to Borrego Springs and then on to Yuma AZ where we stayed in the casita of Charlie and Lynn Simants. One day, we went over the border to the small town of Algodones in Mexico, 10m. away from Yuma, with all kinds of businesses catering to US clients, all paid in greenbacks. Good and inexpensive food & drinks are available, live music and dancing even at lunch time. Well stocked pharmacies and dentists abounded. Huge parking spaces available on US territory. The border control is quite severe with returnees; all must show photo identity but we were not checked as to the value of goods brought into the US.

We then drove along Salton Lake to Palm Springs where we met Ed Marteka, our old neighbor from Kobe where we repeated our raclette dinner. We had found the cheese in a wonderful store in N. Wilshire Bvd. by online search – you hardly find such a variety anywhere in Europe, also meats, oils, wines, spirits, breads, chocolates, you name it, they have it.

Something we had wished to visit for years but so far never had the time, was Death Valley CA. Though not the summery heat in the 130s F, – it was actually quite cold in the mornings, below 50F/10C. It was a long trip in and out, but once there, we enjoyed the many rock formations, the shadows thrown especially by the afternoon sun, the vastness and the emptiness of the area. The Inn at the Furnace Creek is quite comfortable in the middle of nowhere but when you have an overflowing toilet at 1 am flooding the whole bathroom, due to the carelessness of the room attendant, this spoils your whole stay….

We returned to civilization through another more westerly route taking us through Trona, a huge mineral complex (Borax), then visited the airlines boneyard http://www.airplaneboneyards.com/southern-california-logistics-airport-victorville-boneyard.htm near Victorville where we spent the night in a very comfortable Hilton Garden Inn. The next day on we drove through Yucca and the Joshua tree country of San Bernardino County (14 were shot dead that night!) back to Palm Desert where in the meantime James and Julia Smith of Hilton (Hong Kong) fame had arrived from their native Scotland for their 3 month wintering, golfing, entertaining and what else is on their extensive program.

Back to LA and the LACMA for another encounter of the Otoman tiger, then a 4-hour flight to Chicago where we expected to freeze our butts off because we do not carry any winter clothes with us but it was around 10C. There we met Stacie Hartman, a dear acquaintance of a trip to the Torres del Paine journey many moons ago and the next day took a Pullman Rail Journey to New Orleans. From there, we drove along the Gulf of Mexico with our friend Martha Murphy to her beautiful Longboat Key home, and spent 3 days there with her, then on to Miami where we will meet with Joe + Elena Kurstin, Peter + Nora Hüppi, Colette Liffman and others. Departure for Nevis is on Dec. 22.

This year, son Nicolas and his wife Alexandra and the 3 grandkids Leonie, Keana & Matteo will, most unfortunately, not be able to join us for the Festivities this year.

In closing, Uschi joins me in wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a most wonderful, happy, successful and healthy New Year of the Monkey 2016!

Willi and Uschi

*The Zurich number +41 44 586 5060 is in Switzerland and reaches us in Nevis over the Internet, if no answer, pl. just leave a message and your number and we will call you back within 24 hours.
The Nevis numbers: Land line +1 869 469 8818; Cell Willi +1 869 660 2000, Uschi + 1 869 665 8322

Beautifully carved mother goat with the kid protectively kneeling under his mother’s belly, both showing a finely carved shaggy fur, elephant ivory, eyes inlaid in horn, unsigned, late 18th century (from the Dr. Joseph Kurstin Collection)

The Chinese calendar – which existed there already since around 2000 BC- was adopted by Japan from around the 6th century AD, together with Buddhism. The Zodiac has an influence on the character of mankind. Each of the 12 ‘animals’ has specific characteristics. The goat (hitsuji) symbolizes elegance, artistic demeanor and good-natured personality. In Chinese culture, people born in the Year of the Goat are regarded as inclined to worry too much, often they are peace-lovers preferring to avoid disagreements. Others may put upon people bearing the Sheep or Goat sign, but they are stronger than they seem. Family is very important.

During the last century till now, years of the Goat Years were in 1919, 1939, 1943, 1955, 1967, 1979, 1991 and 2003, and again in 2027. In 60 year cycles, the 12 zodiac animals are repeated 5 times, representing the 5 elements Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water.

Of course it is not that simple; 60 is merely the most common denominator of 10 x 12, the ten representing the 5 elements but in order to make it ten, the Japanese have adopted a big (elder) brother and small (younger) brother of each of the five stated elements. In all eastern languages, big brother and younger brother is one noun each, and not formed by a noun (brother) plus an adjective (younger or bigger [elder]) like in western languages. Actually, in 2015 the year of the Goat starts on February 19, 2015 and lasts till February 8, 2016.

As the 6th animal in the Eastern zodiac, the Goat indicates the hours between 1 & 3 pm. In our Western Horoscope, the Goat corresponds to the Lion.

Best wishes to all for a splendid Year of the Goat, 2015!

Nevis W.I., December 12th, 2014

Dear Friends,

We again started the New Year of 2014 in our house in Nevis and as usual, we old folk stayed in there till mid-March when we took a speed boat over to Reggae Beach and a taxi to Bradshaw International in St. Kitts. This time, however, we boarded a BA flight to Gatwick from where there was an easy connection to Geneva. We even got bumped into First as they sent a 3 class plane. We for once did not complain…

In May, Willi made his usual pilgrimage to Japan to his friends and Sumo whilst Uschi drove to Kempten via the home of grand kids in Dättlikon, near Zurich, to see her relatives and friends.

It was like a homecoming of sorts although it was by Swiss International and alas not by the former so much admired Swissair with whom I landed 50 years earlier also in Haneda airport, and which at that time looked more like a shack… The past 30 years, we had to use Narita for international travel but nowadays many top airlines have returned to Haneda, just 30 minutes away from downtown Tokyo.
On a weekend, I took the Shinkansen to Kobe where Andy Müller had invited me to a Swiss BBQ on the mountain, like we had arranged so many on Mt. Futatabi in the 70’s. Their’s was a magnificent affair under a proper set up made by the authorities with good quality installed banks and fix grill equipment and most importantly, excellent grilling supplies like sausages, meat loaf, breads, salads, just absolutely professional. Unfortunately I had a little accident in going there, trying to protect some Dezaley wine on the escalator at the Crowne Plaza Hotel but all turned out well in the end though it looked terrible.

On Monday after the BBQ, I was most grateful to be allowed to visit Akihiko Otsuka who has been hospitalized in Osaka for quite a long time already; it was very important for me to make that visit. We met in the late 80’s through a business relationship which over the years developed into a friendship. When in Tokyo late in October, I tried hard to visit him again but was unfortunately not able to do so and when in LA in late November, I received the sad information that he had passed away on the 28th, I could realize why I could not visit. May “the owner”, as he was referred to, rest in peace – I will miss him.

In Tokyo, right after my arrival in May, I had lunch with my old friend Osamu Okura who had asked for an early get together as he had to undergo an eye operation the next day. I was very relieved to have his 2nd call two days before my return flight, asking me to see him once again the next day because on my day of departure, he would have to return to have the right eye done as well, the left having been successful. Later he emailed me to say that he was seeing again (actually, he had stopped using the computer ca 6 months before) and was very happy. So we were all extremely shocked when his nephew Hideki Nagano informed us on July 24, Sam’s very 84th birthday that he had quietly passed away at his desk…

Sam’s company, Nichibo Shoji, was a good client of Nestlé – especially Sam himself was the very first Nespresso distributor in late 1985 letting do us a soft start to deliver machines and capsules to the Tokyo foreign community for the Christmas season. But Nichibo is also the sole Agent for Patek Philippe so they had many mourners attending his funeral and I was asked not to come as they could not give the proper attention to me. Therefore, Uschi and I made a visit late October to attend a sort of memorial visit to Sam’s beautiful century old gravesite in the wonderful Sosanji temple in Shinjuku Ward, with his nephew and his mother. Sam, rest in peace together with Hiroko – we are missing you dearly.

Before arriving in Tokyo in late October, we were in Thailand, first in Chiang Mai where we visited Hans Bauman, formerly Kobe’s QC manager. He is now on the upswing but had been quite sick, having stayed nearly 3 months in hospital for prostate cancer treatment. Due to the strong medicine, he has lost a lot of calcium and now walks bent and with a limp – he is doing everything he can to improve as fast as possible. He even bought Nordic walking sticks, of course he eats right and takes a lot of calcium. He has a strong will and therefore is very likely to succeed.

We then flew over to Phuket where we stayed with Fabrizio Colombo whose house at the end of Patong Beach was destroyed by the tsunami in 2008 but he rebuilt it successfully. He had made contact with Max Kägi who I could no longer contact as he was in hospital with water in the lungs and also mouth so even in front of him it is very difficult to understand him. Fortunately he has a very kind middle age Thai lady mothering him and taking excellent care of him, meaning even feeding etc.

From Tokyo, we proceeded to Tahiti to make the tour of the major islands of Moorea, Raiatea, Taha’a, Bora Bora and Huahine on the 4 mast Wind Spirit. It was as we wished and got, a totally different experience than last year’s Marquesas trip on the Aranui3.
In Papeete, we were again staying at the Manava Tahiti Beach Resort introduced last year already by none other than long time and frequent visitor Andy Muller who this time was even in residence. We had a chat, and he took us downtown in his car for me to get a nano SIM card for my iPhone.

On Friday night, 21.11. Air Tahiti Nui took us to LAX from where we went to Jürg Mattman in Oceanside to pick up a Raclette oven. From Papeete we carried 2kg of Raclette cheese for Charlie and Lynn Simants in Yuma AZ, friends we made on the Wind Spirit, and also for Ed Marteka in Palm Springs who, I just found out, also suffers from prostate cancer and others and was very depressed, so we went there to cheer him up a bit. Of course we saw Pat Wanner for dinner and paid a visit to the LACMA to see our Otoman tiger there. Then on it went to Miami from where we visited Martha Murphy in her beautiful Longboatkey home, as well as Peter & Nora Hüppi, and others. Departure for Nevis is on December 12.

This year again, son Nicolas and his wife Alexandra and the 3 grandkids Leonie, Keana & Matteo will arrive on December 19th and stay for over 2 weeks when they flew over to St. Martin for 2 days on their own in a fine Beach Resort before flying home for business and school. It should become a great holiday for all of us.
In closing, Uschi joins me in wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a most wonderful, happy, successful and healthy New Year of the Goat 2015!

Willi & Uschi

*The Zurich number +41 44 586 5060 is in Switzerland and reaches us in Nevis over the Internet, if no answer, just leave a message and your number and we will call you back within 24 hours. The numbers here in Nevis are Land line +1 869 469 8818 cell Uschi +1 869 665 8322 and Cell Willi +1 869 660 2000.