I started my journey from London St Pancras to Switzerland on the Eurostar train. The journey from London to Paris takes around 2hrs 16 minutes.

I arrived into  France on time at a station called Gare de Nord. The next part of my journey was to navigate the Paris metro, which is very much like the London underground, very busy and confusing. This was the part I least enjoyed and was glad that I only has to go two stops to catch my next connection from Paris at a station called Gare de Lyon.

As you can see from the photos below Gare De Lyon station is very big and busy. Unlike main stations in England where there is one main concourse that will display all train details. This station was split into different  concourses which are called Halls and are numbered Hall 1, Hall 2, ect.

I boarded my train from Gare de Lyon  to Mulhouse. It was a very busy train and when travelling on this train you need to have a seat reservation in order to travel. This is a very fast train reaching speeds of 198 miles per hour. On board the train was a restaurant and buffet car. This part of my journey took around 2 and half hours.

Below are a couple of photos taken on route to Mulhouse. Not sure what they were but very eye catching.

Below are from the scenic route.

After arriving in Mulhouse I change to another train. This time I travelled from Mulhouse to Basel with a journey time of 1 and half hours. This train was quite an older one but still plenty of leg room and reminded me of the trains I travelled on as a child.

I loved the fact that you could turn the thermostat up or down manually. Also that the litter bins ere placed just under the window shelves so easy to access.

I arrived into Basel station. As I alighted from the train there was a station attendant gesturing for us to go through a door, which I then realised was the customs, so I went through the door and walked around the invisible border between France and Switzerland and to my surprise there was no one there, so I carried on out the other side and boarded my next train  from Basel to Chur, a journey tine of 2hours and 10 minutes.

Photos below taken along the scenic route.

On route we stopped at Zurich which is a very large station and I was mesmerised by the trains with an upper floor.

From Zurich to Chur there  are breath taking views of the lake, but as the light was fading these are not the best.

More country scenes before my arrival into Chur

The last train I travelled on from Basel to Chur was a very pretty and modern train as you can see from the photos below.

My friend Brigitte met me at Chur station and we travelled the last part of my journey together.

It had been an amazing journey and just the start of my wonderful time in Switzerland, so there is more to come.

The Brownies and the Girl Guide are raising money for charity by holding a competition to guess the bears name.

Pippin and Ruth are discussing who should take a turn sitting in the chair.

Binky reminds them that she to has been standing on her feet all day too.

Mean while back at home Caleb tells Nuru he is just popping out for a while and he won’t be long.

Nuru wonders where on earth Caleb is going?

Back at the Charity event the girls are still discussing the chair issue, when Ruth says, “look here comes a customer.”

Hi says Caleb, “what are you up to?

Binky explains to Caleb that if he pays 10p, he can guess the bears name and if he gets it correct, he can take the bear home.

Caleb pays his 10p and writes down a name for the bear. Binky is stunned Caleb has guessed the correct name “Fred bear”.

Caleb collects his prize and returns home.

Nuru asks Caleb, where have you been? Caleb says, its a surprise.

What kind of surprise says, Nuru.

Close you eyes and put out your hands, says, Caleb.

Nuru is very happy with her new bear.

Nuru says, thank you Caleb you are the best brother in the world.

rAnother amazing Chat’n’Snap arranged by Dee.

The theme this year was Girl Guides, Brownies and Cub Scouts and we were not to be disappointed.

At the rear of the village hall Dee had set out a lovely camp display for all participating, Sasha’s and  Gregor’s to take part , there was even a course doll and Studio doll Brownie.

There was a camp site with a brownie ring and a wonderful tent. My girls who consisted of Ruth ,a blonde centre part and Pippin, a wider faced brunette and Binky my 1968 fringe girl in Girl Guide uniform, were trying to encourage the others to join in there competition  to guess the bears name, which they thoroughly seemed to enjoy.

There were some lovely raffle prizes, A blonde Sasha which was won by Janet Myhill-dabbs,a blonde Gregor with painted eyes by Shelly, which came with his own trousseau , which was won by Jane Woodward and then Jane’s Mum Iris won the Brunette Gregor.

A photo of Jane Woodward with her Blonde Gregor raffle prize

And the moment she won him

A photo of Iris with her lovely Brunette Gregor

(Above Janet with her raffle prize a lovely blonde gingham Sasha Doll)

The raffle raised over £500

There were sales tables galore with everything you could possibly want to snap up  for your Sasha or Gregor.

(Above Fanny at Ruth and Lisa Hartley’s sales table)

(Above Janet at her sales table)

(Above Brenda and Fred Walton)

Then there was the Chatting of course

(Above Janet and Toni Marsh)

Above Dee, James and the lovely Rebecca

Above Jane Woodbridge and Fiona

Above Callie looking very pleased with herself and her new baby

Above Dawn Law and Chris Meatyard

Above Michelle

Above Ginny’s daughter of a Passion for Sasha

Above Dee and Ronnie

Above Linda Simpson

(Above a photo of Lee)

I took photos around the room of all the visiting dolls

(Above I believe are the only two pairs of Trendon Toddlers in existence )

(Above is a beautiful Green Doucet pram , which has been customised with a pram bag. which belongs to Dawn Law)

(Above is a photo of a Mexican fake Sasha doll)

(Above a beautiful customised Cora belonging to Gayle and a new-born softy by Janet Myhill-Dabbs)

(Above are some of Sarah Prices lovely dolls)

(Above is a beautiful studio owned by Diane Duke)

This little studio toddler belongs to dawn Law and is exquisite

(Above I just love this photo of these two that belong to Janet Marsh, move over James Dean)

Below we were visited by this little band of cuties whose name i cannot recall. So if you own one could you please give me some information on them.

The last photo is of a doll made by me using a plaster course dolls head and the body pattern from the Just like Sasha Doll pattern and she is cuddling my little baby that I re-rooted the hair on  and Janet created her for me.

I would just like to say a big thank you to Dee for once again taking the time to organise this event for us to enjoy xx

P.S

If I have any of the information wrong and you would like me to change it, just let me know and if you would like me to add the names of your dolls I will be happy to do that too.

Some of you met my Grand daughter Ruth at the Sasha Celebration Weekend, which she thoroughly enjoyed .

On the day of the raffle she had fallen in love with the blonde girl and had high hopes of winning her. Although she won some lovely items the blonde doll eluded her.

A little while after the Sasha Celebration Weekend I received an email from a lovely Sasha friend saying that she had a blonde doll that she would like Ruth to have as an extra Birthday gift.

Today is Ruth Birthday but, during the week I went to visit Ruth to deliver her extra Birthday gift and as you can see she loves her.

Thank you Rosie Shortell you made a little girl very happy indeed xxx