The second wave of SARS-2 has hit Switzerland particularly hard and we have just passed the peak of the pandemic as the third worst affected country in Europe. So the authorities have closed all bars and restaurants and prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people. In addition you have to wear a mask in public areas with a high density of people and when traveling by public transport. So when the market in central Lausanne is open for business on Saturday mornings, everybody should wear a mask. Over time the ordinary disposable masks are getting outnumbered by more fashionable creations, in particular in the posh district around La Rue du Bourg where all the luxury brands have their shops. Here is a collection of what Dad shot yesterday when he toured the city centre looking for interesting looks and outfits. Perhaps it could inspire others in their search for the perfect pandemic accessory.

These photos were shot with our new Fuji X100V that is really perfect for candid street photography. And we really like Fuji's film simulations. These photos were shot with classic chrome and are JPEG-s straight out of the camera. Stay tuned for more adventures from our masquerade!!

The past week-end was the final realization of our latest "architectural" project at EPFL, the construction of a self-supporting mirror system to be installed along the Rhône river in Onex, one of the suburbs of Geneva. We have already spent considerable time there with my two friends Julie and Amandine for other projects, and now had to build and set up our masterpiece. We had been given scrap wood and could only use this and screws of a predefined size to make our construction. Luckily we did not have to bring all the materials by train and the city bus to Onex. Dad drove me, the materials and tools in our Mercedes camper van and accompanied us to check that we did not hurt ourselves. For some of us it was the first time to have put a drill bit in a chuck, use a screw clamp and a leveling instrument. We did however learn quickly but had been slightly optimistic as regards the time it would take. So I had to finish the job in our van late on Saturday night after we had taken Julie and Amandine to their respective homes.

I had to go back to the building site with the finished installation early yesterday morning to check that everything worked as projected and take photographs in preparation for our public presentation of the project this Monday morning. Dad and I arrived just before sunrise and carried all our stuff down to the installation site overlooking the Rhône through the mist and then started to shoot in the rising sunlight.

It was close to 10 a.m. when we had finished and taken a last couple of photos of the area before driving the 80 kilometers back home to Pully. Wish me luck for the presentation the starts today at 12.30. And stay tuned for more adventures!!

Last week we published a post describing how you introduce a specific palliative pain therapy called spinal cord stimulation. The indication for this rather complex, but often highly efficacious therapy, is damage to the peripheral nervous system, often provoked by spine surgery or a disc herniation that has not been treated adequately in time, thus provoking damage to a nerve root. The patient you red about a week ago is now in her test period that will last for a month and when she came back for her first control a couple of days ago she reported an almost complete disappearance of her severe leg pain which was the indication for the introduction of the therapy. This Tuesday, Dad implanted a stimulator/battery in another patient who had terminated her one month test period experiencing a 70-80% pain reduction compared to the pre-implantation period. She had previously undergone seven surgeries on her spine, experiencing a progressive deterioration of her pain with each successive intervention.

After having given local anesthesia in her electrode implantation scar, this was incised and Dad could rapidly identify the stimulation catheter that was rolled up inside. The extension cable was removed and the catheter cleaned.

It was now time to make a small incision in the upper right abdominal quadrant in which the stimulator was to be implanted. Thereafter he passed an instrument under the skin, first from the side to the incision in the back and thereafter from the abdominal incision to the small incision in the side allowing the catheter to be passed from the back to the front. The catheter was attached to the stimulator and the technician checked that the contact was OK for the eight electrodes on the catheter.

15 minutes after the start of the operation it was time to put the stimulator into the abdominal pocket, close the wounds, apply dressings and wake the patient up to a new life with her permanent stimulator. Before leaving the clinic two hours later, and with a functioning stimulation, she had regained the same pain reduction as she had experienced during her one month test period. Stay tuned for more adventures!