Which twitch?

Many leaves were blown away by then föhn, but those that remain are a stunning copper and gold display

You might think that the Embachers all have some form of nervous tick. Walk through the village and hardly a car passes by without the driver giving a twitch of the hand or a finger raised in salute from the steering wheel.  The response should be a brief raising of the hand or a mere lifting of the chin. Knowing which to use, is a key part of local etiquette.

The walk from the centre of the village back home is always a source of fascination for someone having lived his life in a city. The lane is steep with fields on each side. Today they have just been spread with the manure from the stalls exuding such a rich, heavy aroma one can almost feel the warmth of the barn.

Past the old wooden farmhouse where four generations are at home. The tough old zirbe wood (stone pine) weathers all storms, needs no treatment, lasts for a lifetime and gives every building a character of its own – the knots and grain reflecting the house’s unique story

Cows are enjoying the warm autumn days, lounging about luxuriously, chewing, with eyes closed as if in some form of bovine nirvana. Some are noisily scratching themselves on the fence posts and nosily inspect the occasional passer-by. Newborn calves spring and stagger, nervously trotting away from the camera with a puzzled look.

In the distance, behind a stand of trees still bearing a few golden leaves after last week’s föhn wind, is the great colossus of the Hochkönig range. It is impossible to pass this spot without sensing its mood of the moment. Saucy pink in dawn light and a light toffee colour in the evening sun, the mountain is often grey during the day with flecks of snow on its flanks.

The lane continues up hill between meadows lined with post and rail fencing with views down to the village and up to the 2200m Baukogel, khaki brown but where the larches are beginning to turn to gold.

Past another farm: the farmer’s wife is digging manure into the vegetable patch in front of the house. Two sleek Noriker horses parade outside their stable, chickens scuttle across the road and the ducks squawk a welcome. Here three generations care for the animals and meadows, and are in many ways self-sufficient while, at the same time holding down jobs elsewhere.

Along the way one might meet the postman in his yellow van (chin up), an occasional car (raised finger) or, more likely, a tractor (twitch). At the top of the hill, there’s one more ancient, wood and stone house, great rocks on the roof to brace it against the weather.

A 15-minute walk home here is an every day pleasure whatever the weather, experiencing the season and it’s changing moods with every one of the senses.

The Hochkönig always present, always showing its mood