May 2019 Things

Since my last post we have had mixed weather over the post-Easter days. I had my usual meetings and appointments including a very lazy Sunday, which I enjoyed. Today is different from my usual Tuesdays, because in a short time I shall travel to Johanna's for a nice meal and drink and to say goodbye to her guest, Maria. She's leaving for Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia then finishing her travels in St. Petersburg. I envy her that tour especially going to St. P. If you ever get the chance to go there then take it immediately. Here is a photo of Maria taken over supper last Tuesday. She also has a birthday at the end of May so I have added her to the list.

Tomorrow all Germans will be celebrating the 1st May holiday in various ways. The weather forecast is generally good so that will take many people outdoors and I am sure that also means having a grill party with family and friends in the evening. I am meeting my Muggelsee Gang at my local station at 08.25 to join them in an S-Bahn to Spandau. A good 50 minute journey which I am sure will include lots of jokes and sipping some interesting liquids.

The Boys are joining us, which I am happy about for I have not seen them for a few weeks. From Spandau we shall start a bicycle tour with picnic stops and at the end we shall be in a nice garden house owned by two of our group. There we can relax and enjoy a grill party with  beer and other liquids. In this we shall be joining millions of others in celebrating 'The day of the Working Classes'.

Who has a birthday in May? Max starts us off in Berlin with his 36th on the 2nd of May. my godson Marcel will be 25 on the 6th and perhaps celebrate in Chile. The person who writes this blog will be 76 on the 8th May - but don't tell anyone about it! My great nephew Isaiah will be 11 on the 10 and celebrate with his family in West Yorkshire. Hans J. will be 68 on the 11th and I wonder if he will still be chain smoking on his big day. Trish will celebrate her 67th  in Turkey on the 13th and on the 16th Heike D. will celebrate her birthday with family here in Berlin. On the 21st, Sylvia M. will celebrate her 63rd with husband Michael in Brighton. She share that day with my wonderful cousin Barbara who will be 74. I am sure she will celebrate with family and friends in Silsden. Yes she lives there and is one of the two people I started writing this blog for. Maria from Colombia will be 50 on the 29th. She looks much younger and welcome to my birthday list Maria!  In the south of Bremen on the 31st  Holger will celebrate his 55th with Gabi and family and so end the birthday month of May.
Have a wonderful day/time to each and all no matter where you are!

Mug cycle

I cycled to Muggelsee yesterday with Imre. It was not planned. We had agreed to go east to Petershagen and then onto the lakes around Strausund. Imre asked to change this for he had been working late and wanted a less stressful bicycle tour. I agreed.

We met at my local S.B station and slowly cycled down to Wühlheide Park. One of my favourite areas to visit and enjoy the green environment. As we got near the childrens play area, Imre said he had not eaten breakfast and wanted to eat chips. In two minutes we were at a 'snack-caravan' which served chips with sausages.

Imre ordered chips and sausage. I ordered just chips but with a glass of beer - it was a late breakfast after all! Here is a photo of Imre enjoying his breakfast. We then jumped onto the bicycles and off again. We went through some back streets of the district called Köpenick into areas that were new for me.

We stopped at a bridge which marked the convergence of two rivers. Here is a photo of Imre looking at the water from the bridge. After enjoying that view, we cycled further and took a route past a hospital and onto a cycle track that took us onto the south shore of Lake Muggelsee.

There were lots of young families with babies enjoying the weather and lake side. It was nice to see them. We cycled further and stopped for a water/fruit juice/snack break. We talked a lot and enjoyed the weather and lake views before slowly taking the way back. A really pleasant relaxing day on a bicycle and sharing the time with someone who always has something to say!

Happy Easter

I wish my readers a very Happy Easter. I'm enjoying the long weekend partly because of the wonderful sunny weather. Easter Friday started with a traditional breakfast at Jutta's. She always gives such a breakfast at Easter. Most of the 'Kowalke Gang' met and exchanged news and views as we munched away.

I spent yesterday in Strausberg  with Johanna and Putta. It is one of my favourite places. It is to the east of Berlin on the route to the Polish border. Here is a map of the area from which you can see the town. It is on the east side of a lake and has a ferry to connect both sides. Here is a photo (above) of the south of the lake with the ferry.

We travelled there by S-Bahn and walked into town. We looked around the ferry area which has a  memorial to the Jewish people who lived there and were sent to concentration camps and killed. We decided to walk down the lake and then up on the opposite side to the ferry and back to where we started.

There are many luxury houses on the side with private access to the water and boats. I took some photographs as we continued our walk and finally arrived at the ferry- We had just missed one so waited in the sun for the next.

Back in town we went into a nearby restaurant and sat in the garden. We ordered fish dishes with spargel (asparagus) which is now in season and very popular. Here is a photo of my plate. I could eat it all again now!

Bagh Update

I have just listened to a BBC Radio 4 programme called, 'Open Country Road'. It was called Jallianwala Grove about the first memorial created in Britain. 1,650 trees (mainly oak) have been / are being planted. This is one tree for every bullet fired at the massacre 100 years ago. The trees are being planted near to Ashby-de-la-Zouch. This is an old town on the road from Leicester to Burton-on-Trent via Coalville.

My mouth dropped as I heard that. What a coincidence! I lived and worked there in the early 1970s, made many Indian friends, who helped me to learn Hindi. I was then allowed to go on a project to India in 1976, which took me to Amritsar and Jallianwala Bagh for the first time. I'm still surprised at this coincidence!   This is what I looked like then!

Three places

I've been to three very different places in the last three days. Let's start with today. I have just got back from an appointment at Vivantes Klinikum im Friedrichshain on Landsberger Alle. I got there at 2.30 pm, which gave me time to do all the form filling, relaxing and then meeting a new doctor. I was in the Dermatologie department.

The problem is an outbreak of red skin/spots/hard skin on my face.It started when my allergies began so my Doc thought it may be connected. The Dr today said it was not connected. It is inherited and gets worse as you get older. I have new medicine and an appointment in mid-July for a full body check to see if I have skin cancer!

Yesterday I met Kerstin and the Oldie Fitness Gang. We did some extra exercises before setting off to an Italian restaurant in Köpenick near to the River Spree. The staff worked hard to serve so many people sitting around extended tables and all talking across each other. I sat in a corner, watched and listened. They really are an interesting gang of people to meet each week. The food was very good. I had salmon with different 'Veggie' side dishes.

On Tuesday afternoon I met my SPD Oldies and off we went to The Stasi (DDR State Security) Prison in Berlin - Hohenschönhausen. This is an area in the north-east of the city. We went on a tour that had been prepared for us. Many in the group had lived through life in the DDR and knew all about this terrible prison. I was impressed by the presentations in different languages. Also to see how many young people from different countries visit the prison complex as part of learning about German history.

More than 450,000 people including about 200,000 young people visit the former Stasi prison each year. The next time you come to Berlin you really must add it to your list of places to see. You can get full information about how to get there, guided tours, exhibitions, bookshop, in/on the internet.

Another Writer

I recently posted about Holger from Bremen. He is a hobby writer of short stories and I showed you a copy of the latest book he and his group have brought onto the market. I have known another hobby writer for almost as long as I have known Holger. His name is Neil Deane and he hails from Liverpool.

He now lives, teaches and writes in Essen. This is a city in the old industrial western area of Germany. He teaches at the University of Duisburg-Essen  He and his wife came to Berlin a couple of days ago to visit friends and celebrate Neil's 62nd birthday. Neil lived in Berlin for many years before moving to Essen. He has written three books as you can see from the picture.

They are about his experiences of growing up in Liverpool during the 1960-70's and include interesting comments on singers and local bands - such as The Beatles! His last book is about changes there for good and bad and also about some experiences of moving to Germany and his life here.

He called me and we agreed to meet at a restaurant he likes. It is in the centre of town near to Friedrichstrasse Station and on the side of the River Spree. I met them there for lunch on Saturday. He looked very well and we certainly did a lot of talking about the past and latest events in our lives plus plans for summer. I plan to visit them when the sun shines and explore Essen for I do not know this town. Looking forward to that.

Remembering

Today is the 100th anniversary of the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre in Amritsar, which is now the capital of the state of Punjab in the north of India. If you have seen the film 'Gandhi' you will remember it is shown in all its horror in the middle of the film.  Jallianwala Bagh is a large walled garden not far from The Golden Temple. Many people gathered there to listen to speeches demanding independence, which was against a new order banning such meetings.

On the orders of Sir. Michael O'Dwyer, Lieutenant Governor of Punjab 1912 - 1919, Brigadier-General Dyer GOC Amritsar marched his troops to the entrance of the Bagh and opened fire. They shot into the crowd for 10 minutes. That was when they ran out of bullets and so stopped firing! The Bagh is now a memorial and I am sure many people will be there today to remember the victims.

I first went there in 1976 and had to use another surname. My hosts considered it too dangerous to use my family name in public. Dyer died in 1927 and Sir Michael was assassinated by Udham Singh in his home on 13th March 1940. He was 75 years old.

Burnt apples and more clothes

Yesterday evening I decided to cook some apples. I peeled and sliced them then added sugar, some water and put onto a low heat on my cooker. I then opened my computer, found a programme on BBC to listen to and forgot the apples. They sizzled (first time I have used this word on my blog!) away and turned black. 

I managed to get some into my re-cycle waste bin but many stuck to the bottom of the pan. I decided to let them soak overnight and try later. I have just tried again and most are still stuck to the pan. More water and leave them until tomorrow. Perhaps I shall be able to get them off the pan then. 

Talking of water: My block of flats were without water all morning. We were warned a week ago so no surprise. The problem was a leakage in the main supply pipe running through the cellars of the flats. The repair van has just left and I turned on the taps. Yes, water came out. Now to get a shower and enter the afternoon! 

Before I checked the water, I got an expected ring on my doorbell. It was Angelika. You may remember I used to watch her playing in an orchestra for many years. Now she has retired but still plays as a guest. She brought a large bag full of clothes for the daughter and mother of 'The Family'. Interesting that they arrived just after I got supplies from Bremen. 

Listening to BBC Radio 4 News at the moment. Just heard Mrs. May informing the House of Commons that Julian Assange has been arrested. You may remember  that he was the founder of WikiLeaks and lived in the Ecuador Embassy in London for 7 years. The Ecuador Government withdrew his asylum hence arrest by London police. I wonder what will happen next! 

Miles Away

You must have read/heard the news yesterday that a circle of telescopes around the earth had found a large Black Hole. My jaw dropped when I heard that it was 300 million, trillion miles away. I tried to imagine how to write that number. I ended up with 300,000,000,000,000,000. Do you get the same? If correct, my maths teacher will be smiling down at me :-)

Other news is that Frau Merkel's mother has died. She was 90. There will be a private family funeral in the north where she lived. As I am sure you know, Frau Merkel is the Kanzlerin (Prime Minister) of Germany. She was recently in Brussels trying to help Mrs. May to sort out Brexit. Oh, noooooo, don't mention Brexit. What a mess it all is. I also heard that the electors in Australia will be going to the polls on the 18th May. Make a note of that Colin! Finally, I heard that there may be a putsch  taking place in Sudan. Will check this later to see if it is true.

Yesterday, Mr. Postie knocked on the door to deliver a large box. It was from Holger and family near to Bremen. It was full of clothes for the mother and daughter of 'The Family'. Regular readers will know who I mean. Very kind of them. I also found a note for me with a new book. Holger is in a group of 'hobby' writers who agree a theme then go home and write a short story based on the theme. This is then assembled and another book hits the shops. There are 26 short stories in this book.

It is written in German. Here are the details if you wish to buy a copy. T.Martins-G.Reichstein, Tödliche Hanse, Edition Temmen, ISBN 978-3-8378-7055-8. Story 25 is called, 'Stockholm: Den blädiga mandagen (Blutiger Montag) by Holger Wittschen. He likes to use Plattdeutsch and I wonder how he has time to write given his work and other activities. Well done Holger, and thanks for the copy. I'll e-mail you with comments when I have read your story. Here are a few images to illustrate some of my words.

Sun and Shoes

Between cycling in my local parks, smiling at kids enjoying the weather with their parents and eating a 'wurst' before I cycled home, I had some nice hours in the sun on my balcony. It was the first time this year that I took off my shirt and enjoyed the feel of the sun on my upper body. I also read more about the history of the German language. Very interesting.

Here is a photo of the place, sunshine and book.

Yesterday I noticed I had a large hole in the sole of my right shoe and the left one had a smaller one. Time to buy new shoes which I did yesterday afternoon.

I looked in two shoe shops in a nearby shopping centre and ended up buying some summer boots. I shall buy lighter shoes later when the weather settles into dry, warm days. They are very comfortable and I like the colour for summer.

B. Breakfast

Two weeks ago, Johanna had a birthday. She was in Spain so I and other members of 'The Kowalke Gang could not celebrate with her. We did just that yesterday morning. German people have many nice ways of celebrating all kinds of events. One of my favourites is ' The Birthday Breakfast'. It usually starts mid to late morning and ends when guests leave with no regard to the clock!

I arrived on  time and got details about her Spanish visit just before other guests rang the bell. Presents were given, greetings exchanged and then we settled down around the table. We started with sparkling wine from Spain. That was one of my donations to the event.  Starting with a toast is also traditional. I had Green Tea with my breakfast but the others drank coffee.

As we relaxed with full stomachs we sipped more sparkling wine. The conversations continued to cover many topics and it was interesting to listen to other views and opinions. The breakfast ended mid-afternoon as we said our goodbyes. What a wonderful way to start the weekend. The bonus was also the weather. Warm and sunny yesterday and today - I even got 21°C on my balcony. Here is a photo of the Lady and The Gang!

Waiting for ----

No, I am not "Waiting for Godo" but for the people who will deliver and install my new washing machine and take away my old one for recycling. I have prepared the kitchen for their arrival.

The wooden working top is now resting on my balcony, the drawers are in the middle of the room and  the washing machine is where the drawers were. I can't move it further for it is still attached to the water pipes. Looking forward to my new machine for the pile of clothes for washing grows by the day and I need to wash bedding.

I am also waiting for a visitor. He called yesterday and asked if I would be at home. I explained that I had to wait for the washing machine people, so he said he would cycle over and bring a large fruit cake. Guess who? Yes, your are right. It is Imre. We are having good weather at the moment with blue skies and warm sun. Trees and flowers are suddenly starting to bloom and Berliners have shed their winter clothes for lighter ones. I have even seen two young men in the U-Bahn wearing shorts! Here is a photo taken on my balcony so you can see for yourself.

To be continued: The new machine was delivered late afternoon and the old one taken away for re-cycling. There was a problem with the water connection, but the caretaker got it to work and will install a new one next week. After all had left, including Imre, I tried to get the machine to work

Water pumped in and the machine started. It went on for hours so I just pulled out the plug. On Friday I asked Stefan from my Photoshop Gang how to get the thing working. he knows all about machines as well as computers. He gave me a diagram and list of things to do. I later tried it and it worked! I even managed to wash the bedding! Now I just have to 'learn by doing'. Here is a photo of the new machine. Hope yours is working okay.