Football Evening

It is still hot - but now dropped to 35°C. If you are wondering what to do this evening then turn on your TV. Look for the Under 21 Football Championship match this evening and you will find the German team is about to play Spain. I have a problem - I want both to win but not against each other! Have fun and enjoy something cool to drink as you watch the game. UPDATE: Spain won 2:1.

Hotter

Since my last post it became hotter. This morning it was 38°C on my balcony. I have spent all day in the

shade and mainly reading a book. The area is very quiet. I think people are hiding at home in the shade or have left for rivers-lakes to cool off in the water - or left for the coast for the weekend.

Last Thursday started with a meeting with the 'Tablet and Smartphone' Group. It is led by Stefan and he helped me to work with my tablet. It is now 9 years old. I inherited it just over a year ago when Herman died. Stefan said some things cannot be updated but I can still learn how to use it. I'll try.

I then went to a local restaurant. The one run by disabled people I told you about before. There I met Imre. We ordered the set 3 course lunch for €5. I gave him my salad and the pudding. The main dish was enough. Imre munched away then said he was still hungry so ordered the 3 courses again! Even the waitress was rather surprised. Here is a photo of him in another restaurant - and munching away.

On Friday I went to Kerstin's Training for Seniors Gang, as each Friday. We are not meeting next week for we are having out annual garden party, which lasts all day. From training I went to Stefan's Photoshop course where we did more work on a photo using a new programme. After that, I went around the corner to a barber's shop and got a very short summer haircut. Ideal for this weather.

Yesterday, I met Johanna in my garden in the evening. We sat in the shadow of a tree, sipped cool white wine and had a good chat. This morning I had a long chat with Ian from Ozland and caught up on news. The rest of the day has been a lazy one trying to keep cool. At least the music fans in Glastonbury can enjoy the sun rather than rain, which usually marks the event.

Pana

I took Harald to a local restaurant where people with mental disabilities are trained to prepare them for regular work. I told Harald about it and he wanted to go there today. I found less people there, perhaps due to the heat, and it is now holiday time in Berlin so less people are running around.

We ordered the three course lunch offer and a glass of cool beer. A nice combination! Harald liked the place and the menu and said he would return to support the project. We then headed to his car and ended up at a shopping centre south of where I live.

We entered a large electrical store. I showed the assistant the note written by Thorsten on Monday on which he wrote the details of a CD-Player and DAB Radio to replace my aged equipment. He took us to the machine and I bought it.

If you are looking for a replacement for your system you will find all you need in the compact Panasonic SC-PM 254 EG. It costs €120,00. See the photo. Back at my place we set the thing up and discovered everything worked. I still need to read the instructions and experiment with it over the next few days. Thanks to Harald for the day, and using his car so that I didn't have to carry the box home. Now to enjoy my CD collection - especially the voice of Lorraine Hunt!

Hot

It's hot and today maybe the hottest day of the year so far. The forecasters think it will get into the high 30s and some think it may hit 40°C. I'm meeting Harald later then  going for lunch and a 'cooooool' beer :-)

Fitness Grill

This time yesterday I was on my way to the Fitness Centre on the side of the River Spree. I meet Kerstin's Oldie Fitness Gang there for a session of movement every Friday at 10.00 am. This time there was a meeting of members to enjoy the hot weather, chat and a grill party. Members are invited to such a grill party each summer. I go each year.

I went on my bicycle and found the Fitness Centre members sheltering in the shade of the entrance. It was 30°C so the shade was welcome. There was a wide range of food including salads and lots of fruit - not only meat! I joined a couple I knew and then  went to the grill.

I selected a well grilled sausage (Wurst), some green salad with potato salad. I smeared the sausage with 'Bautz'ner Senf ' = mustard from a town called Bautzen - my favourite! I sipped a cool beer as I munched away. Very tasty and I followed it with a plate of fresh fruit.

Very interesting to see many of the other guests. Lots of muscle on show, including some women who clearly were serious body builders. A really pleasant afternoon with nice people showing off their muscles. Don't forget to watch the German Under 21 Football Team on TV this evening.

Stolen

I recently updated a post (4 posts ago) about Imre. I wrote that Imre's bicycle had been stolen. Here is a photo of him in happier times with the bicycle. He left it in front of where he lives - as usual. Next morning he went out to get on the bike and it was missing.

It is his favourite bicycle and was itself a replacement for a bicycle stolen a year ago when he left it outside his local train station. I know he has two others but this was special for him. It was also the most expensive. I also know the feeling for I had my bicycle stolen from the parking area outside my local train station.

You really have to wonder what is in the head of those who steal bicycles. Why? Is it because they need one or want to sell it to pay for drugs? When my bike was stolen I remember telling friends I would support the return of Middle Age Justice = chop off the hand of the thief!

Weather: I have just read a weather report. It said there is a potentially dangerous heatwave threat next week for all of Europe. Temperatures of 32°C to 40°C. I only had 28°C on my balcony today. The reason given was changes in the Atlantic causing the movement of hot air from Africa. Now fill some extra bottles with water!

Like: I later read a story in The Guardian about the current use of the word 'LIKE'. It seems to be spreading like a disease. This morning in the tram to my training centre, 2 young men sat behind me. They came from the USA and spoke English. Every third word was 'LIKE'! 

Garden Party

Phew, but it's hot. I recorded 34°C on my balcony earlier. Many people are staying at home to escape the heat. It was only 24°C last Sunday when I cycled to the next district called Marzahn. I had been invited to a garden party by Drs. Pardon. I have posted about them before so regular readers will know about them and where they live.

Frau Dr. Pardon had just returned from St. Petersburg. She teaches German at the university there. She is a pensioner but loves the city, language, people, culture and teaching. It was great to see her again and their other guests. A nice mix of languages and cultures including Norway and Ukraine and all are teachers in Berlin and Potsdam.

We settled around the tables in the garden to enjoy the strawberry cakes and coffee. Mmmh..very tasty plus lots of interesting discussions. We later sipped wine and beer before lighting the grill for the evening 'snack'.

As the evening advanced and it got cooler, the guests began to leave for home. I thanked our hosts, jumped on my bike and twenty minutes later I arrived home. A really great day!

A Visit

Last Saturday I was getting ready to leave for Bernau to see the Hussitenfest Procession when the phone rang. It was Bro1 from The Boyz. "Hello Opa, can we visit you, we have not met for some weeks and want to see you again". What else could I say but, "Okay". I decided to visit the Hussitenfest next year!

Shortly after, the bell rang and they arrived with big smiles. I just stared at them for they had different hair styles, beard and Bro2 had a very clear mustache. I burst out laughing but they just gave me a hug, as usual, and joined in the laughing. We then went to my local supermarket for they said they were hungry. I told them to buy what they wanted but they had to cook it. The agreed.

Here you can see Bro1 cooking the food they bought. I have discovered he is a good cook and even cooks where he lives with his family. Here is a photo of Bro2 stuffing food into his mouth but notice the hairstyle. They explained they had been busy at school, with sports groups and meeting friends. I told them that was more important and they could always come to my place.

They then wanted to watch a DVD in English, which they did, then slowly got ready to return home. They took all the clothes for their mother and sister kindly donated by friends of mine. It was really nice to spend time with them and I was sure I had made the right choice to meet them rather than go to Bernau.

Music Equipment

Last Tuesday I jumped into a local S-Bahn and headed east. My destination was Rahnsdorf to meet Harald. He is one of the original members of my 'Muggelsee Gang'. This takes us back to the early 1990s when I first met them in a retraining course. All have since done very well. A talented gang! I later met his father, a very experienced and talented English teacher. We still keep in touch.

Harald was on holiday and contacted me about a meeting. I readily agreed. He has a really nice, large flat to the east of Berlin and is making changes. One was to reduce two music systems to one. I pricked my ears up at this for part of my system is no longer working. Part of it is about 40 years old so perhaps no surprise that it is slowly falling asleep!

Over lunch, we talked about the equipment and it was agreed that Harald would bring his equipment to my place on Thursday and we would see if the bits were compatible. And so we move to Thursday and his arrival with musical equipment in the boot of his car. We brought them up to my place and had a nice cuppa green tea as we looked at the machines.

We decided to just install them and replace my machines. We did that and discovered that the radio worked as did the CD player via his amplifier. I played a CD of Lorraine Hunt singing Bach and Handel. Wonderful voice! I decided to leave his equipment as installed and later remove my old system. I took a photo. On the table you can see my old equipment and later  I shall remove the big, old speakers you can see supporting the new speakers. I shall share this with you.

Imre visit

Imre visited this afternoon. We planned a meeting at my place then on a bicycle tour. The weather forecast was not good for the afternoon so we sat on the balcony and waited. Surprise - the sun shone, temperature increased and blue skies. By then Imre had settled into life on the balcony, playing with his cameras, smartphone and tablet.

After more 'Kaffee und Kuchen', he contacted his lady in Manila. I got the chance to talk to her for the first time. Her English is very good. By then we had given up on the idea of a bicycle tour and retired to the garden to enjoy the sun.

More talking and taking photos for his lady. I had to take some using his tablet and smartphone which was a relatively new adventure for me.

When he arrived he gave me a gift. He was recently in Hungary so bought me a large bottle of Merlot. Very nice of him given that he does not drink alcohol. Many thanks Imre!

UPDATE: Someone stole Imre's Bicycle No 3 yesterday. It is the second time one of his bikes has been stolen. He has reported it to the police and his insurance. Even so, it is a shock to find your bicycle has been stolen. It happened to me a few years ago.

Supper

It started cool yesterday but improved as the day unfolded. I cleaned up my place, went shopping because it is a holiday weekend and the shops are closed tomorrow. I then cleaned the seats and table in the garden and waited for my visitors. Yes, my Kowalke Gang wanted to have an early supper in the garden and I found it a good idea.

They arrived on time and with lots of things to eat they had prepared at home. I provided the glasses and the first bottle of sparkling wine - my favourite from Spain! And so the clock ticked away, lots of talking, tasty snacks and more nice liquid in the glasses.

We raised our glasses to toast Colin in Australia. I have posted about him before. He plans a trip to Germany in summer and we are all looking forward to greeting him and having another summer supper party in my garden. See you then Colin - Prost!

Kvint

It's cooler. Only 25°C on my balcony. Tomorrow should be warmer :-)  Yesterday, I had a visit from Daniel. As you know, he is busy studying at a university in Berlin, and enjoying life as a student. He called to say he would like to visit for it was a number of months since we had last met.

He arrived looking very well, healthy and fit. No surprise for he is a regular visitor to a fitness studio.  Over cups of green tea we exchanged news. His English was as good as always and he no longer has English lessons at the university. His teacher said he doesn't need them!

He gave me a bottle of Kvint. I can hear you asking what that is. He visited his family in Moldova last Easter and bought the bottle for me. Here is some information from the bottle: "Kvint, Tiraspol Winery and Distillery - Divin - Aged 10 years. Product of Moldova. It is produced from local grapes and aged in oak barrels for 10 years, amber colour, rich and full aroma with a long-lasting and soft aftertaste".

I shall open it on a very special occasion and let you know how it tastes. Many thanks to Daniel for thinking about me and buying a bottle of local 'whiskey'. I wonder if I am the only person in Berlin with such a bottle.

June 2019 Things

It's hot. I recorded 36°C on my balcony this afternoon. Traveling on public transport you see most people staring into their smartphones - as usual - but now wearing shorts, vests and summer T-Shirts. Since my last post I have had a number of visitors, consumed 'Kaffee und Kuchen', met Peter and Andre at their nice house in Alt Landsberg and sipped a few glasses of sparkling wine to keep me cool!  June has many usual things before I move into holiday mood in July.

Who has a birthday in June? Nicholas Bolton. starts us off with his birthday in West Yorkshire with his wife and family on the 3rd. Teresa P. has her birthday in Berlin on the 23rd. That is it! Best wishes to both and have a great day with family and friends.

This month has many more anniversaries. Some sad and some funny. We start with the death of Peter Hartstein on the 5th in 2014. He was a member of my 'Muggelsee Gang' before moving to China. My iMac will be 12 years old on the 6th. It still works but I can't update anything. I am thinking of putting a Linux system into it but I need more advice from Thorsten. The 19th is a special day. My father would have been 107 on that day and my mother 101. Yes, they shared the same birthday. On the 25th, Hermann would have been 82. I miss exploring the area with him on day excursions which he really enjoyed.