Walking

I went on a walk a few days ago with Johanna. She wanted to visit Kreuzberg, which is an inner district of Berlin. As Berlin expanded in the late 1800s, a canal and small lake was constructed which ended in Kreuzberg. The canal was destroyed by bombing in WW2 and the small lake was later linked to underground water and the area became a popular one for walks ending at the lake. A bar - restaurant was also built. Perfect for the end of a walk!

You can see the lake here and a shot of me enjoying a light lunch at the restaurant. A very nice excursion. I'm meeting Johanna again on Thursday to enjoy another walk but this time in our area.

This morning I had an appointment in a department of a local hospital. I now have all the X-Rays taken of my back and pelvis. The Doc. took me through all the images and explained what they meant.

The 3rd,4th,5th discs in my lower spine have collapsed into each other and my spine is no longer straight where it should be. This is causing pressure on the left of my pelvic bone. That is why I am having problems to walk as quickly as I did and to cycle as I did. I asked him why and he said there is no clear answer and that it had little to do with my age. The reshaping of these bones causes pain in the lower left part of my back and left leg. I have to go for treatment during the next 6 weeks. The Doc also said I had to do more walking.

One result is that I can't join my Muggelsee Gang for our summer bicycle tour on Saturday. Instead, I shall take the train to Bernau and meet another member  who will take me to the family house and garden where I shall meet the gang at the end of their tour. Then we shall have a traditional 'wurst' and beer evening with some singing. Looking forward to that and to doing more walking with Johanna. I also hope to get back into cycling for I have always enjoyed that. I'll get there step be step!

Okay 2

I'm happy to report that I am still okay. The wound on my right leg is healing and I no longer need medicine or bandages. My allergies are now reducing although they should have gone by the end of April. I wear a mask and rubber gloves when I go shopping or travel on public transport. Like most people, I am getting used to wearing these things. I told you my flight to the UK in July was cancelled. Now the UK Government has announced that all people flying there from 1 June will have to spend two weeks in quarantine! Looks like I shall not be flying there this year.

I am now reading a book about Karlshorst. This is the district where I live. It is in the south-east of the city and has a large horse racing track. It was officially created on 25 May 1895. There were plans to have celebrations last week, but these were cancelled for reasons I am sure you can guess. The book has lots of drawings and old black and white photos. It is famous for the building in which the documents were signed ending WW II in Europe. It was an Officers Club but is now a museum. Put it on your list of places to visit the next time you come to Berlin.

As you can see in the other photo, one bottle is ready to replace another. The new one if called Kvint: Divin Aged 10 years. It comes from Moldova and was a present from Daniel. I think it is an equivalent to whisk(e)y. I'll know better next Monday evening when I have visitors and we shall taste it. Back to reading - have a look on the internet about the history of Moldova. Very interesting - and it has the largest underground wine cellar in the world. Amazing!

Happy

Bro1 is very happy. He visited me last Saturday - as arranged. I asked him if he needed to use my laptop to do any college work. He said 'No'. He just wanted to 'chillen' and watch a DVD. As a first step he went to the local store to buy some food. On his return I told him to go onto the balcony and close his eyes. He did just that and here is the result.

You can see by the big smile that he was more than happy. Some posts ago I said The Boyz needed a laptop to go online and pick up study material sent by their respective schools/colleges. Thorsten responded by saying he knew of someone with a laptop in the cellar. He rescued it, added different progammes and arrived at my place with it last Friday.  Good timing!

Bro1 quickly started to explore his new laptop. It did not take long for him to work through the programmes and see how they worked. After that, he started to cook and just before the food was ready, Bro2 rang the bell. He was also very happy with the laptop and asked if he could have one. I told him to be patient. I  think Thorsten has found another one but it will be a surprise for Bro2.

After eating they went to watch a DVD. They like one with lots of action. I opened the door later to find the DVD still playing but both of them asleep on the sofa. At least they were smiling! Big thanks to Thorsten for making Bro1 so happy.

Mixed Week

I've had a mixed week including three hospital visits. It started on Monday with a visit from Birgit F. who I hadn't seen for too long. She looked great as we sipped a cool G&T and caught up on news. We decided to meet more often and not only just to enjoy a G&T. On Tuesday I went to an institute at my local hospital. I had to show a Dr. the X-Rays I had got the week before from a specialist Radiologie centre. He decided I had to come to the hospital again on Thursday for treatment.

Before then, I met Marita on Wednesday. I hadn't seen her since Christmas even though she lives opposite to my place. She is very busy at the moment with her mother who is aged and ill. Marita decided to cook a traditional meal of Asparagus, which is called der Spargel in German. It was delicious as you can see from the photo. She prepared it with strawberries and black pepper. She said that was also traditional. It was very tasty. We decided to meet more often and even in my garden when the sun shone.

On Thursday I was back at the hospital and had to remove my lower clothes except for my underpants. I had to lie flat and the Dr gave me two injections just above my left bottom cheek. I believe they were stronger than the ones I had earlier got. On Friday - this morning - I had to go back so the nurse could check on the wound and if it was okay. It was and I got new bandages and was told I could remove them tomorrow. I got home in time to relax and have breakfast before Johanna arrived. She read all my medical reports and explained some points to me. It is easy for her because she used to be a nurse and she can translate medical German into normal German! We then went for a relaxing walk in a local park area.

Talking of park and green areas, I told you in an earlier post that I walk in the big garden at the back of the flats where I live. I am fortunate to be able to do that compared to millions of people who live in small rooms with no access to greenery. Here is a photo of the front of the flats. You can see that we have a small one-way road in front. The other photo is of the garden at the back of the flats. It also has play areas for children and seats/tables for picnics and grill evenings. I just walk in it! 

Talent

Most people have a talent or skill. They may not know it. Jutta is in my Kowalke Gang and has a talent for creating things from images in her computer. She is also very skilled in the use of a laptop and smartphone. She is able to do this even though she has a hearing aid and sight problems. She needs to read everything with the help of her magnifying glass. Her husband is Gerald and he has a talent with words. He writes texts and poetry even though he has to live in a home.

I met most of my Kowalke Gang last Friday for a long lazy breakfast at Johanna's. There, Jutta gave me this document you can see on the left plus one from Gerald who had written a poem about me. We sat and talked for a few hours. I slowly returned home and shortly after my doorbell rang. It was Daniel. We had arranged to meet.

It was nice to see him and after washing his hands he settled down to enjoy a pot of tea. As he drank we caught up on news and how he is dealing with university study during the virus close down. He asked me if I needed help in my flat or if I needed him to go shopping for food. I thanked him for his  offer and said I could manage okay at the moment. Then he started to not only wash up the cups but the teapot and sink!  We agreed to meet again and he insisted I call him if I needed any help.

I settled into the evening with a glass of sekt and looked at my cards. I got 13 cards and 9 telephone calls wishing me all the best. Very nice and thanks to all who sent their best wishes. As you perhaps know, that day was a special one. It was the 75th anniversary of the end of WW II. It was a public holiday in Berlin but many events were cancelled due to the virus threat. It was a day I shall always remember. 

Twaddle

I'm okay and spending most of my days at home. I read a lot and fortunately I have a garden so can walk around it without being a risk to anyone. I've had some nice telephone calls from friends and so we keep up-to-date with events and how we are. Friday is a public holiday in Berlin. It is to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of WW 2. The document was signed in what is now a museum in the area where I live. Many commemorative events have been cancelled or reduced because of the threat from coronavirus.

Being at home means I can watch TV more  (which I don't) and listen to the radio via my WLAN radio. I still listen to Radio 4 news from which I collect modern 'Blah-blah' or 'Twaddle' spoken by politicians and anyone else interviewed who cannot speak English properly and/or don't know what they really want to say. Here is my latest collection:

We are massively ramping up.../ (Boris Johnson on BBC Radio 4 news) the crises is really ramping up / to overthink it /  to interface with customers / super spreaders / a guardian angel cover / a joined up approach / a big upswing of growth / to weaponize a virus / to offshore to other countries / a triple bottom line / he had misspoke / to make a big ask of people / to step-down a service / to unlock down / it has been a big ask.
If you are learning English please do not learn such rubbish. Stay happy and healthy everyone!
Update: "PM is talking rubbish - complete word salad".