July 2020 Things

I've just noticed that I forgot to post June 2020 Things. Oooops! Life here has not changed a lot in the last few weeks. It is too dry. It rains then stops as the sun takes over. I'm now having weekly physio-training on my back. It helps and the docs are very good. My next therapy is on Thursday at 6.00 pm.

As usual, many hours a day are spent alone, reading or dozing. I wish I could just get on a plane and leave it at Leeds airport. Cousin Barbara would be waiting for me and I could settle into life at her house. It's very nice. I could also see Fran and Warren before they leave for the south. Not to forget spending time in Casland with Alan and Lynne. I miss not being with them. I need a holiday!

Who has a Birthday in July? Laura B. starts the month with her 22nd in West Yorkshire. Back to Berlin for on the 2nd Jutta from my Kowalke Gang will celebrate her 72 nd. We are meeting at her place for a nice lazy traditional breakfast. Back to West Yorkshire for Krystle will celebrate her 35th on the 8th. Jutta's husband is Gerald and he will be 79 on the 17th - it is also their wedding anniversary. Another reason to celebrate. And so ends the birthdays in July. Have a great day no matter where you are!

Other Things: The 3rd July is Jan and Arancha's 5th wedding anniversary. What a day that was. Never to be forgotten!! On the 6th July my Acer Laptop will be 9 years old. It now runs on Window's 10 with no problem. On the 24th I shall raise a glass of sekt to toast myself. Something happened on that day 8 years ago. Guess what :-))

More Twaddle

I'm having a lazy day. The sun is shining and I have spent some time on the balcony with my book. I've also listened to BBC Radio 4 news and other programmes from which I have recorded More Twaddle.  Here it is to make you smile - and wonder where the speakers are taking the language.

Something to tilt for / I hear the picture you are painting / I made that moment happen / to litigate an issue / to bubble with someone / to form a social bubble / the lossing of a friend / I weept (said by a US Academic Prof.)  / many governments are frozen in their headlights / many of these musics / it matters massively / he was a scrapbooker / a window of time / there has been an uptick / to listen back / it’s a good busy / to hold  the governments feet to the fire  (I didn't know a government had feet!!!/ lockstep / things getting to the back up and running (The last two were said by a BBC Reporter in a recent news broadcast.

AWO Afternoon

I've had a really nice afternoon. As you know I am a member of the Arbeiterwohlfahrt (AWO). This is a social organisation with branches all over Germany. It was set up in 1919 by a women who was also active in the SPD. She created it to help women and children whose husband/father had been killed in WW1 or were in prisons. It organised food for them and a range of social support.

I was invited to my local AWO to read a chapter from a book called 'Good Night, Marie'. The book is a collection of stories for children and was published to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the AWO. My chapter of 3 pages was about Marie and how she got to know her neighbour, an elderly man with  a sailors cap and pipe.

Families were invited including young children. I was the last to read a chapter and so I changed my presentation to include questions directed at the children so they could shout out answers as I read out the text. At the end I got a good round of applause and thanks from parents for involving their children in the reading. I really enjoyed it as I am sure you would have!

Not Forgotten

I was recently thumbing through my diary and then noticed a list of people who sadly died. You know I write a monthly list of people with birthdays. Now is my Not Forgotten List.
My brother-in-law Geoff died at 3.00 pm on the 31st May two years ago. Peter Hartstein was in my Mugglesee Gang and died on the 5th June 2014. I visited him in hospital in Berlin a few days before.  Jürgen died on the 11th June in 2017. He was a larger than life character which is what you need if you are to be a well known actor. My father Patrick and mother Joyce shared the same birthday. On the 19th June my father would have been 108 and my mother 102. Back to Berlin and Herman would have been 83 on the 25th June. They are not forgotten. 

Storm

Yesterday there was a storm that lasted into the night. It came with thunder and lots of lightening. I read later that over 700 lightening flashes came in the first two hours. Just before the storm arrived I had set off for a walk to get a bit of exercise. I didn't have an umbrella. I heard the distant rumble of thunder moving in from the east and thought it would make a noise and move on.

A mistake! I continued on my walk and the rumbles got louder - but no rain. I continued to walk. Then the rain came. Slowly at first then more, so I turned back. I arrived home dripping from the rain so it was clothes into the washing machine as I ran through the shower and put on new clothes.

That was very different from Friday evening and sitting in the garden. Some of my Ko Gang wanted to enjoy supper there. They brought the food and I washed the seats and table and provided a bottle of my favourite Spanish sekt. We started our evening with this. The weather was warm  with blue skies. Perfect weather for supper in the garden. Thank goodness we did it then and not one day later. 

G-Day

Saturday is a special day and new to me. It is 'World Gin Day'. I didn't know there was one. Here are a range of gins on offer but my favourite is still Gordon's Dry Gin with Schweppes Tonic Water. Of course you have to make it the traditional way.

A large glass into which you put 3/4 ice cubes with at least two slices of lemon. Pour in the gin followed by Tonic Water. The amount of each is variable and depends on the weather and time of day. On a hot day you would add more Tonic Water to thin the gin. To relax in the evening you reduce the Tonic and increase the gin a little. It is best to experiment.

The advert here offers some interesting gins. One is called WAGON 22: Transsiberian Thorn Gin. That sounds really interesting! Another is Granit: Bavarian Bio-Gin. There is even one from Spain called GIN MARE: Premium-Gin. There is also THE BOTANIST: Islay Dry Gin - which you know comes from an island off the Scottish coast. London Dry Gins on offer are Elephant Gin, Beefeater 24, Bulldog and Gordon's. A good range to choose from.

You know I sometimes report on the use of English by native speakers. Here is an example. A recent BBC Radio 4 programme called Any Questions had the following panel members. The President of the National Farmers Union, a Labour MP, the Chair of the BMA and the 'Care' Minister. They all answered questions and in the 45 minutes of the programme used the word 'Absolutely' every 2.5 minutes. It's absolutely true, I'm absolutely not lying, I'm absolutely, absolutely....That's absolutely enough!

More

More eating - but his time it was 'Kaffee und Kuchen' yesterday afternoon. I met my Kowalke Gang and we took the S-Bahn to Mahlsdorf in the east of the city. It is a nice suburb with lots of family houses and greenery. We walked for nearly 10 minutes then came to our destination. A flat which is the home of another of the Ko Gang. She has a talent for gardening and a really nice garden with a large range of flowers.

We exchanged greetings for it was her 80th birthday, but she looks much younger. We then sipped a relaxing glass of cool sekt to wish her lots of good health. Over cakes and coffee there was lots of talk, particularly about events in the past. No surprise about that. We moved into the garden and sat under a large umbrella. We were lucky to be celebrating on a warm sunny day.

Family members arrived later and so started a second round of eating and drinking. At that point I left the celebrations and returned home feeling very happy for being able to share such a special afternoon.

Eating

Eating can by nice or not - depending on what is on the plate! I met my Muggelsee Gang last Saturday near Bernau. They had done a 36 kilometre bicycle ride. I hadn't due to leg problems and healing after my bicycle accident. Instead, I took the local train and then I was picked up at the station.

Lots of catching up on news as the grill cooked a number of things. Mainly sausages and steaks. I enjoyed a delicious potato salad. Here you can see most of the Mug Gang tucking in to a well deserved late lunch after their cycling tour.

Last Monday was a public holiday with nice weather. I met my Kowalke Gang for a long and tasty lunch. I had fish with Spargel, as you can see from the photo. We started with a fine bottle of sekt from Hungary and then settled into white or red wine depending on the food. Very tasty and we enjoyed sipping more wine as we relaxed post food and talked about anything and everything.

In a short time I shall take an S-Bahn to a suburb east of Berlin and there I shall join my Ko Gang again. This time to celebrate a special birthday. One of the Gang is 80 today but she looks and acts much younger. On the plate there will be a range of cakes with tea or coffee. Looking forward to more eating. Keep chewing!