Style Shift

If you scroll down a bit, you will find a post about Rubbish English. I really enjoyed that 'rant' and was later surprised to find a radio programme touching on the same point.

It was on BBC Radio 4. I heard it on Tuesday 15 April. You can still find it via the internet. It was one of two programmes on the same topic. The presenter is Michael Rosen who is not only a presenter, but journalist, writer and poet.

The programme is called 'Word of Mouth' about social register. It sets out to examine the question, "Do we change the way we speak according to the social class of the person we are speaking to?"  You will hear some discussion about 'to style shift' and 'social distance' to explain how UK native speakers make changes.

The programme includes archive clips of comedy shows clearly using these changes, and of children who are able to switch from local to standard grammar and vocabulary. There are links to other programmes covering the topic.

I don't have any images to support the above, but I do have some photos to share with you. Mathias sent them as a momento of his special birthday party. You can see me next to Freda, who I told you about earlier and look forward to seeing again.

I also decided to share the latest of my 'works of art'. It was made yesterday. It is based on a flower photo I took on my last visit to Britzer Gardens, and posted a report to this blog. I had fun changing the image to create what you see as a card. Perhaps I should have thousands printed and sell them:-)

In Prison

I went to prison last Tuesday! It began when I met the SPD Oldies, jumped into a car and was driven to what is know as the Stasi-Prison. It is in Hohenschönhausen which is the northern part of the district of Lichtenberg, where I live.

In the 1970s, the area took on its current appearance when lots of big blocks of flats were built. The prison, however, continued to function regardless of its surroundings. The building complex was originally a large factory producing machines used to produce consumer goods.

In May 1945, it was taken over by the Soviet secret police and turned into 'Special Camp No. 3'. It served as an assembly and transit camp for about 20,000 prisoners. Many ended up in a Gulag in arctic Siberia and died there.

Living conditions in the camp must have been terrible. At one time 4,200 inmates were penned in like animals. Nearly 1,000 died. They were buried in nearby bomb craters  Image the hygiene conditions. You were lucky to have a bucket as a toilet never mind washing facilities.

The camp was dissolved in October 1946. The prisoners were transported to other places. The building did not close. It was renamed as a Remand Prison and became the Soviet's main prison in their zone. Business as usual!

Work started on expanding facilities including turning the underground stores into cells with no windows. Just a wooden bed and a bucket. Interrogations were mainly held at night resulting in many prisoners signing 'confessions'. Soviet Military Tribunals then sentenced them to years of forced labour.

In March 1951, the East German secret police (Stasi) took over the business! Opponents of the regime were then housed there. At the end of the 1950's, prisoners had completed construction of a building with more than 200 cells and new interrogation rooms.

Business continued until the end of 1989, when the SED government was overthrown, the Stasi dissolved and the prison finally closed in October 1990. A memorial was established in 1992 and two years later an independent foundation was established to run the site.

Most of the guided tours are conducted by former inmates. In 2011, more than 340,000 people visited of whom 160,000 were schoolchildren from different countries. Plan a visit the next time you are in Berlin.

Happy Easter

I had a very happy Easter. A mixture of sharing time with people, celebrating and having quiet periods at home. As you know, I didn't get to Den Haag but I received a message from Jan that he got to his destination and was okay. That was the first of a series of good news.

Easter Saturday started with a solid breakfast at Johanna's with the usual 'Gang'. She had a guest visiting from Switzerland, although she was originally from Peru. We got on very well and had some interesting conversations. A wonderful way to start the day.

Later I went to Mathias' 50th birthday party. It was held in a small private hotel. Excellent service and atmosphere. Mathias had clearly taken time to plan everything. He surprised all in his opening speech by announcing that he and Sylvana had secretly married a month ago. Lots of cheering and smiles!

Sunday was a quiet day. Dozing, lots of reading and I cooked. On Monday, Marcel arrived for a bicycle ride. We went down the Wühletal. It is a small river in the east of the city which flows into lake Muggelsee. It was the first time he had been on this tour.

Later I went to the Pardons' house for a Grill Party. The bonus was that they grilled real Thüringa Rost Bratwurst! Mmmmh....my favourite :-)  Very interesting guests from a number of countries and conversation. And so ended the holiday.

Easter weekend

Yesterday I bought some chocolate Easter eggs. I shall take them with me tomorrow morning to share with other guests at Johanna's Easter Breakfast. I have posted stories and photos about her and her now famous breakfasts before.

Later I am going to a special 50th birthday party. Also looking forward to that. On Sunday I hope to go on a bicycle tour east of Berlin with Marcel. I think we both need some fresh air and movement. The weather forecast is also good for then. At the moment it is cold and rather miserable. On Monday evening I have been invited to a Grill Party. 

I recently visited the AWO where I do some relief teaching and made some new friends. They normally play with children but this time they came to talk to me. Here you can see Leo Lion, Freddy Frog and Micky Mouse. Ollie Octopus was tired and thirsty so I put him on a glass of water. That cheered him up.

Have a pleasant and relaxing Easter holiday with your nearest and dearest!

Adam's 'Pot'

This is a 'pot' created by Adam, or another way of saying it is that it is Adam's orchid. Adam's proud father Ghalib recently shared it with me and a few other select people. Both have now allowed me to share with you.

Ghalib and his wife were at university with me many years ago. Ian is godfather to Adam and his younger brother.

Adam is now 23 and studies computer science at a university in London. One of his hobbies for many years has been ceramics.

This is his latest creation and I hope he will send more to share with you for I find he has a real talent and I wonder what other pieces he has created.

Adam - how about changing your studies to ceramics instead of computer science?

Rubbish English -1

It appears that more English people cannot use their first language correctly. Here are some choice examples taken from interviews on BBC Radio 4. It is supposed to be the ‘flagship’ station of the English language in the UK! 

He has disability issues = why not just say he is disabled?Long term issues/looking at the issues/issue of local issues = what happened to problem?To fast track somethingShe dropped it = the speaker wants to say that she lost!To come back over that whole time frame = a women in a news interview trying to talk about a women returning to work after giving birthPeople who stay engaged = what is this person trying to say? Is it that some people get engaged for the rest of their lives and never get married?It’s kind of about/A kind of a/A sort of a /AbsolutelyOutcomes? What happened to the word result? The deep history of data collection. If so, then there must be a shallow history.They are being brought to sort of Babylon. Either they are are they are not. I looked on a map and could not find a place called ‘Sort of Babylon’. A programme to run more smoothly = another example of native speakers not knowing anything about adjectives and the comparative and superlative forms. What has been taught in English school for the last 30/40 or more years? Data present it out to a larger population = I still can’t work out what this speaker was trying to say. Do you understand it? We are kind of involved in that tension now. Either we are or we are not. What tension? Are you talking about a rubber band? In the years going forward = does this just mean the future?

Here is a Bock Wurst in potato soup for anyone who is able to read this rubbish and NOT explode!

Still here

I'm still in Berlin. I did not go to Senftenberg. See my last post. I finally get a call about the trip on Friday to say it was cancelled. The reason being our organizer was taken ill and had to go to hospital for checks. Perhaps we shall get to Senftenberg before next winter!

I did go to Kerstin's Keep-Fit-for-Oldies session. They all said how pleased they were to see me again. Nice to hear that. After, I went to Stefan's Oldie-Photoshop-Gang. They were very surprised to see me. I was greeted with the obvious question, 'Why aren't you in Den Haag'?

We did some work combining images, text and Microsoft's Word programme. I have this on my Acer laptop but only use it for writing letters. This time we are learning more about how to use it. Here are my two works of art.

I created them as cards. Fortunately we have good printers and thick paper/card so we can produce what looks like a greeting card. The others were surprised and pleased at my creations based on the simple theme of a flower. What do you think?

Den Haag

I should be lifting off from an airport in Berlin and flying to Den Haag as I write these words. Clearly, I am not on the plane and lifting off! There were a number of calls to Jan and Arancha, who wanted me to visit and enjoy Spring with them.

Some of you may remember I did that a couple of years ago and posted to my blog. It was high time to repeat, so I booked a return flight. A few days ago it all seemed unsure. Jan told me he may have to fly out to another part of the globe to help resolve a problem. Given his work there is always such a risk.

It was all still unsure, so we kept to our plans. I then got confirmation yesterday that he would be moving, but to another part of the globe to assist in problem solving. We agreed that I stay in Berlin and try later, or that we meet in Berlin on his next visit.

I am of course very disappointed, but I know has to take on such work when there are problems and this can be anywhere in the world. Take care of yourself Jan, and don't take any risks! See you later for a beer in Berlin.

It looks like I shall not be able to escape from Berlin this year!  You know my attempt in Malta failed, now Den Haag is out, and so is my planned visit to Ireland in May. I spent my 'big' birthday there last year and planned to return this year to see more of Dublin and surrounding area.

I recently got an e-mail from the people I know in Dublin to say they were coming to Berlin in May. I look forward to showing them around my part of the city, but I cancelled plans to fly to Dublin. Perhaps later in summer, or even in autumn. Let's see. So this is the third 'no-flight' in less than six months! Perhaps I should just plan to stay in Berlin this year :-(((

Instead of enjoying the delights of Den Haag, I shall enjoy reading the latest edition of a satirical political magazine (see cover photo above). I can only compare it to Private Eye in England, but with more cartoons and sometimes really 'black' humour!

On Saturday I plan to go on an 'Oldie Gang' trip to Senftenberg south-east of Berlin (See map on the left). The call to confirm or not will come this evening. If so, it will be my first visit to the town and area. I shall post photos and share the experience with you on my blog as part of my 'Travels in and around Berlin'. Hope you have a relaxing weekend no matter where you are.

Kino and camera

Yes, you have guessed correctly. The film we could not see on Saturday night was, ' Grand Budapest Hotel'.  On Sunday, I let him sleep late for he has a part-time job which sometimes means he has to work to midnight.

Then I woke him and poured lots of hot tea down his throat before we both galloped again to the S-Bahn and travelled to Neu-Köln. This is an inner city district with a high immigrant population. It is also where the regional office of the AWO is situated.

I joined the AWO (close links to SPD) at the end of last year and so was invited to a new member 'brunch' last Sunday. I was allowed to bring a guest (with an appetite!) so chose Marcel. We arrived just as the event opened and had a great time.

The nice thing about a 'Brunch' is that you can fill your plate again, and again, and again! Marcel was hungry and so filled up with breakfast and lunch menus. There was also a friendly and happy atmosphere which made the event even nicer.

We returned home and later decided to try to see the film again. Another gallop to the S-Bahn and finally arrived at Potsdamer Platz. This time we found the early evening cinema show almost empty.

We laughed out way through 'Grand Budapest Hotel', and thoroughly enjoyed it. See it for it really is worth the journey to the cinema!

In addition to the cinema visit, I found my old camera when I was sorting out some storage boxes. It was a big surprise to find it. Today I bought a film and put it into the camera. I shall take some photos in the next few days and re-learn how to use my old camera! I was able to put the film into the camera so that shows I have not forgotten everything.


 

Cooking again

Over the last few weeks I got messages from blog readers asking me if Marcel had stopped cooking. They asked because I had not posted a story, or photos, about him cooking. The answer is that he always cooks when he visits, but I just stopped posting stories and photos of him doing so.

When he arrived last Saturday I told him about the comments. He agreed that we should post photos and tell my 'food/cooking' readers that he was pleased they were interested in his cooking, but we would not report each cooking event.

We later galloped to the S-Bahn and headed to Potsdamer-Platz. There you will find the Sony Centre. Inside you will find a cinema complex. We asked for tickets for a film and was told it was sold out. I could not believe it. I have never experienced this before!

We went around the corner to a cinema complex where they only show films in German. We were also told that it was sold out. The lesson to learn is only go there when you have booked the tickets in advance!

We returned home, relaxed in front of the TV and watched a film. What was  the film we had missed? See next blog post.

April 2014 Things

First day of April and the sun is shining into my kitchen. Forecast for the rest of the week is good. I even planted some tulip bulbs in my window boxes. The stalks are just peeping into the air and light. March was generally a good month. The exception being the very bad cold and cough, which I still have. Perhaps I need to doze in the sun more :-)

Last night I went to my local SPD Annual Gathering. I really enjoyed it. Dressed up for the event, of course, as did most present. Met many people I got to know over the year, listened to the speeches, applauded those who got presents for helping others less able to help themselves, and then into the buffet room.

I sat with Angelika, who I presented in a blog post about a year ago when she gave an exhibition of her paintings, photos and designs. We were joined by others and ended up as a large, talkative group with lots of jokes, not to mention plates of food and drinks! A good evening was had by all!

April has my usual activities and groups, such as a new exhibition at the AWO. All the creation of  local disabled people with lots of fantasy- see painting on right. I am also waiting for the next phase of building in front of my flat. You can also see this on the right.


For me there are two special events in April. The first is my flight to den Haag on 10 April to spend a few days with Jan and Arancha. Looking forward to this very much, not least so that I can try the first batch of the future famous, 'Trautmann's Best Beer'. Also meeting Jeff to catch up on news.

Shortly after my return, I am going to celebrate business partner Mathias' 50 birthday. He decided to celebrate in style with a party in a local hotel/restaurant. Looking forward to that and to seeing members of the family I have not seen for too long!
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Who else has a birthday in April?  Horst from my Oldie-Keep-Fit-Gang will celebrate his 80th on 4th. He, his wife and assorted family members will celebrate at a resort on the North Coast. Closer to home, Uli hits 67 on the 6th, followed by wife Petra, who will celebrate being over 40 (again!) on 8th.

Moving swiftly to Australia to join Daniel who will be 35 on the 9th, then to California on the 11th to raise a glass with Dennis and family to toast his 59th. Moving onto Essen, back in Germany, fill your glasses to toast Neil for his 57th on the 13th. Lot of birthdays this month.

My nephew Henri will be all of 5 on the 18th. We can fill our glasses with orange juice for him! Next day is Mathias' big day (see above). Moving east of Berlin we can toast Peter for his 51st on the 22nd, before ending the month back in Berlin for Birgit's 50th on the 24th April. HAPPY BIRTHDAY to all and each!

New home

Shirley has a new home, but still in Florida. She moved last weekend. She calls it a Condo in St Augustine Shores. Here you can see her in this photo. She is on the right as you look at it. In the middle is Modesta, who lives only two blocks from Shirley's new home. Judy, on the left, also lives nearby.

Shirley decided to leave the 'Granny Flat' in the house she shared with a daughter and family. They needed more room for a growing grand-daughter so they struck a deal and Shirley got the Condo. She told me it is larger than where she lived. I'm sure you will be very happy there, Shirley.

The good news is that it has a swimming pool. When I think of the lovely family house she shared I always remember the swimming pool. I posted a few shots to this blog of me enjoying it on my visit. The Condo is also next door to a golf course and club house. She used to play golf and plans to resume!  She said she would send some pics. Looking forward to seeing them.

She also gave me details of part of her family history. She belongs to the American line of the Lanier family. There is also one in Barbados and both came from France via England. Her most famous ancestor is Nicholas Lanier 1588-1666.

He started life as a composer to two French Kings then landed in England to escape attacks on the Huguenots. He quickly got work as a composer, singer, lutenist and painter including for Elisabeth I and James I. In 1626, he became the first to hold the title Master of the King's Music. What a talent!

Shirley can link her family to his brother Clement 1590 - 1661, who married Hannah and had twelve children. Some later sailed to the English settlements on the eat coast of the US, and the rest is history. She was also related to the writer and playwright,  'Tennessee Williams' 1911 - 1983. He was born Thomas Lanier Williams in Columbus, Mississippi.

Doc's Orders

I decided to give in and go to my doctor's this morning. I have been fighting a bad chest cold since Monday. The final result was: Cold -1/John -0.  Last night I could hardly sleep for coughing and when I saw what I was spitting out, I decided on the Doc.

First I called the Sports Centre where I meet Kerstin and the Keep-Fit-Oldies. I left a message explaining that I would not be sweating and groaning with the rest of them. I cycled to the surgery and was pleased to find it empty. Quick registration then I was called in.

I like my doctor. He is very professional and has a good sense of humour. I never have any worries about seeing him. Not all can say that. Started with jokes about why I hadn't seen him for so long = was he treating me too well? I asked if he needed more visits so he could buy a new car? He burst out laughing and liked that one.

Jokes over and down to business. Checks and a more serious face. I was told he had found a bad infection on one side of my throat. I had to take anti-biotics/Antibiotika. Three tablets a day for 10 days and then see him again. He also told me to stay at home over the weekend, keep warm and so not infect others.

He gave me more tablets to thin blood and reduce blood pressure. Nothing new there. So that is the current situation. Can't say I am too happy for the forecast is for a warm weekend. Perhaps I'll just sit in the garden in the sun, wrapped in a blanket like all old men should/do to indicate their age status!

Finally here is an image sent by one of my students from 15 years ago. Nice to make contact again. We plan to meet again so I can learn more about his photography skills.

Exhibition

Anyone who has read my blog more than three times knows I go to an 'Oldie' Photoshop Gang each Friday afternoon. I have done so for a number of years. Our hard working 'teacher' is Stefan. Each year we have an exhibition of our work.

And lo it came to pass again that we had an exhibition this afternoon. On leaving home I decided a summer jacket was enough. The sun was shining. Not for long. I realised it was a mistake, but at least I had an umbrella. I needed it.

I bought some bread and rolls for the exhibition, then taught a lesson at mid-day. I later went to our Oldie centre where the exhibition was taking place. I arrived five minutes late, but still in time to get the bread/rolls onto the table.

There were about 80 people at the opening. Stefan made the first speech explaining our image concepts, a politician from the local administration made one, and then we/I/my Photoshop Gang were introduced, and we even got a round of applause!  

Lots of looking, comments, photos taken, questions, offers of orange juice or sekt before the doors to the next room opened. At last it was time to eat and drink! Nearly all the Oldies moved into the room for refreshments, and so the next stage of the exhibition took place.

Warm and cold snacks were on offer followed by various cakes and coffee. As we relaxed after eating we entered the third stage of the exhibition. This was music which I really enjoyed. A retired professional musician had prepared a range of compositions from classical to jazz.

He had prepared the backing music in his studio at home. He played the bassoon to the sound of the backing music. The instruments for the backing music had all been played by him at home. A real musical talent. All the Oldies smiled, nodded, tapped their feet and reacted to the music in positive ways.

As the music faded into the end of the day, there was lots of applause and all agreed that it had been an exceptional afternoon. I certainly agreed with that. I particularly enjoyed sharing the time with Helga and seeing how she reacted to the music.

Nur Bahnhof

This week was like the last few weeks in terms of appointments and activities. The weather was very warm and friendly on Thursday and Friday. Some of the braver young men actually donned shorts to move around town. It has now returned to rain and reduced temperatures. It will remain so for most of next week.

On Wednesday I abruptly ended a teaching appointment. Conflict about a new contract and non-payment of lessons. It was not unexpected. I have threatened lawyers and court. Not the first time this has happened. Here it is called 'being in the free market'.

I am thinking of changing my TV contract. I rarely watch TV during the key times of 8.00 to 10:00pm. The stations I can receive all broadcast US crime/sit-com series or German equivalents. They do not interest me in the least. The new deal will allow me to watch programmes over my internet connection. I may make the change in the next couple of weeks.

Also thinking about holiday plans and have already booked a flight to Den Haag in mid-April. I shall probably have less travel than last year for I am thinking of a 'Biggi' at the end of the year, so need my travel budget for that adventure.

On Friday I created this work of art (see image on left)  at Stefan's request. He said he needed another one from me to show at the exhibition starting next Tuesday afternoon. I took an old photo of Anhalter Bahnhof just after it was bombed in 1944. I then added an image of the restored entrance and a tall tent like structure which is now on the site and blue sky. 

Bahnhof has a number of meanings in German. It means 'station' in English and can be used for a railway or bus station. It also has a colloquial (die Umgangssprache) meaning. If you do not understand anything you can say, ' I only understood Bahnhof'. You won't learn this from your German Lesson Book!

Also on Friday I got a large envelope from the SPD. Inside I found lots of papers for a conference on Tuesday 2 April. It was from the Berlin Migration and Integration section of the party. I was recently elected a delegate from my local constituency to attend the annual conference. The papers are full of legalistic/business/bureaucratic German.

This is my homework for the weekend = read it all with the help of my dictionary, including the ones I use online! Plus trying to understand long compound nouns that sometimes look like a verbal railway train! Here I am pinching an idea from Mark Twain who wrote an entertaining book about 'The Terrible German Language'. Read it for it will make you smile:-)

AA Concert

Yesterday afternoon I went to a concert featuring Amina and Alexa. They are the twin daughters of Petra and Uli. They in turn are central members of my 'Muggelsee Gang'. A and A are in the final year of school and writing their 'A' Levels.

All the family has musical skills. Their elder brother is a professional musician. All are multi-talents including many language skills. What a clever family! The girls recently returned from a study year abroad. One in California and the other in Tasmania.

They were part of a group of students showing off their skills at a large church in the eastern district of Friedrichshagen. It is one of my favourite bits of the city. You can find it just above Berlin's largest lake called Muggelsee.

I took Marcel with me because I wanted him to meet the ladies, and because he plays the flute. He enjoyed meeting them and I hope to see them play together one day. It was also nice to see other members of the Gang who turned out to support the concert. Thanks to all!

Lindenstraße

I had another good week and this one looks like it will be the same. We have gone from early Spring back to late Winter, but next Thursday the weather should return to Spring again.

At the Photoshop Gang last Friday, I decided to recreate Lindenstraße in the centre of Berlin. There was a small road leading from Lindenstraße. The area was bombed in the early 1940s, and when rebuilt the road disappeared.

Across what was the road is a restored 'old' building which is now part of a museum. Next to it is the Jewish Museum. It is a modern zig-zag building and I have included part of it in my collage.

It is another aspect of old and new Berlin which will be shown at our exhibition. It opens on Tuesday next week and will contain three of my works of art!

Goodbye Haus

Near to Monkey-Man's last challenge was 'das Haus'. A house which contained six flats. The occupants left them weeks ago.

The lower windows were boarded up to stop anyone entering. We neighbours waited to see what would happen next.

After the garages became history, 'Mr Bagger' moved his machine towards the house.

Before then, other men had removed all the roof tiles, roof timber and roof walls. Again, for recycling. That done, the Bagger started its work.

The digger part of the arm tore into the walls and they came crashing down. Clouds of dust settled before Mr Bagger could see clearly enough to make the next attack. Slowly, the building turned into a large pile of bricks.

Trucks arrived. They were filled with rubble and were driven away. End of the house/flats. I wondered about the families who had lived there for years, and where they were now.

Last Garage

As Monkey-Man was doing his work, the garages were being knocked down. A few weeks earlier I saw car owners taking their cars and other possessions from the garages. I have no idea where they put them. Perhaps the car on the street and other things in a cellar. 

Then the machines moved in. One big machine with a large 'thing' at the end of the arm made short work of the roofs and walls. Before then, a number of men had taken off the asphalt covering and any wooden beams. They were separated for recycling.

Here you can see the the change in landscape, including the main machine.  In German it is called  'der Bagger'. My dictionary translates this as excavator, digger, earthmover. Interesting that I didn't know the word in English and had to use a dictionary!

Last tree

And lo it came to pass that only one tree remained. It was the biggest and looked like two trees had grown together.

I mentioned earlier that a specialist, who by chance came from England, had been called in to take down the bigger trees and he ran up and down them like a monkey.

For the last one I noted there was lots of talking with his assistant and pointing before they started. They had clearly agreed a plan of action.

Monkey-Man put on all his safety equipment plus ropes and a saw all of which hung from his body as he climbed higher.

On the way up he sawed off all the smaller branches until we were left with two main trunks. He got to the top of one and sawed his way down.

He climbed the last trunk and did the same. End of the last tree. Here you can see it.