Mardi Gras

Took a rest from homework and checked my e-mails. There was one from Birgit in Sydney. She and Ian went to the Mardi Gras yesterday evening and had a great time. Birgit took this photo with her phone camera and sent it with a message.

Many thanks for thinking about me Birgit. On Saturday 7 March 2015 I went to the Mardi Gras which ended not far from where Birgit and Ian then lived. It was my last evening in Sydney and they had left for Hong Kong that morning.

I really enjoyed it. It was my first experience of a Mardi Gras and I was impressed by how the people just relaxed, smiled, danced, and generally had fun. I took a couple of photos and posted a report on my blog. Perhaps you remember that?

I'm now looking at my diary for 2015 and on Sunday 8th I note that a taxi came at noon and took me to the airport. I took a Thai Air flight at 15:40 and arrived in Bangkok at 21.05. There I enjoyed three days before leaving for Vienna and arrived in Berlin on 12th March. Happy memories!

Mixed Things

Yes, this post is a mixture of topics and time. Let's start with meeting my adopted family this morning and heading off to a shopping centre. I told you I had collected money from my SPD Oldies to buy things for 7 year old P.   Her mother explained size, colour and cut for a little girl.

Daughter P. loved the experience. She jumped from one display to the next. We followed the list set down by her teacher and eventually got all except sport shorts. We are going to look for them next Thursday afternoon. Here is a photo of a her with a wonderful smile and the things we bought this morning.

She has two brothers and the youngest one had an accident on his bicycle last Wednesday. To hospital where he got a plaster cast on his right arm. Yes, a broken bone. I am looking for a bicycle for his older brother. Falling off bikes is part of being a boy and learning not to fall off a bike!

Both boys have now had doctor health checks, which you have to have here before you can start school. I hope this means they will be allocated a school soon.

Ulli und die Grauen Zellen were just as expected and described in my last post. I expected them to be an 'Ozzi' band but not so. They started life as a 'boy band' in West Berlin in the 1970s.

Finally some more German for you.  Der Pfarrgartengrundstückserwerbsfinazierungsplanbeschluss = it has 54 letters. What does it all mean? The first bit means parish garden property, the next bit means the approval of a decision for the finance plan for purchase and the last bit means a decision. I think you will find learning Hindi much easier. I did  :-)  Have a lazy Sunday.

Strange Coincidence

I spent the morning moving and stretching with Kerstin's Oldies, as usual on a Friday. Later I landed in Stefan's Photoshop Gang. As I settled down to drink my first coffee of the day and eat a chocolate biscuit, Stefan asked,"Have you been okay?"

I said,"Yes, but very busy over the last few days. Why do you ask?". Guess what he said....think about my last post.........Er...well...ehm..he like said, aaah like.....er like... "I looked at your blog earlier and you had not posted for some time and there was nothing about this month from your monkey face!"

My mouth dropped open. I wondered if he had spoken to Daniel. Almost the same question Daniel had asked yesterday. I explained and later the gang looked at the post on my blog from yesterday and smiled at the coincidence:-) We then got down to work and I created a new piece of art. Here it is and I made two changes to the original. Can you work out what they were/are?   

Off to 'Nacht der Politik 2016' soon. It is being held in our Town Hall and garden. The Mayoress will open it in an hour. Maybe I'll get to kiss her as I did the last time we met :-)) I'm intrigued to see what happens at 9:30pm for the advert says there will be a 'Rockkonzert' starring 'Ulli und die Grauen Zellen'.

This translates as Ulli and the Grey Cells. Methinks it will be a band of gents who grew up in the 1970s, still treading the boards, and playing to fans of the same era. I wonder if they now have bald patches in the middle of their grey hair and stretched beer bellies. Let's see!

PS: Okay, you located the last photo quickly. Try this one - WHERE AND WHEN was it taken?

March 2016 Things

Daniel has just called and among other things was the question, "Are you ill?" I replied, "No, but I've had a very busy last few days. Why do you ask?". "You haven't posted about the month of March with the monkey face", was his answer. "Crikey, you're right!" was my response, "Thanks for reminding me."

I told you I spent all the weekend reading documents for a meeting and they were written in 'Amts-deutsch', but that was good preparation for what was to come. On Monday I met my English Group 1 Oldies and after took the S-Bahn to Müller Straße. There you will find the Berlin state offices of the SPD. I had been invited to a meeting of the International Labour Party group in Berlin.

The main point for discussion was about the UK staying in the EU, or not, and whether to found a formal branch of the Labour Party in Berlin. The meeting decided the former was more important at the moment, so that would get priority, and in autumn we would discuss the transition to a formal branch.

On Tuesday I had a homework-help-meeting with Maria, taught my English Group 2 Oldies, had my Spanish lesson and then left for another corner of Berlin for my first meeting as newly elected Vertreter of my housing association. Thank goodness I had read all the material last weekend for I was able to follow the sometimes detailed points of the meeting. After, I had a much needed beer with my co-Vertreter.

Now to ask Who has a Birthday in March?  It is International Womens' Day on the 8th March so half the world's population has a special day then! I shall be handing out red roses donated by our SPD branch in the morning. On 19 March my MacBook and the Asus Eee laptops will be 8 years old. In computer language this is equivalent to being 95 years old. I shall give them an electric shock as a present! Dr. Günter will celebrate his birthday with family in Berlin on the 22nd, Dr. Bernd will likewise celebrate in Bernau on the 29th and the month ends with my liebe Johanna and her birthday party in Berlin on the 31st.               Happy Birthday to one and all!!

PS: Where am I in the photo on the right? Answers on a postcard to....'Er..well..ehm..na ja..er like..'

Office/Official German

I have spent all this morning, and half of the afternoon, trying to understand a lot of text written in 'Amtsdeutsch'. It is horrible and I think it must be the reason why German never became a world language, although it is important in central/east Europe.

The language is the slave to the master 'der-die-das' which means you have to build huge compound nouns which not only stretch around the block, but disappear behind it!  Try to get your mouth around these:-

die Studierendenaustauschprogramme, die Arbeitnehmerfreizügigkeit, die Durchökonomisierung der Gesellschaft, die Fremdsprachenkorrespondenten. If you are into adjectives you may like this one: transsexuellengesetzentscheidend.
UPDATE: die Nutzungsgebührenerhöhungsspielräume

Why this language torture today? I have a number of meetings in the next few weeks and received documents written in Amtsdeutsch, so I have been preparing myself. It is not the kind of German that foreigners learn in class, but it is the language of the letters/documents they receive. No wonder they need translators.

Many German friends tell me they don't always understand the letters/ documents they receive from government departments, banks, insurance companies or business. That is a relief!  At least liebe Andrea understands it all for it is the daily language of her work. Now back to the texts and writing notes for the meetings!

On a lighter side: Here is the statue I created with new colours last Friday with my Photoshop Gang.

Rainbow

I've had a busy week and only just managed to take this shot. I wandered into the kitchen after crawling out of bed on Wednesday morning. I looked out of the window and blinked. A rainbow was forming!

I rushed into the bedroom and snatched my camera from the shelf where it sleeps when not in use. I ran back into the kitchen and noticed the rainbow had fully formed and was starting to contract. Oh, no!

I quickly opened the case and took out the camera. Still with one eye on the disappearing rainbow, I took it out and switched it on. I quickly found the setting I wanted and then opened the balcony door.

Onto the balcony and press, press on the camera. I got two shots as the rainbow disappeared in front of my eyes. Twenty seconds later and it was gone. At least I have this shot. I wonder what there is about a rainbow that makes us smile and feel so happy.

I plan a lazy weekend for I have a lot of paperwork to work through. I need to understand the content for a few meetings I have next week and the week after. The text is written in 'Amts-Deutsch'. This is the language of the office and bureaucrat. You don't learn this in German for Foreigner classes!

U-Bahn Network

The public transport system is made up of 5 systems. The following two cover the city: The S-Bahn, which runs mainly overground, is part of the Deutsche Bahn national railway network. The U-Bahn network, which runs mainly underground, is owned by the Berlin State Government.

I take the UB-5 to Hönow when I visit Oldie H. I went there on Wednesday. Hönow is east of Berlin and on the border with the State of Brandenberg. From the station I walk about 15 minutes to arrive at Oldie H's new flat.

I told you in a previous post that he had a nervous breakdown last summer and his family moved him into this flat near to where they live. I like to visit for it is in the countryside and has a village feel. There is only one restaurant. It is a Greek restaurant! We agreed to meet there for lunch.

It was my first visit. The waitress was very friendly and the food was good. Unfortunately I noticed that Oldie H's health was not so good. We suspect he is starting with Dementia. For example, he kept telling me that Fidel Castro was dead, in addition to repeating things he had already told me.

I took him back to his new flat for a chat and then the almost mandatory 'Kaffee und Kuchen' break. Again a lack of clarity in thought and talk. I left him happy that I had visited and headed for the U-Bahn. As the train took me back to my bit of the city I reflected on my visit and the illnesses linked to getting older.

There are no public transport systems in Silsden, apart from a limited bus service, so here are a few images of the U-Bahn I travelled on. This is what you are missing as you wait in the cold for a bus to Keighley!

More Visitors

Last Thursday afternoon the doorbell rang. I went to the front window and looked out. It was family F. I recently posted about father and daughter, but this time it was all of them. It was the first time the family had visited.

It was raining so they entered my flat with a couple of umbrellas. Mama immediately took charge. Where were the wet umbrellas to go so they would not wet the flat? Then the command to husband and children to take shoes off. I said it was not necessary, but Mama over ruled me and the family obeyed!

They settled into my living room and said how nice and warm it was. I offered water and orange juice, which were accepted. We caught up on news and then the parents asked about my TV. They had not seen a TV programme for months. I switched it on and found a cartoon programme for children.

All settled into the cartoon as they sipped their orange juice. We older ones decided on green tea with cake and so that later appeared on the table. I talked to the family about the boys going to school to learn German. They are still on a waiting list. I decided to give them some dictation.

I threw my Baby Laptop to the younger son and he opened it with no problem! The older one had my Windows Laptop and both started to type the text I spoke in German. I was surprised at how they reacted and it was clear to me that they needed to go to a school.

Next week I am going to talk to a couple of people 'in politics' about getting them into a school. They are clearly ready and I am curious as to why they have not been placed in a school.

Workshop and AGM

Yesterday was an ELTABB day. In case your memory is failing ELTABB means English Language Teachers' Association Berlin-Brandenburg. I co-founded it over 20 years ago and was honoured to be made its first Honorary Member two years ago.

The association is officially registered as a charity. This means we have to return membership payments via workshops and social events. We keep a working reserve, but we can't make big profits. Saturday started with a workshop about using mobile devices in the language classroom.

All new for me and I found it really interesting. Our guide was Nicky and she heads such a teaching company based in Spain. She is also a very experienced teacher so she brought lots of experience to the subject.

 I was pleased to hear that many 'Oldies' use such technology in the classroom when they are learning English. For example, four of my Monday Oldies use them!

After a warm vegetarian lunch, we started our AGM. I have always liked these annual meetings and listening to reports. We had a good year and managed to spend more on events that we took in. We had to do this because the year before we were building too high a surplus.

We said goodbye to the old Board and welcomed the now one. Actually, half of the old Board will be in the new one. Continuity is important. Here are a few photos of both events. You can see that I get up to other things apart from political meetings!

Visitors

I have visitors. F+ and his daughter P+ are here. This line was written to show F+ how I write this blog.  Later Post: They arrived at 9.45. What a time to visit on a Sunday morning! I usually open my mouth for tea and fruit bread at that time but never open my door!

We had problems to contact each other via phone earlier so that is why they came. It was their first visit. Can I hear you asking who they are? Yes, I can. The family of five lives in a refugee home in my district. I have posted about this before. I have unofficially 'adopted' them and am currently getting people in my circle of friends to help them.

They are father and mother with two teenage sons and a lovely daughter, who you can see is not a teenager. We collect clothes, school books and writing material for the children, and clothes and other things for the parents.

They have a phone with internet connection and the eldest son had tried to open a page which I suspect had a virus.  He asked if he could connect to my computer and try to remove it. I said no.  Fortunately, he knows a computer expert so I suggested he tried him first. The dangers of the internet if you do not have an anti-virus programme!

Snowing again

It's snowing again! The temperature also dropped to 3°C after a dry, windy start to the day. I even did a special wash of bedding. I managed to rescue them as the snow intensified. They are now hanging about in my flat to finish off drying.  I did this on my return from meeting the Camera Club Oldies.

They liked my six photos, particularly the one showing all the pipes. Two of them were mechanics so they had a lot to talk about. They are from Saxony so I always find it interesting to listen to their accents and vocabulary.

Talking of which, I am listening to a piece of music by my favourite composer. Yes, it is Herr van Beethoven. It was recorded last Saturday (13 Feb) at a concert to remember those killed in the bombing of Dresden on the 13th February 1945. I'm listening via my Wi-Fi radio to station MDR Figaro.

It's being broadcast from the Semperoper in Dresden. It was opened in 1841 and has 1,300 seats, all  sold out for this performance. The music is Beethoven's Missa solemnis Op. 123. It is a magnificent piece of music and the Sanctus Benedictus is an unbelievable blend of voices and violin way in front of its musical time. I turn to jelly whenever I hear it. Listen and judge for yourself.

Hochbetagter Menschen

I recently came across these words when reading an article. They still make me smile. Hochbetagt is an adjective and means 'elderly, aged, stricken in years.' My favourite is the last one. I wonder what someone would say if you greeted them with, 'I see you are stricken in years' :-)) Instead of saying Happy Birthday we could say 'Happy Stricken in Years Day'.

I note it is a week since I last posted. I like the two responses to my last post. Methinks the comment about my clothes and Marks and Spencer came from a certain gent with an abode in Sydney. I recognise the humour. Last Friday I went to Johanna's, as reported, but unfortunately my 'adopted family' did not turn up. I got an sms to say they had to attend a meeting at the refugee home. The Boss wanted to talk to them about helping each other.

We went ahead with our Kaffee und Kuchen meeting, but it was a pity the family was absent. A member of Kerstin's Fitness 'Strickens' has also adopted them and so is helping with German lessons and collection of clothes and books for the kids. Nice work Werner! On Saturday I wrote a text to be sent to 400 flats in the borough where I live. I was helped by the other person elected to represent our housing association members. It is being distributed over the next few days.

Yesterday I went to the AGM of my SPD Oldies (slightly and over stricken in years!). We started with coffee and large slices of fruit cake with whipped cream. We did everything  in just under 2 hours, which is not bad given that we had to get through 21 items on the agenda. I was again voted as one of two Beisitzern. That means I was voted onto the Committee. It is mainly made up of Officers, but there has to be two non-Officer members of the committee.

This afternoon I'm off to my Camera Club 'Strickens'. One of our current themes is round things and another is colours in winter. Here are two I shall be showing. What do you think? Any comments?

Memory Lane

How about these photos? They are part of a batch sent by nephew John in Cambridge. The one of me with 'The Full Beard' in an earlier post was part of his dispatch. He said he found them before last Christmas when he was sorting/cleaning out his attic.

When were they taken? The problem of memory and age :-(  I've just been rummaging through some of my papers and a few photos. I don't have many of them left. I destroyed most in January 2015 when I came home from hospital. Without such prompts, it is difficult to remember exactly when things took place.

I know where it is. They were taken in my flat in Vernon Terrace, Brighton, on the south-east  coast of England. I have no idea who took them. I think they must have been taken in summer 1986. At that time I was doing some research projects in north India. But then I was always in India during the summer months. I think they were taken at my birthday in May 1986 before I left for my first project based in Hapur. 

Note anything in common in the photos? Have another look. Yes, you found it. The answer is a glass :-)) Now that makes me wonder if Trish had visited and forced me to drink another Gin 'n Tonic! I hope so! But perhaps not for on staring at the bottle in the bottom photo I am sure it is a scotch bottle.

I've had a 'normal' week so far with some adventures involving my 'adopted' family of refugees. Taking them for coffee and cakes at Johanna's tomorrow afternoon. More of that in a later post 

Taal vitaal

This means: Essential Language. I told you in my last post that I picked up a book about potatoes when last in the Photoshop centre. It was not the only one I took home. How about this? I was very surprised to see it and thought about Jan and Arancha who live in the land of this language. In fact, Dutch is Jan's sixth language.

Don't ask me how he does it. He goes to lessons once a week provided by his company and said it is not hard to learn. He added that it is close to German. When I looked at this book I had to agree. When I visit friends in the Netherlands I am able to understand what they are talking about although I can't speak the language. The sounds made are close to German.

Let's just look at the first chapter in the book. It is about meeting/greeting people. The title is Dag! In German this is Tag as in Guten Tag. Then we find, Goedmorgen = Guten Morgen/ Goedemiddag = Guten Mittag/ Goedenavond = Guten Abend/ Goedenacht = Guten Nacht.

When we move to the very basic we find the verb zijn. In German this is sein. Say both out loud and they sound almost the same. We then find ik ben/ German = ich bin, je/jij bent and this is a mixture of English you + German bist. 3rd person singular is a great mix of English and German. Look at this: hij/ze/zij/het + is. This sounds like English he/she/it plus is. Moving to plural we find the same mix: we/wij zijn = we sind(are), jullie zijn = you sind(are), ze/zij zijn = they sind(are).

I think I'll find a Dutch/Netherland for beginner course. It certainly looks easier than Spanish! I'll explore the course book tomorrow and learn more when I am traveling to Hönow to visit Oldie H for coffee and cakes. I still have his netbook. He doesn't know what to so with it and neither do I ! 

Skinny Potatoes

I like this name. I always thought potatoes made you fat! I found this book on the 'Help Yourself' table last Friday when I met my Photoshop Gang. I was surprised to see the book for it is in English - actually the American variety. I put in my rucksack and spent some time this week browsing through the recipes.

The author correctly asks, "Why Skinny Potatoes?" on page 1. A good way to start. I smiled as I read a list of names for a potato. Do you know all these? 'spud','tater', 'tatie', 'tato'. They do not match the grand sounding French 'pomme de terre' = 'apple of the earth'.

The author claims the book "focuses upon the healthful (new word for me) properties of the potato and upon cooking methods, ingredients, and garnishes that retain the healthy and nutritious nature of the potato itself". Sounds good!

I have browsed through sections such as Appetizers, Soup, Stir-Fry, Baked with Toppings, Steamed, Salads, Grilled, Side Dishes. I think I will start with 'German Potato Pudding' and there is no meat in it. If successful, I shall invite a couple of Oldies round to sample my 'Spud' skills.

February 2016 Things

It's grey, raining and cold - in short, it is miserable! I'm glad to close the door on January. February looks much like other winter months in my diary. I teach my Oldies on Monday and Tuesday, then it's the Camera Club Oldies every second Wednesday. Thursday starts with my Oldie Breakfast Gang, Friday has Kerstin's Keep-Fit Oldies followed by Stefan and the Photoshop Gang.

My local SPD members meet on Wednesday next week to elect a new committee and officers. Looking forward to that for this year there are elections and we have to get ready for that. A week later I shall be with my SPD Oldies for coffee, cakes and the annual meeting. Yes, we have to elect a new committee. I am a member of the present one so I hope the Oldies vote me onto the new one.

On Saturday 20th, I'm going to the English Language Teachers' Association (ELTABB) AGM. I co-founded it more that 20 years ago and am now its first Hon.Member! It's nice to see new faces and catch up on news including future workshops.There is one before the AGM. It's called, 'Teaching with Mobile Devices'. I have no idea about this so I have registered.

I think I shall add a Photo of the Month to this post.  Here they are last summer in Berlin to attend a rather special wedding. This photo was taken outside Berlin Town Hall where the Registry Office ceremony took place. He also has a birthday - read on!

Who has a birthday in February?
My dearest and oldest friend Alan starts us off with his 73rd on the 3rd. He will no doubt celebrate with Lynne and the lines between Cas and Ozland will be busy! Jens W. in Berlin has his 46th on the 5th. We then jump to the 18th to wish my old boss, Dr. Pardon, all the best for her 68th. A certain lady called Eleonora will be 57 on the 22nd and in London Adrian B. will be 56 on the 25th. A gentleman near Melbourne called Peter will be 36 on the 28th and so ends our birthday month.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EACH AND ALL NO MATTER WHERE YOU ARE!!

Unexpected presents

Daniel visited on Friday evening for help with English. After settling down he pulled two things out of his rucksack. The first was a present from Moldova. It was a traditional wooden mug.

I stared as he explained that nearly every family there had one somewhere in the house. He said you could drink anything out of it. I queried "anything?" He smiled and said not only water or beer, but fruit juice, and even vodka and whiskey! Here you can see him trying it out! He also gave me some McV biscuits. He saw them in a promotion at a local supermarket. Thanks Daniel.

He sometimes amazes me how he switches languages without any problem. He has to give a presentation in German about the first partition of Poland. He looked into my books about Polish history, then into Wiki to get a shorter version in Russian, Moldavian and then Romanian before flipping  back into English and German.

Thursday evening found me at a public meeting hosted by the SPD in a church hall. The topic was the danger to the local borough from the rise of the right-wing parties. Outside the NPD = Nazi Party and its supporters were demonstrating against our meeting, and against all non-Germans in general. The police cordoned them off and so our meeting took place as planned. Interesting discussion and the hall was full.

Pleased to report that my health is getting better and I am now sleeping much longer. I am still taking a range of medicine and have another doc appointment on Wednesday morning. I expect to get more medicine. I hope nothing else!

January Health

This month has not been a good one for me. I started the month with what later turned out to be acute bronchitis. I am still taking tablets for this. The last six are at the bottom of the photo. They are against 'bacterial infection'. Last week, I finished my tablets which attacked slime in the lungs. Yuk!

Last week I noticed some veins on my right leg calf were swelling and painful. I also noticed a 'fungal infection' between toes 3 and 4 on my right foot. They became really painful on Monday so I went to my Docs on Tuesday.

He was not happy! I got a box of syringes full of medicine for my vein problem. I have to inject one into my stomach each midday. In addition, I got a tube of creme to attack the 'fungus' growing on my right foot/toes. I have to smear it on twice a day. Yuk, again!

If you remember, I was in hospital for a week in January 2015 with heart/vein problems. I wondered if I would have to go to hospital again but Herr Dok said,"Later, if this treatment does not work!" Don't ask me where I got the fungus attack from. I'm still trying to work that out. Wishing you all a healthy end to January :-)

More snow and hair

In a recent post I told my Silsdeners that winter had arrived in Berlin and showed a photo of the garden covered in snow. Since then we have had temperatures below freezing most days and even more snow. You can see this clearly from the photo of my picnic/grilling area. Seems difficult to image it in the sun!

I also recently posted a story about beards and included the only digital image I have of me with a beard. Remember that? I now have two. A certain nephew by the name of J2 sent an E-mail with a number of images. He admitted he got them some time ago from some Silsdeners. I had completely forgotten about them.


Here is one of me with a full beard! Crikey! I can't believe I had such a face full of hair. I stared in disbelief when I opened it. It was clearly taken in Cambridge sometime in the first half of the 1980s. I worked this out from my appearance and that either I had just returned from a visit to India, or was about to leave for Delhi. Not sure which. Any of you UKers have a clearer idea?

This week I taught my Oldies again, took pills and wondering why my bronchitis was taking so long to disappear. I have a Drs appointment early tomorrow to give blood to be sent to a laboratory. I should be wiser about what is in it, apart from red wine from Spain, by the middle of next week.

I went to my Oldie Camera Club yesterday afternoon and tried again to understand their non-Berlin dialects as they quickly argued about the content of their winter shots. On Tuesday afternoon I relaxed with my SPD Oldies for afternoon tea/coffee and cakes. Tomorrow I am going to my Photoshop Gang and then I have a lazy weekend. Nothing to do but keep warm and read more books. Talk to you again next week.

Mug Ganging

I met my Muggelsee Gang yesterday evening. We should have met in a restaurant in Spandau, but part of our Gang who live there were on hols over Christmas so could not organise it. I was asked to step in and that I did.

I booked a table at a popular German restaurant on the main road not far from where I live. It proved to be popular and all were happy with my choice :-)
We had lots to catch up on and we did that over a few glasses as we waited for the food to be cooked.

We talked about the important things that had happened in 2015. One couple had become grandparents for the first time and I shared my adventures at two weddings. My blog readers will know which ones I am talking about!  I showed them some photos and that started more talk about memorable weddings they had been to.

We ended by talking about our next meeting. This will be on 1 May for a bicycle tour and that will be somewhere around Bernau to the north-west of Berlin. Looking forward to that!

Lost Days

Since Monday life has been a blur of tablets, pills, inhalers and more pills while not sleeping and not sure what time of day it was. I went to my Docs on Monday. He diagnosed a not very nice strain of bronchitis.
Where did that come from? I had my usual ant-flu jab at the start of November.

We wondered if it had anything to do with the time of year for it is exactly now when my allergies start. He decided to send my blood sample for testing and this grand event will take place on Friday next week. The delay is for my body to get rid of the bronchitis cells and all the medicine I am taking.

Then started my life of 'blur'. My regular sleep pattern stopped last Friday, so by Monday I was used to sitting in the kitchen sipping endless cups of green tea when I should have been in the land of nod. Last Monday and Tuesday nights I only managed to sleep one hour.

I then noticed a change in eating. I lost my appetite and something worse happened. It happened when I tried to eat a pizza with a glass of red wine. I gave up after two mouthfuls of the pizza and one 'schluck' of red wine. I threw both away! Unheard of since I went to Uni and discovered the red liquid with the help of ladies T and S :-))

I managed to sleep last night so think I am slowly 'on the mend'. I hope to be fit for Saturday night when I meet my Mugglesee Gang in a local restaurant for a New Year meal, and catching up on news and events.

I leave you with a photo I recently received. It made me wonder what there is about the 'Brit' mentality that makes them design and built such beach huts. Does this come under the heading 'This is what makes us British'?  I wonder if you will find them anywhere else on the planet?

Jüterbog

I went to Jüterbog on Thursday, as planned, and caught a cold. One was nice and the other is not! Last November I got an anti-flu injection from my Dr. I've had such an injection for a number of years and gone through winters without a cough or sniffle.

Not now. I wonder what went wrong. The day before, I began to 'sniffle' (interesting word) but didn't think it was the onset of a winter cold. As I settled into my seat en-route to Jüterbog I noted lots more 'sniffling' (must find the origin of this word - it sounds Germanic). As the day progressed came heavy coughing and nose blowing.

That did not put me off enjoying seeing friends in Jüterbog, catching up on news and enjoying their superb food. They have a large garden and like producing as much as possible to put on the table. Home grown vegetables, potatoes and fruit taste much better than anything you can buy in a shop, but then I think you must know that. 

We didn't meet in 2015, in spite of me talking about coming over. On the other hand, a couple of meetings were cancelled as one of them had to go to hospital for checks. That is the price of being 70+. We agreed to meet in summer as I set off on the return journey.

I got to Jüterbog station with ten minutes to spare and decided to take a couple of shots for my Kamera-Klub. Our current topic is Winter Scenes. I already have four, but decided a shot of the platform in winter would be a welcome addition. As contrast to winter I have decided to share a totally different shot with you.

It is a postcard from Max. He went on a winter holiday there with his lady-friend. I was very pleased to get this card showing different views of a place I have not been to, although I think one of my Silsdeners has. Correct Barbara? I like the contrast to my dark winter platform shot.

Tomorrow I have been invited to a SPD Brunch for members of my local party. The host is called Andreas and he owns a restaurant/bar opposite the S-B Station. He is a member and always throws such a party to welcome SPD members to another year of party activity.

Later I am meeting Johanna, Jutta and others for another Bach concert in the local church. Also looking forward to that. I hope I don't have to 'sniffle' and cough through both events! Where are my tissues, cough, cough?

Incarnation of ambiguity

I'm fine and keeping warm. It's only -8°C outside and still snowing. You can see this in the photos of my garden and building site. That's about all I have to say about me and life in Berlin.

I could close now, but I want to share something with you. What do the words in the title, above, mean to you? The story begins last Sunday at noon.  Here is text copied from the BBC Radio 3 'blurb'.

"For New Year New Music, Michael Berkeley's guest is the Irish composer Gerald Barry

His latest opera transforms The Importance of Being Earnest - with Lady Bracknell sung by a bass in a business suit, and Gwendolyn and Cecily throwing dinner plates at each other

At the age of 14, he won a medal for composition - by taking a Mozart piano sonata and cutting it up, sticking it together again in random order. Barry went on to study with Stockhausen and Mauricio Kagel. He struggled to make a living as a church organist in Cologne: he was fired, first for being Catholic, then for being late for 7.30am Mass.

Gerald Barry's marvellously idiosyncratic choices include Mozart, Alfred Deller, Clara Butt, William Byrd, a hymn setting by Stainer, and Oscar Wilde's letter from Reading Gaol, De Profundis, set by the contemporary composer Rzewski. He ends with a hilarious recording of the Red Army Choir singing 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary'."

When commenting about De Profundis set by Rzewski, Barry said it was like "the incarnation of ambiguity'. On hearing that I shouted at my radio, 'WHAT?' Oh dear, the drivel that passes these days for the English language :-((( And not only the incorrect overuse of 'like' and ' absolutely'. 

Let us take a minute to look at the problem. Check your dictionary and you will find the following.

Incarnation: A person who stands for some abstract idea/a person who embodies a God or diety in the flesh. Ambiguity: A word or sentence that is not clear about the intention or meaning. 

Now try to put them together. As Germans would say.'Viel Spaß dabei'. I'm off to Jüterbog tomorrow to enjoy a few hours in a small town south west of Berlin. More about that later. Perhaps I can incarnate myself and save some money on the train fare!!

Winter has arrived

I think Winter has finally arrived here. It has been  -10°C in my garden all day. Some even say it will get colder and there will be snow. Pity Berlin doesn't have any snow slopes, for then I would be cheering the arrival of snow, and getting my ski clothes out of the cellar.

I've even had to wipe the bottom of my windows three times (Thrice in old English and in India!).  For those familiar with cold winters it means it is so cold outside that the moisture in the air in the room(s) turns into water and collects at the bottom of the cold window(s). Quick, put the heating on!

Silsden and the north of England seem to be drying out after the latest rain and floods. I wonder if the Brits will start to ask why they have been under water so often in the north and north-west. Perhaps some will connect it to global warming and why that is. Apparently it all begins with changes in the Pacific. What causes those changes?

My Ozzers don't have the problem of mopping up the condensation from the windows. Just look at this photo. It was taken in a bay in Sydney, which as you know is in the south-east of Australia. This is on Christmas Day. Not bad.

I can't work out what kind of bird is 'hogging' the front of the photo. It's not a goose or duck. It has a big chin and long spindly legs. Is it a Pelican? When I look at it I wonder what it could be saying. Perhaps, 'Eya mate, gotta fish fu' mi?   For the non-Ozzers, keep warm and dry.

January 2016 Things

Yes, I had a very pleasant afternoon/evening with my guests yesterday. The lady with the little dog didn't arrive. She called to say that 'Woofie' was ill. She thought he had eaten too much Christmas food. Na ja, who gave Woofie the food?

Anyway, after my guests left I washed up then settled into bed with my book as the first of the early fireworks went off. In sleep I moved from 2015 to 2016 and even woke up late this morning. I've been lazy again by dozing on the sofa between reading another book.

Next week looks to be a quiet one, but the week after shows a return to routine appointments, including teaching my nice Oldies again. Looking forward to seeing them and hearing about what they did during the holidays. I'm already planning trips and travel for 2016 but more of that later.

I shall end this entry into a new year with a glance back to the last one via a photograph. Here it is. This is my PHOTO OF THE YEAR 2015. Isn't it great. I know there have been many nice and interesting photos on my blog but this has to take top place :-))

Who has a birthday in January 2016? 

 Dr. Peter L. in Canterbury hits 56 on the 5th. Hannelore will celebrate her 73rd with Peter in Claviers near Nice on the 13th. I've been invited to have a holiday with them there in summer. Nice in Nice! Harald P. celebrates his 52nd with family in Berlin on the 21st and in Potsdam on the 24th, Prof.Dr. Graf Peter von Longlegs will celebrate his 32nd. I think he is the youngest of Jan's Abi Gang. To end this month of birthdays we move to New Zealand for Paul  will celebrate his 31st with wife and two little sons on the 27th. 

Happy Birthday to all and each no matter how old or where you are :-))