Autumn

Autumn has clearly arrived in Germany, although in Berlin we are enjoying sun and blue skies. As the evening arrives you note a drop in temperature. Since my last post I have had a 'normal' week. It started with Barbara on Monday morning. She is my German teacher and always starts our meetings with chatting about what she has doing since the last meeting.

This time I had prepared copies of a text with words marked that I did not know. She explained the use of the words and then we started on dictation, which I really like. I had problems with some words and was self critical. She said I should not be and just keep learning.

On Tuesday afternoon I went to the Abacus Hotel opposite Tierpark Zoo. I met the SPD Oldies. We settled into the meeting with coffee and cakes and then the boss of the hotel arrived to tell us all about working there. Very interesting meeting.

On Wednesday I went to the Berlin office of my health insurance company. I went for advice. I got a letter from the Pension and Health Insurance Service in the UK to say that they may stop payments to my German health insurance company from the 1st November. All to do with Brexit. An informative meeting which ended with advice to wait until a got a letter saying payments would stop. I am one of 180,000 UK seniors living in the EU living under such a threat. It is hardly reported.

I went shopping yesterday. I bought a new lamp for my desktop then went to Aldi and bought an 'Outdoor-Sweatjacke' with a hood for 17.99 Euro. I have jackets but without a hood so this is a welcome addition to my jackets. Tomorrow I shall be on a tour of properties owned by my housing association which will end with a nice meal in a hotel.

 On Sunday afternoon I am going to the Berlin Philharmonie with some of my Kowalke Gang for an afternoon of Russian classical music. Looking forward to that. Here are some photos of autumn taken from my balcony. The leaves are still dropping.

Wannsee

Yesterday was sunny, blue skies and 20°C. Ideal for a day out. I met Johanna and Putta at the local U-Station and headed for Alexander Platz. Another train and we got out at Berlin Wannsee station. We sipped a glass of something nice to get our legs into motion and then set out. Wannsee is in the southwest of Berlin and the westernmost locality of the city.

It has two lakes. Großer and Kleiner Wannsee located on the River Havel separated by the Wannsee Bridge. To the west is Glienicke Bridge which connects the area to Potsdam. Glienicke Palace and the Pfaueninsel are nearby. Wannsee lake is well known as the number-one bathing and recreational area for western Berlin. It has one of the longest beaches in the country and a popular nudist beach!

The area is linked to the House of Hohenzollern which provided the rulers as Elector of Brandenburg, King of Prussia and finally as Emperor of Germany. The area contains palaces they had built over many years. It contains the villa the painter Max Liebermann had built and is now a museum. There is also the Wannsee Villa where senior Nazi officials met in January 1942 to agree the 'Final Solution'. It is now a memorial to victims.

On arrival at the lake we started our walk along the south side. We found lots of mushrooms and noted other people picking them. Later we stopped for a picnic on the side of the lake. Nice food and conversation before we set off to reach our next goal. At the end we took a local bus back to the station for the train back to Berlin. A very interesting day out with so many things to see. 

Visitors

I recently had two visitors. Yes, 'The Boyz' arrived. Bro1 had earlier called to ask if he could use my laptop and printer. Of course I said yes. He had prepared an application letter with the help of his German teacher at school. It was for a 4 week training programme in mechanics and electronics. He did a similar course a year ago. This time it was for more advanced practice. I was impressed by the content of the application.

Meanwhile, Bro2 found another English course book and settled down to learn verbs and complete gap-fill exercises. I gave him two books when he last visited and he practices at home. I asked why he was so motivated to practice English. He said he had decided he wanted to study to be a pilot and realised he had to have good English. I smiled at this and just told him to keep practising.

When both had finished, they said they were hungry so we prepared some food and after that they settled down to watch a DVD. It was in English and a spy story with lots of action, which they like! Bro2 is 17 today and celebrating with his family. Happy Birthday to you, Bro2. He is now the tallest in the family and still growing!

Goodbye Glen

Bad News: Glen Capra is dead. At the end of 1979, I moved to Brighton and Sussex University as a 'mature student'. At first I lived on campus and really enjoyed the life style. I then moved to other places including College Street. During the 80's, I lived there and in India. I also got to know Glen. He and his family had moved into a flat in Oriental Place near to the seafront, where I had moved to after my last India project. Our link was music.

He was only 17 but already a master of the keyboard. I was surprised and jealous of his musical skills. I wanted to play like that! We got to know each other better and I began to pressure him to apply to study music at Sussex University. I finally succeeded and then I left for Germany and he met a young lady who I shall refer to as 'L'. He graduated with a MA in Composition and then studied for a Diploma in postgraduate performance studies at the Guildhall in London.

He started a successful career as a musician, accompanist, chamber player and composer. He travelled a lot both performing and as an examiner. In his last e-mail he listed 11 countries he had worked in during the previous year. He and 'L' got married and they had twin daughters - now adults. His marriage to 'L' broke down, but they still kept in touch.

On one of his travels he met a young women singer in Greece. They got married. A mistake for the marriage broke down after a short time. He returned to Brighton then returned to Greece. His new wife changed the locks and he went to stay with friends in the town. It was there that he committed suicide. All who knew him and valued him as a musician and person are still shocked. The family in Brighton have an urn with his ashes and will let me know when and where they will be placed.

Good News: On Sunday afternoon, Jan's sister gave birth to a boy. Both mother and son are well and father is more than happy. Congratulations! It is a pity that I cannot share this news with Glen.

Potsdamer Platz

Yesterday I met some of my Kowalke Gang and we headed into town. We left the U-Bahn at Potsdamer Platz and met the guide for a conducted tour of the area. It was cold and windy. The guide had a large collection of photographs of how the Platz was and notes about the history of the area.

Here is some information I collected to give you a brief overview of the area.

Potsdamer Platz (Potsdam Square) is an important public square and traffic intersection in the centre of Berlin Germany, lying about 1 km (1,100 yd) south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag (German Parliament Building), and close to the southeast corner of the Tiergarten park.

 

 It is named after the city of Potsdam, some 25 km (16 mi) to the south west, and marks the point where the old road from Potsdam passed through the city wall of Berlin at the Potsdam Gate. Within little over a century it changed from an intersection of rural thoroughfares into a busy traffic intersection – including trains, buses and the U and S Bahn network.

The heyday of Potsdamer Platz was in the 1920s and 1930s. By this time it had developed into the busiest traffic center in all of Europe, and the heart of Berlin's nightlife

 It was totally destroyed during World War II starting with air raids in November 1943. It was left desolate during the Cold War era when the Berlin Wall bisected its former location. Since German reunification, Potsdamer Platz has been the site of major redevelopment projects.

The photo on the right shows the roof of the Sony Centre. This houses a cinema which I visit for it shows films in original language. The area attracts a lot of tourists and you only have to walk around the area to hear many languages. At the end of the tour, we went to a local fish restaurant. Guess what we ate? A very nice start to the weekend. 

October 2019 Things

On Monday morning I bought some nice flowers and took them to my district graveyard. A short walk through the nearby garden houses and I arrived at one of the graveyard entrances. A few more steps and I arrived at Birgit's family grave. I have posted about her before.

I placed the flowers at the head of the grave as I wished her a happy 67th Birthday on behalf of myself and her family. As I looked at the gravestone and flowers I thought about the time we had spent together, her trips, humour and smile. Many things to reflect on.

I also gave special wishes from her sister Heike. I was deputising for her. Heike loves to cruise around the world. She was recently on a cruise to St. Petersburg. As she left the ship she stumbled and broke her left arm. She was treated in hospital then put onto a plane to Berlin.

 She then went into a hospital in the city of Brandenburg, where she lives, contacted me and asked if I would stand in for her. I was happy to do that, but it would have been better if she had been with me. Get well soon, Heike!

Who has a birthday in October 2019?
My nephew Andrew in Yorkshire will be 42 on the 5th,  another nephew called Warren will be 43 on the 12th and also celebrate in Yorkshire! Bro2 will be 17 on the 13th and I am sure I shall be invited to his party here in Berlin. My lovely sister Frances will be 73 on the 14th and celebrate in Yorkshire with son Warren and others. Back in Berlin, Falk will celebrate another birthday with his family on the 15th - his age is a secret! My  neighbour Marita will be 69 on the 21st and I am looking forward to a glass of sekt with her to celebrate the event. Dianne Bolton celebrates her 73rd with family in Yorkshire on the 27th. The little sister of The Boyz will be 11 on the 28th, and I am sure she will want to eat a large ice-cream to celebrate the event. Tanya in London ends the birthday month with her 55th on the 31st of October.
Happy Birthday to each and all no matter where you live:-)

Wet Weekend

It's raining again! Yesterday I set off twice to enjoy the blue sky and sun. Each time I had to return as the sky opened and we had very heavy rain storms. I know the land needs lots of rain after two hot summers but I would still like to enjoy a weekend without rain!

Since my last post, I have had a number of meetings with Johanna, lunch on Thursday with Colin and a meeting with friend R. to sip a couple of G&T's and talk about a time to take my iMac pieces for re-cycling. We did that on Saturday morning so we shall meet next week to destroy the drive. Should be an interesting meeting and discovering what is inside the drive.

On Friday I went to my usual Kerstin 'Keep Fit for Oldies' session then got a message from Stefan saying the Photoshop meeting was cancelled. He said I was the only one to register for the session. Since the beginning of the year we have only met 9 times! That means 1 meeting a month and 3 meetings cancelled. I am thinking about finding another group.

Today is Berlin Marathon day. I have just checked Der Tagesspiegel webpage. The say it is. "colourful, wet and dramatic". They reported that 52,000 are running including 5,000 skaters and about 1 million people are lining the streets to cheer on the runners. All this with 14°C and rain. Running through rain seems not to bother those taking part. I am impressed.

Cooler

It is cooler since last weekend. I now go out wearing a warm autumn-winter jacket and I have noticed the many people on public transport have stopped wearing shorts! The trees are turning brown and shedding their leaves. What a pity for I am a summer person and do not like the grey, cold days.

I met Barbara on Monday morning for a German lesson. We analysed a text I had brought with me to discuss the words I did not know. Barbara was critical of the writer and his use of  language. In the dictation section she said I was getting better. At last, something to smile about!

The rest of the week has no special events except meeting Colin tomorrow evening for a meal and a beer. He has a really full programme before he takes the flight back to Australia. I am also meeting a friend tomorrow to move the iMac pieces to an electrical recycling centre. After that, I shall make sure he enjoys at least one glass of beer as thanks for his help.

Friday starts with Kerstin and the Keep-Fit-Oldies and then I join Stafan and the Photoshop-Gang for a session. We do not have many now so each meeting is special. The weekend I have free so perhaps I shall take public transport and see the trees turning brown in the country around Berlin. I end with a photo of Bro2 for I really like it and I hope it will make you smile as you journey through the week.

Special Day

Yesterday was a special day. It started with going to an annual district SPD meeting. It started at 9.00 am with light refreshments and members greeting each other. The members had to discuss propositions for the state SPD programme submitted by the 5 sections making up the district party.

There was then a vote to accept each proposition - or not. Not easy to follow for they were spread over 78 pages! At least we could have a break for lunch, which was provided, before we went back to work. The sun shone in a clear blue sky as we continued our deliberations.

I returned home in time to change and pick up some presents for my next appointment. I jumped onto a tram and 30 minutes later got out at a stop near to the River Spree in Köpenick. A short walk and I arrived at the Schwimmclub Ostend. I joined other guests to celebrate the 25th wedding anniversary of Petra and Uli. Other members of my 'Müggelseegang' were there, as you can see in this photo. Uli and Petra are in the middle of the photo.

They and their daughters are members of the club and so could use the facility for a party. It started with a glass of sparkling wine when I arrived, which was later topped up. Lots of talking, jokes and laughter. What a wonderful atmosphere! There was a range of cakes and snacks with coffee before the grill was turned on.

Grilling sausages is very much part of German culture no matter which part of the country you are in. Falk is from one of the German states called Thuringia. It is famous for its 'thuringer bratwurst'. Falk was recently there and brought some back for the party. Here you can see them being grilled. They really are delicious. They are eaten with mustard and in a bread roll. Here you can see Falk about to bite into one.

Lots of games were played as the sun went down and it got cooler. And so the party guests slowly said their goodbyes and headed home. Like me, all with happy memories of a very special day.

iMac-Hits

Time to catch up on updates. The weather is changing into autumn cool, leaves are going brown and dropping to the ground but this weekend has blue skies and sun in the afternoon. Monday was as usual and started with a German lesson. I am still having problems with dictation = the link between hearing and writing. More of that with Barbara tomorrow.

The main event on Tuesday was a meeting of the SPD Oldies. Over coffee and cakes we listened to a report by the Berlin government senator for security. He is also our local MP and always nice to see him. After his speech, I distributed copies of photos taken on our last cruise on the local river and canals. The Oldies were both surprised and happy to be given such a copy.

From there I took the S-Bahn into town to attend a meeting of Berlin Labour Party. There was a guest speaker talking about rent rises and plans to limit them by the state government. This was followed by a general discussion about the Labour Party annual meeting taking place this weekend in Brighton. Wednesday and Thursday were quiet days. Then Friday brought a change.

I went to Kerstin's Training for Oldies in the morning, as usual, then did some shopping for food for my later visitors. I had got a call from Bro1 asking if he could use my computer and printer on Friday afternoon. I said yes and he rang the bell on time. Bro2 was also there and it was great to see them again and looking so well.

Bro1 opened my laptop and started work. It was to write an application for a 4 week training course. This is supported by his school and is not the first time. Bro2 asked for English books. He selected two to take away and use in addition to the lessons he has at school. I went into my bedroom and started to dismantle my iMac. No surprise for it was over 12 years old and many programmes had stopped working and the operating system no longer got updates.

Goodbye to my iMac. I was interested to find out how the computer parts worked behind the screen. As I started to dismantle it The Boyz came into the room and started to take over the work. They clearly enjoyed seeing what was behind the screen and the challenge of dismantling it - as you can see in this photo.

After that, they said they were hungry. No surprise there! Pizzas into the oven followed by chocolate pudding and they were happy. I was happy that they had helped me and I told them not to wait so long to visit again. Having said that, they told me they were now in a new sports group at school and had more homework and so had less time. I can understand that.

MacHammer

Since my last post I have had a week with all the usual meetings and appointments. Busy Monday to Wednesday and a lazy day for me on Thursday. I got an e-mail from Daniel asking if we could meet. I told him to come to my place on Friday after 3.00 pm. He did just that.

He looked very fit and healthy. He had just got back from a long holiday in Moldova with family and friends and a special lady! He filled me in with all the things that had happened since out last meeting. In return I told him about my summer including trying to activate my MacBook laptop. I opened it to show him some of the problems of getting it to function.

Daniel then asked why I needed it when I had other computers and machines to learn how to use. I didn't have a clear answer but his question got me thinking. We talked about the MacBook, then I decided it was time to say goodbye. It was 11 years old last May, which makes it an 'Old Age Pensioner' (OAP) Laptop!

I brought in some tools and we set to work. I was curious to find out what was under the white plastic casing. I had to remove a lot of very small screws to begin to separate the pieces. Daniel then took over including breaking open the screen. We then destroyed all the memory sections. Here you can see Daniel having fun finding out what is inside an old MacBook.

Health: My right arm expanded a lot during the week but I got some tablets to swallow each morning and cream to rub on my skin. The arm is now its normal size and skin stopped burning. It is just a question of time before the red skin disappears.

Lunch

Imre arrived today on his new, smart, 3rd bicycle. This is the one I could happily steal and I make jokes about that. Imre always says there is no way I would be able to steal it. He only brought 2 of his 6 Smartphones with him and only 2 of his 4 cameras! We always make jokes about his collections.

We had talked about a small bicycle tour but due to the cooler weather and my right arm we went to one of my local restaurants. Imre was surprised to see my right arm. It is now about one and a half times thicker than my left arm. The skin is red and burns. He said he would take me to a local hospital but I declined his offer. If it is not better by tomorrow, I told him, then I would go to my doctors.

With that, we went to the restaurant of his choice. It is all of 5 minutes walk away and called 'The Bömisches Restaurant. It offers a range of Czech, Slovak and German meals. I always go for the former. Imre ordered a large green salad followed by a plate of fried potatoes = no meat. He said it was because he had eaten a lot of meat that week.

I ordered a traditional Slovak meal which includes lots of small pieces of meat cooked with mushrooms. I also ordered a glass of beer from the Czech Republic - tastes great! The food arrived and we tucked in. After a short time I realized I could not eat all on my plate. I told Imre and he said he would finish it off. He did just that, which included more than half of the meat!

As he smacked his lips to finish off my plate, he received a plate of fried potatoes. It did not take long for him to finish these. Then he sighed as he sat back and relaxed. Lots of talk before we paid the bill and returned to my place. We said our goodbyes as I told him he could leave his bicycle with me. He just laughed then got onto his bike and headed home. At least he had enjoyed a good lunch!

Garden Party

Last Friday I had a party in my garden. I wrote the word 'my' for most of my neighbours don't use the garden. They sit in their balcony shade and look at anyone who uses the table and benches under a very large tree. The weather was dry and not so hot so my Kowalke Gang arrived.

Kaffee und Kuchen time starts from 3 pm here and so they arrived at 3.15. We carried all the plates and cutlery we needed down into the cellar then into the garden and started to decorate the table. One of the gang had baked a large fruit cake which had pride of place in the middle of the table.

We started with a glass of sekt/sparkling wine to toast Gerald who is unfortunately in a home for ill people. Here is a photo which also includes Colin who is visiting from Australia. I made lots of coffee and the cake was cut. Just then I felt something bite the inner part of my upper right arm. I squashed it with my arm then noticed the burning pain.

I told the others about this and then my arm started to swell and I began to feel very strange. I lay on my bed and felt a little better before joining the rest. My body started to shake so I returned to my bed. Later I was able to join the group and enjoy the rest of the afternoon with them. I wonder what bit me --- and why me?

The Family

I had a lazy Saturday and a busy Sunday. The latter included meeting The Family for the first time in months. Papa had called me a few times to suggest a meeting. I agreed to meet them outside SB Köpenick station on Sunday at 2.00 pm. Bro1 called to say they would be late. No surprise there!

When they arrived they encircled me to give me a big collective hug with lots of smiles. They all looked well and I noted that Bro2 is now the tallest in the family. We set off to find an ice cream cafe. No luck - all were closed, so we went into a local bakery-cafe. There they relaxed over strawberry cake with cream, coffee, tea, orange and apple juice.

There was a lot of talking as we caught up on news. The children talked about school, exams and homework. I noted their German had improved considerably. The best is still Little Sister. She clearly has a language talent. The boys also told me about the sports clubs they had joined and this had opened up speaking chances with boys of their age. Main topic is football!

Eventually it was time to say our goodbyes. Another nice collective hug before they jumped into a tram to take them home. I walked to the SB to take the train to Rahnsdorf to join in a birthday celebration. A very nice day to start another week.

September 2019 Things

Today is the 80th anniversary of the invasion of Poland by the German military which started World War II. Britain declared war on Germany on the 3rd September 1939. The German president and entourage are in Poland to lay wreaths and join in memorial services. I grew up with the sons and daughters of Polish soldiers who settled in the UK after 1945. I only have good memories of my time with them.

My Kowalke Gang was happy to welcome Colin last Friday to a nice supper. Thanks Martina for taking the trouble and hosting the event. Colin flew in from Sydney on Wednesday but needed some time to adjust. He looked just the same as last summer when he visited. He has a full programme of visiting family and friends. He is Johanna's cousin so they plan a number of visits together. I shall be travelling with them later as they visit nearby towns.

The weather is still hot. Yesterday I had 33°C on my balcony again and it is nearly that now. I shall take the S-Bahn early afternoon to meet The Family. It is months since we all met. I shall treat them to ice cream for I know they like it. After that I am taking the tram to Rahnsdorf. This is a small town to the east of Lake Muggelsee. Angelika is celebrating her birthday there at the family house. I'm looking forward to that for many guests are musicians and always start playing instruments.

Who has a birthday in September? 
Lynne in Castleford starts us off by celebrating her 72nd with Alan today. I wonder if she gave the sermon at her church this morning. If so, perhaps the theme was Birthdays! In London, Charlotte will be 28 on the 6th. This is a day she shares with Nevand in Berlin who will be 15, and also with Arancha in Den Haag who will be 35 and sure to celebrate with Jan and Emma. Back in Berlin, Andrea will be

34 on the 8th and celebrate with Marco. On the 11th, Gabi will celebrate her 53rd birthday with Holger at their house south of Bremen. David K. will be 19 on the 12th. He is head of the local Jusos - this is the organisation for young members of the SPD. He has also asked me to help him to pass the Cambridge Proficiency Examination. He wants to study in the UK. Nephew Stephen G. in Cambridge hits 49 on the 22nd. Robert Gast is the son of Birgit and he will celebrate his 41st in Berlin with his family. Sylvana with celebrate her 59th with Mathias on the 25th. Back to Cambridge again for on the 27th, Lew G will have his birthday - number is unknown - with my sister Pauline. On the 29th my nephew Jefferson will be 46 and celebrate with his family in Hook in the south east of England.
Happy Birthday everyone no matter where you are:-)

Remembering

Yesterday was the 15th anniversary of Birgit's unexpected death. She shares a grave in Lichtenberg with her father. I met her just after I arrived in Berlin and started looking for work.

She was then Head of the Language Department in a large private school in Pankow, which is a district in the north of Berlin.

We  became friends immediately and when she moved to a school on the Kudamn. I moved with her to teach there. Later she found a very nice flat in a family house in my district and so we met more often.

She was always an interesting person to be with. She enjoyed being with people, travelling and meeting people from new cultures and languages.

She died with no warning of ill health or problems. She said she felt tired and went back to bed after breakfast. She had a heart attack and died immediately. A shock to all her family and friends.

 I took flowers to her grave on behalf of all, particularly family who do not live in Berlin. As I put the flowers on her grave I wondered what we would have done if she had not died too early. We miss you Birgit!

New Bike

Imre arrived yesterday on his new bicycle. I told you his bike had been stolen from outside his home a couple of months ago. Now the insurance has paid and the company which makes locks has sent him a new one and with an apology. Not bad!

I really like his new bike. It is the new No.3 but then he has 3 of everything be it smartphone, camera or bike. The bike is made by a local family firm and Imre told me all about them as we set off. We took the S-Bahn to Strausberg Stadt to the east of Berlin. The bicycle sections were completely full as others decided to enjoy the weather with a day out.

We cycled east along the road and routes we know well. Imre wanted to have lunch at a family restaurant located alone and amid lots of trees. We got there to find a lot of Oldies finishing lunch. The car park was full - no cycling for them! We found a table under a large tree at the front of the restaurant.

I ordered one of the 'meals of the day' but could not eat all the meat so I settled for the veg and potatoes. Imre took care of my meat :-) He consumed a large salad which he said went well with my meat. Here is a photo of him after lunch sitting under the tree. We then returned to the town and found a seat in a green area full of families with children.

It was nice to see them playing together and splashing in the lake. We ended the tour with Kaffee und Kuchen in my favourite cafe near to the ferry. I have mentioned it before. The owner was there and so switched into English, which he says he has little chance to do and I should visit more often! Then to the station, the S-Bahn and ride home. A nice relaxing day.

A Walk

I met most of my Kowalke Gang on Saturday morning. We took the S-Bahn to the station Zoologischer Garten. It is next to a very large zoo, hence the name. Here is a photo of the station.

We walked around the corner until we arrived at a cafe and met the rest of the group. There were 10 plus the guide. Our target was to learn about the area - then and now.

Most of the area was destroyed by bombs towards the end of the war. The tower of a church is all that remains of such old buildings. It is called the Gedächtniskirche = memory or commemoration church. 
The guide had a large folder of photographs showing buildings as they were. We could then contrast with the buildings that had replaced them.

He also told us about famous shops/stores that operated there and well known people who lived in the area. Our walk ended in the one room remaining of the church. It is at the base of the tower and now full of articles for sale to tourists.

Last of

Local people are saying that the hot weather we are now enjoying is the 'last of the summer'. Temperatures into the mid-30s, blue skies with no clouds and forecast for it to continue into next week. Kerstin's Oldies talked about it a lot this morning as we stretched and rolled around. Of course, they moved into the past to remember when they had young families, went to the Ost See for holidays and enjoyed the sun. Memories! This weekend is a Bank Holiday in Brexitland and the sun is also shining there.

Tomorrow I am joining my Kowalke Gang for a conducted tour around the Gedächtniskirche. This is in the centre of Berlin. It was heavily bombed and the tower was saved. Later, some rooms were cleared to make a memorial and many visitors go there each year. I have never been so accepted the offer to go there with my Gang. After that we are heading to Martina's to celebrate her birthday.

On Sunday I shall be on a bicycle tour to the east of Berlin with Imre. We have to agree when and where and what but I expect it to be an interesting day with a very interesting person! He will be on his new bicycle. I posted about his bike being stolen a couple of months ago. Tomorrow I shall see the new one. If I have fish for lunch in a restaurant I must make sure I cover my food with one hand to stop him diving in with his fork - particularly if the fish is tasty. Have a nice weekend! The photo is of the valley at Silsden.

Reading

I have always enjoyed reading. Here I mean paper and print in my hands, usually called a book! Thinking back to my childhood I have little memory of books at home except for painting-drawing books. My father was a talented amateur drawer and painter. My source was the school library. I also had a good English teacher called Mrs Waugh who encouraged all of us to read, read and read!

Here you can see what I have just read, am reading and will read. This morning I finished the book by Bernhard Schlink called Der Vorleser = The Reader. It was first published in 1995 and soon became a best seller and controversial because of its story line. It won many prizes including some for the use of German. It did not end as I expected.

I've started to read The Tribe by Ben Cobley who is a journalist and former Labour Party activist. It was a present from Ian in Australia. I find his use of English and writing style sometimes difficult to follow and understand. I think a university degree in Sociology would help you to understand his style! The sub-title is, 'The Liberal-Left and the system of Diversity'.

The other book I have started to read is A. C. Grayling, 'The God Argument:The Case against Religion and for Humanism'. Here you have a master of the English language and academic ability to present his case in a simple logical way. Read it. It will make you think.

The final book is ' Nein! Ich will keinen seniorenteller!' = No. I don't want a senior plate/dish! It is translated from the English and is light reading for when I am sitting in the U-S Bahn on the way somewhere. Happy reading to remind you that you don't have to spend half your life staring into a smartphone - a book does a better job:-)

Gel

You know that I returned to Berlin from Brexitland a week ago. You also know I have been having medical-hospital investigations into my skin problems. This included a complete body test to see if I had skin cancer. I got some gel from the hospital called MitroGalen Gel.

I left it in Berlin when I flew to Brexitland. There I noticed that my skin problems were slowly disappearing - healing. This has happened before when I have been to other countries for holidays - visits. My skin problems started again when I returned. At the moment my forehead, nose, cheeks are covered in out-breaks including little yellow spots. Ah... puberty again - but they are not like teenage spots. They are tiny hard yellow growths on the skin.

It seems that the problem has something to do with being in Berlin. Not sure if it is the water or the air. I shall tell the Docs about this on my next visit to the hospital - but that is not until the first week in January next year :-(( Meanwhile, I'll see if the gel helps. You cannot buy it from a chemist. It is only available on prescription.

Rugby

Exactly a week ago I went to a rugby match. Before that there was a family gathering at Alan and Lynne's home. Nice to see them again including much bigger grandchildren. We went to a pub for liquid refreshment before walking to the rugby ground in Castleford.

We had booked seats earlier so all we had to do was find our seats. Nearly 6 thousand fans turned up to cheer on their respective teams. The game was between Castleford Tigers and London Broncos. I liked the atmosphere and watching a group of young ladies dancing on the pitch before the game started. They reappeared each time goals were scored. See the photo.

The London team went into the lead early, then a period of activity but no goals.Suddenly the Tigers found their pace and started to score goals. They ended the game with 27 to 8 against the London team. I enjoyed the play and comments made by fans around me - and all in Castleford Yorkshire accent!  A day to remember.

Museum

I stayed with Alan and Lynne in 'Casland' for a number of days. Always a pleasure to be with them and relax in their nice house. We did a number of excursions. One was to Bradford Industrial Museum. Alan had seen a report about its exhibitions and that entry was free of charge!

We drove over to Eccleshill, which is part of Bradford, to see what was on show in the museum. The museum is in a large building called Moorside Mills. It was built in 1875 by a certain John Moore as a worsted spinning mill. Worsted means high quality wool yarn.

The mill expanded in 1919 with the addition of a clock tower and two floors were added. The property changed hands a few times until bought by Bradford Council  to create an industrial museum. As such, it opened in 1974. 

It has permanent displays of textile machinery, steam power, engineering, printing machinery and motor vehicles. There is a large display of cars made by the Jowett company. This was founded by two brothers of the same name and produced in a factory in Bradford. My parents bought a Jowett Javelin car in the early 1950s and were very pleased with it!

There is a weaving section in the museum and when I entered I immediately thought of my mother. She worked in weaving mills in Silsden after leaving school at 14. The Jowett brothers were sent to work at the age of 8 and the museum makes many references to child labour and conditions for women working in the mills.

A really impressive museum and I can recommend you finding the time to visit the next time you are in Bradford. You can treat yourself to fish 'n chips after the visit!

Canal

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal runs through Silsden. The history of the canal is part of the history of the Industrial Revolution and the rise of textile production in the mills built in Silsden.  Construction of the canal began in 1770 in Leeds and was completed in 1816 in Liverpool. It was extended in 1822.  It is 127 miles long = 204 klm, has 91 locks and crosses the Pennine Hills.

It cost 259,777 Pounds Sterling which in 2014 was calculated at 32.67 million Pounds Sterling. It was built in three phases. The first included the section from Bingley to Skipton which included Silsden. The main cargo was coal and textiles from the weaving mills such as those in Silsden which dominated economic life.

In the 1970s and 80s, textile production stopped in the area as did coal production. The canal is now used mainly for holiday cruises on the canal boats. Economic life in Silsden has moved to the service sector. The town has become a place to live for commuters, reflected in the rise of house building.