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.

Food

Yorkshire is famous for a number of foods. The two most famous are Pork Pies and Fish 'n Chips with 'mushy peas'. You won't find them in Germany!  Here you can see a photo of pork pies which have been sliced. My
favourite is from a shop in Skipton.

This is a market town to the west of Silsden. The shop is small and run by a family. They make pork pies which are very popular in the area. I like to buy them warm and fresh. I then take them to the church garden opposite. Sit down and sink my teeth into the pie. Mmmmmhhh....delicious! I wish the company could export the pies to Berlin!

On my last day I went to Ilkley with Barbara and sister Frances. We went into Betty's Tea Room on The Grove. It is now a ritual inherited from parents and grandparents. We had the traditional Yorkshire Cream Tea. You can see a photo here. Very nice and popular with locals and tourists.

Finally, a photo of a traditional breakfast,. Yes, it is bacon and eggs with a sausage and baked beans - which is not traditional!  Still popular and eaten a lot in Yorkshire.

Back

I'm back in Berlin. I flew in last Wednesday and arrived home at midnight. This time the flights were on time. This was the first time in 8 flights that KLM got it right! The flight to the UK was delayed as usual but then the connecting flights were also delayed. I used to like flying but no more!

Get a map out and look at the north of England. Find a county called Yorkshire and a city called Leeds. I flew into Leeds Airport and was picked up by my cousin Barbara. Then a short ride north until we reached a large and popular fish 'n chip restaurant. Guess what we ate?

Then we drove to Ilkley and over the hills to the next valley and the town of Silsden was waiting for me. I was born there. The town has expanded recently and there are plans for many more houses. I think the population is now about 7,000. It was much less when I lived there.

I took a few photos with my old mini-camera so here are a few views of where I stayed in Barbara's house and walked around the town. Other reports will be about food, the canal, a museum, and a rugby match. Come back tomorrow for more updates.

August 2019 Things

I got my wheelie-travel-bag out of the cellar this morning and shall place clothes in it tomorrow. I then went through files and papers and now have all the documents I need for the flight on Wednesday. I'm not sure about warm or summer clothes for there is a difference in weather between Berlin and Brexitland. Even so, the forecast is for cooler weather and rain here on Wednesday.

I wonder what awaits me in Brexitland and if I shall understand the mentality of the Brits better after my visit. Listening to Beeb 4 News. The story is about possible closure of a car factory near Liverpool. It is not the first. Many thousands of jobs are at risk. I am staying on the island for two weeks so please note : NO UPDATES TO MY BLOG FOR TWO WEEKS!

Who has a birthday in August? Shirley in Florida starts us off with her 80th on the 1st August. She shares the day with Christian Dix in Berlin who will be 25. Beatrix Dames in Berlin will be 45 on the 6th and Jerome Dix, also in Berlin, will be 24 on the 8th. Martina Müller from my Kowalke Gang will be 71 on the 19th, followed by French teacher Nicole who will be 74 on the 21st. Angelica will have a nice party at the house near Muggelsee to celebrate her 67th on the 25th of the month. I shall be there to enjoy the music. My sister Pauline will be 75 and celebrate with Lew and family in Cambridge on the 26th August. Dieter in Jüterbog will be 75 on the 27th and I shall be there. Bernhard Petro will be 59 on the 28th. He shares this day with my wonderful Jan who will be 36 on that day and celebrate with his better half and his beautiful little daughter. Happy Birthday to each and all no matter where you are!

Other Events: Peter and Andre celebrate their 11th wedding anniversary on the 9th. Andrea and Marco celebrate their 4th wedding anniversary on the 23rd. On the 27th I shall go to Birgit Gast's family grave to place flowers to mark her untimely death 15 years ago. How we miss you, Birgit.

Senftenberg

I went to Senftenberg yesterday with Johanna. A very nice day and it was the first time we had been there. Senftenberg is a town of 25,000 people on the southern border of Land Brandenburg. Land means State. To the south is Land Sachsen (Saxony) and the eastern border takes you to Poland.

The town is on the northern border of Lake Senftenberg which is one of many in  the area called the Lausitzer Seenland. German tribes moved into the area from 1200 AD. Before then it was settled by many Slavic speaking peoples and you will find examples of both languages being used including on public notices.

We took a train from Lichtenberg in the east of Berlin. It runs every hour. Nearly two hours later we got out in Senftenberg. The train stops at many small towns and villages en-route. It was soon full of families and lots of people with bicycles. We walked into the centre, found the market square and had a coffee. We then walked to the northern shore of the lake, found the Information Centre, hired two bikes and set off to explore the area. We decided to cycle around the lake and take in the sights.

We had lunch in the 'Familienpark' in the village of Grosskoschen. (See the Map) After relaxing there we cycled further and returned the bikes before slowly walking back to the station. Back to Berlin and the end of a very enjoyable day. If you visit Berlin for a few days, think about taking the train to Senftenberg and enjoying the lake and sights.

Hottest

I think the English word hot has been used a lot today in Brexitland. Perhaps the comparative and superlative = hotter, hottest - have also been used. The Beeb is full of reports that some parts of England have had the hottest day on record. Germany, France, Belgium and Netherlands are reporting the same thing.

It was also Boris's first day in the House of Commons as the new Prime Minister. I am sure your local news services will tell you all about that. Lot of talk about leaving the EU by the end of October even if there is no agreement. If that happens I wonder if we can change Brexitland to Borisland?

Mini-Trump

Wherever you live I am sure your radio-TV stations are telling you that Boris Johnson was elected the next leader of the Conservative Party today, and tomorrow will become Prime Minister. Goodbye Mrs May and I wonder if she will dance out of 10 Downing Street to a tune from Abba!

Oh dear, Oh dear - where are politics in the UK going? A week tomorrow I shall be flying to Brexitland so it will be interesting to experience things at first hand. Very hot weather forecast there for the rest of the week, about the same as here in Berlin. Keep cool. 

Klinikum

I have just returned from the 'Klinikum im Friedrichshain'. It is a hospital run by 'Vivantes' not far from Landsberg Allee S-Bahn station. That company operates many other hospitals and health centres in and around Berlin. I arrived on time and did not have to wait long until my name was called. My doctor is a specialist in Dermatologie. On my last visit she ruled out the cause of my skin problems to be caused by my allergies.

This time she wanted to check if I had skin cancer. I had to have a full body check. I did as directed and the results came quickly. No evidence of skin cancer! Was I pleased to hear that. We talked about possible causes and she said it looked like a skin disease called 'Rosacea'. It has 4 sub-types and the cause is unknown.

She said up to 10% of people are affected, usually between the ages of 30 to 50 and if so then it is usually linked to family history = you have inherited it. Signs are facial redness, dilated blood vessels on the facial skin, pustules and swelling. There is no known cause, as I said, but it can be triggered by anxiety, emotional stress, hot drinks, alcohol, spicy food and sun burn. She told me not to sunbathe or drink red wine for the rest of the summer. At least I can eat pork pies when I hit Brexitland! My next check-up is early January 2020.

Bridges

I have been told that Berlin has more bridges than Venice. This morning I went under a bridge which was the only one to survive World War II.  I went under many other bridges after joining my SPD Oldies at 10.00 am. We met at Märkisches Ufer 48, which is opposite the Chinese Embassy and a few minutes walk from SBahn Jannowitz Brücke.

There you will find an embarking and disembarking station for boats. It belongs to Reederei Riedel which must be the biggest tourist boat company in Berlin. You can find them in the internet offering details of their services in a number of languages. I went on such a tour last summer with the SPD Oldies and posted a report on my blog.

We had booked three tables but I was surprised to see many other Oldies from different groups about to enjoy the sights on a circular tour of the waterways. Of course food and drinks were available and it didn't take long to order coffee to start us on the tour. Later I went onto the upper deck to experience the cold wind and sights.

A photographer was also on board and took photos of everyone, developed and sold them. Here is a photo of me in a setting of many tourist parts of Berlin. The other picture is of the tour we took on the water. I got it from an information pamphlet available to all. The next time you come to Berlin think about going on such a tour. It is easy to book. Just go to one of many pick-up points on the route and buy a ticket. It's as easy as that!

Mop 'n Book

Last Friday I bought a new mop and bucket. This is just one of the many 'exciting' things about living in Berlin and the daily routine. This is what my blog is about. You do not need me to tell you that Mrs Merkel is having a problem with shaking, about the British team winning a cricket game, or about the latest gaffes from Pres. Trump or Boris Johnson. You get information about all that in your local - national news service. I don't think BBC4 News will tell the world that I bought a new mop and bucket and yet it is important in terms of keeping my place clean, and how I do it, and should make you smile. The latter is the most important :-)

Last Wednesday evening I went to my local SPD meeting, which I mentioned before. On Thursday and Friday I went to Stefan's courses for seniors to learn how to turn on a tablet or smartphone. I had a wonderful lazy weekend reading two books. One in German and one in English. My doorbell rang on Saturday and I was handed a package. It contained a book. It was from Ian in Ozland and contained the simple message, "Happy summer reading". A great way to relax and enjoy the lazy summer days. Thanks, Ian!

Tomorrow I am meeting the SPD Oldies to sit in a boat and enjoy the sights from the water. I did this tour with them last summer which I enjoyed. On Thursday morning I have to go to a local hospital at 11.00 am. This time it is a full body check and will take hours. The investigation is to see if I have skin cancer. On Friday morning I shall be training with Kerstin and her Keep Fit Oldies before meeting Stefan for a Photoshop Gang session.

At the end of my last post I said I had been to a travel agents. The news is that I shall be flying to Brexitland on 31st July for a two week stay. It will be limited to Yorkshire with family and friends. I am also looking forward to eating lots of pork pies from the shop in Skipton. I told you about this before. Mmmmmh......I wish I had some now!

Before and After

We are having changeable weather at the moment. As I write, the sun is shining and it is 28°C. The gardeners arrived recently and started the once a month clean up in the gardens. Of course, we tenants pay for this in our monthly rent. Here are photos of before and after cutting down all the weeds in the garden under our big tree. The weeds are taking over from the grass because it has been so dry. We really need many days of rain.

I've had a usual week starting with Barbara and German lesson on Monday. That was followed by taking my ancient MacBook to Thorsten. He is our specialist for all matters to do with computers each Monday afternoon. I decided to let him install another operating system called Linux. That took a long time then we discovered we did not have a WLAN connection. He is going to install the programme when he returns from holiday in two weeks.

On Tuesday I met Johanna and we went to a local government office to do some 'form filling'. I really wonder at the level of bureaucracy here sometimes! Even so, it was nice to see her and spend some time together. I later helped her daughter to translate a text from German to English - which I enjoyed doing.

On Wednesday evening I went to my local SPD Meeting. We had a guest and that was the ex-mayor and now head of three departments in the town hall. She talked about future plans for the district and the current position of the SPD. I found comments by local members to be very interesting.

This morning I met Stefan for a session on how to use a Tablet. The things I still have to learn! Tomorrow is a meeting with my Photoshop Gang for more work on our photos/images. I've just returned from a travel agency where I booked some flights. More of that in my next post :-)

Summer Party

Yesterday I went to a summer party east of Rüdersdorf. This is a village on the B1 road that takes you from the centre of Berlin to the Polish border. Yes, you need 4 wheels to get to the garden house. I met Werner and his wife near where I live. They gave me a lift. He is a member of Kerstin's Keep Fit for Oldies Group on a Friday. Other Oldies from her Wednesday morning group were also present.

The event was organised by Elka and her husband, who are members of Kerstin's Wednesday group. The have a garden house near to Rüdersdorf which they offered for our summer party. Unfortunately, the weather was cool but we all arrived with warm winter jackets. We settled onto the terrace and started the event with coffee and fruit cakes. Everyone had to contribute something and mine was 2 bottles of dry, white wine and 6 kinds of fresh fruit.

We later moved to the lawn with more glasses and lots of talking. Then it was time to play bowls. This is a part of each summer meeting and very enjoyable. Here you can see a photo of the Gang playing in a flat area next to the garden house. This time I helped to keep score.

We had an unexpected winner. A member of the Friday Gang who recently fell and damaged his right arm. It did not stop him from the best throws and being the winner!

More relaxing and chatting as some members started the two grills and prepared for the main meal of the event. Very traditional grilled sausage and cutlets served with lots of potato and fresh green salads. Pudding was all the fruit I had brought and it did not take long for that to disappear. A really nice relaxing day. I could enjoy such a day once a week!

July 2019 Things

It is cooler today. Only 28°C on my balcony. I shall be meeting Barbara for a German session this afternoon followed by Thorsten for a tablet-smartphone lesson. The rest of the week is much like others.

I collected some more Verbal Rubbish and all from BBC Radio 4 news reports/interviews. Try these:
thanks for that explainer / to ramp up otherness / an elephant trap with little upside / we now to level up / talking about the unicorns being sold. All of these came from 'native speakers'!

Who has a birthday in July? Laura Bolton in Yorkshire will celebrate her 22nd today with family and friends. Tomorrow I am going to Jutta's 71st party = lots of nice things to eat and drink! My nephew's wife Krystle in Ilkley celebrates her 34th on the 8th. Gerald in Berlin hits 78 on the 17th and shares this day with Jutta to celebrate their 18th wedding anniversary and so ends the month of birthdays. Happy Birthday to each and all!

Other things: My Acer laptop will be 8 years old this month - it runs on Windows 7 which will no longer be updated from the end of  the year. Need to find a new operating system. On the 3rd, Jan and Arancha will celebrate their 4th wedding anniversary.

Football Evening

It is still hot - but now dropped to 35°C. If you are wondering what to do this evening then turn on your TV. Look for the Under 21 Football Championship match this evening and you will find the German team is about to play Spain. I have a problem - I want both to win but not against each other! Have fun and enjoy something cool to drink as you watch the game. UPDATE: Spain won 2:1.

Hotter

Since my last post it became hotter. This morning it was 38°C on my balcony. I have spent all day in the

shade and mainly reading a book. The area is very quiet. I think people are hiding at home in the shade or have left for rivers-lakes to cool off in the water - or left for the coast for the weekend.

Last Thursday started with a meeting with the 'Tablet and Smartphone' Group. It is led by Stefan and he helped me to work with my tablet. It is now 9 years old. I inherited it just over a year ago when Herman died. Stefan said some things cannot be updated but I can still learn how to use it. I'll try.

I then went to a local restaurant. The one run by disabled people I told you about before. There I met Imre. We ordered the set 3 course lunch for €5. I gave him my salad and the pudding. The main dish was enough. Imre munched away then said he was still hungry so ordered the 3 courses again! Even the waitress was rather surprised. Here is a photo of him in another restaurant - and munching away.

On Friday I went to Kerstin's Training for Seniors Gang, as each Friday. We are not meeting next week for we are having out annual garden party, which lasts all day. From training I went to Stefan's Photoshop course where we did more work on a photo using a new programme. After that, I went around the corner to a barber's shop and got a very short summer haircut. Ideal for this weather.

Yesterday, I met Johanna in my garden in the evening. We sat in the shadow of a tree, sipped cool white wine and had a good chat. This morning I had a long chat with Ian from Ozland and caught up on news. The rest of the day has been a lazy one trying to keep cool. At least the music fans in Glastonbury can enjoy the sun rather than rain, which usually marks the event.

Pana

I took Harald to a local restaurant where people with mental disabilities are trained to prepare them for regular work. I told Harald about it and he wanted to go there today. I found less people there, perhaps due to the heat, and it is now holiday time in Berlin so less people are running around.

We ordered the three course lunch offer and a glass of cool beer. A nice combination! Harald liked the place and the menu and said he would return to support the project. We then headed to his car and ended up at a shopping centre south of where I live.

We entered a large electrical store. I showed the assistant the note written by Thorsten on Monday on which he wrote the details of a CD-Player and DAB Radio to replace my aged equipment. He took us to the machine and I bought it.

If you are looking for a replacement for your system you will find all you need in the compact Panasonic SC-PM 254 EG. It costs €120,00. See the photo. Back at my place we set the thing up and discovered everything worked. I still need to read the instructions and experiment with it over the next few days. Thanks to Harald for the day, and using his car so that I didn't have to carry the box home. Now to enjoy my CD collection - especially the voice of Lorraine Hunt!

Hot

It's hot and today maybe the hottest day of the year so far. The forecasters think it will get into the high 30s and some think it may hit 40°C. I'm meeting Harald later then  going for lunch and a 'cooooool' beer :-)