Altweiberfastnacht

After having a decent nights sleep in four days I am up and about and feeling a lot better.

Yesterday morning I had appointment with my doctor mainly for some medication for my cough, which was slowly but surly tearing my lungs apart (well that’s the feeling I had)

He told me that what I had was a virus infection, which is circulating at the moment. I only hope that my wife is spared this virus infection.

Today is Altweiberfastnacht the start of the street carnival in Germany the climax being Monday, which is called Rosenmontag when the large carnival processions go on to the streets. Cologne, Düsseldorf, Mainz being the major cities were the carnival is celebrated the most.

My plan was, before I got hit with this virus to go into Düsseldorf with my camera to take some photos of the street carnival, now I shall have to wait and see how I am feeling on the day.

I had an appointment with my optician ten days ago to have my eyes tested (my glasses are four years old) and just as I thought my eyesight had deteriorated and I have to have new glasses. I decided to keep the old frame seeing that it was an expensive one and was still in good condition. This morning I took my glasses to have them altered I was told I could pick them up again around four this afternoon. I got a phone call around two telling me that while mounting the new glasses in the old frame the nose bridge had broken meaning a delay of at least 24 hours before I get my glasses back.

The weather has once again changed; it’s gone cold with high winds and the promise of snow.

Last night we had frost and the photo I have added is of a leaf left over from last year ,because of the warm weather that we have been having there is a new bud starting to develop and the old with the new plus the frost, well it just caught my eye

Take care out there were ever you are. Tschüss.

That's how things go

On Friday evening I started to have a tickle in the back of my throat, which is for me a sure sign of the beginning of a cold. Normally I don’t pick a cold up that easily but my neighbour has been battling with this bug for over a week now and the chances are 10 to 1 I’ve picked it up from him. Fever is one of the symptoms that go with this cold. I think the last time I had fever was when I had the flu and that must have been 18 years ago. The cough that I have developed from one day to the next is phenomenal. What annoyers me with a cold it saps all the strength out of you. On a closing note I have developed a sore throat, that’s all I needed.

With time on my hands, (because I’m propped up on the couch feeling absolutely awful) I looked through some old slides and I must admit some found memories came back to us (my wife was soothing me and looking at the slides as well) The one I have added this time was taken in a old ruined house, when taking it I nearly fell in to the cellar shaft because I had only a few seconds to get myself into position and was concentrating on which side I had to go. That’s it for today not feeling on top of the world.

Take care out there were ever you are. Tschüss.

The weather is like a YoYo

Well this week has been a better one, no staying up all night with our dog, although once in a while in the night and in the early morning (five o’clock) he woke us up with his coughing.

On Wednesday I had an appointment with the vet, took his temperature, listened with her stethoscope to his lungs and heart which took in all three to four minuets and I was back outside again, cost 16 Euros. I would like to know what her hourly income is?

Weather wise this week we have had everything except for snow. The temperature goes up and down like a YoYo. Last night it was raining, during the night it started to freeze causing havoc on the roads this morning.

I have been messing around with Google notebook this week and of course just like me got most of it wrong. I am glad to say my brother once again helped me to sort it out. All this Internet stuff is brand new for me and I’m learning by doing so to say step by step.

Seeing that the weather today was cold but sunny my wife and I ventured into our garden to do a bit of tiding up after the gale force winds that we had over the weekend.

To close with a sad note as far as my wife is concerned, Federer lost in three straight sets to Djokovic in the semi-finales of the Australian Open.

The first photo is how the weather should be at this time of year (taken winter 2004) the second photo is how the weather is right at this moment (taken today)

Take care out there were ever you are. Tschüss

Ignoramus

There is one thing that get my back up and that’s plain laziness coupled with ignorance. Our recycling system works perfectly if you comply by the rules, by placing the different types of waste in the correct containers that are at our disposal. Before the container for plastic, tin, laminated cartons extra is empted it’s checked to see if no other types of rubbish has been included such as glass, leftovers, electrical appliances extra. If this takes place the container will be empted at a later date and we have to pay the extra costs, which are around 60 €.

We have people living in our street that are to ignorant and just plain lazy to comply with the existing rules of recycling. My wife and I have on many occasions removed waste that has been placed in the wrong container and disposed of it correctly, thus saving our neighbours and our self money. Again this week was no exception. This seems to be a problem today in our society , self-centred ignoramus.

Take care out there were ever you are Tschüss.AC

Primroses inJanuary

Saturday, the weather is absolutely horrible, it’s drizzling and the temperature is around 12 degrees. I have all my life suffered with low blood pressure (a blessing really) but this kind of weather gives me a bad head, I feel like I’m floating, sometimes I have it that bad that I can’t drive and have to take medication. Yesterday afternoon we drove to the garden centre were a orchid show was being held. My wife has 4 orchid plants herself and is always keen to learn more about them. There are some beautiful orchids it’s just the price that knocks you back, you can pay anything up to 40 Euros for one plant.

While we were there naturally we had a good look round and ended up buying primroses and large headed daisy’s (they have a proper name of course but I don’t know it) the photo is taken after I had planted them. We thought the primroses would brighten the days up for us, anyway seeing that the weather is so mild.

This week we have started to wash the sun blinds (that we have on every window) this means taking them down, socking them in luke warm water in the bath tub and hanging them up again wet so the plights stay in. Just my luck as I was hanging the last one up a fitting broke (they are made out of hard plastic) so it was off on my bike to Hilden, which is about 5 kilometres from were we live to get some new fittings. I could have gone by car of course but on a Saturday parking in Hilden is somewhat tedious.

One thing has changed for the better; our dog Toby is not coughing as much since he has been taking the stronger antibiotics. I have to see the vet on Wednesday with him again.

It is sometimes surprising just how stupid one can be. A few months ago we decided that we needed a new bath room mat it wasn’t something that had to be bought straight away so we had time to look around compare prices and so on. Then here we go the pair of us completely stupid at the time and so it turned out that we went and bought an orange/red bathroom mat what doesn’t match with any thing else that we have in the bathroom. Why we bought it we both don’t know only thing we know it was expensive 160 Euros. Now every time we go into the bathroom we get a culture shock. It has to go!!

Take care out there were ever you are Tschüss

Diet

This time of the year one of the main topics is dieting. After the Christmas period people, mostly women are looking for a good diet to lose the extra pounds that they have put on over Chtistmas.

I thought this diet might be of interest.

About a year a go my wife decided to go on a diet after reading an article in a magazine. A week later in a cookery show on TV she saw the actual diet being prepared.

The diet is quite simple the hardest part about it is you have to stick it out to the end, no faltering. My wife stuck it out for three weeks and lost exactly 10 Kilos.

Here is the receipt for the soup.

Ingredients:

1 Large onion.

A small winter cabbage.

500 gr. Tomatoes.

1 Red Paprika

3 to 4 sticks of celery.

Garlic and chilli (individual taste)

Parsley and olive oil.

Chicken stock for flavouring

Remove the skins of the tomatoes and dice. Cut the cabbage into small strips, dice the paprika and celery, put the vegetable into large pan with about 2 litres of water. Fry the onions with a table soon of olive oil and then add to the vegetables, add Garlic and chilli to your own taste, add salt and pepper also chicken stock for flavouring. Cook for about 20 minuets. When served add fresh Parsley for decoration.

The diet goes as follows. Breakfast as normal, dinner cabbage soup, and evening meal cabbage soup.

All I can say “ you have to be a strong willed to see it through” but it works!

You may have plain yoghurt later on in the evening if you are hungry.

Take care out there were ever you are Tschüss

Zwingerhusten & Snowdrops

What a week! I was up again all last night with our dog, he started coughing at half past one in the afternoon and finely stopped at six the following morning. My wife took over at half past five and I got my head down for a couple of hours.

My wife and I decided that another visit to the vet was inevitable. From my visit to the vet on Saturday the diagnoses was (Zwingerhusten) translated, kennel cough but we wasn't all that sure and wanted more tests done to clear our doubts.

Our appointment was for quarter past four this afternoon. We got to see the vet at five past five. Blood sample, X-Ray, new medicine, cost 203 Euros. The good thing is though it is the so-called kennel cough and nothing more serious. The vet told us it would take up to six weeks before he is cured.

On our way to the vet we saw the first snowdrops of the year. They are a bit early this year, no wonder it’s far to warm for the time of year. Today was 9 degrees and they are for-casting for the weekend up to 13 degrees. Yesterday we had gale force winds which has brought the warmth from the south to us.

The photo is of the snowdrops that we saw.

Take care out there were ever you are Tschüss

A long night

On Sunday evening our dog Toby had a bad bout of coughing lasting around 10 minutes and my wife and I were getting a bit anxious that we might once again have to pay a visit to the vet. I decided to go for a walk with him in the cool evening air thinking that might stop the coughing, which I’m pleased to say did.

Around 1^am in the morning another attack, both my wife and me were wide-awake. Bathrobes on and onto the patio with him, luckily out side it was not below freezing, 10 minutes and the coughing had stopped, back to bed for us all.

Half past three the same procedure as last time only this time I let my wife stay in bed, no use both of us losing sleep. After the coughing had stopped, I decided to stay up with him and let my wife sleep on. Not the least to say I was shattered the next day.
The photo is of our garden bench were I sat with our dog in the night.

On Monday afternoon we visited our next-door neighbour in hospital. She is a young woman of 37 and has cancer of the lungs. It is her second operation, the first being in August 2006 and the second one was last week. The cancer had broken out again and this time the doctors could not help in any way being that the cancer as penetrated the main arteries. While we were visiting thoughts were on my mind of my older sister who died of cancer last year.

At the moment it's blowing a gale here.

Take care out there were ever you are Tschüss

Fresh bread rolls

Saturday morning that means fresh bread rolls for breakfast and today is no exception.

Usually weather permitting I go on the bike to buy the rolls, the bakery being only two kilometres from were we live.

Fresh rolls on a Saturday means the start of the weekend for us, a custom that we have practised ever since my first days in Germany.

The week was uneventful, the weather being not all that good, rain and windy with the temperature being far too high for the time of year, typical influence weather. My wife I had our prevention shots way back in October, we are at an age now were one can’t be careful enough.

Talking about the week being uneventful, I’ve just come back from the vet, Toby our dog has developed a dry cough over the last few days and has been coughing on and off all morning. My wife and I decided it was time for a visit to the vet.

He (the dog) has picked up some kind of virus that’s circulating at the moment, not serious though. The vet prescribed antibiotic and a powder to loosen the cough. Waiting time to see the vet (remember it’s Saturday) one and a half hours, actual time with the vet five minutes, cost 50 Euros.

So with the cost of Trimming and the vet our dog has cost us 100 Euros this week. I told my wife for what the dog costs us I could run a BMW and still have money over for the petrol.

While I was at the vets my wife baked a cake, so it’s relaxing this afternoon watching winter sport on TV with coffee and cake.

Seen some good photos of flowers and plants in some Blogs, thought I would show some photos of flowers that I have taken.

The poppy was taken in the Black Forest. The Enzian in the Austrian Alps

Take care out there were ever you are Tschüss.

Trimming

Yesterday afternoon my wife and I drove to a town called Grevenbroich, it’s about 37 KM from were we live (on the other side of the Rhine). We drove there to have our dog a Norfolk terrier trimmed. Now when one talks of trimming you would naturally think you need electric clippers to do the job.

That is incorrect in the case of most terriers. The expert call it trimming but in the practise it means plucking the hair out by hand. This is done with the thumb and the forefinger and with the help of rubber thimble this improves the grip. Now the Norfolk terrier is a small dog when full grown 25 centimetres in height and about five and a half kilos in weight. So my estimate of the time for the trimming of our dog was a good hour, I was totally wrong; it took two and half-hours. The amount of hair that was plucked out was immense; I just couldn’t get over it.

The lady that trimmed our dog certainly was an expert she knew straight away that some one else had tried to trim the dog and had no idea what they were doing. She was of course right I had to admit that I had tried to trim our dog but found it to hard. It was certainly an interesting afternoon and we both learnt a lot about Norfolk terriers. The photos are before and after the trimming.

Take care out there were ever you are Tschüss.

My first run in the New Year

This morning I was out at nine for my first run in the New Year. A round course of 13 Kilometres that takes me through a local nature beauty spot that has a large lake were people can sail and surf also swimming is allowed in summer. (the photo is of the lake in winter) I knew the run would be a hard one after the Christmas period and I was right. I kept asking myself, why am I doing this, it’s plain torture for mind and body, but when you’re finished and had a shower you feel great. All the agony has been worth while. In my working days when I had a work problem to solve I found the answers when I was running. They say it’s the extra intake of oxygen, boosts the brain, if that’s true I wouldn’t know! Only know it helped me at times.

Take care out there were ever you are Tschüss.

Scanner and slides

My next-door neighbour lent me his slide scanner just after Christmas, this guy seems to have everything in the line of camera equipment ect. He is also clued up on computers and has helped me out in many pedicures situation. Well to cut the story short we got round to talking about Digital and analog cameras, (I’ve still got my old Canon A1 analog camera) I told him that I have quiet a lot of slides and I would like one day to put the best ones on to a DVD but one needs a good scanner to make a good job of it. Bingo!

The process is very slow, takes about one to two minutes for each slide but the results are good
3600 pixel / inch. The photo is of me in the Swiss mountains 1991. The Grasshopper was taken on our holidays in Austria 1989. I am hoping to make an interesting slide show with some old slides and some new digital photos on a DVD for my family in New Zealand. What with all of my other activities the project probable will take me around six months to complete.

Take care out there were ever you are Tschüss

Just a thought; The time to repair the roof is when the Sun is shining.

Animals are like small children

Animals are like small children some times you have to get up in the middle of the night with them. This happed to me last night when our Norfolk terrier Toby just wouldn’t settle down. Now that’s usual because normally he is very good during the night but last night I had to get up at three in the morning with him. He made it quite clear that he wanted to go out. After 15 minutes of sniffing and all the rest of the program that he normally does when we go for a walk. When we got back he settled down nicely for the rest of the night and with in a few minutes he was fast asleep (I could tell because he was snoring). Me, well I was wide-awake and it took me some time to go back to sleep. The photo of Toby was taken just before Christmas, he likes sitting on the windowsill-watching people passing by.

This morning at the breakfast table we decided that we had enough of Christmas decorations (six weeks) so after breakfast I started putting them away. When I got round to putting the crib away I asked my wife “how long have we had the crib” her answer was 33 years.

My first thought was, hell time does fly. I remember making the crib; in fact years later I made one for our daughter exactly like this one (see photo)

I received a mail today again from my brother with some more good tips for my blog. I find it very satisfying that we are sharing something in common. Unfortunately because I’m 11 years older then he is and due to the fact that I left home when he was only seven and he lives in New Zealand and I live in Germany we have never had the chance to get to know each other properly. I think that’s a crying shame.

My brother mentioned my grammar in his mail and of course he is right, my only explanation is that after living in Germany for over 40 years and speaking, reading and writing German to
98 % I tend to put my sentences back to front at times. This is a fact and remains one.

This afternoon my wife and I went and did our weekly shopping, I expected the shops to be more busy after the holidays in fact they were empty needlessly to say our shopping was less stressful as it normally is. When we went to the Bank there were so many people there you would have thought they was giving money away free.

Take care were ever you are, Tschüss

Yesterday is dead and gone

Well we are into the new year 2008 last year is dead and gone. My wife and I saw the New Year in at home by us. We spent the evening talking (NO TV) till midnight then we put our coats on and went outside each with a glass of champagne to watch the fire works and to wish our neighbours a happy new year They let off so many fire works this year that you could hardly see the people because of the smoke, talk about a smoke screen. We went to bed around half past one (not bad for old. folks)

We were up this morning at half past seven and I was out with our dog around eight. The breakfast was a long one then we tided the flat up then sat down to watch the New Years concert, which takes place every year in Venice.

I received a mail from my brother today with information on how to paste an image into my blog. I am of course grateful for all the help I can get the only handicap I have I can learn better when one shows me then from a book (reading the help pages is a nightmare for me)

.Well this is my second blog and I hope to keep it going on a regular basis, I of course would like to change the blog page set up but I don’t know how, fiddled around a bit but got no were