Just a normal week

Sitting outside on an overcast day writing this post is a new experience for me and I must admit quiet a pleasant one.

Now if I had locked myself out of the house liked my brother did (No1broadstreet) then I would have had some thing exciting to write about especially if our dog was observing me instead of a cat. (Sorry brother)

No it was a normal week! On Monday I cycled to the near town of Hilden for my appointment with my optician. I have to go every three months to have my eyes tested for the Green star, up to now; thank goodness every thing is ok.

On Tuesday I was up at twenty past five and on my way to work (remember I work two days a month for my old company) I arrived at work for seven. The day was filled with three meetings, two of them concerning gluing of boxes, we are having difficulty with a certain product and the third was with the Die maker that produces the cutting Dies for our company, this is normal proceeding every six months we get together to discuss development and new techniques. Just before I was leaving to go home my boss called me in to his office to discuss his plans about the Die Cutter that is going to our company in Hungary. He wants the people that are going to work on the machine to come over for four weeks and be trained here instead of me going over and doing the training there. I must agree with him the idea is a good one; here we have all the fertilities that we need for optimal training, the day was a good one and I was home for around half past four.

Yesterday I mowed my new lawn for the second time, I must say I am very satisfied with it, of course it has to develop which will take a bit of time but that’s normal. I also mowed the neighbours lawn as well, they are on holiday in Salzburg Austria and come back at the end of the week so I thought I would do him a favour, he helps me with my computer when I am having problems.

My wife bought a rose stock at the beginning of the year and it is now in blossom, the name of the rose is Brother Cadfael a English one (see photo) with a fantastic fragrance, my wife can’t stop talking about it. We have had roses before but always seemed to have chosen the wrong ones.

This morning we had breakfast on the patio the temperature was 19 degrees at half past seven. Later on the sky darkened and in the distant we heard thunder. On the radio we heard that there had been a very heavy storm not all that far from us with hail that apparently were as large as tennis balls which apparently and for obvious reasons did a lot of damage, all we got was a bit of rain thank goodness.

My wife has just made me for my dinner one of my favourite dishes, bacon pancakes, instead of adding sugar to the pancake mixture you add salt, lay strips of bacon in the frying pan and pour the mixture over the bacon and fry delicious.

The photo of the rose and the lawn.

Take care out there were ever you are. Tschüss.

My wife's birthday.

There are quiet a few days gone by since I wrote my last post, it’s not the lack of interest that’s the problem it’s finding the time to sit down and write, (what an excuse)

It’s Saturday afternoon and I am sat out side with my new toy (note-book) and the weather is sunny with one or two clouds and that’s the way I like it. With my two fingers technique I am battering this post on to my hard drive so that I can make a copy, transfer it to my old computer were I have internet connection. At the moment I am with out Internet on my notebook but hoping to have it installed in the next two weeks, my neighbour is going to help me with the installation because I have no idea what so ever in such things.

This morning I talked to my brother over Skype for an hour and enjoyed every minute of it, like always he give me some very useful tips for setting up my notebook. I could do with him over here.

Yesterday was my wife’s birthday the day started with breakfast on the patio I biked to the bakery and bought fresh bread rolls. We sat at the breakfast table till gone ten talking and just enjoying the morning sun. We had a light lunch around one then I drove to the local xxxxxx and bought apple cake (a Germany specialty) with cream for afternoon coffee. We had planned to go into town for coffee but my wife decided she would like to stay at home, that was all right with me, it was her day and we did what she wanted to do. In the evening we did a BQ and sat out side with a good bottle of wine till quarter past nine then we went indoors and watched a favourite series of ours on TV that comes once a week on Fridays, we were in bed for eleven. The day was a pleasant and relaxing one for both of us.

At the beginning of the week we drove into Düsseldorf to do some shopping and to buy my wife her birthday present.

My wife had had mentioned a few weeks back that she would like some new earrings from me for her birthday, I said ok only on one conditions that she comes along with me when I buy them, this is done out of experience, how many times have I bought my wife something and it was not her taste. I remember a few years back I was on business in Hong Kong and I bought my wife a handbag (what I thought) was a top design one. On arriving home my wife could not believe that I had bought so an old fashioned handbag for her of course she was disappointed and so was I.

Seeing that Thursday was public holiday over here the week was a bit hectic and so it seems once again that the week has just flown by. I believe that the time goes faster the older one gets, it certainly seems that way to me.

Take care out there were ever you are. Tschüss.

My Brother.

I have given a lot of thought about how I would write this post. I have come to the decision that this is the right way to write it.

I must first say that I am not a very religious person and secondly I have problems in showing my feelings. I actually know why this is but won’t go into details about it.

What I am going to say begins in the year 1953 the actual date is March the 14^th that is the day my brother was born.

Not many people know this that when my mother told us that she was expecting a baby I wished from the start that it would be a boy. To strengthen this wish I prayed every night for a brother right up till the day he was born.

I remember the day very well it was a Saturday and on Saturday afternoons my sister and I always used to go to the local cinema (Saturday matinee) when we arrived home my brother had been born. I couldn’t believe that my prayers had been answered and that I had a brother at long last. (I was eleven years old at the time)

I am sorry to say that the contact to my brother was lost shortly after he was born. I was growing up fast and he was a child, the gap grew wider as I grow older. Just after my 18^th birthday I joined the army for six years widening the gap between us even more.

In these six years I only saw him when I was home on leave and then I didn’t have much time for him, in fact none at all.

During my posting in Germany I met my wife and after my posting to Swaziland (Africa) which lasted a year, my wife and I left England to come and live in Germany were I have lived ever since (forty two years).

During this time my brother naturally grew up, learnt a trade and then finely immigrated to New Zealand were he now lives.

My wife and I have visited New Zealand twice but sorry to say the relationship between my brother and myself never really materialised on those visits, sometimes I would not correspond with him for over a year (which is unforgivable). In this long period of time my brother had three children got divorced and remarried, made a career in the New Zealand police force and I had no part in his life and he also knew little about my life.

I can’t blame my brother that we were never close to each other, the fault is totally mine. I only wish I could turn the clock back and make amends but I can’t the only thing I can do is to apologise.

In the last few months we have found each other (through the Internet Blog) and also through a common hobby (computers) although my brothers knowledge over rates mine a thousand times in computers there are still lots of things we can talk about and we seem to have common interests.

We talk to each other over Skype and I enjoy every moment, with each link I get the feeling we are getting closer together. We have (my wife and I) got to know my brothers wife, who unfortunately we have never met ( but hope some day we will)

I hope this relationship between my brother and myself will last and grow.

Take care out there were ever you are. Tschüss.

The New Notebook.

I am using my new notebook to write this blog, I must say I am very lucky that I have it. My wife went to the store were they were on sale to put a down payment on the notebook because I was working and I was going to pick it up after work. She got to the cash-out when suddenly all the lights went out in the store and the automatic blinds started to close. Every body was asked to leave the store immediately; only the customers who were actually at the cash-out could finish their shopping. Now this sudden situation brought about that my wife did not quiet understand what was happening and asked the guy at the cash register “if she could still buy the notebook” on this the guy said, “ wait a minute!” and went into the store room and came out with the LAST ONE that they had. My wife of course paid the full price and brought it home with her, needless to say I didn’t have to go and pick it up from work.

Why everybody had to leave the store and why the lights went out my wife did not find out, I should imagine there must have been a sudden power cut.

Yesterday I was up at half past five and out of the house by six so not to encounter the traffic jam on the Cologne ring motorway. I was at work for ten past seven (the company were I used to work) it was a interesting day for me also a very satisfactory one because some of the points that I had pointed out in our last meeting had actually been carried out or been taken care of.

The Automatic Die Cutter that is going to the second company in Hungary will be finished sooner then I thought, some were around the end of June, that means (up till now) I shall be going to Hungary sooner then I thought I would be. The last time I was there it was in winter and 20 degrees below, (bloody cold I can tell you that!) We couldn’t get the machine started at the time because there was no heating in the building; we had to use an old fashion Bunsen burner to warm up the oil so that the machine would start. So there is one good thing this time if I go I won’t be half frozen to death.
The weather over the last week has been tremendous temperatures around 27 degrees, far to warm for my wife and myself our temperature is around the 24 mark. They have forecasted
Thunder and heavy rains over the next few days, I hope not, that won’t do my lawn much good.

I must say this Vista takes a little bit of getting used to compared with XP I am not all that sure if I shall keep it? Some of my programmes don’t function with Vista and to update them or even buy new ones is for me far to expensive, we will just have to wait and see.

The photos I have put in this time are of a laser cutting hard board and the other one is a so called Slotter used in box making, the third is an old DDR car called Trabbi (two stroke) It came from Hungary.

Take care out there were ever you are. Tschüss.

What a week!!

It was just one of those weeks, packed full with things to do and appointments which I naturally had to attended.

First task was finishing the lawn; so dead on eight I was on my way to pick up the roller from the garden centre only to find out (through my own stupidity) that they open at nine. I could have waited the forty-five minuets in my car but just sitting there doing nothing didn’t appeal to me so home I drove and returned dead on nine to pick up the roller.

I started on the lawn around nine thirty and worked all day till gone six in the evening, what with raking and picking out the stones (there were a hell of a lot of them) my back was killing me around two in the afternoon but being an old soldier like I am I put the pain behind me and fought on to the end.

The Tuesday was taken up with helping my wife in the house (she hadn’t been feeling too good the day before) and tidying up outside in the garden. I must say I was glad for the break as most of my muscles, or I should say all of them, were aching like hell.

Wednesday, shopping in the morning and in the afternoon taking the dog to be trimmed. Now this is a procedure that takes up all of three and a half hours when you add the travelling time.

The actual trimming (which is plucking the hairs out by hand) takes in all just over two hours.

I was scheduled to go to my friend when I got home from taking the dog to be trimmed. He wanted to make a blog but found he was having problems, which he could not solve and had asked me if I could come and have a look. He gave me a call saying that his notebook had crashed on him and someone from his old company was coming to reinstall Windows for the second time in six months. (Strange?) He is going to call me when every thing is working and hopefully we will get his first Blog posted.

Thursday, well that’s my working day (only in the mornings) I clean three houses, which in all contain 23 flats I clean the stairways and the cellars and other adjacent rooms that belong to the project. After lunch I had an appointment with my optician to test the intraocular pressure in my right eye. She thinks that I may have the beginning of the green star. If this is discovered early enough then it can be brought to a stand still through eye drops. My next appointment is on the 26 of this month then I will know the result of the test.

Friday (today) this morning I was out working in the gardens that surround the houses that I clean (this is part of the job) mowing and getting every thing tidy for Whitsun I was finished around midday. What a week!

I must take the opportunity to congratulate both no1broadstreet and the blotter on their posts over the last week. I agree with my brother the Blotter has a way in which he writes and uses words that makes his post outstanding at the best of times. My brothers posts I enjoy reading because they are simply him and damm good

A note on the weather. We are having warm and sunny days with the temperatures up around 27 degrees lovely blue sky’s and is going to stay this way over Whitsun.( not to good for my lawn seeds though)

The photo is taken from a bridge the crosses the Rhine looking at the tower with the restaurant at the top.

Take care out there were ever you are. Tschüss.

The first of May.

Today is the 1^st of May, a public holiday (Tag der Arbeit ) a day when the trade unions have there public meetings on market places and such.

I am a bit behind with my posts at the moment it’s because I am so busy with other things (new lawn) and working at my old company that I just don’t seem to find time to sit down and write, I must admit at the present there is not much to write about.

I was working last Tuesday, left home this time at half past six hoping to arrive at work for half past seven, but just like the last time I got stuck in a traffic jam on the Cologne ring motorway were huge road works are taking place and they will last till late summer.

The day at work was a busy one with meetings and sorting out one or two problems that had cropped up over the last two weeks.

At the moment I must admit my first priority is my lawn, the weather is not helping me any with the rain showers that we are having. I have everything ready all I need to do is waltz the area so that I can sow the grass seeds. Because it is raining the soil is wet and sticks to the roller, which in turn makes the lawn uneven. So what I need are a couple of dry days so that I can finish the job.

My friend for whom I set the Blog up for last week sent me a mail this morning saying that he is having problems writing a post and has asked if I can pop by for a beer and sort things out for him.

My wife has found (through her Blog) a young German girl working in New Zealand who is writing a Blog about her experiences over there. This has encouraged my wife to carry on with her Blog now knowing that someone is reading her posts. I hope she finds someone else in the big wide world, when you know that someone is reading what you write makes writing a Blog more interesting.

It’s raining again, this shit weather is driving me crazy.

The photo is a wild cherry tree taken in a Düsseldorf. Park.

Take care out there were ever you are. Tschüss.