Snow snow snow and nothing but snow.

I’m not the type of guy that moans a lot about the weather! In fact I usually take it as it comes. Now one expects snow in winter but this year it getting a bit out of hand. We that live in the area of Düsseldorf usually get a bit of snow now and again and sometimes none at all.
This year we have had so much snow. It has snowed nearly every day for the last week causing havoc for the traffic and trains and no amount of delays and cancellations of flights.
For me it means getting up every morning early (around five) and clearing the footpaths and entrance’s to the three houses that I look after as janitor.
Last night for instance (after a heavy snow fall) there were 1300 traffic accidents alone in our county of North Rhine Westfalen causing deaths and badly injuring a lot of people.
All though we have had a lot of snow, in some ways we have been very lucky because compared to the north and north east of Germany we have had a small amount of the stuff.
I have got to the stage were I can’t see snow any more and long for spring.
This morning I watched the weather forecast on TV and they said “At the beginning of next week there is a large depression approaching bringing us once again a large amount of snow on Tuesday.
I haven’t been out with my camera for some time now, what with the kitchen and the bad weather (it’s grey in grey) I hope to get out for a few hours this week if there is a break in the weather.
My running is suffering because of the bad weather the risk is too great in slipping and falling breaking something.
Just on a closing note, I have heard it costs a city like Munich daily 600,000 Euro to keep the roads clear of snow.
Take care out there were ever you are. Tshüss

The photo I took when it first snowed.

Old for new.

Were does one start with the story, after such a fortnight of dammed hard work?
Well I started by taking out the old kitchen two weeks ago Saturday/Sunday and storing it in the cellar were it was to be picked up by the church that we had given it to. Who in their function pass it on to people in need?
On the Monday I started to strip the wallpaper (wood-chip) well that is a job I can tell ya!! Our first intentions were to keep the wall tiles (10x10) and add another row on top of them giving us the height that we needed between the floor cupboards and wall cupboards.
Unfortunately some of the tiles were lose and so we decided instead of adding new tiles to old ones we would retile the kitchen instead.
That meant we had to go out and buy new tiles, luckily we did not have to spend to much time looking because about a quarter of an hour after entering the store we found the ones we liked. They are 20x25 cm white/grey in colour with a light texture, they go very well with the new kitchen and we are now pleased that we decided to retile.So not only did I have to strip the walls I also had to take of all the old tiles and clean the walls from mortal. Once done I had then to lay some new electrical stripping for some new power points which caused so much dust and dirt that the whole flat was filthy after doing so which didn’t go down well with my wife.
It took me nearly two weeks to complete everything from putting in new stripping, tiling, wallpapering, laying new linoleum and painting the window frame.A week last Tuesday the new kitchen was delivered and in the next day and half was installed, the guy that installed the kitchen was a super craftsman that knew his job and we are more then pleased with the result.
Getting the flat cleaned and the putting every thing back in the kitchen took us three days and I can say we were both dead beat after doing so.
While I was doing the kitchen my wife had her kitchen spread around the flat, the coffee machine was in the bathroom, we had the garden table in the study to prepare meals on a small electric stove to cook on and also the microwave. Talk about improvising that’s not the word for it so my wife was chuffed to bits when every thing was back in its place.
After so much hard work we are both very pleased with the end result and that’s the main thing. (See photos)

We have been having extreme cold weather since the beginning of the year with a lot of snow (which we still have) this is for our area of Germany very uncommon.
Last night for instance the temperature dropped to eight below and during the day never rose above freezing.
The forecast for the next few days is more snow and strong winds.Brrrrr.

Take care out there were ever you are. Tshüss

The beginning of a new year..!!

The start of a New Year!! What will it hold for us? It’s good that we can’t see too far ahead but I hope for everyone it will be a good year.
Our New years Eve was spent at home, just the two of us. We spent most of the evening chatting and reminiscing and in between watched a bit of TV.
My wife had made some sandwiches and a soup that could be warmed up later on in the evening. Our alcohol consume was moderate on the evening, two bottles of beer and one and a half bottles sparkling wine.
Midnight we went out onto the patio and watched the fireworks, ourselves we had bought five LONG sparklers, burning time for each one five minuets.
We never buy fireworks! It’s against my principals. Letting off fireworks should be left to the experts and not to every idiot who (mostly) have no responsibility when letting them off, thus causing a lot of damage and hurting a lot of people in doing so.
After we had watched the fireworks (this year we did not go outside) we watched the celebrations in Berlin on the TV.
At a quarter to one we went to bed, not bad for the older generation?
I must say we are both glad that the holidays are over and we return to normality. We took down all the Christmas decoration and the tree of course on Saturday morning tided the flat up and now we are ready for 2010.
During the night it snowed heavily again and I was up at quarter to six clearing the foot paths. They have to be cleared for seven on a Sunday, during the week it’s six (that’s the law) afterwards I went with our dog for is morning walk through the woods, he just loves the snow; I must say most dogs do.
Take care out there were ever you are. Tshüss

The Photo is one I took of No 1 Wahnenmühle. That's were our street gets it's name from.