Times

Can one be content?
Happy?
Pic: Weekend in Braunschweig, June 2003.
Please note the Mad Cow in the background we brought "home" from Perth as in GB Mad Cow desease was running wild. We kinda lost "mooooh-moooh-moooh" along the way....

When we had that weekend relationship ... weekends were great, holidays even better.
Every minute was important and the other one missed badly came Monday/first working day.

"If my appartment floods again I move to Braunschweig!", Ingo said and I crossed fingers and toes (knowing the important stuff was safe) and the water run into tub even.

The first years we were the happiest.
Well, if health wouldn´t have interrrupted that massively, that is.
You know what I mean.

Now?

Am I happy (happier)?

We´re available 24/7.
And other things are more important.

What is it?
Is something wrong with me?
With time?
Are we just too used to have it all and don´t appreciate any longer.

Can you relate?

Do You?

Do you take notes on- or offline mostly?
If on real paper what do you use, pencil, pen?
Could you hand that note over to somebody else and make sure he "get´s" it?

By golly, I do so much online my handwriting has become... bad.

And that even though I do still write my grocery lists offline!
OK, mostly I go without a plan, though ;-)

How about you?

I´m A Cheapy

After the Carbonara-desaster I tried a different receipe.

Well, kinda. The receipe needed loads of cheese and I took not as much, instead I added a chillie (sadly from hell) and a bit chicken breast.
The receipe also said after adding salt there´ll be loads of water - this time not at all, lucky thing I didn´t use all that cheese that was supposed to make a creamy sauce (not a fan of sauce anyways)!

As I had cheese and parsley at home this really was a very cheap meal :-)
And a receipe to repeat, too.

I Can Stand The Rain

As you know I cannot only stand the rain, I love it!
It was just raining lightly so I skipped a brolly and tested if Gurri can handle the job - it was awesome!
The hood is huge and hence you can hear the rain - awww, sweet memories.

The last years in my parent´s house I had a room with a roof-window and I just loved listening to the rain, I miss this so much!

If I gave you an earworm... get rid of it by listening :-)



After all....

Also on days like these, even if the sight is but pretty...

Time (Waits For Nobody)

(Sorry, if I gave you an earworm... again)
Pic taken yesterday on the way to the bakery.
With accidentially macro still on - I like the effect and I blame that "lucky-accident" on the stolen hour due to the switch to summer-time. Boy, with age this really isn´t fun anymore. Getting up at "04:10" is tough!

Time so shows, btw!

You hardly can read our street´s name on this stone now!

Buuut!
That near-dead avo that I didn´t give up on... ta-daaaa:

It´s funny. This avo grows more leaves - the other still has only three and only grows higher.
Avo isn´t avo, it seems.
And time can heal wounds sometimes, too.

And, sadly, after watching the national news I have to add something.
It even still fits in "the theme".
"Time"...
Jewish people - or, rather: pupils, a second grader amongst! - are attacked in Germany again, verbally "only", threatened with death even. An 8-9 year old Jewish girl.
WHAT?! Hit##r is back?!

No, "so-called" refugees did the "job" :-(
"So called" as in... if I really had to seek refuge... I´d be thankful. I´d integrate.
Why she/they are attacked? Because... they do not believe in Allah.
I know... that/those kid(s) just blabber out what their sick parents say at home, yet...
How can this be happening?!

Believe in a spiritual leader or not. Germany is a Christian country - and a free one, believe or don´t - RESPECT!

"All" refugees in the news are male and "17 years old".
I´m sick of it all.

Times... are a changing?
Will history repeat itself, kinda, just differently?
Another woman attacked by a refugee and in coma . Here, they do not use fire as in the US, they use knives.
Do I feel safe?
Yes. But for how much longer...

Do news like these leave Ger"money"?

Get On Your Feet

Usually when on my way to HEH I take the route through the park.
Last week I had to be there early and who knows if in that cold I´m as fast as in warmer weather hence I took the tram and saw this mural.

The way back I walked by the road to snap these shots of the mural by order of BS | ENERGY - no hint to the actual artist to be found, again.

It was a tad difficult to take the pics as I had not only 6 lanes for cars but also the trams between my position and the mural...

This one came out blurry, hence...

And, yes, we get our energy from them, too.
Not the cheapest but support local, right.

(Dangerously) Creative

Saw this sign the other day.

"Steg-Haus
Braunschweig
Prost und Mahlzeit"

In German the words "Steak" and "Steg" may sound the same, with Steg being a landing stage.
Creative, funny, right?

When in German you say "Prost Mahlzeit" you don´t expect anything good. It stands for skepticism or disappointment.

The words by themselves, though, have a different meaning.
Prost stands for "cheers" and Mahlzeit simply is a warm meal.

Hence their "Prost UND (and) Mahlzeit" suggests good drinks and a yummy meal.

But the association, no?
Na, denn, Prost Mahlzeit!
I´d go in with very high expectations!
Wordplay can go wrong at times...

We´re back to summer-time now - wish we could just stay in it for good!
Aaaand... Perth 2019 is booked!

You Guys Are Cool - Are You? (Yes)

Since Ingo´s first emergency trip to hosp Joondalup it became "tradition", kinda, that Aussie mail gets send to our dear friends H & B (who btw rushed us not only there but stayed till all was "OK", thanks big again! Also for the help the second time around!).

And "I got mail" - seesh, crazy to see my name with their address. One can dream, huh? One day... likely more a northern suburb, but maybe one day it´ll be for real.

Anyhows.
Fun fact I nearly "overread" and I bet you might think, "oh, you boring ole Germans!!!"...

In my company my bosses and I were/are casual as in the informal "du", not "Sie" and the first names.
With the first boss it took a couple of years, too!
Yet, when it comes to official documents it always says "Sehr geehrte Mrs NAME,..." and ends with "mit freundlichen Grüßen, FULL NAME".

"Sehr geehrte" meaning "Honoured" and "with friendly greetings" it ends.

And here we are, a real Mastercard and I´m addressed like this:

I know. If it comes to unpleasant things, things are unpleasant, no matter how you address each other.
So.. not so cool after all?
Nah. It IS cool.
It makes life easier.
Friendlier.
At least to someone who, like also the French, Italian, Spanish etc have the separation in language.

My Dad used to say, "it´s easy to say (unofficial) 'du' ass#### rather than (official) 'Sie' ass####", but I reckon that doesn´t count much longer, either.

Once a friend and colleague asked me to check an e-mail to an English speaking customer and I corrected it from "Good morning Mr. blabla" to "Dear bla" she even wouldn´t believe me...

Well. So. One of our first trips with Transperth will go down South. Thankfully I still have $25 on my Smartrider, so... no prob :-)

Languages...
Darn it. I´d so like to come over right now!

The World Can Be A Crazy Place, Too

Can someone please explain this to me? And guilty, too?!

Or maybe this:

For this I´ll have to return in summer, maybe I find hula hooping ladies and a fancy pool indeed?
Okok, maybe some hula hooping gentlemen as well. And whom else.

Maybe after the rush hour this might be a cozy place (in summer).
I´d be happy if spring would finally make an appearance!

The first pic... "Ken" in lifesize???

The World Can Be Unfair

You´ll find many a Lion over here.

This Henry sits there by himself, covered in moss, looking over to the beautiful Magniviertel.

Seems like no one wants to be with "ugly".

This fella, on the other hand, he has it all:

Alas, I feel with the moss one ;-)

Meteorologically, Sweetie

So, yesterday winter was over. Finally!
Spring! Yayyyy....
Meteorologically, that is.

This is reality.
I know. Problems, huh. But it is annoying!

The wind in the arvo did sure hurt, by golly, icy-cold.

Well. Can only get better, right?
At least even at 07:00 pm it´s not dark anymore - we´re on the way to spring for sure!

I (kinda accidentially after a professional cleaning in her place) run into my dentist yesterday and she said I was due "for inspection" indeed. Like... right now, she´s got some time. And - knowing I´m frightened to the bone tooth reassuringly called me "Süße", Sweetie.
Over ten years ago a woman in Wanneroo called me Sweetie, too (I wore a t-shirt with the Australian flag) and a former - also female - doctor called me "Kindchen" - dear child.
A - female - friend, 5 years younger than me - said this is unacceptable "!".

What do you think?
Those people mean it the friendly, reassuring way, so - to me - that´s ok. Even... well. Reassuring.
Those days will be over soon enough anyways, right?
Guess once 50 hits "Sweetie" is outta the question anyways ;-)

Sunny today, maybe spring is on the way? :-)

Times Are A Changing (Thankfully)

The other day - between the snow - when roaming the streets I passed this place and thought, really?!...

Yes, really:

Here is where the girls entered their part of school and right next door:

Now I wonder... did they take the breaks together? Reckon rather not.
It says nothing on their history-site.
Must´ve been odd times, back in 1885.

These days it´s still a school:

With girls and boys in one room but from which door? :-)

The (Not So) Lucky Pig

This is yet another mural by ENTE.

Kinda as an advertisement for butcher Harzer Wurstlädchen, a butcher, that sells also online.
Harz, btw meaning the Harz mountains. Why ever, Braunschweig is not situated near Harz.

They send their products not only throughout Germany, no, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Czech Republic, Hungary, United Kingdom, Cyprus can buy as well.
You can pay via PayPal.

Funny, who´d think that such a small business is that modern?!

Taking part again in Sami´s COLOURFULWORLD Monday Murals :-)