Biesdorf

Sep 29 2014

After discovering interesting bottles, I got on my bike to get some exercise. I took my camera and new lens and headed out for Lake Biesdorf. It is only 15 minutes ride from where I live and the temperature was 22°C.

On arrival I found the local council had installed some seats, tables, grill areas since my last visit. I noted a pair of feet enjoying the sun! I had to look closer. I discovered a young man wearing shorts asleep upside-down on a seat.

Other ‘dozers’ occupied all other seats and likewise soaked up the sun. There was even a gang of Oldies stripped down to beach wear, eating, sipping beer and chatting. A nice way to enjoy  the sun.

I slowly cycled around the lake with stops to take photographs. I experimented with my new lens and learnt more about what it can do, and not do so well. A useful lesson for me. When looking at photographs in my computer programme, I can now clearly see which lens I had used.

Hope my readers who live in Europe also had a sunny warm day and were able to get out and about.

Seek ye

‘Seek and ye shall find’ is a phrase all children of my generation learnt in the UK. I’m not sure where it comes from but it sounds like 16/17th century to me. Perhaps Mr. William S. wrote it in one of his plays. I found but I did not seek!

I decided to look for an orange ‘squeezy’ thing. You cut an orange in half and squeeze it onto this thing. It separates the juice from the flesh of the orange. I am sure you now know what I mean. I set out in search after breakfast.

I ended up looking in rarely visited cupboards in my kitchen. At the back I found these treasures. They smiled at me as I pulled them into daylight 🙂 I can remember buying the red bottle at the end of my stay in Beijing. It is full of rice wine and still untouched.

I can’t remember buying the bottle of Jura Turas-Mara single malt whisky. Perhaps in the duty free shop in Beijing when I flew back to Berlin ? The ‘blurb’ says it is ‘Rich and Intensive with black forest fruits and plums’. Now it sound like a strong red wine!

I also discovered a traditional silver mug for drinking beer. The words “To John from E107: Good Luck” are inscribed at the front. This was a present from the Wellingborough trade union branch in September 1979 when I left for university.

What a surprise to find it again. The ideal thing for Jan to drink his beer from on his next visit! Have a look at the back of your cupboards. You may be surprised at what you find!

St Petersburg – 3

Sep 28 2014

The weather has been really pleasant this weekend in Berlin. The next few days should also be good. I wonder what it was like in St Petersburg? I often think about my time there as I wander around Berlin and return to my routine.

Now I have some more images to take with me. I recently got in touch with St. Peter von Longlegs and asked him where the photos were he had taken with his ‘smart’ phone. I got them today, put them through my Photoshop programme and here are the results.

They were taken on the Thursday afternoon of our stay. We went to the north side of the River Neva and found the famous statue of Lenin. I had to adopt a pose – of course! I took one of Peter with the statue in front of some flowers.

We later wandered around the area and found a very nice cafe. Tasty cakes and coffee. You can see that I look happy outside the cafe.

Other photos are of the famous palaces in the centre and near the river. I must return so I can visit the Hermitage.

Bad Saarow

Sep 23 2014

The day started cold and grey. I woke as the new machines arrived on the building site opposite. The sun tried to shine. At last, a little blue sky and things got better. By the time Marita arrived to pick me up it looked like a classic late summer day.

We drove east of Berlin and finally arrived at Bad Saarow. It is a small town on the north side of Scharmützelsee (Lake Scharmützel). It lies in flatland between Berlin and the Polish border. It forms a chain of lakes and rivers that can take you north to the Baltic Sea, or east into the waterways of Poland.

Marita and I walked along one side of the lake. She wanted to practice her English again. I recently helped her with a presentation she had to give in Rome. She was very pleased at the reception to her speech and wanted me to check a small report she had to send in English.

I did that after lunch. That was enjoyed at Cafe Dorsch. Marita had been there before. She wanted me to be her guest as a way of saying thank you for my help. We sat on the terrace overlooking the lake. The sun smiled again as we ordered lunch.

I had what she recommended. A dish based on fish caught in the lake opposite the restaurant with a glass of a light dry wine from the south west of Germany. Mmmmmh….what a combination!  How was your day?

Close up

Sep 22 2014

I can now get close up from a distance. No, that doesn’t mean body to body contact! It means I can see you in close up from a distance. How is this possible I am sure you are asking yourself. Answer: With a new camera lens. On special offer at half price!

I have just bought a Sigma Telezoom – Objektiv (this means a lens) 70-300mm/4.0-5.6 DG Macro Canon. Made in Japan.

Thanks to Silke I now know what this technical jargon means. I think we’ll have to meet again so she can show me a few tricks about how to use the lens.

It can expand to over double the length of my standard lens. My basic lens covers 18 – 55mm. Compare this to the new one at 70-300mm, and you can see that I can get up closer from a greater distance. 

Perhaps I can photograph the pork pie shop in Skipton from Silsden on my next visit.  But then I would rather go there to buy some 🙂

MugParty – 2

Sep 21 2014

Hans-Dietrich led the grilling. It only took a moment to notice he was a ‘Meister’ at this. Even so the other ‘lads’ wandered to the grill to talk, join in and generally help in anyway they could. The ladies let them get on with it and waited to be served. And why not?

The grilled food duly arrived with different salads and side dishes. There was beer, wine, water, fruit juice to drink according to taste and need. I decided on a glass of dry red wine to accompany the food on my plate. The right choice.

Lots of interesting conversation as we finished off our plates and settled back in our chairs with full stomachs. Larissa then did something I liked. She asked us all to stand and think of Peter. He died last summer and I wrote about it on this blog. We toasted his memory and expressed gratitude that he had been a part of the ‘Mug-Gang’ for many years.

By then it was dark. The dishes were cleared and a range of drinks put onto the table as we moved away to sit around a camp fire. What an atmosphere. Lots more talk, filling of glasses and then the singing started. For me it is always the highpoint of such meetings.

Larissa and Hans-Dietrich had photocopied some texts/songs and they led the singing. They have very good voices and clearly like singing. Most were folk songs from the 1800’s. or earlier. They describe rural life and/or contrast with the early experience of industrialisation. .

I wished it would never end, but it did!  Late in the evening we had to say our goodbyes and head off back to Berlin. Our drivers safely dropped us home. I was too animated by the whole day and could not go to bed. We sipped a glass of wine and talked about the day.

This always does the trick of calming you down and getting you ready to sleep. Sometime after 1:00 in the morning we ‘hit the sack’ = went to bed!  I woke Marcel at 9:30 for it always takes time to get him to move. This time it only took 30 minutes to get him out of bed!

At least he is good humoured in a morning. After finally getting him into motion, we enjoyed a ‘solid’ breakfast, lots of conversation, and talk about study plans for the next few weeks before he left for his flat. He has two examinations before the start of the new semester so time for preparation is very important.

I relaxed with a cup of coffee, re-lived the events of yesterday and slowly came into the day. I hope you had an interesting and memorable weekend. Here are a few photos to illustrate the day.

MugParty – 1

I had a truly memorable day yesterday. It started with a call from Jan to meet him and Arancha at the restaurant of a local hotel. I knew they were in town for a wedding of a friend in the afternoon at Schloss Friedrichsfelde, which is not far from the hotel. 

They arrived late but we still had time to catch up on news and have a drink. And what news. I shall write another post about this later 🙂

 I galloped home to find Marcel sitting on the fence outside my door. Quick greetings and then inside for a quick sandwich. We were both peckish. The word comes from the action of a bird when it ‘pecks’ at something to eat.

Shortly after we were picked up and set off for the village of Schönow near Bernau. It is north-west of Berlin. The event was the late summer meeting of my ‘Muggelsee-Gang’. I think you know them by now. Our hosts were Larissa and Hans-Dietrich. We were the last to arrive.

Lots of warm greetings before we started the event with tea-coffee and a selection of homemade cakes. After that we had our first drink. My contribution was a litre bottle of Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey 🙂  What else?  Then we decided to go for a walk around the village to counter sitting around and eating.

Schönow is a typical Brandenburg village. Larissa said it was expanding quickly as homes were being built for couples with young families, or couples planning to have families. En route we met a giant mushroom growing from the stump of a tree.

That wasn’t the only interesting thing en route. We passed a house to be met by five little yapping dogs. They galloped around us then four of them ran to Marcel, stopped yapping and jumped up to be stroked. They ignored the rest of us! I know he grew up with a nice big dog and I wonder if these little dogs knew/felt something instinctively.

We returned to the house and the next stage of our late summer meeting. This was grilling followed by singing around a fire in the dark. Very nice.  

Marcels Umzug

Sep 19 2014

Yesterday was a very interesting day. It started as usual with my Oldie Breakfast before I left for a station on the SB Ring. I got there early and waited for Marcel who came on time. Greetings and then a short walk to the depot to pick up a small truck. It was time for Marcel’s move.

We did all the paperwork then got into my first Mercedes. No, it wasn’t a big, fat limousine but a sturdy small truck. Just the thing for Marcel’s move to his new flat. It had a diesel motor and was very slow to get from zero to second gear.

We headed for Marcel’s old flat and he guided me using an ‘App’ in his ‘chicy’ smart phone. I showed it in this blog last May when he bought it as a birthday present to himself. His ‘App’ worked very well and his instructions were timely and clear. I think he learnt a lot during preparation for his driving test.

We got to his place and started the long process of packing things into boxes etc. The main work was carrying them down the flights of steps to the van and then crawling up the steps again! No thanks. I realised I was getting a bit too old for that type of fun!

Anyway, we did it then drove to my place. There we took a large bag of his books from my cellar to the van plus his guitar. We also took the chance to have a small break. Into my diesel Mercedes again and off to to new flat. It was early ‘Rush-Hour’ so it took more time that I expected to get there. I also noted how many people drive while using mobile phones. Very dangerous and it is illegal here.

We got to his new flat in an area called Wedding. It is much closer to his university and his new flatmate is also studying the same subject there. I met him when we arrived. He was waiting to help us. His name is Andreas and he is a couple of years older than Marcel. We introduced each other and I liked him immediately.

Within a short time we had everything unpacked and in the new flat. Marcel has his own room and shares the bathroom, kitchen, dining room. An ideal flat and area for two young students. I look forward to visiting them and getting to know Andreas better.

They carried the things into the flat on the second floor. On one of the photos you can see it. It has a towel hanging on the balcony. Quickly back to the Mercedes and through the still slow moving ‘Rush-Hour’ traffic until we got back to the van hire company. There we did the final paperwork and returned the van. Quick walk to the S-B station and farewell. A good days work well done!!

We are meeting tomorrow afternoon. Then we shall go to Larissa’s palace on the outskirts of Bernau for an evening of grilling, eating, drinking. singing and playing a range of musical instruments. Yes, they are all members of my ‘Muggelsee Gang’ and it is our late summer meeting. Looking forward to it.

Phones

Sep 17 2014

How many phones do you have? Yesterday evening there was nothing of interest on TV until late so I decided to charge the batteries of all the things I have with a battery. I was surprised at the result!

Before then I opened all the computers. Yes, I have four but my excuse is that I had to have machines running three operating systems when I was teaching. I updated the security systems then ran a scan in each machine. Fortunately nothing was found. Having said that two E-mail accounts I had were ‘hacked’, so I closed them down.

Then it was time to empty the drawer with all the electrical ‘things’ inside. I was very surprised to discover I had five mobile phones. What!  In addition, I have three fixed line telephone numbers but only one is known to the general public.

I have three Samsung mobile phones, one Nokia and one htc. How did I end up with so many? One was bought for use in the UK, another for the USA and somehow I  picked up three for use in Germany. I generally only use one! Guess which one.

Senior Citizens

Last month I flew to England and spent some time with Alan and Lynne at their home = my second home:-) In the kitchen was hanging a tea towel (used to dry dishes) with a text explaining what a Senior Citizen is.

It made me laugh and then realise how quickly some words had taken on new meanings. Here is the text for you to read and I hope it makes you smile as well. I attach  photos of my ‘Oldie Gang’ taken yesterday when we visited Potsdam.

 

Drinks

Humans have created a very large range of drinks starting from those based on the simplest natural drink. Yes, water. When I arrived at university many years ago I was introduced to drinks I didn’t know. I do not come from a Gin ‘n Tonic background, or sipping a glass of wine with a meal. Many of my younger fellow students did.

As a child/teenager my main drinks were water and tea without sugar. I developed a taste for coffee only during my 20’s, and I mean made from coffee beans and not Nescafe! Two very nice ladies at uni introduced me to Gin ‘n Tonic on the first hot summer day and sitting under a tree on a lawn. The perfect place.

I introduced Marcel to the traditional British G ‘n T last Friday, as you can see from this photo. It was made from the classic ingredients of Gordon’s London Dry Gin, ice cubes, freshly sliced lemon and Schweppes Indian Tonic Water. Mmmmh!  He particularly liked the light tangy, citrus flavours.

As you know, he recently visited his family in Hungary. He also passed his Driving Licence Test. Congratulations Marcel 🙂 I knew you would do it! He brought a present from his parents. Yes, a bottle of homemade ‘Opa’s Medicine’ = Palinka made from apricots. . Thanks Opa! I shall open it on a special occasion.

On Sunday I went to Angelika’s late birthday party. She was playing in a concert at Kiel on her birthday so could not celebrate then. The sun shone as we toasted her with a glass of sekt. In English you say ‘sparkling wine’. It is very traditional in Germany to toast someone with a glass of sekt. Another interesting liquid  enjoyed on special occasions. Prost!

St Petersburg – 2

Sep 13 2014

One of the problems we had was to deal with the local bus services. The Metro was no problem. Another problem was to balance the needs and demands of being at events/workshops in the university with those of being a tourist.

We found a balance but it meant we did not have time to visit the Hermitage or other famous museums and galleries. We were told that you need a week just to see the pictures in the Hermitage. The cellars contain works requiring weeks to view assuming you could get in!

Our main tourist event was on Thursday afternoon. We left the university after lunch and landed at Metro Nevsky Prospect. A walk north and we arrived at Troitsky Bridge. Some nice shots of St Peter taken there.

Walk over the bridge and take a turn to the left to get onto the bridge that takes you into the Peter and Paul Fortress. It was built on a small island in the north of the river. It is the original part of the city. Left and right of this island you will find the main palaces and government building that make up the traditional centre of the city.

After leaving the fortress, we went to Lenina Square. Yes, the statue of Lenin is still there and brings lots of tourist there to pose. I did the same but I don’t have the photos. They are still in St- Peter’s camera/smart phone. I think he has forgotten about this! We ended up in a small cafe with a very wide range of cakes and types of coffee on offer.

Here are a few photos of St Peter on our adventures that afternoon. Nice images of a very interesting city with a famous centre and well worth seeing. Now rush to your nearest tourist shop and book a flight there!

St Petersburg -1

And lo it came to pass that St John von O returned to his abode after wandering in Hungary and drinking The Holy Palinka of Opa at Balaton. After changing of ye underclothes and packing ye new bagge, St John journeyed to ye airport again.

There he met St Peter von Longlegs. They flew into the wilderness in the direction of St Petersburg courtesy of Aeroflot. Good service, and nice fellow travellers made ye journey easier. They emerged into the light of St Petersburg and took ye speedy coach to ye centre and their hotel.

It was not a stable at an inn but a small hospice on Rinaldi Moskowsky near to the Metro station Tekhnologichesky Institut 1-2. All were located in the south-west of the central area of the city. So far so good!

The rooms offered all the usual things a hotel should and we also got an internet password. I had my smart phone so could read all my e-mails. St Peter had his phone plus a laptop so no problem about keeping in touch should that be necessary.

The first adventure was to get to the university. We were guests of St Petersburg State University. They were hosts of the 54th ERSA Congress. An international group of university professors  St Peter von LL was to give a paper/presentation on the at 2.00pm. I was an “Accompanying Person” = someone not giving a presentation!

We finally got to the university. It is housed in Smolny Convent. Despite its name it was never used for religious purposes. In imperial Russia it became the Smolny Institute of Education for Noble Maidens. What a name! What kind of education was on offer if you were not a Noble Maiden?

The complex has a cathedral designed by the Italian architect Rastrelli. I discovered this gentleman also created the Winter Palace, the Grand Palace in Petershof and many of the other palaces you can find on almost each corner in the centre. Clearly a busy architect.

The opening ceremony was held in the Tauride Palace on Potemkinskaya Str. It is said to be one of the biggest and well known palaces in the city. In 1783, Prince Grigory Potemkin of Tauride commissioned the architect Ivan Starov to design a new city residence. The result was considered the grandest nobleman’s residence in 18th century Russia and was used as a model for many other buildings across Russia.

In 1906, it was transformed into the seat of the first Russian parliament called the Imperial State Duma. After the Revolution of Feb. 1917 it housed the Provisional Government and then the Petrograd Soviet. From 1990, it has housed the inter-parliamentary assembly of member counties of the Commonwealth of Independent States. What a history! I wonder if Prince Grigory would have built it had he known its later uses?

On Wednesday  27 August, we went to the ‘Get-Together-Party’. It was after St Peter’s presentation. It was held in the restaurant Moskva which is part of the Moscow Hotel which you can find at 2 Alexander Nevsy Square. A very pleasant evening with lots to eat and drink!

The final event was the Gala Dinner on Friday 29 August at a venue owned by the university called Manege, at 13 Univerity emb. This is right in the middle of the historical part of the old city and built on the north bank of the River Neva. It was recently renovated. There were 900 delegates sitting for dinner in the venue served by lines of waiters from tables at the sides of the hall.

What an experience that was. The food and wines were excellent. So were our fellow guests. They were from Poland and Lithuania. A pleasure to spend a few hours with such intelligent and amusing people. To bed late in the morning for a few hours sleep before the call to get ready for the taxi and flight to Berlin.

Budapest – 2

Sep 11 2014

After filling up on coffee and cakes we wandered around the centre of Budapest before ending up at the Parliament.

 I posted photos of this wonderful piece of architecture after my visit last year. Okay, I’ll add one photo in case you have forgotten! Great isn’t it?

When wandering we came upon an interesting statue and two protests! The current government led by Viktor Orban is generally labelled as conservative and nationalist. It supported the installation of a statue of Admiral Miklos Horthy in a protestant church not far from the Parliament.

 He is generally known as an authoritarian figure and some call him a fascist. During his rule Hungary was the first European state to join the Axis powers in 1940. He was forced to resign in 1944, when Nazi soldiers marched into the capital.

 Erecting this statue is seen by protesters as provocative and an attempt to re-write recent Hungarian history.

Around the corner was a lively and louder protest. It was against a monument claimed to have been ordered by the government and erected in the night of 20 July 2014 = only a few weeks before my arrival! The memorial commemorates the Nazi occupation on 19 March 1944.

The protesters claim the Nazi soldiers were met with bouquets rather than bullets. I quote from the protesters document: “The central figure is Archangel Gabrial impersonating the innocent Hungary, dropping the country’s orb, while the German eagle is preparing to strike.”

It further argues that the monument attempts to show that the Hungarian State “bears no responsibility for the genocide following the German occupation, including the deportation of nearly half a million Hungarian citizens to Nazi extermination camps.”

When I got to the square behind the Parliament I saw another group of protesters sitting around under tents and sipping coffee. I asked them what the problem was and an elderly gentleman told me they were part of a citizen’s movement demanding three things. 1) Resignation of the Orban government.  2) Restoration of the constitution that ended in 2010. 3) New, fair and clean elections.

I told him that at least they could now all protest and so that was a step forward. He agreed before saying they wanted more. I thanked him for the information and wandered off toward Parliament.  Mr V. Orban was not there so I could not ask him for his version of events!

Budapest – 1

The high point of my stay in Hungary was with the family at Lake Balaton. I gave a brief report a few posts ago and added a few photos of the family, and one of me with Opa sipping his home made Palinka! I also spent a couple of days in the capital city of Hungary.

There I saw aspects I had not seen before. One was a cafe with an incredible ceiling. It was worthy of a palace in France. The coffee and cakes were also good! I went there with Sandor and Ilonka, who as most of you know are Marcel’s parents. He was busy with a driving lesson in Miscolc.

We went to the cafe after spending a couple of hours in the ‘House of Terror’ at Andrassy ut 60 which is now a museum. ‘This tree lined street connects the centre to Heroes’ Square and was full of lavish residences and stately apartment buildings’. I am quoting from the guide book.  It was named after Count Gyula Andrassy, who was a Hungarian statesman, and the ‘Neo-Renaissance building was designed by Adolf Feszty in 1880’.

It was home to both the Nazi and Communist secret services and served as the headquarters of their executioners. What a ghastly claim to fame!

 The cells in the cellar are a testament to how humans could inflict inhuman punishment on fellow humans. The guide says, “it has become a sculpture in the shape of a building, which is a monument to the victims.” I couldn’t have put it better!  It is worth a visit when you are next in Budapest.

Canal walk

Sep 10 2014

I told you earlier that I stayed longer in Silsden than I had for years. This allowed me to wander more during the second week. While discovering what remained of Bluebell Wood, I discovered a track marked for wanderers/walkers and returned to it.

It led to the canal which runs near the bottom of the valley. The canal was dug to transport raw materials to Leeds and finished goods to Liverpool. Now a few canal boats take tourists to places unknown. The days of industrial production are over but the canal remains.

I walked along one bank towards the bridge leading to the centre of Silsden. Here you can see some photos of the canal and sights along the valley.

Many people say it looks very nice, quiet, rural. Yes, but not the place for me at 16 when I was happy to pack my bag and escape!

Peering in

Last Monday afternoon I went to Köpenick for coffee and cakes with some Oldies. They wanted to hear about my stay in St Petersburg for they had been there “in the GDR time”. I think they wanted to see if it had changed since ‘former times’! I showed them the photos I had taken.

In return they relived their time there and then moved onto visits to Moscow. It got darker and suddenly supper appeared on the table to support more conversation. I arrived home at 9:00pm  to find a group of men peering into a hole near my front door.

On the door was a message from Berliner Water Company that there would be no water from 6.00pm that evening until………..and that was left blank. The reason was given as a break in a water (mains) pipe. I imagined going to bed without a wash and not cleaning my teeth and nothing to drink for breakfast tomorrow. I think you would have thought the same.

I peered at the men peering into the hole and tried to understand what they were saying. It was not easy over the noise of the generator for the light, and engine to power a small excavator. This was made more difficult because they talked in ‘Berlinisch’ of the kind used on building sites. Jan can understand but I really have to strain my ears and brain.

I decided the show was better than anything on TV, so remained peering at the peerers (I’ve just created a new word!)  After much digging and intensive peering, the man with the white T-Shirt pointed with his left hand towards the building site opposite and asked another peerer to check something there.

The second peerer did as requested and said the first one was right. They all stopped peering and started to smile. One even lit a cigarette! They went to the building site and started peering at a spot near the fence. What this all meant was that the problem was not at the bottom of the hole they had been peered into, but on the building site.

Apparently the big excavator had damaged a pipe that afternoon. Mr White-Shirt appeared to be The Boss for he gave all the orders. He told the others to fill in the hole and open the water pipe so we could all wash our faces before going to bed. He called someone to give news of their find and that was it.

At 11:00pm they had finished their work and drove away leaving a dark, silent street – but at least we had water! How daily life is enlivened by such small adventures 🙂

Adele

Sep 07 2014

During the second week of my time in the UK I decided to stay in the local area.  I contacted Adele who lives in Addinghan. What a surprise! We agreed a day/time to visit. She is the ex-partner of my nephew Andrew.

I have always liked meeting/talking to her and her parents. They live not far away in Ilkley.  I arrived as arranged and was warmly greeted by both Adele and daughters Olivia and Scarlett. The latter is Andrew’s daughter.

I also met Adele’s new gentleman friend. They have known each other for more than 20 years but only recently got together. He has a military background as has Adele. He was very polite, friendly and gave a good impression, including good humour!

Then the doorbell rang and Adele’s parents arrived. It was as if we had only met a week ago. They settled in and started to talk to all of us. It was a surprise how quickly the evening went. Scarlet was clearly tired and went to bed while the rest of us continued to talk and sip another glass of G ‘n T!

Thanks Adele for your Gastfreundlichkeit and hope to see you, daughters and parents in summer 2015.

Bluebell Wood

On my return to Silsden from CasVegas, I took time to relax and just walk around the place. I met David C. who was in my class at school and I had not seen for 55 years. Cousin Barbara organised the meeting by getting his address and telling him I was coming over.

I had a really pleasant time with him over a coffee in a local cafe. This meeting took me back to other things in my pre-teenage years. One was of Bluebell Wood. It is to the west of Silsden as you walk up the hill(s) towards Kildwick.

I decided to find Bluebell Wood. My grandmother always took me there on my birthday. She died when I was 16 and was not able to take me there when I was that age so the last visit must have been with her on my 15th.

I have little detailed memory of the day. I can only remember the general and not the specific. My birthday is in early May. In England this is the period linking Spring to early Summer. At that time flowers called Bluebells spring out of the ground under trees and instead of seeing green you see only blue.

I always went to my grandmother’s house for my birthday. In the afternoon she took me by the hand and we walked slowly to Bluebell Wood. She said my birth would always be linked to this flower symbolising the arrival of Spring and a new season of life.

Later we had a special tea at her house. I always remember fine bone china tea cups, saucers, plates, silver tongues, cakes on three tier display plates filled with cream and fruits. She told me never to accept any drink which did not come with/from an appropriate glass. It is interesting that all my life I have observed this rule no matter were I have been.

I set out to find Bluebell Wood with these memories in mind. I soon discovered that all the fields leading to the wood had been sold to build new houses. Even so I continued my search. Locals told me to go a farm house on the ‘top road’ and I would find signs. I did just that and found the way to Bluebell Wood.

I found it but only a small part survives. I remembered that there was a small ravine with a steep entry way to the bottom where there was a small stream. I found this. The rest of the wood was gone. I sat and watched the small gash in the earth and thought about a very special lady. You can see her on this blog when you look at the top of the left column.

 I enjoyed discovering Bluebell Wood and revisiting the long gone walks with her.

Wakefield

Wakefield is the administrative centre of West Yorkshire. I am not aware that it has any other claim to fame. In an attempt to reinvent itself in the post 90s, it presented itself as a centre of regional culture. This includes the relatively new Barbara Hepworth Centre of Art.

She was an artist famous for her large sculptures a few decades ago. The newish gallery also includes works of art by other artists. One is a German and most exhibits come from the 1960s or 70s. A very interesting experience, and one I can recommend.

Alan and Lynne took me there on Friday 8 August just after I arrived in Casland. Mixed weather greeted us as we drove to the town. I liked the gallery instantly. The people greeting us and offering guidance and information were very friendly.

The exhibitions were clearly laid out and well sign-posted about their origin and what their artists wanted to represent. Some of them seemed a little dated looking at them 40/50 years later and clearly had lost their original ‘shock’ quality.

I liked Hepworth’s work and it was the first time I had seen them live. I had seen many before in newspaper reports and articles but they were even better in the original.  On the way back we hit a real torrential storm.

We had to slow down to deal with the blocked drains and collection of water forming ponds on the road. Here is my piece of ‘Kunst’ showing a car overtaking us as we slowly drove through the flood. I wonder if anyone will put my photo in a gallery in 60 years time?

Casland

The town of Castleford is known to family and friends as Casland or Casvegas. It is the home of Alan and Lynne who are my oldest and dearest friends. Their three youngest children are Daniel, Peter and Paul. I sent Jan to them when he was ten to learn English and so he is an adopted son.

Alan and Lynne love children and they are also very active in their local Baptist Church and practice what is preached by doing lots of things in their community. This includes prison visits and helping teachers in a local school to teach small kids to read and write. If I could I would make them saints immediately!

And so I took a train to Casland on Friday 8 August. They met me at the station. It was as if we had met only yesterday rather than a year ago. I love entering their house. It is packed full of memories going back more years than I want to write here. It really is like going home.

I visited Lynne’s mother. She is in a home and has a hearing problem but even so her humour and comments are invaluable. Happy memories of seeing a remarkable elderly lady again and hope I can do so next year.

Later we drove north to Chester-le-Field. The aim was to visit Peter and Freda. Peter is part of the gang I met when I was 16 and left home for college in Leeds – the same as Alan. He recently had a heart operation and is recovering. We wanted to spend some time together. I know it has been said a million times before but such things are important when you are ‘getting older’.

They took us to a local restaurant and we had good food and interesting conversation. We later went to their house to enjoy more conversation over coffee and later enjoy a glass of two! A happy farewell and promise to continue to keep in touch followed as we got into the car and drove back to Casland.

I had a lazy Sunday with Alan and Lynne before they took me to the station for my train back to Silsden via Leeds. I cannot imagine flying to the UK without seeing them.

Keighley

I visited Keighley a number of times. On the first Monday I arrived in the town centre to see a full military and church ceremony around the statue in the town centre. Keighley is the poor relation in the three towns forming a triangle of places around Silsden. The other two are Skipton and Ilkley.

The latter are identified with middle class white British history/values. Keighley is an old industrial town based on weaving, metal and electrical industries. They were closed and I have no idea how the people of Keighley make a living. Perhaps pushing papers across a desk as so many others do.

In the dying days of its industrial history in the late 1950s/60s it attracted immigrant workers from Pakistan. Their children and grandchildren are clear to see in the town as are the mosques, clothes, shops, restaurants. I noted how many speak Urdu with a Keighley regional accent! And vice versa.

On the first Wednesday of my visit I went to meet Mrs M. Green from my bank. I have got to know here well over the years and she is one reason I stay with the bank. She is now approaching retirement and loves France. She speaks very good French and her German ist auch nicht schlecht!

I really like my annual meetings with her. We spent as much time in personal conversation as we do in official meetings. She and her husband are planning their retirement and have just bought a property in the middle of France. We talked about it a lot. I hope to be invited there one day!

She helped me sort out a few necessary things following the British Governments order to split the bank and launch both onto the Stock Exchange. I won’t bore you with the details but it was a necessary meeting and signing of documents. We said goodbye as I gave her a bottle of French red wine which she said she and her husband did not know.

Always a pleasure to introduce something good and unknown to a Francophile! After that I wandered around the centre taking in the atmosphere and landed in the centre where a ceremony was taking place to mark the start/end of WW 1.

Lots of elderly people, uniforms, medals, blowing of trumpets. How very English thought I! Even lots of old gentlemen in Pakistani dress joined in. Days of Empire revisited? Or/And how we re-brand a certain idea of being English? What do you think?

Fish ‘n Chips

Only eat fish ‘n chips when you are in West Yorkshire. The ability to produce the best has something to do with the Industrial Revolution in the area, Catholic Church promotion of fish on Friday and not meat, plus having a number of ports on the east and west coast to deliver fresh cod from the north Atlantic.

Being able to make crispy batter is also the difference between going bankrupt or having a profitable fish ‘n chip shop. They have the best batter in West Yorkshire with recipes passed from generation to generation.

Fran, Geoff and Warren took me to the most famous fish ‘n chip shop in Yorkshire. It was my thank you for their hospitality.

It was called Harry Ramsden’s but is now known as the Wetherby Whaler. Even so, the new company has returned to the old style of the 1930’s which made the Ramsden company famous — and rich!

The food was delicious. What a pity I have to wait a year for such a culinary delight. Some places offer fish ‘n chips in Berlin but my advice is keep well away from them. The name is the same but has little to do with the quality of what is on the plate.

Alan and Lynne later took me to the local branch of this company so I was able to sample another excellent plate of their best. A bonus for that meant I had two such meals to keep me going until my return in 2015.

Addingham

This is a small town nestling in the Wharfe valley and you will find it on your way to Ilkley. It is north of the Aire valley where you will find Silsden. They are separated by hills and an ‘official’ mountain called Nab End.

Why did I go there? I had heard a lot about the contribution of the people and council to the Tour de France. It was a huge success in the north and it came through Addingham and then through Silsden towards Keighley and eventually to the south.

My cousin Frank, who is a keen cyclist and lives in Keighley, was on the organising committee for the area. It was generally accepted that their work had been very successful and millions of people had turned out to cheer on the cyclists.

Addingham kept all the street decorations for tourist reasons. I went there on my second day in the area to see how the locals had decorated their town. I liked what they had done. I particularly liked how the locals had decorated public rest areas and left coloured bicycles in those areas and parts of the road.

As I queued for the bus back to Silsden, I noted I was surrounded by a group of ‘senior ladies’ with rucksacks and some with walking sticks. We got into conversation and talked about the town and its decorations. When the bus came they all showed the same Senior-Metro-Card that I had. I enjoyed their company until I reached my destination. A nice interlude.

The small town has an enduring quality for me. It is the place where my first love lived. We were both 15 and in love. At 16 I learned she had fallen in love with a man much older who she later married. Memories!   Here are a few images of how the small town celebrated its brief moment of fame when the Tour de France swept through.

Pork Pies

Now to report on my very interesting and unusual August. It started on Friday 1 August when I flew to Liverpool. A nice weekend as usual with Barry and Pam plus dogs! I also met a duck who had a liking for Gin ‘n Tonic! Barry drove me to Silsden on Sunday. Thanks to both.

I went into a small butcher’s shop and asked for 6 pork pies. The shop is owned by a lady and I was served by her nephew. He apologised for only having 4 but I could have 2 from the batch about to come out of the oven. How could you say no. It is now the place where I do pilgrimage to the art of making the perfect pork pie. 

I took them all across the road to the church yard and a seat overlooking the main street. I took out one from the bag and stared at it. It stared back! I took that to be an invitation to sink my teeth into it. That is just what I did. Mmmmmmhhh……..the taste…. and how the juice/gravy dribbled from my lips. You have to experience this for yourself. But only from this shop!

Settling in

Sep 06 2014

Yes, it’s now a week since I returned to Berlin. This time last week I was in Jüterbog celebrating a double 70th birthday. It was a happy time but I was very tired. I relaxed during the week while keeping appointments and getting back into life here.

I watched Germany play Argentina on Wednesday evening (football) and was disappointed at the result of 2:4. Went to my AWO breakfast for Oldies on Thursday, taught a lesson there and on Friday I met Kerstin and her Oldie Keep-Fit Group. They were happy to see me again and asked lots of questions about my holidays.

In the evening I went to a SPD supported Volksfest in the Orangerie der Kiezspinne in the west of the district where I live. I really enjoyed the event and took some photos. A very German evening with lots of friendly talk, grilled sausage etc, beer and wine to wash it all down, kids playing everywhere and a group.

Unfortunately very loud! We could hardly talk when they were playing – and it was not classical music! My friends moved away so we could at least hear each other speak. Even so a I pleasant event. I got a call from Oldie H and we agreed to meet Monday afternoon for coffee and cake so he can look at the photos I took during my adventures in August.

I also got a call from Angelika after she played in the Kiel Music Festival. We agreed to meet tomorrow at the Komische Oper where she is playing viola in a trio, then for a chat and catching up on news. She is planning a late birthday party next Sunday so I am sure we shall talk about that. Now you can see that I am settling back into life in Berlin.

Building start

Sep 01 2014

Building on the new flats/complex opposite my flat started after I woke up. Two men in overalls arrived and opened the gates to the site. Then they had a break, followed by a cigarette break, stood around for a bit, then had another break for coffee followed by staring into the overgrown site.

After enjoying a series of such breaks some other men came. They stood around and talked to each other. Some had documents and made notes. They stood near the cellars of a demolished building and carried on talking. They then left and the two men resumed the waiting game.

Finally a large truck with a long trailer arrived. So did a police car. They greeted each other and then  the ‘Bagger’/Excavator was unloaded. Another worker arrived in a van and joined his mates. One of the original team drove the truck away and the other two got to work on the site.

At that point I returned to the exciting tasks of getting into the day. Washing clothes, having a shower, cleaning the flat and writing a shopping list. I then took the tram to an Aldi store. I was interested in a wall mirror they advertised, but on arrival I found they had sold out. Instead I found a surprise.

The surprise was to see a large display of Christmas food, mainly biscuits and cakes. I wondered if I had landed on another planet after the flight from St. Petersburg. There are nearly 4 months before the Christians celebrate their big day. Now we have 4 months to ‘pig out’ on such sugar filled Christmas rubbish. Is it the same where you live?