Heavy Rain This Evening and Last Week's Storm Sky.

My flat on the second floor gives me a panoramic view of the countryside and I have a huge amount of sky to watch.  These photos show last week's approaching storm at sunset, when the sky became the most amazing mix of pinks, blue/greys and purples.  The bottom picture shows Zephyrus on the skyline, the windmill that seems to  produce more energy than the rest put together.

Germany has decided to decommision it's nuclear reactors by 2022.  Are they hoping that wind power will be enough to produce all country's needs?   I can't see that happening unless the landscape is filled with mills.  Will they be forced to import energy from power stations in France?

There's a big scare here over the virulent E-Coli strain that has killed several people in the Hamburg area.  I've decided to cook everything, tomatoes (not lettuce) and onions and will give cucumbers and gherkins a miss for a while.   Tomorrow I have to buy a month's travel card, the cheapest option for my journey into the city.  I am not used to paying for bus travel, we British oldies are very lucky.

A Very Hot Monday Morning and Afternoon in the Woods..

It is really hot here today about 26c I think.  I had to get going early, which doesn't really suit me, especially after being in the heat and singing all yesterday afternoon, (and eating too much cake.)  I needed to get to the English groups the other side of town by 10am, but made it by 10.30am, which is not too late.   I caught the bus back to the city, then changed to the tram and walked the final 1.5 miles through the woods back to Timmerlah and my cool flat.A short videoclip is attached.  

I had an email today to say that my article for "Bus Pass Britain" Brandt Travel Books has been accepted and will be published in the autumn.  I expect the cash in my account fairly soon and I will receive a free copy of the book as soon as it is published. 

Hofsinging in Adenbuettel.

Waiting to Sing.

We sang this afternoon in Adenbuettel, a small village about 12 miles outside Braunschweig.  Thank goodness it didn't rain, as it would have ruined the cakes.  Three choirs, plus a choir from the local first school sang a variety of English and German folk songs.  It was wonderful, I didn't want to come home and start thinking about tomorrow's English group.

The refreshments, cakes, tea, coffee, beer of course and soft drinks all went down a treat.  I had three huge pieces of cake, no beer as I needed to concentrate, and now I want to sleep. 

Waiting to be eaten.

The Male Voice Choir,

Singing to Myself/New Black Trousers/Choir Outfit.

This photo has nothing to do with today's activities, but I thought it a nice picture and is of an old steam train that stands outside the Hauptbahnhof, the main Railway station.  The cronically congested bicycle park shown on last Friday's Blog is nearby.

I had to sing to myself this morning for some practice, as last Thursday evening at choir practise I received three more pieces of music to sing that I have never seen before.   Two are in German and one in Platt Deutsch, which at first I thought was Dutch.  Thank goodness I can read music, otherwise I will have to mime!

Today I bought some black trousers to wear for the choir's concert on Sunday.  We will sing English and German folk songs with another choir in a Hof in Adenbuettel.  Coffee and cake is served at 14.00, and we sing from 15.00 onwards.  We ladies will be wearing scarlet blazers, white blouses and black trousers, and will look really smart.  I will take some photos if I can. 

It is little chilly here today and the Windpark is busy in the breeze.  We've had some rain recently,  so the crops growing in the fields outside my windows are now knee high.  The moles seem to have disappeared!

Today's the Day, Online Again with a New Gadget.

A Deutsch-English, French-German, Latin-German, touch of a button translator

I met Janet today in a lovely bookshop where we each had a hot chocolate in the cafe and then, with her help, I bought a new toy, oh, I do love my gadgets and this is a really useful addition to my collection.  (I won't say how much it cost!)  I watch the equivalent of our News 24 here, where news items in repeated sentences travel along the bottom of the screen.   For learning a language this is great stuff, a constant repetition of new words, and now when I don't know a meaning I can just type in it and "Bob's your uncle" there's the translation.  No more long-hand writing and then checking on my online dictionaries. 

I came home to the news that our splendid new Router is now working.  The  fault was in the exchange somewhere or other.

Catch Up, Thursday 26th May.

Splendid family Monument

I visited St Katharinen in the morning to find the font, as this was the church in which Augusta, Sophie, Helene was baptised on 25.5.1879 and a member of the family in which I have become involved.  (I should have visited on the 25.5 2009, I just missed an anniversary.)  The present font is modern, and I could find no reference to its original position.  Augusta's  Grandfather came from Timmerlah, where at the moment, the trail goes cold.  A lovely church with huge monuments and it managed to suvived the wartime bombing with minor damage.

I later visited the City of BS museum to meet a friend who does voluntary work there.  She showed me around the latest display of scenes from life just after the war, showing the same shortages and problems that we had in Britain.  I must return as there is so much of interest to read and it's all in German so I need time to think!    Telekom failed to appear yet again.

Nave of St. Katharinen.

Catch up, Wednesday 25th May.

Karin und Duno the doggy.

My two friends, minus Duno the dog came for an all English tea party, well almost all English, we did resort to some German, the dictionary and sometimes "hands up, what are we talking about."  We drank some beer, ate some strawberries and biscuits and had an enjoyable time.

The Telekom Techniker was supposed to turn up to check the faulty DSL line but failed to appear, we were not happy!

Monika, my BS email partner in the Elm Forest near Koennigslutter.

Catch up, Monday 23rd May and Tuesday 24th May.

Crop in field opposite, what is it?

On Monday I visited the two English Groups.  A wedding anniversary was celebrated in the first group, and with the aid of alcohol, we all spoke our respective languages with a certain fluency!

Tuesday: washing, housework, shopping, walking, sunbathing, read the papers and did a sudoku.  Not a lot happened but I enjoyed it.  Oh,  I bought extras for my English tea party on Wednesday afternoon, strawberries, chocky bicks and nutty cakes.

The new Router arrived, but when plugged in it failed to function.  It was then realised that the fault lay elsewhere else!  Perhaps the moles have nibbled the cable as well as the crops.

Catch up, Sunday May 22nd Vivaldi in the Dom.

In the morning I walked to the edge of the wood and my favourite seat for some sunbathing and an attempt at a super hard sudoku, I soon gave in and came home for lunch, a nutty roll with super smelly cheese.

In the afternoon I visited the Dom and arrived early to hear a full rehearsal of Vivaldi's "Gloria" (I sang along and know the soprano line off by heart)  Charpentier's "Te Deum" and Mendelssohn's "Hymne" famous for its, "Oh for the wings of a Dove" soprano solo.  Lovely music, lovely space, lovely everything.  The evening concert was free, and given by the Cathedral junior choir, it was brilliant and they all seemed so young and happy.  The short video shows the rehearsal in the late afternoon. 

Catch up, Saturday May 21st. Alte Waage, Liberei und St Andreas

The oldest public library in BS (1422) stands near the old Weigh House and Store. (1534)  The Alte Waage was completely destroyed in 1944 and rebuilt between 1991 - 1994  A modern building which is used as a school, lurks behind the old exterior. 

Little Library

St Andreas stands nearby, where I had a long chat to an elderly lady about the twinning of Bath and Braunschweig.  The tower of this church can be climbed and gives a great view over the city.  I have yet to climb the stairs and take a look.

In the afternoon I became involved in a small demonstration against the Regimes in Turkey, Libya and Syria.  Banners, music, free cakes, noisy and interesting.

Old Weigh House and store, with St Andreas in the background.

St Andreas

Big Catch Up. Friday 20th May.

Bicycle Park Hbf

 This Blog forms the basis of some illustrated talks I will give when I return later in the year.  I'll be brief with the news till I catch up:
I visited the main station to buy tickets for Dresden and Hannover but left my DCard at home!  I will have to go back.  I saw many lost souls in the bicycle park looking for their bikes!  I was not surprised.  This photo shows only a third of the park!

A big locomotive with some very large wheels is on display outside station. There was no plaque giving any information.  I walked to the Dom where I chatted in German to an elderly lady who was born in Leipzig.  We talked for an hour or so about the old times in the DDR.  She now lives in BS near daughters.

Back in the Dom for the daily 10 minutes of reflection and some great organ music. A splendid sound. 

Bigger Wheels

Still No Internet Connection.

No Internet connetion No Blog

Waiting for the Heating Man!

Timmerlah Church

This morning I visited the church again, this time to search for a gravestone with the family name I am helping to research for a gentleman in Florence, Oregon.   No luck  I'm afraid, although  I did speak to two elderly ladies who suggested I ask the priest for information.  He lives next to the church in a little half-timbered house and I will visit him tomorrow.  I can't decide on an age for the church, it looks fairly modern, the brickwork is newly plastered and repainted, which could hide its history but the windows look modernish. 

Brick and Stonework.

The photo left show what appears to be the remains of a stone wall against the brickwork.  Perhaps the church was damaged in the war and has since been rebuilt.  The plaque commemorates the men of Timmerlah who fell in the 1914-1918 war.  The churchyard is in the background of this photo.  Last year there was a comfortable seat there on which to ponder, but it has now disappeared.  It was a lovely place to sit and read, really cool in last year's heatwave.  We have a touch of one this weekend, it will be 25c on Sunday for my bike ride, that's if I go!

Below is the church clock, with its square dial of blue and red with golden hands and Roman numerals.

I'm hanging about today because at 15.30 the heating repair man will visit to turn off a radiator in my flat.  I turned it on on Tuesday when it was cold and to dry my washing and I haven't been able to turn it off since.   It was really warm up here yesterday and with a mini heatwave at the weekend it must go off! 

The Onion Tower and Clock.

Eating Cake (too much) and Timmerlah Connections



Timmerlah Church with its Onion Dome.

Today was warm and sunny and I spent the afternoon eating cake and drinking tea with friends from one of the English groups.  Both spoke excellent English, so I wasn't able to practise my much improved German.  I came back on the bus and tram to Weserstrasse and walked the last half mile home to Timmerlah with the dog walkers in comfortable evening sunshine

I received an interesting email this evening from a gentleman seeking information about his family who have Timmerlah connections.   He'd read my Blog and decided to contact me to see if I'd be interested in uncovering any history from the church.  I will find this really interesting.   I've tried tracing my family, but I soon realised in year 1856 how much time and expense was involved.   I shelved the idea and stuck with German grammar and compound nouns.

Tuesday/Rain/Wind/Residenzschloss and Slightly Startled Owl.

Residenzscloss 1881

It is a wet and windy Tuesday morning and Eintracht Braunschweig's flag is flying vigourously from it's garden pole.  The picture left shows the Residenzschloss as it appeared prior to the wartime bombing of 1944.  The winning team appeared on the balcony above the main entrance on Sunday morning, and much of the city turned out to celebrate.

Most of the original palace was destroyed, and after the war, a decision was made to save and number as many stones as possible, so that the building could be reassembled.  It was finally restored and opened in 2006 as a huge shopping centre, with a library and a museum at each end.  The Quadriga, high up on its rooftop vantage point is the largest in Europe. The stately statues standing in front of the palace are of two former Dukes on their mounts.

The sign says:  Protected Countryside Area.

The signs here are so interesting, especially when they contain one of those very long compound nouns, of which the German language is so fond.  This is three words rolled into one with 23 letters, and the owl looks slightly startled!   "Landschafts (countryside) schutz (protected) gebiet. (area)"  The word is so economical although maybe a short form exsists!   Imagine writing this out fully several times a day.

Football/English/Wind and Rain.

The New Flag of "Brunswick United."

A new flag is flying.   Eintracht Braunschweig have moved up to the second division, much to the excitement of the fans.  A big celebration took place at the Schloss on Sunday, where the team appeared on the balcony in front of their adoring fans.  I wasn't there of course, I was in the Elm Forest enjoying a lovely walk, a beer and a big lunch. The team wear blue and yellow and this flag has "You'll never walk alone" written across the bottom.

Today I visited the two English Groups and a good time was had by all, chatting and laughing about the challenges of learning a foreign language when our brain cells are much reduced.   Next week we will be celebrating Gerd und Ursula's Wedding Anniversary with wine and snacks.  Oh dear, very early in the day to celebrate with alcohol and yet another chance to enhance the short term memory loss.   I am looking forward to it!  (the wine not the memory loss.)

It has been a horrible day weatherwise, drizzly rain and strong winds and the buses and trams were full of damp people, school children with enormous backpacks, crying babies and a couple of friendly dogs.   I was pleased to come back to my quiet flat and drink several cups of tea.  Tomorrow will be quiet too, I need milk and smelly cheese and will cycle to the shops, as I need practise for next Sunday's 25-30 km ride around Timmerlah.  

I don't know yet if I will make it, I still feel washed out after my cold last week,  but once on a bike with other riders, chatting and laughing, it is easy to forget the ankle pain and botty bruising on a hard saddle.  I hope the sun shines, I don't do rain!

A Walk in the Elm Forest, Koenigslutter and the Kaiserdom.

Sweetie Break with Coffee

What a wonderful day, a walk in the Elm Forest with Monika, my email partner (left in red)  and a group of her friends.  We walked about 5 miles in all and up to a Beer Garden for a meal and a pint, and then visited the small town of Koenigslutter with its huge Romanesque Cathedral.

Half Timbered Houses

I will have return to the town, as this visit was just a taster for me.  I need to read up about the place and then go back and savour its delights.  The town is on the "Half Timbered Houses of Germany" Route, a journey from southern Germany visiting all the best examples of these old houses.  Brunswick must have been a similar town until its destruction in the last war.

The cathedral was breath taking, the colour, the wall paintings, the monuments, the pillars and the cloisters.  Our guide left me confused with his explicit history of Romanesque architecture and details of the carved pillars in the cloister, all in complicated German and much too fast for me.  We all had a wonderful time, even the Welsh Terrier dog, who ran all the way there and back and had a whale of a time in the woods.   In the group picture he is sitting (right)  patiently waiting for his dog biscuit.

High Altar, Kaiserdom, Koenigslutter.

Braunschweig's "Happy Rizzi House."

The Happy Rizzi House

This sculptured, multicoloured house was designed by James Rizzi, a New York pop artist, took two years to build and was opened in 2001.  It is an office block and it is only possible to wander around the building and not visit inside.   It is a surprising sight, it looks very unstable and is exremely cheerful with its wide grinning teeth!    It must be a wonderful sight in winter, with the soft pinks and blues against a background of white snow. 

A big set of teeth!

See www.wikipedia.org  James Rizzi for more information.

On Friday afternoon I visited friends from an English Class, where we ate wonderful cake and drank wine.  How nice it is for me to have enough German to chat easily, and for them to be able to speak enough English to enjoy a really amusing time.  We all agreed that our language skills were much enhanced with the aid of moderate amounts of alcohol.   Prost, cheers, bottoms up!

Multi Coloured Madness!

Problems with Blogger!

For most off the day I have not been able to write the Blog, no fault of mine, but a big problem with the Blog site maintenance.  The problem seems to be resolved now and I will write again tomorrow.    Today I feel a lot better, in fact well enough to visit friends, eat too much cake and drink just enough wine.

It is cooler her, thank goodness with a pleasant wind.  We had no real rain, and the ground is parched.  The moles are still having a field day!  Back tomorrow with more news.

Die Altstadt and Mole Update.

The Fountain in Altstadt Square

On Wednesday afternoon I found the Altstadt, the Old Town square with the Town Hall and fountain.  It was never really lost, as I first visited in 2009 with the Bath Twinning Group.  Most of Braunschweig has been rebuilt since the last war.  It had been a city of half-timbered houses but on the night of October 15th 1944, 90% of the buildings were destroyed in air raids.  The city subsequently became part of the British occupied zone.

The "History of Braunschweig" Museum is located in the Town Hall and after my visit yesterday, I realised that I will have to return frequently to read up on the city's history from its founding in 1031, when it was known as Brunesguik.



My reflection in the chemist's doorway.

 The modern city has been rebuilt with "Traditional Islands," parts of the medieval centre, the main buildings of interest, the churches and municipal centres being rebuilt around big squares.   These make lovely tranquil areas in which to sit or wander and avoid the bustle of the city centre.  The chemist's doorway was, like most of the reconstructed buildings, rescued from wartime bombing  and reassembled here.

Many beautiful half timbered houses have been rebuilt with the traditional German Gothic script and multicoloured patterns inscribed along the beams.  I found one saying:   "1960 Out of the ruins arises what the war destroyed."

Click on the photos to make them larger.

Mole Update:  Mr. Mole has now invited his entire family of 350+ to join him in frenzied crop destruction, the field opposite is now covered in tracks.   My Swiss email partner thinks he has one in his vegetable garden, so obviously some have taken a holiday to Switzerland!   I wonder if moles like Windparks,  they don't like small windmills, the giant ones must upset their delicate ears and noses. 
















A Quiet Tuesday Feeling Unwell.

Plugs.

I was not a well woman yesterday, so I stayed in all day and didn't feel like doing anything except drink tea and watch Tennis on Eurosport.   My mind did wander about, and the photos, left, give you an idea of what went trickling through, not necessarily in this order. 

Plugs, why are English plugs so big and the German equivalent so small and neat. These two are discussing the issue, does anyone know the answer?


Dresden Guide

I am visiting Dresden in June and my friend in the city, Beate, has sent me a lovely guide.  It is my bedtime reading, although I delved into it yesterday, sitting cosily in my chair with my hankie at the ready.  There will be so much to see, and I hope my old legs last the course.  I must go into the "Frauenkirche" listen to some organ music and cry all the way through.  I hope to hear some Bach (my boyfriend.)



The Windpark was motionless yesterday, it was hot, 26c with no wind.  Even Zephyrus (I named him after of Greek God of the Wind)  the lone hilltop mill was still.  He usually spends his days going round nineteen to the dozen even in an imperceptable breeze. 


The Mole have arrived!  Outside my front window is sown a field of ???  At the moment it looks like beet or sweet corn, but I am no expert.  Hopefully, as it grows I will have more of an idea.  Anyway I was surprised to see mole tracks everywhere, not just in this field but in the fields I passed last evening while on my, "Let's Try and Walk Off this Cold" stroll in the cool twilight.  I still have the cold, and even more moles have arrived.

       

               

The Mole.

Sunday at St. Magnikirche, Monday Elsewhere.



The St. Magniviertal.



Monday was busy, up early and off to Gliesmaroder to the two English groups to chat away all morning.  (Talking is my favourite hobby.)  It is very hot here, I do hope we're not in for a long hot summer like last year when I was pinned to my sunbed under the trees for days on end.   It was a pleasant place to be pinned but not easy for me to lie still, I like to be up, out and about!

The photos are from Sunday's visit to St. Magni, founded around 1190 and a church I visited last year.  I am much taken with the "Triumphkreuz"  a modern sculpture of 1963 with a ring of bronze angels surrounding the crucifixion.



Ring of Angels.

It has a great deal of energy and life about it and springs out at you as it hangs above the high altar.  I will never forget it and I sat in the cool tranquilty of the church for a good hour pondering the meaning of life!  

If you click on these photos they will enlarge.



Font and Canopy.

The church also contains a wonderful font, with hanging canopy and surrounded by magnificent wrought iron gates.   It stands in a Chapel donated in 1434,  with a bronze font cast in 1441.  The wooden canopy was added in 1618.  The nave and windows were damaged in the war and were, like all the churches in Braunschweig rebuilt from the 1950's onwards.

Today is Tuesday and not a lot will be happening.  I will nurse my newly arrived cold and spend a quiet day catching up on emails and all the other things I have to do.  I'm preparing two talks for the Devizes U3A, one about six months in Brunswick and the other about Dresden and Coventry, Twinned Cities at Peace.



A Sunny Sunday in the City.



Singing in the Kohlmarkt



St. Magniviertal Cafes.

 I had a "Wander around and see what happens afternoon" on Sunday.  I have to be in the right mood to do this, otherwise I can't hang about on street corners feeling relaxed and watching the world pass me by!

The city was lovely, and really quiet because there is no Sunday shopping in Germany .  Many people work odd hours, so Sunday is keep workfree so that families can have a day together.   I walked to the St. Magniviertal, with its wonderful church and huge sandy square with pleasant outdoor cafes under the trees.   I then found my way to the Kohlmarkt, where a tenor was singing his heart out to the accompaniment of a loudspeaker on wheels.   He sang to an interested lady bystander, and she made all the right movements when he feigned operatic feelings of love and adoration for her!   Ahhhhh lovely, we all need a little dream romance in our lives!  I hoped he would have sung something in English, and then I could have jumped up and sung my heart out. Traa li la la, traa li la la, doo boobi doo!

Geriatric One Handed Cycling in Timmerlah Woods.

I managed some serious cycling practise on Saturday, and even had the courage to cycle along a road, although I'm never convinced I'm on the right side!   It is nerve wracking!  However, what a friend has described as "Wickibot" has subsided, the bruising has mellowed and cycling has become more comfortable.  Now I won't need the padded knickers!    I rode again through Timmerlah Woods, a place with so many cycleways it is easy to get lost.   While taking this videoclip, I danced a little with death and practised "Geriatric one handed cycling," with my right hand on the handlebars and the left holding my phone camera.  I don't recommend this on uneven surfaces, with professionals overtaking at speed and teenage cyclists hell bent on self destruct.

Wicki has a fatal flaw!  She has a fixed wheel which means that if I pedal backwards, I come to a skidding halt!  Most of the time it's no problem, but is a real nuisance when I stop at junctions and have to dismount and reorganise the pedals.   I will get left behind  on the May 22nd "Timmerlah Residents' Cycle Tour of 25-30 km"  

 

The Bells, The Bells!



Der Dom Tower.



The Rambling Rose.

Braunschweig Dom has a peel of 12 bells, all of which have individual names, a dedication and a little icon.  Too long to explain in detail here, but one of interest is: "Thomas von Canterbury" Bronze,  weighs 320kg,  chime h'+3,  measures 796mm and is inscribed with: "Thomas I am called and scare the enemies of the world. Hinrick van Campen cast me in 1506." An icon of Thomas a'Becket and Mary holding Jesus is also inscribed.  Each bell has a name, Salvator, Maria, Kaspar, Katherina, Little Adam and St Gabriel, etc.  The plaque describes the planting of the rambling rose that climbs the tower.  It was planted on "English Day" in June 2000.

Today will be hot, 25c is forecast and I need a quiet day after a visit yesterday by three good friends from the BS/Bath Twinning Group.   I baked some scones again, yummy!!  I'll shop this morning on "Wicki," and have some German homework to do this afternoon, the rest of the class do theirs in English.  This evening another "Wicki ride" through the coolness of Timmerlah woods.   It's just like living in Devizes, but the cycleways are better and it says "Keep Right" in German.

Theatre, Fountain, Spanners and Bells.



Staatstheater Braunschweig.



The Emil Cimiotti Fountain.

On Thursday afternoon I visited the Theatre in order to find a programme of  May's events.  There is much from which to choose and I need time to ponder.   Goethe's Faust 1 was premiered here in 1829, and a lovely carved monument in the foyer gives details of the loss of the building by fire during the last war, and its subsequent rebuilding.   The fountain is wonderful, a huge bowl full of fishes, plants, snakes and water creatures constantly doused in pouring water,  I was mesmerised.   Wikipedia has plenty of info about Braunschweig/the Staatstheater/der Dom/Faust/Goethe/etc,  usw.

I went back to the Dom to sit on my favourite seat, and saw a man carrying a huge bunch of large, heavy spanners, which he promptly dropped onto the cobbles with a loud crash.   He was chatting to another man about the bells, so I listened in and gathered that he was doing some maintenance up in the tower on the peel of twelve.  

Each bell has a name and inscription and they are rung before services and at 17.00 each day for the short "Andacht" a Devotion or Meditation which is accompanied by organ music.  Lovely music and with German spoken so slowly that I can understand every word.  Well virtually every one!



My Own Little Ding, Dingaling, Ding, Dong, Ding. (top label)

My Name on the Door Bell. (top label)

Quite who the smiling pixie is above the door bells I do not know, but he greets me everyday when I leave and return.  He/she needs a name, ehhhh "Brian" comes to mind, but please send me some suggestions, all will be carefully considered.  (I know his secret name.)

After two days of cycling I am weary.  I forget that I am an old bird, I do everything with gusto, including cycling, and I am suffering for it.  My legs ache, but worst of all is that bruised feeling of botty on hard saddle.  Not nice, but to be endured for a few more days until I can purchase a pair of "Well Padded Knickers for Geriatric Amateur Cyclists."

Today I visit Brauschweig's Staatstheater for a Mai programme.  In August I will be seeing Puccini's "Turandot," an open-air performance in the Domplatz.   Mozart's "Don Giovanni" is also advertised somewhere, but I will find out today, together with ticket prices.   www.braunschweig.de/english    Click - Culture/Theatres. 

Choir tonight, the Happy Wanderer sings her socks off again!

On a Bicycle Made for One!

"Wicki" the Wonderbike.

Tuesday was the "Day of the Bike" I felt confident enough with the traffic direction to venture out on "Wicki."  What had been a good 1.5 hours return walk to Weststadt for the daily essentials, became a 40 minute bike/shop/bike ride.   Going was very slightly downhill all the way, but on my return I had to get off and walk, this all peanuts to passing cyclists (Grannies included) but it felt like a mountain to me.  It was my first cycle ride since my last visit nine months ago, so I was a bit puffy on my return. 

On the afternoon of May 22nd there is a Timmerlah Residents group cycle ride of 25-30 Km.  Children and grandparents are invited, so I have now gone into "Must cycle everyday or I get left behind" mode.

Ines and the girls visited for tea at 4.30pm.  It was so nice to see them all again and little G has grown a good 6ins (I've not gone metric yet) since I last saw her.  I stayed  with Ines and her family for three weeks last year and they made me very welcome.  Now it's my chance to entertain them with strong English tea, biscuits and Chocolate Bunnies.

Timmerlah is Alive With the Sound of Music.


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                     When Little Fountains Flow.



 "To wander is the miller's joy, to wander."  I have sung this so often in English, now a chance to sing it in German!  I have joined a choir, "The Concordia-Brunsviga" a choir with  about 30 singers.   We meet on Thursday evenings and our programme  for the coming concert consists of seven songs, two of which we will sing in English, "Amazing Grace" and "I Can't Stop Loving You."  

The others songs are German Folk melodies and it is so nice to sing some lighter music, I get bogged down in JS Bach (my boyfriend) Mozart and Haendel.  Mind you, I can get bogged down with JS anytime, I would love to have met the man but here in Germany, I am closer to the great man himself.



I love singing,  "Wenn alle Bruennlein fliessen,"  when all the little fountains flow."  The words are lovely, a real joy to sing.

On  Sunday afternoon, May 29th, we will be singing in a small concert with other choirs.  Ohh! it is all so interesting and music is a great uniter of people.   When I return from the long sleep, and I am reborn as a concert soprano, I will sing JS Bach (my boyfriend) and Mozart all around the world. 







A Room With a View.



The View with two Windmills.

 This is the view from my front window, one floor up.  On the distant hill (well, bump) you might be able to see two windmills.  In this landscape the mills don't seem obtrusive, but then there seems to be so much open space here.  They are graceful structures, gently winding their way through the air. I don't know the opinion of the people living in the houses underneath, would I want one in my garden? Uhmm!  I will find out how much energy they generate per day for the German economy.

Today I visit the Gliesmaroder English Group, the group with whom I have kept in contact for the last three years.  They have become good friends, especially Monika who is a regular email partner and sends me cheerful little animations of flowers, horses and sunshine.  It will be nice to meet up again and see if their English has improved as much as my German.   I hope so, although at the moment I still don't understand the reflexive verbs!  Well I know the the rules, but I just cannot feel their use.   Anyone who has ever learnt a foreign language will know what I mean.   Tschuess!   Bye!