life in a strange land

The Adventure continues - Poznan, Poland

2012-01-31T12:05:00.001+01:00

In a few months time we will have our Toastmasters District Conference in Poznan, Poland. As part of our preparations the District Governor, Barbara and I travelled there this past weekend. Barbara had to go there to sign some documents and I went to meet with the team and to continue with the planning.
Because it's winter and whatever means of travel we use it would take several hours, we decided to travel by train. The first train from Nuremberg took 5 hours to reach Berlin and then we had a short wait before our connection to the Berlin - Warsaw express which stops in Poznan and takes about 2 and a half hours. The journey was great and we managed to do lots of work on the train having the luxury of a compartment all to ourselves.
Arriving in Poznan we met a young Polish man who could speak some English and he walked with us most of the way to our hotel. The hotel was only about 10 minutes walk from the station. The hospitality of the staff at the Sheraton hotel was first rate. The young man who checked me in even spoke English with a bit of a Scottish accent, having lived in Edinburgh for over 7 years before meeting a Polish girl there, getting married, starting a family and deciding to return home to his native land.
In the evening a local Toastmaster took us for a walk around the old city and dinner at a typical restaurant.
On Monday we did business, lots of business!
At 17.31 we boarded our train for Berlin. The train was busy but comfortable. After about 1 hour we heard a horrible noise and felt the train rumble and crunch over something on the tracks. I was very thankful that we didn't derail. The train slowed to a halt and after some time it continued on it's way, a little slower than before. There were no announcements. A little later and announcements were made but only in Polish. My polish only extends to "cheers" and a greeting.
When we arrived in Frankfurt an der Oder, just inside Germany the Police boarded the train and began checking identity documents of a number of passengers. They left the train and then there was a single announcement in German only. "The train has been damaged and can't travel any further so you have to leave. The next train to Berlin is on platform 5 and leaves in 10 minutes." There was a bit of confusion while passengers who understood German left the train and those who didn't wondered what was going on.
The alternative train was a local train that stopped at almost every house! (or so it felt). We were scheduled to catch a flight from Berlin Tegel, had checked in online and watched as the minutes ticked by, so we arrived in Berlin at the same time as the plane would be taking off. All during the journey Barbara's husband was researching options for us, alternative routes, modes of transport and he could see only one option for us.
At Berlin main station we made our way to the travel information place and tried to see if there was another option, but no. There was only one if we wanted to get out of Berlin that night.
David is India and the dog was home alone (but being taken care of by the neighbour) so I really needed to get home as soon as I could. Staying overnight and arriving home Tuesday afternoon would be no good for me.
So we took the night train. This was my first time on a sleeper in Germany. Again we had sole occupancy of our compartment and we settled down to sleep. The guard checked our tickets, saw that we had to change in Frankfurt and said he would wake us half an hour before we arrived at the station. Sleep was fitful, although the bed was comfortable and warm.
In the morning our wake-up call came at 3.30am. The guard left and we got up immediately only to find that we had locked the compartment door as instructed and couldn't open it! It seemed like an eternity until we managed to free ourselves. A quick freshen up and then it was out on to the cold station concourse to wait for our connection at 4.55am. It was freezing and there was no where to go to get warm or to get a coffee even. Eventually about 4.30 a bakery opened and we managed some hot chocolate to warm us up and get the train for the last 2 hours of train travel to Nuremberg.
I took the U-Bahn to the airport where my car was waiting and saw that it was -7C. No wonder I was so cold!
Glad to be home and warm, although sleepy.

Poznan was great, it was definitely worth the trip.

English as translated

2012-01-02T19:31:00.000+01:00

Here are a few examples of translations of English from foreign brochures or signs:

In a brochure of a car rental firm in Tokyo
"When passenger of foot heave in sight, tootle the horn. Trumpet him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage then tootle him with vigour."

On a hotel room door in Moscow
"If this is your first visit to Russia, you are welcome to it."

On the wall of a doctor's office in Rome
Specialist in women and other diseases."

Standing on the bridge of the years

2011-12-31T16:05:00.000+01:00

December 31st for me is always about looking back and looking forward. In some ways it is like standing on the middle of a bridge that you are not really sure you want to cross while the bridge behind you is crumbling away.

Looking back on this year makes me realise how packed full this year has been:

Visits from friends and family has meant that for most months of this year we have had guests. This has been a great pleasure for us to share our home and to have fun playing the tourist! Without a doubt the most fun was had with our nephews - Aiden (6) and Ethan(5). We had play days at playmobil - an excuse to return to childhood; took them cycling and saw their confidence grow; went swimming; taught them new songs; built models; entertained and were entertained by them day after day.

Travelling also featured largely in 2011 for both of us, sometimes separately and sometimes together. I had my first visits to Hungary, Sweden and Poland. For business David travelled to India, China, Australia, Canada and the USA. Additionally we made it to other parts of Germany, Scotland, Portugal, Austria, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Belgium and one trip to the USA.

Toastmasters has also played a significant role for us. David was our local Area Governor until the end of June (end of the Toastmasters year) and now spends his Toastmasters time focussed on the 2 clubs where he is a member and in supporting me. Since 1st July I have been involved with education and training responsibilities across our whole district in Europe. This has accounted for much of my travel this year. It also meant that I had to travel to the USA for training in August. David came with me and we both got to enjoy our first Toastmasters International Convention in Las Vegas. Also a first experience of Las Vegas too!

We are looking forward to 2012 with great anticipation. The year starts with each of us making separate trips to India (a first for me) and some tentative visits from family and friends on the calendar. The great excitement for us also fills us with disbelief. In September 2012 we will celebrate our silver wedding. 25 years of marriage?? How did that happen? Where have the years gone? We have decided that we are very blessed and this is certainly something to celebrate. Already some planning has begun. I am confident that much more activity in this direction will follow!

Our recent visit to family and friends in Scotland, especially at this time of year and when we have lived in other places for a number of years, draws us into thoughts of "home" and some sentimental notions.

Just a little song from the bridge of the years.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-30T23:21:00.000+01:00

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The Visa

2011-12-15T10:12:00.000+01:00

I was surprised when I learned that our Toastmasters mid-year training would take place in India in January. I had never imagined travelling there. David's first reaction when he heard was "please don't ask me to come with you". He has travelled there a few times on business.
At the beginning of November I decided that I should enquire about a visa. This was the beginning of a process that finished today!
Firstly I found that the Indian government is represented in Germany via the Consulates. However the consulates themselves don't deal directly with people wanting travel visas. There is an agency which manages the applications. I checked the agency website, helpfully available in both German and English, to find out what I had to do. To get going I needed to know what kind of visa to apply for. None of the visa types listed matched my needs so I wrote to the agency explaining what I was doing, giving them my letter of invitation and asked for advice. I heard nothing.
At the end of November I wrote to the Consulate and hearing nothing a for a few days, I checked with colleagues in UK and Ireland - the embassies had told them to apply for an entry visa.
I filled out the form for the entry visa and then the Consulate said I needed a business visa. I checked but I didn't have business contacts or a letter from a company in India inviting me to come. How could I possibly get a business visa. There followed a number of email exchanges with the agency and then I decided to go ahead and apply for an entry visa as it seemed closest to what I'm planning to do. I would get the papers together and travel to the agency in Munich the next day. The next day was a holiday in India so the agency and consulate were closed. Ah well I could use the day to make sure I had everything I needed.
I completed the online application form and printed it out. I found some of the questions surprising - if you are a housewife, are you working for your spouse or father. HouseWIFE for my father?????

Next I needed two passport sized photos. I thought I had those from my driver's licence application. But no the visa didn't want "normal" size photos, they had to be 50mm x 50mm! Photographer here I come. 40 minutes later and 20€ lighter, I headed to our local council to get a proof of residence statement. The office was closed. Ah well that would have to wait until tomorrow.

Next morning I headed to the council office and the official gave me the document and charged me 5€.
Later that day as I made sure everything was in order for my trip to Munich I realised that the council official had marked the document "For the attention of the British Consulate". The following morning I went straight to the council office and waited for 45 minutes for someone to see me. The lady who saw me hadn't a clue and after some calls agreed that it should be for the attention of the Indian Consulate.
Mistake corrected and I was on my way to Munich.
Once in the office there was a queue of 39 people in front of me. After one and a half hours of being entertained by other "waiters" it was my turn. I explained my trip, my application for an entry visa and handed over my papers to the nice German man at the counter. I told him why I couldn't supply papers for a business visa and was a bit stuck as how to proceed. He said don't worry about it, we'll send everything to the consulate and they will decide. Once they decide they'll tell you how much to pay, then your application will be processed. Because I'm travelling over Christmas he marked my application urgent and said you'll probably get it back by 16th / 17th December.
A few days later I got the news that the consulate had decided to grant me a business visa and I had to pay them lots of money! Money was transferred and over the days I have watched the online tracker showing the progress of my application.
Finally this morning the courier delivered my passport with its shiny new visa for India.

Phew!

Waiting by Choice

2011-12-03T11:31:00.000+01:00

It was about this time of day 35 years ago, I was wrapped up warmly and just about to step out of the door to go Christmas shopping with a friend of my mother's when the telephone rang. The woman on the phone said she was from the hospital and asked to speak to my mum. My mum was outside with my brother speaking to one of the neighbours. When I called her, she immediately rushed inside saying "that's it now".

I waited.
The conversation was short and she turned to my brother saying " We have to go now, get your car keys". "Shall I come too?" I asked. "No. You go shopping. It'll be alright". So I left and headed to the friend's house. Peggy and I had a great day shopping: buying all of our Christmas presents, ate lunch out together and then as the daylight faded to be replaced by the twinkling Christmas lights we headed back to her house. "Let's call your mum and see if there is any news".

I waited.
There was news. Not the kind of news I wanted. Just about the time of the telephone call that morning my father had passed away. I sat in shock and silence watching the lights of the evening traffic as people headed home for the weekend, while Peggy comforted me.
Peggy, her husband John and I walked home. My father's brother and his wife were there and some visiting neighbours. The house was quiet, except for occasional sobs and mundane chatter. "He was a good man" "You'll miss him" "It won't be the same without him" "Christmas is going to be hard for you".

I waited.
I waited for someone to say something that wasn't obvious but was new, fresh, comforting, something that lightened my soul. But the words never came. What did come was an abundance of kind gestures: people called in and brought food and cakes, a hairdresser dropped by to say "you don't want to be worrying about your hair - let me fix it for you". They expressed their sympathy with cards, with flowers, with warm embraces and prayers.

I waited.
On Saturday I waited for my mother's sister to arrive from England. I stood on the station platform with my brother in the freezing fog and ice waiting for her train to arrive. But it was delayed. So we waited some more. Eventually she came and brought warmth and comfort to share.

I waited.
The next day I went to the local old people's home to help serve tea to the old people and to focus on something else; to make the waiting for the funeral to come bearable.

I waited.
On Monday morning I went to school. I had a French exam to sit. Afterwards I came home to find that we couldn't see the snow on the front lawn anymore. It had become a sea of floral tributes. I changed into my new dress and the waiting was over. The hearse arrived.
The house was full of family, friends, neighbours and colleagues. In fact the house was so full that the mourners spilled over into the garden and into the street. We drove to the cemetery and as my father's coffin was lowered in to the grave a sense of unreality crept over me. This was really the end. The end of his life, the end of our family as I knew it, the end of my life as it had been until now. After the funeral was over a new silence fell over our home, our lives and that Advent season.

I waited.
It took a long time to reconcile myself to the questions "why" "what was that all about". Eventually peace came, a new way of living was established and we could enjoy the Advent and Christmas season again.

Waiting that is productive asks many things of us: patience, investment of our time, openness to others and to ourselves.

Each Advent I choose to wait: to wait with expectation, hope and with one eye open for an opportunity to bless others in some small way.

A little taste of home.

2011-11-28T19:01:00.000+01:00

Although it has been happening for many years, we only found it last year for the first time. We really enjoyed it. It was a little bit of home and certainly got us in the Christmas spirit.
What is it?

A service of lessons and carols for Christmas - in English. It takes place each year in the Hugenottenkirche in Erlangen.

Here's the notice from the website:

Gottesdienst in englischer Sprache am Sonntag, 3. Advent

am Sonntag, 3. Advent– 11. Dezember 2011 findet bereits zum 16. Mal in Folge um18 Uhr in unserer Kirche wieder „A Service of Lessons und Carols for Christmas“ - ein Gottesdienst in englischer Sprache - statt.

Prof. Alasdair Heron und seine Frau, Reverend Helen Heron, werden den Gottesdienst gestalten.

Es singen und spielen: der Chor „SING A-MOLL“ unter der Leitung von Ingo Behrens die Flötistinnen Zsuzsa Csögör, Susanne Scheer und Regina Zipf.

An der Orgel: Walter Holweger.

Herzliche Einladung!

Travelling & Kitchen Essentials

2011-11-16T09:20:00.000+01:00

During most of September, October and November we have been travelling.

David was in Canada and Miami for business. I was on Toastmasters "business" in several different places.
My first trip in September was to Frankfurt. Although I've flown via the airport or railway station I've never been to the city centre before. The weather was warm and sunny - too warm for the inadequate air conditioning in the meeting room which left us melting for 2 days! It was lovely to catch up with the team again, meeting people I have known and worked with for a few years and getting to know some new people. The team is so enthusiastic it's hard not to be energised when working with them.

My second trip was in October. This was my first visit to Sweden, Stockholm in particular. I really want to go back again and see more of the city. I was visiting the Division G Conference for the weekend. They had a 2 day programme of workshops based around the items of performance and presence on stage, storytelling and great fun with improvisation. Of course there were also speech contests.

The next weekend I was in Bonn. This was the first division conference of the new division K. The venue was a youth hostel. I am always amazed by the quality and value for money that German youth hostels offer. Here I met someone who had lived and worked in Scotland for many years. This is one part of the Toastmasters experience I enjoy: meeting people from so many different backgrounds who have experienced a variety of situations.

Later that week I went to Pilsen, Czech Republic to a meeting of a prospective club where I am one of the club sponsors. There were only a few people present that evening, but they were enthusiastic, keen to learn and make progress with the formation of the club.

The following weekend I was in Switzerland. Bern was the venue for the division E conference where there was a very vibrant keynote speaker and some interesting educationals on how we respond to status and why,and dealing with stress and anxiety. I also went to Basel to meet up with some of the district conference team and see the conference venue for the first time.

Last weekend I went to Glasgow to the District 71 Conference - not on "official business" - just for fun. It was great to be part of a conference where I didn't have to take care of anything and could just relax, enjoy and learn.
Being in Scotland meant of course a chance to visit some friends and family, albeit briefly. No trip to Scotland would be complete without some shopping! This time, top of the shopping list was a set of pots and pans. In Germany apart from milk pans and sautee pans it is impossible to find a pan with a single long handle. They all have 2 small handles, made of metal which heat up too much and are too hard to pour when draining something. I was one very happy bunny when I walked out of John Lewis with my shiny new pans and not just because they were discounted!! You can take the girl out of Scotland.......

Jack Mitchell

2011-09-22T14:09:00.000+02:00

I read the death notice with some sadness and mellow thoughts of days gone by.

"Recently John Ross Mitchell MRPharmS of Glasgow. Mr Mitchell registered in 1951"

A short statement, but not one that really described the man.

Jack Mitchell was someone I first met when I was doing my postgraduate training in Scotland. I think our first encounter was at a Christmas dinner or perhaps a trade launch for a new product in late 1987 or early 1988. He was interested in my progress towards my professional qualification, reassured me that the company was fine to work for and when he discovered that I was living in the east end of Glasgow immediately invited me to drop in to the pharmacy he managed, which was also in the east end.
I thought he seemed friendly and recognised that good contacts make for an interesting and helpful network of professional associates.

I joined the professional register in July 1988 and spent the summer working as a locum covering the summer holidays of many of the company's pharmacists that year. My first weeks were in Larkhall, Rosyth, Perth and then came Shettleston. On my day off in the week before I called in to see Jack and to meet his staff so they would know who I was.
The welcome was warm and sincere. He showed me around the tiny dispensary. Much of the stock was stored in cabinets constructed like airline overhead lockers, while some was in a separate area. This was not like any pharmacy I had ever worked in before. The pharmacy was in an old sandstone tenement building and the toilet was out in "the close".
After a quick tour I was offered some coffee and then to my amazement the staff pulled out some deckchairs ( the kind you would find on the beach!!) for us to sit on. He told me about his regular clientele. This area of Glasgow had a lot of poverty and also many drug addicts living in flats around the pharmacy.
It was Jack who introduced me to the life the addicts live. How to recognise when trouble is brewing and what the laws of that day allowed and didn't. He showed me the holes in the law and explained how he used his personal discretion to fill them. "It's up to you, Morag. You'll be in charge and whatever you decide is good enough for me. I just try to serve the needs of my patients."
Before I left that day he showed me one final prop - a policeman's cap. He kept it in the store and now and again he would place it on the top of the dispensary riser so that people in the shop would think that a policeman was in the store on some form of business or just for the cup of tea, so loved by the old Glasgow bobbies.
His holidays passed without event and I was now well versed in an early form of addict services. The company introduced computerised systems shortly after this and our paths crossed again when he called me up to ask if I could help him out with a few teething troubles. For a short time I was his help desk, until he got up and running with the new system.
Our paths crossed intermittently after that and occasionally on a Saturday afternoon the phone would ring and it would be Jack - just checking how I was getting on and with some time to discuss the latest issues in the world of pharmacy.

He was a man who took care of his staff and his patients. He really understood the community and its needs. It was a fitting tribute to him when he retired in the mid 90s that his retirement party was not organised by the company but by the local community to recognise his service to them for many years.

After he retired I never saw him again but occasionally thought of him and remembered him as someone who looked out for me in my early professional career and who taught me some useful lessons in caring for the people in the community where you work.

Thank you Jack.

Superwoman or Overwhelmed?

2011-09-17T17:37:00.000+02:00

I was driving to the supermarket to day and as I parked the car thinking about the things I want to / need to get done before David comes home on Monday I heard a song on the radio that made me laugh out loud because in some way it reflected some of my thoughts at that moment.

The lyrics:

Muss nur noch die Welt retten.

Ich wär so gern dabei gewesen doch ich hab viel zu viel zu tun lass uns später weiter reden Da draußen brauchen sie mich jetzt die Situation wird unterschätzt Und vielleicht hängt unser Leben davon ab Ich weiß es ist dir ernst du kannst mich hier grad nicht entbehren nur keine Angst ich bleib nicht all zu lange fern. Refrain:
Muss nur noch kurz die Welt retten, danach flieg ich zu dir.
Noch 148 Mails checken wer weiß was mir dann noch passiert denn es passiert so viel
Muss nur noch kurz die Welt retten und gleich danach bin ich wieder bei dir.

Irgendwie bin ich spät dran, fang schon mal mit dem essen an. Ich stoß dann später dazu. Du fragst wieso weshalb warum, ich sag wer sowas fragt ist dumm. Denn du scheinst wohl nicht zu wissen was ich tu. Ne ganz besondere Mission lass mich dich mit Details verschonen. Genug gesagt genug Information. Refrain:
Muss nur noch kurz die Welt retten, danach flieg ich zu dir.
Noch 148 Mails checken wer weiß was mir dann noch passiert denn es passiert so viel
Muss nur noch kurz die Welt retten und gleich danach bin ich wieder bei dir.

Die zeit läuft mir davon zu warten wäre eine Schande für die ganze Weltbevölkerung. Ich muss jetzt los sonst gibt’s die große Katastrophe merkst du nicht das wir in Not sind.

Refrain:
Ich muss jetzt echt die Welt retten
Danach flieg ich zu dir
Noch 148 Mails checken wer weiß was mir dann noch passiert denn es passiert so viel

Muss nur noch kurz die Welt retten danach flieg ich zu dir. Noch 148713 Mails checken wer weiß was mir dann noch passiert denn es passiert so viel. Muss nur noch kurz die Welt retten und gleich danach bin ich wieder bei dir

Las Vegas

2011-08-23T10:58:00.000+02:00

It took us 25 hours to get there (via Munich & Philadelphia) and almost as long to come home (via Phoenix, Philadelphia & Frankfurt). Hadn't really thought about how far away it actually was before we left.

I was there for Toastmasters Officer training and the International Convention and it was definitely a trip worth making.
We arrived at Las Vegas McCarran airport late on a Saturday evening and as we stepped off the jetbridge and into the airport terminal were surprised to be confronted immediately by slot machines and this continued all the way through the terminal to baggage reclaim!
Our hotel for the week was Bally's - where the convention was being held. Was it really a hotel? Well the dictionary says that a hotel is "a commercial establishment offering lodging to travellers and sometimes to permanent residents" and Bally's does that but actually the experience made it feel more like living in a casino with rooms! Whenever we were in the public areas of the hotel all you could hear was the noise of slot machines and music. I can't imagine how the receptionists ever manage to concentrate. I missed the relaxed atmosphere of a hotel lobby or lounge area and when we had to meet people we had to search out empty meeting rooms or meet in our rooms.
After a reasonable first night we ventured out to see what Vegas had to offer on the Sunday. First stop was our neighbouring hotel - Paris. We took a trip up the Eiffel Tower and managed to get a great view of the strip, the city beyond and the red rocky cliffs surrounding us. We were treated to a short preview of the Bellagio fountains.
Later we visited some of the other hotels and then went out with some friends in the evening to visit their family who live in Las Vegas. They hosted a barbecue for the European guests and we spent a lovely evening of normality with real people living in a normal community and we laughed a lot and saw some humming birds - new for me.
It was Thursday before I left Bally's again!!!!!!! We were so busy all week.
Thursday evening we went to a steakhouse (again with casino!) and then got up close to the Bellagio fountains.
One of the staff in the hotel said to us that we hadn't arrived in another city or country, but in a whole new planet and he wasn't joking. The whole strip area had a sense of unreality about it, something temporal and quite fake in a way. A mirage in the desert.
Visiting people who live in Las Vegas reminded us that real people live there too and the strip is just a zone of distraction for those who have the money, the will or the desperation to desire it.
Would I go back? To Vegas? Yes. To see the surrounding scenery and experience all the stuff I missed. To the strip? Probably not. Just not for me - unless there was a show on that caught my fancy, then I might make the long trip, endure the desert heat and the ching ching of machines making money for someone.

No Dancing on the Streets

2011-08-12T19:28:00.000+02:00

This past week has seen rioting break out on the streets of several British cities. I was really shocked by what I saw on TV and at the same time glad not to be there in the middle of it all.
In this week's "Local" there was a report about what happened.

Germany warns citizens about UK riots

Published: 9 Aug 11 13:04 CET

Germany took the rare step of issuing travel advice for Britain on Tuesday, warning its citizens to exercise ''special caution'' in the wake of massive rioting in London and other major cities.

"Travellers are advised to exercise special caution, to immediately pull back if confronted with any signs of disturbance, and to especially follow advice given by security forces," the German foreign ministry said in its online travel advisory.

"Travellers should also look to the media to keep themselves informed about the latest developments and act in an appropriate fashion locally," the travel advisory added.

The warning followed the third night of rioting and looting in London, which by last night had also spread to major cities including Bristol, Birmingham and Liverpool. The ministry said that further outbreaks of violence could not be ruled out.

The rioting began on Saturday night in Tottenham, north London, after police shot dead a 29-year-old minicab driver, Mark Duggan on Thursday night.

Home Secretary Theresa May said more than 450 people have been arrested in London over the three nights of violence, and Scotland Yard has said cells in police stations in the capital were now full, with prisoners being transferred to neighbouring forces.

Prime Minister David Cameron cut short his holiday to return to London. He has recalled the parliament and vowed that 16,000 police would patrol the streets of London on Tuesday night.

Toastmasters Club Officer Training - What's in it for me?

2011-07-22T16:38:00.000+02:00

June, July and August are the months when training is provided to the new club officers at Toastmasters Clubs throughout the world. This is done in a number of ways. The preferred method from the organisation is the Toastmasters Leadership Institute where the program offered is run like a course with concurrent sessions delivered by a range of presenters. In our district in Europe this method has been used in a few areas. The geography and travel costs make it prohibitive to use this format more widely. Here we commonly see the smaller scale sessions run by fewer presenters and focussing on key topics like: Achieving Success as a Club Officer; Charting a Course for Club Success, Attracting New Members and Motivating Achievement.

Although I am not a club officer this year, I have been invited in my role as a district officer to support some of the trainings happening around the district.
My first one this year was in Wroclaw, Poland where I had the pleasure of being one of the presenters at the Toastmasters Leadership Insititute. This was attended by around 100 Toastmasters club leaders from across Poland. On the first day I delivered a workshop on "Leadership Evaluation" highlighting where there were opportunities in the organisation to learn, practice and develop leadership skills and how to build feedback into the practice of leadership. On the second day I delivered, with David, a workshop called "Teamworking: from ME to WE" which looks at how we behave as individuals, the impact of this on team and how we can work together while still retaining our identity.
This was my first visit to Poland and I loved meeting the people there and enjoying their welcome, hospitality, energy and enthusiasm.
My second officer training was last weekend in Nuremberg. This was a session held for the leaders from the 4 clubs in the local area. Here my session was on Achieving Success as a Club Officer. I have developed an interactive workshop from the Toastmasters materials. I also gave a short update on the brand refresh and answered some questions. I enjoyed seeing our local leaders prepare to achieve great things in the year ahead and welcomed their interest and input.
My third training will be tomorrow in Limburger with the teams from Stuttgart, Frankfurt, Mannheim and the areas around there. This time I'm doing some aspects of "Achieving Success as a club officer" and a short session on Membership. Not sure what the highlight will be but I know that I am looking forward to it and to catching up with some people I haven't seen for a while.
Why do members give up their own time to attend training?
Some say it's because they want to learn more about their role and how to do a good job, for others they want a chance to ask questions and give feedback and some do it for recognition for their club. Probably one of the greatest reasons is to meet and make friends and grow a network of contacts.
What's in it for me?
I get the chance to meet people who have questions, to listen to people and understand how it works from their perspective, to answer questions (where I can!) and also to grow my network of contacts. It also allows me to share my own enthusiasm and passion for the organisation and to help others grow and develop.
Off to pack my bag for Limburger!!

The Driving Licence Issue II

2011-07-14T20:45:00.000+02:00

It is 5 weeks since I last drove a car because of the "driving licence issue". Most of the time it has been less taxing than I thought it would have been. It has resulted in me walking to places I would normally go to by car and also taking the bus.
The bus service from our small village is fine most of the time. It runs about once an hour between the village and the centre of Erlangen, except at the weekends. On Saturdays there is a bug lull in the afternoon with no service until evening and on Sundays no service at all.
The hardest time was when David was in Hong Kong and I had to stay home alone for a whole weekend. I felt quite isolated and at times lonely but very grateful for telephone and internet to preserve my sanity!
Last week I called the driving licence office and asked about the progress of my licence. There was some good news. The criminal police had approved my replacement licence and the licence was being printed in Berlin. They expected to send me a postcard at the beginning of this week to tell me it was back in Erlangen for collection.

Having made many fruitless trips to the postbox this week, I decided to go to the office and ask what was happening. There are 3 ladies who work there: Mrs Very-Nice-and-Efficiently-Helpful; Mrs By-the-Book-and Beaurocratic; and Mrs Friendly-Human-and Helpful. I have dealt with them all!!!
Today I got Mrs FHandH. I asked politely if there was any news of my licence. She checked the computer. "It's showing as still in progress, but that's been a while and it should be here. Let me check" She went off and came back with a box full of envelopes. Each envelope contained a large bundle of freshly printed licences. She patiently checked through the envelopes and each licence in them. As she leafed through the cards she stopped at one, held it up and compared the photograph with me and smiled widely saying "That one'll do". She checked the details were correct and updated her screen to show that the licence had been collected. I signed the form to confirm the collection and expressed my gratitude to her. As I left she said " we're both winners today. You got your licence and we saved on the cost of the postcard!"

Then I got behind the wheel of the car.....and.....it was just like riding a bike. It felt good!!

Foreign Language Humour

2011-06-24T09:59:00.000+02:00

A little lightheartedness for a Friday....

A German man walks in to a bar and and says to the barman: “Two gin and tonics please.” “Dry sir?” says the barman. “Nein. Zwei,” says the German.

A Dundee man full of the joys of his first holiday in France says on his return: “It’s a great place France, and the folk are so generous. If ye ask for twa eggs, they gie ye three.”

Two Scotsmen were visiting Germany and between them had virtually none of the language. Not allowing that to get in the way, they hailed a passing German in Frankfurt train station and asked: “Wo iste wechsel?” (an attempt at asking where the foreign exchange bureau was).
The German looked at the men with sympathy and asked “Are you English?” to which one, quite indignant, replied: “Nein, Schottische!”
“Ah, yes,” responded the German, more with pity this time, “But do you speak English?”

The Driving Licence Issue

2011-06-11T12:18:00.000+02:00

Moving between EU member states should be easy, right? I thought so too, and most of the time that is the case.....until it came to dealing with the driving licence issue.

Holders of valid UK driving licences can happily drive in the EU with their UK licence, even though they no longer live in the UK and they no longer live or own the property at the address registered on their driving licence. Not a problem.

UK driving licence is valid until you're 70 years old. In 2001 the DVLA issued photocard licences which are only valid for 10 years. Problem!

I contacted the DVLA a few weeks ago to ask how this problem might be resolved, explaining I wanted to renew the photocard part but I no longer lived in the UK. Their reply?

DVLA are only able to renew driving licences for permanent Great British (GB) residents.

Until a time that you return to GB as a permanent resident it will not be possible to issue a further licence.

You may wish to contact the Issuing Authorities in Germany for their advice.

I was surprised that the German Authorities would be the ones to advise on the renewal of a British driving licence. Maybe Great Britain has become more Eurofriendly since I left, somehow I doubt it.

After many questions and calls I found someone who knew the answer. I had to go to the Landratsamt - Driving Licence Section and get a form. Once I had the form I was to fill out my details, obtain one biometric photo (cost 14.99€) take them to the Town Hall in our village get the official to fill out a part of the form confirming that I live in the village legally (cost 5.10€) and stick the photo on to another small form. Then I had to go back to the Driving Licence Section, where they photocopied my current photocard and paper licence, my passport, asked more questions, charged me 29.00€ to process it and oh yes do you have the form D737 from the DVLA which confirms what I am allowed to drive. Back to the DVLA - yes you need that form we can post it at a cost of 5 pounds.

Clearly Form D737 is a well kept secret at the DVLA.

All documents duly in order I politely asked how long this would take. The lady explained that first of all the papers would go to the criminal police to investigate me and this could take up to 4 weeks then if everything was in order they would order my new licence from Berlin and send my old licence back to Swansea (DVLA). About 6 weeks in total.

AAAAAAGH My licence expires today. I must hand over my old licence and sign a form to confirm that I know it is an offence to drive without my licence and promising not to drive.

So I am offically grounded until further notice. Shank's pony for me!!

An important lesson

2011-06-10T07:15:00.003+02:00

The Shredder

A young engineer was leaving the office at 5.45pm when he found the CEO standing in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Listen" said the CEO, "this is a very sensitive and important document and my secretary is not here. Can you make this thing work?"
"Certainly" said the young engineer. He turned the machine on, inserted the paper and pressed the start button.
"Excellent!" said the CEO as his paper disappeared inside the machine. "I just need one copy"

LESSON: Never, never, ever assume that your boss knows what he's doing.

Camus Quote

2011-05-25T16:56:00.000+02:00

Whilst listening to the live streaming of the General Assembly in Edinburgh I was reminded of the following quote and thought I'd share it.

Don't walk behind me; I may not lead.
Don't walk in front of me; I may not follow.
Just walk beside me and be my friend.
Albert Camus (French author, journalist and philosopher)

I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR

2011-05-14T19:39:00.002+02:00

I AM VERY THANKFUL FOR ……..

THE WIFE WHO SAYS IT'S MINCE TONIGHT,
BECAUSE SHE IS HOME WITH ME, AND NOT OUT WITH SOMEONE ELSE.

FOR THE HUSBAND WHO IS ON THE SOFA BEING A COUCH POTATO,
BECAUSE HE IS HOME WITH ME AND NOT IN THE PUB

FOR THE TEENAGER WHO IS COMPLAINING ABOUT DOING DISHES
BECAUSE IT MEANS SHE IS AT HOME, NOT ON THE STREETS.

FOR THE TAXES I PAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM EMPLOYED .

FOR THE MESS TO CLEAN AFTER A PARTY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS.

FOR THE CLOTHES THAT FIT A LITTLE TOO SNUG
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT.

FOR A LAWN THAT NEEDS MOWING, WINDOWS THAT NEED CLEANING, AND GUTTERS THAT NEED FIXING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE A HOME.

FOR ALL THE COMPLAINING I HEAR ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT
BECAUSE IT MEANS WE HAVE FREEDOM OF SPEECH.

FOR THE PARKING SPOT I FIND AT THE FAR END OF THE PARKING LOT BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM CAPABLE OF WALKING AND I HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH TRANSPORTATION.

FOR MY HUGE HEATING BILL
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM WARM.

FOR THE LADY BEHIND ME IN CHURCH WHO SINGS OFF KEY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I CAN HEAR.

FOR THE PILE OF LAUNDRY AND IRONING
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE CLOTHES TO WEAR.

FOR WEARINESS AND ACHING MUSCLES AT THE END OF THE DAY
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE BEEN CAPABLE OF WORKING HARD.

FOR THE ALARM THAT GOES OFF IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I AM ALIVE.

AND FINALLY, FOR TOO MANY E-MAILS
BECAUSE IT MEANS I HAVE FRIENDS WHO ARE THINKING OF ME.

Spring Tour

2011-04-20T15:46:00.000+02:00

I've been on tour this spring.
It's Toastmasters contest season and so all over the world clubs, areas, divisions and districts are holding evaluation and speech contests. My division (D) covers Hungary, Austria, Czech Republic and Northern Bavaria. The individual clubs have all held contests and the winners of those then compete in their "local" areas. Our area here had their contest on 31st March and it was well attended, well organised and good to be together with others.
The area furthest away from me held their contest on Saturday 9th April in Budapest. I've never been to Hungary before so this was a great excuse to go there. Again this was a great event. I also got to meet some new people and enjoyed that very much.
Then we took off for a week of relaxation with the dog. We were based in Illmitz on the Neusiedler See, just south of Vienna. We stayed on a vineyard and enjoyed lots of walking, sunshine, windy days and wine!
Last weekend the final stop on our tour was Brno in the Czech Republic, a very pretty little city in the south of the country. Our hotel was the very luxurious Comsa Brno Palace. I would definitely stay there again.
The contests there were interesting. I had the most curious experience of listening to people give speeches in Czech and I had no clue what they were saying! One woman had a cauliflower as a prop. I recognised the word Alzheimer, so I think the cauliflower was representing the brain.
The man who made the audience really laugh was apparently talking about buying insurance!!

The spring tour is over and it's lovely to be home enjoying the fresh growth in the garden and some warm and sunny days.

Charter Party 2 - Vienna, Austria

2011-03-28T10:43:00.000+02:00

On Saturday 26th March the first German speaking Toastmasters club in Austria celebrated their formation at their charter party and I had the honour to propose a toast. Here it is....

Liebe Toastmaster, liebe Gäste, und vor allem liebe Mitglieder des Wiener Toastmasters Rhetorik Klubs.

Am 26. Januar wurde ein Baby zur Welt gebracht. Der stolze Vater hat mir geschrieben. Wie alle neuen Väter freute er sich darüber.

Es ist immer toll, wenn ein neuer Klub gegründet wird. Wenn

Leute sich auf den Weg machen und andere Leute mitziehen.

Und das Schöne ist, Ihr steht erst am Anfang.

Potentielle neue Mitglieder sind überall zu finden.

Winston Churchill sagte:

Nur zwei Sachen sind schwieriger als eine Rede zu halten, nämlich eine Wand zu erklettern, die sich zu dir hin neigt und ein Mädchen zu küssen, das sich von dir weg neigt!

Ich wünsche Euch ein voller Saal, viele Gäste aus denen treue neue Mitglieder werden.

Eueren Rednern wünsche ich Geist und Esprit für Ihre Projekte.

Eueren Steigreifredner Spontanität und die richtigen Geistesblitze.

Eueren Bewertern ein gutes Ohr und ein gutes Auge sowie das rechte Maß beides zu benutzen.

In Toastmasters sind wir alle Verwandte, zumindest Seelenverwandte. So möchte ich Euch herzlich in der Familie der Division D willkommen heißen.

Daher möchte ich mit Euch schon heute auf viele zukünftige Treffen und Wiedersehen anstoßen.

Prosit Wiener Toastmasters Rhetorik Klub!

Charter Party 1 - Ostrava Czech Republic

2011-03-27T20:07:00.001+02:00

Yesterday evening I had two invitations to attend parties to celebrate the formation of new Toastmasters Clubs in my division. Sadly I couldn't attend both! This is the toast I wrote and sent with the Area Governor, Toni Purdy, for the evening in Ostrava in the Czech Republic.

On the Occasion of the Charter Party of Toastmasters Ostrava

March 26^th 2011

It is with great pleasure that I welcome the members and officers of Toastmasters Ostrava to the Division D family of District 59.

Families grow in all kinds of ways: sometimes by marriage, sometimes by adoption and sometimes by giving birth. Toastmasters Ostrava’s arrival on February 17^th 2011 after such a short gestation and labour period was indeed a great joy and a reason to celebrate.

I toast the success of your club:

May your members be many, and your troubles be few.

May your speeches flow smoothly and evaluations too.

May your ahs, ehs and ums grow less with each time

You give a speech or its Table Topics time!

May you enjoy the fun that others have found

In Toastmastering the whole world round!

Raise a glass to Toastmasters Ostrava!

Morag Mathieson ACS, ALB

Division D Governor 2010 - 2011

Eleven People on a Rope

2011-02-26T10:26:00.000+01:00

Eleven people were hanging on a rope under a helicopter . 10 men and 1 woman. The rope was not strong enough to carry them all so they decided that one had to leave, because otherwise they were all going to fall.

They weren't able to choose that person, until the woman gave a very touching speech. She said that she would voluntarily let go of the rope, because, as a woman, she was used to giving up everything for her husband and kids or for men in general, and was used to always making sacrifices with little in return.

As soon as she finished her speech, all the men started clapping . . . .

A tree for Number Lovers

2011-02-17T08:27:00.000+01:00

My friend Mark, from Oz shared this recently. It is indeed rather cool...

1 x 8 + 1 = 9

12 x 8 + 2 = 98

123 x 8 + 3 = 987

1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876

12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765

123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654

1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543

12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432

123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11

12 x 9 + 3 = 111

123 x 9 + 4 = 1111

1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111

12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111

123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111

1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111

12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111

123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88

98 x 9 + 6 = 888

987 x 9 + 5 = 8888

9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888

98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888

987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888

9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888

98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

1 x 1 = 1

11 x 11 = 121

111 x 111 = 12321

1111 x 1111 = 1234321

11111 x 11111 = 123454321

111111 x 111111 = 12345654321

1111111 x 1111111 = 1234567654321

11111111 x 11111111 = 123456787654321

111111111 x 111111111 = 12345678987654321

Fitba' Crazy

2011-01-28T21:19:00.000+01:00

Here is an article from the online news at The Local that shows how football mad this nation is.

Germany signs Barbie for Women's World Cup

The German Football Federation (DFB) is planning to cash in on hosting the Women's World Cup in June with a football version of the children's doll Barbie wearing the national team's colours.

The German team is bidding to win their third consecutive world title at home and a Fußball edition of the popular children's toy is expected to hit the stores in football-mad Germany later this year.

The Women's World Cup kicks off on June 26, when the hosts face Canada at Berlin's Olympic Stadium, and the final will be held in Frankfurt on July 17.

"There will be a Football-Barbie wearing a Germany shirt," Doris Fitschen, the general manager of the Germany team, told German weekly newspaper Die Zeit.

"It will appear in the shops at the end of March and will be aimed at our target group. We are aiming to attract young girls who we can inspire to play football."

Germany has dominated the women's game by winning both the last two World Cup titles, in 2003 and 2007, and the last five European titles.

Season's Greetings

2010-12-22T09:03:00.000+01:00

Digital ecard generated with Smilebox

T.O.A.S.T.M.A.S.T.E.R.

2010-12-16T16:42:00.000+01:00

Last night was our annual Toastmasters Club Christmas Party. I was going to recite a poem as my contribution to the entertainment and then suddenly at the last minute I had the thought that I should pen something myself. It took about 20 minutes and I beg artisitic licence for the parts that don't quite follow the meter or rhyme fully.

T.O.A.S.T.M.A.S.T.E.R.

T is for TABLE TOPICS a good place to start.

If you can make it to green, please take heart.

Later come structure, humour and vision.

Keep getting better and you’ll make the competition.

O is for OPENING all speeches should have one

Whether dramatic, informative, scary or fun.

Followed by body and then a conclusion.

So for your listeners there should be no confusion.

A is APPLAUSE when it’s finally over

The stress has died down and you didn’t fall over.

The audience received and appreciated your speech.

Give yourself a pat on the back, if you can reach.

S is for SPEECH project, the first one is scary

Even with experience, it can be quite hairy.

“I might lose my nerve, or my throat may go dry.

My trousers might fall down or I’ll give up and cry!”

T is FOR TIMER the one with the power

Checking the speaker doesn’t go on for an hour.

A green light is good, and yellow is fine.

Red means sit down, you’re nearly out of time.

M is for MASTER, Toast, Table Topics or Joke

Keeping the attention of the listening folk.

Leading and speaking and keeping us in check

Never done it before? Come on, what the heck!

A is for AH, EH AND FOR UM

Filling the time until it is done.

Counting them needs good listening ears

We stop at 10 to avoid too many tears!

S is for SWEATING as you wait for your turn.

You’re keeping control then you start to burn.

Your cheeks turn pink and your palms begin to sweat.

Then before you know it, your notes are all wet!

T is for TREMBLING as you walk to the stage

Pulling your clothes and rustling your page.

If only your knees would do as they’re told

The rest of your body would be as good as gold.

E is for EVALUATION after every speech.

“If only you would know when not to screech!”

“Your voice is like a sandpaper and is getting on my nerves.”

“You could do with more energy, you’re lacking vital verve!”

R is for REACHING a goal we want to meet

Ten well crafted speeches done- that’s was really neat.

“Competent Communicator” shining on my pin.

Only thirty more until I’m DTM!

Toastmasters at Christmas, you’re invited to dream a dream

New speech ideas, fewer Ahs, or stopping right on green.

Let’s raise a glass and in good cheer.

Drink a Toast to a happy new Toastmastering year!

Supermarket Entertainment

2010-11-25T16:57:00.000+01:00

I just got back from the supermarket where I witnessed something unexpected. In the cafe at the supermarket there was a live band playing, sounded a bit like hits of yesteryear. The kind of music you find in hotels at resorts which aim to attract retired people enjoying life as "Eurotourists".
Amongst the tables there were couples dancing and lots of people singing along. On a cold and snowy Thursday it seemed to provide a tonic for the elderly shoppers and the supermarket aisles were rather empty which made me even happier!

WIll it catch in Tesco? Somehow I can't see it.

GoD And DoG by Wendy J Francisco

2010-11-09T16:16:00.001+01:00

On a recent trip to Canada David bought me a sweet little book: God and Dog by Wendy Francisco.
The book began life as an animation on You Tube and only came into print in September 2010. Much of Wendy's writings centre around the belief that there is a loving God who created the universe. She struggles with religions that limit people but feels that God himself is real and loves people.

Having reflected recently on the lessons my own dog teaches me about loyalty, love and companionship I found this particularly touching.

Enjoy!

September's gone and so has October

2010-10-31T17:19:00.000+01:00

Okay, so my diligence in blog writing has waned in recent weeks. I can't believe my last entry was in August.
September was a beautiful month. Lots of sunny days as the temperature began to fall and two things began to loom large on the horizon: family celebrations and Toastmasters Fall contest season.

The first celebration was our wedding anniversary. 23 years. I can hardly believe it. Time has flown by so quickly and in some ways we seem like different people. Thankfully with the same love for each others and I'm grateful that we've grown together over the years and not apart.
The second was my birthday. I won't say how many years! It was a cold Thursday. I spent the day at home preparing for the many activities coming up. That evening we went to church to meet our home group. We were rehearsing for a service which we were going to lead on that Sunday. They treated me to some lovely gifts, good wishes and 2 birthday cakes! One was an apple streusel cake ( a favourite of David's) and the other was a Maulwurf (molehill) cake - a new experience for me and very tasty.

The Toastmasters' Contest season began with our club contests in early September. The Fall contests are in humorous speech and in table topics. We had lots of interest in table topics but not many contestants in humorous speech this year.
The winners then competed at area level. In our case Nürnberg / Erlangen. As Area Governor this year it was David's job to organise this. So on one of the most beautiful autumn days in early October the contests took place. Sadly not so many people came, but it was still a good event and those who stayed home missed something.
The next round was the Division contest. For us this means Toastmasters from Franconia, Czech Republic, Austria and Hungary. We met in Most in the Czech Republic last weekend. My job as Division Governor was to organise the contests. A team from Prague put together a whole weekend of workshops, entertainment and fun to go along side the contests and this truly was a great event.

Now we have the final round of contests in November in Barcelona and the season will be over for this year.
Then it's back to celebrating family events: more birthdays and Christmas too.

Lucky Escape

2010-08-24T18:04:00.000+02:00

On Saturday David and I went to Prague for a meeting. Prague is only about 3 hours drive from here, so a day trip is possible.
On the way there we noticed a large, fast car driving slowly whose driver was flagging other drivers to slow down. Our first thought was that this was an unmarked police car and there might be roadworks, an accident or a slow moving vehicle up ahead. Like the other drivers, we slowed down as we overtook this vehicle but saw nothing up ahead.
On the journey home in the evening we saw a mercedes driving slowly and the driver was again flagging the cars to slow down. We overtook this car and pulled in front of it. The driver then began to flash his lights and pulled over to the hard shoulder. Being generally law-abiding citizens we assumed it was police in an unmarked car and we too pulled over to the hard shoulder and stopped the car.
Some quick thinking meant that we kept the engine running, locked all the doors and opened the driver's window a little. An Arab-looking man got out of the back of the car and came running towards us. He asked if we spoke German and then thrust a business card advertising an import, export business in Dortmund through the window of the car. He told us he was a director of this company and had to get to Dortmund as soon as possible, but they had no money for petrol and would we give them money for petrol. He then pulled off a "gold" ring from his finger and dropped it into David's hand, saying repeatedly we should give him money for petrol in exchange for his ring. David promptly pushed the ring and the card back through the window and we drove off.
Not quite sure whether the ring was worth anything. I suspect not. There have been tales of business cards impregnated with drugs to make the driver drowsy and then thieves rob the car.
Thankfully the only theft we experienced was that of time.
Beware men in fast cars driving slowly and trying to stop foreign cars in the Czech Republic.

Time Flies

2010-08-16T17:18:00.001+02:00

It's been 2 months since my last post. That doesn't mean nothing's been happening, just that I haven't taken time to write about it.
Since then:
- I've been to Prague and Vienna, where I got in excess of 100 mosquito bites. That was one painful evening!
- Dave came to stay and we cruised around in a convertible in the blazing sun for a weekend.
- Hazel and the boys stayed for almost 4 weeks and we lazed by the pool, played endless imaginative games and read stories
- survived almost 40C heat for a few weeks
- Dave came back with Terasa and the children for a couple of weeks and we played tourists in cooler weather!
- had a lovely evening at Klassik Open Air
- went to Blues & Jazz Festival in Bamberg
- had a canoeing trip cancelled twice because of the rain.

Probably the one event of this summer that is the most poignant is today. Aiden, our almost 5 year old nephew put on his uniform (including tie) and went to school for the first time. A moving day for his parents and grandparents and one that makes me ask where have the last 5 years gone!

Passion Play

2010-06-10T17:43:00.000+02:00

I was 17 when I saw it for the first time. Straight out of school and travelling with my mum and a group from our church. We had great excitement and anticipation. A play that lasted 5 hours in an open air theatre in the middle of the Bavarian alps and it was all in German.
The language wasn't a great barrier as we knew the story and from the acting we could work out what was happening. For the group I was with the experience was both an adventure to participate in an event which happens once every 10 years and also somewhat pilgrim in nature - travelling to a "holy place" where people over the decades had honoured God in their own way.
It was 10 years later when I went with my husband. We camped in the village, where the the campsite had the most revolting toilets ever! We begged and persuaded and eventually one of the tour reps sold us some tickets without accommodation. For David this was a major experience. At this stage he spoke no more German than thank you, please and beer ! He loved the play and whole spiritual dimension to the experience.
In 2000 we couldn't get tickets so missed out.
This time we got tickets for us and my brother and his wife. I was interested to see what I thought this visit.
It was a warm summer's day and we had seats quite far back but in the middle of the row. There have been some changes to the direction of the play. It now starts in the afternoon and finishes around 10.30 in the evening to make use of the sunset as a backdrop for some scenes. Spectacular.
This time I followed sections of the play in the German text and understood the words, not just the story. There was still great power in the interpretation by the actors. What surprised me most was the number of people in the theatre who slept through some or all of the play. How? were they too warm, too tired or too bored? Why? Why did they spend so much money on the tickets? if they didn't want to see the play why bother going and sitting through the whole performance? Just to say, "I was there"?

Inspiring Thought

2010-05-26T09:42:00.000+02:00

Yesterday I came across the following quote and was inspired by it:

"I simply argue that the cross be raised again at the centre of the market place as well as on the steeple of the church. I am recovering the claim that Jesus was not crucified in a cathedral between two candles, but on a cross between two thieves; on the town garbage heap; at a crossroads so cosmopolitan that they had to write his title in Hebrew and in Latin and in Greek (or should we say in English, in Bantu and in Afrikaans?) at the kind of place where cynics talk smut, and thieves curse and soldiers gamble. Because that is where he died. And that is what he died about. And that is where churchmen should be and what churchmanship should be about."

George MacLeod

For me this is not only inspiring but challenging. The temptation exists to forget the dirty, smelly painful reality and make this a tidy religious image.

The impossible dream

2010-05-06T17:44:00.001+02:00

For as long as I can remember I was fascinated by Concorde. Supersonic flight. How does that work?
I wanted to fly on board and like so many dreams that's all it ever was. A daydream. It was an expensive dream. I guess I consigned it to the bucket of "not for the likes of me" and so I never saved for it but would look longingly at the adverts.
During my postgraduate training I used to stop outside Prestwick Airport on my way home from work on Tuesday evenings and watch it take off.....and dream.
I supposed that one day, maybe for a special birthday or anniversary, we would go on it having earned enough to pay for the trip or being able to justify the expense on the grounds of the occasion.
Then came the news that the fleet was to be grounded. By this time I could afford it but couldn't find a free seat!
I watched, filled with nostalgia and sadness as three came in to land at Heathrow for the last time. So I would never climb into the hallowed machine or break the sound barrier.

This week a friend came to visit from New Zealand, who is an aircraft enthusiast. I went with her and a German friend to the Auto and Technik Museum at Sinsheim. I was the driver and wasn't really sure what to expect. The museum was amazing, filled with interesting vehicles and machinery from all ages.
Most amazing of all to me was the presence of an Air France Concorde, even better it was possible to go on board and see how it would have been.
I was thrilled. A dream I thought had passed me by had at last been fulfilled, at least in part.

Something Important

2010-04-08T11:57:00.000+02:00

My nephew (almost 5 years old) called me on Good Friday to tell me something important:

"Guess what Auntie Mo? The baby Jesus died. But you don't need to be sad because he's living again"

Ah the simplicity!

Sir James Black

2010-04-05T13:41:00.000+02:00

Sir James Black was a very eminent scientist of our times. My interest in him and his career springs from a very simple source. He was my mother's cousin and they were one year apart in age.

My mother often told stories of his parents and him and his brothers and of family visits. Sadly in adulthood the families spent less time together and so I never really got to know him well.

I do remember his visit to the University of Aberdeen when I was a student. He gave a lecture to medical and pharmacy students about his work. It was interesting and engaging and I considered myself privileged to have been there.

I am sure his legacy and the memory of his contribution to medical science will live on for years to come.

Thank you and farewell

2010-04-05T13:35:00.008+02:00

Sir James Black

Published on 23 Mar 2010

Doctor and pharmacologist;

Born June 14, 1924;

Died March 22, 2010

SIR James Black, who has died aged 85 after a long illness, takes his
place in the pantheon of Scotland’s greatest scientists, to be
revered in the company of the likes of Sir Alexander Fleming.
How many can claim that their discoveries have allowed countless
thousands to lead normal lives, when before that the prospect
was disability, disease and death?

Widely known as Jim, he is credited with designing the drug
propranolol, marketed as Inderal, a milestone in the treatment of
heart disease, as well as the drug cimetidine (Tagamet), for peptic
ulcers. At one point, they were the two most widely used legal
drugs in the world, and it was for his work on both that he shared
the Nobel Prize with two Americans who had worked on unrelated
research.

The pioneer of beta-blockers – the medicines used in the
treatment of angina and high blood pressure – was born
James Whyte Black in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, the fourth of five
sons of a devout Baptist father who worked as a colliery
manager. After attending Beath High School in Cowdenbeath,
he won a scholarship to St Andrew’s University.

He followed his elder brother William in studying medicine
and “learned, for the first time, the joys of substituting hard,
disciplined study for the indulgence of day-dreaming.
Undergraduate prizes seemed to confirm that I was working
harder than my colleagues in a new-found love affair with
knowledge.”

He left with a degree in medicine in 1946 and immediately
married a biochemistry student, Hilary Vaughan, whom
he had met at a student ball two years earlier.

He was recruited to the physiology department that autumn
and found that his new wife, completing her degree in biochemistry,
was one of his students. As a world renowned scientist he
recalled with great affection and respect:

“Intellectually she was the most exciting person I have ever
known and, quite simply, the mainspring of my life.”

He worked in the laboratory of Professor Robert Garry,
who was trying to discover how the intestine was able to
absorb sugars selectively. The findings of Garry’s research
student indicated that iodoacetate (a compound formed by the
action of iodine on ammonia) destroyed the intestinal
epithelium tissue. The young scientist began to wonder if
iodoacetate was a general poison. What did it do to
blood pressure, for example?

It was after his father died of a heart attack that he had turned
his attention to coronary problems. Scientists were searching
for ways to increase the oxygen supply to the heart muscle
when it was deprived of adequate blood and he decided
to invert the proposition, and to try to decrease the demand.

At the end of 1947 the Blacks left for Singapore, partly
because of debts incurred in paying for his medical studies,
and also to further his academic prospects.

As a lecturer at the King Edward VII College of Medicine
he learned that experimenting in physiology was too difficult
“if the inspiration was no more than wishful thinking.”

However, he did make progress in his research into relating
mucosal blood flow to rates of intestinal absorption before
returning to London in 1950.

The Blacks lacked a home, an income, and prospects. But a
chance meeting on Oxford Street with his old teacher
Professor Garry from St Andrews was to help create a future
Nobel laureate. Garry sent him to William Weipers, director
of the Veterinary School at Glasgow University. Weipers
gave him the opportunity to start a new physiology department,
and during the next eight years he built a state-of-the-art
physiology teaching laboratory.

He recalled: “As I slowly learned, like a primitive painter,
how to be an effective experimenter, ideas began to ferment.”
He worked on gastric acid secretion, and on ways of
increasing the supply of oxygen to the heart in patients with
narrowed coronary arteries.

This led to the invention of propranolol, the beta adrenergic
receptor antagonist that revolutionised the treatment of angina
and is considered to be one of the most important contributions
to clinical medicine in the 20th century

His years from 1958 at ICI Pharmaceuticals Division, Cheshire,
were some of the most exciting of his life.

He learned about modern deductive organic chemistry, and
was converted to pharmacology. He also learned how to
collaborate across disciplines in this “educational tour de force”.

In 1964 he moved to Smith Kline & French
(which later became SmithKline Beecham) where he laid
the groundwork for the discovery of the anti-ulcer
medication cimetidine, or Tagamet. Sales of Tagamet, which
was discovered in Welwyn Garden City, transformed
SmithKline into one of the world’s most important drug companies.

Black left SmithKline in 1973, just before cimetidine was
identified, to head the pharmacology department at
University College, London. In the late 1970s he joined
Wellcome Research Laboratories in England, then became
Professor of Analytical Pharmacology at King’s College
School of Medicine in 1984.

“You don’t actually know why you did things,” he said
about his peripatetic career. “I think it happens. You
choose at that moment.”

In 1988 Sir James was joint winner of the Nobel Prize
for Physiology or Medicine for his development of
beta-blockers and described as “the greatest breakthrough
when it comes to pharmaceuticals against heart illness since
the discovery of digitalis 200 years ago”.

The prize also acknowledged his work in anti-ulcer
histamine receptor blocking drugs, including Tagamet. A
member of the select Order of Merit, this great and
generous scientist was chairman of the James Black
Foundation, founded in 1988 as a non-profit making
group of scientists engaged in new drug research. He was also
chancellor of Dundee University, and wore his many honours lightly.

Hilary died in 1986 after 40 years of marriage. They had
one daughter, Stephanie, born in 1951. In 1994, in a
quiet ceremony in Bearsden, he married Rona Mackie, then
a professor of dermatology and a skin cancer expert at
Glasgow University, now professor at the university’s
Department of Public Health and Health Policy. He is survived
by Rona, his daughter Stephanie and stepchildren Alison and
Douglas. Lady Black is respected worldwide for her
research into malignant melanoma.

Easter Approaches

2010-04-01T11:49:00.000+02:00

Here in Germany we are experiencing Easter time a little differently to the way we would at home.

Previously we would have shared Holy Week services with our neighbouring churches and so would have been to church every evening this week. Instead here we have services only today (Grün Donnerstag / Green Thursday) and tomorrow (Karfreitag / Good Friday) and then the usual on Easter Sunday morning.

Also here I find that I am shopping - preparing for a few days of shop closures. In Scotland we never had Good Friday as a holiday and in England, although it was a holiday the shops opened and people went shopping. As with all holidays here only the bakers will open tomorrow and on Easter Sunday even they will close.
I like the experience of shops closing and the world "resting" and honestly don't miss the Sunday bizz in shopping centres and supermarkets that I used to see.
What I also notice is the disappearance of the word Easter to be replaced with Spring. Spring holidays, spring break, spring eggs, etc.
Another Christian festival hijacked?

Oh I do like to be beside the seaside

2010-03-18T20:10:00.000+01:00

Last weekend we went to England. The airline tickets for both of us including taxes came to the grand total of 99 Euro. Thank you Lufthansa! They had a special offer on certain routes, Munich to Manchester being one of them and so we decided to go for the weekend.

One of the highlights of the weekend was a day trip to the seaside, to the town of Bridlington. We had never been there before and although it was a breezy 10 degrees it was great to smell the sea and hear the seagulls again. Living so far inland the sea has now become a luxury, longed for by both of us.

We enjoyed the visit in stereotypical style: fish and chips with a pot of tea and bread and butter followed by a walk along the prom past all of the amusements and fairground rides and finished it off by walking on the beach and skimming stones.

Back to Vienna

2010-03-09T19:14:00.001+01:00

March is time for the annual "pilgrimage" to Vienna. David has to go there on business and usually I tag along for the ride. Previously I have visited museums, art galleries, walked in the parks and shopped in the beautiful stores of its old streets.

This year was different. We took the dog. The Viennese are known as a city of dog lovers and there are areas called "Hundezone" reserved for the exercising of dogs.
Each day began with an early morning walk - for David, while I slept on a little. Then after a leisurely breakfast I stayed in the room with the dog while the maids came and cleaned. He was always pleased to see them and never barked at the vacuum cleaner - amazing! I caught up on some reading while he snoozed as the sunlight streamed in. On one day I met a friend for lunch and then hit the shops. On another I went to Bratislava for a speech contest and on the others I went to church and walked in the city.
Later in the afternoon we walked together in the city to meet David at the tube station and then walked back to the hotel.
After dinner we took him for his evening stroll and then a leisurely hour in the hotel lobby bar, where guests came and spoke to him, gave him toys and fed him beer. ( The dog, not David)
The whole experience made for a calm David and amazingly I didn't miss my culture fix this time.

Emotional Moment

2010-02-25T15:48:00.001+01:00

Today in German class our teacher prepared a lesson around the German singer Herbert Grönemeyer. He has had many hits and it's fair to say he's a successful artist.
I have heard some of his songs on the radio but never paid too close attention to them as often they are hard to understand when you are trying to concentrate on the road and listen closely to the words.
His own life is not without tragedy, his wife died of cancer aged 45 and for a year afterwards he disappeared from performing and then came back with songs written from the heart, following his experience. Today we listened to one of them called Der Weg (the way) and for the first time ever I found myself getting really emotional in class.
I have read, heard and seen so many things in my life that I am not always particularly moved by such performances. However today there must have been something in the combination of words, music and emotions that really hit me. Thank you HG.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MH-R3UYtpig

Moses & the Egyptians

2010-02-16T17:27:00.002+01:00

In 2010 I decided to challenge myself to read the bible. Yes, all of it in one year.

I haven't managed to read some everyday but I am keeping roughly on track. I am just a few chapters behind in Exodus at the moment.

Today I read about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, following their progress out of Egypt and across the Red Sea. This a story I first heard when I was a child and not one that I have read or heard in many years. There were a couple of things that really struck me today:

1. they took the bones of Joseph with them, which must have been around 400 years old. So much for a final resting place for poor old Joseph! Although Moses was carrying out Joseph's wish to be removed.

2. Simply by raising his hand, Moses caused the waters of the Red Sea to rush back and drown the Egyptians who were in pursuit. I guess Army Officers face this kind of decision in their professional life. I cannot imagine having to take decisions about the life and death of hundreds of people like this.

There are certainly stories of great horrors and tragedy in the Old Testament and I am looking forward to reading more of them!

Echoes of Days Past

2010-01-26T16:27:00.004+01:00

On Saturday morning I headed over to Scotland, on a bargain air ticket, for the weekend.

I was overjoyed when I arrived because it was raining and rain is one of my favourite things!! Yes honestly. The rain wasn't too heavy and felt refreshing as I walked in the relative warmth of 4C.

My welcome was perfected when I drew up at my brother's house and my youngest nephew (aged 3) came running out of the house to greet me, in his (white) stocking soles!! I am sure I was very popular with his mum.

On Sunday I had a very busy, but nonetheless enjoyable day. My sister-in-law and I went to church together, to the church where I grew up. The bible reading for the day was one of the readings we had at our wedding and we sang many evocative songs which reminded me of times past. Then after a short burst of shopping and snack lunch I headed off to Stirling, where David and I lived for many years, to attend a memorial service.

John Sinclair was a respected elder in the church when we first went there. Thankfully during our time at the church we got to know him and his wife and to discover that he was also a man of humour and humanity. We spent many hours drinking coffee, eating soup, listening to and telling stories with both him and his wife. They were a couple we always admired and felt taught us a lot about life and about growing older. They never stopped caring, being passionate and being involved in things, irrespective of age.

John took ill late last year and sadly died in December. We couldn't make his funeral so were glad when it was decided to hold a memorial service this weekend and I was able to be there.

The service itself included music that meant something to John and readings were given by people who mattered in his life. Tributes were paid by several different people and brought us to laughter and to misty eyes as we remembered things we had forgotten or discovered new things about John. The afternoon was rounded off by a bowl of soup together, as John always loved when it was soup Sunday at church.

He was an educated man who never made people feel stupid

He was a caring man who made people feel valued

He was a storytelling man who brought richness to conversation

He was a good humoured man who made many people laugh

He was a quiet encourager, inspirer and supporter who made me feel that most things were possible.

First of the New Year

2010-01-08T22:34:00.002+01:00

Happy New Year!

We saw in New Year fairly quietly. Hazel and the boys were with us: Hazel sipping sekt and the boys sleeping.

The first week of the new year saw us make a few trips out to the usual locations, although the cold and snow has kept us close to home much of the time. The boys have enjoyed playing in the snow, building puzzles, reading, drawing and playing all kinds of imaginative games.

I can hardly believe that in a few short days they will go home again. Thankfully they have decided that we are "best friends forever" and hopefully will come back again.

Season's Greetings

2009-12-23T10:47:00.000+01:00

Advent in Austria

2009-12-20T21:17:00.003+01:00

Snow snow snow snow

snow on bare trees

snow on evergreens

snow on benches

snow on bicycles

snow snow snow snow.

Snow snow snow snow

snow on hats

snow on coats

snow on the tip of an outstretched tongue

snow on dogs

snow snow snow snow

Snow snow snow snow

snow on top of mountains

snow on top of roofs

snow on top of cars

snow on top of sculptures

snow snow snow snow

Snow snow snow snow

making the world white

making the day muffled

making the night lighter

making everything seem fresh again

snow snow snow snow.

Christmas News 2009

2009-12-13T16:47:00.005+01:00

This year, like last year, I didn't send a Christmas newsletter to friends and family. Not because we don't want to share any news, but because of the tight deadline of getting our cards to the UK to be posted in time for Christmas. Thanks to my sister-in-law Christine for stamping and posting all the cards again. Here is the news that would have come with the card......

2009 has been another fast year and we managed to pack in quite a bit. For both of us not much has changed on the job front.

David is still doing the same job as before but is working with a different group of countries: he now takes care of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, India and the USA. This has resulted in a bit more travelling this year: several trips to different US cities, Australia, India, Sri Lanka, Canada, and Valencia in Spain. He still loves it and is enjoying the challenge of getting to grips with new cultures.

July saw him celebrate 25 years at Siemens. We hosted a party at home for his colleagues and families and some of our friends. This gave him the perfect excuse to have another hog roast. Sadly the weather wasn't so kind and rain meant that we had an earlier than expected finish to the evening. In contrast, on the Sunday we had glorious sunshine and scorching hot temperatures while we cleared up and went out to celebrate Gary's birthday. Gary and his wife Tricia had come from the UK to join in the occasion.

Morag is still working for the RPSGB in London, on a "pocket money" basis. The rest of her time is taken up by a range of voluntary activities including Girl Scouts, Toastmasters and Church.

Toastmasters began as a hobby we shared and has become almost an occupation! From July 2008 until 2009 Morag was president of the local club. In July 2009 she was succeeded by David as president - a very smooth handover! Since July 2009 Morag has been the Secretary of the District, which covers continental Europe.

Morag also had the honour of being named District Toastmaster of the Year 2008 - 2009 at the Conference in Hamburg in November, a most unexpected award.

In 2009 we took a break from leading the music team in church as David needed a break to recover. Instead we have found time to start a new house group and Morag has been part of a small project to redevelop the church website and other "communication related" activities.

We've had quite a lot of people to visit this year, something we really enjoy and have also managed a little travelling ourselves. Morag made 3 trips without David: one short one in February to visit her family in Scotland, camping in Germany with the Girl Scouts in June and a meeting in Lisbon in September.

Together we have enjoyed weekends in Düssledorf, Hamburg and Vienna. Our main holiday this year was a long promised trip to South Africa. David has been there often for work and had promised Morag and our South African friends (Graham & Karin) that we would holiday there. We travelled in late March to Johannesburg and then on to the Kruger National Park and finally to Capetown. It was an amazing journey and we really want to go back again...soon.

Our final travels of 2009 will be to Wolfangsee (Austria) to visit the Advent markets and to Scotland for a few days at Christmas.

We wish you and yours peace at Christmas and all the best in the New Year.

David & Morag x

Advent - a waiting time

2009-11-30T01:33:00.002+01:00

Lights twinkling around doorways, shimmering in gardens and sparkling in the window panes.

Synthetic santas climbing on house fronts and trees carrying an abundance of coloured baubles.

Candles flickering in the evening glow, trigger thoughts of living and breathing.

Quiet country streets, filling up slowly with the signs of the age: satellite dishes and red nosed reindeer.

People are preparing: shopping for new clothes, gifts for friends, food for family celebrations, candles, lights and baubles.

People are talking: to friends and family far away and nearby, making plans for the days ahead.

People are listing: all the tasks and events of the coming weeks.

People are stressing: will it all be done to the required standard, within the required time and anywhere close to an acceptable budget?

People are dreading: time spent with unpopular relatives, time spent away from loved ones, not having enough, having too much, being alone and feeling lonely.

People are remembering: the recipients of cards, the events of the year almost gone, the people who have passed through.

People are waiting: waiting for the great day of the feast, for reunions, for..............

Why? What's it all about? A festival of stress and shopping and pleasing people?

A festival of celebration - the Word became flesh and lived among us for a little while not to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him - waiting to be remembered and enjoyed, waiting for the world to regain a new focus on the things that really matter.

Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T13:01:00.003+01:00

According to calendars and my American friends, today is thanksgiving day in the USA. So to all my American friends and acquaintances, wherever you are in the world - Happy Thanksgiving!

I learned recently that Canada also has a thanksgiving day, but not on the 4th Thursday in November. Possibly other countries do too. For me it is a foreign concept, hard to grasp the feelings, emotions and pressures that seem to accompany it.

At this time of year my thoughts are already on Christmas. Advent is just before us, starting this year on Sunday. I have written all of my Christmas cards for friends and family and will send them off in the mail this evening. The shopping list has been compiled and almost all of the items purchased. I really want to relax and enjoy Advent this year. I plan to take a little time to myself each day and reflect on the reason behind the season. Also when we get to Scotland I want to enjoy the time with friends and family and not have to rush like a maniac around the stores to finish the shopping on time.

Just in case, you think I am a little early this year. I received my first Christmas card this morning. It was sent by my aunt in England. Must run in the family! Thanks Auntie!

Toastmaster of the Year

2009-11-23T16:52:00.003+01:00

This weekend saw us taking a trip to the city of Hamburg for our Toastmasters District Conference. It was a great weekend. We had a chance to catch up with old friends, make a few new ones, learn new things, discuss, enjoy good food and wine and of course dance.

On Saturday there were the speech contests: humorous speech and table topics (impromptu speaking) in English, French and German. I went along to the English and German contests. The standard was incredibly high and worthy winners were chosen. I was especially proud of the winner of the German Humorous Speech Contest. Vera Orac is a Czech woman who grew up in Canada and took the plunge to give a speech in German entitled "Warum ich Deutsch spreche" (Why I speak German). It was hilarious with a great twist in the tale which showed her to be a great storyteller as well as humorous.

On Sunday we had our "Hall of Fame" ceremony where the District Governor of 2008 - 2009 presents a number of awards, recognising the achievements of Area and Division Governors. Finally there are three special awards: Area Governor of the Year, Division Governor of the Year and Toastmaster of the Year.

Joao de Mendonca from Lisbon was recognised as Area Governor of the Year, Jaap Russchenberg from the Netherlands as Division Governor of the Year and I am the Toastmaster of the Year!

Unbelievable! Me!! Toastmaster of the Year for Central Europe! The plaque declares that it is presented "in recognition of exceptional leadership and devoted service". I am so proud and so amazed. I did everything in 2008 - 2009 because I wanted to, I believed it was right and good and the award was so unexpected but is received with grateful appreciation.

Marienplatz, Munich

2009-10-28T00:20:00.003+01:00

Almonds roasting,

wafting on the evening air.

Aromatic coffee,

drifting across the square.

The smell of the day,

fading away as night begins to fall.

I wait and watch and wonder.

Standing small beneath you

as you reach into the sky

reminding us of your power and might.

Flowers hang still in the evening,

the red of the sun gone for another day.

I look up expectantly,

knowing what should happen.

Remembering my first visit.

The excitement of a young traveller,

in the company of others equally young in travelling.

Captivated by your simplicity and history.

Today you are silent,

the square hustles in subdued tones,

In reverent expectation.

Thoughts of people and times past,

days that could never last,

are marked in tuneful salutation.

Last day of the year

2009-10-13T13:17:00.003+02:00

Today is the last day of my year. How has it been?

Quite difficult in places. We have lost a few friends and family members, all fondly remembered. David has battled with his health and we'll know tomorrow how that's looking. My health concerns have taken a back seat as I've focussed on other things. As a result I am not as fit as I was a year ago and have regained some of the weight I lost a few years ago. I am currently carrying a knee injury which doesn't really help. I twisted it leaving someone's home while carrying a heavy box. Stupid, I know but easily done.

It's been a good year in other ways. We have continued getting to know Dave and Terasa and have watched Aiden and Ethan growing from babies to boys and bringing us lots of fun along the way. They invited me yesterday to a sleepover at their house. I so wanted to go!! I have made progress in Toastmasters and enjoyed all of the work that accompanied the progress. Church has brought more new people to us and we've been able to make the long promised visit to South Africa as well as having other fun breaks in Italy and England with friends.

For the year ahead, I plan to continue to grow in my understanding of the world that surrounds me. I want to travel some more and hope to do more paid work and perhaps less free work. I want to regain the lost fitness and increase it if possible.

Above all I want to grow in love and appreciation of those people placed in my life for whatever purpose and for however long.

Ah Vienna

2009-10-11T21:58:00.003+02:00

This weekend I had the pleasure of a pre-birthday trip to Vienna. I drove down on Friday evening with the dog and David flew there from Berlin and I collected him at the airport.

We stayed at a favourite hotel of ours. Favourite because it is in a great central location, but not hideously expensive and welcomes dogs.

When we checked in the receptionist gave us a carrier bag full of goodies, especially for the dog. His very own welcome pack! He knew immediately it was for him and stuck his head straight into the bag to sniff out the goodies and then when we got to the room he wanted to investigate everything in detail. Then he felt very at home.

On Saturday afternoon we were attending the Toastmasters Area Conference where I was giving an educational workshop on "Working in a team environment" and David was counting ballots at a speech contest. Shadow was very happy to stay alone in the hotel room with his toys and relax until we got back.

On Sunday morning I walked with him around some of the streets near the hotel where he sniffed and sniffed and sniffed, every open door we passed he wanted to go in and explore - especially the cafes!!

I think he likes Vienna almost as much as I do. In the words of that famous Ultravox song "Ah Vienna".

Happy Anniversary

2009-09-20T17:42:00.002+02:00

Yesterday we celebrated 22 years of marriage. In some ways it has flown past and in other ways it feels like it happened to someone else.

My wedding band is now plain gold - it used to have a criss-cross pattern on it but that has been worn away by the years. My hair is lighter in colour (colour chosen in consultation with the hair stylist). My wedding dress would never fit me but I still have it in the box in the cellar. I can't imagine any situation (apart from fancy dress) when I might have even the vaguest wish to wear it again.

Hopefully over the years I have learned some very real and practical lessons about love, forgiveness and relationships from an excellent teacher.

Would I do it over again? YES!! With the same man? OF COURSE!!

The dark and difficult days have been the times when I have learned most and grown closer to David. The sunny and easy days have been the times when we could celebrate what we share.

Happy Anniversary David x x x

September

2009-09-01T15:38:00.003+02:00

September always makes me think of autumn, weakening sunshine, spiders, heavy morning dew, shortening days and of course our wedding anniversary!

Today on the 1st of September it is 37C on our terrace with only a few leaves beginning to change colour and no sign of heavy dew fall or spiders.

It seems we are having a little late summer this year.

Results Day

2009-08-25T16:34:00.003+02:00

My friend Marcela sent an email this afternoon to tell me she had received her certificate for the German exam we took in July. She has done extremely well.

My heart began to thump. Where was my certificate? Perhaps I just have a letter to tell me I've failed one or both parts. I went to check in the mail box. Last time the postman couldn't fit the certificate in the mail box and left it leaning on the doorstep. There was no envelope on the step today. Just to be sure I went to the mail box and saw the end of the brown envelope sticking out.

Yippee!! I have passed my exam too. I was relieved and pleased to have scored well. My biggest surprise was to have scored almost 100% on the oral part of the exam. I prefer reading, writing

and listening to speaking the language. On the exam day I didn't think I'd done anything particularly great in the oral exam.

Never mind it's behind me and we're off out to dinner tonight to celebrate.

One step forward two steps backwards

2009-08-24T12:03:00.003+02:00

One of my struggles here has been grappling with the German language. I learned German in school 20+ years ago and had forgotten most of it, although I discovered that actually quite a lot of the grammar rules had stuck and every so often I would just know that something was right or wrong. I guess Mrs Findlay did a good job - thank you wherever you are.

At first here my struggle was with the everyday spoken language. I could go into a local shop and ask for something, but could rarely understand the answer. It was difficult to exchange the small pleasantries of everyday conversation. I didn't learn that in school and I certainly didn't encounter the Franconian dialect in school!!

Effort and persistence had paid off and I am no longer phased by so many things. I can understand most of what is being said and written in my everyday environment - or so I thought until this weekend.

On Saturday we went to look for a new car and came home with the brochure. I was able to understand almost everything and found myself comfortably translating chunks of text for David. I was feeling really satisfied and then we went to view a house that is for sale. The neighbour decided to engage us in conversation. He was a man of about 80 and spoke only dialect...oh man oh man.....I really struggled. I consoled myself with thoughts that if he had spoken "proper" German then I would have understood him. Today I was researching what I have to do if I want to practise pharmacy here. It is fair to say that all the documentation is in "proper"German and sadly I am struggling with some it.

I guess it's back to the dictionary for me.

National Identity.

2009-08-20T19:12:00.002+02:00

On 21st December 1988 an aircraft flying from London to the USA exploded over the small Scottish village of Lockerbie. On that evening I was at home listening to the evening news. My first reaction was panic: my friend's family lived in Lockerbie, were they okay? I tried to call but all the telephone lines were down and this was in the days before mobile phones, so we had to wait for news. My friend and her family were all okay but the farm suffered a bit of damage and was the resting places for aircraft and body parts. It's fair to say this was a dark Christmas for many people.

In the years that followed the investigations only led to the conviction of one man, who was tried and convicted by Scottish judges under Scottish law in the Netherlands. He was then imprisoned in Scotland to serve 27 years for his crimes. Many people have doubted the decision made that day, including bereaved relatives. The evidence is seen by some as circumstantial and

inadequate. Conspiracy theories abound.

I listened today to Kenny MacAskill announce that the convicted man would be released from prison a guilty man and sent to his home country to live out his remaining days. Doctors believe that he has less than 3 months to live as a result of a hormone resistant and aggressive prostate cancer. Of course no one can be 100% sure exactly when he will die. This decision by Mr MacAskill was I believe a brave one to take. As he told the world today:

"Our justice system demands that judgment be imposed but compassion be available. Our beliefs dictate that justice be served, but mercy be shown. Compassion and mercy are about upholding the beliefs that we seek to live by, remaining true to our values as a people. No matter the severity of the provocation or the atrocity perpetrated."

I felt proud to be Scottish, to belong to a people who hold compassion and mercy at the core of their beliefs.

Already the media and others are focusing in on opinions and viewpoints and tangents. Just in case it gets forgotten, here is the text of his speech today.

Cabinet Secretary for Justice Kenny MacAskill

Decisions on the applications for prisoner transfer and compassionate release in relation to Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi

August 20, 2009

_________________________________

It is my privilege to serve as the Cabinet Secretary for Justice in the Government of Scotland. It is a post in which I take great pride, but one which carries with it great responsibility. Never, perhaps, more so than with these decisions that I now have to make.

On the evening of 21 December 1988 a heinous crime was perpetrated. It claimed the lives of 270 innocent civilians. Four days before Christmas, men, women and children going about their daily lives were cruelly murdered. They included 11 from one small Scottish town. That town was Lockerbie - a name that will forever be associated with the worst terrorist atrocity ever committed on UK soil.

A prisoner transfer application has been submitted by the Government of Libya seeking the transfer of Mr Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi. The man convicted of those offences in the Scottish courts. He has also now sought to be released on compassionate grounds due to his prostate cancer that is terminal.

This crime precedes both the election of our Government and even the restoration of a Parliament in Scotland. I now find myself having to make these decisions. However, the applications have been lawfully made, and I am obliged to address them. Final advice from my officials was given late on Friday 14 August 2009. I have now had an opportunity to reflect upon this.

Let me be absolutely clear. As Cabinet Secretary for Justice in Scotland it is my responsibility to decide upon these two applications. These are my decisions and my decisions alone.

In considering these applications I have strictly followed due process, including the procedures laid down in the Prisoner Transfer Agreement and in the Scottish Prison Service guidance on compassionate release. I have listened to many representations and received substantial submissions.

Let me be quite clear on matters on which I am certain. The Scottish police and prosecution service undertook a detailed and comprehensive investigation with the assistance of the US and other authorities. I pay tribute to them for the exceptional manner in which they operated in dealing with both the aftermath of the atrocity and the complexity of a world-wide investigation. They are to be commended for their tenacity and skill. When Mr Al-Megrahi was brought to justice, it was before a Scottish court sitting in the Netherlands. And I pay tribute to our Judges who presided and acted justly.

Mr Al-Megrahi was sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of 270 people. He was given a life sentence and a punishment part of 27 years was fixed. When such an appalling crime is perpetrated it is appropriate that a severe sentence be imposed.

Mr Al-Megrahi has since withdrawn his appeal against both conviction and sentence. As I have said consistently throughout, that is a matter for him and the courts. That was his decision. My decisions are predicated on the fact that he was properly investigated, a lawful conviction passed and a life sentence imposed.

I realise that the abandonment of the appeal has caused concern to many. I have indicated that I am grateful to and proud of those who have served in whatever capacity in bringing this case to justice. I accept the conviction and sentence imposed. However, there remain concerns to some on the wider issues of the Lockerbie atrocity.

This is a global issue, and international in its nature. The questions to be asked and answered are beyond the jurisdiction of Scots law and the restricted remit of the Scottish Government. If a further inquiry were felt to be appropriate then it should be initiated by those with the required power and authority. The Scottish Government would be happy to fully co-operate in such an inquiry.

I now turn to the matters before me that I require to address. An application under the Prisoner Transfer Agreement and an application for compassionate release have been made. I now deal with them in turn.

Prisoner Transfer

Firstly, the prisoner transfer agreement.

The Libyan Government applied on 5 May 2009 for the transfer of Mr Al-Megrahi. Prisoner Transfer Agreements are negotiated by the United Kingdom Government.

Throughout the negotiations and at the time of the signing of the PTA with Libya, the Scottish Government's opposition was made clear. It was pointed out that the Scottish Prison Service had only one Libyan prisoner in custody. Notwithstanding that, the UK Government failed to secure, as requested by the Scottish Government, an exclusion from the PTA for anyone involved in the Lockerbie Air Disaster. As a consequence Mr Al-Megrahi is eligible for consideration for transfer in terms of the agreement entered into by the Governments of the United Kingdom and Libya.

I received numerous letters and representations, and recognised that a decision on transfer would be of personal significance to those whose lives have been affected. Accordingly, I decided to meet with groups and individuals with a relevant interest.

I met with the families of victims: those from the United Kingdom who had relatives on board the flight, as well as those whose kinfolk were murdered in their homes in Lockerbie; a lady from Spain whose sister was a member of the cabin crew; and I held a video conference with families from the United States. I am grateful to each and every one of them for their fortitude on a matter which I know is still a source of great pain.

I also spoke to the United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the United States Attorney General, Eric Holder. I met Minister Alobidi and his delegation from the Libyan Government to hear their reasons for applying for transfer, and to present to them the objections that had been raised to their application.

I have noted and considered all the points presented, and also relevant written representations I received.

Prior to ratification of the Prisoner Transfer Agreement, it was scrutinised by the Westminster Joint Committee on Human Rights, to which Jack Straw, UK Secretary of State for Justice, gave a commitment that in cases where applications were not submitted personally by the prisoner, the prisoner must be given the opportunity to make representations. Mr Al-Megrahi had the opportunity to make representations, and he chose to do so in person. Therefore I was duty bound to receive his representations. I accordingly met him.

It was clear that both the United States Government and the American families objected to a prisoner transfer. They did so on the basis of agreements they said had been made, prior to trial, regarding the place of imprisonment of anyone convicted.

The United States Attorney General, Eric Holder, was in fact deputy Attorney General to Janet Reno at the time of the pre-trial negotiations. He was adamant that assurances had been given to the United States Government that any person convicted would serve his sentence in Scotland. Many of the American families spoke of the comfort that they placed upon these assurances over the past ten years. That clear understanding was reiterated to me, by the US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

I sought the views of the United Kingdom Government. I offered them the right to make representations or provide information. They declined to do so. They simply informed me that they saw no legal barrier to transfer and that they gave no assurances to the US Government at the time. They have declined to offer a full explanation as to what was discussed during this time, or to provide any information to substantiate their view. I find that highly regrettable.

I therefore do not know what the exact nature of those discussions was, nor what may have been agreed between Governments. However, I am certain of the clear understanding of the American families and the American Government.

Therefore it appears to me that the American families and Government either had an expectation, or were led to believe, that there would be no prisoner transfer and the sentence would be served in Scotland.

It is for that reason that the Libyan Government's application for prisoner transfer for Abdelbasit Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi I accordingly reject.

Compassionate Release

I now turn to the issue of compassionate release.

Section three of the Prisoners and Criminal Proceedings (Scotland) Act 1993 gives the Scottish Ministers the power to release prisoners on licence on compassionate grounds.

The Act requires that Ministers are satisfied that there are compassionate grounds justifying the release of a person serving a sentence of imprisonment. Although the Act does not specify what the grounds for compassionate release are, guidance from the Scottish Prison Service, who assess applications, suggests that it may be considered where a prisoner is suffering from a terminal illness and death is likely to occur soon. There are no fixed time limits but life expectancy of less than three months may be considered an appropriate period. The guidance makes it clear that all prisoners, irrespective of sentence length, are eligible to be considered for compassionate release. That guidance dates from 2005.

On 24 July 2009 I received an application from Mr Al-Megrahi for compassionate release. He was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer in September 2008. I have been regularly updated as to the progression of his illness. I have received numerous comprehensive medical reports including the opinions of consultants who have been treating him. It is quite clear to the medical experts that he has a terminal illness, and indeed that there has recently been a significant deterioration in his health.

In order to consider the application for compassionate release, I was provided with reports and recommendations by the Governor of Greenock Prison, the doctors and prison social work staff. Also, as laid out in statute, I have consulted the Parole Board. This is the normal process for consideration of an application for compassionate release and my decision is in accordance with all the advice given to me.

It is the opinion of his Scottish Prison Service doctors who have dealt with him prior to, during and following the diagnosis of prostate cancer, and having seen him during each of these stages, that his clinical condition has declined significantly. Assessment by a range of specialists has reached the firm consensus that his disease is, after several different trials of treatment, "hormone resistant" - that is resistant to any treatment options of known effectiveness. Consensus on prognosis therefore has moved to the lower end of expectations.

Mr Al-Megrahi was examined by Scottish Prison Service doctors on 3 August. A report dated 10 August from the Director of Health and Care for the Scottish Prison Service indicates that a 3 month prognosis is now a reasonable estimate. The advice they have provided is based not only on their own physical examination but draws on the opinion of other specialists and consultants who have been involved in his care and treatment. He may die sooner - he may live longer. I can only base my decision on the medical advice I have before me. That medical advice has been made available to the United States Government at their request and has been published on grounds of public interest.

It has been suggested that Mr Al-Megrahi could be released from prison to reside elsewhere in Scotland. Clear advice from senior police officers is that the security implications of such a move would be severe. I have therefore ruled that out as an option.

Conclusion

Having met the criteria, it therefore falls to me to decide whether Mr Al-Megrahi should be released on compassionate grounds. I am conscious that there are deeply held feelings, and that many will disagree whatever my decision. However a decision has to be made.

Scotland will forever remember the crime that has been perpetrated against our people and those from many other lands. The pain and suffering will remain forever. Some hurt can never heal. Some scars can never fade. Those who have been bereaved cannot be expected to forget, let alone forgive. Their pain runs deep and the wounds remain.

However, Mr Al-Megrahi now faces a sentence imposed by a higher power. It is one that no court, in any jurisdiction, in any land, could revoke or overrule. It is terminal, final and irrevocable. He is going to die.

In Scotland, we are a people who pride ourselves on our humanity. It is viewed as a defining characteristic of Scotland and the Scottish people. The perpetration of an atrocity and outrage cannot and should not be a basis for losing sight of who we are, the values we seek to uphold, and the faith and beliefs by which we seek to live.

Mr Al-Megrahi did not show his victims any comfort or compassion. They were not allowed to return to the bosom of their families to see out their lives, let alone their dying days. No compassion was shown by him to them.

But, that alone is not a reason for us to deny compassion to him and his family in his final days.

Our justice system demands that judgment be imposed but compassion be available. Our beliefs dictate that justice be served, but mercy be shown. Compassion and mercy are about upholding the beliefs that we seek to live by, remaining true to our values as a people. No matter the severity of the provocation or the atrocity perpetrated.

For these reasons - and these reasons alone - it is my decision that Mr Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al-Megrahi, convicted in 2001 for the Lockerbie bombing, now terminally ill with prostate cancer, be released on compassionate grounds and allowed to return to Libya to die.

Babybel and Children's Yoghurt

2009-08-16T21:56:00.002+02:00

I opened the fridge today and I saw them....the last reminders of the summer visit of Aiden and Ethan, our 2 small nephews. As adults there are things we never buy, but with 2 small people to take care of it gave us an excuse to purchase unfamiliar or long forgotten products like babybel cheese and tiny pots of children's yoghurt.

We had a great time with them. They've grown so much in the last 6 months. They were lots of fun, polite and well mannered most of the time and loving all of the time. They are a real credit to their parents.

This time the highlights of their stay were:

playing badminton and tennis, according to our own rules

visit to the zoo and we got to see newborn tiger cubs

playing at Playmobil in scorching heat

eating ice cream

swimming and going down the flumes (scary for their mum)

getting up close to reindeer

playing at Killian's house

grilling - any place, any time, any thing

movie night

ben 10

walking in the forest and finding interesting sticks.

The house is so quiet again, we're missing them and can't wait for their next visit.

Scene in a lay by

2009-08-09T12:13:00.002+02:00

Sometimes when I drive along the road I am so focussed on the traffic that I see little of anything else that is happening around the road. This morning I was driving to the bakery and as the traffic was quiet and I was in a relaxed frame of mind I took time to gaze around.

As I passed by a layby just off the autobahn, I noticed two cars parked and standing between the two cars were a man, a woman and a boy of around 12 years old. The man stood close to the boy holding the boy's face in both of his hands. His face was close to the boy's face and there were tears dripping from the man's face. The woman stood a little apart and held her arms around her body as if consoling herself, whilst fighting back the tears.

Exactly what was happening I clearly don't know. If I were to guess then I'd say that this was a divided family: the father and mother meeting in a layby near the motorway to hand over the son during the school vacation. Meeting in neutral territory and away from new partners. Such a sad little scene, but one I am sure is repeated many times over in these days of high separation rates in families.

Making into the press

2009-08-04T19:16:00.003+02:00

There are many people in life who inspire me. In 1988 I met such a person. Katharine was a newly ordained, ground breaking woman in the Church of Ireland. She was also someone who was easy to talk with and with whom I laughed lots. Over the years we've kept in touch, but haven't seen much of each other. I was delighted to find that the Irish Times today carried an article about Katharine and her husband.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/health/2009/0804/1224251958402.html

Good to read!

Bold Visitor

2009-07-17T21:50:00.002+02:00

When I came home today a mouse walked in the front door of our house and hid on a ledge beside the door. The dog barked at him for some time and then he came out of hiding, walked back out of the door and into the garden before hiding under the stairs in front of the house.

How does that work?

2009-07-13T17:56:00.003+02:00

David has gone to the USA on business. He left yesterday morning with a colleague (Peter) and they both flew business class from Nuremberg to Frankfurt then on to Toronto. The connection time in Toronto was short and because of a delay in their incoming flight and a problem with baggage handling they missed their connection. They had to wait 4 hours for the next one. Then to add insult to injury there were not enough seats on the next flight.
The airline staff decided that David could have the remaining seat as he had a higher grade of frequent flyer card than Peter and Peter would have to wait in Toronto for the next again flight.
When David got to Baltimore there was another problem with his baggage and after waiting the airline representative told him that they had located one of his bags and were waiting for the second one. "But I only have one suitcase" protested David. It turned out that the airline had decided to assign Peter's case to David as well as David's own. If they couldn't send the passenger then at least they had sent the suitcase!
Unbelievable in these days of intense security that such a thing should happen, especially in North America. Who knows that's in Peter's case!

Significant Date

2009-07-04T23:19:00.002+02:00

What's so special about today?

Well it was on this day in 1988 that I registered and was able to practise as a pharmacist for the first time. It was a Monday and I was terrified, despite the good class of honours degree and the year of supervised practise, projects, study days and excellent reports from my tutor I was still terrified! These were real patients, who I could help or harm. When a patient wanted to speak to the pharmacist it was me they meant and they trusted what I said. Gulp! The pharmacy team asked me questions and expected that I would know the answer. They never seemed to doubt that I would know what to say or to do in any one of the situations that arose. Little did they know the terror deep within!
It all seems a long time ago, but I can still remember the first prescription I ever dispensed, what is was for and who the patient was. I can also still remember my first dispensing error and the horror that filled my being when I realised what I had done. Thankfully it was minor (I forgot to stick the label, that gave the patient's details and the dosage, on to the box) and the patient had had the medication many times before and didn't even notice that the label was missing. He was most impressed that I realised I had made a mistake and tried to correct it. This gave me confidence and also inspired the way I handle mistakes that other people make when they are dealing with me in different situations.
Once the mistake was out of the way I settled down and began to do the job I had trained for and the terror began to subside.

The 4th July is also the birthday of one of my oldest and dearest friends, Janice. Happy Birthday Janice.

Oh yes, and it's a significant day in the USA today, but other people will have plenty to say about that so I'll just leave it for now.

In Paul Flemming's Footsteps

2009-06-27T12:30:00.002+02:00

As part of my German studies I have been reading a series of books by a German author called Jan Beinßen. The main character in this series of detective novels is a photographer and hobby detective called Paul Flemming. The books are all set in and around Nuremberg.

Yesterday evening I went on a walking tour of Nürnberg with my German class and others, guided by the author himself. We met outside Bratwurst Röslein and Jan gave us each a copy of Franken magazine, where some of his short stories are published. We also got a bratwurst each to get us in the mood. (one of the books is about bratwurst).

Leaving there we headed up towards the castle, stopping at the bronze model of the city so he could orient us. From the castle we looked over the city and he read from Book 4 (Meisterdieb). He told us that the castle has not yet featured in any of his novels as he wants to keep it for the last one.

From here we headed to Sankt Sebaldus church. The pastor here is a great friend of the detective and helps in solving many of the crimes. Then it was on to the Weinmarkt where Paul lives in a loft appartment. We saw the small shops that act as a backdrop in the stories - the butcher, the fruit and veg dealer. The restaurant is actually a french restaurant, but in the books the menu comes from another restaurant.

We walked down towards the river and into the Trödelmarkt, a significant scene in book 3 (Hauser's Brother). From here it was on to the Liebesinsel where the first dead body is found in book 1 (Dürer's Mistress) and then back to the Rathaus and a visit to the Reichskleinodien ("crown jewels" of the Holy Roman Empire).

The books are only available in German, with no plans for translation into other languages.

Fire, lack of sleep and new things

2009-06-23T10:40:00.002+02:00

Camping with Girl Scouts is always distinguished by three things:

Fire: cooking on an open fire, fun time round the campfire

Lack of Sleep: whether because of cold or the excitement of being with your friends and no parents

New things: learning or doing something new

This year was no exception!

Virginia built some terrific fires stoked with wood kindly provided by the camp site. We had fun camp fire times where the girls shared songs, skits, dancing and all kinds of talent with us. We cooked some meals on the fire and of course we melted marshmallows on the end of sticks to make smores. Finally the adults sat round the fire as the girls settled down for the night and we chatted, laughed and watched fireflies in abundance.

It is almost obligatory that the girls do their best to stay awake for as long as possible. This year it was our Junior Troop which excelled. On Friday evening they were still awake until the wee small hours. Then at 5am their leader, Laura, sent them to the scout hut where Stephanie and I were "sleeping" so that they wouldn't wake the whole camp. They chattered and chattered and chattered. Then they came looking for food. Stephanie and I were manning the first aid post in the hut and it was cold. On the second night we slept in pyjamas and sweatshirts. Stephanie topped it off with a hat and gloves At least we were warmer and everyone slept well the second night.

It is always surprising how many new experiences the girls and leaders have at camp. First time using a compass or reading a map for some girls. First time cooking on an open fire. For some leaders it was first time camping. I was responsible with Jane for cooking at camp. On Saturday evening two small girls came to help us cook and they had to prepare vegetables. They had never done it before. It was such a privilege to be the one who taught these girls how to hold a vegetable knife properly and slice different vegetables for the first time.

The rain stayed away until the parents came to collect the girls, thankfully.

All over for another year.

Dogs & Grief

2009-06-05T09:12:00.003+02:00

Do dogs grieve?

If you know the story of Greyfriars Bobby who spent every day on the grave of his master after the master died then you probably would answer "yes". If however you see dogs as just another dumb animal then you're probably screaming "no! don't be ridiculous".

A few weeks ago, Dudley, a beautiful golden retriever, died. He was an elderly dog who had had some health problems. He was a friendly, welcoming cuddly dog who liked to sniff Shadow and play with him. We sometimes walked with Dudley and Dieter, his master. Latterly Dudley could only manage to walk slowly but remained friendly and fun. Sometimes if Dieter walked too far with him and he couldn't manage to walk home then Dieter would call his wife who came in the car and collected both of them.

A few days ago I remarked that I hadn't seen Florian for a while. Then we saw that his owners' house was up for sale. Frau Monsel was very elderly and frail. She never really left the house. She bought Florian from someone who told her that he was a Dachshund. That he is not! He is a cross breed between an Alsatian and a Dachshund (interesting image!!) who stands about knee high and has huge paws. He is friendly and boisterous. Each day a care worker would come 3 or 4 times a day to walk him. He provided companionship for an elderly housebound lady. I'm not sure if Frau Monsel has moved or has died but Florian has certainly moved out. I really miss seeing his friendly, curious face and letting him play with Shadow.

In recent days Shadow has insisted on walking past Florian's house and waiting to see if he is home. I think he might be missing his friend.

A Discovery

2009-06-01T00:08:00.003+02:00

This weekend we decided to attempt to bring our garden under control. To be precise we decided to bring the trees in our garden under control. Some time ago our landlord said he would do it, but he's never quite got round to it.

Yesterday we tackled the front garden and we now have lots more light in the kitchen.

Today we began on the back garden, much to the dog's joy. He loved swishing through the newly felled branches and leaves. He had an endless supply of new logs to chew. Heaven!

Then we noticed that one of our very tall trees was flowering but didn't recognise the flower or the tree. This began a search for me. I hate to be defeated.

It appears we have a very nice specimen of Magnoliaceae, alternatively known as Liriodendron Tulipfera or "Tulip Tree". It is a native of North America, found particularly in Ontario and Illinois, although it has been successfully introduced into other temperate parts of the world. It starts to flower in April / May and the flowers are a rich source of nectar. It has also been found to be a major source of honey in the eastern USA.

I live and learn.

Theatre Trip

2009-05-29T10:18:00.002+02:00

Our friend Martin called on Tuesday and asked if we would like to join a small group on a theatre outing on Thursday evening. The play was in English and would take place at a theatre in Nuremberg.

Being a lover of live theatre and feeling somewhat deprived, I instantly wanted to go. David is not so much a fan but said yes it could be a fun experience.

The play was a two man show by a theatre company called "Lone Twin". The play was entitled Nine Years. Here is a link to a description of the piece.

http://www.lonetwin.com/duo-work.htm

It reminded me very much of the kind of thing you see at the Festival Fringe in Edinburgh and was actually quite entertaining in places. It was such a pity that the audience was so small in number. Including the six of us and the cashier I think we totalled about 15!

District 59 Toastmasters Spring Conference

2009-05-26T22:16:00.003+02:00

We were in Düsseldorf at the weekend for the Toastmasters Conference. The weather was fabulous and I was really taken with Düsseldorf. We had a little time for shopping on Friday afternoon when we arrived and David had time to see the city on Sunday afternoon while I attended a training workshop.

The Conference hotel was the Intercontinental and we decided that the cost of rooms there was prohibitive, so we booked into the Best Western Savoy. The prices were reasonable, the rooms were comfortable and the the breakfast, swimming pool and proximity to the conference hotel made it a great choice. We discovered that several other Toastmasters were also staying there and in neighb

ouring hotels. We reckoned that we had the real Conference Hotel!

The conference itself had all the usual elements, but the conference team had a few technical problems. Having organised the last conference I could see where the problems lay, although most conference goers probably didn't see so much. The biggest problem we had was overruns. This meant that the day program finished at 19.45 as some guests were arriving for the pre-dinner drinks reception! And dessert was served shortly before midnight!

Still, Toastmasters know how to party and the dance floor was packed until we left at 1am. When we got back to our hotel we sat outside at the pavement cafe next door to the hotel and watched the world go by for a while, enjoying the cool night air.

The Contest Speakers all had very similar themes this year. Clearly Obama's "yes we can" had a strong impact on many speakers, although no one actually used the phrase. The Winning speech was a dramatic affair given by Peter Zinn from Utrecht and entitled "The Fairy Master" and included samples of reading fairy tales to children.

This time I had the chance to be Chief Judge for the contests and found it interesting and not too nerve wracking. I also got to time one of the German Contests and to count ballots. A very busy conference, but great to see old friends again and good to see some great examples of communication and leadership.

Quilts

2009-05-17T21:28:00.002+02:00

The visitors arrived safely!

I checked out what was on in our area at the weekend and discovered that there was an exhibition of quilts depicting scenes from the history of women being held at the Museum of Women's Culture in Fürth.

My sister-in-law is a keen quilter and so we went to view the exhibition. There was a good selection of quilts from around the world depicting everything from land clearances in Peru to the sectarian troubles in Northern Ireland.

Afterwards we found out there was a market in the centre of Fürth selling all kinds of fabrics and haberdashery. Needless to say we went there too. She was a very happy woman! My brother tagged along and said nothing. We did reward him with coffee and cake.

Waiting for Visitors

2009-05-15T09:51:00.002+02:00

Today my brother and his wife are coming to visit and will stay for a week. I love it when people come to stay.

The last few weeks have been pretty hectic, so this week there has been some hurried spring cleaning. Washing windows, clearing out cupboards, changing bed linen, dusting, and finally food shopping.

I will follow their journey with interest today, waiting eagerly to hear that they have arrived at the first airport and then when they are ready to board for the second flight. We will travel with expectation to the airport and crane searchingly to see them come through the arrivals door.

Having my family to visit is somewhat nostalgic for me. The sisters of both my father and mother lived in England and when they came to visit the family they always stayed at our house. My mother would engage in cleaning and preparing the house for them. She would also bake a whole range of goodies to offer her guests. (Black mark for me there!) In those days there were no text messages or mobile phones to track the progress of the travellers. You just had a rough idea of when they should arrive and then someone stayed home from the earliest possible arrival time until they got there.

Then the house was filled with laughter and chatter of people glad to be together again.

I can't wait until they get here tonight!

Poetry Contest Winner

2009-05-13T07:48:00.002+02:00

I have loved poetry since I was a child and have ventured into the world of writing a few myself.

I was delighted to learn recently that a friend of mine, Alan, had won a poetry competition. Alan is currently studying theology and training for ministry after a very successful career in the IT industry.

The theme for the contest was Peace. Here is his winning poem.

Good job, Alan!

SHOES FOR PEACE

I want three hundred and sixty-five pairs of shoes.
Not to own,
but to walk in for a day.
Seventy-two would be Chinese,
sixty-two Indian,
seven from Mexico,
only one from Cameroon.
A third would be made for men,
slightly fewer for women,
and slightly more for children,
but a quarter of the shoes would be bare feet.
Twelve would be used for leisure,
thirty would spend less time on the streets
than on the pedals of a car,
and three would rest on a wheelchair.
Ninety-eight would sport logos,
some stitched by children.
Nearly half would be made from cattle,
and seventeen from old car tyres.
Four would be army boots,
and thirty-six sandals.
Twenty would never walk on a paved road,
and five, bought on impulse, would never walk at all.
One would tread the streets of New York,
four would holiday at a Disney destination,
and one would be found floating
as floodwaters descend in Bangladesh.
I want three hundred and sixty-five pairs of shoes
to walk in for a day,
or maybe just one,
not my own,
but to wear
as I step out for peace.

A Man For All Seasons

2009-05-11T10:22:00.002+02:00

On Saturday at our Toastmasters Division Conference, I gave my first ever German speech. I was the target speaker for the German Evaluation Contest.

I quickly realised that the challenge for me was not to give a decent speech but was to give a decent speech with correct use of grammar and good vocabulary. I love words. Therefore I want my words to be correct and expressive, descriptive and appropriate.

My speech title was "a man for all seasons", my purpose was to use a story to illustrate to my audience that there is always something great to enjoy in every season, if you look for it. The man in the speech title was my father, who died when I was 14.

I gave short anecdotes from his life of how he spent the seasons and what was great about each one for him.

On the day I was very nervous. I had memorised my speech but still took the comfort blanket, that was my notes, to the lectern. Unfortunately the desire to speak correctly and not to forget anything meant that I made more use of my notes than I really needed to.

However, I survived. I got great feedback. Positive comments received were around the poetic use of language, how touching and moving the piece was and how I managed to build great pictures in describing scenes. I used a short powerpoint slide presentation of pictures to act as background "music" for the piece and these were also well received.

I am SO glad I was finally brave enough to attempt this. My father was someone who inspired me in many ways and I think it was a fitting tribute to him that he was the subject of my first speech.

Outrage

2009-05-09T07:31:00.002+02:00

I was "playing" on Facebook in the quiet of the morning hour when suddenly I felt a wave of outrage as an advertisment appeared on my screen:

Win Free Laser Eye Surgery

Every month, one lucky patient wins back the cost of their life changing laser eye surgery at Optical Express! Just fill out the enquiry form on the right hand side of the screen and tick the "Win free treatment!" box. Providing you book your surgery before the end of the month you will be entered into our exclusive competition to WIN FREE TREATMENT.

This is surgery...a medical procedure, not a new handbag or a holiday in the sunshine. Surely decisions about such procedures need to be considered carefully in full cognisance of the facts, the associated risks and not least the success rate of the doctor who will carry out the procedure!

"Life changing" isn't always positive and the outcome of laser eye surgery doesn't always last, many people do need glasses later again.

What kind of warped mentality offers surgical intervention to be won on the draw of a ballot?

Happy Birthdays Chanel

2009-05-08T17:36:00.002+02:00

On Wednesday 6th May Chanel, the world's oldest dog, celebrated her 21st birthday. She received a certificate from the Guinness Book of Records and had a visit to a dog hotel and spa.

Chanel is a dachshund, rescue dog from New York and took the title in 2003 when Butch, the former holder, died at the age of 28.

Her owners collected her from a pet shelter when she was just 6 weeks old. They say they treat her like a person. Like many older people she used to run miles when she was younger, but now suffers from joint problems and stays home most days.

Happy Birthday Chanel!

Cookery Class 2

2009-05-08T08:23:00.002+02:00

I experienced my second German cookery class last night. This time it was "knackiges Frühlingsessen". We were cooking what's in season now.

The evening began with a short discussion about what we would do and about the ingredients while we sipped vanilla roibusch tea and enjoyed relaxing background music in a candlelit room. Strange way to get people in the mood to cook!

Our menu:

- a soup made from common sorrel (some kind of roadside plant - dock leaves)

- a delicious goat's cheese salad with fennel and red pepper

- asparagus in a vinaigrette dressing (amazing)

- pork filet with a potato & bärlauch gratin (sorry no translation for bärlauch as it doesn't grow at home, it's a kind of wild garlic leaf)

- Grießauflauf (semolina pudding) with rhubarb and strawberry compotes

After we had cooked we got to sit down together with a glass or two of wine and eat everything we had made and take the leftovers home.

Advanced Communicator Bronze Award

2009-05-07T09:36:00.002+02:00

Last night I achieved one of my goals for this year: to complete my Toastmasters Advanced Communicator Bronze Award.

To do this I had to complete 10 speech projects from 2 different manuals.

For my first manual I chose "Speaking to Inform" as this was right up my street. It was about collecting information and presenting it in a way that is meaningful for the audience. Some projects focussed on knowing who your audience is and adapting information for them, another was about demonstrating something and others about fact finding. The most challenging project was the Abstract Concept. I chose to speak about revolution and compare bloody revolutions in history to the revolution in modern healthcare. I found the skills I learned in this project to be useful and have been able to apply them to other projects since.

My second manual was "Interpersonal Communication". I chose this because it's a subject I know a lot about and I thought that would make it fun. However each of the projects involved a role play (not my favourite thing) and it's hard when you used to deliver a three day workshop on assertiveness to then deliver a 3-5 minute speech on the subject! It was in this manual I really learned a lot. I learned about managing my speaking time, when you have different things to achieve. I learned how to deliver "sound bite" style presentations which still teach something and how to focus on the nuts and bolts of a topic which can have lots of padding applied to it, if you're not too careful!

So now, what next?

Hostelling

2009-05-04T08:59:00.002+02:00

This weekend we went off for a short retreat with a small group from the leadership team of our church.

Destination: Plankenfels

Plankenfels is a small town about 24km from Bayreuth, set in spectacular scenery. Like much of Germany right now it has road works in the centre of town!

Our home for the weekend was a "Bett und Bike" hostel. The building is a converted factory. When we arrived the main area was large and spacious with a real wood fire and set out with tables and chairs. The kitchen was enormous and even had a dishwasher. Although we did wash every piece of cutlery and all the dishes and utensils before we used them. Upstairs there were no large dormitories or bunk beds.

David and I had a room to ourselves with the dog. The room was carpeted and the beds had sprung mattresses. There were lockers for storing your gear in and a table and chairs. Sadly no curtains and no heating, although you could go and fetch a portable heater if you wanted one.

The toilets and showers were spotlessly clean with plenty of hot water.

I was reminded of my hostelling days in Scotland when two cyclists arrived, sore after a day's travelling and on checking in were each handed a sheet, duvet cover and pillow case. Some things are just the same.

In the morning the hostel owner, Dirk, prepared breakfast for us. Typical meats, cheese, spreads, bread rolls and coffee. All included in the overnight price. Thankfully here there was no need to do a chore before you could leave, like in the old days in Scotland!

What's in your head

2009-04-29T17:57:00.002+02:00

Today in Erlangen we heard the sound of a siren ringing out across the city. My first thought was that a prisoner had escaped from the jail. My German teacher had no clue, but said that it was common to have such sirens in large public buildings although it made her think of air raid sirens as seen in movies.

My friend, who is my age and comes from the Czech Republic, said it reminded her of being in school and she felt like she should be looking for her gas mask. I thought at first she was joking then realised that she was being earnest. At school in Czechoslovakia in the 1970s her class regularly had alarm drills. When the alarm sounded, each child had to collect their gas mask and head out through the exit route to the assembly point. She said that every two years each child's face was measured and they were told what size of gas mask they needed and had to remember this for the drill so that they collected the correct size. She told us that the masks looked pretty old and that probably the filters wouldn't have been effective if they had been needed in an emergency. Also the masks were heavy and as part of the drill training they were required to run several laps of the school building wearing their masks.

In the 1970s, I can remember there being fire drills at school very occasionally. I don't remember if we had a fire bell or if it was just the school janitor and his trusty hand bell calling us out. I think our biggest concerns were, would it be raining and how long could we get to stay out of the classroom for.

Adventure in Africa Part 2 Last days

2009-04-05T15:14:00.004+02:00

On Palm Sunday we decided to go to the cathedral for Sunday worship. Everyone gathered in the Company Gardens for the procession. We were all given palm crosses and waited while the clergy and choir arrived. The first part of the service took place in the gardens. There was one part about reminding us of our baptism and the clergy took great delight in showering the congregation with water!

The whole service seemed very formal and scripted to us and as the cathedral was packed the service lasted quite a long time. When we left we walked back through the city and came to a square where they were filming a new series for American TV. It will be called the Philanthropist. Couldn't see who the main actors were, but we knew that it wasn't Matt Damon. He was in town filming a new movie called the Human Factor with Morgan Freedman.

Apparently Cape Town is a popular movie location and it's very common to see film crews there.

On Monday we took a trip to Robben Island, where non-white male political prisoners were held, most notably Nelson Mandela. The ferry to the island is a catamaran style and the journey takes about 30 minutes. Once there everyone has to walk to the coaches and are transported around the island. On the coach our guide was a former inmate at the prison. He served 18 months for his part in a dissension and was there at the same time as Mandela. He spoke of how the conditions were and how this horror allowed them to further the cause of "each one teach one" so that people could learn to read, write and become well educated although they were in prison.

When he had finished with us, we were dropped at one of the prison blocks to be guided for that part of the tour. Our guide here seemed to have been significantly traumatised by his experiences in the prison. He told of how the guards used the common criminals to beat up the political prisoners. He showed us the chart of the diet that prisoners were allowed. I was shocked to see that black prisoners were not allowed to eat any bread until the end of the 1970s. How hard was it to pray "give us this day our daily bread"?

He also took us to see the cell were Mandela was held. I was struck by how small this cell was, but more struck by the heat outdoors and the oppressive reflection from the concrete walls. I can't imagine how they managed to quarry limestone in the high temperatures of summer.

It was a humbling experience to learn more of the horrors of things that have happened in my life time and a reminder that the small bits of campaigning we did against apartheid was worth every minute and every effort.

Adventure in Africa Part 2 day 3

2009-04-05T15:12:00.003+02:00

On Saturday a colleague of David's called Neil and his wife Nadia collected us from the hotel and took us out for the day. The target of our trip was the Cape of Good Hope.

This area was very beautiful, wild in parts.

At first we travelled through some quaint fishing villages like Fish Hoek. Fish Hoek is a dry town with no alcohol available to purchase.

Of course we had to stop at Simon's town to visit the famous Boulders Beach. Here there is a colony of protected African penguins. David adores these penguins.

We had lunch in the centre of the town at a restaurant called Bertha's which is directly in front of harbour. David and Neil each ate 1kg of prawns!!!

At Cape Point we took the funicular up towards the lighthouses and then climbed the last stretch to the new lighthouse. The views were again stunning having the chance to see both Indian and Atlantic Oceans on the one day. On the drive back from the point we came to a beach and there grazing by the water's edge were a group of ostriches. No one with them. No boundaries and they didn't seem to be bothered by the people around them!

In the evening we went to a restaurant called Hildegard's. It was the closest Italian to the hotel and david fancied some pasta. Our waiter was an elderly Irishman called Tony, who entertained us with his tales of his life. The food, the style of service and the whole atmosphere reminded us of a 1970s style place. Most of the waiting staff were older and I suspect this was not a themed retro restaurant, but just how they had always done it!!

African Adventure Part 2 day 2

2009-04-03T22:18:00.005+02:00

We decided that a great way to get a feel for the layout of the city and also to get a better idea of what we really wanted to see was to take the "hop on hop off" bus tour. The ticket is valid for 24 hours, costs about 11 Euro and you can get on and off as often as you like. The bus left from the Aquarium at the waterfront.

You are issued with a set of headphones and on the bus you can select a language for the commentary. On our first round the guide on the bus was English and so we had the live commentary. She was called Bridget and had left England 40 years ago to live in Capetown, with no regrets.

We chose the route which takes you through the city, in and out of the docklands, past the cable car station on Table Mountain and then through some of the small towns on the coast e.g. Bantry Bay.

After lunch on the quayside we got back on the bus and headed downtown to St George's Anglican Cathedral, where Desmond Tutu was installed as Archbishop of Cape Town. In the cathedral they were preparing for Palm Sunday and large sheaves of palm leaves lay on the floor. In the courtyard outside we investigated the labyrinth built into the paving stones. During Holy Week they were going to use the labyrinth one evening for a prayer walk. Sadly we would be travelling home that evening and would miss it.

Behind the Cathedral is the "Companies Garden". This was installed by the Dutch east Indies Company. It was a beautiful park space with lots of birds (not my thing) and many adventurous squirrels. We strolled through the park and headed towards the Jewish Museum. However we had forgotten that it was Friday and the museum closes at 1pm on Fridays and it was now much later. We waited there for the bus and ventured back towards our hotel. The distance from the bus stop to our hotel was not particularly long, but the traffic was immense and the roads seemed a bit risky.

Instead we took a trip in a Rikki. These are essentially London taxi cabs coloured green that operate on the following principle: whoever gets on first gets dropped off first. In any trip you may have other passengers with you and the driver will pick up everyone before he drops anyone off. It's very cheap and if you're not in a hurry it's a fun way to travel. Our driver was called Peter and left the east end of London 38 years ago. We stopped to pick up two women, one who had just finished her food shopping and one who was going home after a day out. It was great fun and an interesting way to get round the city.

That evening we dined at an award winning steak restaurant called Balthazar. The food was fabulous and David ate some of the best lobster ever.

We were entertained again by the many street performers who shared their talents, whether choirs, dance groups, comedy routines or solo music performers. There was lots to keep us amused.

African Adventure Part 2 Day 1

2009-04-03T22:15:00.006+02:00

We left Johannesburg and flew South African Airways to Cape Town. It was the cheapest flight available. We didn't expect this when there were such delights to choose from as Mango airlines!

The 2 hour flight was packed with an assortment of strange and wonderful people, including us.

Neil met us in Cape Town and drove us to Blouberg Strand (translated from Afrikaans means blue mountain beach). From here we had a lovely view across the bay to Table Mountain. This is the typical postcard view of the city. I felt quite nostalgic as I sniffed the sea air and listened to the waves lap on the shore. I knew I missed the sea, but had forgotten how much.

We went to our hotel (The Commodore) and checked in. The hotel is quite traditional in style, but everything is in lovely condition and to a high standard. It is also located only a few minutes walk from the V&A ( Victoria and Alfred - not Albert as I assumed at first) Waterfront in the city. Alfred was Queen Victoria's son.

We ate lunch on the sheltered courtyard at the hotel, enjoying some locally produced wine too. Afterwards we decided that as the weather was so good we should head for Table Mountain as the clouds can quite quickly come and cover it - the so called "table cloth". It was around 35 degrees and very clear blue skies with a light warm breeze. Perfect. The view was amazing. There was also a corporate function taking place up there, what a stunning location to do business!

In the evening we ate dinner on the waterfront just after sunset. Enjoyed some delightful chilled chardonnay from the local area and food that surpassed all expectations.

Adventure in Africa Part 1

2009-04-03T22:12:00.004+02:00

David always promised that one day he would take me to South Africa. It used to be one of his countries and he travelled there on business.

Well the day finally came and I got to go to Africa. We flew overnight from Frankfurt to Johannesburg and were met at the airport by Graham & Karin, our South African hosts. Graham and David first met on a training course in Germany about 22 years ago and stayed in contact loosely over the years until 2004 when Graham, Karin and their family moved to Germany on a delegation. They joined the same church as us and we enjoyed a friendship during that time. They moved back to Jo'burg in the summer of 2007 and we've seen them on occasional visits to Europe since then.

We went to their home in a gated community in a suburban area of the city and relaxed, had breakfast, showered and met the dogs. Heidi and Brutus are two rotweilers. Heidi is a rather elderly and friendly old lady, while Brutus is a boisterous young pup who tried to sit on everyone's lap and would lick your face if he could. He even tried to sit on David's head at one stage. We have the photos to prove it.

Once revived, Karin and Graham took us to visit a craft centre in a small town near the city. The traders have to raise a considerable sum of money each month just to keep the centre running and they are trying their hardest to do so. Crafts ranged from stunning paintings, to scary masks and everything in between. Beside the market there were food and drink outlets and also a reptile house with a special snake show. David has a phobia of snakes, but he was very brave indeed and ventured reasonably close to the edge of the pit where the keeper demonstrated various poisonous and constricting specimens.

In the evening we went to dinner at Montecasino, a leisure complex near the family's home. There are all kinds of restaurants, shops, cinemas and bars here and of course a casino. What fascinated me most was the sign beside the lifts "This way to deposit your gun". This is so alien to me.

On Sunday morning we were on the road by 4am as we had a substantial distance to cover and we wanted to make the most of the day. The journey took us through some stunning countryside and we saw the sun rise on the African plain. The light is so clear and unlike anything I have encountered before. We drove through a mountain range with spectacular waterfalls and fruit plantations (mangoes) and also through some small townships with large cemeteries, the resting places of many AIDS victims.

Finally we came to the Kruger National Park. Our home for the next few days.

The accommodation was surprisingly comfortable and it was the stuff of dreams to see so many animals in their natural habitats. I kept feeling that I had to pinch myself when we would turn a corner and find a small family of giraffes munching on trees or a group of zebras frolicking together in their camouflage pose. Even better were the herds of elephants crossing the river bed and mummy using her tusks to move the babies on a bit!

We loved to sit by the watering holes and wait for the animals to come visit. The night drive took us past a group of grazing hippos that we had seen earlier in the day swimming in the dam beside our camp while the crocs were sunning themselves.

I never imagined that I could enjoy animals so much and really found a sense of wonder and amazement at the diversity and splendour of creation.

Mother's Day

2009-03-21T17:20:00.003+01:00

Tomorrow will be Mothers Day in the UK or Mothering Sunday, as it was traditionally called. This day was always in the middle of Lent and was a day when girls who worked as servants to rich families were allowed to go home for the weekend to their own families and to visit the "Mother Church" in their area. They were also allowed to bake and take home a special cake for the family. This was called a simnel cake. A rich fruit cake with marzipan baked in it. I have a lovely recipe for this cake and David loves it.

Because I was in Scotland this week I decided to buy some flowers and visit the cemetery where my parents' grave is. A few days ahead of mothers day itself. The grave was the resting place of my grandparents' first three children who all died when they were young. Later my grandparents and my father were buried there and then finally my mother's ashes were placed there and her name also carved on the headstone.

It was a beautiful early spring day. The sky was clear and bright blue. The sun shone and there was a light gentle breeze. I went with my brother and his son and their dog. We filled the flower holder with fresh water several times as the dog enjoyed drinking the water as fast as my nephew filled it up. As I arranged the flowers, the dog found a stick and lay on top the grave chewing happily. I smiled. My mum would have found the whole scene quite amusing and it made me smile to remember how entertaining she often found life.

We took a stroll around the cemetery and stopped by the graves of a whole range of relatives from our extended family. My brother and I reminisced and related stories about the family to my nephew who was interested in knowing more about who was in his background.

I was struck by the peace and tranquility of that early spring afternoon in the company of two men I hold dear and realised that sometimes we don't value our loved ones enough and how important it is to make memories together.

Airport Parking

2009-03-21T17:12:00.002+01:00

This week I've been in Scotland. I flew back to Munich Airport yesterday and as I went to collect the car from the car park I began to realise that I hadn't seen the parking ticket when I packed my bags the evening before. I went straight to the car and began disgorging the contents of my suitcase and a rather oversized handbag. Not there. Not in the car and then I remembered that on Thursday evening I put my used train ticket in the bin (which was the same size as the parking ticket) but the train ticket was still in my handbag. Mystery solved.

I made my way to the ticket machines. There was no information on what to do if you lost your ticket. Clearly this doesn't happen to Germans. Then I went to the information desk where a kind woman directed me to the Parkleitzentrale. Once there a very friendly and helpful gentleman (Hr. Schmidt) came to my rescue. I had to provide evidence of travel dates and fill out a short form about my identity, the identity of my car and the nature of my misdemeanour. I signed it, he signed it. I paid a surcharge of 10 Euro and the parking fee, was given two receipts and a very friendly greeting from Herr Schmidt.

Thankfully the new ticket opened the barrier and I was able to get home eventually.

Fränkische Küche

2009-03-14T17:23:00.003+01:00

I had my first experience of German evening classes yesterday. My friend (non-German) would like to offer a cookery course as an evening class and wanted to experience how it was done.

We signed up for a class in "Fränkische Küche", which is the local cuisine of the area where we live. With aprons and plastic containers suitably packed we were ready.

In the class there were a range of people from some 20-somethings to 50-somethings. In total we were 9, 7 women and 2 men. The tutor was a middle aged local woman who runs her own small catering business and is well versed in the local cuisine.

The course lasted almost 4 hours. She began by explaining a bit about the background to the food, and then we got cooking.

Our first dish was a "Festtagssuppe" a soup for special occasions. This was a beef stock, with liver dumplings and strips of pancakes. Not really my taste but interesting to make. One of the men made the pancakes, and one of the women made the liver mix and then we all made the dumplings.

Our second course was the beef that had been used to make the stock eaten with a horseradish sauce. She used creamed horseradish rather than fresh to make the sauce and the verdict of the others was that this was much nicer and more mellow. I can't comment as this was not a sauce "my mamma used to make".

There followed a really delicious schäufele (pork shoulder) which I helped to prepare served with kloß (potato dumplings) which I made with my friend, and sauerkraut.

If this wasn't enough then we cooked smoked belly pork with beans in a sauce.

Dessert was a problem as Frau Ort told us that the Franconians don't have any traditional desserts of their own and so she had us make a type of sweet bread kloß. with vanilla sauce. This was tasty but a bit too moist in the middle for my taste.

After cooking we had to sit down and sample this 5 course feast. I really couldn't manage much. The tutor also provided beer, wine and soft drinks for us while we were cooking and with the food later!

There was lots of leftover food for us to take home and so the plastic containers were useful. However the aprons never saw the light of day. Cooking in a frilly apron with a beer in your hand doesn't quite look right!!!

Zollamt

2009-03-05T18:48:00.003+01:00

I got a letter from the German Customs people telling me that they were holding a parcel for me which was sent from the USA and which I had to collect.

This morning, as per their instructions, I printed off a copy of the order with invoice number and payment details, packed my passport and went to the Zollamt offices.

The official was a friendly woman, who handed me a heavy mail sack with a green tag on it with my name and address on it and a pair of pliers. She politely told me to open it. I obliged and removed a heavy cardboard box from the sack. She then handed me a Stanley knife and told me to open the box and then each subsequent package within. She examined the contents and then took the invoice and entered who knows what in her computer before requesting tax of 16.79 Euro.

The box was an order of Toastmasters goodies: contest forms and certificates, PR leaflets, books and some badges. I've had such orders delivered before with no tax to pay and no visits to the Customs Office. Maybe I've just been lucky before.

Before I went out today I read a daily Bible Verse and it was from Deuteronomy (5.Mose) 31 v 6 which says "Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you, he will never leave you nor forsake you" Who says God doesn't have a sense of humour!

Heralds

2009-03-03T14:03:00.003+01:00

Morsels of moss on stone steps,

dropped in haste.

Birdsong clear and musical,

trilling out across the day.

Ribbons of blue and shards of gold,

lightening the earth.

Warm terracota tiles,

a place to enjoy a midday break.

Heralds of spring,

announcing respite from the ravages of winter.

David's Birthday

2009-03-02T15:52:00.002+01:00

It's David's birthday today. We stayed up past midnight so that we could wish him Happy Birthday and drink a glass of fizzy stuff together. We were too tired to drink the champagne but exchanged greetings and he opened two birthday cards.

This morning he went to work and took lots of cakes from the bakery to share with his colleagues and then I collected him at noon to go for lunch. We shared a tasty and relaxing lunch before a trip to some of his favourite stores: top of his list was Haas im Zentrum, a stationery store that he loves and he got some new pens. There followed a trip to have his haircut and then home to pack his case for a business trip to Australia.

We'll finish his birthday celebrations when he gets back in a couple of weeks. Somehow it's not the same as when were 9 years old!

Lent Pilgrimage

2009-02-26T17:02:00.002+01:00

I received an email today telling me about the Lent Pilgrimage that Christian Aid is offering. You don't need to leave home. Each day during Lent they are sharing short clips from Israel with some discussion or description and a prompt to act or reflect on the theme of the day.

Having visited Israel a couple of times and been really inspired by my time there, I have decided to follow the pilgrimage as best I can with 2 weeks holiday during Lent.

If you want to join me on a pilgrimage then go to http://lentpilgrimage.christianaid.org.uk

God be our companion on the road together

Enter into the wilderness of uncertainty with us

Excite us on this journey of discovery

Inspire us to respond in the world that you created.

God Bless the NHS

2009-02-26T11:41:00.003+01:00

We are currently planning a vacation trip to the southern hemisphere and being the conscientious pharmacist that I am I checked out the malaria and vaccination schedules for our destination. Next step was to check out my vaccination record card from the UK.

EEK! all had expired and so I had to start all over again being vaccinated against everything except tick borne disease which I have been vaccinated against in Germany.

Our doctor was great and prescribed everything I needed, except the Hepatitis vaccines, on a prescription that would be paid for by the health insurance company. Then came the bad news. Hepatitis vaccines are only available on a private prescription and I would have to pay. The pharmacy charged me a cool 154.36 Euro for one course of immunisation!

I suppose the logic is, if you can afford the holiday then you can afford to protect yourself from disease.

My last hepatitis vaccinations in England were prescribed on the NHS and all I had to pay was the prescription charge- around five pounds at the time. Good value me thinks.

Lent Approaches

2009-02-24T14:29:00.005+01:00

Shrove Tuesday and again the daytime TV shows host competitions where people toss or flip pancakes in a pan and the winner is the one who can flip them over most often within a given time period without dropping them on the floor.

Ash Wednesday tomorrow and the beginning of Lent. I've decided to challenge myself to give up something this year. I'm going to give up some of my free time to achieve tasks that will benefit someone. To generate the free time I guess I will give up some TV watching or unnecessary computer time and that might be quite a challenge.

Whatever, I'm looking forward to setting myself a challenge and to following the Love life, live lent initiative on Facebook as I did last year.

Jade got married

2009-02-23T13:51:00.002+01:00

Jade Goody came to the British public's attention when, aged 21, she appeared on the reality TV show Big Brother in 2002. She was best known for her uneducated conversation and lack of general knowledge.

After the show she managed to secure some good promoters and went on to become a very well known and wealthy woman. Her endeavours included a fly-on-the-wall documentary of her life, writing her autobiography and launching her own perfume.

In 2007 she went back to Big Brother, the celebrity version and became involved in a race row with an Indian contestant and her image was tarnished. To redress the balance she took part in the Indian version of the show in August 2008. She withdrew from the show after a few days when she received a diagnosis that she had cervical cancer.

Three weeks ago her publicist announced that her cancer had now spread and that her condition was terminal. Doctors believe that she only has a matter of weeks to live.

Yesterday was her wedding day. Mohammed Al-Fayed, the owner of Harrods gave her a wedding dress from his store and many others have contributed to the costs of the day. She married behind closed doors as she has an exclusive deal with a magazine for coverage.

Even the Government got involved, when the Justice Minister (Jack Straw) amended the bail conditions of her now husband allowing them to spend the night together last night.

Her quest for fame has led her to live in the public eye through good times and through scandals surrounding her life. She has chosen to live her last days in the public eye too, trying to persuade young women to go for cervical cancer screening tests. Sadly many other people suffering from cancers will not have the luxury of living out many of their dreams in their last days.

However people live their lives, whether seeking fame or obscurity, thankfully progress in cancer care means that people have more choices, better medical care and can end their days with some dignity, with or without six figure magazine deals.

Cloning

2009-02-19T19:12:00.002+01:00

Yesterday we got a newsletter from the Pastor at church. It was a flyer for a party and at the bottom was the instruction to "turn in to Laura by 8th March". My eagle-eyed husband raised the question "is the Pastor keen on cloning?" I missed it completely. Having being around a few Americans recently it was a totally normal instruction to me. We really are two nations divided by a common language.

2009-02-15T10:11:00.003+01:00

Yesterday we went to a baptism in the Evangelische Church in our village. Our friends' son decided that he believed in Jesus and wanted to be confirmed. This came as a surprise to his family as neither baptism nor confirmation are common in the family and the family has no pattern of involvement in the church.

The confirmation preparation takes about a year and this will end in April. Before he can be confirmed of course he has to be baptised. Unusually for us the baptism was scheduled for a Saturday afternoon after the confirmation class. He asked David if he would play piano at the service, naturally David said yes. There were three songs, all with German words. Two of these were familiar to us with English words and one David had to learn.

Members of the congregation, who were nothing to do with the baptism, came and spoke to us and made us welcome. They even invited us to join their music team!

It was the first time we had been to the Evangelische Church in our village and I was surprised by how familiar it all felt.

The words of the creed were identical to what we would say in English and in the Lord's prayer we asked for our "debts" to be forgiven, exactly as we would have in the Church of Scotland at home!!

Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T22:02:00.002+01:00

Happy Valentine's Day.

On Valentine's Day, David and I have an understanding that he won't buy me flowers and I won't expect any! Then he follows up a week or so later with some splendid flowers.

We broke the rule this year, he bought a small but beautiful bouquet and some tulips. I love tulips. They always look so exotic and yet they are just one of many spring flowers.

Thankfully rules were made to be broken!

Differential Diagnosis

2009-02-10T12:46:00.003+01:00

This morning Shadow stayed in bed until around 11, although he was quite restless. He got up and wanted to go into the garden. We had a small covering of snow this morning and usually he is really excited by the snow. However today he seemed a bit subdued.

He wandered round the garden and I watched him from the kitchen window as he stood with his head bowed behind a small conifer. He came back to the door and I let him in, he then followed me around the kitchen while I was baking a cake. He stood beside me all the way and kept lifting up one of his paws.

I took him into the sitting room and tried to examine his paw, but he was reluctant and then started to shake all over. Thankfully our vet was still open and she said come down straight away and she would see us. He then jumped into the car and as we arrived at the surgery he began to wag his tail and was clearly happy to be there.

Angelika put him on the examination table and he wagged his tail and sniffed her hair as he usually does. She checked him out: temperature, joint movements, eyes, mouth, teeth everything.

Her diagnosis was a trapped nerve and she gave him a pain relief injection. In giving her diagnosis, she said "of course there is another possibility, maybe he's just been missing us and longing to see us".