Sunday 30 April 2017

First Day Of Wine Tasting Done & Dusted.

Ready for day two...

As we speak I have had the pleasure of munching a proper Scottish Shortbread. Yes, Walker's and what a treat it is. Our friends from London always spoil us with those little tidbits one can't get in Burgenland and actually one can't live without ( I might have another one before breakfast ). Oh, and a tin of real English tea and two divine books. Heavenly.

We did quite a lot yesterday. Starting off at 11 am with that distinct wine glass dangling in a bag around our necks and a joy de vivre at seeing sunshine, being with great friends and having over ten wine tasting venues ahead of us.

One can't help but notice that just like in life, wine tastings have distinct social structures. The spitters, the sippers and the quaffers. Knowing how much hard work is involved in making wine, I adopted the middle category, although I asked for only a dash of each wine knowing there would be today as well. Gosh, those bunches of grapes that have withstood the vagaries of weather don't deserve to end up in a spittoon. Ghastly thought!

Before starting off I was going to look at a tutorial of how to elegantly use the spittoon, but on second thoughts there just is no elegant way to do it. Oh my, can you imagine the awkward and clumsiness of it. Funnily enough towards the end of the day most spitters and sippers turned to quaffers in any case.

As we meandered ( yes, we walked most of the Deutsch Schützen vineyards ) from one wine estate to the other, it dawned on me how fortunate Bob and I are to live in a place where others go on holiday. So far, this year's wine tasting has been fabulous and over a thousand people ( according to hearsay ) are enjoying the paradise that we call home.

Biggi

Saturday 29 April 2017

Another Beautiful Day.

The rain has gone...

A poignant start to our Weinfrühling today... Oh, which way to go?
Deutsch Schützen in the mist...bodes well for the day.
The yellow fields are getting more and more intense in their colour. Lovely.
You know me and my love of benches...another perfect spot to contemplate the blessings of life with a glass of chilled white wine.
A garden shed and its tree...Thankfully we've had a day and a half of rain which has enhanced the greens even more.
A close up of the garden shed revealed this beauty. Perfect colours.

Biggi

Friday 28 April 2017

A Bit Of Calm Before The Wine-Weekend.

Weinfrühling in Eisenberg.

The Bobster and I are a typical couple sans kids. We are used to peace and quiet which only recently has been shattered by the arrival of Miss Mausi, she who rules the roost and has all of us in the palm of her paws.

The last three weeks we've been happy to have Bob's folks visiting us. As nice as it always is one does have to adjust to not being alone yet, once they leave, one has to adjust to being alone again. Strange, isn't it?

Yesterday the house swelled to six people and I must commend our little cat for not flipping out. At night she cuddled as close as she could to me, never leaving my side.

Just after eight this morning everyone left and the hour before had a certain likeness to Home Alone. Don't worry, nobody was left behind and as we speak our house has a calm though rather dejected feel about it... although only for the next few hours!

Friends of ours are taking a long weekend break from the hustle and bustle of London to unwind while sampling the many wines on offer during the Weinfrühling festival. Tomorrow and Sunday the vineyards are going to be teeming with happy wine lovers, proudly carrying a wine glass each and a spring in their step which usually changes into a stumbling gait after the first few stations.

Two days in a row of only meandering from one vineyard to the other while sampling a lot of their wares does remind one of the carefree days of being a student. Naturally then we all were thrilled to taste Bacardi & coke, or Esprit ( what were we thinking ) and wouldn't have stepped foot in a wine tasting festival unless we'd have been working there.

When I asked Bob whether he drank Esprit when he was a student, he regaled me with a funny story. Turns out that Bob and his brother conned their parents into buying lots of Esprit while they were at the beach for a family holiday. His mum thought it was fruit juice and the two naturally didn't correct her...

Both of us are looking forward to the strenuous days ahead....lifting a glass and savouring its contents isn't that easy after all.

Biggi

Thursday 27 April 2017

Eggs And Rain.

Oh, and laundry.

Yesterday we spent a good part of our day filling wine. No, not filling us with wine but filling the bottles of wine that will hopefully fill us soon with joy. What made me think of bottling is the fact that even now typing languidly on the keyboard is reminding me of the many bottles I cleaned, schwefeld - sulfured and stacked. My slightly ancient looking biceps are a thing of the past.

But, back to rain. It is raining rather a bit yet this morning, the sun was shining and I managed to get a long walk in. Before I left I put a load of laundry into the machine and hung it up on my return. The sun was still out albeit behind a few clouds. Never mind, I went inside to have a bit to eat. Not too much as we were expecting our Danish part of the family to arrive early in the morning.

Aren't men funny. I was in the shower and Bob came in to tell me that it was raining buckets...should he put the washing in? Well, recently I have been an avid supporter of that theory of leaving the washing on the line as the sun is never more than a step behind the rain. Also I do get tired of constantly taking the stuff of the line and an hour later putting it back on. Leave it be, is my motto.

Oh, I thought, in for a penny in for a pound and joyously told Bob to just leave it be as it would dry a bit later for sure. As we speak, the rain has ceased, so let's hope the laundry will be dry by evening. Otherwise I might get a few I told you so's perhaps even well deserved. Psst don't tell!

About an hour after the laundry affair ( gosh, life in Burgenland has many excitements which I wouldn't trade for anything ) a Danish car jauntily pulled into our driveway and I knew that my sister in law was at the wheel as she drives with pizzaz. Our famous green eggs graced the breakfast table and we had a jolly good time catching up.

Of course a sign of the times is that rather sad reality of already knowing each other's business and life moving events due to that modern mania of social media...I wonder if anyone can still remember?

Biggi

Wednesday 26 April 2017

A Little Road Trip To Riegersburg Caslte.

The Bobster finds the most scenic routes ever...

Bob announced a visit to Riegersburg Castle firstly because it is nearby ( about 70 km ) and secondly for a chance to show his folks the beauty of our part of the world. Well, he hit bull's eye with this trip.

He took the roads less travelled and in the process took us through some of the most scenic villages, towns and countrysides. Coupled with the greens and colourful blossoms it was a magical trip.

Those of you who know Bob, also know that he has got an encyclopedia memory for roads and routes. Once driven it is imprinted in his map-memory. Well, yesterday he had a moment of indecision but threw caution to the wind and just took a chance and the right way.

Burgenland is still my favourite province but Steiermark isn't without its charm either. We finally found the road up to the castle. What an impressive one at that. There was a choice of walking up ( 45 min ) or taking the extremely steep funicular. Lately I have added into my bag of tricks the delightful infliction of fearing heights. Taking this modern contraption pulled by a mere cable up a steep slope had me close my eyes despite snickers from the gallery.

The wind was howling, the trip up took 45 seconds and the castle at the top was impressive. Imagine this building being built over 1000 years ago with nary a crane, buggy or tip truck in sight? Makes us look ridiculous when we moan about the stress of building a house.

It was so windy up there and all I could think about was this cable car being derailed by it. I left the others to lean into the wind while going up the cobble stoned entrance and took the next ride down. No, I didn't kiss the ground upon arriving safely but took the time to sit and reflect on a bench while waiting for the others.

Did I mention that the castle was built upon a dormant volcano? Yikes, thankfully it stayed so...

A Buddah enjoying the view...gosh, look at how thick those walls are.
I managed to take this photo at the top and you can see the steepness of the hill. Next time I'll walk up.
The cobbled road winding up to the entrance of the castle.
Finally, what would I do without these benches...

Biggi

Tuesday 25 April 2017

Do You Like Honey?

To mow or not to mow...

Somehow it is becoming a bit of an annual event with us but I have a sneaking suspicion that the Bobster does it just for the fun of seeing me take off from sedate to irate. Men do have that quality!

We are all so scared of not fitting in, or being pointed out for unsavoury reasons that often we leave common sense and age old wisdom by the wayside. Let's talk honey for a moment. The real kind, the bee kind.

Honey is just the tip of the iceberg of what a bee produces. Without bees we wouldn't eat. Pollination, pollination and some more pollination. Buzzing about as they do, they need nourishment. Nourishment they garner from eg, dandelions. Dandelions, most people don't know what they look like because they are obsessed with keeping a neat lawn. A green boring bit of grass.

Back to our marital tiff. I fight tooth and nail for the bees in our neck of the woods and go supersonic if Bob takes the lawnmower out to destroy the buffet table of our bees. The neighbours will just have to look a while longer at our delightfully colourful lawn. A happy lawn, a buzzing lawn, a lifesaver of a lawn.

A lot of folks will put me into the tree hugger category, but here is a little proof...

Our neighbour keeps his lawn razor sharp, neat and weed free on a weekly basis. Fair enough, each to his own. We have adjacent back lawns with both of us having at least 15 fruit trees on them. Last year the branches of our trees almost broke under the weight of the abundant fruit bounty yet, our neighbour ( his trees were only meters from ours ) had hardly any fruit and in fact asked to get some plums from our trees. Even though he was amazed out our fruit abundance, he didn't quite believe my explanation of it as I have seen him mowing his lawn a few times already.

Biggi

Isn't it a nice?

Monday 24 April 2017

Goodness Me, Monday Already?

Another week of adventures.

Mondays do come around rather quickly. Before you know it the normality of life sets in but with the same haste as it appears, it gives way to a Friday. Did you know that Christmas was four months ago?

This morning was an early start with my walking group. No really, we set off at seven. A less than sunny seven with one lady just waking up, the others including me, shivering from the cold morning. For some odd reason we have all put away our winter gear and are making do with double layers of t-shirts and light jackets. In my case, I borrowed Bob's spencer and he got cross until I reminded him that it was his idea to change the wardrobes around so soon.

Talking about the cold mornings... we are still holding back with planting flowers etc because the Eisheiligen ( cold spell ) could still happen in the next few weeks and with it do damage to newly planted garden dwellers. An old folklore that is hardly ever wrong. Once it is over, our windows will sparkle again with colourful window boxes.

We walked and talked and managed a 7,5 km walk. It might have been longer if I hadn't heralded everyone around the corner. Next time perhaps. My gosh, they are considering adding on an additional 3-4 km. Isn't it great how they now love to walk? Proud of them...

It seems that yesterday was a miracules Sunday...Bob got up at quarter to six and walked with me. A long walk along the Pinka. It seems as if the walking bug has taken ahold of him as he was already planning our next walk but with double the distance. Fantastic! Bob wants to walk a loop taking us via Badersdorf and Kofidisch to the divine Csaterberg region.

After taking a drive there after breakfast we were reminded of how many stunning little villages there are in our area. Well, let's see if we will see it next on foot or by car...

Biggi

Sunday 23 April 2017

The Power Of Yellow.

The vineyards and villages are painted to perfection.

The early bird catches the worm or in this case a most delightful view of a local barn. Morgen Stund Hat Gold Im Mund.
Thought I'd put a framework into the yellow field. A hunter's tower.
The yield sign wasn't necessary as it would have been a sin to ignore the yellow fields.
The curvy road to Deutsch Schützen...
The contrasts are distinct but the ensuing mind's picture is seamless...

As you can see the local Martin's chapel dressed to perfection, you can also see by the many photos of the yellow fields that wherever one turns, they are there. Stunning.

Biggi

Saturday 22 April 2017

Homemade Soup & Bread...

Tastes even better when made by Bob.

Men are real geniuses in the kitchen if and when they put their minds to it. They are efficient with the dishes ( very important as usually the one who doesn't cook does wash the dishes ) dirtied or maybe I am just fortunate because Bob likes washing as he goes along.

Bob decided to make supper last night and had a bread on the go while at the same time chopping vegetables to start his homemade vegetable soup. Divine indeed and his parents are more than impressed at the culinary talents their son has.

Being good at BBQ'ing doesn't compare with making meals inside a kitchen. Putting meat on the outside grill is easy as can be especially when the assistant chef is never far off;

" Honey, can you bring me the tongs, salt, meat, dish to put the meat in and oh, don't forget a cold beer for me. "

Fresh homemade bread ripped, oh, sorry with parents here it is cut in a proper way, topped with butter and dipped into a thick vegetable soup is one of life's pleasures. The thicker the butter the better. Perhaps the only thing better than butter would be real homemade butter fresh from the dairy. Bob, what do you think about that ?

We were just talking about the fact that most women are so scared of putting more than a mere hint of butter on bread in case they put on weight... a whole legion of women have missed out on a lot of culinary adventures in order to look thin. Rather sad, isn't it?

The weather has changed from cold to warm overnight and Bob is in a great mood which bodes well to more homemade bread, soup, pizza and maybe a biscuit or two.

Biggi

Friday 21 April 2017

Saving The Vines.

Smoked out but happy.

The frost had announced itself with a bout of cold weather the likes of which Burgenland hasn't seen for yonks. Our wine farmers made a plan and organized hay bales for all the vineyards. Early this morning they were lit to counteract the minus degrees.
Luckily the wind blew in the right direction.
Turning to take this photo while the sun was rising. Smoke filled the air but a happy smoke. A smoke that saved livelihoods.
The magnetism of fire...
Further down in the Deutsch Schützen vineyards a fire officer was guarding the stacks of fire.
To show you the buds who galvanized a whole village to pull together and save it. That is one of the beauties of village life...when times are tough, everyone pulls together.
All's well that ends well. The fire department was on standby to make sure the fires didn't pose any danger. So glad the threat of black frost has passed.

Biggi

Thursday 20 April 2017

Ach, Just Another Day In Paradise.

The weekend beckons.

As I am looking out of the kitchen window I have to pinch myself to see if I am dreaming. The roof across the yard is covered in white dust. It looks like powder sugar but is the celestial snowy kind. Outside on the window sill is a clay rabbit left over from Easter and it makes a nice contrast to the snow covered roof. Snow at the end of April, who'd have thought?

In looks it is rather romantic but in reality it is a nightmare for the vintners. Tonight they are expecting minus 5 degrees which might devastating for the budding vines.

Tonight will be the coldest night and a lot of the local wine farmers are lighting hay bales between the rows of vines to keep the iciness at bay. Bob's been put on standby by his fire chief in case a spark lands in the wrong place. Please hold thumbs that the vines will be okay and that the predicted cold spell was a slight exaggeration by the weathermen.

For our visitors from warmer climes, the falling snowflakes were a first. Gosh, they have been glued to the windows following the individual snowflakes in their pirouetting dance to the ground. Did I mention that we've also had extremely strong winds? Bob told his parents to bring warm clothes, but what parent ever listens to their offspring? At least Bob can say I told you so...

This too shall pass and before we know it, the sun will be out in full force and summer will continue. A cold spell now and again isn't that bad as it gives one an opportunity to pursue the fine hobby of reading. Reading a book while reclining on a couch, a cup of tea or coffee at hand is after all one of life's pleasures.

Thank goodness we live so far away from bustle and hustle as the temptation to mindlessly meander along the long corridors of a shopping mall is removed. We might go for a walk later on, we might not. We might clean the house, we might not. We might eat comfort food...oh, how silly of course we will, starting now with a Bavarian style Bretzen smothered in butter.

Biggi

Wednesday 19 April 2017

Ah, Never Discount April.

An unbelievable week.

Only last week it was so warm that Bob and his dad pranced about in shorts. Granted, Bob's were a tad more fashionable but wear them they did. Washing on the line dried in record time which surprised everyone but me. Burgenland is hot...

The lawns put on a colourful base for all and sundry wild flowers to grow. Dandelion being the main one and I was thrilled that I could distinguish the buzzing sound of bees grazing on our lawn from the plentiful tweeting of birds. Let me tell you that it isn't always easy keeping the Bobster away from pushing his lawnmower over this collage. So what if the neighbours think us lazy at least we provide fodder for the bees and quizzes.

Dear friends, please leave your lawns looking hippy-ish a while longer. Don't forget we need the bees strong and healthy.

Well, from those lovely warm days we've gone straight bang into a round of extreme cold ones. Yikes, some areas of Austria are expecting snow. Bob's already muttering.

There was a village funeral yesterday which I attended but due to the high numbers of mourners and my being a bit tardy, I heard the whole service from outside the church doors. Oh, I wasn't alone and many of us late comers were whipped about by the freezing wind. A whiff of snow was in the air.

Funerals are moments where we collect our thoughts, ideas about life and take the time to think of the person who's gone. I must say, yesterday's funeral was the best attended I've been to in Eisenberg. Great send off to a nice lady.

The next few days will be extremely cold and we've fired up our oven again. The weather vane on our neighbour's roof doesn't know which way to turn first. The wind is howling, the skies are pitted with dark grey clouds and rain might not be far out and yet I love it. A bit of cloak and dagger weather is divine and reminds me of many a murder mystery read. Life is grand, whatever the framework we are blessed to live it in...

Biggi

A buffet for our bees is laid out...

Tuesday 18 April 2017

A New Way To Keep Leftover Cake.

Eh, that is if you have any...

Please, I know that leftover cake is an oxymoron unless the cake is more of a fly-cake or more politically put, a fruit cake. Years ago when I worked in the divine surrounds of the Scottish Highlands the cake of choice rather often was a fruit cake. As you can tell, I am not fond of it and often used to wonder why it was so very popular.

Yesterday afternoon we hosted a coffee and cake do and due to miscommunication, I too made a cake. Pretty sure that mum said I should make one ( obviously as the hostess ) but when they came over, mum sported a divine cake. A homemade apple cake that put my pound cake into the shade ( quite rightly, as mum's cakes are legendary ) and made sure that there would be lots of leftover pound cake.

As I was pondering how to keep this cake, knowing that mum would leave whatever of her cake was left with us, I remembered the cantuccini lot. Or, as they say back home, the rusks. One forgets that a rusk is a dried out cake. Oh, the memories of being at boarding school and dipping an Ouma rusk into a milky cup of coffee!

So, while the table was still having discussions, memories and jokes passed across it, I whipped my cake away and started to slice it. Mum, got up to help me and we did a whole tray of rusks. Well, not perfect yet but on the way.

My pound cake has rather a lot of butter in it ( a whole slab ) and coupled with the 5 farm eggs, the rich fatty substance didn't help in drying it out. Even this morning, they still had a moist texture to them. Tasty though.

At the moment our house is loaded with cakes, biscuits and morsels of interest, so only a saint could withstand the temptation. Isn't it funny how when one gets visitors who quite rightly experiment with all the local fares on offer, we tend to join right in.

" Oh, I have to try this...haven't had it for at least a day. "

Biggi

Monday 17 April 2017

Eisenberg From Above.

A greenish start to Easter Monday in our Eisenberg.

I just love the patchwork effect of the various acres side by side lining the road to our village.
The other Eisenberg, the one with wine...or at least part of it.
Didn't I say that it was a greenish start to the day? When you see how much forest surrounds us, you won't be surprised at the fresh air we have.
This was halfway into my walk. The trees are huge and plentiful and the birds are having a ball. About 200 meters further lives one of our local bee keepers.
Another look from above. Aren't the yellow fields divine?
To end off, the lucky white horse grazing in one of the paddocks. Make a wish...

Biggi

Sunday 16 April 2017

How Men Can Morph Into Teenagers.

Even a wife can't compete.

Last night was worthy of writing a term paper. A psychological one. Interesting and incredibly funny watching it from the peripheral.

We'd just ended a lovely evening with my folks. An evening of great company, a BBQ and delectable food. Oh, did I mention the wine? Of course it is a give in our neck of the woods. As is the annual village Easter Fire the night before the great day. Believe me when I tell you that some villagers are so eager to search for Easter eggs that they even stay out all night at this do. Often an inadvertent stumble does the trick of finding treasure hidden behind bushes.

The Bobster, despite his folks being here, wanted to be part of the dawn squad. His argument being that everyone would be asleep anyway so why shouldn't he go. Well, how to get there was the problem. He didn't want to walk and had refused to get out the car earlier when on the way home from the BBQ I'd done a drive past. Clearly, too early in the night for the Bobster.

We were sitting having a cup of tea before bed and I, almost (!) in the fashion of a nagging wife, tried my hardest to dissuade him from taking the moped. A beer or three too many already. But, men are men and tend to be a tad bit on the stubborn side when they smell a chance to escape to join their brethren for a few drinks, a scratch and a moan about the wife.

I tell you, it was classic to see how one or two short sentences from each of his parents changed Bob's mind tout de suite. No argument or muttering in the manner I would have been privy to. His mum used the classic fail-safe of:

" Bob, don't let me sit up and worry about you coming home like I had to when you were a teenager. "
and his dad;
" My boy, I think you should just stay at home. "
Meek as a mouse the Bobster changed into his pyjamas and we all went to bed.

The cherry on top was this morning, when as he woke up he informed me;

" I'm so glad I decided to stay home last night. "

Biggi

Saturday 15 April 2017

The Power Of Rain.

How to make things beautiful...

A tulip just about to wake up after the rain...
A triage of colours.
The branches and blossoms are slightly weighed down by the rain drops. It must have been a deluge last night as the fields are a dark heavy brown and the roads are still glistening with moisture
A round green ' flower ' reminding me of a few scoops of ice cream.
This photo was taken yesterday afternoon before the rain but still a nice one. A budding peach.
The mauve lilac in our garden.

Biggi

Friday 14 April 2017

Alone With My Thoughts...

Or so I thought!

This morning was a real treat. We were up early and I decided to go for a long walk on my own. The chickens down the road were still in their coop dozing away and most houses showed little signs of life within. An ideal time to walk and let the mind roam.

My route was rather long but the various birds along the way tweeted their approval and the many lilac shrubs enveloped me in an aroma of their distinct perfume. A lovely scent wafting about every hundred meters or so.

For many of the houses I know who lives in them. Have taken enough interest to find out the individual life stories. Who wouldn't want to know...that is what makes life so jolly interesting. For example, the renowned artist on top of the Eisenberg was shuffling to his postbox. Unfortunately he was back inside before I could greet him but I saw how he had changed the mere door of his garage into a piece of art.

About half way into the walk I happened to notice a beautiful yellow arrangement a bit off the road. The house looked empty so I didn't hesitate to go and take photos. Half hidden from the road but not quite. My bright scarf would attract anyone's eye.

Murphy's law, I heard the engine of a car approaching but as I had a great shot in my sights, I carried on clicking. When the car seemed almost next to me I could just about picture what the driver might think. This gal needed to go to the loo! Yikes, I quickly stepped back out ( just like someone would do who'd used nature's facilities ) and swung my camera wildly in front of me to make sure whoever saw me knew the reason I ducked into the shrubs.

Well, I almost died with embarrassment when I heard a hoot and saw the driver wave hello while clearly chuckling to himself. Drat and darn, it was a driver who has been my constant passer by through the years. Somehow he drives passed me at some point along my walks and now he will think of me ducking into the shrubs whenever we meet at a local function.

Biggi

Beautiful, isn't it?

Thursday 13 April 2017

A Shot Of Truth Perhaps?

Makes you think, doesn't it?

We were doing a typical Burgenland thing...we went to a Buschenschank with family and of course had a great time. Who wouldn't? Sampling the local fare ( the edible and liquid sort of course ) set a nice full stop to a busy day. Actually more of an exclamation mark.

Anyway, we were just about to leave when one of the locals, a delightful character who loves the nightlife of our village, came over to sit with us for a bit. He was funny and even started to serenade Bob's mum with a local, a never-ending song. She was rather flattered of course. As one does when a man serenades one! Somehow the fact that she wouldn't understand one word he sang did sort of encourage him further!

He then started to tell ( or rather brag ) about his various illnesses and how he beat them. Isn't it funny how when one reaches a certain age, the stories of prowess are swept aside by stories of illness? Don't get me wrong, I was impressed like mad at how much he has managed to shake off and carry on with life and more importantly with a smile.

He is rather fond of the local wine and really folks don't throw stones in a glass house and told the story of how he outlived many of the specialists who either gave him a new hip, knee or advice. Two of his medical advisers had already been left behind and despite not listening to their kind advice, he was still about.

Often when I talk to the old guard in the village, they tell me how for most of their lives, they had a shot of Schnapps with breakfast. Kick starting the old engine, so to speak...Who am I to raise an eyebrow when the person in question is over 90 and hale as can be? Also, who could ever forget the Queen Mum who lived to be 102 while enjoying a glass or two daily?

When the world's awash with tablets and pills it might not be the worst idea to listen to those old household remedies from yore...at least some of the time.

Biggi

Wednesday 12 April 2017

The Adventurous Life Of Maus.

A laugh a minute.

A few of our windows are covered with mosquito netting which, believe me is extremely necessary as we live next to a big pond and often the mozzies are busy buzzing about. This netting is also a grand way to have Mausi be a part of the outdoors without being outdoors. Remember, she is a house cat.

Often she repines hours and hours in the open window just watching the world around her without ever wanting to join it. How do I know? Well, she isn't constantly clawing at the netting.

Yesterday morning while brushing my teeth I heard a big loud clonking sound. Going to investigate I saw little Miss Muffet hanging precariously on the netting. Half way in and half way out. A bird doing its thing outside the window had caught her attention and wanting to follow its antics, Mausi had leaned a bit to vigorously against it. It gave way.

When I saw her and she saw me- halfway out the window - I swear I could see her lift an imaginary paw and wave a cheeky goodbye to me...

" Thanks for everything mum, see you later..."
Naturally it didn't take me longer than two seconds to be by her side. Lifting her out of the dangling frame I could feel her little heart beating quickly and it might have been beating for the bird that nearly graced her pallet.

In case you were wondering, I will set your minds at ease...she loves being with us and hasn't clawed and meaowed in front of windows or doors. Remember, there are many many dangers outside for her. The foxes often cut a painful path through farmers chickens, tractors career about alarmingly not to mention the speeding cars but somehow I feel that the many tomcats that are scouring our yard would be the most harmful to her...Bob would have his shotgun out constantly, protecting his little girl!

Biggi

Tuesday 11 April 2017

A Few More...

Another side, a beautiful one of course, to Eisenberg.

The infamous bench basked in morning light. Who would love to sit there and while the time away?
All the trees have morphed into objects worthy of admiration. This particular stunner is residing along the path bordering Hungary.
The Deutsch Schützen Chapel in the background. Divine, stunning and fabulous.
The upper Eisenberg vineyards brought into focus by a mere tree branch.
We took the path less trodden yesterday ( a bit of a mishap ) and finally, after high stepping through dew laden fields, came upon this path. Magical, isn't it?
A bit of colour to underline the blossoms. A batch of tulips outside a Kellerstock on the Hungarian side of the Eisenberg.

Biggi

Monday 10 April 2017

A Slow Visual Start To Monday.

My little anti-dote to a topsy-turvy world.

Walking through the forest was a treat as the recently cut wood was still wafting its own particular brand of perfume about. Divine and when the sun peeked through it was even better.
This should give you an idea about the earliness of time. The forest was just changing over from night shift to day shift...
The tulips are out everywhere and it was a show stopper driving passed this one. Would be interesting to see how many people notice them on the verge?
Shrubs of innocence it seems. The white mini-blossoms are amazing in their unity. The aroma around it was far better than any perfume.
The whole picture...colour coded it seems.
I know it's merely a photo of a piece of lawn, but this frame does have a bit of cheekiness about. Look at how each blade of grass is styled differently...
To end off, a photo of a different wine area. The Hannersberg vineyards are not bad either.

Biggi