Summer Mornings.

Reflections of nature.

Even nature needs to get up sometimes. What a beautiful morning in Eisenberg despite it heralding a hot summer's day.

A feather dusting of mauve ferns make for a cheerful sight.

The purple signature of the wild garlic plants encircle a white beauty.

A simple pot plant makes a statement. Strong and sturdy.

How quick the wheat has stepped up to its fate...wheat today, bread tomorrow! The dangling nest of straw sits elegantly atop the left over stems.

Simple, strong, magnetic and soul refreshing...

Biggi

Jovial And Boisterous Camping Ensued.

The Pond comes alive...

It was the start of the summer holidays yesterday and some of the local kids celebrated it in style. The fishing enthusiasts, a tight group of friends who have just finished their second year of high school, made sure to see the holidays in with a bang. Camping. With their parents.

I think this is the second year and I must say, it did sound like they all had a lot of fun. The parents as much as the kids. The art of camping might be relegated to being an antique relic of the past, so it was nice to see local parents pull out all the stops. A neat row of tents were lined upon the edge of our pond and one could almost feel the feverish excitement of the kids.

Bob and I were only there by virtue of living in the line of sound. Yes, it was noisy, boisterous and as much as we were cursing them last night ( having the window open was a breath of fresh air but alas also afforded us front row seats to the noise ), it makes me glad that old fashioned holidays at home are still happening.

The party carried on well past midnight but finally they settled down or we fell into an exhausted slumber. Bob despite his grumbles had fond flashbacks to his childhood and camping with his parents and also perhaps he recalled making too much noise himself at times. Slightly Karmic!

Tonight we are one step ahead and have decided to sleep in the back room where an open window might not carry along the jovial sounds of a successful round of camping. What a wonderful way to mark the start of school holidays and what a wonderful way for families to be together...

Biggi

The Weekend, What A Welcome Friend.

A change in pace.

There is just a special feeling in the air come Friday morning. Everyone is getting ready for a couple of days of nothing and everything. Days to recharge, days to reconnect and days to forget.

Fridays feel like dress rehearsals for holidays not yet taken. Fridays are often lived to the fullest and not an ounce of it is left for sleep. A sort of dare to the ordinariness of weekdays. Eat, drink and let live...

Our village is doubly into weekends. A lot of locals commute weekly to and from Vienna and come Friday afternoon, they head home for two days of catching up. Families are together again and food is often at the center of it. Saturday and Sunday are spent creating local culinary treats for the men. Often a nice pot roast with all the trimmings.

The shop is busy as can be on Friday mornings and as they say, the early bird catches the worm or in this case the best cut of meat, the freshest vegetables and of course the most important bit, the freshest village news.

Weekends fit us like a well worn glove and so it should be. We all need that time to recharge and reset our bodies in order to be fit for another bout of weekday living. Of course the best bit about a weekend is spending two long days with our better halves....

Biggi

An Early Start To Our Day.

The delightful time before sunrise.

As you know the weather has us browbeaten in sweat, sweltering in earnest and hoping for winter like never before. Alas, Bob still had to go to work but thankfully they have decided to start at five in order to end the day earlier and to have at least two hours in coolness.

Bob left at half past four and I decided to start my walk fifteen minutes later. The sun was peeping just over the horizon casting that magical scene of haze cloaking the fields yet thankfully it was already light enough to walk. The air was fabulously chilled or as chilled as air can be on days where 40 is the new norm, and hardly a soul was about. Sheer bliss to walk among one's thoughts with only the chirping of birds, braying of buck and buzzing of insects accompanying one along. Best feeling in the world.

Eventually as I was rounding the corner to our house I ran into a few people and took the time to have chats. As one does when the heat is the only topic of the day. Suddenly everyone remembers that we are out of Africa which in their minds makes us experts at handling such heat. Perhaps we are because we don't walk about with next to nothing in the line of clothing in fact for me it is just the opposite. Making sure that most of my skin is hidden away from the unrelenting onslaught of sunshine.

Eerily similar to hot summer days in South Africa, a storm is brewing over us. One can usually feel them building round about lunchtime and early afternoon they can be seen. Well, we are in for a big bang not far from now and apart from the relief of having the cloying hot air whisked away, I can only hope that hail doesn't have the gall to show up here uninvited and unannounced...

Biggi

A Sweltering Day In Burgenland.

A proper heat wave.

Our family in Denmark can only dream of our weather and funnily enough we often dream of theirs. Isn't it funny how one tends to think of Europe as one place and feel that temperatures should be more or less the same? Perhaps I base it on living in South Africa where the only variation between the various areas hundreds of kilometers apart was hot and very hot.

After eight years I should know better because our own Burgenland weather is different in every village. I kid you not, the other day the heavens opened over Rechnitz ( about 13 km from us ) and gave a deluge of biblical proportions while we had not even a hint of a drop of rain.

The last few days have been hot and sweltering increasing steadily to unbearable as the week has progressed. Bob is usually off to work at twenty past five and this morning when I dropped him off down the road, I couldn't help but smile when I saw how many people were busy doing gardening in the hope of outrunning the sun's rise.

For some odd reason I have chosen the last two days to clip back our long hedge. Unlike most of our neighbhours we still clip the old fashioned way with a pair of hedge shears, a rake and elbow grease. Believe me I do at times envy the ease with which they sculpt their hedges with those specially created power tools, but then reason prevails. It more or less will take me seven hours to do the whole hedge and at most it is done twice a year. Spending anything upwards of 150 euros for such a optional tool is outrageous and a bit silly.

Granted, our hedge has a rustic feel to it but I find there is a bit of character in it. A leaf protruding here and another one beckoning there gives it that elusive rustic charm which has been kicked out the neighbourhood with elegantly manicured hedges and lawns. But, each to their own.

Of course the icing on the cake is the workout one gets when wielding a pair of garden shears for hours on end followed by raking up the trimmings with an old fashioned rake. Two birds with one stone...money saved and workout had.

Biggi

Labeling Food With The Climate In Mind.

Shopping with a good conscious.

By now most of us are conditioned to read labels, either in the scientific way or the colourful way. We have become quite accustomed to checking either fat, sugar or protein content of just about everything, and eat it anyway.

Today I made some croissants for the first time with dough marked vegan and loved them. But, I wondered why a croissant pastry dough was labeled especially vegan suddenly? Of course it isn't healthy just because it says vegan, but it means no animal products were used in the making. No animal products means less of a carbon footprint. Less damage to the environment. Just saying less, not none!

Most of us apart from those who think the recent bout of extreme weather is part of normal, want to do something to help in fighting back the earth's warming. What do we do three or more times a day, all year round? Yes, we eat. All of us billions of earth's lodgers buy food to eat every day, if we are lucky.

What if most of our food comes with a big label on top, coloured, honest and unmistakable;

• A big green circle around the words: Great to stop climate change.
• A big orange circle around the words: Think twice before you eat this. Will add to extreme weather.
• A big red circle around the words: Stop! Rain forest cut down for this product. Water supply threatened and contaminated.

Yes, hope springs eternal but perhaps it might be easier and simpler for people to shop that way. No overthinking each item apart from checking the colour dot. You know, if most of us were to put at least two items from the Green dot category in our shopping trolley, the world might be a better and cooler place...

Biggi

Vegan Flashcards.

Being put on the spot.

There is always a reason why people stumble on to our new way of eating. New way of life. Not as if we volunteer the information anymore. Believe me, we have learnt that for some reason, being outed as a vegan might be the equivalent of having a red cloth tied around the midriff and being thrown into a bull ring.

After a while the jokes get tiring, hurtful and old news. Yes, we do get enough protein. Yes, our bones are just fine. Yes, we choose to eat that way and no, we are not going to wilt away like that far flung friend who tried to be vegan and couldn't hack it. There is vegan and there is vegan after all.

For some odd and irritating reason Bob and I draw a blank when asked what we eat every day. 'Isn't it boring and bland to eat broccoli, cabbage and carrots every day? 'Honestly, we eat much more of a variety than that. But when put on the spot, we come up with a mediocre answer of bean curry and rice. As nice as that is, it isn't the only food on our plates. Far from it.

Flashcards might come in handy. Nicely colour printed pictures of what meals we eat. Burger & sweet potato chips, pasta, tofu & creamed broccoli, vegetable stir fry, toasted cheese and of course the bean curry. Despite it having happened to me quite often and me trying to memorize a meal menu, it always comes back to a stuttered reply involving vegetables. Perhaps I need to turn the tables and ask what the meat eaters eat on a daily basis...

Biggi

Rain Gladdens All Of Nature.

A weekend of plentiful rain.

A roof of vines creates a soft bedding for falling raindrops.

Overnight most of the crops have added an inch in height. Thirsty no longer they can focus on just being.

The local flock of sheep were seeking cover under a tree until they saw me. Did they mistake me for mamma perhaps? You should have seen how speedy they ran...

The troupe of swallows enjoyed a cool breeze atop of the wire.

The plentiful rain has given a lifeline to most of nature. Lovely to see everything unfold, grow and glow.

Our hydrangea soaking up the moisture and bursting with life again.

Aren't they beautiful? These hydrangeas were given to us by family a few years ago and they show up loyally each and every year.

Biggi

Grocery Shopping, What Fun.

Kohfidisch beckons.

Living out in the sticks we have to plan our trips to town. Well, a trip to town for us is what some of you might drive from home to work or merely getting from A to B in your town. Trying to make stuff last or rather trying to stretch the contents of our larder for another day or two has become fun and a little game for me. A sort of housewifely excitement!

Often I add another day just because it is so dreadfully hot and I don't feel like wilting whilst driving and popping in and out of shops. Isn't it amazing how far a seemingly empty larder can supply us with delicious meals?

Anyway, I had decided to go to either Oberwart or Güssing on Friday but then changed my mind and merely popped to the local Spar in Kohfidisch. Not that they have everything I would need but a week or so without some vegan delicacy won't hurt us either. The main part of the shop was of course for our kids and their ever changing taste buds. Even our outside cats have decided to forsake the cheaper version on the chance of getting something more upmarket. Oh no, of course we don't spoil or cats...

The upshot of all of this was that Friday morning saw me wheel a slightly laden trolley to the check out. Being a kind shopper I let the lady behind me go ahead and she jumped at the chance. Well, when it was my turn I took forever to put it all on the conveyor belt and a collection of shoppers watched with interest. Especially an elderly man who had like four items was rather amused at how much I had;

" You must have a big family at home! "

at first I smiled but then thought better of it and came out with the only appropriate reply;

" Oh no, just a very hungry husband! "

Husbands are quite good at taking the blame, deserved or not. Well, I obviously had answered perfectly as he nodded his head and accepted it at face value but I did hear him mumble something about the husband having to be huge...

Biggi

A Plethora of Pet Shops In Oberwart.

Honestly, another one?

Another pet shop emporium has opened its portals in Oberwart. By my count there are now three super pet shops and many mini ones. If one considers that every supermarket imaginable carries an array of pet supply, the mind boggles at the market research done. Oberwart has about 8 000 inhabitants and perhaps a shopping density of 15 000 people, not forgetting to subtract part of the above because they shop online.

If only they would have opened that pet shop in Güssing where there are none. Güssing is a lovely little town to shop in and it has Lidl and Hofer within walking distance. In fact, the only thing missing is a pet shop ( needed for our gourmet cats ) and a Chinese Restaurant like our favourite in Oberwart.

But, the plethora of pet shops must be a sign that there are legions of pet owners who think nothing of buying only the best for their darlings. Dogs, despite being the same have a different aura in South Africa. There they are macho and in charge of their garden domain and wouldn't be caught dead being lead around a busy shopping mall. Yes, in Austria dogs are allowed in shops, shopping centers and restaurants.

In Oberwart new shops are opening which is a good sign but I often wonder why so many of the same ilk are opening but not those that would lure shoppers back from the dreaded online shopping portals. Even in our favourite mall, the Einkaufszentrum Oberwart ( E.O. ), there are at least three clothing emporiums that more or less stock the same stuff. Cheap and enticing but not quality that lasts.

Even though the E.O. has a book shop, it is not one to be bowled over. They should bring in a book emporium complete with a coffee shop and reading stations that emits a clear signal that reading real books is cool.

Biggi

The First Drops Of Rain.

Extremely hot weather before the official start to summer.

Gosh, this heat has been on a par with Durban weather in February. Hot, impossible and never ending. The barometer climbing close to the forties is only the half of it when you consider how dry it has been. Rain, alas, only in Spain.

The heat hardly abates during the night and just like in Durban, we have taken to sleeping with duvet covers sans duvet. Even that has to be borne. Add a touch of feline fur and the plot in an angry movie thickens..." Get off me, cat! "

Cooking poses slight difficulties but despite saying this or that is too hot to eat, remember that most cooked meals are full of heat. Might as well sweat over a curry than a pasta dish.

We keep the curtains closed during the day and it does lend a touch of coolness to our house. Just a touch though. Normally I can whip them open at about four in the afternoon but thankfully today they needed to be moved much earlier. Yes, the sky above us has morphed from a friendly deceptive perky blue into a moody grey. Moody blues in some areas but holding many a promise of cloud bursts or at least a sprinkling of rain. The air, when I opened two windows has that delicious scent of rain in the offing. Fresh, crisp with slight hints of rotting grass.

Maus and I are on opposite sides of the house peering through windows whilst hoping for rain or a glimpse of tomcat Joe. Small slivers of drops are descending teasingly onto our garden and with any luck, they will stop being timid and instead water our plants and garden. Rain, is loved by most except perhaps by the Brits. Moaning about the bloody rainy weather is a luxury most of us don't have, even though when we do have a week of rainy weather, Bob and I can be heard lamenting forcefully over the lack of sun. Are we ever happy?

Biggi

A Bit Of Health.

Health is wealth.

" Keep your vitality. A life without health is like a river without water. "
Maxime Lagace

" True silence is the rest of the mind, and is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment. "
William Penn

" Good humour is the health of the soul, sadness is its poison. "
Phillip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield

" Good health and good sense are two of life's greatest blessings. "
Publilius Syrus

" Your body hears everything your mind says. "
Naomi Judd

" Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. "
Benjamin Franklin

" Our bodies are our gardens - our wills are our gardeners. "
William Shakespeare

" The best doctors give the least medicine. "
Benjamin Franklin

" The doctor of the future will give no medicines, but will interest his patients in the care of the human frame, in diet, and in the causes and prevention of disease. "
Thomas Edison

" The patient should be made to understand that he or she must take charge of his own life. Don't take your body to the doctor's as if he were a repair shop. "
Quentin Regestein

" The food you eat can either be the safest and most powerful form of medicine...or the slowest form of poison. "
Ann Wigmore

Biggi

Flowery Confessions.

Early morning reflections.

It has been two days now since I finished my watering duties. As I told you, I was rather thrilled that on my watch they didn't face premature demise even though a few of the flower beds are stocked with what I like to call funeral fodder. Dull Marigolds. Not the flowers fault and apart from taking off their wilted heads I treated them with the same care as the more attractive preppy colourful ones. Bright reds, pinks and whites.

These last two mornings I have made sure my walk begins or ends at these flower beds. For nostalgia if nothing else. Funny how in my mind I inspect every flower there and try and see if the next person on the roster has been as diligent as me. Of course they have as Eisenbergers seem to all have been born with green thumbs.

If there weren't so many prying eyes I could quite easily go and have a closer look at my flowers and tut tut about any hurt, wilted or missing one. Not to make you cringe but if Prince Charles can talk to plants, why can't I? Naturally my previous chat with them during my roster week went along the lines of;

" Please, please, please don't die on my shift. I couldn't live with the sideways glances. "

Looking after flowers is no big deal around here apart from the schlepp of it. Regardless, I would have been chuffed to have received a nod of thanks, a quick ' well done, they made it through ' or a smile of acknowledgement....Ah, how often one forgets the power of those two simple words...Thank. You.

Biggi

The Return Of Stolen Moments.

De-cluttering my online activities.

Last week I heard a podcast about digital minimalism by Cal Newport and after the first ten minutes I was hooked. Ironic really that I get the nudge to minimize my digital life through a podcast! The thing that did it for me was the bit about fragmented minds and stolen time.

Social media is an intrusion on our normal life and all and sundry are certainly hooked on it to some degree. Be it Candy Crush, WhatsApp or merely spending hours scrolling through one's news feed to check on how friends, family or strangers are doing. Or rather, if they are doing better then us.

Regardless of how we spend our social media time, we never get it back. Even worse, it distracts us from what we are doing, thinking or making to such an extent making everything just that much more difficult to complete.

A month isn't such a long time and that is the time span I have given myself in order to reclaim mental peace and quiet, time and the ability to think unhindered by constant distractions. Distractions that are so meaningless and silly.

This is my third day of not being on social media sites and it feels good so far. I have read without loosing the thread, I have had moments of boredom and moments of introspection. Boredom is a rare commodity these days because for everything spare moment there is an App, game or Instagram. Boredom is good for us and teaches us patience and tranquility.

Who hasn't added a Trojan horse into their lives and homes, be they in form of a smartphone, smart tv, smart fridge or smart Alexa and feels as if those who didn't are the ones left behind in the race to have it all, be it all and most importantly be liked by all? So far I am quite happy to be the one going against the popular tide...

Biggi

The Stuff Of Bread...

A wheaty issue.

Still a bit green behind the ears but on the way to ripen. Not much longer before the wheat harvest starts.

At the edge of most fields a selection of wild flowers grace the path. Beautiful when seen against the golden tone of wheat.

A landing dock for butterflies again next to a wheat field. Most of my walk this morning was accompanied by butterflies and wheat fields. Absolutely stunning.

A tractor had recently been through the field leaving rather interesting patterns in it. Brought out the depth of gold even more.

Isn't it lovely? A part of my route as always graced by blue skies.

Can you see the bee? At least the food for bees is ample in certain parts of our area. Love it.

Biggi

Something To Ponder...

Interesting concepts and thoughts of others..

" What a wee little part of a person's life are his acts and his words! His real life is led in his head, and is known to none but himself. All day long, the mill of his brain is grinding, and his thoughts, not those of other things, are his history. These are his life, and they are not written. Everyday would make a whole book of 80 000 words - 365 a year. Biographies are but the clothes and buttons of a man - the biography of the man himself cannot be written. "
Mark Twain

" So long as governments set examples of killing their enemies, private individuals will occasionally kill theirs. "
Elbert Hubbard

" Read no history - nothing but biography, for that is life without theory. "
Benjamin Disraeli

" You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength. "
Marcus Aurelius

" Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree. "
Martin Luther

" People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they're not on your road doesn't mean they've gotten lost. "
Dalai Lama

" What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. "
Jane Goodall

Biggi

A Silent Thank You From Someone.

Well brought up kids indeed.

Yes, yes, I know I shouldn't call them kids but to us these feline divas are just that. We live with and for them, and aren't above going the extra mile for them. Only today I was driving Miss Tiggi up and down the driveway, listening to music and wouldn't you know, she has taken to lording it over the steering wheel like a duck to water. Soon she'll be coming for a drive to my parents with me...

Lately, old Tiggi who's been battling a drooping neck and general malaise, has perked up to no end and is holding her head up higher again. Been doing a bit of Reiki on her. Learnt it years ago and have rediscovered it with her. Or it might be the yummy food she's been dining on. All that recent attention on her has ruffled the feathers of Miss Maus to such an extent, that she often ignores me during the day only to perk up when Bob comes home from work!

Well, yesterday morning when I returned from my walk, I found a present waiting in the driveway, mere centimeters from a resting Tiggi. At first I didn't see it. No wonder really because as you can see it looked worse for wear. Nonetheless, I got my first present from a her. Clearly she must have wanted to thank me for making her feel better and better she is as earlier on I saw her jumping the gate as if she was a teenager again...

My first present from our feline kids. Of course I felt sad for the little rodent, but nature is nature. Rather telling that she prefers store bought food to real food...

Biggi

A Slice Of Early Morning Village Life.

The watering saga continues.

It was just after six this morning that I was manning my watering station outside the fire station. Rather apt indeed. The two watering cans were already full and as I was approaching my first flower bed, I saw one of the local students walk to her bus stop. Lovely in summer but imagine catching the bus at six in winter? Yikes, but do it they do.

When I refilled the two cans, I had the opportunity to stare out into the road and wasn't disappointed. Gosh, early mornings are the hub of activity. A school bus idled past and apart from the driver most of the kids were nodding off to sleep or perhaps the deed of staring at one's phone resembles nodding off...

Two more cans dispersed and back to refill them. Next the bus to Vienna came past and it was rather full of people. Vienna and back every workday must be a tough pill to swallow. There it must be nicer to sit in the bus during winter than in summer. Two and a bit hours baking before and after work can't be much fun.

Today the beds were thirstier than yesterday but all those numerous refills gave me a chance to notice things and people. A car sharing crew drove past with everyone apart from the driver lolling their heads comfortably against the window. Still asleep and not prepared to take any unnecessary time away from the cloudy surrounds.

The locals were a bit thin on the ground apart from some farmers cranking up their loud tractors. The odd car drove up to the cemetery for their own watering duties and apart from that I didn't encounter anyone set on keeping themselves healthy but perhaps I was too early. Getting up at the crack of dawn isn't everyone's cup of tea...

Biggi

Doing Our Bit.

Leaving the world in a fairly reasonable shape for the next generation.

It boggles my mind to think that so many parents aren't doing their bit for the environment, climate change and global warming. What use is it to get your offspring into the right kindergarten, school and university when there won't be jobs available ( don't forget the love affair of big business with outsourcing to machines, robots or drones ) or even worse, no place safe and sound left to live. Priorities need to change.

As much as Bob and I get made fun of for being whole heartedly vegan, we are doing and have done more to help the environment since becoming vegan than all the time before with recycling, water saving and co. That has really made me pause for thought.

Parents could set examples like only shopping for what they need as opposed to what they want, holidaying closer to home, repairing clothes instead of throwing them out at the drop of a button ( guilty myself too ) and perhaps or at least becoming part time vegans. Imagine how much water would be saved and how much ground water wouldn't be polluted with all the fecal matter and antibiotics from the factory farms.

Doing the right thing isn't always the easy route to take but, how much longer are we willing to pass the buck to someone else whilst complaining about the errant weather, tough economy or lack of opportunity?

Since the smartphone has become our hand's extension complete with bank accounts, the addiction to ordering stuff at the drop of a hat has taken hold in society at large. Every time we spend money and the manner how we do so gives us power to either do good or not so good for the environment, bricks and mortar shops, or our ability to have a conversation. Shopping in real shops means having conversations, often benign but still an opportunity to brush up on the lost art of conversation.

As I am writing this I am well aware that it will not make an impression let alone an impact. It is far easier to go with the flow than it is to do the right thing and face ridicule, outrage and denial. We only have one life and one earth to live on...by the way, am I the only one who thinks spending all those research dollars to live on Mars is stupid? Are we all going to take a one way ticket to Mars and bring our own camping gear?

Biggi

Just Because It Makes Me Happy.

Another visual feast.

As more and more vintners are turning organic, the local vineyards become dotted with more and more divine purple interludes.

A silvery tower of delights for a visiting bee.

Whatever blows their hair back...

How stunningly attractive these cherries are...as they are not mine, I desisted the urge to taste them.

A bevy of floral sirens holding court somewhere in the Deutsch Schützen vineyards...A wonderful start to any day.

Biggi

A Mellow Last Day Of A Long Weekend.

Another day in paradise.

Today was the official start to my flower duty and so far so good. Seven in the morning saw me schlepping several filled watering cans to the various beds languishing thirstily in front of me. There is a watering station next to the flower beds, so it actually was easy to do.

All in all I must have used about ten full watering cans but I must confess that it was a bit nerve wrecking trying to find the happy medium. My track record of keeping flowers alive isn't too great! To douse or not to douse? Ah, the intricacies of village life.

As my luck would have it, the head prefect of the village committee has her bedroom windows in full view of these flower beds and even though I hoped she was still sleeping in, I had a niggling suspicion that she was keeping an eye on me. Just for good measure I dead headed a few of the beyond help flower heads and think I did a fair enough job...

Watering done I carried on towards my favourite route and was met with brilliant sunshine, buzzing, twirling and the odd bark of a dog. A morning far too nice to stay in bed although a few might have decided to revive their vitality after a Sunday spent at the Burg Frühschoppen.

Often when I walk this way I encounter an older gentleman and his dog. He or rather both of them are always in the best of moods and even today he showed me a lone poppy which he thought was the bee's knees. What a nice change to have a conversation with someone who loves life, appreciates everything it has to offer and is as mad about his dog as we are about our cats. Just goes to show that it again are the simpler things in life which make a life well lived...

Biggi

A Visual Flower Feast.

Bountiful nature in Burgenland.

The wind was dithering about which way to blow and thus created a spectacular moving image of one of my favourite flowers. Poppies veiled in mystique...

On my walk this morning I discover a cherry tree bursting with ripe cherries ready for the picking...indeed I did and had a five minute sojourn under the cool shade of this cherry tree.

Today must have been a national butterfly day. Wherever I turned or walked, the wings of butterflies were preceding me or circling around me. A happy feast for the eyes.

Doesn't this remind you as well about a game of Mikado? A bunch of butcher's brooms graceful drooping and bending to set a scene.

The purple theme continues...a lot of fields between vines have turned purple. The buzz of bees heard in it was awesome and jovial.

The lavender takes center stage in our front garden again. Beautiful and soothing too.

Biggi

Are You Retired?

God, what a shock!

One always tends to think in youthful terms, one tends to believe one is still twenty or so and one definitely doesn't believe one is old. Not much different with me. Only odd glimpses of a too well lit mirror let an inkling of the inescapable truth come through. I ain't twenty no more!!!

Naturally I try and defy the aging and like my husband try and dress according to what we think is age appropriate ( sadly it lets us be stuck in the glory days of the 90's at least side stepping the shoulder pad craze of the 80's ). Yes, we do try and live a young age and are happy in the belief that it might have conned a few people into thinking us a decade younger....until today that is.

I was speaking to a friend's neighbour who more or less is my age ( ? ) when all of a sudden he turned to me and asked:

" So, are you on pension already? "

Oh my god, I was stunned for a second. Do I already get classed into the pensioner's category? When did that happen and am I the proverbial mutton dressed as lamb? Well, this man was clearly on a roll of hidden insults because a minute later he asked me again:

" That young man that was living here last year, was that your son? "

Oh my, what a Saturday indeed. Well, not to be outdone, I quipped:

" This young man you are asking about better be around twenty because if you are asking me about an older man, I might have to punch you. "

I think that by then he had realized how utterly charming he had been and tried to back track a tad. At least, a bit later in the conversation he mentioned that he thinks there might be some truth to the earth being flat after all...I rest my case.

Biggi

The Do's And Don'ts Of Giving A Former Feral Cat A Bath.

Some more feline bonding.

Old Tiggi has recently lost some feeling in her neck which means that it droops continuously. Often when she scootles towards us she looks like a dressage horse on best behaviour. There is nothing we can do but to work around it. Naturally her cuteness factor has shot up tremendously and in tandem have her cuddling sessions.

These cuddling sessions are what made me venture forth and splash her in a wash basket filled with warm water. With her neck being impeded she battles to clean herself properly but also her love of resting in the dirtiest of places has meant that she looks less than her best. Never mind, mummy will sort it out.

The weather boded well for me although not for her, with the sun blazing away ready to dry any wet fur. I filled up the wash basket, put on a long sleeve jacket ( oh, that was a winner for me ) and the gardening gloves we use for the roses. Thorns and claws! Tiggi is so trusting with me and she had no idea of what would befall her when I picked her up and gently lowered her into the tub.

All my endearments were thrown to the wind and she fought valiantly to climb out the tub. No, I had to get it done and the two of us danced the tango of hissing and cooing for a few more minutes until I had reasonably cleaned her fur.

A towel was waiting to wrap her in it and once she felt secure in it and my arms, she calmed down ( at one stage I thought I had given the poor dear a heart attack ) and let the cleaning routine go ahead. In fact a small purr was heard.

When eventually I laid her gently on the ground expecting her to do a vault away from my clutches, she surprised me by leaning into my legs, perhaps grateful that someone else has taken over her grooming. All's well that ends without scratches and now, a few hours later, she is prancing elegantly around enjoying her freshness...Old pets deserve some reverence and care.

Biggi

I Cracked The Nod To Water The Plot.

A week of trust.

Just like anything of importance, this one came by post. Personal post but post nonetheless. After lunch the other day I ventured outside to check the postbox and lo and behold, a notice was there. Hand delivered it seems. At first I took it for some pesky advertising but when I perused it a bit closer and realized that I have been called up to village duty. A week's worth of daily watering the village flowerbed on display.

As nobody had phoned me about it, it sort of arrived out of the blue and thank goodness I didn't throw it in the rubbish because it would have taken a few days before anyone would have noticed the missing link in the watering chain.

As it is they are taking a huge gamble with me at the weekly helm, as plants do tend to meet their maker much earlier than necessary. But, for the good of the village I will be extra vigilant.

On Wednesday I surveyed my new work station and contrary to what I thought, these flower beds seem endless indeed. As long as I don't forget one of them although I doubt that will happen. As soon as Bob ( and mum for that matter ) heard the news that I've been allocated a week's worth of watering important flower beds, he already has taken it upon himself to go and check up on my handy work. Surreptitiously of course but drive past them he will and check if the beds are wet, as well...it might be quite funny when Bob and mum meet at the Eisenberg flower beds. ' Oh yee of little faith...'

Biggi

Lest We Forget The War.

The last of the world war two veterans.

By pure chance I happened to stumble across a live transmission of the D-day celebrations commemorating its 75th anniversary. Wow, I am glad I did. How sad to realize that only 300 or so veterans are still alive from that time. But also, what a privilege to see them there in their uniforms being idolized and fan-mobbed by young and hardy marines, seals and para-troupers.

Often, no actually always, we tend to see old people as old, with no lives lived but how wrong are we. These veterans have stared over the threshold into the entrance of hell and have come back to tell the tale. Or not. Not many talk about the horrors they had experienced and seen in order to liberate Europe.

Most of us take our freedom for granted never giving history a thought. The show they put on was fabulous and a timely reminder of how precarious times are at the moment. I loved seeing a veteran of close to 100 singing along to that fabulous song sung, We'll meet again, seeing the deference and care young service men and women afforded these elder heroes and afterwards, seeing the Queen and Prince Charles chat for long moments with these extraordinary veterans.

One forgets that the Queen herself is a war veteran and honestly, my admiration of her keeps on growing. How many 93 year old women does one see giving speeches, standing for long periods of time and being as mentally sharp as she is?

Let us hope that this program will be watched everywhere and perhaps even go viral, because I think it is important to show younger generations that war is real, and not like one of those games played online...

Biggi

Returning To The Old Fashioned.

Staying sane in these strange times.

Just about everything we took for granted and set in stone has changed or is changing. From politics to people's manners. Life is changing right in front of our eyes for the select few and for most of the others, in the palm of their hand, where they spend most of their time living their o lives online through rose tinted glasses.

Netflix can be addictive but it also has many good sides. No advertising and all episodes of series in one go. Yes, I too have lost the patience to wait from one week to the next to continue following a fictitious life. Bob and I have different profiles which leads to each of us getting different viewing suggestions. Bob's tend to be more Star War-ish while mine are dotted mainly with romance and murder. Oops.

Now and again I stumble on little gems of stories, those that take me to another time line, one in which all our modern complicated life choices are yet to be invented. A time where swearing was akin to declaring your lack of class, lying was frowned upon ( yet obviously done ) and women still dressed stylishly, not giving all away. Oh, and of course, no tattoo was in sight unless a sailor or jailbird was in the mix. In won't be long now before the fashion will change and a body blotted full of permanent ink will be extremely outdated and unwanted.

I was watching an episode of Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries and for some reason Bob watched it with me. I was expecting a yawn and ridicule from him, but to my great joy, he has taken to this series and in fact both of us watch an episode most evenings. The story is set in Australia in the 1920's and apart from being a visual feast of colours and characters, it also satisfies our liking of amateur sleuths.

Life tends to be getting more complicated but maybe it is so because we are aware of everything at once due to the internet. Seeing a life lived happily without all our modern can't live without its is just what the doctor ordered.

Biggi

A Bit Of Monarchy...

Pomp and ceremony.

" A crown golden in show, is but a wreath of thorns. Brings dangers, troubles, cares, and sleepless nights to him who wears the regal diadem. "
John Milton Paradise Regained ( 1671 )

" I believe that the royal family are a focus of patriotism, of loyalty, of affection and of esteem. That is a rare combination, and we should value it highly. "
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher ( 1990 )

" They say a Prince learns no art truly, but the art of horsemanship. The reason is, the brave beast is no flatterer. He will throw a Prince as soon as his groom. "
Ben Jonson ( 1572-1637 )

" It was with some emotion...that I beheld Albert-who is beautiful. "
Victoria on meeting Prince Albert, her future husband at the time.

" I may be uninspiring, but I'll be damned if I am an alien! "
George V after hearing that HG Wells called his court ' alien and uninspiring '.

" I have no intention of telling people what I have for breakfast.
Princess Margaret ( 1930-2002 )

" When a man opens a car door for his wife, it's either a new car or a new wife. "
Prince Phillip

" Tolerance the one essential ingredient...You can take it from me that the Queen has the quality of tolerance in abundance. "
Prince Phillip

" Is it possible that my people live in such awful conditions? I tell you, Mr Wheatley, that if I had to live in conditions like that I would be a revolutionary myself. "
George V ( 1865-1936 )

" The less people know about what is really going on, the easier it is to wield power and authority. "
Prince Charles

" It is baffling, I must say, that in our modern world we have such blind trust in science and technology that we all accept what science tells out about everything - until, that is, it comes to climate science. "
Prince Charles

Roses And Wine, Suit Me Just Fine.

The rains egged it along.

They seem rather normal in our everyday supermarket shopping excursions but, actually, they are an intricate arrangement of petals, not to mention the adorable perfume they waft about.

Oh how fabulous. The first signs of grapes are marking the passing of time in order to make wine.

Along my route this morning I had the fortune of walking past this ensemble on one of the neighbourhood hedges. Only three primary colours create such an inspiring image.

The sun reflecting off this vine leaf might give a hint to how incredible hot it was today. A welcome change after our recent bout of less than perfect weather.

A hint of flowers to emerge. The next few days it will be a pleasure to walk past this hedge.

It does look as if this year will be a good one for wine. A few more months and this tiny grape-lets will be fully grown, containing the liquid gold that makes our region so special and a great place to live...

Biggi

A Leisurely Saturday Morning Spent Among Burgenland's Nature.

A hare and daisy story.

The wind must have been in my favour as this rather large hare sat still for quite a while. At first, as it was running toward me I thought it was a runaway dog coming my way. In fact I was already picturing a new addition to our family when it stopped and displayed a set of antenna like ears.

There, you see! It does look like a cute pavement special dashing about.

Yes, yes, yet another set of poppies, but don't you agree that it looks as if they were floating on a bed of green needles?

A delightful, refreshing and cheerful bunch of daisies lining the side of the road. A happy co-mingling of colours and species.

Rather perfect, aren't they? Miraculous how nature manages to achieve perfect flowers from a tiny seed, each and every season.

Remember, how we used to pull each petal off one by one while mumbling;
" He loves me, he loves me not. "
Oh, the cares of youth...

Biggi