Different Glimpses Of Eisenberg.

 A week's worth of images captured while walking.

A buck convention interrupted...last Sunday Bob and I came across this troupe of deer.

Somehow there is always the one that stops to pose for a photograph....

A few mornings later the mood was fit for a fairy tale...there are days when the sun's attention just makes everything that much nicer and beautiful.

Atop of the vineyard there is a bank of hibiscus shrubs and even in the depth of winter their fruit are cheerful decorations to come across.

Even this afternoon's sun couldn't disperse the many puddles between the vines. Nice to look at but terrible to work in...

A great reflection of an old vine...

Biggi

A Typical Day Of Everything And Nothing.

 A thought provoking trip into Grosspetersdorf.

The roads are blissfully devoid of heavy traffic until one gets into town. Well, one can't really call Grosspetersdorf's traffic heavy but after living in an idyllic backwater area, any amount over twenty cars is deemed to be a traffic congestion. 

It was an errant to fetch medication for a villager that saw me head out after lunch. The problem with small places  ( not sure whether Grosspetersdorf classifies as town or big village? ) is that there are no traffic calmers, such as robots, traffic circles or plain old stop signs. 

As I was already in town I thought I would pop into the new Billa quickly as I wanted to get some soy joghurt which it turned out they didn't have in stock. The supermarket is on the opposite side of where I need to go but as there was hardly a car in sight I took a chance.

Should have known better. When I came out of the shop, with nothing to show for it, traffic on both lanes had picked up and as there aren't any traffic calmers, I had to wait five minutes in order to exit the parking lot. And I had to gap it too so that I could sneak in before the next row of cars came close. Irritating stuff and it makes me wonder why, when they have clearly spent a fortune building this new supermarket, they haven't included easy access and exit from their car park?

The sheer stupidity of it makes me think twice if I want to shop there. Trying to cross a busy main road without any help is not worth the extra goodies this supermarket might have. In any case, there is a different supermarket on the opposite side. One that is easy to access and exit by car and one that is also much more reasonable in their pricing.

Making life easy for your customers is what business is all about....

Biggi 

Some New Year's Insights.

Quotes from the past.

" Hope smiles from the threshold of the year to come, whispering, ' It will be happier ' "

Alfred Lord Tennyson

" And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been. "

Rainer Maria Rilke

" Character is the ability to carry out a good resolution long after the excitement of the moment has passed. "

 Cavett Robert

" Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. " 

Ralph Waldo Emerson

" Take a leap of faith and begin this wondrous new year by believing. Believe in yourself. And believe there is a loving source-A Sower of Dreams-just waiting to be asked to help you make your dreams come true. "

Sarah Ban Breathnach

" Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better man. "

Benjamin Franklin

" Ring out the false, ring in the true. "

Alfred Lord Tennyson

" Each age has deemed the new-born year the fittest time for festal cheer. "

Walter Scott

" New Year's Day is every man's birthday. "

Charles Lamb

Biggi

The Joy Oh Having Nowhere To Be.

 A holiday of sorts.

Christmas has come and gone and New Year's is on the way. Naming the individual days gets rather difficult as each and every day lately feels as though it is a Sunday. Most definitely a good sign that we are unwinding and dare I say relaxing despite or rather because of this new lockdown.

The odd outing, I just returned from a quick excursion to our local bank, doesn't take much effort apart from changing from sweats to jeans and perhaps an elastic for a pony tail. Isn't it nice that with the advent of face masks, the need to put on lipstick or check for an over zealous spinach leaf has gone? Mask on, and there we are...

The end of the year is beckoning and hopefully for the first time some sanity along with it. None of those horrid fireworks, nor any of those drunken parties that stop being fun long before midnight and involve a lot of time watching. Austria has a curfew in place and that bodes extremely well for a quiet New Year's Eve. Here is hoping that there won't be any idiots trying to bend the rules. 

From Friday many will start on a regime of denial, the New Year's resolutions. Diet being the foremost. How many will suffer those first few days hanging about all forlorn, irritable and slightly hungry?  And how many will dream of those giddy last few days before commencing their resolution? Been there, done that...

Regardless of how we see out the year, it is going to feel fantastic shutting the chapter on 2020 and opening the blank pages of 2021. A year already full of promise and vaccinations. A year where we will celebrate and idolize summer. From now on each and every formerly arbitrary thing, like a summer or an evening out at a restaurant, will be treasured and enjoyed for what it is... a reminder that life as we know it isn't a given and should be appreciated for the gift it is.

Biggi

Insights Into Another Time, Another Era.

The delightful Edith Wharton ( 1862-1937 )

" There are two ways of spreading light;  to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it. "

Edith Wharton

" If only we'd stop trying to be happy we'd have a pretty good time. "

Edith Wharton

" Misfortune had made Lily supple instead of hardening her, and a pliable substance is less easy to break than a stiff one. "

Edith Wharton

" The only way not to think about money is to have a great deal of it. "

Edith Wharton

" Her failure was a useful preliminary to success. "

Edith Wharton, The Custom of the country.

" A woman is asked out as much for her clothes as for herself. "

Edith Wharton

" The motions of her mind were as incalculable as the flit of a bird in the branches. "

Edith Wharton, Ethan Frome

" Beauty ( was ) a gift which, in the eyes of New York, justified every success, and excused a certain number of failings. "

Edith Wharton, The Age Of Innocence

" ...and once more it was borne in on him that marriage was not the safe anchorage he had been taught to think, but a voyage on uncharted seas..."

Edith Wharton, The Age Of Innocence

Biggi  

The Start Of Our New Lockdown.

 May it be the last one.

So, today is the day. Shops are of course naturally closed due to the festive season but apart from the essential ones, they will stay closed until the 18th of January. A long and arduous time ahead although most of us have become conditioned to this new phase of life. Sadly not all, otherwise we wouldn't be in this predicament!

Essential shops will be the only ones visited from now on. Food, money and medication oh, and libations are really all we need. The rest alas, will be bought online.

Grocery shopping is one of my favourite past times. Spending time perusing the various options available is fabulous. New treats might be found, new ideas had and stress left at the door. But, that could pose a problem for me. 

For the next few weeks it won't be a good idea to linger longer in shops. Ideally, I should have a shopping list geared for the various shops and basically hot foot it through the aisles with speed, agility & purpose. A tall order for me. 

Luckily Bob is coming with me on next week's shopping excursion and should keep me in check. Knowing that a slightly impatient man is either walking besides me, muttering for dear life, or drumming his fingers on the steering wheel is enough to stop me dawdling and dithering.

All of us have gone above and beyond this year and have become stronger because of it. The next few weeks might not be the most pleasant, but we are going to master them they way it is expected of us. 

This too shall pass....

Biggi

A Lazy Christmas Day.

 The day it sinks in.

There has been such a run up ( rather a hype ) to Christmas that now, the day after it only sinks in. Yes, another year gone, another day of gratitude and lazying about.

Hard to believe that it is the middle of winter as the sun is up and shining, making the sound of our central heating almost not needed. A few more months and spring is on our doorstep with a promise of long hot days to come. Aren't we all yearning for some good tidings and a chance to spend most of our time outdoors, seeing friends and family without the incessant risk of covid 19?

Ever since Bob and I got together we have celebrated two Christmases. For Bob it is on the morning of  25th and for me on the eve of the 24th. Quite all right to have it this way as we can be swept away by the festive spirit that much longer.

Odd that, celebrating on opposite ends of a day. The evening version lends itself wonderfully for midnight mass and walks outside in the cold evening air, sporting new coats, jackets or boots.

 ( At least it was like that when I was growing up ). The morning version is magical too despite having to wait a whole night to open presents. 

Meals had a different impact on the most important part of Christmas when we were young. We had to linger over a slightly too drawn out supper ( parents knew how to prolong the agony! ) before we could rip open all of our presents while Bob was lucky to open presents first and then linger over a nice long brunch, not being on tender hooks whether Father Christmas had obeyed all of the points listed on the well thought out  wish-list. Ah, what fun we all had when we were young.

Now that we are a bit  older we approach this festive time a bit more sedately but the main constructs of our youth are solid and secure...a special supper and brunch for sure, with the odd present being ripped open with learnt precision, excitement and joy...

Biggi

A Quiet Christmas.

 A new sensation for many.

We have become so used to Christmas madness. Be it shopping for presents, food or decorations. Everything leading up to the 24th meant one thing. A stressful and slightly chaotic time. That's what one does, that's the way it is and that's the only way we know...

Until this year. Corona and Christmas is the oxymoron none of us wanted but had to find a way to live with. For so many it is a concept not to be contemplated. A Christmas without loved ones. A Christmas alone. A quiet Christmas. Yet, that is exactly what many are having.

Christmas is the time of giving and appreciating the loved ones in our live and what better way to show this than to stay away. The pesky little bug has shown itself to be an ubiquitous party crasher, without any respect for its hosts. No, we won't give it the opportunity to invade our family's homes and anyway,  the mere fact that we  can't sit around our family's dining room table drinking eggnog and eating luxurious vittles doesn't mean that we don't think about them. In fact, not being there makes one give more thought than ever to our families and the festive traditions we took for granted.

Soon all will be back to a new normal and goodness me, next Christmas is going to be a fabulous one. For many of us this has been the first time in our lives that we have encountered such a momentous obstacle in our hitherto easy road in life and it can't help but make us more appreciative, grateful and glad of the live we have.

Merry Christmas to all...

Biggi

A Divine Morning, Made For Walking.

 The sun was out and we were about!

Well, the sun was just making its appearance when we set off for our walk. A nice change after weeks of insipid rainy weather...

There is something rather soothing about a curvy road. A clear and solid turn in the road which often makes me pause to absorb it.

A few yards further along the angle of the sun changed and with it the atmosphere of our whole area. Isn't it stunning?

Ah, my Schatzi stepping about ahead of me, cool as ever!

I can't get enough of our Burgenland. Whatever the season, wherever the place, Burgenland is tops.

The far distance is actually the Hungarian part of Eisenberg but beautiful nonetheless.

Just what the doctor ordered...clear and solid colours make this manna for the soul. 

Nature, isn't she splendid? 

Biggi

Rediscovering My Knitting Project.

 Knitting, I forgot how fun and relaxing it is!

A household with a cat can be akin to a household with a small child. Everything that you don't want destroyed, eaten or torn needs to be child-proved  or in our case, cat-proved. Mausi is as nosy as can be and literally needs to inspect everything. Coming home with bags of groceries entails her putting her nose into every bag to inspect the purchases.

With that in mind I had taken the trouble to put all my wool and half knitted project into a sealed plastic container. Well, a container with a lid which is as good as. Yesterday was the day to open it again. A patch work quilt in the making that actually only needs to be assembled. Isn't it always the bit at the end that stops completion? 

Knitters are renowned for plenty of UFOs...Un-Finished Objects!

In order to crochet all the knitted squares together I had to put them onto the couch to see into which sequence to place the individual squares. Well, Miss Mausi thought that they were put there for her to sleep upon. Like a queen she jumped onto the middle square and settled down for the afternoon. What a cad.

Knitting is well suited to these corona times. Watching television while knitting or crocheting is rather pleasant  and fun. It helps calm spirit and mind while at the same time keeping our cat entertained. Goodness me, what a splendid aide she is. The minute my ball of wool rolls onto the floor ( hard not to ) she jumps up from her spot on the couch and chases after the errant ball of wool. It takes all my dexterity to get there before she decides to place her fangs lovingly into this soft ball of wool...

Biggi

Monday Before Christmas.

 An unusual Christmas ahead.

It feels like an ordinary Monday yet, it is also the Monday before Christmas. Three more days and it is here! Different this year but at least we are able to celebrate, even if it will be a smaller celebration. This too shall pass....

Bob is on leave over the festive period and with cunning I managed to get him to come for a walk with me. Much muttering to begin with, intermingled with the oddball ideas of why we shouldn't walk too far or why it would be better to not go for a walk...no, no, no my honey, walking is going to be part of your holiday routine! Health is wealth...and after our walk he was as happy as can be.  

At the start of our walk, as luck would have it, we ran into one of Bob's work mates and he was most impressed ( actually he couldn't believe his eyes! ) to see Bob stepping about so lively. No doubt wondering why his wife didn't push him to such extremes...much ribbing ahead for sure.

The weather is still a trifle miserable but not that cold. Considering. A dull grey, odd spurts of rain and mud all about. Hardly picture perfect winter weather but at least we have the comfort of heating and an abundance of food.

Somehow this Christmas will revert to the ones of the past. A time to reflect, a time to be grateful, a time to be thankful and hopefully a time to comprehend how very fortunate most of us are...

Biggi

A Bit Of Chaucer...

 English poetry and wisdom from the past.

" Time and tide wait for no man. "

      Geoffrey Chaucer ( 1343-1400 )

" He was as fresh as the month of may. "

      Geoffrey Chaucer 

" There's never a new fashion but it's old. "

      Geoffrey Chaucer

" Forbid us something and that thing we desire. "

     Geoffrey Chaucer

" The mind is its own place and in itself,

 can make a Heaven of  Hell, a Hell of Heaven. "

     John Milton ( 1608-1674 )

" Gratitude bestows reverence, allowing us to encounter everyday epiphanies,

 those transcendent  moments of awe 

that change forever how we experience life and the world. "

     John Milton

" He that studieth revenge keepeth his own wounds green, 

which otherwise would heal and do well. "

    John Milton

" Grow old with me! The best is yet to be. "

    Robert Browning ( 1812-1889 )

" My sun sets to rise again. "

    Robert Browning

" Stung by the splendour of a sudden thought. "

     Robert Browning

Biggi

Lockdown No. 3 On The Way.

 Beginning to look a lot like a continous loop.

Two days after Christmas our country will have another hard lockdown until the 18th of January. Isn't that crazy, sad and scary? Yesterday the prime minister held another lockdown speech and tellingly uttered the words which I have wondered about since the first lockdown.

              " We have to keep the economy open up to Christmas

                 in order to garner tax revenues.

               We need money to pay for pensions, unemployment, medical aid and the like. "

Yes, money is getting tight! Sadly most Austrians are so used to an extremely generous social safety net, that they couldn't imagine not getting 12 months full unemployment, up to three years maternity pay, government pensions etc. But, more tragically, the necessary steps to keep the generous social net intact - like social distancing, masks etc - aren't kept up by everyone. Ergo, another lockdown.

What if virus transmutes and the vaccine becomes useless? What if there is another viral pandemic a year down the line? 

We need better protection than merely locking down the economy. What if people were told to clean up their diets? Stop the fatty Schnitzels, fast foods and sausages. What if the government started to heavily subsidize fruits, vegetables, pulses and grains for everyone. Make them so cheap that most people can't help but include them generously into their way of life. 

 The main problem with the corona virus is that so many folks end up in hospital, many in intensive care which is why the lockdown is happening in the first place. Trying to lessen the assault on the hospital services. There is no illusion that the virus can be beaten by a lockdown. No, we are merely trying to stop a run on hospital services.

On the whole ( yes, there are always exceptions ) it is the unhealthy that are being struck down by the virus. Those with diabetes, heart disease and the like...the chronic mafia! Most of those have been proven to improve with a healthy whole food plant based diet.  Us National Library of Medicine  Isn't it about time to buck up and get acquainted with broccoli & co? 

Many will soon have no more employment, many will have less income and many will have none. Surely, trying to get the majority to change their eating behaviour is a small price to pay for surviving a pandemic? Not to mention the money saved by not having to treat all those chronic diseases which are mostly caused by a bad diet and lack of exercise....

...and it would be a giant step in combating our climate crisis.

 Fight Climate Change by Going Vegan

Biggi

The Knaeckebrot Affair...

 It pays to read the fine print...

Knäckebrot, I just love it. Could eat it all day long, but usually have a few pieces while savouring a glass of wine in the evenings. Plain with a pat of vegan butter. Brilliant, healthy and synergistic with the wine. 

My darling Bob hasn't been a fan of Knäckebrot and will only eat a slice if nothing else is available. Literally.  Normally I buy the generic brand with the three basic ingredients: rye flour, salt and sesame. Nice combo, full of fiber and flavour. Now and again they have a special on the WASA brand ( usually too expensive ) where you can buy two for the price of one. Who wouldn't go for that?

The only drawback is that they only give you a choice of two or three types but as they are WASA, one assumes a healthy foundation all around. Well, that notion crumbled faster than their crispy bread.

A moment ago I got the last few slices from the packet and as they were quite tasty  ( but not my quite my  favourite as they are to thick and crumbly ) I happened to take the time to look at what's in them. Oh my, I should have known why all of a sudden Bob has taken to eating Knäckebrot as if it's better than sliced eh, bread!

             White flour, sugar, salt...

Yikes, what gives and why would you do that, dear WASA? Agh, now the pesky label reading will start again and more importantly, I will have to find an explanation as to why we don't buy that particular type anymore. Bob will fall for the : it was out of stock excuse only for so long. Perhaps he will venture out and try the plain ones, on the premise that one flat bread should taste like the next...

Biggi

Back To A More Leisurely Time.

The magical era of Jane Austen. ( 1775-1817 )

" It is a truth universally acknowledged, 

that a single man in possession of a good fortune, 

must be in want of a wife. " 

         

" Life seems but a quick succession of busy nothings. "

" A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love,

 from love to matrimony in a moment. "

" Selfishness must always be forgive you know, 

because there is no hope of a cure. "

" A woman, especially if she has the misfortune of knowing anything,

 should conceal it as well as she can. "

 

" How quick come the reasons for approving what we like! "

" It is very difficult for the prosperous to be humble. "

" If things are going untowardly in one month, 

they are sure to mend the next. "

" It will, I believe, be everywhere found, that as the clergy are, 

or are not what they ought to be, so are the rest of the nation. "

" Where an opinion is general, it is usually correct. "

" To sit in the shade on a fine day 

and look upon verdure is the most perfect refreshment. "

Biggi

An Afternoon Spent In The Waiting Room.

A delightful theater of ordinary people.

Going for Bob's annual ( in this case a bit longer ) eye exam always seems such a gargantuan undertaking. For some reason a five minute session with the ophthalmologist elongates into a two hour wait. Honestly, really, every time. They add on a whole lot of other tests that aren't needed. Eyes get checked out by an in-house optometrist every time despite not needing new glasses, for example.  In between a whole lot of waiting around.

Bob was inside the reception area and I had a corner chair outside, far from the mad crowd! Oh, I love watching people and their antics. Take that elderly couple, with the husband clearly being much older than his wife. They communicated by stage whisper and thus I couldn't help but overhear him ask her:

                  

     " Where are we going after this? "

She whispered something into his ear to which he erupted loudly and angrily;

     " I am not going to the hairdresser. Do you hear me! No, never,  you can't make me! "

His wife was so embarrassed that she scootled off into the distance and we all pretended to look elsewhere whilst smiling to ourselves, imagining our own futures. For the next ten minutes, every time she came back from her meanderings about the waiting area, he reiterated that he was by no means going to have his hair cut...could have used a haircut my good man.

Another lot of patients were a mother and her almost teenage daughter. I say almost teenage because mum still tried to boss daughter around and succeeded to some degree with only a few rebellious outbursts. Poor girl had to read her school work aloud and be quizzed by mum as well as having her beanie pulled off without warning. Oh, mothers...when will they learn?

Another source of a giggle ( so much easier to giggle with mask on. No one notices it ) was a family with three small children. A mother, an older man whom I mistook for Opa until I heard the young boy ( about 3 ) call him dad. Goodness, what energy indeed. At one stage the little boy asked his dad why he didn't sit down next to him, which prompted his dad to say;

        " You know I can' t sit down. It hurts my knee when I have to get up. "

Yip, respect for having such a young and big family. All three youngens were extremely well behaved, listened to their parents and gave me a smile while nodding hello. There's the secret to good manners...older dads!

Despite those long two hours sitting about, it was an entertaining afternoon. Is there anything nicer and more informative than watching people and their ways?  As for Bob's eyes, they are perfect...well almost; at one point  ( after the haircut affair! )  I jokingly told Bob that he might have to help me highlight my hair, as I told him I hadn't had colour done since February. To which my darling husband said while scrutinizing my hair;

           " I hadn't really noticed but now that you mention it,

 there are quite a few grey streaks on your head! "

Biggi

Back To Old Fashioned Brick & Mortar Shops?

 An interesting debate is brewing.

Most days there are a slew of political press conferences shown on television. Some interesting and some not. Too many for sure except today's was rather interesting.  An announcement of plans forged by Greenpeace, Unions and Trade.

The main point being that Amazon hardly  pays any local taxes, apparently doesn't give its worker fair working conditions and the main one in my opinion, that it causes a lot of environmental damage by the sheer volume of packaging materials used.  

Let's hope they can convince the government to flex its muscle as at the moment all and sundry are shopping around the clock with the online giant while brick and mortar shops have had to shut down during this pandemic. Doesn't seem fair, does it when one also takes into account that hardly anything of the money spent online will flow into the national coffers.  Makes you think, doesn't it yet...

But who is the main culprit in speeding up the loss of brick and mortar jobs? Amazon is merely the enticing carrot dangling in front of the impatient shoppers. Yes, we are too blame with our incessant need to have everything the minute we snap our finger or in this case, press our finger. Since the advent of smart phones, the ease of shopping has gone off the charts.

Bob and I also leave our money at the portals of this online giant but at least ( ! ) we try and put a few obstacles in our way. We don't own a credit card ( on purpose ) and thus have to go and buy a gift card before shopping online. Not perfect but at least it gives us pause to contemplate if we really need what we wanted to buy. Even this way there are a few items gathering dust which we really thought we must have but clearly didn't.

Fair trade isn't just for producers but should also apply to  a fair playing field for all. It is the brick and mortar shops which employ us and provide the social safety net which we all have come to rely upon. A happy medium clearly has to be found, and soon before our collective click & shop addiction is irreversible...

Some Of John Le Carre's Wisdom.

 Time to re-read his novels again...

" Coming home from very lonely places, all of us go a little mad: 

whether from great personal success, or just an all-night drive,

 we are the sole survivors of a world no one else has ever seen. "

       John Le Carré

" Having your book turned into a movie is like seeing your oxen turned into bouillon cubes. "

       John Le Carré

" To possess another language, Charlemagne tells us, is to possess another soul.

 German is such a language. Once you have it in your head, you can go there anytime,

 you can close the door, you have a refuge. "

      John Le Carré

" We lie to one another every day, in the sweetest way, often unconsciously. 

We dress ourselves and compose ourselves in order to present ourselves to one another. "

      John Le Carré

" Perhaps we didn't win anyway. ( the cold war ) Perhaps they just lost.

 Or perhaps, without the bonds of ideological  conflict to restrain us any more, 

our troubles are just beginning. "

      John Le Carré

" Guns have their own silence. It is the silence of the dead to come. "

      John Le Carré, The Night Manager

" Our power knows no limits, yet we cannot find food for a starving child, or a home for a refugee ...Our knowledge is without measure and we build the weapons that will destroy us...

We live on the edge of ourselves, terrified of the darkness within...

We have harmed, corrupted and ruined, we have made mistakes and deceived. "

       John Le Carré

Birgit

A Bit Of Patience Is Needed.

 Others have had it tough before us.

" Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet. "

        Jean-Jaques Rousseau

" Beware of the fury of a patient man. "

        John Dryden

" Have patience. All things are difficult before they become easy. "

        Saadi

" A man who is a master of patience is a master of everything else. "

       George Savile

" Come what may, all bad fortune is to be conquered by endurance. "

        Virgil

" Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. "

        John Quincy Adams

" Patience is the best remedy for every trouble. "

        Plautus

" Have patience with all things, But, first of all with yourself. "

        Saint Frances de Sales

" Genius is eternal patience. "

       Michelangelo

" Our patience will achieve more than our force. "

       Edmund Burke

" Patience and Diligence, like faith, remove mountains. "

       William Penn

Biggi

        

What Will The Future Bring?

 Forming new habits.

It has been said that after 21 days of doing things differently to how they are always done, it becomes a habit. Be it changing one's diet, not eating chocolate after supper or staying indoors.

Staying indoors, that is our new way of life, isn't it?  For the last  ten months we have all more or less isolated indoors, in our own homes ( happily so ) and thus formed new habits. Take today for example; it is a miserable day with continuous drizzle, grey sky and cold temperatures. A perfect Saturday to stay home, with not a thought given to shopping centers and the like.

Shopping hasn't ceased, only changed in format. Amazon is laughing all the way to the bank and sneakily they have now upped the anti here in Austria. One can shop at Amazon on account and only pay the bill two weeks later. Well, how many folks are going to fall for that one and go crazy over Christmas only to be caught out with a huge bill later?

The vaccines are being rolled out and perhaps by May life can resume in its old style but the question is, will we want to have some aspects of it back? Yes of course, the first few weeks most of us will go mad gorging ourselves on restaurant fare, tread the planks of shopping malls and rush to get a slice of cheap holiday packages all while wearing proper make-up. By the by, are people still whitening their teeth while they are hidden behind masks?

A couple of days into resuming our old way of life, many will realize just how fabulous our current lockdown schedule actually is. All the noise of life is just that...an irritation that we have had a chance to leave behind while we formed this new habit of being happy at home, happy with our family and happy with what we have in life...

Biggi

Friday, What Can I Say?

The weekends keep on coming...

Friday afternoon are usually rather busy with deliveries. Of course everyone wants to stock up for the weekend and thus I have collected a nice bunch of regulars for my deliveries. Well, not mine but you know what I mean...I am the driver during this corona phase.

While I was getting everything together in our local shop I noticed two young men in front of me looking rather familiar. Can't wear my glasses while masked up so I took a while to place them. Good golly, they were two of my English extra lessons boys. All grown up and polite and driving a car. Yep, made me feel a tad bit over the hill but what can one  do...at least they talked to and with me telling me about their lives. Well, technically I asked and they happily replied.

The first of my drop offs was already waiting for me outside his gate. I think he looks forward to chatting with me every week and telling me about some highlights of his week or showing me the cute kittens which made themselves at home in his barn.

Today we chatted for longer than usual ( so much to discuss about corona, lockdown & Kurz ) which caused me to be  about fifteen minutes later than usual. Actually coincided with the butcher's van who attracts local  women like honey does flies. He hoots and they come running. Goodness, how the love of meat prevails. Never mind the fact that he stops and mingles with everyone. Wonder how many infections that might bring?

Fridays aren't they the best...

Biggi

The Occasion Of The Chimney Sweep.

 An opportunity in irrational & idiotic cleaning behaviour.

You'd think the queen was coming for a visit. Floors scrubbed, covers neatened, kitchen cleaned, bathroom too and cat told to be on best behaviour. All morning I have been attending to domestic chores above and beyond, and all to ensure our chimney sweep doesn't think badly of my domestic abilities.

How stupid and how predictable. All for a chap who only pops in three times a year and never more than for five minutes or so. Honestly, I wouldn't even recognize him if I were to pass him in town. But, the royal carpet was rolled out. By the by, he isn't the only one after of course the family, plumber and electrician.

Is it nature or nurture? The inevitable " Gosh, what might the neighbours think!  " is more of a learned behaviour and many a time during my youth I had occasion to see my mum go into domestic overdrive for those arbitrary visitors.

Only yesterday when our postman dropped off a parcel at our door I hastened to apologize for our muddy driveway. As if I had done it on purpose! He laughed and said:

                     " Oh don't worry, everyone's driveway is muddy as hell. Mine at home too! "

Goes to show that for the postmen, chimney sweeps, electricians and plumbers of the world the view of domestic abilities is seen through a different prism and more importantly, not noticed or judged the way we women tend to imagine.

The irony of today's domestic exercise was that once he arrived and had done his sweeping of the chimney in the attic, he never even set foot inside our house. All my cleaning extravaganza for nothing...When will I learn?

Biggi

Ladders, Attics & Roofs.

 An excursion above.

Our roof has been there for us except for a few rickety and rather rebellious bits of it. For some reason they tend to favour the rain and give it free passage within. Yes, we have a few sporadically placed leaks above. Who doesn't...

Not the end of the world and so far we've managed to place a few buckets and stick plastic and such over the offending holes. As one does on a budget. As you might have guessed today was and still is a day of rain. If it weren't for our roof I would love it.

This morning I forged a plan to attend to these few leaks ( Bob had already primed me on how to do it, as he had to go to work before it got light ) and with gumption I rounded up a torch, bits of plastic, a large pair of scissors and some masking tape and headed up to our attic. Not an easy quest as it is only accessible from the outside.  A climb on an old wooden ladder and through a small hole in the upper wall. Not great for sore knees but needs must.

After finally climbing through the opening ( how on earth does the chimney sweep do it so gracefully? ) I stood up, switched on the torch and got the fright of my life. Suddenly one of our tomcats stood equally frightened in front of me. Clearly I had woken him up from purry morning slumber and he was so dazed that he looked to me for advice. Honestly, he didn't know whether to run or stay his ground. He did recognize me though, which is a good thing for future trips to our attic. At least it wasn't a marten, which Bob is not fond of.

The two places I had to mend didn't take me long at all and despite the cloying darkness all around me I didn't feel scared. If one doesn't let perfectionism run riot, most things can be fixed with what's at hand.  Might not look that great but if it keeps out the rain and snow for now, all is well.

When I went to feed our two cats later outside, I could have sworn seeing a newfound respect in one of them....not everyday a human climbs as skillfully into the attic as a cat does.

Biggi

Flyers Of A Different Kind At The Local Shop.

 At the end of a life.

One doesn't think about death inside a grocery shop except maybe death by chocolate, chips & co. And so it should be except in a small community the local shop masquerades as the purveyor of local news, be they happy, sad or plain gossipy. 

They always dangle with the aid of an adhesive over the cigarette shelve, right behind the till. Fitting in a way. Cigarettes and their nefarious danger. Flyers, shining white paper with sad black font can too often be seen there. Death notices of members of our local community.

Every time I enter the shop my eyes automatically veer to the left to check for sad notices. Lately there are more than should be. Just the other day a covid death occurred in our midst and if nothing else, had people remember the deadly accuracy of the virus.

These sad little flyers give credence to a life lived, hopefully a long one. One page holding a sort of summary of one's life. The family had and life led. Sad, really how a bit of paper dangling over the counter makes one stop to pause and give homage to the person concerned. 

How often does the death notice garner more social contact than was ever had while the person was alive? Yes, funerals are extremely well attended ( and why not ) but how sad that the hour taken to go to a funeral wasn't taken earlier.

 All our lives have become so hectic and busy that the old fashioned way of life has fallen by the wayside. Perhaps now that we all are being made more aware of what we really need in life, more time will be taken before a flyer gets put up...

Biggi

My Shadow And I.

The magic of pets.

You know that we love our cats and especially the princess of them all, Mausi. Each and every day she finds a greater room in our hearts and despite a few naughty escapades, stays there cemented in our love for her. 

This little cat knows every one of my moves. When I put on my walking gear she bides her time without fanfare awaiting my return and her walk outside. When it is my " town " gear that gets put on she gets a bit more quiet and forlorn. It shows by the way she sits sadly on the floor giving me woe begone looks. 

But before I do leave the house she follows my every move. From bathroom to the bedroom and back again. Hanging up the washing is one of her highlights because there is usually a little grin on her face when I battle to hang the wet clothes onto those spindly grates.

Her latest habit involves curling up on our computer desk with her head and front paws dangling over my arm, the one that moves the mouse! Gosh, cuteness overload.

Nighttime is another ritual. The minute she hears the tv go off she emerges from her favourite napping spot, at the moment the warm bathroom floor, and follows us onto the bed. First she cuddles with Bob, waits until he's nodded off and then comes over to my side. Sitting and sleeping on top of my legs is her way of whiling the night away. Never mind that she is quite heavy!

At least once a day I worry that we've locked her out by mistake and go in search of her. All her usual hiding places....often to no avail. This clever minx finds new ones, ones where she blends into the background and only after repeated and frantic searches  to be discovered. Only the other day she chose to burrow underneath the top blanket on our bed with only her little head sticking out. Gosh, she blended perfectly with the colour scheme and looked as cute and as innocent as can be.

Live with our little cat is fabulous and rather adventurous with the only downside being her finicky eating habits. Both of us tend to send out a little prayer hoping she likes what we've dished up for her. Sometimes someone is listening...

Biggi

A Few Poetry Quotes.

Soothing words...

" You talk when you cease to be at peace with your thoughts. "

      Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

" To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best day and night to make you like everyone else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting. "

      e.e. cummings

" Only those who will  risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. "

     T.S. Elliot

" I have drunken deep joy,

  And I will taste no other wine tonight. " 

      Percy Bysshe Shelley

" Poetry heals the wounds inflicted by reason. "

     Novalis

" Love consists of this: two solitudes that meet, protect and greet each other. "

     Rainer Maria Rilke

" Poetry is just the evidence of life. If your life is burning well, poetry is just the ash. "

    Leonard Cohen

" You are never too old to become younger. "

    Mae West

" Five minutes are enough to dream a whole life, that is how relative time is. "

    Mario Benedetti

" Go wisely and slowly. Those who rush stumble and fall."

    William Shakespeare

Biggi

The Usual Recycling Suspects.

Another run on Höll.

The months tend to run seamlessly from one to the next. Often one can't tell what specific month it is never mind the actual day. During our current stay at home rules that might intensify.

 Quick, name the day, month and date!!!

Anyway, here in our neck of the woods the months can be kept track of by stint of Höll's recycling plant. Each and every first Saturday of a month it is open and pid pipers a whole slew of locals through its gates. 

Today being one of those days. I started my walk in a foggy atmosphere barely beating the light's appearance which proved rather spooky in places. Imagine walking into a dusky fog and disappearing into it. The only bright spots were several local villagers scootling along to the recycling plant with bright lights shining a path for me. They had to drive slower due to trailers filled to the rafters and that made me recognize cars and some faces.

Several chugged  along in their tractors ( vintage for the most part ) on their monthly Saturday homage to the recycling plant. Which had me thinking about  how much stuff they have stored in cellars and attics because the same lot of people go and discard unwanted goods each and every month. Surely once you have enough stuff at home it is time to stop getting more? 

Recycling isn't the golden answer to consumption everyone thinks it is. Whenever we buy something new, resources are being chopped, culled or mined in order to manufacture the latest couch, table, sun umbrella or china. We shouldn't kid ourselves that recycling atones for our sins of  consumption...

At the moment the postmen and couriers are working like crazy trying to deliver our online must haves ( sadly, Bob and I do also buy online at times  ) which more than likely will find a new home in Höll a year or so down the road...

Biggi

A Newfound Respect For All Those Who Cook On An Aga Stove.

 The art of cooking without dials.

Some just press a few buttons on their microwave and others still turn a dial. Yes, the good old fashioned electric stove we like to cook on. I am showing my age, aren't I? New electric stoves come with buttons to push in order to turn them on. ( Only know that from watching cooking shows )

The last few days we've been double heating. Our kitchen aga as well and that is the one which is so amazing despite its seventy odd years. It produces amazing and almost instant heat and has a hot plate to boot. 

It takes a while to get used to this idea but yesterday and today I have cooked porridge on this stove. No dials, no direction but merely a sense of where it should bubble away. The trick is to find pot and pans without any plastic sticking out via handles. A quick melt there! Luckily we've got two and interestingly enough they are the ones I inherited from my grandmother's things. Actually my aunt dropped them off as she had more than enough herself. So many pots, so little time!

We forget that in our grandmothers' day almost all cooking was done on a wood burning stove. Even cakes, breads and casseroles were perfected that way. Imagine cooking on your electric stove without knowing how high the heat is or what number the dial is set to. Turning down a pot on an aga isn't as easy as turning back the dial on a stove. No, one has to move the pot to spots various distances away from where the main fire is. Baking a cake without temperature gauge is a feat in itself and thankfully I don't have the iron grid that came with the stove so I can't try. Too darn difficult to bake without the usual temperature settings. Perhaps some day in the future.

As I was thinking about what to write today I remembered how both Bob and I were excited like little kids at Christmas when we saw how magical the porridge cooked on the aga. There is a feeling of contentment and satisfaction getting it cooked, perhaps aided by the inescapable fact that cooking on such a stove does require one to be present. In the moment. Watching that it doesn't stick or burn while stirring it. Quite nice to be pulled back from a multi-tasking life and be mindful of a pot of porridge. Very soothing, almost like knitting or gardening...

Biggi 

Warmth Spreading Throughout Our House.

First sight of snow.

How lovely to wake up to a dusting of snow. It started falling early this morning and now a white winter coat can be spotted all around. Although it is a bit of a nasty one. A combination of sleet freezing yet again made the roads this morning very treacherous. Slippery as ice!!! Not a day to walk and luckily also not a day for working in the vineyards.

Bob's home. A snow day. As we were up before the crack of dawn, we both had had showers and breakfast by half past six and then realized that it was very cold inside. Our normal oven only kicks in at ten and our go to kitchen aga stove responds better to Bob's handling than to my kindling. To this day I dread lighting it and often fail miserably after a short flash and burn.

Bob started a fire in it  and before we knew it, our kitchen and lounge were pleasantly warm. It is a special warmth much nicer than the one generated by radiators. The one drawback is of course that it needs to be fed every fifteen minutes. Ours at least, as it is such an old one. Works like a charm ( if one can get it going !!! ) with the only minus being the small wood burning compartment. Oh well, may that be our worst problem!

Last year Bob got a whole lot of discarded wooden vineyard poles and they are now providing this lovely warmth in our house. Bob and his dad cut most of it into small sizes, small enough to fit into the stove, and it is a pleasure to reload the oven. That I can do and do well...

We have so much to be grateful for. Having a comfortable and warm home, enough food and loved ones by your side is really all that's important.

Biggi

Ah, Slightly Embarrassing!

 Checking up on the neighbours...

It was another icy cold morning and it took a lot of conviction to venture outdoors for a walk. There is a reason I walk round trips as once I set off there's nothing for it but to continue on. Method to my madness.

This morning I chose an old yet new route and trotted it to Eisenberg Weinberg. A new dog behind a fence chose to greet me and the whole neighbourhood with self assured barking in order to tell me who's boss around there. Wouldn't dream of going into your yard, woofy!

Christmas lighting seems to have almost popped up overnight and can be a bit blinding what with all the bling and glitz. There's always the one, isn't there? Oh well, each to his own. 

A few new renovations are going on and yet another Kellerstock is being enlarged to make a permanent home out of it. So much for keeping the authentic feel of vineyard nostalgia alive...

Towards the end of my loop I happened to land up outside a house where I do know the residents even if only very casually. Coming from a different angle I took the liberty to glance over the fence to see how they have laid out their garden. Yes, yes, I know I am nosy but isn't that the point of village life, seeing how others live?

One corner of this garden had shiny Christmas deco and I kind of slowed down to take it in whilst also looking at as much of what a glance over their fence afforded.

I almost jumped a foot when all of a sudden a voice boomed out:

                                      " Good morning Birgit! "

Well, awkward and slightly embarrassing. The only thing to do was to nonchalantly mutter a cheery reply and hot foot it back home. Might give that route a miss for a week or so...

Biggi 

A Bit Of 16th Century Wisdom.

 Quotes & Proverbs from the past.

" As you make your bed, so you must lie upon it. "

" He that cannot obey cannot command. "

" After dinner rest awhile, after supper walk a mile. "

"  Four eyes see more than two. "

" Better to be an old man's darling than a young man's slave. "

" Cut your coat according to your cloth. "

" If you run after two hares you will catch neither. "

"A little pot is soon hot. "

" Never choose your women or linen by candlelight. "

" A slice of a cut loaf isn't missed. "

" When things are at the worst they begin to mend. " 

" Why keep a dog and bark yourself? "

" Young folks think old folks to be fools, but old folks know young folks to be fools. "

Biggi