365

When picking a day in the future at which to emigrate, I felt that my birthday would be a good day. It's smack bang in the middle of the year: six months over, six months left to go. That however also means that today (my birthday) is also the day on which it is only one year until I want to emigrate.

My funds are increasing steadily. I've now got one sixth of the amount needed. It's slow going, but that's what you get when you get sick kitties and new computers! The world wide recession seems to be on its way out, although some people say it still has to get worse before it gets better (please let them be wrong). The job market in Alberta, Canada seems to still be quite thriving, which is good.

Will I leave the Netherlands on my birthday next year. I doubt it. But I hope that by the time my 39th birthday rolls in, I will know more for definite.

Old

It's one of those days today. It just crept up to me. I never really noticed it coming and all of a sudden it was there!

I should have known a while ago. I looked at my arms and felt they looked old. Like my mother's arms. My hands have started to get a bit wrinklier. My hair is still okay: not a grey hair to be seen! But whether that's due to my natural (and not so natural) blonde colour or because I don't have grey hairs yet, I don't know.

And because my arms looked old a few weeks ago (while looking at my face in the mirror, I don't. Not really), I decided I would treat myself with a nice new computer. An itty bitty one. Preferably in pink. But alas, the first one I got, was in ivory. Lovely colour on the outside, but a bit too black on the inside: it kept shutting down on me. Extremely annoying! So, I exchanged it. And now I have a lovely navy blue one that goes perfectly with my uniform. Not too black inside fortunately and I might even be able to use the internet while away! Wouldn't that be good? Keep you informed of all my escapades during my trip?

I want to get to 120. Years that is. And as of today, I've only got 82 years to go!

Happy birthday to me...

Busy

Well, the new computer is working (finally), albeit slow. Most of the laundry is done, though the laundry basket is again filling up quite nicely. The ironing is nearly done, only a few shirts left to do. I still have the coach to clean/finish, my suitcase to pack and my Irish information to grab. Because tomorrow I will be off to Ireland.

I am not really looking forward to it. Another ten days away from home and this time I will be driver/guide/doctor/nurse/mechanic/psyciatrist/counsellor all in one! Further more, there will only be about twenty people on the coach. That's not enough. The perfect number is about 30-35. That way, there is enough room to change seats and not get into arguments, but there's also enough people to hook up with. With twenty people you usually get little groups that stay little groups. It never becomes a cohesive group.

I'm also looking forward to it. After all, all the photos I have are the ones other people gave me and I would love for some I made myself again (NEVER hit your computer: you WILL loose!). And Ireland is always beautiful. It's a country full of colour. Unlike Germany where you will find green as the main colour. Extremely boring after a while. But Ireland: it's just bursting with colour. Nature gives you red (fuchsia), orange (mombresia, not yet blooming), yellow (gorse), purple (rhodondendron, not blooming anymore). And the Irish themselves give you every colour under the sun. Beautifying commitees (yes they exist!) seem to have found no place in a country that can put bright orange and bright turquoise next door to each other. And for fun they will put a poisonous green coloured house on either side!

However, there is one other thing I am really looking forward to: meeting my sister for the first time in several months. She's living in Northern Ireland and will come down to Dublin for one evening. Completely serving her own needs of course: she needs to offload something, but that doesn't matter, I've got enough room on the coach!

Camera Critters 3

As seen in Avignon, France a while ago. I even saw one with a little girl on it. Being pushed and guided by her grandfather to stay on the right path!

For more critters from around the world, go to Camera Critters and join in the fun!

Phone

While I was out shopping yesterday, my phone rang. It was one of my colleagues. But, since it was a day off, I wasn't in the mood and didn't answer. He phoned a further 13 times yesterday! This morning he phoned once more and again I didn't pick up my phone. I've turned the setting to silent, so now I don't even hear it anymore! Whenever I try to reach him on his day off, I can't and now he wants to bother me on my day off? I'm not having it!!!

I know the reason he calls. Probably something else to do with work. The planning isn't doing a proper job, the hours aren't paid properly, blablablabla... He has a point, he is mostly right and I have to admit, he does a great job for us as well. But the way he goes about it is driving me up the wall. He is right, they are wrong (they=company) and that's the end of it. He sounds like a petulant child at times and it gets annoying fast.

So, I don't pick up my phone this weekend. I've got four days of freedom in which I will not answer my work phone. Bliss...

Me and my boss

Arriving at the garage yesterday afternoon (around midday), I found the whole lot empty of coaches. Not even around the corner was there a coach to be seen. I immediately phoned my colleague who had been in charge of exchanging coaches and buses that day. But he told me that the coach I needed hadn't been finished with yet and he therefore hadn't brought it back. I then phoned my boss. Here is more or less the conversation as it passed:

Me: There's no coach here!

He: I know, it wasn't finished this morning.

Me: So I'm off now? Couldn't I have been informed?

He: Well, it was changed late yesterday afternoon and you might have slipped through the cracks. Sorry for that.

Me: So, I can go home now?

He: Yes, sorry.

Me: Good, no military band then for me today.

He: Why not, you have to start at two.

Me: THERE'S. NO. COACH. HERE!!!

He: Oh...

He: ...

He: ...

He: You can't come here for it?

Me: That would take too long, I will never be at the base on time!

He: I'm getting on the coach right now and we will exchange somewhere in the middle!

Me: In other words: I have to work this afternoon anyway!

In the end we exchanged some twenty km from the base, I made it on time and the airconditioning gave up!

What a day...

Feline Friday 17

It's hard enough making my bed (it's a king size) without the so-called help of my monster Wuppie! But he felt he was helping, albeit himself!

W is for...

Watchtower

A few years ago I did a trip through the Frankenwald area of Germany. An area in former West-Germany bordering former East Germany. There were still quite a few reminders of that period in German history. An ugly tower near the hotel we were staying in which was used by West-Germans to wave at their friends and relatives on the other side of the border, large fields without any boundaries (or so it seemed) on the Eastern part, drab grey houses (still) and this tower.

Germany was divided in two after World War II. Berlin was part Russian, American, British and French. The first part was Eastern, the other three Western. But not only Berlin was divided by the so-called Iron Curtain. The rest of the country soon followed. The border ran through villages, rivers and wooded areas and of course caused a massive upheaval on both sides.

The border was 1381 kilometers (858 miles) long and was mainly used to keep East-German citizens in instead of West-Germans out. The borders with Poland and Czechoslovakia were not fortified, since those countries were considered 'friendly', but even for those countries you would need permission.

The border runs through the indentation in the woods in the distance, continuing for miles and miles!

Basically the border consisted of a wide stretch of open land which in later years were also fortified by minefields (anti-vehicle and anti-personel). It was hard to cross those stretches, but even if you managed to do that, you weren't out of the woods yet. The towers were placed at certain distances, and the people guarding the border didn't hesitate in using force(read fire-arms). The fences were made higher over the years and were almost impossible to cross. But even with all those problems facing people, they still tried to escape. If they did manage to get across, they were granted West-German citizenship automatically.

In 1989 the border was finally broken and people from both countries were free to travel between the two states. A year later, the two countries were unified and that signified the official end to World War II (yes, really!). Most of the hated Iron Curtain was taken down within the year following its opening, but some parts remained. As a reminder. The photo at the top shows one of the watchtowers, the second photo the look from the watchtower. The towers would be placed at intervals of about 1 kilometer and the border guards would be able to see each other quite clearly.

Nowadays the whole of the East-West border, both in Germany as well as between other Eastern and Western countries is a very special place. Because of its relative solitude from 1945 onwards, animals and plants had mostly been left alone and have created a haven with some rare species amongst them. In recent years, environmental groups (mainly from the Eastern countries) have worked extremely hard to make the whole former border a national park and they are succeeding quite well. So in the end even some good has come out of that bad period.

For more information about the Inner-German border please check out this Wikipedia article.

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A walk in the woods

I don't often take walks. But last night the weather was so nice, the area was so tranquil and it was still early, so I decided to take one. Only around the hotel mind, but still, it was a walk. During my walk I came across several lovely sights and since I had my camera with me, I can show you in the wide wide world as well...

You might be able to understand from the arrows and the numbers that this is sort of a signpost. The funny thing about this sign however was the hidden nature of it. It's clear the information office of Bad Helmstedt wants its guests to be able to find their way around, but you have to find the signs first. And if this sign is anything to go by, I don't hold out much hope for the other 11!

Doesn't this little house just make you think of Hansel and Gretel? Or the little cottage in 'Mandy' by Julie Edwards Andrews. There were only two windows that I could see and both of them quite high up. The house itself was situated about 50 meters from the road and this was the only way to see it.

When I made my move towards the wooded area behind the hotel I saw an awful lot of those piles of firewood. And all of those piles were covered with tarpaulin or plastic. I had never seen them like that before. I mean, I have seen firewood piles before, but always near the sheds of houses, never in the woods they came from!

A little more joy and less battle

A little more goodness and less envy

A little more truth always

And a lot of help in case of danger

A little more 'we' and a little less 'I'

A little more strength and not so weakish

And a lot more flowers during life

They are wasted on the graves

Camera Critters 2

As seen in Camden, London several weeks ago.

For more critters from around the world, check out: Camera Critters and join in the fun!