Weekly Travels 22-22

Last week’s challenge was definitely easy and difficult in one. I think everybody realised this was a church, but that is not enough folks! I wanted to hear ‘stave’ church and only one person said that and knew where it was. Gerrit gets s whole point. And 1/4 point to those who had Norway somewhere in their answer: Harm, Gera and Yamini. 

My story? On my very first visit to Norway in April 2012, I saw this stave church in Heddal, about 120 km West of Oslo. It think it was open, but too dark for photos. 

On to this week’s challenge. Which is a bit different as I have run out of good scenic postcards. Although I do still want as much info for the points of course. So, who is this and from what country is she? Have you ever met this person or been to that country? Tell us your story. Answer next week. 

Heads up

As my computer still isn’t sorted, I am now working off my phone. Which lets me blog okay, but will not let me comment on blogs that require google log-in. Something to do with browser settings. So, some of you may get comments under the anonymous tab, others may not because I cannot comment anonymously. And yes, I do sign with my name. 

Just to let you know.

Things

It’s been a while since I last reported on what’s happened with me. So long in fact I never even mentioned my sister being here back in May and the two of us going to Cologne for a few days. 

As always hampered by a headache attack and a knee playing up, we still managed to have a good time. We visited the cathedral, did a bus tour and on our last day we went to the zoo. Plus we did some shopping. 

The rest of the week saw us visit the Sand sculpture park with our parents (plenty of photos, only accessible via computer) and some more shopping. But we kept it fairly easy and laid-back. 

I have been doing some work in the garden. Clearing weeds, cutting back trees, planting berry bushes, finding berry bushes. I have had a few guests: a small toad, a blackbird, kitties, a small white dog. 

As for work, a few days after my sister left, I got my license and was allowed back behind the steering wheel again. It was tiring at first, but it’s been over a month now and I am happy to say all is well. The hands are doing fine and not giving me too much bother. 

So, that’s me in a nut shell. 

Weekly Travels 22-21

This computer of mine is really not cooperating for whatever reason. Probably because I am not using it often enough. I am working on getting it downstairs now, so I will (be tempted to) use it more. In the mean time I don’t have access to my travel photos or my blog, which in turn means I have to depend on the postcards. But another problem has cropped up: no viable cards. I do think I finally found a solution though. First however…

Last week’s challenge was (according to the postcard) Alexanderplatz in Berlin. Yeah, I didn’t get that either. The most prominent feature though is the ‘Fernsehturm’ or TV Tower. Points to Yamini, Gera and Gerrit. 

This week’s challenge is a photo of a photo. What and where is this? Have you ever been? Tell us your story. Answer ‘at some point’!

Weekly Travels 22-20

Perhaps a better way of calling it. Still trying for Tuesday though and failing spectacularly immediately. On to the challenge at hand. This was the bobsleigh track in Winterberg, Germany. Only Gerrit got the complete answer and gets a whole point. Millie &Walter realised it was somewhere in Germany and get 3/4 point. Yamini, Fun60, Gera and Hilary each get 1/2 point. 

My story? I visited Winterberg less than two years ago and saw this track from quite close by. I still want to go down in a bobsleigh some day. I will pass at the tea trays…

On to this week’s challenge, which is another Postcrossing card, so keep in mind there is a chance I have not visited. What/where is this? Have you ever been? Tell us your story. Answer next week. 

Normalcy and frustrations in one

I finally started working again about two weeks ago. It has not been easy, especially the first few days were quite hard. I was used to sitting at home doing sod all and all of a sudden I had to pay attention to traffic and such again. It was tiring to say the least, but I am glad to be back at work regardless. 

It also means that things are slowly returning to normal. From next month my wages will be back to what they should be instead of sick pay, which was about 90% of my base salary, no extras. One thing that was very much unwanted was the uniform though. When I started sick leave I was a bit heavier than I should and I managed to keep it off for the first month or two. After that, I just put on. Which now has to come off again. Back to normal!

There are also frustrations. Well, one frustration. Yes, I am back at work because I got my driver's license back. Which then turned out to be wrong and I have been on the phone so often to get it sorted. Every time the answer is the same: our fault and send it back. Which means I am not allowed to work. One ^%#& even said that it 'wasn't her problem' in an incredibly snotty voice. There was a raspberry involved. 

Yesterday I went back to get it sorted again (third time is a charm they say) and I hope that by this time today I have a correct license in hand. I won't bore you with the details, but needless to say it got my stress levels up big time. 

Other than that the garden is looking better all the time, as I keep pruning, cutting, removing, mowing and all the other things. A fence is due to go in in the autumn as the conifers that are between my garden and the public space are nearly all dead. I am still nowhere near done, but it is starting to look good. 

The hands are doing fine as well. The right is no problem at all, the left is still a bit sensitive, but I can do everything that is needed. 

Tuesday's Travels 22-19

I am back at the computer again! And here to tell you about last week's challenge. Which you all knew as the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, USA. Points to Gera, Hilary, Yamini, Millie & Walter, Fun60, Debby and Gerrit. 

My story? I obviously have never visited, but it was one of the cards I received through Postcrossing. When I run out of photos of places I have been, I can use those. As long as I crop a bit better than I did this time around...

On to this week's challenge. What and where is this? Have you ever been? Tell us your story. Answer next week.

PS: Update: I got my days muddled up: I thought today was Tuesday. So sorry.

Tuesday's Travels 22-18

I am having some issues with my desk top computer folks. It contains all the photos I use for TT and basically won’t let me do zip. I am now writing this on my phone. 

However, I can tell you who got points for last week. I thought nobody would get (point for me), but no, Yamini knew where and what it was: Mucross House near Killarney in Ireland. Congratulations. 

This week’s challenge is a bit different as in having to find something on my phone that does not contain text. So, where and what is this? Have you ever been? Answer next week!

Tuesday's Travels 22-17

I wouldn't blame you if you have already given up on me. If not: thank you so much. I completely forgot the first week and then last week (even with a concerned email from Yamini), I just never got around to it. However, I am back now and here to tell you that the last time the light did come on, it was of course on the White Cliffs of Dover, England. Points go to Gera, Bettina, Fun60, Yamini, Hilary, Millie & Walter and Gerrit. 

My story? I have seen these Cliffs quite often. Each time I traveled between England and France, they are there. Now, you might also have heard the song about those very cliffs. Just saying: there are no bluebirds in England, but apparently it sounded good in the song.

On to this week's challenge. Where is this? Have you ever been? Tell us your story. Answer next week (yes, NEXT week!).

You've got mail

Manchester, UK

Did you see the photos used in last Friday's post? Not my usual standard to be sure, but they were taken with my phone of postcards I have recently sent. I promised you a while ago I would tell you all about a new old hobby of mine, so here I finally go.

Empress Sissi from Austria

Back in 2006 I joined Postcrossing. A site that promised contact with the world and the only thing you needed to do was send postcards. Easy. And for a couple of years that was what I did: I sent out postcards to strangers all over the world. Australia, Canada, Egypt, Romania, Germany, Norway, even the Netherlands. In return I would get postcards back from strangers from all over the world. 

Lithuania

I preferred to get cards that showed me famous people (living/dead/fictional) of the country or region they were in, but was just as pleased with flowers, animals or city scapes. It was an expensive hobby (the stamps alone cost a small fortune), but it was great fun.

Finland

But then I stopped. Not sure when or why exactly, but I stopped sending cards. And when you don't send cards, you don't get cards. The hobby ended.

United States

Fast forward to earlier this year and I was feeling a bit sorry for myself. My sister had left again and I was on my own. The only mail that was arriving was junk mail and uninteresting official stuff. Then I remembered Postcrossing. I didn't know what my old login details were, but it was easy to create a new profile. Late January I sent out my first five cards to Germany, Japan, USA, Russia and Singapore. 

The Frysian language one from the Netherlands

As soon as one of my cards had arrived (Germany was fastest), I started to receive cards as well. So far I have sent 47 cards (of which 36 have arrived) and received 39. I received a Japanese figure skater, a Russian kosmonaut, a French church, a Taiwanese temple and bees from Manchester. People have written to me in English, German, Dutch and even Frysian (which I don't speak, but can read). They have written about their jobs, their hobbies, their towns. 

Maltese buses

Of course the stamps still cost a fortune and the postcards themselves aren't cheap either. If you can find them to start with! Back in the day it was fairly easy to find postcards, but people don't send them that much anymore, so they have started disappearing. And they have become more expensive as well. Paying over a euro for a single postcard is more norm than exception. 

Canadian Mountie

One day however, I found myself in a second hand shop and their was a whole basket with postcards. Costing only 10 cents each as well, so I went through them and came out with 17 new cards. Since then I have been hitting second hand stores to try and find cards. The biggest haul so far was just last week when I paid one and a half euro for a stack of postcards. After counting them once I got home it turned out I had 65 postcards. 

All cards so far

I use my doors to display the cards received and I am nearly one door (one side) down. Eight more to go before running out of space. Let's see whether I can fill them all. As long as I send, I will receive!