A Red CUBIFA IX

A Red CUBIFA VIII
A Red CUBIFA VII
A Red CUBIFA VI
A Red CUBIFA V
A Red CUBIFA IV
A Red CUBIFA III
A Red CUBIFA II
A Red CUBIFA I

Can "Y"ou Believe It´s Friday Again?

Esperance, 1999 - I had parked our car, we went into the museum. When we came back we couldn´t believe our eyes - a green Holden Commodore - exactly like the one we had, parked right beside us! No rip in driver´s seat, so not "ours", sadly...

Our car from 1995 was large - from my point of view at least, a station wagon.
The one we had 1999 was, compared to that kinda huge (oh, how I loved that car!).

Tom Price, 1999

But on the way to Tom Price I had to find out…actually it´s pretty small after all - have you seen “him”? He´s right behind that “truck”.

Tom Price, 1999

No, but really. It´s impressive to stand so close to such a machine, to imagine to drive this thing, a Road Train must be nothing when you think about it, no?

Somewhere, 1999

Tom Price, 1999

Impressed, we moved on to Millstream-Chichester-Nationalpark.

On the way to Millstream-Chichester NP, 1999

Somewhere on the way when we decided to go there, I bought a blouse a size bigger than actually needed, and with long arms.
Despite the heat I put it on and people looked at me as if I was crazy.
And they were right, too!

On the way to Millstream-Chichester NP, 1995

When we visited in 1995 there were heaps and heaps of grasshoppers. Huuuuge grasshoppers. At first Ingo went on the small trail, he flushed them and they jumped at me.
That day I was wearing an old Bundeswehr(Army)-Shirt, which was a bit too large so they jumped on my skin!!! Ewwwww! I felt their little claws grasping me, ewwww!
So, we changed position, I went first-same outcome, they jumped at me and landed on my skin.

Millstream-Chichester NP, 1995

This time I was prepared.
But there´d been a fire and maybe it just wasn´t the time for them, who knows, I saw no single grasshopper. But was afraid to take off that bloused- you never know, right?

On the way to Millstream-Chichester NP, 1995, Grass, btw... Spinifex, looks so soft, yet... outch!

It was another great visit none the less.The paperbark trees, the flying foxes – and don´t forget the little museum and all the infos you get on the way. There was a tennis-court long ago, the lake where the son went for a swim…

Millstream-Chichester NP, 1995, Paperbark-tree with my fingerprints - so soft!

Millstream-Chichester NP, 1995, Paperbark-tree

Guess from there we went direction Port Headland. We had to stop, a train was coming –and we couldn´t believe how long it was. I mean, really! Ingo even had lots of time to get his camera and take a video…

It´s just like this sign says:

Owls In My Place

Isn´t this "set" of owls just beautiful?

The small ones are lipgloss btw, I´m not collecting totally useless stuff only ;-)

Dunno, Germany usually is behind everybody else but since a while owls are a hit over here, too.

I don´t care about birds much.

Loved the friendly Magpies in Australia, examinating our place closely, following me without wanting anything.
Clever and cute.

Pic 1999 on the way to Tom Price.

The ravens that sound a bit stronger and more creative than ours (and are bigger, too).
Birds in Australia are another matter altogether, just go to Yuraygir NP, it´s wonderful!
Or elsewhere in the green outback.

Here I prefer the "toys:

German owls?

After 13 years of weekend-relationship, a (from my side wished for cause promise-followed) flooding to moving in together like campers in my small place and then like real people in a proper apartment to getting severly sick to nearly dying, me being the healthy one, staying at home, the other at hospital forever.... thinking to know how owls sound like and telling everybody "we" have owls in "our" place - in the city!

For the time of feeling so good about the owls to Ingo returning finally (weak and still sick and all) back and confirming friend P´s reasonable suspicion it´s flying rats (pigeons)... well .. I had a good feeling being near to supposed clever owls.

Maybe that´s why I like them, huh?

(I also like our chicken:)

Or the flower, see a pattern here? ;-)

(The two owls are the same from the first pic, all three wait to become a mobile...)

Not to forget those two:

Autumn is on it´s way :-(

Anyhows, weird how life always tracks you back.
On one hand: mean.
I went through a lot, it´s enough and the threat is there forever.
On the other hand: Be thankful.
Ingo is still around, if behaving strict no meds even.
Maybe an owl is a sign of hope and strong will to me.

Maybe also simply cause I´m a night-guy and have so dang difficultirs to fall asleep.
Yes. Bedtime: 11 - 11:15 pm.
Up (usually before clock): 4:40 am.
Up at night:... too often.
Friend P´s Dad says: Main thing you rest. I stick to that.
All good.
Alive and kicking.

The ole Night-Owl, me...

U-huuu...

A Red CUBIFA VIII

A Red CUBIFA VII
A Red CUBIFA VI
A Red CUBIFA V
A Red CUBIFA IV
A Red CUBIFA III
A Red CUBIFA II
A Red CUBIFA I

Can "Y"ou Believe It´s Friday Again?

Run, Forrest, Run!

I thought this movie, Forrest Gump, is just plain stupid, when I saw it over here (certainly translated to German, at least Tom Hank´s German voice is sexy, too).

Well. Then. We came to Broome in 1995 and discovered Sun Pictures, the world-oldest open-air cinema.

Pic from 1999, Sun Pictures

And what was on? Right, Forrest Gump.
Ok, well, we went in.
One scene I disliked especially: Forrest steps out on the verandah and looks into a sky, black with so many stars, pfffft…. How unrealistic!!!
But in Broome, in Sun Pictures? The sky went on into the real sky, it was amazing! A pitch-dark sky with so many stars you only find in the outback.
I fell in love.

Forrest Gump is one of my fav movies.

Pic from 1995, Broome

Pic from 1999, Broome

We watched many more in Broome, in 1999, when we had plenty of time (oh, that makes a rhyme!).

Pic from 1995, Cable Beach

One is stuck to my mind.
The main actor won an Oscar. He jumped over the chairs and exclaimed, “Thank you, thank you, my English is all out!”
I didn´t want to see that movie, I´m sick and tired of being German in this case, my parents were kids back then, my Father´s Dad did not join the army.

Pic from 1995, Mangroves

But it was Sun Pictures, so we went.
We sat down.
No, actually we laid down in those beautiful, nostalgic “sundeck-chairs”.

Pic from 1995, Sun Pictures

Yes. “Life is beautiful” it was.
And to our very much surprise… it was given in the original language, which means – a big ha-ha for Ingo: Italian!
(Ingo, Australia and Italian stuff… a different story)

I thought – loving Pizza, but speaking no Italian – now, this is going to be tough!

But, no!
After just a few minutes I heard Italian, read English subtitles and watched a movie, I watched a movie and forgot that I read along in a different language to my own to understand, the brain is some awesome thing!
But… we certainly “outed” ourselves.
When the German officer threatened to kill, the main character “translated” to his son: If you don´t obey, I will eat all your sweets!
Both of us, who certainly too clearly understood the cruel German words, had to shortly laugh very bitterly – and all eyes were on us.
Germans.
Boy, did I feel bad – though actually I had no reason. Right?

Pic from 1995, beach

We watched many more movies in Sun Pictures – sadly, Red, if you read along, I never went to the loo there. But thanks to you… well, can´t say no more for now, have to wait a few days.

Pic from 1995, Malcolm Douglas Crocodile Park

I have to go away from Broome.

But let me tell you, Bro came home from a trip to Mallorca with a T-Shirt for me: “Green is as Green does” with Kermit, sitting… aw, here´s the pic:

Mataranka, 1999.
We sat on the Verandah and had vinegar-chips with ketchup.
The best chips in the world, I might add.
There was a jukebox.
Yes. A guy came, pushed some buttons, the cover of Forrest Gump appeared and he choose ”Sweet Home Alabama” – and, my it was LOUD!

Pic from 1999, Mataranka, Hot Springs

Bucket-chips, a verandah, palms and SWEET HOME ALABAMA with the cover of Forrest Gump.

Whenever I hear that song I crave vinegar-bucket-chips, see the Australian/Broome Outback night-sky and am on a verandah.

The pic, the moon?

Well, do I have to explain?

Stairway to the Moon :-)
It´s a monthly event in Broome, celebrated at Apex-Park, now Lions Pioneer Club.

Pic from 1999, Lions Pioneer Club

You get all kinds of yummy food and handmade stuff at the markets they put up for this event.
And then the moon gives you stairs to climb up to, in German him, to you, her.

Sadly many, many people use flashlights, so I decided to buy this perfect postcard.

Soso sad we can´t make it to Broome in November. Or Mataranka.

Hope I find a drawing with Windorah included, there is a story I can tell. I guess Sun Pictures was a bit part of that, too.

AND! (Yes, I have to get loud! )
One night we decided to move on, to leave beautiful Broome once again, Chicken Treat and all.

A last time we went to Sun Pictures.
And… guess what??!
The guy sitting next to me came in with… a fresh, hot Pizza!!!

I begged Ingo to stay another night so I can have Pizza in Sun Pictures, but… aw. Well. Guess today I´d somehow make him stay.
Is there any cinema in the world but Sun Pictures where you´re allowed to bring in a Pizza???

Maybe it even was a Friday when we left. Wishing you a happy one :-)

The Little Helper

So, Niece turned three years old yesterday.
She is potty-trained for daytime, started kindergarten, uses the normal toilet in her parent´s apartment (I had to sit her down, though), she can talk pretty well and keeps asking “why” forever - that stopped, though, when I told her, soon she´s asking a hole in my tummy (is that a German phrase?) – too funny, guess she really was afraid this might happen, a hole :-)

And she helped – with everything, not just setting the tables, no, she helped refilling her pool and even used the pump!

She mowed the grass – I´m really, really surprised talking mower Mike is still such a big hit after one year – to all the smaller kids!

She did her job very precise, too – it had to look neat for her guests!

Actually the big slide with swing was a pressie from her parents, grandparents and me – and she was told this several times. And it sure was a big hit:

The slide isn´t ready yet, some safety-planks are missing, hence Bro takes care.
Funny thing, she screams: "Jetzt wollen wir essen!", with the emphasis on "essen" - "Now we wanna eat!" :-)

Certainly I didn´t come with empty hands.

The book I brought was ok. The little decoration was the hit, though :-):

Auntie is learning!

Funny enough she asked me why I bring her a pressie. I said, cause it´s your Birthday!

Last time I brought her a magnifier on a glass cause she actually wanted an ant for her birthday (and a sun, which she was granted after 2 colder, grey days!). She can catch an ant, put it in there and observe it.
I didn´t wrap that up cause it was no real pressie in my eyes. That day she asked why (not if!) she can keep it ( as back then the trolley for her holiday and all…), and she remembered, asking again why I brought her the magnifier last time then? (it was not her Birthday, right?)

Clever kid in a complicated world, no?

Each time she wanted to give the stuff back to me I brought.
Still her Oma said to me, she is a little Princess already. Hmmm… dunno, not when it comes to “pressies”.

Despite the water was like really cold at one point Niece decided she.wants.in.the.pool. Now.
And off her clothes went!

And they stayed off for the rest of the arvo, so no more pics here.

Well, apart from this very cool turtle:

When it went colder Bro, who made a yummy steak for me, extra-crisp, asked me to help her put her clothes back on. The underwear went ok, but the dress, oh my.

I murmured, more to myself, by golly, I´m really really clumsy, huh?
As quietly she replied with a long “yeeees”.
I nearly knocked over, laughing!

Really sad I had to leave early – and justify just yet again (many construction sites, traffic jam very likely, have to search for a place to park my car at that hour - the longest was a 45 minutes-search plus a then 10 minutes walk – have to prepare brekkie and lunch for work, get a shower and the clock goes off at 04:40).
At least Bro got it now and said instead, it was nice I was there and gave me a big hug :-)

Wow. Three years old. Time sure flies!

Visiting Our Loud Dome

Every day at 5pm they ring the bells for 5 minutes at the dome - by golly, it´s really loud!
So I made sure I go there earlier.

I needed the sight of some fresh green on this cloudy day and by golly, when I was inside, the sun made an efford to peek through the windows even:

Yes, I´m speaking of our cathedral, Braunschweig-people are funny like that.

You find people bending down, smelling the "stuff":

Because... it´s all about herbs like Rosemary & Co:

Eight year old sheep Emma takes care the grass doesn´t grow too long. Sadly she wasn´t there this time!

See why I love this town?

I went to the t-shirt-shop to pick up the t-shirts that were made for us. I said, I don´t have the bill. Actually I don´t even know where it is...
That´s ok, for K, right? Just sign here you got it :-)
We´re a major city...

The police, btw doesn´t count so much on help from above, they stick to Henry and his helpers:

Cold and cloudy. Yikes.I really, really want to visit Brunonia - the third-biggest Quadriga of Europe, 9,20m tall all in all, Brunonia herself is 5,30 m and I bet you have a good view over the city.
Just not in this stinky weather!

Hopefully one day I´ll make it, huh?
Tomorrow I quit work at 11:30. Niece is turning three years old!