Talk To An Ex-Firefighter/First-Aid-Helper

... which Ingo was till 2007. See? Obviously Ingo some time ago.

Well - as mentioned here I was helping in a car-accident yesterday.

Bro, SIL and Bro´s FIL asked me to talk about it to get it off, but they are no firefighters/first-aid-guys.

(Our fist accident, how horrible, Mum had no chance to get away of that stupid Golf-driver - nothing happened to either us, except my fear of car-accidents):

Just talking to Ingo showed me what went wrong and tomorrow I´ll write to the emergency-team so the dude who had me on the phone will get a training!

So much went wrong!!!

I called in panic and Ingo said I did a good job anyways.
Said what had happened and exactly here, and that there were two helpers.

For more info I just needed to talk to the other helpers and the firefighter not only told me off ("you talk to me, you talk to me only, no one else!" - how am I supposed to get info without asking??) - but he simply believed my words and "transfered" me to the towing service or police, I cannot recall this - I was in panic-mode.

I have all my data on the phone. 14/12/25th, 11:03 am, 2:037 minutes (only!)

Here goes:
I ask the other helpers, finally seeing the driver outside, healthy and swearing about his broken car - on the firefighter´s demand I ask (uh, now I am supposed to talk to other helpers?!):
Is there only one person?
Is the person ok?

And he decides we don´t need help but a towing service.

What if....
The driver was in panic, too, is single, but has his little Niece in the back who is strangled by the seat belt and he forgets to mention?
... gets a heart attack once to tower tells me there is no need for me to wait?

They have my phone-number, the time and all and take me legally responsible - and I would never ever forgive myself for not helping properly!!!

I´ll ask for them to teach the guy via e-mail and Ingo will ask his old boss - who´ll have more power - to make them do something about it all.

Yes.
No fun being on duty on Christmas.

But life was at stake.

I needed a time off to get it done in my panic-head, Ingo helped me and now I hopefully not tell that person down but help him to do a better job.

Holy yikes!

Hmmm... Hawaii...

Well, we didn´t move there, nor do we come from there, Hawaii, - buuut... today I baked my dear, late Granma´s Toast Hawaii - the first and last time with the most icky cherry you can add - only she did this.
Next time will be "plain" again!
It tasted awful. And I was back in my hometown, late 70´s.

Here, I forgot to take a proper pic even in time:

"Invented" by a German cook in the 1950´s, Toast Hawaii kinda accompanied me through life.
The only dish I could get down - and even found it being yummy - when our Mum was in Hannover in hospital.
A dish I like at Split.
And what we have occasionally at home.

If you don´t know it - easy to do, yummy and even cheap.

And... forget about that Maraschino cherry, the most sweetest... urgs.. so dang sweet thing I ever tasted.

Just toast a toast, add ham (don´t look at this blog´s title), a slice of pineapple and cheese and put it in the oven - yum!
Even I can - and did - do that.

I´ll keep the rest of the Maraschino cherries in the fridge and give 'em to Bro...

Put A Little Love In Your Heart - Car Upside Down

... The first is what family does, not only on Christmas, but today was wonderful with Bro´s MIL and FIL being there as well.
They always treat me as family.

Again friends are welcome to see the whole pics over here.

And, see? With Niece #2 I´m doing much better - she is easy and I am more confident, too.

The family-day started weird, though.
I was turning around the corner about to enter Bro´s village - and there was a car lying upside down.
Two others had stopped as well, but no one had a cellphone. So they made me stop - I panicked a tad, what if the next car sees me too late?
I called 112 and whilst I tried to find out if we need emergency and the "firefighter" telling me if I talk to him I talk to him and no one else... how am I supposed to give infos????
Whilst doing so the other helpers managed to get the dude out of the car.
In his 20s maybe and he wasn´t even shivering. He was just looking at his car - or what was left of it, shook his head and said, "sh###".
And who was shivering? Yep, stupid me. Actually I was a tad in tears arriving at Bro´s.

SIL offered me Schnapps, but Coke did do after all. Whew! That poor lucky guy sure learned a lesson today - just like I myself when I had that accident (on my Birthday, too).

I found out what the "Braunschweig Santa" brought Niece - happy dance it was the swimming pool she just wished for!

Thanks again, Bro :-)
My Maus-game lost big to this, especially after we assembled the pool and put in real water!

Bro made the wee one laugh - he´s sure again some proud Daddy:

We said, no pressies between us adults, but SIL again got me something! A cute bag - and salty treats :-)
Lucky I brought the yummy Grükohl!

Cute was also how Niece took a "nap" in my lap and stroked my hair whilst doing so - girly girl :-)
And a kiss for good-bye.

A nice afternoon with my part of the family - the way back home without incidents - boy it´s getting cold!
And then Scrooged rounded up the day - do you have certain Christmas-movies as well?

Tomorrow, or maybe tonight it´ll be again "It's a Wonderful Life" - to you, Dad.
And just like watched in "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation", btw!

Put A Little Love In Your Heart and Merry Christmas again!

Is This The World We Created?

Actually "Highlander" - "Who wants To Live Forever" was when I wanted to take a pic, but my cam was loading.

What do you think of the "Highlander-concept", btw?

"Is This The World We Created?" is equally suiting for Christmas, no?

(These last months have been so hard on us with the neighbours.)

Merry Christmas to you - this sure is the world we created, somehow.
Not that bad, all in all. Oh, Freddie. Do I miss you and your creativity.

My Review 2014

Facebook offers a review of the last year but it so did not match my memories, oh, how come? ;-)

But I can say I love my life and I am thankful for being allowed to have it and here is a review as I like it!

Or not so, cause... Who starts with a broken foot?!!! First pic I see browsing through January 2014...
So. I don´t. Instead this is 4-y-o me saying hi.

February...

Ingo bought a cute shirt - and cared for me and my broken foot.
February was just as boring, ha-ha!

March! Bro engraved our wedding-rings and surprised me with 3,3 cm!

"Our" baby, though.... nah, we did not take it home ;-)

End of April I went to Munich for a further training.
Only funny thing was the sms my "worried" teamleader sent me and made me laugh like crazy.

And yes, said colleague survived...

In May I bought sugar:

Yes, this was worth the pic - the last sugar was bought when Ingo lived with his Granma, so say... 2003, maybe?
As for me: This was the first sugar I bought in my life. The only one, actually, so far.

June Ingo found a kind of fish I can eat:

Seeing the pic now I´m not so sure anymore...

July came with a mini-holiday - and we got sick....

In August we went again to the footy and I got the first autograph in my life, from "our" #21 - different team, same number:

In September we sold our Moped, it really made me sad. Hope to see her again next year!

October brought Niece #2, healthy and all :-) Niece now is a big Sister!

November we got our pie-maker :-)

And this month I was able to say thank you for beautiful Christmas trees at 05:10 am :-)

Sadly before the year is over we very likely will see the youth welfare office and ask for help.
It seems like the ever-stomping-neighbour´s baby has to sleep in the bathroom - the room the farthest from the parent´s bedroom.
It cries through the nights (with a break for us where they were on holiday) since the beginning of the year, I´d say.

But tomorrow we´ll be off to family again - Merry Christmas from here!

... And That´s How You Enjoy

...after the last sad post I just had to, right? And look - that monkey who helped me peel the potatoes, he came all the way down here from Perth, thanks again, H.

It does look like puke, even more so if you accidentally have a kid like I was that adds the beet root to it all...
Ingo did not, but, well, still looks a tad... urgs... no?

So not.

Labskaus is a typical Northern German dish, very yummy.
And yes, to bore you off: My Mum ate it from a barf-bag in front of tourists on a small boat.

Still, if you wanna give it a go, take Corned Beef:

Meanwhile, while heating - add water! - peel and cook potatoes - add:

Stirr well, and actually that is it! Oh, add pepper.

Get beet root, a gherkin and a fried egg et voilá! Yum (scroll back up to first pic).

Then hop and see a genius from a time long ago at work...

Somehow... I always fall back on the title, huh?
Maybe that is because I am no writer (and at work I am surrounded by them on the phone...)

Life... precious.

That´s How You Go

Pic from November 2012, after we´d been to Udo Jürgens´ concert here in Braunschweig. Sunday he went for a walk in Switzerland.

He broke down.
And that was it.

I´ve read his memoirs, listened to his music, saw him in concert...

Now he´s gone.

His management is in shock and grief.

And so am I. But, really... is there a better way to go?

You go for a walk, enjoy nature and die.
No hospital-beds, doctors, other patients.

You have your dignity to the last bit.

I am sad, he was a wonderful composer, singer, entertainer, writer.
He brought joy to us.
Really, he came back on stage with a white bathrobe on to let us know, thanks, guys, but this is really (one of) my last song(s).
He was one of two German-speaking singers I liked and admired.
He was great at the piano, too, fit till the end. Agile, alert.

I have a wish... I´d like to die some time (very much later) just like this. Maybe not in Switzerland, though.

To you, Udo Jürgens.

Thank you.

I Want It All (yeah-a-yeahhh)

...I want... you get the picture, Freddie painted it very well ;-)

This is with what Ingo surprised me yesterday!
He went to Pahlke-Fisch and grabbed all the fresh fish-burgers for me!! :-)

And that is how I like them: Microwaved for 56 secs, that´s all:

Y.U.M!

I also found this:

The best Grünkohl, Lipperland Grünkohl, "Quality Kale with Tradition" - can´t wait for Christmas :-)

Let the man by himself....

Oh, and, not to forget: This is #46 in the "Best of 2014" - Perthies helping a man who got stuck inbetween Transperth and the rails!

If you care about the salad-thingy, please read the comment to this post - thanks Grace, I am a happy salad now (still a tad afraid of Big´s words not coming true...)

Dumb And Dumber On Demand

Table btw: From my late Granma, circa 195-something

There I sat in the kitchen in disbelieve. I got up and got the "old" bottle. I was wrong.
But the two of us were 100% sure, just a short time ago...

From the beginning: Ingo had his last work-day yesterday already and said he goes to the city today, if I need anything from dm.

Yes, I said. Eye make-up remover.

He asked me to write it down cause he had some stuff, too. I concentrated on brand and additional info, so I wrote:

Balea
Eye make-up remover
waterproof
ölhaltig

So, Ingo went.
And didn´t find it. And asked for "Eye make-up remover".
The staff-girl did not know what this is.
Her colleague neither.

Ingo said Augen-Schminke-Entferner - and they knew.

How sad is that.

- For once - I have no proof but our two minds - it was called "Eye make-up remover" by Balea for years.
- Next.... AUGEN MAKE-UP ENTFERNER - why this darn mix up????
- And... für wasserfestes Make-up
waterproof
ölhaltig
You know? Wasserfest = waterproof!

Just what is this all about????

If they think it´s "cool" to mix up languages like that they really should ... nah. It was my fault even! I concentrated on the important stuff like "waterproof". I never noticed some time ago they renamed it to German-English-mix-up.

It gives me a headache, literally.

Off the soapbox again....

German problem only??? Getting dumber like that?
My eyes... oh, my... don´t remove them...

Good Bye Wolf - Thank you 2014

Yesterday finally I arrived at the red lights at the right time at the right angle to take a pic of the wolves of Wolfs-burg.
Just in time - next time will be 2015 and the cute, proud thing´ll be gone.

The most sad time of the year - all happy lights gone, at least three months to go to spring - haha - 4 weeks only this time!

I am thankful for this:

- At the pharmacy buying pain killer (salve) for my foot I asked if they know where the next mail box is - the only one I know... too far away for my foot. The new shop has it in addition, two houses (direction home) away :-)

- We got the last German Sulley later to take to Perth (I kid you not - the last one!). Ingo´s idea: Give him to L (9 yo who played with Perth-Sulley) and tell him Sulley´s been in Germany so long he now speaks German only - fun (I asked his Mum first).

- Got a yummy meal at Split´s on the way home - hot feta with yummy bread and Ingo found out the olive oil is y.u.m.!!!!

And certainly...

- Work was great.
- Indian "boss" V was honestly eager to hear about our visit(s) to Australia, we chatted about India, travels, planes, fears and joys.
- The work-stuff going wrong will be solved by V while I am gone and T called from his holiday to try and fix it (soccer, THAT´s what I´m talking about again, can you believe that? And no, Volkswagen keeps builing cars, mainly, no playing soccer)

I.Am.Thankful.

I hate the Punk who stood again in front of the grocery store, addressing me, "hey, young maid, care for giving some money?".

I get my a## outta bed at 04:40, risk my life on the highways twice each working day, work and all, so... a big NO.

But...

I.Am.Very.Thankful.

... for a good job, great colleagues, FUN at work and also health (apart from that foot again, but that´s also my own dumbness - good shoes wear off slowly!).

2014, (not only) work-wise, you´ve been good to me, thank you.
I run with the wolves (12th year in a row, and no - moving to/living in Wolfsburg would never been an option. Henry´d eat me up! (I love Braunschweig).

There were bumps and all, but I hope 2014 has been a great year all in all to all of us, right?

Duuuuuuuuu?! On Being German

Äh.... Sie, certainly....

I´ll never forget how P and I - P still being a VW-trainee - always talked about our VW-boss the way I address him, with his first name.
When talking with him directly it was "M" and "du" for me and "Dr. K" and "Sie" for her.

We had weekly meetings back then and in one M mentioned he got in some bigger trouble due to her missing something - it was no accusation or such, he calmly just mentioned it and P very, very loud exclaimed,

"DUUUUUUUUU?!!!!"

Silence, all looks on her...

"Äh.... Sie, certainly...."

I can still laugh my head off.
An hour later he offered her the casual "du", btw.
Kinda "certainly".

Well.

Just yesterday I said to Ingo, gah, those people at the bank, they just do not do their job in time! Again! They just do not care about small peeps like me!

To my surprise the bank-guy just called me (it´s not "my" bank).
He does indeed care and does his job as fast as he can do and I felt bad for getting on the soapbox about him.

It is just so dang plain weird.

This stupid formal Mr/Mrs and "Sie" makes it difficult to be as easy, as friendly, as well... In-Formal-Chatty-Thank-You for me.

We are the same age, too.

Stupid Germans and their formal ways, I´d say.

Never will I forget 1999, Perth, Kingsway Caravan Park, I needed a PC for use shortly, to check if my CD works.
The staff said, go over to Lee, he has a PC.
Yes. 1999, Australia... In Germany back then you would very likely not found anyone with a PC on a campground!

Well, I did. Go over.
Addressing him, "Mr. Lee".
Baaaahhhhhh. Stupid Germans! Well, me!!

He gave me a very blank look.

(I do not laugh when my Indian "external-boss" struggles on the phone with others saying, "I am sitting here with... ahhh.... Mrs... ahhh Iris").

Countries like ours, France and Co really do not do themselves a favor being overly polite, I think.

I prefer the English "dear first name... kind regards, first name" very, very much.

Sorry, bank-dude, I really meant a thanks from the heart!

My Mum used to say, "it is faster said 'du ###' than 'Sie ###'... but, really? How is it for you? True?

Pic... our balcony. "Wallflower" - that´s what makes this language to me.

Last Days At Work

Well, for this year, that is!
And such a beautiful sight, no?, was I glad to catch it!
As you can see in the reflection those monitors are black - that was T´s place, mine is at the wall, hence I nearly missed the sunrise, being stuck in work.
Especially after that slippery, icy way to work. And all the rain now!

I was so hoping to catch up to the other T´s scripts today, cause many are on holidays already, it´s supposed to be quiet, but alas.
At first I had my customer K on the phone for, I dunno, over an hour.
He hates technical stuff and guides me through it, so I can do it for him. That is good, right? Makes my job safer again, what an early xmas-pressie!
And, since he´s really a nice and fun person, it was fun, certainly, too.
He said it´s like a voiceless person explaining a blind one an art-exhibition... Does that make sense, actually? A deaf one explaining music was what he probably meant, but you get the picture.
But somehow we got the job done :-)

Won´t be so funny tomorrow when I have to guide him through my technical stuff he´ll have to do when I´m on holiday for 6 weeks.
Especially after he told me he thinks that part (soccer) is so popular it´s really important ;-)
In German you say "a shot in the knee". Well, for him.

It´s funny or rather weird how people react differently to different persons.

Later V, my Indian external "boss" called me over for help. And by golly, K has a total different attitude towards V!
Some harsh words I never heard from him before.
Weeeell. Guess that goes for me with # also...

I find it hard, btw, to work with people I don´t know what their job is, what they can do.
V has in certain things so much more knowledge than me - and he is very fast in understanding new stuff. But he surprised me big today with parts he does not know/assumed are possible.
And the patting me on the shoulder thing as ... ? a thank you, or as a "good job" ? was really the oddest thing today.
Especially since he is my age - or even younger. An Indian thing to do?

What a weird work-day.
And since I slipped again (yes. Left foot :-( - Proper shoes for indoors will be bought very soon) - no workout.
Shoot. Or rather, a shot in the knee, mine, this time...

Two more work-days to go for 2014 - the year so sped by!