Let´s Laugh And Help!

 

This, the Brass Monkey, was the very first place I went by myself for a beer, or dish, for that matter.

 

In Braunschweig I always felt so sorry for those who went to lunch "alone", "by themselves" in a restaurant we went at as a group.

 

I always felt the need to ask them to join us, but... respect, huh. I never did, I never dared.

 

In Northbridge/Perth Ingo was sick. I went by myself and no one thought it´s crazy I´m on my own. But me...

 

Could you imagine another place for a start for me than a monkey?

 

And there is more to be happy about!

 

 

Did you grow up with these icky chewing-gum-automats as well?

You still find them and some still contain sweets for kids even.

But this is a great project (that will close down for winter of course, but open come warmer temps again) for...

Great idea, don´t you think? 50cents and you get seeds to plant in your garden/balcony to provide food for bees.

Better than sweets for kids, I´d say, what do you think?

Henry 🦁

... that´s what humans like and... they feed us with meat in case of emergency.

 

Another fun sign: Bloggy-friend Erika had penguins in her Winter-wonderland and hence I do NOT forget two wedding-days!

Happy Anniversary, Sami! She could not join our wedding back in 2013 as her Hubby worked and lived in Adelaide.

Instead she took us to Penguin Island as wedding-pressie before she left! 

 

See post here, if you like.

Shoot. I did forget, though, to put something nice into Ingo´s lunch-box for today...

This is for Tom´s Signs2.

T STands For HearT

 

My ticket for Elizabeth´s T!

These days it´s rather tea, though, brrrr, it´s cold.

 

 My week, huh?

 

Monday: FRICKIN´ cold!!! Even the table is cold in the mornings now!

The translation company... threw up again.

I´m getting sick of this.

Teamleader said after the deadline we talk with them. So long I clean up after them, is faster. 

Fun with Admin 😀

9 hours, done and then into the cold to get Ingo´s bread. Found the cute CV deux. Later grocery... what a crap shop!!! Who has no soup-green in this cold?! But they have a self-check-out, comphy for the stuff I got.

A miracle... young people standing in line instead of using self-check-out. Thankfully, you always find an empty place there, hence.

 

Tuesday: Work 10 hours - 1 session with D

And some words for you I laughed my head off about.. I did my colleague´s job, the Proofreader´s:

What do you think of...

 

Kurzschlussschutz. (yes, 3* s)

Kippplattform (headache already?)

Schnellschlussbefehl - I was in tears! Of laughter!

This document was translated from Chinese. It was meant to say the tram has blinkers on when the doors shut in emergency. They translated it with "blinzeln in 2Hz"... well, blink (with one eye)... if you are in Frankfurt... be very careful taking this tram 😉

2 sessions with D.

Wednesday: Work 11+ hours (OK, I had a mini-lunch-break, brekkie at work-PC, though), no sport with D.

Really, last minute they in an international meeting asked me to change something... gahhh.... we ALL work hard, it´s OK. 

I managed and everyone was happy, Spain, Germany, France, but, really...

I HATE when everybody watches me working on the dot.

And on top it was announced we get more time, not Dec 1st but 9th.

Nice, but, ... more stress.

Ingo got Schelllackplatten. Was nice.And got better. Yet...

Knackered. Tired. Worn out. But happy. 

No sport.

 

Thursday: Meeting cancelled. One member went in, I saw that, joined to clarify and ... one after the other joined anyways.

Gah. I am "the German", LOL, always on duty...

Later...

My Excel magician was off already, so I called it a day (some dude destroyed the document in line 150-something).

He helped me BIG before, though!!!! As little time as we have it was for post Dec 09th... but now I can do it myself!

Gave up after 9 hours. 

2 sessions with D.

 

Friday: 10 hours, no news, huh. "Can you do this, we need that"....

We don´t have to deliver Dec 1st, Dec 9th or 12th. This is GOOD! And means more stress.

Oh, whatever it takes, right, we need to get that baby on the rails!

 

Ingo came home with a beautiful flower that has to bloom still.

Weekend:

Saturday: We were both knackered and split up:

Me > City to get meds.

Ingo > Grocery.

 

Me > city - gave an artist a Euro and bumped into Braunschweig zeigt Herz - they only take coins and I had left but two.

Explained to the lady who got the other and got the heart for €2.

 

Came home, Ingo saw it and took off to the city (it´s a 20-minutes walk) and got a second heart for I don´t know how many coins 😍

We really tried one Lebkuchen-heart - too sweet for me, but Ingo loves it.

Yes!!!! The Christmas-Market is on!!!

I am not that dumb to go there on a Saturday, though.

Maybe one day, Wednesday for lunch or such.

Sunday: Woke up in the middle of the night cause I went to bed too early.

Went back to bed after watching TV, Ingo got up at 04:00 am and tucked me in so nicely.

I LOVE my job and he loves his but really... retirement sounds tempting!

Weird sleep schedules and we have to be back to normal in an instant.

 

X-Factor, Löwenzahn and Die Maus, then Fairy Tale.

Wow, one I think kids cannot keep up with! Quite a story. Certainly you knew from minute 5 they will love each other.

But now I wanna watch Quantum Leap again!

 

We do not watch "TV on demand", we are old-school and I love it cause it makes a tradition, right?

AND W! 😘Our 80+-y-o neighbor. Met him outside. We chatted in 6C and I invited him for when the ALSTOM stress is bit lower to a "party" 😊

Oh, I will have to bake an onion cake!

Later American Footy, yipee, with Henry the Great! 🏈 

 

Commentator: "What are they DOING?!" - They just talk to each other."  - "That´s nice." 

And this is why I LOVE American Football! They play nice. They PLAY. 

Fußball is horrible.

Food-wise...

Carrot, pomelo, chicory, oil and cheese.

Art-wise... Ingo liked this better than the can with  which I join AJJ:

To a great week again!!!

Stressy, but GREAT!

Henry 🦁

Colorful version by a street artist.

No Pizza

 

 

Saw this on the way to our lille post office.

Fun new mural - all over, no artist left his name...

 

 

I saw inside the same people who tried before with Turkish Food.

The smell was and is so bad ... no mural can help them. 

Sad, as it´s more or less around the corner. 

 

We´ll have to go to Guido´s, the oldest Pizza place in town, run by Sicilian people where you also can listen to their beautiful language. 

 

Henry 🦁

This is for Sami´s COLOURFULWORLD Monday Murals.

 

At 06:00 a.m. either my to be teamleader will be there or at 07:00 a.m. my now-teamleader.

Tram Frankfurt ... GO!!!! "She"´ll be turquoise!

Maybe we have a pizza on you! Teamleader was in the office on Thursday and disrupted our meeting just because of that - they ALL had pizza and I sat at home with a boring slice of bread...

But I am thankful I can sit at home!

 

 

Weird, Sad Times

I want to share something with you Ingo told me (I am wide awake in the middle of the night as I went to bed knackered very early, ACK! Those 10+ hours shifts with new stuff to learn every day really show now and we got extension... good... and bad).

 

But I want to brighten it up with pics of when we still had hope (we still have hope, right?)...

 

Ingo went to the White Horse Shopping Center on Friday and for once - he went at a "non-Muslim-time" - bumped into not only Africans but also into loads of Russian refugees.

 

Because Russians don´t wanna fight. Not Ukraine, no one, but especially not Ukraine.

 

That is as if Germans would fight Bavarians or vice versa.

We speak more or less one language even. 

It is Pu#in´s big war, those with a brain flee. With what will he end up? Dumb or dead people. I fail to understand how this man can sleep or look into the mirror.

 

Some neighbor here said months ago the Ukrainians are as bad as the Russians.

Why do we have to... well, yes, count me in, too.

I was treated not nice by many a Muslim, so I have a hard time having no prejudices.

I am always extra-careful around "them" and was surprised how back then my Muslim colleague´s wife, all with head covered etc, spoke excellent German and once recognized me at ALDI and knew I lost my job and chatted nicely with me.

 

The African man whom I bumped into, or he into me - we crushed in a corner - said "Entschuldigung" and his African Wife/Girlfriend wore nothing on her head and smiled at me.

Why are there so many in one group that cannot let go of hate, who want everybody to turn to what they believe.

Believe what you want - in silence.

Like the Jewish for example do.

 

Why does this group, now was it Berlin or Cologne need to scream from their mosque it´s time to pray all the time?

Yes, evangelic/catholic churches have their bells shortly, too, but not such an endless, annoying yelling. Do that in your countries - you are "guests" here. Or immigrants, which means you are to blend in. 

They get mosques and wash-houses (the latter they don´t even use) here.

Try to build a church in their country.

I am off-topic.

All the Russians who have to flee because they.don´t.want.to.fight.!

They see no reason!

Ukraine has always been peaceful in my lifetime, wants to join the EU. 

Wants to be part of us, no dictatorship.

I have to say, though, too.

Whilst I sit in long underwear  - up and down, and thick jumper and trousers... President Selenskyj kept presenting himself in a t-shirt, whilst his people froze - and freeze - their butts off.

Yesterday he finally wore a jumper, too.

I see no meaning in war.

I wish all the strengths to the Ukrainian people and I feel sorry for the Russian soldiers, who, like back then the Germans under Hi#ler, are forced to fight, cause otherwise their families have to suffer.

 

Two small men with an ego too big and cowards on top.

How can they cause such devastation?

Beats me.

I am sorry, this is no political blog by any means. But this had to get out.

I never wished anyone to drop dead. Before...

But what would happen if he did?

Would it all stop in an instant? 

Is he really that mighty or would others continue his mad .. "plans"?

Dictatorship was broken often - and keeps coming back, how scary.

 

 

The neighbor to the left has his wonderful star out again.

It will greet me every morning and night long into January.

I am thankful but sadly don´t know who these people are.

 

Why can´t we all share like we do at ALSTOM (online via MS Teams).

Heck, one colleague (A.) does not speak English, so P. (Spanish colleague) is out, we switch to German. I think that A. is somewhere from the East, strong Eastern accent. We cope and translate to P. - no worries - we are ONE.

We get the job done, ALL GOOD.

 

Hope ALL GOOD is for everybody soon...

Henry 🦁

... one day... 💙💛

GIVE ME A CLUE!!!!

 

Going on where I took off yesterday, Sesame Street, that "is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry." 🍪🍪🍪

Henry 🦁

You mean meat pie, Henry, huh? Just give me a clue...

Duckily FFO & Smiles

 

Maybe you´ve seen the Stripey Tiger (and his story by Janosch) in last FFO/Smiles-post.

Well, this is Tiger´s Stripey Tiger Duck, also from the Christmas Markets years ago.

I felt they need to have each other, don´t you think so, too?

A face from the side counts for Nicole´s FFO, I hope...

And for Annie with Smiles ... this made me smile:

 

 

I grew up with the American Sesame Street series, translated to German.

My Dad watched every episode with me (I was born 1972). 

When my Brother reached Sesame-age (born 1977) we had the German version with .. oh, it was no fun anymore, poor Bro had to watch it by himself! Dad and I refused.

 

BUT! When Ingo and I came to Perth... BIG SMILES - we could and did watch the original! 

After all Elmo is always with us!

He mastered the Australian Outback!

We watched the movie  in Kalgoorlie - we were the only adults without kids, but like any adults we LOVED it! And we all gave 1000 raspberries in time, too!

 

Ernie: "Have you ever seen a movie with a bad ending?!"

Bert, in an instant: "Titanic." 

They comment the whole movie, it´s FUN!

 

Together you/we manage nearly EVERYTHING - so... SMILE!

 

Last not least, this came back on my answer from day before:

 

Short and quick, just the essential :-)

Henry 🦁

Happy Friday!

Tri Colore

 

Ingo... no, I... it was my "fault". Darn it I bought tomatoes for Ingo, they looked fine.

I certainly carefully put them on top in my bag. 

At home I saw 5 underneath were already "kaboom"! You cannot see that through the darn plastic. The ones on top are nice and firm... yeah.

But!

I cut them down, threw them in the blender, added tomato-paste, very good Greek olive oil, dried oregano and basil, a pinch of salt, pepper and gave it a good mix.

Took good, Greek olives (the ones with pip - as Jamie Oliver always says, they are the best) - cut them down and threw them in.

Fridge. Did this on Sunday in hopes I have time on Monday. Didn´t - maybe that was the trick? They all sat together and mingled so well so long.

Whilst heating it I cooked the Tri-colore-noodles (ITALIAMO Fusilli pugliesi Tris) and when done added some of the noodle water to the sauce, as Jamie and Gennaro always advise.

I certainly cut down some cheese (life is nothing without cheese) and... I was taught to never be proud of myself, but:

Best tomato-sauce I ever had.

 

 

Best, really and Ingo wanted to try - which I did not expect! - and could not due to the oil.

So... reckon next time I´ll try with butter and expect it will not be half as good.

Tips are welcome...

Tri-Colore...

If you look close enough I bet you find at least three colors in the Jungle with both I join Rain´s Art and Dinner Date today.

 
 A drink yet to try... With which I also join AJJ...

 

I tried with fineliner and some liners I have no description anymore of... a bit like a paintbrush...

I bet it will be yummy, maybe a drink for a Sunday or when ... if we get the Frankfurt-project through. With sparkling wine, maybe ;-)

 

Henry 🦁

Taking life easy...

 

And sing along: