Frogs, Birds, Lake and Summer... and #10

 

 

This likely is the last time I sketched on the balcony. See the pattern of the tablecloth.

It was a froggy on a cup. He walks out! Understandable... See my glasses as reference of the size.

As small as summer was... this likely was the last BBQ, also...

 

 

I certainly added ham and cheese. Which stands in contrast to my blog-title, I know. But on #10 I didn´t like ham and always ordered without. (I also added radish and olives to this BBQ-meal).

The pizza place, Da Nico, in my home town does not exist anymore, the peeps retired.

 

But I keep the title.

I long lived in Braunschweig but when visiting I ordered One Ten without ham via phone.

"Can get cold, goes to Braunschweig, right?" And they always smiled full of pride when I fetched it.

I one time found out it´s not #10 anymore, yet,...!

Also my Bro and even Mom when visiting me popped in with a 10 without ham 🥰🍕.
 

So... I keep the title.

Yesterday!!!!

 

Well, kinda. Ingo is still a man, of course, but he had this in his hand and smiled big.

With these animals I certainly join Eileen with Saturday Critters!

This is... snail mail from dear... look here:

 

 ... dipping a foot in her beautiful lake and chat with dear Kathy in person!

She wrote me a lovely letter, two pages even, this was #1:

 

 

I named her Dandy, she was tame and got "real old" with 2 1/2. She roamed free, could crawl up my body and told me stories - she knew where/what my ear was, she was clever (and sadly lonely).

Thank you, Kathy, for your update - and the memories that came along with it! 💙💛

Sunflowers were my Dad´s fav flowers, too, and Mom had his coffin covered with them. 

 

Last... my PC reminded me...

 

 

If you understand Bavaria´s (not Germany´s!) vibe about overpriced beer and masses of people who are close together (and the news giving warnings of spreading COVID hence worldwide again), let me know.

I would, as said, rather dip my foot in Kathy´s lake.
 

Henry 🦁

 

See how Henry´s wife elegantly sets her left paw? Cute, huh.

Off to the city soon for railway!

 

 

Change Of Blog-Title? An Era Ends

 

Sad... or for two people happy news:

 

 

"Fertig haben" means "we´re done" and relates to a very powerful speech of soccer-coach Giovanni Trapattoni from 1998...  you can see it here, if you like. But you need to understand German with a heavy Italian accent 🤣

No, I have to put it in here, I can always laugh my head off!

He is good (no soccer-fan here, but he speaks of .. yells of being a TEAM!)

The "subtitles" are total nonesense as they just give away what he says, no the German "translation"... if you understand German this is like really funny, and so sweet.

See the camera-guy grinning in the end, LOL.

 

This is a classic!!!

 

 

Since I was 14 years old I ordered a "Ten without ham" - no idea of the real name of this pizza anymore, I loved it except for warm ham (I love it now).

So many memories of also having the pizza inside with family and friends...

 

When I still lived in my hometown or came for a visit I often ordered this.

When Family visited...
 

(Pic: our former apartment)

My Bro knew the phone number by heart and once even my Mum called them and ordered a "Ten without ham" - #10 was something different since who knows when but they answered, "can get cold, right, goes to Braunschweig, right?"

(it´s a 60km-drive plus search for a parking space, that takes a while)

 

When I came in personally to get it they always gave me proud smiles. 

Not really Italian, though Nico is Italian, but they made it for the German gusto.

And I grew up with it:

 

 

Hmmm.... so sad I didn´t have it in ages.

I could always eat only one half.

 

Bro said in these last days there was always a long queue, offered anyways to get me one, but how get it to Braunschweig - he has too much to do. 

 

I wrote a postcard to Da Nico, saying thank you.

 

Do you have some of those, too?

Restaurants from your early years and you nearly cry upon such news?

 

Nico never learned proper German to speak but understood.

Reckon they now go back to beautiful Italy (his wife is German).

 

They must´ve earned either a lot of money or look super-young and are old...

I didn´t expect retirement so soon. 

 

I will never again have a Ten without ham. 

I think I keep the title in honor of them, my hometown and family....

 

Still a sad thought. 

 

 (Pic from internet)

 

Also no more cherries from my family´s garden as Bro had to cut down both cherry-trees... with which I join River´s Art and Dinner Date: Fruit... 

Fading memories....

Henry 🦁

Yes, Baby...

T STands For BesT SummerTime

 

My entry to Elizabeth´s T-day, ohhhh, refreshing!

The journal, if you care:

 

Monday: It was so dry trees wore post-it´s to ask for water (I sadly had none).

Later we had the most beautiful, strong rain!

Tuesday: Proofreader W called me in despair. He needed to get it all out!!! That translation company is crap!

The Intranet-page told me Alstom builds a train-line in Perth. Oh, if only I could work there...

The first sunflower - thanks to the wonderful Monday rain? - suddenly was in full bloom!

Wednesday: I enjoyed Ingo´s flower-bouquet at work.

My computer glasses "broke", Ingo fixed them and actually I was asked to come Thursday morno to Bro´s place, have quality-time with him and his kids, aka my Nieces, later go to his shop, where Ingo would join and we both get new glasses and Ingo certainly´d take me home by car - no two darn train rides.

I asked customer and boss and despite on short notice, they agreed.

Then Bro said he "has no time". I have a thought about who took away that time.

I was so darn hurt.

Explained to teamleader N I will be there on Thursday and he heard I am sad, boy, did he "wash my head"!

German for... giving advice - we talked 1 1/2 hours (I did not count as work-time).

He had very good advice, we´ve been on the same road, and I will (try and) take consequences.

We are adults, no more little-Brother-bonus.

Thursday: Hot, hot, hot, balcony-time after work and Ingo brought in snail- butterfly-mail in from dear Kathy!

Friday: Summer is really great this year and there is so much yummy summer-food!

Really, I cannot remember a summer this hot and wonderful!

The "please with whipped cream" refers to Udo Jürgens who  wrote and sang a song about old ladies meeting on a regular basis in a café and always ordered their cakes with whipped cream. Great thought, actually (if you don´t count the consequenses of having too much, as with everything).

We even went to one of his concerts, if you like you can see us dressed up here. 

 

 

Sad "side-note": Ingo felt like gusto for Greek food. 

Called and I wondered what took him so long. The owner was sad. A traditional restaurant and they have to close.

First Corinna, now "Put#n", our politicians make the world not go round but down....

And even weirder. Going through my pics from July I found the bag, that made me remember of a holiday in Greece - Ingo only read it the next day.

 

Weekend:

Saturday: We saw the city from hiiiiiigh up, pics are to come, sneak peek here.

Sunday I saw a sadly too short docu on how orang-utan kids may be afraid of heights, a sheep can take care of rhino babies and an elephant baby can take care of a sad human, making jokes for him, cuddling him.

And certainly Die Maus and  a wonderful fairy tale, right after calling Niece on her 12th Birthday.

 

Food-wise:

 

 

And a bit of "art":

 

Another bird-house, entrance to the left and since no birds want to live in these this one sits inside to not get as weather-beaten as the two balcony-ones...

Well, for the sketching it did sit outside. I really do enjoy listening to Cuban music with the Bose and doodle on the balcony.

Strange enough I am the only one outside!!!!

Last summers were awful with kids yelling like crazy nonstop for hours in neighbor´s garden (right in front our balcony) - now... nothing!

I have nothing against kids having fun, btw - but not that loud over hours with houses all around trippling the sound. And a park with playground no 5 minutes to walk from here!

So... I am glad I have my silent-/music-time for myself 😀🌞⛱

Henry 🦁

 

 

Happy T-Day!

R U Hungry, Six-Thirty?

Took a different route from Ingo´s bakery on Monday - first room I lived in in Braunschweig was Heinrichstrasse.

Funny, no, "Henrystreet" - it was a sign! 

 

 Now what do you expect to find here?

Flower-shop? Or...

 

 We had a shop, sadly it has closed down:

 

 Actually a slice of bread, but you also got this, yummmmmm....

 

 

Pics taken at CGS, where I thought I was happy.

Near to no laughing - work is serious!

When I still worked for VW and had to pop in at CGS I always wondered why it´s so darn quiet.

NOW I am happy, not a day we don´t laugh, at least once, mostly a lot more! 

 

Just yesterday, when DML (master document) for most´d broken down just yet again "Obama" sent this:

 

Well, hallo schmidtchen is nothing where you expect food.

You are to take your time and enjoy, make it an experience...

 

See, I take my time... say, on the balcony, doodling, reading a good book, but this this I want it FAST and Ingo can make in 5 minutes and I don´t want to know what you think, it´s something today´s host helped with, see (our kitchen aka hair saloon):

 

Yes, we talk about cutting hair 😁

 Back to food shortly, shall we?

 

No, really. I am aware this is a very, very controversial subject.

And you cannot really fight over it - we should just tolerate - each other!

But a minister reminiscing over Pizza.... I think it´s a funny thought, especially when you think of how many of the inventors still live very strictly the catholic way. 

So... who knows who invented Pizza? Ice cream, anything. How are ideas "planted" into our brains?

Molecules that are hungry? Why do we want (well not me!) go to Mars, wasn´t the Moon enough?

This book reflects on the early 60´s, but have we changed much?

Will we ever?

We seek for knowledge (wisdom we´ll likely not achieve).

 

And here goes (shortcuts to the essential):  

This about 1960+ being 2020+  

Six-Thirty XIII  

Six-Thirty XII  

Six-Thirty XI  

Six-Thirty X  

Six-Thirty IX  

Six-Thirty VIII  

Six-Thirty VII  

Six-Thirty VI 

Six-Thirty V  

Six-Thirty IV  

Six-Thirty III  

Six-Thirty II  

Six-Thirty I 

Book here. 

 

This is for Tom´s Signs2, of course.

 

Henry 🦁

Baby, indeed, I "made" another one, you find it in the fridge.

Leave me a piece, please.

Wednesday @ Kathy

 

This is super-mega-yummy (to me) - let me tell ya!!!

 

What you need:

• What you have  😂

OK, in this case:

• I had left over rice
• left over pepper
  
• old carrots
• a super-old banana, brown on the outside already 
• Gouda cheese 
• broth
• chili
• curry
  
• chicken breast

Before you start:

 

 

Visit your butcher and ask for a piece of high quality, fresh chicken breast.

Cut in stripes, cover it with dried chili, fry. Put on the lid, so the meat needs no turning upside down too soon.

 

 

Add rice, pepper, carrots, more chili  (the rice eats up spices again). 

Add broth.

After a while add banana and cheese, cover, let simmer, enjoy 😂

 

Easy-peasy, fast.

The banana goes so well with the chili and cheese, I had a second helping!!

 

 

 

Repeated this a bit differently (see "what you have") and Ingo wanted some, too, saying it smelled so yummy, when he came inside.

So, next time no oil but lard, so he can join.

Henry 🦁

 

Come on, you´re sweet yourself, big boy!

Join Kathy today!

If you´d like to see the Wednesday Signs2 by Tom you can look here. 

 

Cutie-Pies Ahead!

On Monday Grace and P took us all the way to Yanchep.

It's amazing, still, how quickly you're "in the country"!

Beats me how they can sleep in the scorching sun (and yes, that day was hot!), but they do, one eye on you, too!

In 2013 I (and here Ingo) touched a Koala. Just a little. Oily. Not fatty. Smooth. Oh, I cannot describe.
Go to Caversham maybe, but please do not squeeze the unhappy one who is chosen to be on display!

But there is more!

And this fella!

And what is this??

Oh!

And certainly!!

These...

P explained when the chicks have hatched the parents simply throw them out!!!
He did not look like he was joking, either (or I am too naive, which could be ;-)...)

We found some love... did we?

Some amazing art for sure!

Last time we were in Perth I found the two mural-hunting, not so this time!!!

EEEEeeeeeek!

BUT!

I have to admit!
The good pics here are taken by Ingo.
So...
I owe him this icky, yucky shot he took, right?

If you hate spiders, speed by!

I know.
They belong to our planet, they keep bugs at bay, yet... EEEeeek!

we had something yummy to eat and drink and I thought this sign is just funny:

See why most good pics in this post are by Ingo?
I suck!!!

It says, "This way we can find you and feed you!!!!"

Another beautiful, fun day, thank you!!! I miss you already!

When you read this and there was nothing bad plane- or train-related on the news we're "home" now, freezing our butts off...

This was a(nother) wonderful holiday, I am very, very aware of how lucky we are, believe me!!!
I wish we could live in Perth and it makes me angry when I see people bored to the brim with life in Perth.
But then, am I to judge.... no.

Thanks to every one of you Perthies who helped us for having the most beautiful memories!
See you in two years, I hope!!