Double-Half
or One Ten without ham

Or Go, Tarzan, Go!
I swear when we were close it was a girl on that tree!

This morning at 05:00 am we had 15C, still it felt really warm, it was weird! So we decided to finally see our town "from it´s most beautiful view" with Oker Tour, gliding on river Oker with a boat. I did something like this before - that´s 4 years ago now, dang, time SO runs!!!! - my boss arranged murder on the Oker back then.

This time we were told different stuff and it was daytime, too.


Man... it must be great to live in a house like this one, no? Right by the little river...


Not a cheapy, like also this one:


But, well, we can visit our river anytime, right? Actually an "arm" of it is right around the corner in the park nearby. (Still wow, that house!)

Also modern houses are to be found here:


Sadly we also had peeps on board who made it a pain at times/nonstop.
The older ladies beside me didn´t hear well and hence didn´t listen to what our captain told us and talked and talked. Thanks, made me hear it so not better :-(
Why, just why didn´t I tell them my 2 cents worth?!

One woman - I thought she was in her late 40´s/early 50´s - proudly announced to her friend someone thought she was younger than 36. Which she is!
Umm. I kept my mouth shut and didn´t tell her how old I am. I´m a good guy, right?
Genes and awareness, what weird things...

Still it was a great way to spend an afternoon in the city you love...


We got really hungry, too, and Ingo had the idea of visiting Schadt´s for a Currywurst to share. They very likely buy it from Volkswagen - Volkswagen has an own meat market/butcher shop, yep, VW doesn´t make cars only! They have their own ... what, pigs, it´s Y.U.M., I tell ya, the best Currywurst ever! You can get it every day at Autostadt, btw.

And man... it had started raining and Schadt´s was full! In the middle of the week, amazing! Usually at this time of the year people sit outside as well.
So, when we were done eating, we left our table with our bits left of beer to stand at the bar and let people eat.

Hehe, what did I find? This free (ad-)card:


"Our" El Gaucho! :-)
Let me tell ya... I love my Beef at their place!!! :-)

Great ad, no?
And remember, this is Germany and that song related to is old, too. Gotta tell `em next time how much I love this card and that it found a way to our home, too.
Invitation to Bro, who loves this place as well is on it´s way, too.


That´s the door to our living room btw.

I´m really so thankful and glad we both can start work early at around 06:00 am and have time for things like this! A 9-5 job would be bad and sad.
Happy times! :-)

Ingo found this little playset and for 2€ we took it home.

Just… where place it inside an apartment?

I suggested the door to Ingo´s room on the hall´s side, but Ingo said, nah, the door is always open.

We found a place:


Funny story to add… That´s the door to the toilet.
The poster is there for ages.


Oh, see this soap :-)


"Australian" with macadamia-nut-oil and eucalyptus-mint-aroma, the macadamia-flavor definitively is the stronger one.

Always makes me smile cause I think back to Perth 2006. Rodney came with his family to the airport to give us a farewell and amongst other brought us some very yummy macadamia nuts :-)

Drugstore dm (slogan: Here I´m a person, here I buy) always has special editions for a reasonalble price, like also this one:


Love it :-)

Last time Bro was here with little Niece he had to go where we place those wonderful soaps and said, “I´m right back!”.

Took forever, Niece kept asking for her Daddy. But Daddy… had to read all the slogans of the poster at the door and it took forever! Guess we better keep the ball outside, otherwise next time Bro might be in there for hours ;-)

When I was at the oculist last week due to yet another conjunctivitis (all good again), they announced I have to be aware I´ll have to wait long times.
Yah... half an hour! So, I had plenty of time and went to the arcades. And guess what I found?


Isn´t this pirate-bear too cute? Even his feet wear skulls!
I just had to take him home, cause...


Yes, that´s our bedroom. And yes, our. We both sleep in this bed, at the same time.
If Ingo´s Dad asks once more where the other bed is, I just go for a walk! We just don´t need a kingsize bed.

In case you´re interested... this is our "lamp" (actually it´s a kite we bought at the sea):


And then there is certainly our Henry, watching over us:


Always a good idea to have an ole Pirate in da house, no?

And for fond memories of our tours in '95 and '99...


If you think we´re weirdos or just big kids... aw well, maybe we´re just fun?

What a weekend! Sunday was the hottest day of the year with 33C. And what did we do? Hopped on the pushbikes and went to the lake – in those temps 7km can be very much!


But it sure was worth it, it´s so much fun to swim in that lake! Am I glad Ingo found it!

And each day he cut me a flower – a sunflower on Sat:


And some others on Sunday:


Funny enough I “found” a dress I had totally forgotten about, even the price-tag was still at it!

With river Oker in the background:


And here you can see the colors – we had a couch like that in the 70´s!


But it seems summer is over already. It´s still hot but cloudy and with thunder rolling in.

What a pity, shame on you, summer 2012!

Or Soap Bubbles In The Office
Nothing much happens atm, I´m back to work, so how about a little walk through our neighborhood and an introduction of "The Club"?

It´s a wee bit odd at times, but also kinda cute: See this little man in the pic above climbing up that house? Cute. Or a warning? As in come in here, you´ll turn into a metal figure, à la Lot?

This portal is quite nice, too, no?


Also love that they keep the sign of the old barber-shop:


Not so nice is this sign:


It says,

"Here was located the sculpture 'Gelassen stieg die Nacht an Land' ('coolly night came onto land' - in imitation to this lay/song by Eduard Mörike, 1804-1875) by R. Pfeffer/Berlin.

broken off by unthinking spurners of the creative mind.

November 1996"

I moved to this town in 2001 and never saw it, but, my, isn´t that sad?

So, better have a look at this one:


In the café around the corner, it says, "Heartily welcone in Café Grec".

A lot of green colors, huh? My favorite.

This is just around the corner, though, not where we live.

A lush balcony, wish I were motivated enough to do something like that, too!


Wonder what this may be (for), is it a rat?


If animals, in the City of Henry the Lion...


These weird fungis we found on that tree in the park nearby…


On the way back home... love that turquoise umbrella on the balcony high up against the blue sky:


When we get up it´s dark now, how sad.

This was on the way to work, around 05:20 am:


Because I was driving, they came out really blurry and kinda arty, I think.


It´s too hot for running, so we just wander around. It´s way more fun, too :-)

Fun, btw, and work... colleague T1 greeted me on Monday with "welcome back to the club! :-)", like he always does after a holiday.

Teamleader T2 came over for a chat.

Later on he jumped into my office and blew some soap bubbles in, laughing :-)

Then after a while had a question, saw my flip flap and asked what happens if that thing is in direct sunlight – it flips like crazy, certainly, I showed him. Now picture this: T2, T1 (who had a question, too, and came over) and I are standing at my desk, watching flip-flap doing it´s job. We are some Club, huh? :-)

Tuesday we had a meeting with my old colleague H and my "boss" and friend P.
Tuesday is Currywurst-Day and certainly P and I went, yum!

I´m so dang glad to have a job like this (if it was only in my town!)!

Wednesday arvo is always "Daddy-Day" and this time Daddy packed some stuff up, including his Daughter, and came over for a visit, yay :-)

Niece didn´t recognise the place and was shy at first (last time we met in town), but then loved the swing and after a while even Ingo was accepted ("da!").

Luckily the weather was a bit summer-like and so, when Niece saw the little bucket for playing in the sand (she looooves sand), that waited for weeks and weeks, we took off to the park.


Was quite a day for Niece, last time she saw a small fountain, she was a baby, and now this one:


I tell ya... now I know why my boss always asks if everything is ok... when new stuff/situations come along, we tend to make a whiny face like this:


Next were ducks, which she knows from her books:


At first she wasn´t that sure, but then you could hardly stop her from jumping in :-)

Sand, right? On to the playground!

Ingo said, lay down, that´s more fun!


She had to try nearly every single piece:


See that little guy in the background? Is he an Aussie or has it finally spread over how to protect your kids from the sun wisely?

The Baby-slide wasn´t such a hit a year ago, now look at this!


And finally... sand!


It´s fun, but also tough, hard work!


Even Daddy had to help:


Last thing I thought Niece would be interested in was this necklace from the 70´s I had "on display".. she´s wearing it, see? It´s missing here:


Funny enough she immediately knew what that orange thing is! She picked up the receiver and said, "Hello, hello..."!
Bro said, "yeah, your Aunt had really used this. Me... not anymore." Ummm... I´m old ;-)

Since there was no treasure to be found, it was another swing to check out:


Niece was quite done afterwards.
"Uncle" Ingo had to carry herr little bucket, now doesn´t that look cute? ;-)


We also learned something from our nearly-two-year-old:


This frog - maybe the reason for this "summer" we´re having - is singing "I´m singing in the rain". Niece let him do his job once, then turned him on again - and then off! Did you know the thing stops when you push the button again? We didn´t!

Oh, not to forget the beautiful flowers they brought:


Gerberea :-)

Bro is quite strict with her. On the pavement she is not allowed to walk alone, she has to take somebodys hand. He teaches her to look to the right for cars, to the left and to the right again (well, I did, since Bro forgot ;-) - but, well, she was at my hand, so...). A knive is "aua"/dangerous.

My little "pressie" to him...


.. really was no fun to Niece:


She hid in fear when he wanted to comb her hair with it.
Teaching works, I´d say :-)

Was a fun day.