Double-Half
or One Ten without ham

Scienceshopping, that was the motto for late night shopping – I really wonder who takes advantage of it? Who needs or wants to shop for books, clothes and stuff till 11 pm? In the middle of the week?

Ok, yesterday was a public holiday and people often take the Friday off then, too – but that was in another state, so…. Huh?

We went in the afternoon to see what the science-part was all about. We were lucky with the weather
Cloudy but no rain. Most was for kids: Wissensforscher, knowledge-researcher, they called it: Most was indoors, though (thanks to our beautiful weather this May) and there it was too hot, too humid, too crowded.
The only place we really stopped was our good old PTB, you know, the guys who make the time for whole Europe, yep, that´s “us”.

Lucky thing we did – on their give-aways it says “125 years – exactly”, haha,, funny, guys, no?
So we keep our eyes open, bet they make something special this year.

Afterwards we went to…. Yes, Schadt´s. When Ingo payed, the waitress gave back: The new 5-euro-note.
Hm. Looks like Monopoly-money, we thought. She agreed and said, no one likes it. It´s too thick, looks ridiculous and we don´t believe it´s forgery-proof, either.
I have to remember to bring an Aussie-note on Monday, those are forgery-proof! On the way back we actually saw how high river Oker is: Forecast: More rain, severe weather watch was given out. And, true, this morning when I opened the window I heard heavy rain. Way to work it cleared up a bit: It´s cloudy, rainy from time to time, sometimes heavy rain – hope Bro doesn´t get another flooding…

BUT... Can "Y"ou Believe It´s Friday Again?

On Friday the 27th in September 2007 Ingo packed his weekend-stuff in Rhüden and came over to Braunschweig.
Saturday Bro called - the water is rising a lot. Ingo drove back and took care his PC and all important stuff is above 1 m back there and drove back to my place.

Ingo to me: If the water gets in, I move to Braunschweig! We get an apartment together.

By golly, can you guess what I wished for (all his furniture were crap anyway - who has black furniture? A sofa people 70+ might like...).

Sunday I got to meet Bro´s now-wife the first time - see here!

So, flooding, well. In one year I was thankful for it (and try to forget the stinky aftermath, gah that smell!)

Weeee… am I glad I wanted to leave the city, look at the other side, that´s no stop and go anymore, that´s what we call “Stau”, a true traffic jam! No one was injured there, that seems to be the normal situation for the 9-5-jobbers these days with all the construction-sites around :-(
Also on the way to Bro, you can see the landscape changes (and the ever-lasting construction-site): We finally sorted out our Mum´s bank- and insurance-stuff, oh, do I hate paperwork.
And I with him being an optometrist, I had him look after my eyes. Turned out the dang eye-flu has left some damage on my right eye.
Good thing: I get another pair of very cool glasses from Bro :-)
But, aw. I didn´t just think my sight isn´t as good anymore. I know, things could be worse. Disinfectant really is my friend now!

After the yummiest Döner (well 3/4 of it!) – sorry for the blurry pic: … we went to pick up Niece and went to visit Omi and Opi nearby: I finally was able to put the little stones on the grave, for Dad “When time ends, eternity begins” and for Mum “You went away from our lives, but you stay in our hearts”.

Does this make me to a “protector of the dead”? No, but this little helper doesn´t call me “Isa” anymore but Isis. She must have difficulties with that “r” after an “I”- just like her Daddy with the “n” after a “k” – which he still doesn´t manage properly. Do I have to get used to be called Isis? Oh, my!

We haven´t seen each other for quite a while and at first Niece wasn´t sure about me. But after our visit at Omi and Opi she asked me if I would carry her on my shoulders.
Bro said, she smiled happily, but instead of really grabbing my head for support, as she does with Daddy´s, she let her little hands hover upon my head, funny girl, she needs her time, just like me…

Off to the supermarket we went: Isn´t that hat just too dang cute?

Here at the “PC” with an older kid. Back at her home she astonished me a lot with the question where Ingo is? Well, he had to work, she understood that.
I finally also brought Niece the pink suitcase filled with some goodies. She loves books and since potty-training isn´t running that well, I got the book, “family Meyer is looking for a loo”.
The first windows you find in the scenes to open showed toilets. They were ok unless Niece opened one where a person was doing what you do on a loo – “oh no! Close the door, quick!”, she cried and didn´t want to open any more doors, but was still interested in the scenes.
Then she found a window in a bush, she opened it and… you guess it? A girl was… Niece had enough of that stupid book, then!
I got some pens with also stamp – she loved that! And a toilet bag she wanted to fill like right now.

And the cute drinking-bottle: The one Ingo bought her, I let her know. Niece: “why???”
Niece, you are some funny kid for sure! :-)
Odd enough she kept asking if I´m gonna take it all with me when I leave – who does anything like that?!

"Thanks" to the still bad weather we played in her room.
Here she at first wanted to read a book to her cow: But then decided to go for some action! Because this is what the cow is there for: Wished we could see each other more often.

Bro wants to come over soon to visit our zoo, SIL didn´t look so pleased, so, let´s see…

Of course I also brought a Ten Without Ham:
(one quarter for brekkie, one for lunch ("a half" at work, cold), the other half, hot, for dinner :-)..)

It´s cold, that´s why it doesn´t look yummy.
Funny thing was: I said to Bro, "Gotta call Nico for a Ten Without Ham, 2609, right?"

(He didn´t know but) It was right, I tried the phone just like that. Usually I have to look it up. It´s back, 2609, "a Ten Without Ham, please, can get cold, it goes to Braunschweig :-)" - and they know, smile proudly at me when I fetch it, we make some small-talk. If you ever get to Seesen, check out Da Nico.
If you want it hot, just not mention Braunschweig, but say Hi from me, will ya?

Dunno. Went away as soon as I could back then, aged 17, but culinary I´m kinda formed by my home-town, huh?

Little Niece watching a video of herself trying to say something, but after the first word buuuuuurping one in :-) Then "Ta-tü-ta-ta", an ambulance.... entertainment for quite a while!

Always good character if one can laugh about oneselves ... buuuurps (and what might come in the future), no? :-)

The ice cream was forgotten over this!

Yep, was at Bro´s place today instead of working (well the morning was work, sorting out our Mum´s banking- and insurance-stuff).

Pics are to come :-)

Oh. "Nochmal" means "once again!" - we´d watched it once before this!
She´s riding her bike there, guess that, too, makes her laugh with joy.

Since last Wednesday we had 69 liter of rain per m², they said in the news. So far in May it was 164 liter per m², four times as much as May last year.
We´re lucky, though, river Oker is full, but not yet over the edge. Other parts of Braunschweig are not as lucky, the firefighters work non-stop.
It´s getting warmer, we´ll have not as much rain, but summer? Not in sight.
The farmers aren´t happy, either, all their work goes down the drain. Foggy this morning (and don´t worry, I look on the road, I just click and let the cam do it´s work on it´s own). You should think the humidity suits my eyes, but no… such a bad sight today, it´s kinda frightening.

Argh, I´m having Brekkie right now and any sec I could jump up and just run over and take that dang bottle away!
Colleague F drives me nuts (just yet again). Every 10 – 15 seconds (I´m not lying!) he grabs his coke-bottle, opens it, has a mini-mini-sip, closes it and – dang! – puts it back on the table.
Noise! Some people aren´t happy when they can´t make noise!
Take a normal gulp, man! Some funny note to end and get back to work:

When we went to Schadt´s yesterday – inside, cause it´s way too cold to sit outside, our waitress spotted me and asked with a grin, “mulled-wine, twice?”

Certainly they don´t have mulled-wine, but, man… would´ve warmed us up a bit!

Off to see Bro and Niece tomorrow. Want to go to the grave, too, have some stones with sayings for each.
Wished it was a sunny day. Hopefully it´s not too muddy.

... rather not. But we left the one-digit numbers in the day at least! 10.5 C!
June 1st is the begin of summer! Theoretical... or meteological, that is...

By golly, I really can´t rememeber a year that bad, weather-wise. Still we´ll be off to the city in a minute :-)
Need to send away some postcards!

Addendum: This is what Bro just sent me :-(

The old house is flooded again. They want to rebuild there, but still.... bad.

So sad I wasn´t there. Rio, 1985, I was 13. Wish I´d had a chance to talk to that man. He lived in Munich, Germany, for quite a while. He was shy and cute. Generous! Clever, a genius. And a ... yah.. I know. Simple things could´ve helped!
Who knows what great music he might´ve given us. Just ask Monsserat Caballe, she might have an idea!



My Mum had a friend from Spain and was very, very careful about how to pronounce Barcelona (Freddy doesn´t do it right).

Miss you, Mum.

I don´t like Phil Collins´ songs much, but I sure wish it would rain down when we´re in Perth.

It´s cozy, you know? We´ll have a tinned roof! If we get a cabin in Kingsway Caravan Park, that is.
There are eucalyptus trees all around, oh, that smell is so beautiful.

That song also speaks from my soul this time, too. Sadly. I don´t go into detail, did I let him down, or did he let me down?

Is there hope? Is it always my fault, I don´t know.
Ingo sealed himself away.
Like we had to do with our balkony-door, so sad we have to... But there are more and more burglars around.

I´m rather open-minded, am not mad for long, forgive quickly. And live together with someone who is not. The book The Happiness Project helped me along, but today is a total failure.

That´s life, huh? I, as always, have to accept others. It´s never been the other way round.
Sometimes I could sit down and cry. Sink into self-pity. Ever tried to talk to someone who needs his time after an argument?

Yesterday was better. This is "Kleine Burg", where Ingo bought me the flaming heart.

There will be a science day on Thursday and they put up all fun stuff, certainly related to Henry the Lion: If my car wasn´t red (...), I´d like to have these stickers on it: (Background: See, you can go to Saturn here ;-)...) Mandi, in case you read along... your stickers sadly have to wait, it´s raining non-stop!!

We´re The City Of Science, right? Hence it´s called Scienceshopping.
Guess it´s rather for kids, but lets see? The PTB is there, too!
Did you know "we" make the time for whole Europe? Yep, that´s us, Braunschweig, Germany :-)
We have the atomic clock who does it. We´ve seen it working, too. 11:08 am, Sunday morning, the Maus starts soon!

Me, as many people my age and older, still watch the Maus.
It was launched just before I was born.
This is what wiki says: "Aimed at young children, the program has a magazine format, with several segments, some humorous, others educational presented in a simple, straightforward manner. Many of the show's early viewers are now adults whose children are forming the second generation of viewers." (I did the highlightning).

Speaking of the next generation... I saw this: And thanks to thoughtful online-friends one bottle goes to Mama and Papa on August 21st, the other 15 years later to a then young woman :-)

Woman, man...

Speaking of... yesterday we had - on my wish - just yet again Gulasch.
Boy: And Girl: This man doesn´t mind me having such... ways, why is he so long this mad at me?
Last weekend, on demand (bring me something nice?) I wish it would rain down, down on me...