Double-Half
or One Ten without ham

Miss them. So much.

CUBIFA, really it is Friday again! The week just sped by! No Red one again, though. Not that I´ve got no more to tell.
But weird things happen and since a long time I slept a night through and was woken by a strange noise – the clock!

It was kinda weird yesterday, I expected noises like stuff being broken, but that didn´t happen, luckily, my Panama-cup wouldn´t even have had to be moved.

It started at work.
I overwrote entries I generated on my Mum´s birthday, September the 19th . I overwrote them with the date of Ingo´s birthday and they are valid till Bro´s birthday (or till they´re overwritten again).
I´m so glad little Niece wasn´t in a hurry and was not in time in this world. Otherwise would´ve been just yet another family-member born on 19th… Or as another friend as well. I tend to mix up the months or forget a birthday this way, had all happened! 19th, 26th… each month you get them, right?

For the first time this year Ingo´s parents (pic above, with Ingo) came over for a visit.
Yeah, it´s some whopping 60 kms one way… ok, to be fair it ain´t easy with all the construction sites and Braunschweig has a rather weird system of highways. They always got lost. But now his Dad found a proper way and said next season – they´ll go to Spain over winter (yeah, lucky them!) – they gonna come over more often.

Am I glad they left Frida at home.
Yep, Frida. Not my my dear, late Grandma, but their new dog.
They keep naming dogs like that. The one they had before was named Hilde – named like both their Mum´s/Ingo´s Grandmas.
She´s a boxer, a rather large dog and our condo is but 85 m² with many open shelves in the right height…
So… a good idea to not bring her along!

Sadly they also forgot to bring the pics of Heini.
Heini was a Northern Mockingbird that fell out of the nest as a baby-bird and was raised by Ingo´s Dad.
He could say “Guten Morgen, Peter”, “Hallo Peter”, "Heini", “Komm her” (come over here) – he used to combine that with picking worms, how funny is that?!!!
He could imitate the noise of the digital clock and “sing” the first line of the song “Alle Vögel sind schon da” (all birds are there).
How cool, huh? Next time we´re over there I have to remember to ask for the pics!

They brought along some cake.
And coffee, mild one, guessing right Ingo´s got only strong one. Guessing further right, we don´t have their special milk for coffee, so they got that in their bag as well.
We´re bad hosts, right? ;-)

And that cake… oh, my.
I was trying to be polite and had a little piece of each.
For 4 hours I didn´t manage to get rid of that taste, despite eating salami and all! Never again will I eat “sugar-cake”, I tell ya!

It was a nice arvo, though, after a rather… awkward hello-hug.

It was like looking into the future, seeing ourselves in 30 years.
How they treat each other is the way we treat each other. Calling each other by their name, no nick-names or like my parents did, calling each other Mutti and Papi, in front of us “children”, ugh!
They are fit, look good, both have heaps of hair on their heads :-)
Getting older means changes, though. I remember Perth 2006, Christmas. I had Ingo´s Dad on the phone while Ingo was searching for more money and I swear, he sounded exactly like Ingo, it was weird.
Now his voice has changed.

I hope some of those things are going to happen to Ingo as well: Getting less loud! Calming down! Reflecting more.

Ingo´s Mum ´d asked me how to send pics via Yahoo and don´t you believe how quickly you get married over here?
She sent me one, saying “your Hubs at age 3” ;-) I have no idea why I slept through the night for the first time since I don´t know when.
Maybe they´re some kind of “parents” to me, too, after all?

This morning I heard the new song from Passenger for the first time, “holes”. If this doesn´t fit in, huh?

"Said we've got holes in our hearts, we've got holes in our lives
we've got holes, we've got holes but we carry on ..." Pic: My parents at their silver wedding anniversary.

It sure did hurt to see how life could´ve been for my parents, but never was.
Being together, being retired, spending the winter in Spain, seeing the Grandchild growing up…
Without the last I hope at least this is in for Ingo and I some time.

But for now we were „joking“, we need to take care about the winter-tyres, when we come back from Perth it is winter.
Yah. 4 C this morning, the car warned me!

But now the sun is shining- happy Friday :-)

The phone you see to the right... I used it as a kid!
Yes, I am that old!

I was surprised little Niece recognized it as a phone, she did!
Funny, huh?

The phone to the left? A pressie from Ingo!

Yes, I´m stuck in the 70´s!!

I just ordered Bami Goreng at Wokman with it - chopsticks and "Gilmore Girls" are ready to go!!

Yes. All on my own. We´re fighting hard times.

Other? I went voting. Apard from me there were the campaign workers.
Seems like people are sick of politics?
I did my vote, may it help getting Germany back on a good path.

Other?
I´m a mean person.
Am I?
I don´t know!
I don´t think so, actually....

I have a colleague, let´s call him Z.
He sits opposite of me.
Since January.
At first I thought it was really rude of colleague T to ignore him. Like... totally, other he spoke to him adressing him.
I never met a person like Z.
He knows "everything" and he has to tell. He makes noise. Like. All.The.Time. He tells you of all the women he´s been with, yet... let´s say he´s no beauty.

Last Christmas-party I asked Ingo not to sit near Z - he ignored me and, my... if it wasn´t for T the evening would´ve been ruined.
I´m not mean.

This colleague has a car but prefers to take bus and train. Öfis, as we call them, public transport.

Friday we had a company-meeting.

Z was on the phone, telling the customer he´ll leave at one.

When I came back I had an E-Mail saying "I did it. I said no."

Was my colleague T. Z had asked him, "you take me with you to the meeting?"

Later Z asked me, "do you go to the meeting?" I said, harshly: "I don´t know yet!"

Z went to all the other colleagues, some had to stay longer.

Finally, the customer came by, asking, "well, you´re going to swim to the meeting?"

He said... "I´ll take bus and train."

I felt sorry. He may kill my nerves every day, but I felt sorry.

I mean... there were two young people the other week bringing a new PC. He asked them questions to find out what they do not know to unmask them.
He´s near to being 50, why does he have the need to do that??

I didn´t say a word, got stuck in traffic jam and was just in time at the meeting.
T had kept a seat for me.
No Z.

40 minutes later Z arrived.
40 minutes! He´d printed out three sheets with "important questions" he wanted to ask the lawyer who was there to tell us about stuff we have to take care of, working with the customer.

The guy beside me - I didn´t know him - moaned.

Z interrupted a lot less than I thought he will.

Later colleague H introduced us to the new tool he and his colleagues had developed.

Z... ahhhh. He "knows" so much.
That guy beside me... remember, I didn´t know him? , said "Z hurts".

I said, "I share the office with him" - he looked at me and said, "poor you!!!".

Z interrupted again and again, he´s got a lot of "knowledge", you know?

Finally, when he started talking again, someone started knocking on the table for saying a) H, you did a great job! and b) Z: Shut the #### up!
Everyone joined.
Every one.
It´s not me.
It´s not me having trouble with this guy.
Everybody has!

I mean.
How "bad" can you be when an entire team dislikes you?
When no one is willing to take you along and you have to take public transport in the rain?

I still feel bad I didn´t take him with me - how stupid am I, having learned all the others dislike him as well, enough to refuse to take him with them, despite they don´t have to handle him 6 hours every day? (He starts later then me. Due to the flooding earlier this year the trains have a different schedule).

Teamleader said Z cannot reflect.
He has no clue why people dislike him. Or he doesn´t even realize...

Dislike so dang much, it´s sad.

Never in my life have I met a person like him.

Did I do wrong?
No one likes him and he really kills me every day. He´s loud, he "knows everything", I wonder the customer didn´t refuse to work with him yet. Yes, technically he´s kinda good.

But the arrogant way he treats people is "impressive".

I´m, sorry, guess no one reads along anymore.
I just have to get it out.

I feel I was mean. But I guess I wasn´t.

I have to face him tomorrow again.

Seems like my sunflowers´ll gonna make it after all, huh?

At a time when other sunflowers say good-bye... What a weird year, weather-wise.
And for my liking way too cold already...
Though, actually... I just realized I have to start with the advent-calendar for friend P soon - November 1st ist the last chance to handle it over in time this year!
Weird year, not only weather-wise!

That´s my Sunday.

I´m someone who´s never mad for long.

It´s hurtful when the other one is.

At least I´ll have all the time I need tomorrow in the city.
No one complaining about it being too hot/cold/whatever inside.

This is life.

I´m not afraid to say: Life can be crap at times.

It´s unnecessary.

Ever have the feeling you wanna run away?
I stay.
Small me stays.

Life´ll be good soon, I guess.

Just see the pic, that´s us, nearly 20 years ago.
Must mean something.

Temporary employment can kill. Constant fear of loosing your job.
Am I lucky I don´t have to be in that one.
I am, though, partially.

Voting next Sunday.
Pfff...

A Red CUBIFA IX
A Red CUBIFA VIII
A Red CUBIFA VII
A Red CUBIFA VI
A Red CUBIFA V
A Red CUBIFA IV
A Red CUBIFA III
A Red CUBIFA II
A Red CUBIFA I

Can "Y"ou Believe It´s Friday Again?

They have sunsets like this every night here… 1995

...says a little note on this postcard.

Well, they did.

1995

When we came to Darwin in 1995 it was no worries to stay overnight near Lake Andrews, where there are free public toilets and showers – where I nearly touched a redback once – a very good experience that made me look way more carefully...
As long as you behaved, all was good, we weren´t the only travelers staying there for quite a while.

When we came back in 1999 already on the way to Darwin a Ranger warned us, wild camping isn´t allowed and fined and a leaflet reminded us, it´s not “good” for nature if you stay overnight on a rest area. Um… not good? 1999

The first night at “our old place” we got a visitor we never heard of before: The Night Patrol. They said, this time we warn you, next time we fine you $200…

I mean… we make no noise or rubbish, we don´t disturb anyone, still we leave money in town, we eat, we drink, we visit museums and all.

We wanted to see the beer can regatta, which was two weeks ahead.

So, instead of paying I don´t know how much per night, side by side with (often) noisy campers, we decided we prefer our own airstrip :-)
Yes, we drove some 50km one way and some days went to nearby hot springs instead. 1999 on the way to Darwin. "Give them a break, use left lane" - funny to see when you spent weeks and weeks in the Outback :-)

Still I certainly love Darwin, don´t get me wrong!
The wonderful atmosphere at the Mindil Beaches, the shopping malls, the yummy spinach-cheese pies they had in 1995, hmmm… I always took two, had one for lunch right away and let the other sit in the car at the window, was still very warm for supper. Sadly that deli had closed down when we came back in 1999. 1999

The Fanny Bay Goal Museum…
That was funny… certainly we were the first there in the morning, so I was being first in all places. When I entered a cell in the maximum security prison – I had to turn sideways, so narrow was the door – I turned around the corner… there were clothes from an inmate, thrown on the bench as if he was still there.
In the first sec I panicked a little, turned around and stood right before Ingo, who couldn´t have gotten out, cause some more visitors blocked the small door!

Sorry if I ruined the effect for you, but I have to say: Very well done by the staff! :-) 1999 - on the way to the airstrip.

The Museum of Northern Territory… If you haven´t already you have to see the exhibition on Tracy.
At first you see pics of Darwin before. You walk by a living room scene with a table I´d rather say 50´s style, magazines from the 70´s on top, a decorated Christmas-tree, and an old radio playing Christmas songs.
Then you come to a cabin with a warning and the info that the exit is on the other side.
It´s pitch-dark in that small room and you hear original recordings of the night Tracy struck.
It was awful – if Ingo wouldn´t have been with me, I´d panicked!
When you get out you see pics of after Tracy. Just plain horrible.
It´s a relieve then to see the Aussie humor: A sea wasp in black and yellow with wings, above the water. ;-) 1999

The beer can regatta wasn´t worth the wait. 1999

But I still have to grin when I think of the elderly man who tried to safe us.
We were on the way to the deep garage in Casuarina. Our car ... 1999, Great Central Road

...fit in the first 3-5 rows, then it was too big. We knew that. Ingo drove rather fast.
The man saw the size of the car, the yellow number-plate and started waving “no!”. Guess he kinda heard a crash that never happened ;-)

There at the cinema we saw “Elmo in Grouchland” will be playing soon – too long to wait, but in Kalgoorlie we finally went, a day before Ingo´s birthday. 1999, Casuarina shopping centre

Yep, there were some kilometers inbetween that! 1999

Well, it really seems summer is over.

When we went to Magni-Fest on Sunday to get something for the bag for SIL to put in (we found nothing but kitsch, though), I wore jeans and a jacket already! .

Rizzi-House (pic above) was the only colorful thing to brighten the day… Other it really looks like Autumn.
Yes, we went into that carousel again and yes, Ingo bought two rides again, cause that´s cheaper all in all.

And, huhhh. What we didn´t know: On Sunday they give you another bonus.
The ride was endless, my poor stomach!

We took a break inbetween rides again.
As said, kitch only, though this frog is kinda cute: I´d so liked to keep the token, it´s so darn cute: But then I took all my courage… at least the sun came out a wee bit: Boy, really, seeing this carousel from rather far felt better after two rides ;-)
I still was shaking a bit, taking a last pic of it: On the way out of quarter Magni we saw these wonderful door”knobs” – they´re made out of wood. 200 € is a tad too much, though, I´d say. As often, a pic will do :-)

Bye-bye Quarter-Magni: Bye-bye colors. Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand and Friedrich Wilhelm sure await some rainy weather on their horses in front of the Palace, also often called facade cause of it´s weird history, being destroyed in WWII, after heaps of protest teared town in 1960 and replaced by a nice park.
Then, after heaps of protest again the trees were cut down in 2007 and they rebuilt the whole thing, now it´s mainly a shopping center with shops you find also directly in the city, read on the other side of the street.
Or rather found, cause many had to close down.

So, better leave this “Palace” and go to see Henry on the way home: Still grey and cold weather, rainy, too. Let´s hope we get a “golden October” at least!

It´s Maggi-Fest!
Well, no ;-)
It certainly is Magni-Fest, named after quarter Magni!
SIL named it Maggi-Fest by getting eyes big as plates, thinking we´re all real weirdos having a festival for Maggi! D`oh! :-)

So, we celebrated. Well, kinda, let me tell you: Ingo can make Sauerkraut 10 times better than this! Certainly still it was yummy.

We didn´t take one here: ... but it still is a good feeling, knowing Jägermeister is made just around the corner and known in the whole wide world, right?

I mean, those who can have the sweet life (Süßes Leben) just have to have fun, right? Nah, I don´t like sweets, I just loved the sign. As well as Heimbs-Kaffee, it´s local. Just come over here, we have lots of great local stuff :-)

Here you can have your portrait getting done: We didn´t. I don´t like to be a poi...

Did I mention Germans aren´t that... well, we´re quite open, just have a look: Bu-haa :-)

Here´s a coffee-bike: Kinda romantic, I think.

The typical framed houses who didn´t get destroyed in WW II: I wouldn´t want to live in one, though...

And then we found this: Piel de Toro was there, too: I´m still sad I learned French instead of Spanish (sorry, Grace, if you read along) - I coud´ve used Spanish oh so often!

But, well, I speak German and live in the City of Henry The Lion - to whom kids run to! They sit on him and pose proudly: And he loves it! Let´s change the perspective... Yes.
We.Are.Inside.
Me.
Huhhh...., my stomach and I.

Still a brave, little camper, I manage to smile: All following pics (this included) by Ingo - I had to grab the the chains, not the cam...

And tight, too... I do try to smile, right???

What do these pics stand for?
Freedom: How fast life runs... There are hands in all this chaos who take care of us: Not this one, but Ingo´s, in my case.

Chains?
Chains can save you and you have to be strong to get rid of them. Or, well grab them, in my case I needed strength to hop into this carousel! Thanks, Ingo, for those great pics - and for making me riding this carousel. It was fun, partially :-)

We came by the guy with the portraits - he really does a very great job! Being German... well :-) Getting dark... Some scenes like from the Middle Ages: Sadly, sadly there are rules: every first weekend in September we have Maggi Magni-Fest... AND Sehusa-Fest in my old home-town, where Bro is hugely involved. Well, Ingo got a bag for SIL: We gotta go! Get something from Magnifest to put in there for her, right?
We have nothing to eat at the house, another great excuse, no? ;-)