Friday, January 31, 2014

Do It Yourself - No Envy



Well, the first part I sure did all by myself - slipping and breaking a bone.
Luckily they don´t cast anymore, I just got this splint and since my second visit at the doc I am supposed to take it off when resting the foot on a chair. (Which also means I can take a shower like a normal person).

I´m bored to pieces. I don´t like to use my laptop and using the pc is difficult - yes, I know, moaning on a very high level.

Yesterday was kinda funny.
I was supposed to be at the doc at 11. Ordered a taxi to 10:45. 10:35 the bell rang. I sent him away - I didn´t want to stand outside in -4C till they open, right?
I was there at 11 - they said from 07-11 they perform surgery.

Yes, well... the place was more than packed, people even waited outside!
2 hours I had to wait with my foot down, then they called me to a room where I waited another 10 minutes.
The doc came in, his assistant took off the splint and dressing, the doc squeezed the foot, sure it still did hurt, the assistant put on a sock and the splint and the doc told me to come back next Thursday at 10:30. And, well, to rest and take said splint off whilst doing so.

Over 2 hours for 5 minutes!!!

Funny thing is: the toes are blue - but they don´t hurt a bit!
But the foot... holy sh... I have painkillers, but don´t take them. The list of possible side effects is just horrible and Ingo as Bro got the same and got sick from it.
Blue, btw... my belly is as well.
Actually I am supposed to do it myself, but luckily Ingo helps me out, I have to get a thrombosis shot every day. By golly, that hurts! I could never do that by myself!
Sorry to say, but I think it´s cute from Ingo to tell me to rest, he´s my legs now :-)

When Ingo came home he got the car, telling me all the time to be careful, the road is icy - and, yes, it was - and we went to see his bank consultant so for in emergency I have access to his account plus as married couple I will be covered in his new insurance as well.

I turned up like that:



... with my crutches, still the consultant said, "I need to get something, please don´t run away :-)"
Me: "Nope, I won´t run... ;-)"
Ummm....

This consultant btw was the reason why we got married after all. And she was so far the first person here who was candidly impressed and happy for us marrying in Perth. She needed to see our marriage certificate and had a very close look - not a sense of envy, very refreshing!
She kept repeating, full of smiles, how special this is. Most here in Germany show at least a bit of envy, I have the feeling, how sad.

Back home I made it safely across the road, but, by golly, those crutches get more than slippery when wet on wood! I nearly slipped again...

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Perth XVII



Saturday, 23rd Part IV, so to say. From Freo we went to Subi to Kings Park and then we still had the energy to stroll through the beautiful city.
Very obviously Perth has much more to offer than Braunschweig!
Which doesn´t mean Braunschweig isn´t beautiful, too - just right now I´m stuck in the condo.

Which is really sad.
Tomorror is a lecture on beaming, Friday lights and music on Kohlmarkt and on Sunday the shops are open and there will be sculptures of ice and with my foot I can´t go.
That really sucks.

I really can´t imagine how Perth looked like around the train station in 2006?

This green "cactus" wasn´t there for sure:



These are the only ones I got from 2006...



Very clearly it was December :-)



This flower shop... is it still there? I haven´t seen it, but I haven´t looked for it, either.



I have the feeling it wasn´t as busy as it is now, but it´s too long ago to say for sure...

This house was not illuminated back then and the beautiful bow was missing as well:



What can I say.... beautiful tinsel!



On the way to Northbridge we saw this boy playing the harp, Ingo, as many others, gave him some money :-)



The cam has taken a great pic of The Brass here:



This one turned out great as well, I think:



Tinsel at night:



And here are free public toilets at the food court - which smells very strong of cheap garlic, uhhh...



Can´t remember where I took this pic, who these guys are?



Old an new...



And more tinsel...





And then...



... we took the bus home, what a great day!



Perth XVI
Perth XV
Perth XIV
Perth XIII
Perth XII
Perth XI
Perth X
Perth IX
Perth VIII
Perth VII
Perth VI
Perth V
Perth IV
Perth III
Perth II
Perth I

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Perth XVI



At The VIC we decided it would be a good idea to pay Kings Park another visit.



I remember back in 1995 we spent a night there, under one of the trees of Honour Avenue, in our green Holden Commodore - I guess these days you´re not allowed to anymore...



It´s such a beautiful place, so calm, hard to believe it actually is in the city...

And with these makes me feel home anyway ;-)



Yes, "a special place" for sure!



... with six seasons.



No idea where Ingo took this pic!



The obligatory pic of the Swan Brewery that next time will be visited:



Love the Australian flag in this pic:



And certainly the palm trees.



This was taken by Ingo, again I don´t know where, but is it true they made a sign in relief we finally left?
Bet they installed it right away on December 07th ;-)
On December 2nd 1999 we finally sold our Nissan Patrol LWB:



As you can see with a heavy heart...
For once because it was like selling your home, after all we lived in him.
For knowing it´s real now, this trip is over now.
For me also the fear: What´s next? In Germany I had to look for my first job.

But also because we didn´t sell this wonderful car to another couple driving off to another great trip throughout Australia, but to a niggardly man with a fat son.
A man who had obviously enough money - this car was to become his second car for driving in dunes, just for fun. Yet he bet us down as much as he could, us, back then a young couple with little money.
Shabby, he was...

But gone with negative thoughts, right? Better enjoy this beautiful view:



Love how these two enjoy a picnick in the shade...



A look down on Bell Tower, the place where our love lock not went:





You get thirsty walking around all day? Here it´s no worries, you don´t need to take water with you (well, we certainly did anyways):



I know but one place in Braunschweig where you find drinking water like this! But maybe I´m not well enough informed...

Yep, Christmas is on the way!



And certainly boabs:



The tree top walk:



Such a beautiful place. If I lived there guess I´d spend many hours there with a good book in the shade...

But I don´t and hence, we made it...



... not back home yet.

Yes, a fourth entry is to come, documenting one day in Perth.
I´m sorry, but there are so many beautiful places to take pics of!

Perth XV
Perth XIV
Perth XIII
Perth XII
Perth XI
Perth X
Perth IX
Perth VIII
Perth VII
Perth VI
Perth V
Perth IV
Perth III
Perth II
Perth I

Monday, January 27, 2014

Blue Irony



Ever since I moved to Braunschweig the color blue gets me with things I have no influence on.
I don´t like the color blue.

The room in the flat sharing had a blue carpet.
My new colleague helped me out with a drawer he didn´t need anymore - blue.
First company car, boss asked which color, I said I don´t care, the cheapest - blue.
Last pair of hiking shoes in my size...

And now this!

Not enough I need crutches, they come in blue!

Dang. Ingo said, don´t act like a sissy, when in fact I ran around with a broken foot for two days.

Yay to modern medicine I only got a splint - but... am signed sick till Feb 17th :-(
At least...
But by chance I got a real good medical practice.
Bad thing: since the splint has to be that tight it hurts and I can either make my way to the pharmacy like that in a slipper through the snow on crutches - which seems to not be a good idea - or wait till Ingo is home in about 5 hours.

Maybe I reconsider the first option.
It´s only 280 m. But in snow ...

I am so dang glad it happened now and not in my holiday.
Because... snow even wasn´t involved.
Laugh about me it happened in the bedroom. I was a tad fast, we have little hearts as carpets on wooden floor, I went around the corner and... dang, there I went! My left foot tried to lift the bed, so to say.

Weird how I always took for granted being able to run around.
When I broke my arm, that was bad, it hurt, it was difficult, but I was mobile.

Three weeks, my teamleader will not be amused... So far he doesn´t answer the phone - maybe he got a guess already...

Friday, January 24, 2014

Oh No...



This is how my car looked like this morning - I still have to look for my hand brush, had to use my hands, hence my glovies got wet and I had to drive without in -5C. And my car takes like forever to get warm.

Sure this looks nice:



Would be OK for Christmas from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., other I just hate it!

The way home:



A thin layer is still on the fields...



Grey in grey, how depressing.



A bit stayed on the trees, looks kinda nice, but this...



See the mud, the brown snow at the side of the road. Great to walk through :-(

Oh, I just so hope there will be no more snow.
Forcast: Cold over the weekend then hopefully it warms up a bit again.

Really, great timing, the city just started construction work on the main road on my route - certainly they have to stop, the construction site now sits there causing chaos...

But for now: It´s weekend, have a great one! :-)