A few posts ago I commented on how well-built German houses are. So I suppose it was inevitable that just a few days later something would go wrong in our sturdy German house. We had a strange powercut this morning. Strange because about one third of the sockets and lights still worked. Continue reading →

Yesterday I woke up with hayfever and wished that it would stop. The fairy godmother must have been listening because my wish came true. I have only the mildest discomfort today – no sneezing and only faintly itchy eyes. I found out that hayfever symptoms recede when it rains for two days non-stop. Continue reading →

I must be going soft. Spring keeps deciding to tease us with a couple of promising days and then a blast of cold grey rain. I even heard on the radio yesterday that it may snow in higher regions. Yesterday I deliberately dawdled in the morning so it would be too late for me to cycle to work. It was raining again and Ariane doesn’t work on Fridays so only will-power was going to get me on that bike. But it didn’t. Continue reading →

We had visitors in the office today (from one of my largest clients), which made a bit of a change. I invited them for lunch and we spent the afternoon looking at various bits of the company – a pleasant and successful day. Continue reading →

Not much to report today. I left early to drive to Frankfurt. I went to a couple of meetings in the heart of Germany’s financial capital. And then I drove home. I am told that Frankfurt is a lovely city if you really know it. I don’t really know it and I don’t think much of it so far. Continue reading →

Yesterday the sun was shining. It seemed like a good idea to go for a bit of bike ride with the kids down to the Ritter Sport chocolate factory. There is a cafe there and the cycle path to get there is very pretty – running alongside a winding stream for some of the way. It’s also a good way to separate kids from their electronic devices and get them out in the fresh air – the promise of chocolate at the end of a cycle ride is irresistable. Continue reading →

After watching a bit of the Masters on telly last night, I decided to get up at the crack of dawn and play a little golf myself this morning. I like this early-morning golf because there is no one else to disturb me on the course and I get back in time for breakfast. I also seem to play better when I’m my own scorer. Continue reading →

I started my Saturday as usual – with a walk to the bakers. I had a quite a large order this morning because both our daughters had friends sleeping over. To my surprise they were all awake and sitting at the breakfast table when I got back. It was a pleasure to see them all tucking-in to fresh pretzels and rolls. And even though we had Nutella on the table, the fruit was the first thing to run out. Maybe today’s kids will reverse the obesity problem themselves after all? Continue reading →

A good day at work today. Everything ran smoothly and we also spent an hour listening to a beekeeper tell us about the honey he would be producing for us this summer. To be accurate, he won’t actually be producing any honey but his 50,000 bees will be doing it for him. Through the company we are sponsoring a local beekeeper, which is why he came to visit. Continue reading →

I had a meeting in Bad Tölz today, not far from Munich in deepest Bavaria at the foot of the Alps. It was an early start to beat the traffic and I had plenty of time to enjoy the drive. As the Autobahn turned South after the traffic jams around Munich the mountains came into view. The sun was still shining on the snow-capped peaks. On Sunday I had been out in shorts having a picnic with kids, so it was quite a surprise to see so much snow again. But a pleasant surprise. Continue reading →