The working month of May began pleasantly. Ariane was feeling a little under the weather so specifically asked that we cycle slowly into work. I didn’t need asking twice. And so we set off at a leisurely pace along the forest trails. The sun was shining and the ground was drying out. The leaves and grass had that extra green appearance you get when the sun is shining after spring rain. You can almost sense nature saying “right, winter has finally buggered off and we are going on an all-out growing frenzy before it gets too hot.” Continue reading →

The changeable weather continues. If you live in England you get used to having all sorts of different weather on the same day, but over here the rhythm of change is much slower. Usually you get a few days of roughly the same stuff. But the weather in April hardly ever settled down for more than a day or two – the only time we had a week of consistent weather was when it was really bad. Must be El Nino. Continue reading →

The grim weather finally made way for some sunshine yesterday. I cycled to work on dry trails in relatively warm temperatures. I left work a little early to watch my younger daughter, Emma, play her accordeon at a little concert here in Schönaich. She did very well (no, really – no mistakes). Afterwards the weather was still warm and as we’d had a good week at work I picked up some beers at the petrol station so that Ariane and I could enjoy a cold one in the garden before the sun disappeared. Lovely. Continue reading →

When I moved to Germany back in 1991 I didn’t really speak any German. I was working straight away and I was vaguely aware that there were various forms to fill out but I had somebody to help me so it didn’t seem too bad. One of the first things I must have done is go to the local town hall / council office to register as a resident. You have to do this within two weeks of moving to a new place in Germany. Continue reading →

In earlier posts I have written that Germans tend to be more sensitive to the weather than, say, Yorkshiremen. They wrap up warmer and whinge a bit more when the weather is bad. They attribute all sorts of ailments to a being out in the cold or the wet for a bit too long. They keep their houses at a comfortable 21 degrees all year round and the doors and windows fit so there are no draughts. I worried that I was becoming a bit soft too.

Continue reading →

Me, this morning (impressive one-handed photo while riding over cobblestones by Ariane)

Snow fell last night. I tried to talk Ariane into not cycling into work, but she was having nothing of it so we wrapped up warm, gritted our teeth and rode into the snow. There wasn’t any wind and the sun was shining so in the end it was a very pleasant and refreshing run into work. I hadn’t expected to need the gloves and hat again this year. This isn’t supposed to happen with May just around the corner – or is it? Continue reading →

I was up early as usual, but no need to walk to the bakery this Sunday. We have plenty of bread in and we have borrowed a waffle iron for a couple of days – and the kids were very clear about their breakfast wishes. The sun was shining, which was not expected, so I was quite sorry to miss my early-morning walk but made myself busy mixing waffle batter. Continue reading →

Saturday. The kids both had friends staying over last night, so that meant a late and copious breakfast after my morning walk to the bakery. Rain had set in for the weekend but at least the hayfever has disappeared. After breakfast, it was time to get some work done – first recycling and then a few odd jobs around the house which could be put off no longer. Continue reading →

Sorry for not posting for a couple of days. I have been at a trade show in Leipzig, meeting clients and getting my little business up and running. The business side of things went well but I won’t bore you with that. I’ll bore you with something else. Continue reading →

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 →