Do you know

this feeling, when people talk about all the bad things in the world, that could or can or will happen? And you know, you will not be sleeping that night, because you will worry about all these things?
I had one of these days and I hate them. When there are bad things, that you can work against or when you can at least be active in some form or other, than that is o.k., but nebulous things, where you do not know, what to do.... horrible.

I have a real hart time sleeping with these things and they don't have to be major even, I am a worrier. O.k., so that may be a sign, or one of them, that I might be a genius, but a dead genius is still dead.

It is not even death, that I am afraid of, it is dying, being powerless, seeing other people in pain and worried and if I go on like this, I will certainly not sleep until I am dead. Since I have - as a child - decided, that I will reach the age of 97, or 96 at least, that is a long time of no sleep.

So: it is Sunday, why else would I write here and this Sunday is the last before my re-entering the work-forces tomorrow. It will be a lot to take in and a lot to
do and certainly a lot of things, that have gone wrong, but that's always the way with time out of work and funnily I stopped worrying at least about these things.

What did I do with my holiday? Springcleaning, sleeping, reading, knitting, sleeping, eating, shopping, watching YouTube-Videos, playing, did I mention sleeping? :-) Yes, I am sure I did.

It certainly was a very relaxing holiday and I enjoyed it very much. Doing nothing much and just being. Just being calm and relaxed

A bit like this... I just wish, I could always be that relaxed... :)

Cheerio and a good and lovely new week!

Remember, You're a Womble

https://youtu.be/6FhKNBV5FTU

Now the Wombles were a group of furry people, living beneath Wimbledon common and cleaning up the world around them. They were really funny and still you could learn a lot about the environment. So it was learning with fun.

I just loved them and I think, I watched every last part of it. It was great fun.

The wombles themselves were: 

Great Uncle Bulgaria Coburg Womble, Tobermory, Madame Cholet, Orinoco, Bungo, Tomsk, Wellington, Alderney, Shansi, Stepney, Cairngorm McWomble the Terrible, Obidos, Nanny Alexandria, Livingstone (the only one, who is not named, after a place, as he can't remember the choice he made at the time),

Moosonee and Hoboken.

Wombles choose their names from an atlas or a streetmap, when they come of age but obviously, they sometimes forget their names.

Their main job is, to clean around them and make the world a better place, but they still find a lot of time to make mischief and have a lot of fun. The have fun cleaning up as well.

You can find more and better information about the wombles on this website:

http://www.tidybag.uk/information/whos-who-in-the-wombles/

On this site I found out, that there was a 1990ies version of the Wombles, so some of the names maybe from the new series. But still, it was a great show and it may well be the reason, why I fell instantly in love with Wombats, when first I learned about their existence, which certainly wasn't before the 90ies and it was not from the 90ies version. Some unknown inner connection from past and present, I'd call it.

If you can get hold of it: watch it: the parts are really short and so won't tax short-term-concentration, but there is a lot of fun in it.

Woops, already Sunday

I nearly missed writing - again... But I remembered in time. It is 8.14 pm in Germany, the Tagesschau = The news will be finished now (8.15 pm now) and so the evening television program begins. On the first channel, known as ARD it will be the "Tatort". This has been running for ages. Certainly as long as I live and I guess, far longer than that.

So why do I not watch it? Well, I do not like Tatort and though I loved the TV-Series in the 80ies, I never could get my head around Tatort. That does not make it a bad show - as proved by its many viewers - just something I am not into.
The other reason is: I do not have a TV.

Now: for many people that is quite incomprehensible. It was especially so for my family, because I was the TV-kid in my family long into my early 30ies really. So not just kid. I have watched pretty much everything possible. I think, though looking back, no. I did not watch Tatort, no daytime and hardly any nighttime talkshows, I did not watch folk-music shows, after "Zum Blauen Bock" (The blue he-goat, I don't know the english word). Anyway,  I did not watch that and I did not watch anything very scary. Meaning: scarier than Sesame Street.

But I watched the 80ies TV-Series, Remington Steele I mentioned, also Murder, she wrote, Scarecrow and Mrs. King, The Stuntman-Series (the unknown stuntman), Kojak, Moonlighting, The Cosby Show, An american family,
Family ties, Lois and Clark: The new adventures of Superman, Kim Possible,
The Waltons, The Wombles, Little House on the Prairie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Smurfs, Großstadt-Revier, Praxis Bülowbogen, Drei sind einer zuviel, Der Bastian, Dick und Dally und die Ponies and any dancing film that showed. The latter was not very easy in Germany, as they did not always show, but it was easier in the 70ies, because they were shown more often.

I watches not only the american films of that genre, but also the german and austrian ones of the 50ies and 60ies. I also loved the french films with Gerard Depardieu, Louis de Funés (I am sorry, if I wrote the name wrong) Jean Paul Belmondo, Pierre Richard, Jaques Tati and Don Camillo and Peppone Films.

A lot of the old films a lot of the typical films of my times as well. But I liked the ones with music best.

Somehow I seem to have watched everything I might ever have wanted to watch. When my TV-Set broke in 2007 I did not replace it and I didn't get another one for five years and then I had a combination of computer and TV via my phone-company, Telecom. That I only did, because a new law came up, that everyone had to pay a fee for TV, wether they watched or not. Up to 2011, it was only to pay, if you had a TV and so the chance to watch. Now everyone has to pay.

So, from 2012 to October 2015 I had access to Television and I did watch some. But there is such a lot of advertisement in there, very annoying. Plus: when I could watch, hardly anything was on, that I wanted to watch or I just mindlessy sat in front and watched TV. I did like Extreme Couponing, Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners, Horrible Histories and documentaries. Those were a lot of fun really. And "Die Sendung mit der Maus". That is educational TV for kids.
It has the Mouse (not Mickey, this one:)


and its friend, the elephant

There were Lach- und Sachgeschichten, meaning: Stories to laugh and those to learn. Armin Maiwald and his team and later Christoph explained about everything under the sun. How a bell is made, how information goes through the internet, why balloons can pop, how nails or hammers or other tools are produced, how the milk gets from the cow into the bottle or box. And many more.

At the beginning of every show, a short summary is given first in german and then in a foreign language, that can be english, finnish, italian, dutch, russian,
chinese, whatever. There are a lot of languages in the world.

That was always something I liked a lot and the Learn-Stories. It was very interesting. Also Sesamestreet of course, though it was not quite completely like the american version. Though in the beginning, the american version was translated and then the people in the show synchronized, like every foreign film in Germany. No subtext, always synchronizations. Later though, some famous german speaking actors were gotten in and in the same way, that the american version works, so did the german version.

It was the same with the Muppet Show. I loved that a lot. Especially Gonzo. :)

At any rate, I do sometimes watch old TV-Series on DVD or YouTube or watch TV, when I am on holiday somewhere else, but at home I do not miss it.

The reason, by the way, that I almost missed the Sunday-blog-post is, that I am on holiday and on holiday I do not always have a set schedule. O.k., since I did my spring-cleaning - part of it - there is some sort of schedule, but it was more playing and knitting and painting and such.

I did get a lot of cleaning done: the bedroom, the bathroom, the livingroom, part of the kitchen (I do have to cook somewhere, after all) and I did my washing and sorted my clothes.

Last week I bought a new backpack, some more wool and needles, some colours and colouring books, tea, two Tops (I had to put two away, they had dirt on them, that I could not get out) and a pair of lazy pants. I sorted two other pairs out for that. Also a windjacket, as the one, that I have had for almost four years now and used very much, really and not very nicely, showed, that it was very used.
The backpack, that I exchanged, I had for almost eight years. It broke in one part and the bottom became very thin. I could see through it. Not well, but still.

Well, other than that I had a google problem with my phone (no solution yet, but it is only my mobile and I can still use it) and I started counting steps, but for the past two days, it was already "good work" if I managed more than 2000 steps.
Well, today I got over that, because I went to church and back in a longer way.

But, I have found, that somehow I have lost the heart, that I showed you pictures of. Well, I do hope, that it brings luck to whoever may find it. At least I still have the photos. So I have a memory.

Other than that I can only say, that unfortunately one of the persons I wrote about last Sunday, has unexpectedly died, although it looked, like things were going up.
But maybe, that was to spare more heartbreak and pain for everyone. It isn't nice though to think about. So my only comfort is, that it might have prevented all that. Still it is hard for the family and the friends. There are more and more of these kind of news and this is actually a topic, that I am not happy with, in a very egotistical way: I am very afraid of the time, when all my family of my generation is dead and I am alone. And I would consider myself alone, even if I had a partner. Because that partner would not have grown up with those people.

O.k., so I have nieces and nephews, but they are the next generation. So I am only thinking of myself here. It is not the death part, we all have to day and if
we are lucky, it is after a long and fulfilled life and peacefully in our sleep, but
there is always someone left.

The reason, that I can so comfortably live alone and enjoy being alone is, that I am not really alone. I have this family and I have some very good friends, that I can talk to, a safety-net of love, you can call it. I am aware, that a lot of people do not have that and for them it is hard to be alone. And for me, who I am not used to being this kind of alone, it will be hard as well. Although I shall likely find other people to talk to and be with and you know what, so I do not anticipate lonelyness, nor am I afraid of that: I am afraid to loose my safety-net of love.

There you have it and so I leave you on this very happy note... :)
Well, no. That would be cruel. In daylight and in general, I can live with that, because that is, how it is. And so I will not make myself unhappy and unable to sleep.

I still have a week of holiday before me. One day of intensive care for my kitchen and of putting away those of my clothes, that can be given away and
for doing my budget, my shopping, my ironing and upping my steps. I work with 6.000 per day, if I can. As soon as I move farther from my house than church or supermarket, I will get in more steps. For two days I  had to dance the last steps. Not very nice, believe you me...

Good night and stay happy!! If you can't be happy, make someone else happy!

Funny Face

So this week it is a movie. You have already found out the pattern of course:

Book, Song, Film, TV-Series. I might up that or exchange that with a YouTube channel or blog, but let's stay with this.

Funny Face is one of the many Films Fred Astaire made, though this is one of the later ones. He was in his mid-fifties, when he made that film, but man, could he dance. He and Gene Kelly have always been my favourites.

Take that as a warning... :-) There will be a lot of Musicals in the future of my blogs. Not only Fred and Gene though. Ginger Rogers, Dick van Dyke, Ann Miller, Marge and Gower Champion and several others are out there as well. I just loved them. But this is a Fred-Night so here goes:

Fred is a Fashion photographer who works with Kay Thompson as  editor.
She - as all magazine editors - is constantly on the lookout for new fashion-fads.
One of them is: Fashion for the woman, who is not interested in Fashion.
This - the film takes place in New York - brings them to a bookshop, where Audrey Hepburn works as shop-girl. They invade the shop, push her out and take there photos. Only Fred stays, to do at least a little cleaning up.

He takes a photo of Audrey, develops it and shows it to Kay. She decides to make her a photomodel and take her to Paris for a fashion show. Audrey, a very earnest girl and NOT into fashion at first refuses vehemently, when lured into the magazine-building. She gets hunted and flees into Freds developing room (I do know, that there is a correct word for it, but can't find it right now). Anyway: Fred convinces her to go. Because a famous Existentialist, whom she burns to see, will be there as well.

So she goes and gets photographed and learns to be a Model (I do not own that clip, you can find it here https://youtu.be/ZLF0dOO2L6w)

At any rate, she gets into it and still finds time to meet fellow "believers". She does forget though, that she is in Paris for the photos, so Fred has to find her. He is not convinced, that her fellow "believers" are into her believes.

Then, on the great day of the presentation Audrey finds out, that her great hero will be giving an audience. So she rushes there, instead to the presentation.

Fred and Kay have to get her in and have to use a very cunning ruse to get into the house and up to the second floor...

(Don't own that clip either, you find it here:https://youtu.be/OEzCcQmtkKA)

At any rate, when they finally get up, Audrey refuses to go. Fred and Kay leave and Audrey stays with her hero. Only to find out, that he has feet of clay. So she runs again and does the presentation. Fred meanwhile, deeply hit by this and just having found out, that he fell in love with her, goes to the airport, where he finds the "hero" with a turban aka a bandage, where Audrey hit him heart. So Fred takes heart goes to the presentation, but she has left already. Still: he knows where to find her and the will live happily ever after...


It is a musical! The story is not all that important. The Music and the dancing are. I only showed you two of my favourite dance scenes. There are more and you might prefer others than I do. But as always: my blog, my favourites.

If you get the chance: get the movie. That is of course, only if you like musicals and it doesn't clash with other aspects of you life. But apart from personal believes I'd say: Don't miss it!! Enjoy it...

Good by...

V-a-c-a-t-i-o-n!!

I love vacations and this is a two week vacation at home. As you might or might not know, we have a fifth season in the Rhineland, which is Carneval. Not like the one in Venice or Brazil or the Notting Hill one. This is before easter. It is a bit like Halloween, but without going from door to door. For the latter we have St.Martins. But this is carneval and people invent or make or buy costumes and go to parties and stand at parades (where you can catch sweets and flowers and toys and sausages) and generally have fun. And that is very nice for the people, who are in the carnival feeling.
Unfortunately more and more especially young people, but old and mild aged ones as well, use this time mainly to drink themselves into a coma. Or shortly before it into a stage, where they do not think, but are able to rid themselves of rude behaviour and any fluid they had in their body in a very disgusting way.
Recently it looked, as if those people are overcrowding the ones who like carneval for the fun of it and the tradition and all the good things it stands for. That is not only very sad: it is the reason, why I prefer to take a holiday and not
enter the town I work in.

So I am having a holiday and I traditionally use this holiday to do my spring-cleaning. Since I am not going to leave my flat from Thursday to Tuesday, I have a lot of time in my flat. I can't just read or knit or paint or play or read, though all of those things are fun and I did them yesterday and today. Therefore I do something sensible with my time. I start easy on Monday with a fight against dust. Then Tuesday I have a couple of appointments and so only do the dishes. Wednesday I shall mainly wash my clothes and towels and such and doing the dishes. Thursday I shall clean my windows and my bath and kitchen very thoroughly and do a wet-cleaning of the floors. Friday I shall clean out my closet, get rid of some stuff, order other stuff and hoover again and iron my washed clothes and put them away.
Saturday I shall sort my papers and decide, what will stay and what will go and I'll start the shredder on them. Sunday I won't be able to use the  hoover, but I do have a good broom. So whatever paper-trash fell on the floor from the shredder-action, I can sweep up with the broom as well.
Monday I will simply hang about and be lazy, because everything will be done.
Well, I'll do some easygoing cleaning on the kitchen and bath. Tuesday it is dustfight-day again. Wednesday I shall generally straighten everything up.

BUT on Monday I shall also do my reckoning and I will plan my budget for March. I have been very lax in February and will be a deal stricter in March.
And I shall make a meal plan for March. A general one at least. Then on Wednesday I shall go to market and buy what I need for the meal plan and start my work on that food. And further I have not thought as yet.

I have joined Pacer and started on Saturday. Saturday I had about 259 Steps, today I had more than 10.000 steps, because I was walking. That racks up the steps, I should say. I do not know, how it will work on the next few days. For the cleaning days I hope for at least 6.000 steps a day, I made no higher goal so far.
But cleaning means a lot of walking about, so I have great hopes. And though I do not leave the house, I do leave the flat. :)

Anyway. I had a hard working week, because I wanted to get done as much, as I could before my holidays and I managed it. I stayed after 6.00 pm on Thursday and so worked up a Plus of 10.23 hours for this month. That is o.k. for me. I will up that number by 20 hours by the end of March. Should work out.

My friend and colleague had to succumb to the flu going around these days and she did get written of sick. And that is far better for her! Now she only has to stop working at home and she'll be healthy in no time. :-) OR work less...

Other than that I can only write, that I bought a new backpack, since after eight years of intensive use, mine started to disintegrate. I found one in the same style, with the same assets, only in another colour and a little more stiff. I hope, that the stiffness will go over time, but I can live with it.

 I did say, in the beginning, that I would not write about religion. I do break this now, to ask for your prayers in your way for some very ill people, who can use some positive power from any corner in the world. If you are not a praying person, send some good thoughts to people with a tumor, terminal cancer, virus-infection in the knee and all who are in pain or worry in the world. You might not feel, as if it helped, but I am sure, they will feel it and their thanks will reach you in some way.
And with this I end this break and won't come back to it. You may rest assured, that you have my heartfelt thanks, if you even just thought about it and didn't laugh!

I'll never fall in love again

And there you have one of my all time favourite songs!

Not because I am never gonna fall in love again (who am I to know that now?)

Not because the melody is so great (though it is)

Not because the instruments blend so well (I am not even sure about that)

Not because the artist(s) are doing it so good (there are several good versions)

Not because the text is so fantastic (though it is, really)

No. Just because I love the Carpenters and their version is my favourite version of all. Still, I will put up some alternative versions. Because YOU might prefer another one and that is your good right. The thing here is though: MY BLOG,

MY CHOICE!

The first one (that - like the others - I do NOT own) is with lyrics.

My all time favourite

very good second

I only just discovered this version. Great. So off to the next:

Bobby Gentry. I like this version two, though the sound quality here is not too great. Still, it is nice.

What I do like? It may be a negative text to begin with, but the music is actually upbeat and happy. It is not lie really, these things can happen of course. BUT, it can all happen the other way round as well. This is about, when it gets wrong.

So, this is a "howl along, when this happened to you" and afterwards you can't help to feel at least a little better. Because you sang the wrongs out of your soul.

And then, you get to the last verse and that goes:

What do you get, when you fall in love? You only get lies and pain and sorrow.

So for at least until tomorrow I'll never fall in love. So: "never" does not have  a very long duration. Even if it seems so at the moment.

This song also reminds us, that we are still persons of ourselves. Being in a realtionship does mean, one is part of a double, yes. It does NOT mean, one gives up ones own personality. It is like Yin and Yang: two opposites (sort of) make a whole. Both sides are needed to make a relationship whole and if it broke up, that is no sign, that one isn't whole again. Just not part of that two person group. But you go in whole and individual. You come out like that. It only does not feel like it, to begin with. 

This song helps to remind you, that you are a person. And you are free again, if the relationship wasn't good. So you can start fresh. It is a win really. You just have to get to the point.

So: at least until tomorrow: let it all out and then pick yourself up, dust yourself off: start all over again. Where did I hear that?

Oh, there... :)

Ranting late

Well, hello there. So sorry, I'm late. I must admit, that I had been playing Sims 4 almost all yesterday and so somehow I forgot to write. Embarassing, to say the least. It probably happened, because I do not really have a lot to write.
At the office, things went well, most of my work got done. And my plus hours increased until Friday, when I got in late and left early. Perfect workday. So now I am little lower in Minus, but I got it upped again.

On Friday my Friend kindly worked through my postbox in the electronic files, so it wasn't as bad, as when she saw it. There had been over 400 documents sent in and when I arrived, it was only 33. O.k., that increased over the day, but hey, it would have been over 500 by then.

Anyhow, on Saturday my sister and I went to the theatre, that was a lot of fun and before that and yesterday I played. It is possible now, to start over fresh and that I find fun. I did buy the Vampire set, not because of the Vampires, but because of some things in build mode, well a lot of things in the build mode. Still, it was annoying, that right the first sim-week I had a Vampire breeze in and mesmerize my female sim. I got her out of his clutches, but afterwards I locked the entrance door. That was really nasty. And afterwards I couldn't get rid of the guy, no option to send him on his way away or anything... Nasty. Eventually he went on his own steam. Still....

I was in bed late and slept badly, but we have a full moon here and so that's why. I only always find out that we have a full moon, after the first night, when I say: boah did I sleep bad and someone says, that was no wonder, as we had a full moon. Still.

Today after work I went into town (my smaller town, not the big one, that I work in) and bought a couple of things. I set my financial plan out for this month and restart in March. Still I got some things I need or thought neccessary.
1.  a tea egg. I mentioned that in my list of things, that save me money. I do have
     one at home. This one is for the office. I keep the bags in case I have a guest
     who wants to have loose tea
2.  two brushes, one of them anti-static,
3.  a pair of wollen tights for skirt wearing
4.  a sandwich for tomorrow
5.  two pairs of shoes. I have to exchange at least one pair, that really can't be
     worn in public anymore = in the office, so I bought one for good and  another
     one for warmer days. So I maybe able to chuck out another pair of shoes, I do
     not know for sure though.

Before I went to buy the shoes, I went to eat some asian food. Something with beef, but there was a sauce on it, that made me almos spit out the first bite. It really was disgusting. I couldn't eat it. So I silently put it away and got some fish instead. Much nicer.

Oh and on my way to my train I saw a lady fight her way up to her platform with a big bag and one of those shopping buggies, that was obviously heavy. It really was. I ran after her and helped her, because nobody else seemed to see the problem. Not because I am such a great person, I am not really. Often I don't see people needing my help.
It did pay out for sure though. I just did it and for thanks I got a beautiful little heart made from glas, I think. It is small and smooth and has love coulours. I just love. So I'll be carrying that around with me. The heart is the actual reason I told the story, I do not think it remarkable if I help people. If I can: why not? At least by doing something for them. I do find it remarkable, when others help.
Like the very nice man, whom shamefully I forgot, who told me, that I had left my backpack open. So I was able to close it, nothing was taken. Puuh, but there might have been, had he not told me.

So the last week went well.

Should you "do" Valentines day: I wish you all a happy one...

For Valentine: the two sides of the heart. :)

The Muddleheaded Wombat by Ruth Park (story) and Noela Young (drawings)

Today it is storybook-time. This is a book about a wombat (a very muddleheaded one) and his friends Mouse and Tabby Cat. They have heaps of Adventures.

This was/is also a TV-Series and at any rate certainly a childrens book. I have found this book in a bookshop near the Sydney Opera about 21 years ago and somehow, with all my decluttering, this book always stayed with me and moved with me and gave me my google-name.

The book was written by Ruth Park and the drawings in the book are by Noela Young. Both did very great work and with great love. It shows in the telling and in the drawing. 

Now being a childrensbook, the stories are held short and to the point, but I think, everything is in it: adventure, friendship, jealousy, fun, learning, making new experiences, meeting new people, joking, you name it, the book has got it.

If you look for a fun storybook for your kids, look no further. The book you see above is the one that I have. It contains the first four stories, in which the friends are introduced. What I can't tell you, is the best age for this book. I would say though, that it should not be an age, when pictures are the main part of a book, but when text and pictures become interesting together. 

A wombat is in general more of a loner, but not this one. It makes friends and loves to be with them. There are all in all 16 books and the above shown omnibus of four stories. They were written between 1962 and 1982. THis book was published by Angus & Robertson. 

So, if you like childrens books or just wombats or both: read it. I can only assume, that you will have read it, if you were a kid in Australia, but I do of course not know. Still: maybe this reminds you and you'll go and find your edition of it somewhere and read it to yourself, your kids, your grandkids or anyone who does not run away fast enough... :-) Enjoy!

Sunday

It is a rainy day today. Here where I live. On the others days: I wasn't much molested by it, so I do not mind for myself. It is however a bother and more for people who had to go out today and certainly for those, who do not have a home. So I am mildly ashamed of my luxury. Only for those though, who do not live on the street by choice. I do not even know, if there are any in Germany. I mean: people who do not live on the street by choice. Even if the choice has been made a long time ago.  I do not know. I do hope not. That would be a failure in our social-system, perhaps. But: this would be going into politics, so I do not go on with this.

Yesterday, we were rather lucky, but only in my family and then only parts of it. My youngest nephew had a footballgame in my town and though there was a drizzle once, it did not really start to rain before it was ended.
They won and they won against a stronger team, than themselves. They had to goals, but only one counted. Still: since the other team had no goals, that was nice. They even played nice as a team. A lot of the time. They are only about 12 years old, so not all of them are into team, but more so, then the smaller ones. And there are some quite good players in there. So: I am a proud aunt.

I am also proud, because they had their halfterm-certificates, I think that's the word in english, in german it is called Zeugnis, but that would be more of a testimony and that is completely different in meaning. So certificate seems more fitting. There will be one at the end of the schoolyear and that is the one, that counts.
My oldest nephews got better grades this year too and it will be his last and the next one his very last, before he starts his apprentice-ship in logistics. So he will probably enjoy student life for now.
For my youngest niece, it will be the last halfterm in primary school, she starts fifth grade after the summer. In Germany, I should perhaps explain, primary school ends after 4th grade. Then you have junior high or the equivalent, at least school up to 5th to at least 9th grade, but mostly 10th grade, after that you go to A-levels or Abitur. In Austria that would be Matura and that is two further years.  After tenth you can either go on to a professional school and do your professional A-Levels, as my oldest nephew is doing now.
Or you can stay on as in a high school or comprehensive school and do your Abitur there, as my oldest niece did. At any time you can start an apprenticeship and after high school you can also go to a University of Applied Sciences or a general University. To the former you can also go, if you finished after 10th grade and did a job training, as I did. My niece went to high school, did her A levels 1.1 without learning, as she jokes (that is one of the best marks you can have or 1.0, 0.9, even better of course) and now she has just finished her six month in Turin.
She'll be working on her bachelor this year.

The other ones are in 7th grade now, so there is no decision neccessary for them. They are good in school and we are always ready to be proud of them. I could be a proud aunt without reason, but I am glad to have any sort of reason... :)

Apart from that: I was really a little shocked, though not surprised, that we already have a new month. I did live in January, that's why I wasn't surprised, but this month seemed to run by me.
Either a lot has happened or I am getting old. Whatever. We are in February, I have a feeling, that the rain is getting warmer, certainly life seems to get a little easier for me. I reached both goals for last month (getting my time account into plus and losing 2,5 kg), for this month I intend to get 15 hours of plus in, being in the office by 6.48 and keeing those 2,5 kg off (or regaining them rather). Also I have decided to read for an hour at home every day. Paper books though, even should I finish my current book this month, but I do not see that right now, since it is so depressive. It is very well written, but so unhappy and sad, that sometimes I have to put it down and do something happy in order not to throw myself out of the window or before a train. Well, I won't do that, but that's how depressing it is. It is "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck. A classic. I swore to myself, that one of the six books this year would be a classic and so Nr. 3 is it. I have mastered so far 10 chapters and so 133 pages. Only 20 to go and 403 pages. It took me from the 27th to today to get there. I only read on the train and during day time (to prevent nightmares) and I read slow into the bargain. So that's why I do not see myself finishing this book this month. Unless I read more than an hour during my vacation at the end of the month. We'll see. I do not see myself reviewing this book though.
A friend gave it to me as a christmas present and she bought it in english in view of my preferences. She told me, that it had been one of her faourites, so there you have to more good reasons to read it through.

It is now 6.17 pm MET, so I am not going to read in it today. I have read in it for an hour though.
Now I will knit on gauntlets for a colleague. I showed you a picture of one for the arm, these are for the likes. And while writing about them, I finally understand the meaning of gauntlets in the middle-ages-knight-kind of gauntlets. It can't have been nice to have gotten that in the face and seems natural to me, to have reacted with a fight to that.


pure metal. You can see who owns this picture in the description.
The following is the URL for the clip above. I suppose that is the owner of the clip... https://youtu.be/PjFoQxjgbrs

Cheers to you and thanks for reading me so patiently... :-)

Today: a TV-Series

So, today I'll write about one of my favourite TV-Series: Remington Steele.
Now Steele himself I liked in the beginning, because he was good-looking, suave, funny. But the longer the show went on, the more he got into the cases and into Lauras way, the more he got on my nerves.

I liked Miss Fox and Murphy, but they seemed to be written into being non-entities and made purposefully boring. Not their fault, their could have been made much more of them.

On the other hand, their leaving mad way for Mildred Krebs and wasn't she a spunky Lady? Yes, she was. Doris Roberts was certainly a versatile and talented actress and while the part may or may not have been written to fit her like a second skin, it became very clear, very soon, that she made it her possession and I still love her for it. She gave more zest and whit to the show. She was supportive and eager and very intelligent, in a humble way.

And that brings us to my personal centre of the series. LAURA HOLT! Stephanie Zimbalist WAS her. At least on screen. Not only was she then and still is now, very beautiful, she did a lot of the stunts herself, she always looked chic and put together and even watching the series now, one does not get the feeling: ouch, those 80ies or 90ies things. She - Laura - had a quiet, sportive, elegant style in dress, hair and make up. She could glam it with the rest of them, but she didn't need to. Her - Stephanie Zimbalists - beauty in my oppinion comes from within and that makes it so long lasting.
Laura Holt was the one who showed me and a lot of young teen girls, that a woman may not be able to have it all, but that she can have a lot of it. That it takes hard work and dedication, but it is worth it. That dedication to a good goal can certainly be fun.
She also showed, that being a woman in a mans world is even harder work, than any other hard work. Still, persevering does get you a good way on the track. Laura did not have an easy start and she had to work herself up the hard way, but she got where she was, because she didn't put herself in a victim-corner. She fought for what she knew she could have.
Still, she was not a pattern-card. She did have her faults. She worked too hard, was too strict on herself, insecure at times, especially around Remington, insecure about their relation-ship, her self-worth, yes, even she had moments of that and sometimes she was stubborn and unmovable, took to much risks and did not think about her own security enough. Even in that though, she remained lovable. Not just because she was beautiful and cute and intelligent and good, but because she was all that and still remained a human being.

The series is about her opening a Detective Agency of her own, after having workd in a bigger firm. Since her name didn't pull any customers, she invented Remington Steele and "worked for him". That did help. Than in one case, Mr. Steele suddenly materializes in the form of a guy who wants to steal exactly, what she means to protect. He finds out, that Mr. Steele does not really exists and takes over the part and makes Steele come alive.
From then on, he becomes more and more part of the Agency and though he may not have envisioned to stay very long, he also becomes more and more fascinated by Laura and the work she does. And in the beginning he helps to find the solutions to some of the cases rather by accident, on the scent of something completely different. Which made the beginning really fun.
After Murphy and Miss Fox are gone, he has to do more work and he does and here his own past comes out more and more and sometimes his connections from that time also help or hinder.

There are a lot of guest-stars. His father-figure, who is portrayed by Effrem Zimbalists who was Stephanie Zimbalists father. Also Beverley Garland who was Laura Holts Mother, but also Amanda Kings Mother in Scarecrow and Mrs. King. And great in both parts. There sometimes where very famous filmstars from the 30ies and 40ies, which was Remington Steeles favourite film eara.

It has been a great show and I missed it, when it ended. On the other hand, it was really time for it to end. Longer and it wouldn't be remembered perhaps as the great show it had been.

So: a lovely show and I love to re-watch it any time...
If you get a chance: watch it. You will be hooked... :)

General Ranting Time

Because it is Sunday. So: today was also weighing in and I almost made it and lost 2,4 kg of 2,5 kg. Well, I had 3.4 kg lost on Friday, but then it went up again,
because I felt the need for some very unhealthy food. You will not get more information, as you do not need to know more.

So how was my week? On Tuesday I reached goal one: get into Plus. On Wednesday I gained 1.06 Plus. On Thursday I finally used my voucher and on
Friday I had the weight down. Yesterday I had a peaceful and quiet day without any people, so lovely for me. Today I got up before 9.00 am, cooked pasta with Barbequeue? Sauce. BBQ, somehow I never know how to spell it out completely.
Since I had a lot of the Sauce over, I made a poultry-veggie-Stew with that sauce.
That I'll have for lunch on Monday. Because: we may keep the Microwave and only have to store it somewhere else. So I do not have to eat the carbohydrates in the evening. Very nice.

Today I also paid some bills and installed my regular saving to my savings account. Now that I know my IBAN for it. Makes it a lot easier. I went to the bank on Friday to get it and I also was able to lower my account costs, because I don't use some of the possibilities and so they were able to lower it. Only by 3 €,
but every Euro counts. Also I had managed to save some cash from the household-money (20 €) and I paid those in as well.

Since I forgot some things when shopping groceries on Friday (yes, I was very active on Friday, so I rested yesterday), I shall have to hit the store tomorrow after work. Still, I shall have a rest of 10 €, that I shall pay into my savings on
Wednesday. So: everything is fine.

A couple of month ago a friend asked, if I didn't consider to sell socks on the christmas-market my Employer offers and at first I said no, but I reconsidered that. I thought, that I might actually do that. I can widen my offers by some other things, like pulse and leg-warmers. They are very easy to knit and I can knit them as a set and even add a scarf and a cap with it. Though scarfs are really boring to knit. Still. I shall think it over and then on Wednesday I'll ask her. And until christmas, there is a lot of time. But it would be knitting with a purpose, so there.

Next week I shall start to work on getting to work early. So that I can leave early. And that will give me more free time. Though to begin with, I shall use it to clean my flat. But once I got some better ground in, I can get by with just maintaining that. I hope. At least, the washing is done. Friday. You gessed it.

Only a few days, too, until my next holiday. I have two weeks at the end of February, because that is, when we have the hightide of carnival in the part of
the Rhineland, where I work. I prefer to leave the house as little, as I can and so taking a holiday is just perfect for me. And then Lent starts and for this year, I shall participate by not drinking Cappuccino or any drink, for which I would need sweetener. Meaning sugar, honey or artificial sweetener. Fruit is o.k., so I think, that I shall switch to fruit tea or things like peppermint tea or herbal tea or some mixture of ginger, peppermint and lemon. Very tasty.
That's it for me for Lent though. There are limits to my endurance. But maybe next year I might do this and something else. Who knows.

Since the American and the German Banking and general Money Systems are in some parts very diverse, I found, that I can not work with Dave Ramseys "Every Dollar" App. Because it is often better to leave some money on the account and to take off the money, that I shall need for groceries, presents, donations and similar things. I do not go out much, so that is not really an issue, but the other things are better to taken care of this way. The rest I do pay via my account. We do not work with a cheque-system any more and you can not pay with a credit card everyday. Sometimes not even with a debit-card. On the farmers market for example you can only pay cash.
The expenses of the credit card will be paid automatically from the account. Mine is from my bank, so it is all in one hand. The last bill of that was paid last week and so now I am not cutting the card but I put it away from me, where I can not easily get at it.

Anyway: my bank offers a budget book, that is fitted to our banking system and so I ordered that, plus one that will manage ecological saving. Meaning, I think: saving money and doing something for the economy. I like that. I also like, that both are free and with free shipping. Lovely.

They wrote, that it will be in my place within two weeks, but since I only ordered it last Thursday, I do hope, that they shall arrive on Tuesday already. That would be perfect.  This way I can start directly with my February Budget. On the other hand, I can also do it like I did it this month and then just copy it into my budget book. Won't be much of a problem.

And since it won't be, I shall get me some tea now and then play some Sims 4.

Cheerio and enjoy the new week!

Below you see the pulse-warmer. Even has a whole for the thumb. :)

Little Lord Fauntleroy

In Germany known as "Der kleine Lord" (The little Lord).
Ever since the 80ies, this movie was watched by my family in the version with Sir Alec Guinness and Ricky Schroeder. It was a lovely version. I do know of
course, that there are other versions and that other people may prefer those.
This is my blog though, so my version rules. Here.

I liked this movie very much, because it is a hearwarming story with a lot of kitsch in it. But fun.

The Plot:
The House of Dorincourt is out of direct heirs. The last of the three sons of the Earl has recently died and so the only grandson, the son of the youngest son will have to take over. BUT not only is he only eight years old, he is half american, as his father married an american. The Earl though always hated the americans, especially after "stealing" his favourite son. Still, those are the rules: if the sons are dead, the grandsons are on.
So Mr. Havisham, the stewart of the Earl is send to the States to find the heir and bring him home. The mother as well, but she is not allowed to cross the threshhold of the castle. She is given a nice cottage on the grounds though and an appanage (or some such thing), which she refuses though.

The Mother would not want to part with her son, but for the love of him and her late husband, she is willing to put up with the conditions under a condition of her own: the Earl is never even to hint at the faintest dislike concerning her towards his Grandson. This, so the Grandson, Ceddy, as we will call him, will learn to love him as a loving Grandfather without any bad feeling.

Ceddy leaves behind his friends the Grocer and the Shoecleaner with a heavy heart. Just as the Earl hates the Americans, the Grocer hates the British Aristocracy.

When the family and their trusted friend Mary finally land in (or near) the castle
things start to change. The Earl warms up and even rights some wrongs. Like the paying problems of one of his tennants or the deplorable state of Earls Lane.

Then a shock to the Earl, as his second son seems to have a son by a very common woman, who claims the title for this son.

All people concerend on both continents are in an uproar, especially the grocer, until he shoes the shoecleaner a photo of the woman and the boy and it turns out,
that the boy is the shoecleaners nephew. So they wire to Mr. Havisham, who posts to the Earl. A trap is set for the woman, the friends and brother are gotten to the castle and all ends happily with the mother under the christmas-tree IN the castle and a great feast in the hall.

The End.

I never was a hand in short stories, but I am quite good with the longer versions.
If you get the chance, watch the move. It takes place at christmas, but it can be watched at anytime. So enjoy!!

A little earlier in the day

Hidiho Winslows or whoever you are.... feel welcome

Today I decided to write before nightfall, mainly because a got a bit of tea on my favourite easy chair, and the cleaning solution has to sink in, so I can't sit there. Therefore I sit on my computer.

This is my reflection or "general ranting" day, when I go over the week. So what did I do? I worked off not only a considerable negative on my time account at my employers, which will be in the plus by Tuesday, but I also got a lot more done, than usually. So both good things. Housework was reduced to straightening and cooking, but I can live with that for a good cause.

Than I have found a lot of inspirations for my minimalism and frugal life changes and found two things out.

1.     about a year ago, my parents gave me my Grandmas cherry-stone-picker.
        On Monday I found out, that it is very usable to cut out Olive-Stones as
        well. Now it only has to be able to cut out Gall-Stones and I spare me per-
        haps an op. But I don't think so. :-)

2.     also on Monday I found out, that the cooling mask that I had purchased last
        year (thinking it was a sleeping mask) can actually be used like a cooling
        pad for food. That's great. I had been so annoyed with myself for not only
        buying it, but also for not beeing able to return it, as I didn't take a receipt
        for that purchase.

So that was very good. Now, those are two things I bought, that at least in one case save me money. The Picker not so much, as I still have to purchase the Olives to pick them. On the other end: the Olives I like best have Stones and they are cheaper than others. So ultimately I save too.

On YouTube there are Vlogs in which people tell of the ten things they bought, that save them money. I am more of a blogger, so I write my 10 down. No particular order:

-  the picker
-  the cooling mask
-  my tea egg, because I use my tea leaves for several loads of tea and I don't use
   so very many tea bags that way
-  my battery charger, as I can charge and recharge my batteries for years
-  my energy saving lamps, as they lower my electricity bill
-  my fridge/freezer-combination. I bought it with cash late 2014, it has 3 freezer
   compartments so I can buy normal-sized packages (that are sometimes cheaper
   than the smaller ones) and freeze half of it.
   Also it has a special compartment in the fridge for each produce and fish/meat
   and that means, that I can do my shopping every two weeks and the food stays
   super-fresh. I only use up ground-beef on the day after buying it at the latest.
-  my prepaid handy, that I have recharged, when it gets under 5 €. That will take
   me about three month, because I only have it for emergencies or for my family
   to write in a What's App Group
-  my i-Pod because although it was way to expensive, I can use it to watch You-
   Tube Videos, research online, calculate costs, listen to music and audiobooks,
   check the weather, use it as a calendar or notebook and a lot of things I do not
   need, but they don't bother me. So I do not have to switch on the computer so
   often and that saves a lot of engergy as well
-  my blood pressure- measure, as I do not have to get it done, I can do it at home
-  my Brita-like water-cleaner or however you call it, because I do not have to by
   as much water, as I used to do.
-  my to go cups and bottles and boxes, in which to transport hot and cold drinks
   and food for the office

That's already 11 and a bit and there is one more, that will save me money: on Thursday I have to go to town to get a couple of things and I thought to reward
myself with a cappuccino and a carrot cake at Starbucks. BUT only yesterday I found a carrot cake recipe on www.AndreaMills.tv and so I will not spend about 7 € on a drink and a cake, but bake it at home. As far as I could see, I have everythings I need for it at home, so I do not have to buy the ingredients. Or only those for the frosting, but that'll still be under 7 €.

So, I am getting on better. Also on Wednesday the technical devices in our offices were tested and now we keep the Microwave and the fridge and that means, I won't have to eat my warm meals at home, but can eat them in the office again. I just have to walk a little further, but I don't mind that. I had lost almost
3 kilos and due to eating warm in the evening, which I am not used to really, I gained some of it back. So this way, I can eat as before and won't have to worry as much about gaining weight.

My parents have been on a winter holiday and they had a grand time, but they sure took a long time getting home. BUT they got home save and well and happy and so everybody is happy.

I have found a "Total Money Makeover" Audiobook and now I am listening to it while knitting. I had it as an e-book, but stupidly deleted it. Not even, because it didn't help, but because I thought, that a paperback would be better and I'd by that. But I found, that Dave Ramsey has a lot of his tools on his websites. Those are featured in his book as well and so I can still use them.

Also I found, that my bank offers a budgeting book and since that is organized in a way more fitting to the german bank system, I shall be using that. I can do it on my computer or - as I prefer - with pen and paper. So I'll do it that way. I have to go to the bank anyway so I might as well do that in one go. For January I shall be using my selfmade budget-book and from February on I'll use the other one. So this is going up.

Other than that I have almost finished the first of the six books I mean to read this year. The one over Georgian London. Now this took so long, because I do
not read much at home, as I like to watch videos or knit and then an audiobook is more helpful. So I read while commuting and in my lunchbreak. But ever since I decided to read six books (or more) this year, I read for an hour before I got ready to go to bed. Thus I got it finished earlier. Next up will be a paperback by
Penelope Fitzgerald called "The Bookshop". I will write a review, when I have read it, but not before.

On Thursday I will use my giftcard and buy a book by Ben Aaronovitch, with the title "The Hanging Tree". This is out of a series I like a lot about a London Wizard Copper and it is great fun to read even if you are like me: not into thrillers or Science Fiction. It is Fun. Ben Aaronovitch even used to write for the Dr. Who Series, that you might know and like.

Also I will buy some paper to go on in decorating my style of Bullet Journal. I need some paper, maybe some extra pens or decoration gadgets. Now I have a
giftcard for 20 €. The book will cost me 7,99 € which leaves me at least 12.01 € for other things and I won't even have to use it entirely in that bookshop, as I can also use the card in other shops of the mall. So I might get some things from the drugstore as well. :-) And I do get points in both shops that will add to the 857 I have left from using points for shopping. Plus I have multiplier vouchers, so that I might even get over 1.000 Points without having spend one Euro. Great.
Then I can go shopping on Friday morning, print out a 10 € voucher and hopefully reduce my costs in the grocery store. It's a win-win-situation, as my boss would say.

On that happy note I leave you to check the offers in the grocery store to make a meal plan for the next two weeks and to make a shopping list from that. :)

Cheerio!!

A song tonight

Lyrics

You'll be better off, I know
With another kind of man
All I've got is what I feel
And what I feel is what I am

But let me take you in my arms again
Let me take you in my arms and then
Let me see behind your smile
Let me love you like a child
Let me take you in my arms

I'm like a train that's rollin' on a track
Like a train that's got no turnin' back
Let me keep you from the storm
Let me make you safe and warm
Let me take you in my arms

You'll be better off, I know
With another kind of man
All I've got is what I feel
But what I feel is what I am

Let me take you in my arms again
Won't be easy, but I'll learn to bend
Like a ship without a sail
On a sea without a trail
Let me take you in my arms

You'll be better off, I know
With another kind of man
All I've got is what I feel
But what I feel is what I am

Let me take you in my arms again
Won't be easy, but I'll learn to bend
Like a ship without a sail
On a sea without a trail
Let me take you in my arms

But let me take you in my arms again
Let me take you in my arms and then
Let me see behind your smile
Let me love you like a child
Let me take you in my arms

Let me take you in my arms again
Let me take you in my arms and then
Let me see behind your smile
Let me love you like a child
Let me take you in my arms

Let me take you in my arms again

Written by Neil Diamond • Copyright © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group

Obviously I own neither the clip, not the lyrics. So that's cleared up..

I have found this song by accident, but I have liked the songs of Neil Diamond ever since I heard "What a beautiful noise".

This is obviously a love song, but that is not the reason, why I like it. I like it mainly because of the melody, so if  you have no access of sound for the video, it won't make much sense to you.

Especially after the sentence of the title, there is melody I like a lot. It first really appears after "I'm like a train, that's rollin' on a track". And then of course, there are the strings in the opening and throughout the song.

I am not actually talented in music, but I like melodies a lot and he has some very nice ones in this one...

So I am a fan and I like to listen to that very often. I have the same with a song sung by Hildegard Knef (or Neff, as I think she may be known in the United States). That song is: "Ich hab' noch einen Koffer in Berlin" (I still have a suitcase in Berlin). There are not only strings, there is a harmonica in that, too. You don't have to understand german to like it, my oppinion.

Unfortunately I only found the above version (that I don't own), which has Marlene Dietrich in it as well. But, at least she is not as horrid, as - I personally find her - usually.

So, there you have the main song and an idea of my liking for string music. And Neil simply is the deal. Check him out!

Cheerio!