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... :-)