Monday 25 July 2011

The Road Goes Ever On

Naturally it has been ''some time'' since i have last updated my travel musings. A whole lotta shit happened in the last 48hrs ergo figured tis a good moment to spill the beans :)

I still have to fill the details in on Norway and Sweden, but for the moment lets fast forward to Finland! My heart touching the midnight sun again..okay okay no mush, I just left Suomi last Friday, its crazy to think i've been on the road for 6 months, 3 whole seasons and now the end of summer! I'm putting the world behind me and home ahead ...with a little celebrations along the way, well chasing festivals. W.O.A, B.O.A haha Who knew i would be going to hell in a handbasket!!
Helsinki..(ahem no pun intended there) a very hot day, nearly 30 degrees so I ambled around the markets, the parks, killing time before catching the evening ferry to Rostock, Germany. On my way back to the harbour - Low and Behold, theres my ship sailing out to sea! Bugger, i sit perplexed for a while waiting to see if another Tallink boat will dock..the clocks ticking. .. ticking. After dragging myself to the terminal to see whats going on, it turns out that im at the wrong fucking terminal! Apparently i should be at Vuosaari, which the lady said was at least 20 minutes away by car. No Kidding!! I booked it to the taxi rank in Senate Square, mind reeling at my unfortunate stupidity or just twisted fate of things. 6pm I'm in taxi, yelling inside 'FLOOR IT' ... made it to this island with 10 minute window.
Great, now to settle in for 26hr trip. It was a new experience getting my sleeping bag out on the ferry. ~There were these rooms of cinema type seats, of course they were bloody uncomfortable hence camping out on the floor like everyone else! Suprised i managed to sleep...until i was awoken by the most colossal snoring on either side of me..ridiculously loud ..so i got up then in a similar fashion.
My next task was to find a couch surf for Rostock, yes on the ferry, last minute nail biting here! To cut many hours short i finally had an answer from a couple of girls who were amazingly coming to pick up another CSer on the same ferry! On the down side I couldnt get through on the mobile no. they gave ...Oh fuck! Fretting waiting for the bus to get us off bloody ferry, this other CS person could be standing right next to me ..as luck would have it ..my ears pricked up to some english, then recognised them from profile picture. My face must have lit up like a lighthouse as i reached out and one of them said 'Lou?'
I couldnt help wondering what i would have done if i hadnt found them, because again the ferry was in the middle of nowhere and when we got to the city (despite it being a historic place) ..it looked pretty rough!

Sunday....i thought about staying one more night in Rostock since my hosts were happy and even reccomened i should...perhaps i should have, too late now! Back on the train at 8.30am ..sky looking rather blackened, felt as if i fell out of eternal sun blessed realms ..was it a sign? In Hamburg i nearly fucked up once more. Platform 13 a ....i found 13 and i found 'A' ...but in germany they have numbers on the platform for the carriages, i realised this at the last moment and ran down the platform to hurl myself on to the right goddamn train as the doors shut. literally, my backpack forced it open. Thats what you call a close shave !

The rest of the journey when smoothly. I texted my friend to let him know when i was arriving. It sent so i didnt know anything suspect. Rolled up in Aarhus Demark 4.30pm - Revelation - nobody there, phone the number, it doesnt bloody work ! No Way! NO WAY! Drawn to legenday Macdonals with free-wi fi all over the globe, but guess what ...my laptop rat bastard wont connect to it ERROR. Couldnt believe, what kind of fresh hell was this ? Shit happens, hah understatment of the year!
Well i had been here before, so tried to remember which bus we had taken to get to the flat, at first i thought 11...then was it 6, or 9 ...oh heck just jump on first bus that comes around the corner. Had a nice ride to some random part of the city ..and back again ...no. 9 supposedly my lucky number ..which i now greatly distrust, went even further, past cornfields and other godforsaken lands. Feeling, lost, isolated, PISSED OFF... then suddenly i didnt care anymore. All i wanted was a hot shower and a place to put my feet up! I think i fell into a kind of trance on the way back (we drove quite far out) since i'd mostly eaten chocolate, water and a few swigs of the koskenkorva (finnish hard liquor) to quell the rum cards i was being dealt.
I still cant get over how i can screw up travelling into one big gilded disaster! What was worse was that i recognised places and knew their flat was just round the corner somewhere, so close yet so far!! I'd made something simple into a giant mountain. The whole journey i felt i've been standing on the beach, and a huge wave has just bowled me over, i could have ducked behind a rock or packed my waterproofs but no, too busy making footprints in the sand...now i am soaking wet, bet heck IM STILL STANDING! ....(yeah yeah yeah )
Anyhow, once i was back in the city again, i made a direct line for the Scandic hotel, whipped out the old credit card and booked myself a cheap room. Here i am now, hot shower never felt so good, sorted out meeting tomorrow with mates ..and got breakfast too. :)

Hanging onto a runaway train ahahaha, Avantasia...its times like this when you wish you were travelling with someone, because then whatever happens doesnt seem bad as you're not alone and theres another soul to put their arm round you.

Now the bells are tolling midnight .. i had to get that out of my system :) before hitting the sack ..so without any further ado ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Sunday 5 June 2011

Mission Accomplished: Blogging Failure..Part 1

If only I had ended my last note with 'To Be Continued.....1 month and 25 days later." What can I say but total fuckage! Humpf. Now lets see, Denmark seems an age away, unfortunately my time sumed up as  Island - Itis and found myself breathing a sigh of relief when the little ferry sloshed up on the crystal waves of the fjords to the docks of the hard world  ..bidding adieu was marginally awkward ..although it should be stated that as an optimist there was a brighter side in Paradise which i did enjoy!
Also hoped to mention my three CouchSurfing experiences ... First stop Aarhus - the icing on the cake of surfing, superchilled enough to make an icecube quake! I felt suddenly with friends the minute i stepped off the station. Three bookworms around the table . Background music, drum and bass :) Glossy pages we leafed through, wildly hot Polynesian men inked in black ..tribal warriors of south pacific ! hehe Well Jen and I certainly appreciated them! :p MB, Cs host was tattoist in south pacific style, great artist, it was really interesting to see the mythology behind the swirls and arrows ..and dare i say, will be returning for another visit! hehe but it wasnt all a world of blackness, around the city discovered more music and books Yay - watched 'The Wedding' with them too, laughing at all the terrifically terrible hats over chicken nuggets hah!
Second stop, Aalborg..with R. ..whopper of an IQ doing lots of chip technical jumbo at Harvard. A somewhat strange CS, particular existential conversations and contradictive jargon . ie. how can you know fairtrade is really fairtrade? Good cook however and yet that one glass of wine went to his head..felt better when another girl came over..but still felt to barracade the door after going to bed! :S
Last Cs invasion in Denmark was in Frederikshavn, beautiful little costal town, this time with young lad who was playing three guitars and i was soo very jealous ! Mucked around WW2 bunkers, gate crashed a friends gig, and took the fire escape up to the roof of some posh apartments to watch sundown. :) Early ferry, bless his mum made me a packed lunch for the journey aww!
Denmark to Norway in about 6 hours, bought pack of discount Carlsberg and face pack and headed back to the cabin! hah! Docked to Oslo about half 6, wandered like a lost soul around various maps and bus timetables. I was sure the centre was close, at least so sayeth Lonley Planet! Asked cabbie, who would have me pay 140krona, nearly £16 pounds which took me 5 minutes to walk to station! Ridiculus! I told him to screw it and did in fact walk! Ahem got lost of course, lucky to find nice couple who actually took me to central stationm and the guy carried my bag, what a gent!
Another train, then bus ..yes the bus i managed to jump off the stop after the one i was supposed to! Hallo Arstun farm. Showed to my 'box' yup thats what he called it, where i promptly crashed into bed. The next three weeks were going to be rather half-baked ...

To be continued...tomorrow i doth vow :p

Monday 18 April 2011

Step Away from the Cookies!!

Great food is like great sex. The more you have the more you want!!

I'm sure you're getting bored of hearing it but there really is no eating rationally here. In fact try being rational when you're trapped in a paradise! No wonder Adam and Eve wanted to run riot!!
 Some women say they would love to marry a chef, personally i would be happy with a man who could cook a good pasta, if i married a chef i would be half the size of a house.
I can feel those love handles growing as i roll out of bed to the ..well, how about 'walk in' fridge! Im treatingthis as a new misson of self control OM NOM NOM ..its sounds pathetic i bet, its torture. They bake table platter size cakes everyday, now its Easter..double trouble melted in chocolate! And running around the island upgrades my loopyness each day. Bananaramic brain like Capt Jack in second movie in the desert full of white sand! I attepted to swim last week, the water was cold as ice, hehe uh if there had been a sauna i would have thrown myself in, i got as far as ..splish splosh..fuuck thats fucking cold!

On the other hand since N was told to never come back I've been pitching in with Salad prep, it seems every vegetable has its own magic trick, I can now cut onions and lettuce to burn dust in Hells Kitchen. :p
Also there's really nothing else to blog about, because i work in the kitchen ..as it were. Ha I
was just about to mention my trip to Flensburg with KS but that ivolves sweet ...OMG we went to this
amazing olive bar in town for supper, and they had elf food (vine leaves) that didnt taste like rubber!
Then next day was Krutz cafe for breakfast which was DIABOLICAL a trophy of creamy goodness, Quark which is somewhere between, icecrem, cheese and yoghurt with fresh saucy berries!!

With reference to the above, my second job as of yesterday is to FEED our new Chicken..dubbed Freedom!
A chicken called Freedom, cool - this is going in my novel! She laid an egg today ! When R resuced her from the Ikea box of Death you could tell she had been traumatised, her clucking was wobbly, nevrous, unsure...sounded like she had a bad throat but was trying to call out  - imagine being stuck in a nightmare and trying to scream in fear yet your voice its hardly above a whisper. It made me sad. To thing of this one ..and all the other cruelty we do to living animals just because we happen to be at
the top of the food chain. I will always be a carnivore of course, but i hate that people dont give
a damn about the terrors we cause.
oK So that was a GreenPeace Wave but, seriously, all living things should be cared for ..before we give them a stroke and go BANG with the pistol! Dinner is served. Tender and Divine.

Today...uh Sunday I actually worked all day long. I was never so happy painting the bar ..we did the whole room in one day ..theres about a week and a half before im due to make my way to the top of Denmark....Couch surfing a godsend! - and then into Norway for some organic farming and Midnight Sun! Nearly halfway through my Tour of Nordic Europe ..Wow..weird

Saturday 16 April 2011

lucky its Church of England! Cake or Death?!

Browsing though previous posts i have realised what a torrent my stream of conscious has been ..its even hard for me to read! Methinks a prosaic update would be the order of the day. ...

Tuesday ....
Hang Fire..screw the days of the week - i have been in short - neglectful once more of blogging daily, at least a week has gone by, so if you can bear my rambling of Ox Island hooplas then please without any further ado, make a brew and settle on a soft cushion!

It came to pass that the wind howled mightly..like this hhhhhhhhoooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwllll !!
all day long - more than bracing, on top of the island i could have been flying! The squally weather sweeps and rips up the fjords which were mirror placid last night .. solar spell has been pretty quiet if you dont count the wind, then when i wasnt holding onto my hypothetical hat, i was  cleaning a boat to be listening to johnny cash and having an arguement with the washing machine which wouldnt give me my clean smoke free clothes!
Now i'm back in the bar ..leena, the island doggy is slumped under the table keeping my feet warm!

ARG! M keeps trying to persuade me to go rowing together, but i emphatically am disinclined to aqueisce to his request. Its not that i dont trust him persee, i simply have no wish to be trapped in little wooden raft, where i cant escape before he swings his arm out to point at something and the boat capsizes. In fact the first time he went out, he discovered the boat was LEAKY ...ahem for 4 hrs sailing around bailing water out
He thought i was scared of water, or couldnt swim...I'm trying hard not to be rude to the guy with the blunt truth of No! just not with You!


----------------------------------------------------

By the way, I have a new mission to add to the ever growing list! Be a Viking! Over a bottle of red with K, I discovered she was part of a viking renanctment group - it sounds amazing - particulary ..apart from being totally cool, the history N all that jazz...it also about getting back to nature, the way things were..and making things from scratch, which i am a big fan of! ...Agatha Cristie once said about technology/invention..arising directly from idleness, possibly also from laziness - to save oneself trouble.
 K is a blacksmith and crafter...impressive long bow and quiver full of arrows made out of a pair
of old cowboy boots! As a woman - if you want the proper experience you need to be a fighter, otherwise its back to washing dishes!

Possibly Monday..Busy doing nothing itsnt it just a crime!!  i spent the day on the beach - with nobody else, apart from the occasional goose. Later on I went with S.k... B's daughter on the little speed boat for a practice run ...bad idea giving me the wheel...Varrrrroooouuummmmm...splash splash...imagination soars to boat chase alla james bond!!
kiddo told me all her boy problems - I switched to big sister mode ..with some help.."I will not fall for any of the following: alcoholics, workaholics, commitment phobics, people with girlfriends or wives, misogynists, megalomanics, chauvists, emotional fuckwits or freeloaders, perverts."

To cut a long story short, some mates of hers were coming over because it would be cool to have a party on the island. First we went over to pick them up..but had get Olie to jump start the boat since she couldnt seem to get it started and we ended up comically paddling away from the sandbanks!
 There was a Mr Hotshot avec greased lightening ego swaggering around because he could make a Mjoito,

..Reminded me of uni..drinking games! been though that path and closed the gate after me, so it felt weird to be in the room with them. I was sitting at the bar with Olie, hoping to make a quick exit at ...before....I was ....playing a dice game which i didnt see the point in lol, bit like cheats/pontoon with cards but with two dice. Uno was better..
Cue girly chat in secet code :
Do you want to go outside?
Me: Why its cold!..after a moment click OOOH ---do you want to go outside?
.. lovely moonlit wander about the shores of island with stars overhead. Apparently she wasnt much acqainted with these guys, but with another boy who failed to turn up. So she really didnt want to be there any more. Showed me an awesome swinng under overhanging tree on beach with a driftwood seat.  :p Nearly went for a swim in the shimmery baltic waters ..perfect night for it...but we couldnt just ditch the 'party' ..well..
Came back to discover four more people at the table, Woo so ..can i go to bed soon. ??
On a random note..when one of the guys asked me my age, he was somewhat startled because he thought i was 17/18 ..(i was older than the lot of em)...What!!! ...Heck just goes to show what a tad of makeup and goodnights sleep can do..the other day, N our chef thought i was about 25!
............I vanished in one of those natural lulls with a mug of hot chocolate and left them to it! ...
And glad I did! They woke Olie up at 3 am because they wanted to go home! Then to all reports hung about for another half hour!!


Tempers flew over the ..weekend? 90..yes i repeat 90 people were coming to the island on some crazy survival trip and they wanted to slaughter 90 LIVE chickens ...apparently word is that N, forgot to mention this point to R who was furious to find these poor animals - 8 in what sound like a plastic box ..general ikea storage container. Its also illegal to slaughter animals here on island. Thing is both guys are cholerc people and there was a great trouble of mis-communication...much shouting in angry Deutsch, then I blinked and N swung a right hook at R, knocking him onto the table, with B beating at N to get off. N isnt with us anymore. ....


Some idiot on the island...

this is ridiculus im hiding in my room away from the kitchen and delicious smells...i know i said i wanted to explore and eat cake ..could munch my way through eternity here, not a good thing on island..so if life is peanut butter and jelly then  the peanut butter of life is stuck to the roof of my mouth....oh my god to say i regret cake!! Whatever is happening must be truly evil!!
Stupid idea for a restless nomad to put herself on an island ..where all i do is run around in a circle!!

Right perhaps i will leave it there for now ...although
Another curious thought from Agatha...the best time to plan a book is while you are doing the dishes!

Friday 8 April 2011

TGI...YOU KNOW WHAT!!!!

Tis about half 4 Friday afternoon, last night was FolkBalitica ... hobbits grand night out! :p
The day was interspersed with doing some final touches to the boathouse, love all the red velvet .....What the..am sitting in bar right now, and suddenly the speakers are blaring somekind of freeaky laallaalaa garble ...cranks up Judas Priest!!! Bah Anyway...hmm back in the kitchen, at least the chef has decent music as we work preparing food for 275 guests ... dreading the aftermath!!
Liedertach arrived not long after midday ...wooo big hug from my helpX Ma Angelika..feels so much longer than a week!! Ocassionally i felt like saying ..pleaaase take me back with you!! But that would be giving up and i would shame myself as well as my hosts. Store Okseoe is a wonderful place, people very chilled out....but i hate smelling like an ash tray and doing mind infuriating jobs like washing dishes. On the other hand the pace is soo slow that i have really got some great time for creative writing, a fated bonus i guess. ... and...OMG FARMER JOE MUSIC... and i guess i should stop grumbling - im in Denmark for godssake scratching those itchy feet....!!
On one of my many forays out to the bar..now signed Backstage only..I stumbled into tall blonde fella ..jeans - white T - leather jacket--.Mmm. He asked me if there was somewhere he could lie down for a bit, bless him ...No lou, you cant take the Irish boy back to your room...that was the first place i thought of haha because i hadnt clue where else - K suggested stoned chefs room ..which she told me in German, and I actually understood ..I said, follow me - to the sleepy honey then looked back at K as we both realised the language bafflement.

Working in the kitchen....there are glass doors looking in on us from the patio - which probably isn t always a good idea....since it can look pretty hetic in a messy way ....and a few beer bottles dotted about the place ..yep its best you just eat the yummy food and dont think about the scenery it was made in!
Thankfully i wasnt chained to the kitchen all night, R told me to go enjoy the show..so i did :)
Two bands tonight.. the Norwegian Irish Duo..played pretty funky music..weird how an accordian and various guitars worked together.
Liedertach were good - had audience stamping feet and clapping.
One moment ..I was in and out of our secret door to the concert all night ...with a bottle of Blackbird, a guy came up ..to ask where he could get such a bottle of beer..no no its just for us special workers ..Sarah came up - my kitchen slave buddy - to repeat in Deutsch ..Oooh shame - he smiled and raised an eyebrow, which was more than an eyebrow if you know what i mean!
Pah Dont trust his english :p

N reckoned we were going to get really wasted tonight! Am pretty sure i was on par with no. beers..but nope still have all faculites..what the heck was in those bottles ..not alot obviously.

It was a beauty of a night, clear sky, crescent moon- looking very picturesque with little lights shining way to the ferry....which can now only hold 12 people due to some rule...yup 275 coming over in sets of 12!

This is a random blog to read i can imagine, with patchy descriptions of the night...because my brain cant compute with this loud music too folky to work to!

This morning was lazy recovery day ...M was up a godknows what time tackling the mountains of dishes and hell left over from last night!! Crazy!!
I went to bed for a bit...showered, smelling clean but only for a while i guess before entering the chimnies !! Ok this is ridiculous i am getting a flipping headache OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

Wednesday 6 April 2011

Grey Days..

Somehow i managed to miss a day ...its wednesday already !! What day did i miss!! Perhaps its all the smoke in this place ... I should add that i havent felt the need to light up since the day after i arrived ..honest to god ..apart from this morning, after i read Mango's blog. I cant let go of this, the world just wont function if the Mango light isnt on it. She wrote and let go of all her fears ... really deep. Heck. knowing what we know, what to do...i still stand on the belief that after the dark days have passed she will be in kenya with a farm of honey beers..i mean bees!
Life is on the edge of reality...a thorny edge.. of late...i toss my lot to go travel ..discover such beauty and yet the further i go the shitter the world becomes...a painting of bright colours on a black canvas.

The dawn was grey. In fact, there was no dawn, the clouds soaked up all the light...just a windy tempest. Although it was refeshing to be blown about atop the cliffs ..ok hillocks .. lull'd by soft zephyrs. . . .

M. whizzed into the kitchen this morning to tackle the washing up. I tried to do that yesterday, but i couldnt work the steam machine, so i kept quiet about that. The we sorted out the coldcuts etc for lunch, prepared bit early..M started munching, said we should eat now cos probably have to clean out -- steel tank --- the kitchen afterwards. Ha! Not bloody likely ..ergo time to bugger off for a brief walk. .
I think im eating way too much bread here...they gotta stop baking it fresh..i cant resist the smell!
N turned up later ... i thought we were supposed to be helping him out for tomorrow, but R found a wonderful job...washing windows!!! Sounds like a boring chore ..on the contary..it meant i could be outside doing something productive. If i had started this earlier I can tell you i would have blitzed all the windows on the island! As it was i did the thatched cottage ..a pair of kitchen windows, and two doors..spit n shine!!
AAaannnd that, was my job for the day! Wicked .. and i finally donned the jump suit they tried to get me to wear yesterday, certainly now look the part. eh trendy :p
Soooo time for more cider and story scribbling on the windy cliffs. . .

Now had the Abendessen..homemade Mousaka ..mmm my favourite!! Danish version cant beat the Greeks from Erasmus though!! it looks as if everyone has gone to bed ...just me prattling away on the pc, oli ..guessing by the redness of his face ...its in steady stupour of beer, leaning on the bar with a cigarette.

Big day tomorrow..the bands are arriving about 4pm ....yep he's drunk..stumbling sailor! ... ANYWAY..i will see Angelika again :D and possibly be helping out in the kitchen ...R also mentioned there will be a group of Irish musicians and it would be good to get ..pally with them?? I think thats what he suggested...bit vague on that part. Interesting day tomorrow for sure!

Right well, I reckon i might hit the decks...stoned chef and drunken sailor ....bbyyyyyeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Tuesday 5 April 2011

Stormy Monday..

I awoke early once more and took my tea and toast to the top of the island, a slight gale was
blowing along with a spitting rain. This dramatically increased throughout the day ..not the toast..maybe the tea..but the weather!! Galeforce winds and choppy seas certainly have an allure on an island ..
Warehouse is looking much better now...we moved more random planks of wood of varying sizes - the
carpenter, A is doing all the DIY in the corner, probably where all the sound equipment is going.
This guy R said is studying woodwork and because hes the best, the president of somethingorother is
gifting him a new box of tools only gold bars could buy... ooh.
I just did general tidying, nothing interesting really..athough i have to plague them to give me a job. Its ok for M -since he was here last year so he knows what could be sorted out, plus much of it is heavy lifting..more so than with the camels in Austria !
In afternoon, i discovered the washing machine Woohoo! and also folded their mountain of clean clothes away.
So in between wrangling jobs, quenching my thirst at the bar..going for a wander ...its been a non eventful day..however the atmosphere is starting to feel friendlier ..on my account that is.

Its about half 5 now and everyones decided thats if for the day ... so perhaps more story writing ..i think its a tad too windy for a walk, i might get blown of the island...although its quite a tempting adventure.

Speaking of adventures, sounnds like Thurs will be a grand one..live music and party!! Also was informed of the finale on sunday night over in Flensburg which is only going to be for vips, hosts and volunteers..weyhey...definitely sounds good!!

Nice pic of Axel, Angelika and me and Ameile ...good times! And i totally forgot to mention a random moment which i forgot to put in my blog...After all that twig bundling ..i realised staring at the grass that i could now touch my toes without bending my knees!!! Hahaha, simple things eh! Before all i could do was wave at them!!!

Monday 4 April 2011

Restless Spirit!

Yesterday was alright. The uh stoned chef ..and he thought i wouldnt be able to tell was a bit more pleasant so to speak. plus i found out where the teabags lived, normal tea for Brits haha ..guzzling coffee..beer and sparkling water all day is not so great. The beer..ok gassy water no, it doesnt even taste of water.
Moved the tables around and laid places for at least 60 people..did a few other odd jobs after which i disappeared for a walk, no where else to go really, always pretty though. I came back to find R and wrangle a chore from him ..oh lucky number washing dishes. But it wasnt so  bad, there were loads of wonderful aromas ..we were at the back of this stainless steel box..we, me and the Polish guy..he washed.. i dryed...and drank cider. Apparently we were super fast compared to other helpers, I wondered ; its just swishing a cloth, how long can that take someone? M was didigent with the suds, he said at some point he was cooking and cleaning for the polish army ..500 men and only 200 plates .!!

I turned around at one point to find the little icelandic pony having a nibble at the compost bucket...sneaky bugger ..had to put the wheelbarrow in front of the gap where the door was wedged open, but she stood guard, trying every way to get her head near those juicy greens.
Took a break..for the bar and some yummy food from the kitchen..its like eating at a 5 star hotel seriousl;y schmeckt! .. afterwhich i vanished once more over the hills ..not so far away....
Bah such a monotonus mission, dirty dishes for 60, so thats plates for 2 -3 courses,inc cultlery, coffee, and the equipent ..on gigantic scale .. .

M works too hard, like hes high on something, hacking away at the mud by one of the tracks that
visitors use to make a drainage system. which noone asked him to do, he saw it would be a good idea
straight after lunch ..making me feel guilty.
I mamanged to break a mug by the way, but it doesnt count becaus it fell off the trolley ..and they
have hundreds as N said, so smashing them ,no problem we need to get rid of them ! Ikea. 
When most of guests had left...god was there a lot of food left .. i was out the back after having raided the fruit platter like i was deprived of vitamins .(such a bad health change.smoke - beer - coffee, lack of exercise on island, i try to combat it with as much fresh air and oj as possible haha ..nutter...speaking of health i remember as i was munching on the crumbs from the gigantic cake tray i found myself fretting over all the food they were wasting thanks to my pro bio month in Germany...dont throw that away the donkey will eat that, and sheep eat anything! Gah its crazy, i even loath to chuck tissues in the bin because back at the other place we collected em separatly for the range or to burn for heating...yup im all GREEN concious now!! )

Chilled out with K a bit more today, woman with dog called Cooper, who must be somekind of cross between alasian, wolfhound..and something else! Found some common ground to talk about, noticed her WACKEN braclet ..word must have gone about because before N left he mention how Flensburg was a big prog metla/alternative scene, and if i wanted to go out with him and his gf one time, to let him know. ..okay sure, cool so hes going to look up some good concerts, whilst i worry slighltly what ive let myself in for ..crazy chef. !
Yes today was better, although it still feels like just a job, work that you might do anywhere ...note my listless end her.....which by and by ..... I've figured out....certainly eased by the CANDLELIT BATH i had that night!!! sensational soothing for the restless spirit!

Now where are, totally lost count of days of the week...sunday, which i guessed when nobody had turned up in the bar at 8 this morning. I worked my way through three types of black tea, stitting out on the deck watching the sun on the water. Then i wandered up to the top of the island to see the other side still in misty hazes, the sun hadnt quite burnt through and you could see the outline of shadowy land further away! Amazing.
Sometime after 9 people began turning up ...the lads went to get stuck into the boathouse which is going to be the stage for FolkBaltica this thursday ...CHAOS..I looked earlier and its like your average garage, but this place is supposed to host about 200-300 people! Meanwhile R sorted me out wth sewing..a nice girly job apparently ..2 huge felt sail size drapes to go around the stage..these had been rolled up in dust since the last time by the looks of them. I vainly attempted to remember how to use the sewing machine but gave it up as a lost cause and settled for some handy work...toooook me hours, although it was warm and a plenty of music to keep me going ..must have been gone two in the afternoon by the time i was finished. As we shook them out and rolled them back up, a few parts tore..Oli - ah you can just sew em again, ..har bloody har! You'd have to catch me first!

B said that was probably it for the day. So i go find the blokes and see if i can help out...Well if you want to..they say...i did half an hour of shifting planks of wood and decided, no, actually i didnt want to ..much prefer playing in the sun. Hence I slipped away with a can of cider, notebook and blanket to take to my favourite spot overlooking the beach and expanse of blue. Good thing about all free time...i can pick up a pen!
Time passed by..and i managed to write a page of my new novel..woop! well really its a condesement of a smattering of my other novel ideas with (i hope) a better plot line brought on by my travel experiences :)
New daylight hours are still a bit freaky, i rocked on down the hill at gone 7pm with sun just setting...also just in time for dinner!
Funny how yesterday i was complaining over lack of healthy fodder, tonights essen was an ensemble of vege left overs!!
Its nearly half nine, everyone else went to bed at 8! Im in the bar listening to the clock tick ..hmm i hope i brought my torch with me..dont want to squish a froggy !!

Saturday 2 April 2011

in two dimensions at once

Day 2 ...
Slept like a log, missed waking up to the sunrise coming through the loft window... went to the bar around 7.30, i thought R had said meet at 9, which i assumed was breakfast together, just as well i munched on jam and bread because 9 was when we went to work. Dolt.
Wait!! i forgot to mention the frogs! I stumbled to the kitchen last night in the dark to make a cuppa before bed..just along the side of the house where my room is ...on the way back i hear RIVERT RIVERT ..oh shit, i fumble around for a flashlight hanging by the door and shine it to the floor..two frogs..god i hope i didnt murder any ...
The chef arrived this morning, i forget where he is from ..still doing a masters in culinary or whatever, but hell hes a damn fine cook. ..Danish i think
As i was about to dive into the bread basket, upon realisation of no 'fruckstucken' .,Olie mentions toilet..cleaning...i guess i do the jobs no one wants and work my way up the list. Thankfuully the loos were pretty clean so it was simply a matter of shiny disinfectant. Afterwards i mopped the floor in the bar area ..and put some freesh daffs and snowdrops in pots on the table. First day of opening season for Store Okseoe .... celebrated by one sneaky sheep and donkey in conspiracy over mission to overturn the flower pots on the deck!
It wasnt as busy as everyone expected. and i was not used to having so much free time, which for some reason was an awkward feeling. Especially as a helpXer ..i felt like i should have a job to earn my keep...R told me i should take the pauses when they come. Okay no problem ...grab beer and go for walk in the sunshine with notebook. good time to shift through all the arglebarble in my noggin . .
Displacement could be ther word .  As i was rambling to the highest point of the isle, warm spring air ..blue sea..wondershon ..yet i felt uncomfortable. It not that the people here arent friendly or welcoming..though they jabber away in deutsch most of the time..or even danish...blanghbaaabbbballh ..cold sausage.....and are slowly using their english with me. I want to practise german with them like A/A but...they dont seem so inclined or bothered...I did manage to snag a eng-deu dictionary from B so i can continue ..stun them with a few german phrases perhaps!
my mercurial feelings are prob because the last place was so homely ...now it really feels like im back on the road again. N..the amazing cheif..chef? i dunno how to spell it...pissed me of today with his constant quips antagonising me over why i WASNT smoking/drinking...i was seriously ready to tell him to bloody well F OFF. .... not a good idea to bug me when im in a bad mood..or confused mood even. ..Mate, i still feel like an outsider..i dont particularly wish to be puffing away like a factory and drowing myself in drink only to fit in and ease stress. I have alota heartache back home and if you cant say anything nice then keep your gob shut because i dont wont to hear the shit coming out of it....wow that guy rattled me .. i didnt say this buy the way but it was going through my head as i went Grr.

Met some more inhabitants, old bloke called Jens, with young woman who i forget the name of. But the macedonian helper said he asked how old his daughter was. Well apparently its not his daughter actually is his gf....whos about 20. so we;'re either the same age or shes younger.....hes about 60 ...ick..awkward.

Anyway once i reappeared from my stroll I asked B, to give me a goddamned job...gardening woo! A polish helper had turned up at somepoint during the day, M..loudly expressive pole, but nice and really embarrasingly better at the garden work than me! just weeding and tuidying and raking the beds, hell he could have whopped alan titchmarshes ass..uuurrhh. Anyhow! we did a good job and were greeted by a fancy dish from the kitchen for lunch..core i could get used to this.
After that, was pretty much done for the day...wandered around.....

I was sure there was more stuff i was going to blab on about but it escapes my mind

Stormy Isles...

Store Okseoe
Well...its now April, time for diligent debriefing again! Bah Humbug! Right I happen to be in Denmark on a wonderful tiny island..less than half hour to wander around the shores....sitting in the bar..wooo drinking chocolate milk and coffee! They are all smokers here so i will have to keep an eye on my flimsy will and its penchance for social smokin. They were quite delighted when i came in emergency camel  ..more on that later... in hand after my breif exploration of the island. I wont be filling my lungs with tar everyday, or every hour ..i dont get chimey chains..it stains your fingers seeps into your clothes..and the taste...only good when the situation calls for it. Like when y'ou've been dropped off by the bus in the back of beyond with a mobile that refuses to work and you're not sure if anybody knows you are here..

30th ... warm spring like day, my last day with Axel and Angelika..I didnt prepare as much as I should have because I wanted to enjoy every last moment, like washing pots in the morning hah, but in the afternoon we all took a long bike ride to a prehistoric burial mound. I stayed up late that night writing a poem to express my experience with them ... i would definitly come again, it was like being with family, unlike in Austria ... I certainly wont be going back there to work! Next morn, supposed to catch the 8am train hahahah put it off til 9 am ...then the weather was going to be rainy and bleak all day hence i changed to make the 11am train, to travel straight to Flensburg, making no detour in Lubeck. It felt weird leaving, i didnt actually want to go...
Flens is a nice town, all the old buildings are still in tiptop condition as it missed all ww2 bombs..S my CS host was another great er host, shared an awesome flat with mexican girl .
S took me on a walk through the precinct, unfortunately the weather was absolutely shit! Thus I brightened it up by releasing a few gold coins in the body shop, and on a pair of converses, yes ladies and gents i have embarked into the fashion of trendy shod feet.!!! Actually it was a necessary buy because, A i didnt bring any soft shoes travelling with me ..just yard boots and Rohans..and I deceided to temporarily
abandon my muckers with A/A...can awlays send money for them to post em to me or go back and
pick them up! It also made my bag lighter, although i reckon those jam pots made up for the things i sent home! At least i had condensed my baggage down to the duffel and rucksack. ..I can still feel my feet sending waves of gratitude ...
Back to CS night, M cooked up totilla espanja with happy salad with mozzerlla and salmon treasures and glass of red!
we all spoke english, m is learning german since she moved to study here with DE bf.  S teaches sports and art, so she had to be up for school next day so we declined going out with M ..I pretty much zonked out at 9pm ..was a lonely night, felt really homesick and somewhat depressed wishing i could jsut go back to A/As .... News back home has not been the best of things lately
so first Grams pops her clogs and then Uncle H, ..Mum has operation...best mate gets cancer (and
I'm not there for her) Auntie B, goes to hospital whence they find a benighn brain tumor, which cause
a slight stroke!! Seriously, i scream and cry wtf is going on in the world! Okay so i admit i opened
the waterworks that night..has to happen ..did i mention i broke two plates last month..accidently
because i had put off thinking about all those, those ....arrgglllebarrglesss!
Hmm morning arrived with hopeful sunrise and clear skies...made my way down to the buststation
for the 835am to get across the boarder to Sonderhav..no hassle was only 30mins. Although I did
fret somehwhat when sitting on the bench starting at a couple of islands on a lonely road, thinkin
am i here? Rang home no. Rudinger said yep coming across now...snmall boat sails across 5 mins later
which i approched cautiosly until the guy..olie...scraggy haired weathered sailor.. waved Cmon on!
Woop i made it!!

Met  inhabitants ..less than 10 people, R speaks most english, his wife B was a little hesitant, nice people though..also carpenter bloke and another worker, apparently M a previous helpXer is coming tomorrow, the start of the tourist season. oooh. F are German family ..so maybe i can improve my german..verlich. R and B live in thatched house, all lovely wooden beams everywhere, i have theend room, sqaure, it has a bed and a bath which is good enough for me. Hope the heating comes on, tis getting pretty chill now. ..Took a wander after i did my job of dusting down the shelves behind the bar and wiping cloth over the glasses etc ..met the other inhabitaents..old dog, a shetland, a donkey and a small flock of sheep!

Hmm was meant to write up those last few days with ..my german family lol i know, soppy huh!
Finished off the twig bundling by the way, it was blooming sunshine when i tied the last one, after which i just sprawled out on the grass with a big sigh!
We also made kurbis chutney, mmmm and more muffins....and they took us to their Irish music session
just folks practising..was lovely to hear, bit like shire music hehe
planted the tomotatoe seedlings ..they get really grumpy being put into their own pots, theres a
disease gardeners term which translates as  falling down drunk, when the stalks go kaput.
Spent some nice moments in the conservatory with a brew...I lasped into watching dusty try to take on
a Hen sitting on her nest and caught the tail end of the convo...will explode.
I startle - What will?
The vegeatation says Angelika laughing...no a tank of gas, :p
Went to Hamburg for demonstation on atomkraft nein danke..i made tshirts for us with the sun on front
and greenpeace slogan on back..not bad if i do so say myself. Cold day but clear, at least 40, 000
people turned up, for peace protest, speeches and march towards town hall for more speeches.

paste from a blog i started earlier but never finished...

Freitag and the end is drawing nigh, hmm perhaps I should say was since its saturday now so much for daily blogging. OK to recap - Wednesday and thurs were blue sky raptures awash in blazing sunshine. And I was still bundling twigs! Adding a few more bats to the belfry cursing dead pieces of wood and having general convesation with myself
To be honest i cant remember much of mittwoch the sun probably blasted everything away ..
i love the smell of the sun in the spring air, with dry grass reminds me of longbegone times
summers that went on for weeks on end
Later Amelie and I drove into town with A / Bad Bederkesa ..we only had half hour but managed to circumnavigate the church, wander into a few bookstores, where i came out with yet another notebook..(for my novel as i have lots of fresh ideas) and i would have definitely left with book in hand if i could only read German a bit better! Found the icecream parlour ...70cence for a scoop - heaven in a chocolate cone!
Did i mention Axels brother hasnt left yet, I think Im starting to pick up A's vibes of displeasure. It was mixed emotions at first since he came bearing gifts for his birthday, but he arrived without warning and this is the first time he has been here and met Angelika in god knows how long.
Before he came Axel was saying how he and his brother never really saw eye to eye, always argueing and that Deitman was always the strongest. D certainly rattled my cage - I was ready for a good bitchy gossip, though thats not something i would approach with A/A of course or Ame..(gah soo many A's)
le, completely nice all through, quiet and reserved...so i grumbled out my negative vibes to the sheep, ha!
Hum, there seems to be a round of bad mumbo jumbo of late, it must be this desertion into wilderness..
no no, Im actually content with being n the middle of nature..its the lack of a local pub or just a knees up in civilisation ..
Bah D isnt really that bad,a apart from having all the table manners of a monkey, ick.. my opinion somewhat mellowed when he explained that his LOUD VOICE was due to working in a mechanics factory for 16yrs, you could never talk, just SHOUT.
Seriously
I think i could get a slight deaf right ear if he doesnt go soon.
Well he did go, in fact he disappeared early one morning ..never even said goodbye..weird bloke.
Spring really was making a fabulous entrance ..we did a lot of planting...like the tomatoes seeds which i mentioned earlier i think, but when A left to get something i started making earthy castles with the plastic pots, by the time A had come back i had a keep with a straw flag, a moat and wall with stones for a drawbridge....heck who needs all this techno toys, just play in the good ole dirt :p
A/A had a helpX guest book which i naturally managed to take up 3 pages off..so many fun moments ..on the last night Axel made laugh so hard when Angelika said that we were going to have a party and invite all the nice young men when he goes for his Greenpeae meeting...Axel in his most nancy experession with gay hand says, oh you can invite them i like nice young men too. .. Never saw that one coming!

By a strange twist of fate, Angelikas trio band is actually going to be playing at Folk Baltica on the very island i am on right now, this thursday !! So i am quite happy about that !

Back to Denmark..its 830 am now as i tidy this blog up..people have started arrivign for breaky..we all eat in the bar because theres about 8 of us ...theres heavy fog outside and the sheep and donkey assulated the plant pots on the deck outside ..wonder what my work will be today...the locals are starting to be a bit more talkative with me..its funny because maybe they are uncomfortable with sopeaking english, just like i am shy of my german skills ...

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Aslan's Mane...

The Lion roared and bared his teeth ...i think it might be safe to say SPRING has come again !

Yes, the weekend was full of brilliant sunshine and descending blue, we made a striptease in the fields :p
If memory serves the previous post finished up with saturday, thusly I durst declare I shalt begin with Sunday. Woop, a second innings of earths' sweet being! Amelie was due to arrive that morning, Axel drove to the station to pick her up but returned post haste because he forgot there were two different arrivals depending on which direction she was coming from...he picked the wrong one - hehe - I promised not to tell Angelika. Amelie is French, married? to one of the guys in my hosts music group, though I think they live in Hamburg...also some springful news - Amelie ist Schwanger! Funky word for ...I dont like the word pregnant, it has a harsh 'gn' sound...much prefer 'with child' ..or if you really have to say it ..bun in the oven, ha - but schwanger (sccch---wen-ger) is good!
ANYHOW ..I gave her the tour and then presented twig duty, for a little while - since she proably shouldn't do too much. Quiet, amiable girl who can also speak a little German - she's diligent and practices it more than I do when talking!
Afternoon, aha my turn to cook lunch, lemme lose on the Range! Took a bit of patience to get the fire going, I had my head bent over the grate blowing the licking flames and turned around to see Dusty on the stool behind, paws on the back rest, leaning over inquistively, 'what ARE you doing?' was his expression !
At first I hadn't a clue what dish to make, something tradtional perhaps? But i have to make use of whats in the larder...cue light bulb! Toad in the Hole! I really should have taken a photo, it came out perfect, which suprised me completely. I used the electric oven to bake and got worried a few times as tendrils of smoke came pluming out each time I opened the door.
Thin bratwürste instead of meaty bangers, plus a good accident of dried lemon balm instead of basil. I urge you to try this since it makes the batter taste..lighter? On the range I had to rustle up some of yesterdays leftovers, rice and veges, with carrot extension in a creamy mustard mix...whodathunk that would be a success!

Later on as I was outside reading, soaking up the vitamin D, I heard Amelie playing the accordian... she's only been playing since June, still shy about performing for an audience, yet those French waltzes really made me want to get up and dance....in fact, i did! All this fair music, (Amelie on the accordian, Axel on violin, Angelika on clarinet) got me motivated to have a tinker on the Grand Piano..slightly out of tune. Claire de Lune came back to the ole digits easier than I thought....until Dusty (in Tiger Mode) rushed in to attack my slipperless feet!

Montag..

There's quiet a drastic change between day and night at the moment, below zero actually as the moon rises. Cant be good for anybody :p Full moon, damn I must post some pictures soon..I managed to capture it on camera, I was MOONSTRUCK haha, it was honestly like daylight !
A few friends might be glad to know that my mobile alarm clock has changed from the 'Carry on Screaming' theme, to a much more gentle wake up tune, 'He's a Pirate' from PoC :p ....So as I was repeatedly hitting the snooze button, mine eyes fluttered open to a loft full of soft rosy golden hues. It took a few moments for my sleepy head to realise that dawn had banished the clouds ...in no time i was getting dressed and off for a ride on the bike. Bliss.

Since I posted my second pair of Jods back home, I finally had to wash the other pair. Angelika dug out one of her own for me to wear in the meantime. They're pretty comfy, even though its a for a shorter person, saying that I whipped out meine Lime Green Hosenträger to help keep em up! Axel said i could be a trend-setter haha! Reckon i appear quite the landgirl now, mit jods, leg warmers, baggy workshirt and bandana ...

Wood wood wood wood. I cant wait til the job is done. But it was nice for a change to build my own fence of dead wood. In the afternoon I got somwhat grouchy and i hoped no one noticed. Mainly because I overslept....yes we have high noon naps here folks :p .... and then people just kept asking the wrong questions, if you catch my drift? I spun myself in a vicious circle remembering how A keeps analysing how i eat my meals....it really got to me at breakfast, everytime I spread the butter, or picked up my mug ...I hadnt been bothered about it until the day before when he told me i was folding the cheese wrappers wrong, and i also remembered then how he had been staring each time I had done it !
So i was thinking, WHAT, am i leaving jam in the butter dish, have i spread on too much honey, are you offended by my sticky finger prints on my cup ...because having at least 12 different marmalades to choose from is going to be a messy affair!! It all sounds pathetic and trivial ..it was..i was moody... and was missing going to the pub for a pint :p
Later I was having Deutsch drilled into me and A ensured i wrote down the receipe for his bread rolls at 10pm ... and I think that Kirsche Wine got stronger overnight...like PeaPod Burgundy in the Good Life!

Tuesday...

Sunbeam hues through the loft again!! YAY Although I chose to soak them up from a place of comfort :p
Cant believe how warm it got...i was seriously considering sunglasses and just a vest under the hosenträger! The bark debris is nearly at an end .. I've started on the final field and there's only one length left for tomorow...I hope they havent got any land hidden elsewhere...because I've quite had it now I must say, each time i close my eyes I see twigs imprinted there!
Amelie cooked Onion Tarte for lunch..mmm.. later I baked Scones ...technically Axel's birthday meal, despite the fact that he neglected mentioning it all day! His brother came to visit, a suprise i think..since we had just been talking how he lives on the Austrian boarder. I'm not sure if A was pleased to see him or not...
As dusk was beginning to glow, I set off on the bike for a wonderful ride ... fresh smell of earth, cool breeze, golden radience through pine trees, deer in the field...so so very beautiful. Do people know we have Eden right here on Earth! I reckon if everybody spent a few weeks in the country, sowing and reaping with nature, they would learn to care for the world better and realise we have it all right here.
Okay, I should call it a night before going totally philosophic on Mother Gaia and all that Jazz!

A week and a bit to go...looking to really make use of my interrail ticket and perhaps make a Cs trip to Berlin, Lubeck and Flensburg before Denmark....however A mentioned this evening a weekend of Celtic workshops (the first weekend in april) ...music, dancing, cooking, crafting...sounds pretty awesome but I think if i tried to work that into the agenda ... it could equal one screwed up hell bent voyage...

Saturday 19 March 2011

EXTRACT

I wrote this all by my onsey :p

Gestern nachmittag bin ich mit Angelika nach Bremen gefahren. Das wetter war etwas kalt und windig, arber immer noch sehr schön. 
 Ich liebe das Schooner-Viertel und die ungewöhnliche Geschäfle, wo man viel ''Nice Scheiß'' kaufen kann! Arber ich habe mein Gelt in Schokolat investiert. :p 
 

Burning Bright ..

Dienstag 15th ....

Ahhh drinking sweet sweet homemade wine, a quote comes to mind; 'Sometimes i just like to sit and think ...and sometimes I just like to sit''. The world is such a mess right now, I dont know where to start, so I'm not going to ...but I might just insert a Blackadder quote to revive those happy thoughts: (yes its all about the quotes today..)

''This is a crisis. A large crisis. In fact, if you've got a moment, it's a twelve-story crisis with a magnificent entrance hall, carpeting throughout, 24-hour portage, and an enormous sign on the roof, saying 'This Is a Large Crisis'. A large crisis requires a large plan. Get me two pencils and a pair of underpants.”


Anyhow today was another fine day of gentle work, after breakfast, which is always at 8am featuring a table bedecked with 12 kinds of Jam ...we made 6 loaves of bread, shesh I am going to have plenty of receipes to write down before i leave. I cant wait to try baking my own bread, hmm all of a sudden a memory springs to mind when i attempted Finnish Pulla...my housemates called it THE MONSTER IN THE OVEN!


                                                 ----------------------------------------------


Ok so back again this time with the non-alcoholic Becks (different day by the way haha). Gah alkohol frei, slightly redeemed with Rum infused chocolate! 


Now where was I? Ahh yess contemplating how each day is like a gentle bubbling brook compared to the Rapids ..aye with capitals.. of Gs farm. Simply put - tidying the garden and fruit plots from winter's  breath, playing with the cats, baking and brewing....essence of 'The Good Life'; all useful ken for later, plus I'm becoming more involved in politcal BIO motivations ..nah im not a rioting activist :p .. but i have beento a couple of gatherings of ''Atomkraft? Nein Danke!'' Pretty well backed up since the colossal destruction in Japan. Yet the German government still refuse to believe such events could happen with their Nuclear power stations, and they reckon if a terroist attack threatens then creating fog willsave the day ..all this reliance on technology what has happened to common sense ..........and
another thing youdathink they'dve seen Jurassic Park !! The world is going to pot, and if
we're not careful human beings will go the way of the dinosaurs, nature doesnt need us, we
need Her!

 Bah okay rant over...well not quite.


The atomic cheery on the gateau of disaster was to find out that my best friend back home has breast cancer. Shit. I received an email earlier in the week but it hadnt really sunk in until a few days ago. My first response had been to barrage her with optimism (by proxy me also), the tone of her message was nonplussed so thats the line I followed. In the past 'being gushy' about matters together wasnt  an option, I mostly got pushed away, ergo I say 'Heck, you'll be fine',  because i couldn't handle thinking otherwise.
This is a particular vice of mine, it can make my reactions to important things appear cold, as if
I brush off the situation. Such an example would be when my Ma had an operation and then my uncle died, I held allmy emotions at bay until one day i burst into a torrent of tears during a driving lesson. Super. 
A song from Shinedown hits the nail on the head: 

The more the light shines through me
I pretend to close my eyes,
And the more the dark consumes me
I pretend that im burning bright... 

Thats the ticket lou, when the going gets tough, I bugger off..........ocassionally to the pub. 

A few days ago, she (j) started up a blog..which was good since then I'm almost with her virtually..and I believe writing is a great relief for the soul. Some comments popped up which i recognised, 'you'll be fine, i know people who have gone through it' .. which naturally infruiated her. I wrote J asap because, (although i gathered i wasnt the only one) i didnt want her to feel like i didnt care or understand how she must be feeling. Thats when reality completly sunk in to my heart, I was morose and sombre until i heard back next day, whence she told me i was being 'Gay' and not to be 'such a gushy old bean' 
which made me smile. Like this XD 

                                                            ----------------------------------------

Hmm practically halfway through March, normally i would be flusterd, but the rags of time hath no meaning here, only hopeful sounds and sights of honey bees and snowdrops, even despite the grey breaking dawns of late. I had been planning for bike rides every morning, but when theres no sun... equals no motivation to make the bloody sacrifice, haha ..so i continue to snooze in the loft. My Grey Haven .. 

Bear with me whilst i work backwards. 
Mittwoch 16th 

I've aced this twig routine now, I know it sounds silly, but honestly any task done well, however
small can be very gratifying, especially as you string up bundles and turn to discover a field
of progress. Although i have spotted a few piles i missed which i shall descend upon tomorrow
with a fully charged ipod, without which i would be clawing the walls, or terrifying the deer
with my singing ! 
Its quite funny working with Axel, he has a great sense of humour, as we toiled away at either
end of the pasture we looked up every now and then, making a show of checking watches and patting 
stomaches...mmm Ich habe hunger! Following the aroma of lunch, Axel mentioned getting ready to 
go off to the city soon, so I asked if i should get changed before or after essen. Well, he repiled
its 10 mins until das essen ist fertig..pause...you'll probably want an hour...for putting on makeup!
cheeky bugger! 
Its his birthday on the 22nd! Angelika told me, he kept quiet about this and whodathunk hes going to be 72. Certainly doesnt look it, Axel was joking earlier about how he has a gift for chopping wood. 


Bremen!  Ah one of the best German cities i have visited, even though it was an overcast and bitter afternoon it didnt dampened the resplendence of the renaissance buildings in the heart of this hanseatic city. Angelika took me on a breif tour before her music meeting so i could familarise myself with the streets ..err^r knochenhauerstrasse...bone cracker street, did witches live here? . .

I began with the Schnoor Quarter - Bremem's oldest district, a maze of 15th/16th century tall creamy coloured houses lining crooked alleys, another trip back in time - and no blue box haha! Its home now to a bounty of quaint curiosity shops; homemade crafts, goldsmiths, and touristic gifts. I was a very good girl, spending just over a euro. 
Next stop was Bottcherstrasse, an arcade mostly built with old bricks which makes it beautifully inkeeping, the 'secret hight street' is the local name. Above the museum was a glockenspiel triangle  .... 
Last but not least I paid a vist to the Hachez Chocolate shop, oooh the aroma was divine! Not only schokolade but tea and coffee too! This is where my purse suddenly became a lot lighter! 
The Marktplatz is a large square dominated by fabulously opulent buildings with a dark golden mixture of gothic and renaissance facades. St Petri Dom is also an impressively gothic Cathedral ..although such beautiful hetitage was somewhat marred by the ugly modern Burgerschaft (state parliament) ..Boom, glass and grey brick smack in between 13th-17th century architecture . 
Bremen also has famous Roland statue - he stands at 5,55m tall ..a curly haired knight with a faint smile..the city's protector and a symbol of trading rights and freedom. 

I then happened across the Bremen Towm Muscians, towered in the shadow right on the western corner of the town hall. Yes your eyes doth not decive ye, a roster on a cat, on a dog, on a donkey...the story is quirky one from the Grimm Brothers. 

Probably gone 7pm by the time we got back home...I wrote up a few lines of my German diary which i shall post ad hoc. 

Donnerstag. 

The cats left a suprise for us in the hallway, I happened to be on my way out to the washing when i noticed them playing with something, musing and shoving clothes in the drum I realised it must have been a dead animal! But it was gone when i returned! ARG then i found Benny in the living room batting it about.. IT..  on closer inspection turned out to be the back half of a baby rabbit. I had to scoop in up on a plate as Dusty lunged in for a mauling. This poor dead half, little hind legs and tail seemed ironic on a saucer. Angelika put it down with their food, saying 'might as well let them finish it' ...next morning the whole thing had disappeared. We're hoping its not been hidden in the house. 
Another cloudy day, Im starting to feel the sun withdrawal symptoms. Its strange how last month I always found energy to get up and go all the time, but now laziness has crept back ..im getting soft with such luxury lie ins until 7am ! 
Although on the up side, haha see what i did there..ahem my wrists arent swollen, now i can actually get my thumb and fore finger around them again. Twig tribulations for the morn and bundle duty ..i got a little aggrivated having a scuffle with the branches ..prickly sods! In the end I ran of to help A in the garden, raking leaves has never been soo much fun! Later we both went via bike to their blueberry patch to do some pruning. There was a small shed of hay on this pasture too, A pointed out that an owl had been using it, she picked up the remains of its meal, when they spit up all the fur and bones, tearing this sausage sized clod open to show me half a mouse skull. Fairly interesting, but No im okay i'd rather not pick that all apart to know what it had for dinner! ...I'm obviously not a fully fledged country bumpkin yet...
The bike was much more intriguing, a green old british bike, which is collapsable and had been used during WW2 by soldier parachutists. Axel has a few stories from that era, though the first one I blundered on was his father being shot by the Nazis when he was a baby.
 I unearthed that one asking about the family tobbocanist tradition, which Angelika likes to put as ..Axels first job, a drug dealer...haha, we saw the place where he took his exam in Bremen for this but he couldnt stand beign stuck inside all day and left the family buisness. Another story cropped up at supper, when he and his family evacuated to the south of Germany..just before a french occupation, the Dairy factory gave out all the Swiss wagon wheel cheese, i guess so the French wouldnt get all the good victuals ... which must have been a godsend since they had only apples for nourishment. 


Dienstag...
I seemed to have flipped around he days somehow..

A day of baking bread and more twigs under the heavens stuffed with cotton wool! Sometimes i imagine those scenes from Larkrise to Candleford, when the men are in the fields with their scythes, singing and hacking in rythym, the sun blazing like the golden cornfields they reap. 

Montag ...
Day trip to Bremerhaven ..rather drizzly, or 'A grand soft day' in Ireland. ...And randomly is twinned with Grimsby in UK and Pori in Finland...
Posted off a box of clothes i decided i could do without to England, lets hope i have a happy face when it comes to repacking again.
A and I strolled along the harbour..I love tall ships, actual sailing ships and not a hunk of steel and propellers. Its another golden past, probably belonging to a chivalric world - mighty ships and seafaring dreams on unending waves ..vintage ensemble along the port, first docked was a replica of a very old viking merchant ship which they had brought up from the bottom of the river bed, then a much smaller more modern sailing boat with green sails that had been to the Arctic on research expeditions...turn around and next to the Uboat is a huge merchant vessel the Seute Deern (Sweet Girl) although the inside has been part converted into a cafe, oh well.
I was treated to lunch at the chippy. Yum. The German chippy, with the best fresh battered pollack i have ever tasted, mit sweet potatoes of course :)


Skip forwards to Freitag!

I managed to make it down the ladder before 7 this morning..well i had to since fruckstucken was 730.
Mind you that ever-hungry sheep, Old Gal Munchie, was BAAAA - ING at the gates like a third alarm clock....whilst the Rooster was snoozing! ..
I've started to name the animals..there's a thin white sheep called Wooly, yesterday i named her sister, a big fat white fleecy gal whos the least afraid of the flock to come and say Hi, #Milka' .. also when we let the Chickens into their run, there is always one hen who manages to escape, aptly named Ginger! Ha ha..
We all drove to Bremervorde straight after breaking fast for the local farmers market..I could have been right back in Chichester on friday, eyeing up the Belgian buns 'as big as your face' ! A number of the stallholders asked where i was from...core these towns are vicar of Dibley size where everybody knows everyone. A bought cheese, olives and 30 pots of pansies..all organic trademark.

Clouds, goddamned CLOUDS! Give me rain or wind, at least there is some interaction with the elements, instead that neutral monotone off-white dome above my head!
A second helper will be arriving on sunday, so i ought to tidy up a little..i dont have much but its still easy to spread about the place huh! Actually i think she is a gf to one of the guys in Angelikas band,, I'll find out soon enough!


Saturday....SUNSHINE AND BLUE SKY

Perfect time for an afternoon ride with the Vet. Nice neighbours to let me join them for a hack in the woods without even having to muck out the stables in exchange. They saddled me up with an old Tinker horse called Joe, who was supposedly pretty slow, but i guess the spring air was invigorating since he was always chomping at the bit to go faster. Fine by me..yeeha!
Earlier Axel and I had been teasing Angelika that we were going to have a party whilst she was away for the weekend with her mother, tehehe! It kinda came true. well tea party as Axels daughter turned up unexpectedy, which was a lovely suprise for Axel. I left them chatting away to race of and take pictures of the sunset...must have got THAT from being in Finland towards winter, capturing sunshine moments because you never know how long it will be before you see it again! 

----------- Photos, COMING SOON!

Sunday 13 March 2011

Epic Meanwhile ...

Finally GUTEN TAG FOLKS, no worries I am still alive, but helluva long 'to be continued' huh?


Manys days have passed ..5 at least ..correction funf tage ... so i shall wizz through Freitag with you ..and Gs loud telephone call which had me grinding teeth in the dark. Patience is a virtue some say and I hung on for half hour until  I was rewarded with  a shrieking Yippeeee, door bangs and G raced off into the night..good news i take it.
Indeed ..a young lad had asked for work, willing to start asap and take a whack at the stables too...ergo G in high spirits even the clouds were left faaaarrr below. Despite that unexpected event, i managed to wake around 5am to bodly stumble to the paddocks with a headlamp ...SPOOKY, you know the darkest hour really is just before dawn. haha i know that you know you think I'm as nuttzy as a fruitcake...I thought i was too, trudging softly past the horses with a desperate prayer that Creo would not notice the gate creeking open and become manically agitated for his oats, then in the middle field my light beam swept across the frosty air ..WOAH green eye slits staring from the ether..shivers of shock, holy -!  Hang on ...i recognise those antlers. literally OH DEER! :P  So i put the hay out for later, after which i went in search of a teabag since i had finally figured out where the switch was for the factory kettle, muhahaha. Oh yes, my dauntless experdition was well worth it, but i Still took a pot of Jam to my room, ..speaking of jam, I believe I totally skipped my last English lesson with E - this was good, they were suprised to see me, we talked alot, I particularly with Hedi who wasnt very confident with her English, so I kept her in conv all the way to the cafe, bless her, she bought me a cake after to say thankyou. E also packed me off with schnitzel mit sweet potatoe and apfel strudel..wow extremely spoilt with a big smile! 


Back to Friday...


Mittagessen...with G and her mutta although i dashed off early to finish my packing..PACKING..oh how i doth hate such a word. Reckon Im gona leave or send off clothes at each place...hmm dream to travel with just me, myself and i (or someone to carry bags for me haha). .. 10 minutes to go, I had showered, changed - zipped away the smelly camel clothes in air tight package - funny G of course found things for me to do, I was running about right up to jumping into a moving car...feed the camels, the osteriechs..make some tea..bah humbug!! Although I certainly enjoyed my time in Austria I can only consider that those early morning starts and the constant streem of energy from G is something i wont miss. The work can only get better haha! Bring it on Deutschland :D 


First things first ..a small detour to see friends. 
...aha did i mention febs 28days totally screwed me over with the interail ticket..yup valid until 1 march ..BUGGER..over a couple of beers the night before I  attempted to forge it..to 7 march..wont be doing that again. mmhmm i was lucky to escape with simply paying the normal fare, reckon the ticket officer couldnt decide if this silly english girl had purposedly done it, you see I had my sweet innocent face on (like puss in boots from shrek)...(i think if i had been in Germany..it would have gone differently). Tick, one predicament down, wonder how many more worms are in the can...


At westbahnhof a weird Italien man started talking to me, asking if i knew any places to have fun in Vienna...the conversation went something like this:
''No, but you can ask my austrian friend when she comes-''
''-your boyfriend? ''
''No my uh girl..friend...''
(Ana arrives)
''Did you meet on the internet..or before in real life?''
(i knew this guy looked dodgy)...''-yeh we knew each other before..''
''Thats good...''
(so said dodgy Italian proceeds to make a diatribe regarding sex with strangers and that 
alot women he meets dont want to do it with him and his gf.(..Seriously...YA THINK?!) ....Where could he find fun here, would we like a threesome ..(backing away slowly) ...c'mon you can jump on me right now...
Kay..thanks BYEEEEE. 
WELL THAT was one for the books . 


Mini tour about vienna ..a line of horses and carriages (fiakers?) outside Stephansdom, SEHR SCHÖN....aww get rid of all the traffic and modern fixations I could have been back in the time of top hats, elegant ladies off to the Opera, swirling cloaks and the clop of hooves on the cobblestones. Enchanting impressions, baroque ambience..I love to imagine myself walking through footsteps of history.. 


Ana led me through an archaic quarter, not full of tourists..ancient narrow streets with gilded buildings looming this way and that. We explored the outside of Hofburg - Imperial palace (Blimey, the Hapsburgs sure knew how to decorate :P)  Ana pointed out the Spanish Riding School - Lipizzan horses that do ballet..also St Augustine's church where according to tradition the hearts of the Hapsburgs are entombed (Herzgruft) 54 silver urns..cold and shadowy awe....brr ..exit stage left 


Picked up Jessi ..YAY REUNION ..Its been a full year since Erasmus, ahh the memories! :) 
Return briefly to Ana's brothers flat for beer and black nail painting session ..
.NB Stiegl and Murauer are my favourite Austrian beers so far..Es muss ein Stiegl sein, nicht Gösser, which was beer and lemonade ..
Oooh Ana has an awesome dark emerald velvet cloak with a loong hood -Eleven style..we all tried it on and twirled about, feeling more Lord of the Rings than gothic. 

Got a little lost trying to find bar Escape ..back and forth the crossroads searching in vain for nr 116 ..even the würsteldude hadnt a clue haha ..found it eventually on a parrell street ...gig downstairs was booming to a band in afro wigs ...oookkkaay....Next and last band was great to rock out to,though no idea what they were called?? crowd cheered them on to play at least six encores, what the heck..last last last song hehe they did a cover of lady gaga Alihandro or whatever which was hilarious because we were all singing along, plus an Austrain fave, 'The scandal of Rosie''
 ...sooo necks really hurt afterwards...good sign methinks :D  

Sometime after midnight we stumbled into bar Chelsea..absolutely rammed!! ..pushed our way to a raised dance floor ..one guy was danc-- he must have been on drugs .. like rafiki in slow motion..
For me it was too busy (wasnt drunk enough for a #club#) and I didnt quite catch the beat...not ready for pop and Djs after metal madness ..tiredness was envolping me and an hour later we called it a night ..3-4am?? 
the others fell straight to sleep..but i always feel ravenous after drinking and I thusly munched down two bowls of cereal before hitting the sack! 

Up early again..10 am ish ..for more cereal haha and then burnt toast saved via chocolate spread! 

Tschueß Ana ....4-6 yrs of study..crazy people..:p 

Saturday

Caught the train with Jessi back to Linz ...hopefully didnt snore in the carriage lol...then a nice guy carried my 
hefty bag to the platform awww danke! 
Cannot describe how awesome jessi and stefphans flat C'est SUPER....Whaa, that was French?
Later we went to jessi's home town..to meet a friend of hers Victoria to go to CARNIVAL ..ahaha carnival ,the week long celebration before fasting, normally masqerades (i think)...There we were, drei liliputainians and one english girl in lederhosen! Yes there are pictures..somewhere.  
Everyone there had made the effort to dress up...there was a group of people as bride/groom (on one person) carrying rose bedecked arches and another group as fire hydrants spraying water at people. plus male nuns playing live music :p 
..of course there were lots of prizes aha like cake! Also jessi and co won 5th or 6th place ..ginormous basket of veges and fruit. Yup another Fun night! 

Sunday....booo
Next day i was back on the train again to Salzburg ...unfortunately it was rather cloudy so didnt see much, heck i didnt even realise there were mountains in the background! Nevertheless I took a hike about town to get my bearings and stay warm until i met Vici at the  station. Woo my first couch surfing experience..she was a very 
nice person, living with a big group of people who were all easy to get along with.
It was strange at first because i wasnt sure how to act..she offered me plenty of things to eat ...later beer as well ..i warmed up to the convo as time went on...never expecting to be chatting away till gone 3am! ..luckily i didnt have to be up so early for the bus back to salzburg ...AAHHH glorious day, oooh and MOUNTAINS surounding the whole place ..i had to stop and stare at them every few seconds (damn must get out of lotr mode, since i immediately thought hmm Frostback mountains, hard to hold on to my imagination..dragons and jewels and who knew what else beyond..) but seriously, they were so great and resplendent ..especially as it wasnt something i see everyday ...danube was sparkling too ..blast it,  only an hour to rush round, just enough time to grab a couple of postcards for the mozart lovers in the family including his special chocolate before jumping on the deutschbahn to Munich!
I accidently sat in firstclass..thinking ah could get used to this...later pointed in right direction by ticket officer whilst chomping on some kind of doughnut, which i could have sworn had Rum imbued Jam! 

Urgh i had a HORRID palava as i stumbled onto the platform asking the closest person - ' IS THIS MUNICH?!'-  since i had fallen asleep, TSCH!! then i went back and forth in search of the metro to get to my next couch surf point, even got directions from the helpdesk but teriffically managed to get the wrong Sbahn, well at least i was underground..now for the u2,okay cant find it, lets hop on the u3 maybe i am going in the right direction eh..next station i asked a woman who was very helpful and actually came with me to get to the right platform ...aha u6 my train and last stop was my destination...ergo i fantastically disembark at the second to last ..insert cries of woe is me here- .. my natural attraction of fiascos has a grand finale...whereby i arrive at my destination although now my mobile isnt working..R told me he would be at class after 2.30 which was when i rolled up, i sent him a message via payphone since kg was right on campus ...haha i forgot to mention W gifted me an emergency packet of cigarettes (from my last couch surf) ..didnt realise i would be unwrapping them so soon 
i parked my weary self on the smoothest rock i could find facing a green stretch under the sun ..ahhh that cigarette never felt so good :p ...annnnnnd guess what i discovered..(after swapping sim cards about), that R was in fact still in his flat. TYPICAL! which i then navigated myself too...floor 667 ! wait wait theres an elevator!! 
R ..chillouted rasta-fied jordanian...who keeps missing Opeth live met me at the door..I pretty much headed straight for the camp bed exhausted ! Hour or so before dusk i decided a stroll would be good and wandered into the penny markt too ... munchies for the 5hr trip tomorrow. R cooked a perfect spicy arrbiata (spelt that wrong)..i didnt mention the death star canteen though hehe .. woop another delighful host LUCKY i always have plenty of chocolate, reckon its a decent idea to bring your hosts a present.. left some Manner for Vic, hope it wasnt too crushed..and Salzburg choco for R. 
Sunset was amazing..6 levels in the air, it had better be! BED..sweet bed..i couldnt wait to arrive at the next helpexchange and stay in one place for a while. 

Monday...
Shuffled around quietly in morn, said goodbye to a bleary eyed R ...back to metro for more fun ! lLITERALLY! 
Got on the right train (there were only 2 directions to go haha) got off at right stop but couldnt find u2 ..so hopped on next train ..then saw the sign for u2 passing it on said train, typical! so BACK one stop ..praising the powers that be (who were probably cracking ribs with laughter) that i manged to make my way to Munich Hbf without any further hassle, and onto the 10.20 ...hold on a second..does everybody have reserved tickets..no no no..this cant be. One of the passengers gave me a voucher telling me i should go to the service point and book a seat..SIGHS..hefts bags and rushes off only to be informed reservations are closed ..well duuh train leaving in 5 mins ... and i should go find a free seat..gee thanks ! 
I practically threw myself through the doorway ... noted a few empty places as the train moved off but i thought to hang on a bit, maybe people were still moving up the carriages, and i certainly did not wish to settle only to be moved on..hence I loitered in a suspensful indecision,  catching my breath.Cursing those damned heavy bags. Grr

As i was thinking Blimey What next?! ..a young man came up to me ..i guessed he was asking about a seat, i spluttered sprechen sie englisch...yes yes..a place to sit..ahah there is someone watching over me ! Great, i relaxed thankful if a little flustered. 
Amazingly 3hrs vanished into wonderful talk on travelling ..this guy..(F we made introductions half hour later haha) has taught in Bolivia, his heart is there, I can hear it calling as he talks about it :) He is also in the process of making a documentary on the orphanage there .. soooo south america you are next on my list, however not quite sure if i'd be brave enough to go alone ...although i was CRAZY enough to buy a ticket for Wacken festival without knowing a soul to go..
Shared a welcome  beer....(why didnt i think to bring beer on such a monster journey) .. hehe we stuck out like sore thumbs on the train of wealthy denziens in our comfy jumpers and cheap beer ! Ha! but i spied a few people secretly unwrap sandwiches from their Gucci handbags !
Apparentlty last year F was on a game show..uh..nope i cant remember the name of it ..but he and his friend won with a funny act where F used different parts of his body to make sounds which had letter translations so his mate could decipher it ...they were meeting in Fulda to make an appearance on a childrens show ..F bought a camper van with former prize money...cunning plan .. now he can drive into the horizon! lol
Talked about what i was doing on a 5hr train to Hamburg ..helpexchange hippy haha, .. yup got my degree and jumped on the first plane i could ..found a similar interest in writing...damn i need to get back to my book before i lose the thread ..although this blog yes the one you're reading .. is pretty good for recoording expressions and impressions of wayfaring when my battered notebook isnt to hand. ..hmm i deviated once more ..
F is also writing as book ..we promised to swap ..although when it comes to revealing my written work i always feel nervous ,,tshh silly when i would love to have anything i wrote published. 
ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz WOAH who is that snoring !! haha 
Mmm coffee, perfect moment to be on top of one of the mountains passing us by in the blazing sun . . 1hr until Fulda, oh no, boo i didnt want to be on my lonsome..anything could happen in the next 2hrs after F would leave the train. 
whatthe-- ZZZ is that bloke still asleep! 
Thunder in my chest as train rattles to halt ..hugs goodbye...alone again. BIG SIGH

Fall alseep in sunny corner ... maybe noone will move me if i keep still :p 
Hamburg station was easier to naviage so i hopped on the correct ubahn this time ..nevertheless a kafuffle sprung into life trying to find the local train to Geestenseth..of course i pronouced it wrong..but finally ON train..VALID ticket..sit back, relaxed....WHY is everybody getting off..momentary glimpse of panic ..ahha follow the other passengers we're just swapping trains..phew! 
The sunset was a golden delight with dreamy inducing rays .. soo there are definitely going to be some great dusks and dawns outhere in the country. 
haha ja die landschaft where time is measured by the seasons and the geese flying south ..no rush, but fresh air mit fresh pong of manure, in natures garden ... 

I was met at the station..platform...a stretch of ground.. by Axel and a friend with a car. immediately i felt comfotable in their company, we drove further and further away from civilisation across flat boggy land with wonderfull thachted dewllings 
the essence of 'the good life' Axels wife Angelikia was away until evening so Axel showed me around a little,
they live in a thatched house, which was once a stables since the dawn of time, Ax bought the place in the mid 60s from farmers who had only just bought their first tractor ....they are pro-bio and green peace people
so heating is from fire and own well for drinking water...couple of fields with sheep and apple orchards plus a 400 yr old bake house, fruit and vege plots, chickens..free range..and we really do have to hunt for their eggs
need to set up a chicken cam ...egg detection haha! My room is awesome, above the tool shed, mini balcony..fairly decent size open planned with small kitchen and A BATH ..oh the luxury !! i chose to sleep in the loft section, its fun going up a ladder to bed, childrens fun, same when you get to sit high up in a big car, (if u know what i mean), also  loft in this sense boards across half the triangle bit in the roof ..i have a window too facing east


Will post pictures soon and more detail ...since im getting veeerrry tired ) 
Didnt do any work monday since i arrived about 6pm, ...met quirky professor called Conrad who was staying in their summerhouse, tiny cottage for guests or friends ...he thought i studied history english and crazy writing..brilliant i loved it... so when the history becomes obscure i can use my crazy writing to fill in the gaps ! 
Again i felt instantly comfotable when angelikia turned up..after the men had sent her for cheese..whe she speaks englishshe has a prominent irish accent, at first i thought she was from ireland ..but no its just the influece from their love of irish folk music.....Axel has just been playing his violin as i write, its sooo beautiful to hear. 
Wednesday...no bells...no camels and horses waiting to bed fed..stuggle against myself to tumble out of bed, 7 am never feltso good!! Breaky 8am...dozens of homemade jam...at some point i will have to do a properly conducted tasting session
Axel loves quark..that sweetish cheese that i now remember having in austria.
followed A to the woodshead ...wheelbarrow duty..he told me not to rush ..im so used to doing everything in quicktime..later he let me wield an axe ..he makes it look so easy, hitting the middle is harder than one thinks ! I reckon i get the hang if it with more practise. 
Up here in the north, they speak german with a softer accent, ergo i can actually hear each word and not a stream of jumbo. 
im starting to learn already, they teach me phrases..and im keeping up a diary in German.. and when we work thez talk to me in german with usefulsign language..going to have to start writing it all down....
Lunch is a big meal here, its just as well theres a break afterwards ..hehe before afternoon tea ! i had been drinking coffee in the morning but later in day i asked for tea, axel said thank god, otherwise i wouldnt have thought u were english! 
Thursday
Wow it was really windy and rainy, but angelika and i made the best of it collecting broken branches the sheep naw on, making sized piles for firewood, afternoon we baked pumpkin chocolate chip muffins together ...she got out the spatuala ..childrens terror..to clean out the bowl...OOOH NO! haha im going to have be quick with licking the spoon. 
Friday 
sunshine! arrrtg more twigs ..sneaky sheep trying to destroy my ordely bundles . 
Am Nachmittag i went with angelika to her friends place ..brery plantage ..with a big bouncy dog called balau, organic farmers with an obession for snowdrops and a designer of insect hotel ..which i think i might be building with Angelika at the end of the month , we brought our muffins for a cuppa tea whereupon i drifted off into dream land amdist the chatter of german and the heat of the evening sun 
Saturday
i acutally managed to lug myself out of bed to go for a bike ride before breakfast, just round the block as it were, as the sun was rising....


Thats it it, i cant write anymore !! Im going to bed...brain is fzzy...schlaf gut!!