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!!






Day30 ...the eleventh hour...

Thursday 3rd

Previously....

There's never a dull moment at the Camel farm and even if you are kaput, its no time to sleep (sniffles)...but time to stoke that fire in your belly to escape the valley...which is what i planned for today by joining E at her English lesson. This meant having to leave Eitental by 8am ..ahhhuh so i was going to have to work like wild fire in the morning...bearing in mind that i dont finish until 9ish by myself. Dropped in bed for an early night ....

NEVER FIGURED

G would come into Hm house to have a phone call in the hallway at half 10 ..excited Austrian echoing up the stairs to rocket into my room!! Of all the place to go and have a chat..

to be continued.......

Wednesday 2 March 2011

Day 29..Who Gives a F...*

Rhymes with Duck!!

In a good way ya know!

Apart from the struggle out of bed again the day was quite splendid :D Camels were a piece of cake and despite having a hurried breaky without finishing all the stables, i made it to the English practise up at Gs den (9am) ...can always count on ole H bringing cake with him !! Ohh plus prezzies from E..more JAM and a pot of her delicious cooking (thats me dins for tonight!) and some CHOCOLATE !

straight after, i had to run out and set the horses free. then dash back...scoop scoop scoop the rest of the shit up...drag M out of the factory so he could jump in the forklift to bring more haybales ...lunchtime...camels, osterich ..me OM NOM NOM 

Afternooon...couple of ZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzs ...no dreaming blackout ..completely kaput!

Awoke about 3pm....G was supposed to be back ....aha she appears just as i make a brew, but cannot refuse a ride .......on the superchilled Creo...Nobody can be trusted alone on Barack !
Random notes... pretty sure im getting an extra top muscle in left leg..gona have to start mounting from the other side of the horse, so they match haha! Getting warmer too...quick!!! run around in the sunny patches! Although its a bit freaky ...the farm across the river has some saw ...steel scraping....at work all day, makes sinister noises like in a game during the creepy scenes....

ANYWAY... back to that blissful ride...on reaching the top of deer mountain....you know thats another strange situation, those deer and sheep are well camoflarged against the fallen leaves ...just plodding along then you feel eyes watching ...Arr there they are looming on rocky outcrops, staring at you silently.....
THE SUN THE SUN! i could have easily galloped on over the blue hills to follow the sun down...so many dazzling moments ...especially with the sunlight glinting on the stream, the water looked black and the iced over banks were sparkling silver gold!

TIRED NOW...but in for another busy day tomorrow....RAAWWWWWRRR gona have to get up at least an hour earlier to get on top of the morning toils and finish by 8am ..inc shower and change. to go with E to her English lesson, not sure when i will be back ......COFFEEEE EXPLOSION !

Tuesday 1 March 2011

Day 28... Hope Springs ...

Catch 22 followed me home last night....i had lost the door key!! Dont panic Mr Mannering!!! ,BUGGER, yesterday i must have dropped it about the yard pulling various items from my overstuffed pockets, instead of going completely doo-lally i just pinched Gs spare key from the kitchen so i could get to bed ...I tidied the bombsite that was my room and shifted into Js old room, much more comfy, much warmer and darker ..no factory lights glaring in at the curtainless window!
I managed to get up with the bells of course, but certainly grumbled about it...no-one next door to get me moving faster. Hmm Its getting lighter in the mornings ...C'MON SPRING... reckon we're about the 0 degress mark lately ...hardly had my jacket on all day. Figured out a good routine in my head, and I was just going to plug in the earphones when I hear G calling....(.Gah What Now) ... she asked me why i hadnt tied the camels up ( i moved em to the fields to sort the front stables out first..then do the feeding.) sooo i had to explain, and threw in that this was the way i worked with J...(so lemme get on with it) ..thought if i mentioned J..super 2 month helper compared to me ..one month calamity haha,nah not that bad...? she would understand better, well she disappeared with an Okay do what you do... (good good)
The camels were no hassle at all ..WOOO...yep speak softly and carry a big stick......and some bread mayhap, cos they like it! Finished the first half just before 8am ..time to whizz around the horses, 30 mins later i received a call from G about keeping the horses in to go for a ride ...after my breakfast though!
Saddled up Optima and Halfi pronto wherefore with took the camels round the deer park, G is a real swashbuckler with her herd of fluffly beasts ...look at em gooooo wheeeeee!
Disaster strikes!!! Waris was bleeding profusly from her toe, she must have bashed it into something, it was a bright red wound..uncanny looking blood....we tied Waris to her sister Naghla to keep her calm as G hosed down her foot ..this was tricky business, but we also managed to distract them with bread...a bit of blue spray..disinfectant and taa daa ..all better! Poor little one :(
I seemed to be in for a run of luck as i got to hop on Gnome and set off forthwith for another round in the park ..ALONE... i think this trotter is now in my top three ...even though at one point he suddenly burst into  trotting at gallop speed, that was a crazy delight! ...found the two stags sitting together, which was strange since Jimmy (this i what i have decided to call them ) took over Elvis's harem ...usually see the latter like a lone ranger....poor Elvis..
Did i mention all the while i was searching for my key..retracing all my footsteps, hoping to happen across in a pile of shit maybe???
Anyhow, I got back, fed all the animals..horses, camels, dont forget the osterich ..then it was time to get some grub for moi! A few hours later ..as i finally motivated my ass to get back to that elastics job ...Tatianna turned up early ..2ish instead of 5ish...more good fortune for me....AHAHA speaking of fortune ...when i went to put the hay out guess what i stumbled across!! A GOLDEN KEY...weyhey ahh there but for the grace of god, go i..oopsadaisy! I could've lept for joy, dreaded having to tell G i'd gone and lost the door key on my first day alone ! Made a sneaky switch and no one was none the wiser. (except for you guys) :p
Weooo rambling again...back to my third ride of the day, yes indeed! Creo again, and Barrack ..who was well behaved after a day in the stables. The sun had come out for one last blaze, triumphant against the mist and glowing between the trees...ACE! The icing on the cake ..Tatianna did the stables with me, hey presto finished at 5 30 .
RELAXATION...