Lucky

Thursday, January 31st

Walk across the open space in front of the status

It is dimly lit by lanterns on very tall posts.

They are not really lanterns, they are some gas -discharge lamp. There is the smoker, complete with his rucksack and his pigtail. He is standing in the yellow square reserved for smokers. Wish him a good morning, and recieve a good morning from him.

Climb the granite steps, there are more smokers up there, standing on the small terrace under the awning. They just flick their cigarette ends onto the ground when they are finished. There are many cigarette ends on the ground. It is a mess. There will be a man with a broom later, he will sweep them all up.

The bald man with the beard serves a large cup of coffee in the cafe. Take it to the back end of the cafe, and sit down for a few minutes. Write the date on the top of the page in the notebook, then get up, go to catch the early train.

There are people with big suitcases on the platform. They are probably going to the airport to fly away somewhere.

On holidays. They are so lucky.

Brass

Wednesday, 30 January 2019

The snow has gone again today, the white roses on the small brass monuments are still there, where they were yesterday.

Dolores is at the bus shelter, sitting on the bench in her usual place. She smiles. There is a thin crescent moon over the small town, and the usual cars speeding down the main road. Their drivers are possibly going to work in an early shift in one of the local car plants.

Punctually, the bus arrives, Dolores gets up and moves over to the bus, bowed, slightly shambling.

She is not the youngest, maybe she had to work hard the night before, maybe she is still half

asleep.

At the railway station, the smoker is standing in the square marked out in yellow road paint.

It is the area before the station entrance where smoking, is permitted. It has an ashtray on a pedestal in the middle of the area, the ashtray has a roof

over it. The whole lot is made up out of stainless steel.

The young woman Andrea is serving in the cafe at the station. The coffee in hand go to the platform, and wait for the early train, the one that goes to Munich airport eventually.

atrocity

Tuesday, 29th January, 2019

There is snow falling in small grains today, it has covered the grey dustbin in front of the door.

There is wind too, the small snowflakes get blown into the unprotected face. Put the hood of the jacket up, that stops the head getting cold and wet. At the junction of the old market and the theatre street there are seven brass cobbles let into the ground. These are a reminder of the atrocities committed here eighty years ago. They have names

written on them. They have been adorned with roses, and there are candles there as well. There must have been a commemoration ceremony here on the street yesterday.

In the meantime, the street is fairly covered in snow, everything is all white, like a Christmas card. Dolores is in the bus stops's shelter, the taxi driver arrives shortly after. Watch the cars driving by, more carefully than usual, because of the snow. There is a man standing on  the opposite corner, slowly being covered in snow.

A car pulls up, he shakes the snow off, and removes his rucksack, steps forward and opens the car door, and gets in. The car drives away.

Then the bus arrives, first Dolores and then the taxi driver step into the vehicle. Pay the driver fare to the railway station.

Snow covers the ground in front of the railway station, the yellow square delineating the smoking area is obscured. The smoker is therefore at the top of the steps, under the shelter of the concrete awning in front of the station, smoking. He need not stand in his square today, because it is invisible.

Neat small man

Mon, 28th of January 2019

-

The granite steps to the platform are just high enough to make climbing them painful. The

knees have to strain to lift the body, one step at a time. Later on in the day, the whole biological mechanism will have warmed up, then it will be possible to take such steps two at a time.

The platform is full of waiting people, waiting for the morning train to Munich Airport.

The service is constantly gaining in popularity. Even with people who do not need to go to the airport. When the train arrives it takes quite some time for the people on board to leave, before the waiting passengers may board.

Find a seat opposite a neat small man in airport security security working clothes. He is wearing a company tie and has a neatly trimmed grey beard. On his identity tag the beard is not grey yet, he must have been doing the job for a long time. He has a shoulder bag with him, occupying the seat next to him. This has a fake camouflage pattern and an inscription saying 'Super DRY". His blue jacket is hanging on a hook by the carriage window.

He looked displeased to have anyone sit down near him, it is as if he felt that

the carriages were reserved for him.

an excuse for his unwelcoming behaviour

at nine on a Sunday, finally awake, attired for the day, for the outside climate. The son is ready to go out too. The cold is unpleasant, damp and so present as soon as the door is closed. There are bits of frozen snow and also ice here and there, the ground is dry enough otherwise.

The path under the archways is nearly deserted, there are few people under way today. The son stops and asks which café we should go to today, and since it is close, let us look into the café Neon. A café in Greek style. The door is open, and there is nobody inside. An Italian waiter comes around a corner, and declares that the café will only be opening at ten. He starts to give a long acount of all of the things that have not worked out properly today, by way of an excuse for his unwelcoming behaviour.

So leave.

Go to the strange place down at the town gate, in sight of the bus stop to the railway station. This café has been recently modernised, the door senses the approach of customers and opens, the sheet of glass sliding to one side with a whirr. Go in and the place is utilitarian bare, there are cakes and rolls in a glass display. Order a cup of coffee, the son orders some kind of cake, and a coke.

Pay by sliding a note into a slit on a machine, which dutifully gives the change. The woman serving explains that this is for hygienic reasons, that way she never has to touch the customers money. Sit down at a table by the window, look out over at the hotel beyond the gate on the opposite river bank.

There are still few people about, there are runners with their mobile phones attached to their upper arms, there are men on electric bicycles and people on perfectly normal bicycles. One man has a very large black case for a tuba on his back, he is wearing fine clothes. He must be cycling to a performance.

The modern sterile café is uncomfortably cold, the son is shivering.

When we have finished we get up to go. The son goes to the counter with his empty coke bottle to reclaim his deposit.

The automatic system breaks down, refuses to give the change. So the woman behind the counter has to find twenty five cents to return the deposit on the bottle.

A system breakdown on a Sunday morning

valerian cat

the bakery is not as well stocked as usual, the favourite cake is not available. The son is unhappy, so is the father. The lady behind the counter blames her boss, and on the question of the nature of his thoughts for doing such a thing, she says that they are not sensible thoughts.

Get a cup of coffee and a croisant, the son takes his coke and something sweeter, with sugar all over it. Sit down at the big window and look out at the cars passing by slowly on the snow covered street, more snow falling all the time. It is actually not that cold, the snow is borderline stuff, somewhere between proper snow and light slush.

The sidewalk outside the house was cleared, faithfully according to the bye-laws of the town. The son spread salt on the cleared area to hinder the formation of ice, and to melt any further snow.

From the café, watch the man across the road with the fruit shop knock the snow from the awning over his shop window. He is dressed in warm woollen clothes, his shop is not really heated at all.
The war monument outside is being covered in snow, the pathetic features of the stone representations of suffering soldiers are being covered. Be thankful for small mercies. More people are coming into the shop now, it is busy.
Talk about the cat, she found a packet of valerian capsules, an aid to sleeping. With great gusto she ate one, and started to behave really strangely, rolling about, stretching, doing gymnastics. A cat and valeria officianalis in capsule form,  doped out of its tiny mind. The son feels guilty for leaving his compridos, his tablets lying about.

The coffee finished, the bottle empty and the cakes all eaten, the son clears the table of all the plates. The shop is awash with melted snow from the footwear of all the people who shopped there. The son stands and looks down in dismay, then he returns his bottle to the lady behind the counter.

Walk on through the town to the bank, to get some cash from the mechanical dispenser.
Have the son ring up the wife, to ask for a shopping list. She is awake now.

Onward to the supermarket, to buy bread water and cheese.
pao, agua e quiejo.

Go back to learn more vocabulary!

Not clean

Friday, 25th January 2019

Wish the smoker a good morning at the entrance

to the railway station. He is an old erman with

long hair done in a pigtail behind his head.

This is one way to cover the balding patch on his

head..

good morning.

The cafe today, it is empty but for the bearded

tall man behind the counter. get a cup

of coffee, a yellow paper mug with the type on

it. Go to the waiting room, but leave again

after writing the date at the top of the page.

There is an unsettled atmosphere in the room

today, it is hard to say why-

Later, having climbed the stairs to the

platform, board the small airport train

which has just arrived. Find a seat

opposite a woman who is sleeping, her

face covered by the fur trim on the head of

her jacket. Her jacket is black.
The early train to the airport is well used, there are

many commuters using the service, not just

"Airport" passengers with their way suitcases.

The train is new no longer now the floors are grimed.

There are scuff marks on the non-white walls

where luggage had scraped and not-clean

hands had held on for support.

Joked

Thursday, January 24Th, 2019

get up, turn off the alarm by tapping the button on

the tablet's screen, and then go on out to the

bathroom, let the water in the shower run until it is

warm, then to have a shower. The water

takes a long time to heat today, take a shave in the

meantime. The razor blade has lost its fresh

sharpness, it scratches a bit. The water from The

tap is hot first, and use that to rinse the

razor. Then take a fast shower.

Back in the bedroom, the cat is attentive,

rubbing it's head against the legs, letting it' s head

he scratched. It then wanders off into the kitchen.

Put on all at the clothing, the pocket. Check the

mobile 'phone. It is almost out of charge. It had

been forgotten the night before. Turn off the small

programs currently not needed to save the

battery The alley is covered in frost today, a thin

layer of ice cmstals. There is a

whirring sound

from one of the small snow ploughs that the

town has to spread salt on the roads so that

the ice will melt away. They are dangerous,

the drivers having little regard for pedestrians,

and they move quickly, their mission to cover

every public surface in the town with salt.

Later on, in the station cafe, a group of

snow clearers drink coffee and tell each other

salacious jokes.

mishap

Wednesday, January 23 rd, 209

Arrive at the bus stop too early today, there is nobody

there yet. Over there, beyond the gate, there is

Dolores at the bakery waiting. She is at the

brightly-lit bakery. Watch her approach from

the town gate, the big gothic-type archway in the

background. She is a small woman, her

trousers up over her ankles. she walks slowly, shifting

her weight from one leg to the other.

When she arrives, wish her a good morning.

The orange-lettered display has changed to the

picture of a bus, the little pictogram blinking on

and off. That means that the bus's arrival is

imminent. Dolores gets up from her seat in the

bus shelter and moves over to the place where

the bus will halt. The Taxi-driver arrives, he is

always just in time.

Pay the bus driver, and take a free seat

at the middle entrance to the bus. Read the

news on the mobile phone, there is nothing but

local scandal today. Ignore the bus, ignore the

world around. get out at the railway station

and climb the five stairs, enter the station hallway.

There is a crowd there, looking at an announcement

on a destination board.

The six-oh-eight

train has been cancelled dueto mishap.

Insect

Tuesday, January 22 nd 2019

Take another picture of the end of the alley, this

time focussing on the cobbles.

And hurry on to the bus stop.

The bus ride is uneventful, lights passing outside

the windows, early neon signs for a fitness

centre, all lit up.

The back of the bus wobbles around much

more than the front part. The two halves are

joined by a rotating platform on the floor, and

a plastic bellows joining the two carriages. This

gives the impression of one very long carriage.

But it isn't, and that shows when the bus is in

motion. It is like being inside an insect.

At the railway station, walk over the cold flagstones

of the place in front of the tall glass front of the

station, climb the five granite stairs up to

the front entrance, the door glides automatically,

sensing persons approaching.

Go over to the cafe counter. Count the stomps

on the discount card, They are ten. Hand it

over to the man with the beard and the bald

pate, he makes a cup of coffee in a mug

with a green rim with Tee written upon it

in white letters. Take the paper mug to the

waiting room, say good morning to Norbert Hedgehog,

and sit down on a meal stool.

Full lunar eclipse

Monday, January zlst 2019

Leave the house into the cold of the early

morning. There, at the corner, take a photograph

of the street, the lantern and an approaching

cyclist. The approaching cyclist was an extra,

but he fitted wto the picture.

Two pictures, one with a cyclist, and one without.

At the bus stop, greet Dolores.There is a

thin sliver of moon, a tiny sliver of

yellow moon, and the remaining circle lit by

earthlight, the light that we reflect on our

satellite.

The moon is over the station, vanishing

behind clouds, smoky. The man with the

light on his rucksack describes it as a

wolf's moon. He is taking the early train to

Munich Airport as well now.

With a whistle, a howl of electric

motors, the short train to the airport

arrives from (Munich)Regensburg. Many leave the vehicle

in Landshut, many board on their way

to Freising. The train is very popular, a

chance planning, it had been meant for

passengers on their way to the airport; it

has turned into an overfilled commuter

transport.

go on a drive

Up and too lazy to get dressed, cold and uncomfortable outside the bed. The bathroom, a frigid zone. Return to the bed, enjoy the warmth. Then feel that this should not be, the son is up already, the sky outside is a light day that may get brighter during the course of the day, go to the coffee machine, Glancing in through the sons open door, see him at his desk looking at his computer, his face illuminated by pale blue light from the screen. A cup of coffee, a roll, stand about like an idiot in pyjamas. Take a shower to warm up, to clean the strange feeling from the skin, as if the skin were sleeping or something. It is hard to describe, but hot water helps.

And on the return from the shower, fresh underwear and old clothes on, look into the sons room again. He has made a cup of coffee for the wife, and she is sitting in the bed.
supping.


The son explains that he is working on a game. Programming on Sunday. Remind him that we had planned to go on a drive today.
He agrees.
But let us make a Sunday breakfast cake.
First.

untidy

awake
and go back to bed after going to the ice-cold bathroom, the door had been left open.

and sleep on.


Nine in the morning, make a cup of coffee after clearing up small parts of the mess and untidiness in the kitchen. Stuff scattered everywhere, left lying where it was put down after being used, just anywhere.
The place is a dump.
Clear the space around the coffee grinder, grind the coffee beans, then clear out the left over grounds from the machine.
Put some of the freshly ground coffee into the little silver sieve, clamp that into the machine, fill the machine with some extra water, and go out into the corridor to the cupboard for a fresh clean cup . The cup is made in France, Yves Deshoulieres, Limoges. The brand name is Apilco. Put the cup under the sieve holders spout and flick over the switch. The machine makes a grumbling noise and warm coffee fills the cup.

That works.

In the sitting room with the big windows facing the neighbours house across the street ,sit at the table.
See something move out of the corner of the eye, there in the window of the house opposite, one of the neighbours young daughters tidying up her room.
That is one way to start the day, she has finished before these notes are written.

To fly away for the weekend

Friday, January 18 2019
It is Friday, says the man with the beard in the

cafe in the railway station.

He smiles. He has started early today as well.

Fiddle with the change in the wallet, at last

to find the correct money to pay for the cardboard

cup full of coffee. It 'n yellow, with blue type on

it. Take the coffee to the little side table, that is where

the plastic lids for the paper cups are kept.

Then go back and find a seat in the waiting

room. Five minutes to start these notes. Say

good morning to the morose-looking man

with the black hair.

Five minutes later, pack away the black notebook

and the pen and go to the platforms. It has

suddenly got colder outside. this is probably

an illusion due to the warmth in the station..

Up on the platform, it has started to snow.

There are single white flakes falling from

the black sky, drifting down slowly. It is very

light snow. Put up the load to guard against

the cold draught blowing along the platform.

The sound of the train is a whine, it is a

very modern train. And it is full, There are

many passengers who are going to Munich

airport, to fly away for the weekend.

American denials

Tuesday, January 17, 2019

Head sunk a bid, tired, walk down the alley, see that the polish man's house has been freshly cleaned, the doorstep and the door.

Pass by the cafés in the old market, they have taken down their forest of Christmas trees. Perhaps they will put up some more nesxt year. Who knows, really. Pass under the town gate, and walk on towards the bridge. Just before the bridge there is the bus stop, with Dolores. Wish her a good morning, she nods.

give the driver a ten Euro note, he is friendly

and returns the change with the ticket. sit down

in the rearward section of the bus, try to read

the mobile 'phone on the bus. American denials

in the white House, a palace of fast food now.

the bus arrives at the station, put the 'phone away. Cross the station forecourt, the grit spread because of the ice and snow still underfoot. There is no snow today, no ice either, but it is cold.
The nald headed man with the beard is alone in the café today, there are no customers. Not yet. By the time the coffee maker has finished, there is a line of people standing there. A man orders a cup of coffee, tworolls and tow packets of twenty cigarettes. A large part of his earnings go up in smoke during the day. Go to the waiting room, start these notes. Resolve to take the early Airport Express again today.

rare occurrence

Wednesday,  16 January 2019

The cat jumps up onto the knees, it is no longer

possible to tie the shoelaces. Sit there, fondling the

purring feline for five minutes. With one sock

and one shoe on.. After five minutes put the cat down on the floor, and continue to put on

the boots with the awkward laces.

Many-eyed boots are

awkward to lace.

It is

dry outside, the snow has gone. There

are stacks of yellow plastic refuse sacks in

front of the entrances to all of the houses. They

all contain plastic packaging waste, for separate

disposal. Walk through the town, through the

dark and empty early morning streets.

At the bus stop say good morning to Dolores,

she all wrapped up in scarves and a fur coat.

There is a man there with a large trolley suitcase

as well.
The taxi driver arrives and

comments on the bus that had failed to arrive

the day before. This was a most rare occurrence,

still, he wanted to be angry about it.

After a good morning to the smoker in

front of the station, go inside to the cafe and

recieve a large paper cup of coffee from the

bald man with the beard.

Everything is taking it' s usual path.

It is cold

Arrive at the bus stop after the short walk

through the town. The bus will arrive in

seven minutes, according tothe orange letters on the notice board. Say a good morning to Dolores.

The river Isar is a rushing torrent today.

The snow during the past week has melted in

the lowlands, and the river has swollen. It

will be more so when the snow melts in the

mountains. It is cold.

The taxi driver approaches, and says

that, according to the signpost, that the bus

appears not to be coming. He says that he will

have to walk. Watch him as he walks over

the bridge over the swollen river.

Eventually, the bus No2 arrives. It's

route is slightly circuitous, it goes. via

the hospital. But the driver drives quickly,

Hurry through the station, pass the cafe,

avoid the Jehovas witnesses standing in

the way . Climb the granite stairs and

board the train, still standing at the platform.

so that now everything is back on time, as

it was.

But there has been no morning coffee.

malfunctioning display

Monday, 14th of January 2019-

A sound nights sleep, passed quickly. get up, go to

the bathroom. Return with the taste of toothpaste in

the mouth, and get the fresh underwear from the

wardrobe, to be worn for the day.

The cat bustles around, looking for attention,

jumping up onto the window ledge, then looking

out. It is dark outside of course, it is early

in the morning.

The door is noisy the lock is catching. The mechanism

needs to be oiled. The noise echos up and

down the alley. Perhaps some neighbour has

been awakened by it. That is another thing that

needs to be fixed.

Dolores is at the bus shelter, looking up at the

electronic timetable. It is predicting that the bus

will be five minutes late. This seems to concern

her greatly, she asks whether it is maybe just

a malfunctioning display. Then a small

car pulls over at the bus stop. The driver is a

friend of hers, and Dolores scuttles over and

gets in.

And then, the bus arrives. It is not late at all

Pay the driver his fare, and start the four-

part journey to work.

fat little tyres

The streets of Landshut are cold and wet, the ice cold raindrops are falling onto the black basalt cobbles. There is a pigeon strutting along with a twig in it's beak, walking back and forth to avoid being stepped on by the humans. For what is that twig? It is surely much too early in the year and to cold for nest building. And the twig looks really inedible. Perhaps the stupid bird has delusions of being the bearer of olive twigs, but then the rain is not nearly heavy enough for that.

Cross the street and enter the café, stand at the counter and await the attention of the person serving.

A plain croissant and a cup of coffee.

Talk to the son about television sets and computers.

And the rain dribbles down outside in pure grey misery.

A miniature car rushes up the street. It is a radio controlled toy. It then rushes back down again, bouncing over the cobblestones on its fat little tyres.

divida est in partes tres

Tired of waking in the early morning to the bleak darkness of winter, the worst months of the year. Sleep, the company of Morpheus, is the greatest pleasure,the warmth of the bedclothes forming a shield against the noisy physical discomfort of the day.

The son is up, he had set his alarm clock early- on a Saturday!

Together we go to the cafe, the early place around the corner, a traditional baker's shop, open at seven in the morning.
We sit there and chat.
He says that they have to learn off Caesar by heart.

Quote "Gallia divida est in partes tres.
He says "you have forgotten the omnes"

After forty five years that is excusable.
Please.

Branco

Friday, 11th January, 2019

The cat clambers onto the human knees, for

a caress in the morning.

Put on the watch, the cat is purring on the

knees, depositing cat hairs on the black

trousers. After a while, pick the cat up and

put it on the ground.

The alley is dry, but for a line of snow

in the gutter on either side. The cobbles are

a rough matt dark grey. It is cold. E frio.

Think of' the attempts to learn Portuguese. The

snow, neve Branco and the stones, preto. It is

harder when there is no great talent for language

and there is nobody to speak to.

Dolores is at the bus stop, good mornings

are exchanged. It has started to snow, the

single isolated snowflake has been joined by

millions of others. They are light and fluffy,

they are floating to the ground slowly.

By the time the mornings short bus ride is over,

the snow has turned into a blizzard of sorts,

the ground has turned white. The smoker is

standing at his place by the ashtray, there

is snow on his head and his shoulders.

Wish him a good morning, and hurry

to the cafe to get coffee,

Neufahrn railway and bakery

Bites the hand

Thursday, 10th January 2019

sit down for a short rest before leaving the house.

The cat uses the opportunity to climb up onto

the knees and holds out her head to be stroked.

She seems to be enjoying herself, then her tail

makes a rapid movement, she turns her head

sidewise and bites the hard that is stroking her

head. Just gently.

So stop stroking the cat, just let it lie there.

Later, the cat waits at the flat's door wanting

to go out into the corridor. Let her out, and then

go on down the stairs.

Open the front door, and see that the gpomd

is covered with fresh snow, there is snow

falling. It is good to look at, but cold underfoot.

Walk down the alley, pressing the first footprints

of the day into the white surface.

The christmas trees in the pedestrian zone

are covered in snow too. They took just

like a christmas illustration. the only problem being

that the time of year has just past now .

The smoker is in front of the railway station

happily smoking an early cigarette. The

bicycles are all buried in snow, it is now to be

seen that they have been there for at least a day.
People are not riding their bicycles to the railway station early in the morning any more.

they smell used and musty

thereis a strong breeze in the alley, it takes all the

warmth from the head and the face. It is curious,

because the breeze dies down and stops at the

end at the alley. Somehow, the wind is trapped

between the houses, capricious, to blow hard

in the centre of the alley, and not at all any

more at the end, by the church.

And then the church bells ring twice. There

is a single light in the window up at the top

of the house that contains Grimms crockery

shop. Hurry between the arches, to the right

and to the left the eafes that will open later on
 during the day. They still have Christmas trees

in pots out on the street, a left over from the

christmas parties last year.
Dolores has just left the bakery shop by the town gate,

she is wrapped up in her shawl she gives a

happy "good Morning'. Over the past years, she

seems to have become much happier.

The bus arrives, let Dolores board first. Give

the money to the driver, a five Euro note. He

is a man with a heard today, he taps the

square on his screen, and a ticket is printed by

the machine.

At the railway station wish the smoker a

good morning. Order a cup of coffee and

take a seat in the waiting room. start to

write these notes, and then get up, go to the

platform.

Take the earlier train today, the one that

goes to the airport. Avoid the delay that

occurred yesterday, as the train was held up.

Board the airport train, this is a new train

which goes directly to the Airport in Munich.

With a stop in Freising and in Moosburg.

Shortly before'the train reaches Freising,

there is an announcement saying that the

toute to the airport has been blocked. So all change at Freising. There is a sound of anger and discontent in the train. Yet another railway system that does not work.

Chenge. for the local train.
These are older carriages, they smell used and musty

day of delay

8 January 2019

The cat holds out her head, stroke the soft fur,

feel the bony skull underneath. she purrs loudly

and steadily, seeming to like the attention.

Leave the house at half past five, there is a

steady wind in the alley, driving ice cold

nearly frozen, rain. Hold the hood up over

the head, prevent it from being blown away

with the hand on the head. The frozen water

in driven into the face, the glasses are covered

with drops of water, the refraction of the light

from the street lanterns causing fields of spots

in front obstructing vision. Bright glowing

spots.

On the way to the bus stop, the snow now

a soggy mass under foot, The rain solidify-

into snow, the wind making sure the damp

stuff is blown into the face.

Dolores at the bus stop, wet and bedraggled.

The rain has turned into snow, the ground

is now covered in slush.

/

Hurry over the forecourt of the railway

station, into the bright warm stuffy cafe.

The fidgety man has reserved a table by

depositing bags all over the surface, He has

bags for his computers, his rucksack

and a plastic bag. He is like that every day,

it in much as if he is moving house.

The train is in the station on time, and

that is the end of it. The vehicle drives in, stops

and starts all the way to Moosburg.

It is a day of delay.

Bleak

7-January-• 19

Up before the sound of the alarm, go to the little

table, see that the 'phone is there, the doctors letter

set the watch, it is three minutes early.

and then take a shower, this should be something to

help wake up, to wash the sleep away.

There is snow in the street today, frozen half

thawed snow, hard and icy. Walk down the

muddle of the cobbled alley towards the

church. It is cold and dark.

At the bus stop, a friendly greeting from

Dolores, she wishes a happy new year... she

looks happy.

The bus driver says that the fare has gone

up, it is now one Euro and Thirty cents.

This is the last year of these daily bus

tourneys, the increase will not matter.

The railway station front is bleak and

deserted.

And the infection that has been there since

before christmas will not go avay.

In the waiting room there is a small thin young woman. Her eyes light up and she smiles. She is with her young child, the child in a pram. She may be from Ethiopia or Somalia, who knows.
Weeks ago she was alone and helpless on the railway platform, she did not know how the lift worked.
Now she does, and it is good to see her laughing.

fake tan

it  being cold and wet outside the glass doors at the front of the cafe have been closed, presenting the customers with a complete glass front with an opening on the right hand side. Almost every second customer tries to enter by pushing the closed doors, which are locked and do not open.
Sit inside with the son, watch the show. People overlook the fact that there is an opening only one metre away, and push and pull at the locked entrance.
It is entertaining to watch the others discomfort.

The son is drinking his coke, he woke his father up early so as to be able to go to the cafe. He likes to do this, it is a strange ritual. He sits there with his father, he does not talk much, he is just silent and happy. It is strange that this is so important.

The young girl serving in the café is friendly, she has a fake tan painted onto her skin. This is uneven at the wrists, and around the neck.
It does not matter, she is friendly.

Now there is another pushing at the closed glass door.
Customers.

It is the only baker open at this hour.

snow

look out through the window at the snow falling into the narrow back yard, Get the day clothes on, the son has already looked in, he wants to go to the cafe. This really seems important to him.

Go down to the alley, take the old metal scraper, and clear the snow from the sidewalk in front of the house. The snow is falling quickly, it is heavy snow. By the time the short stretch of path is cleared, the first part is covered in snow again. Take the scraper back into the house, and take a shovel full of salt from the plastic sack of salt that is in the old flowerpot. The flowerpot holts the plastic sack upright.

Scatter the salt lightly upon the pavement. Almost immediately, the white covering starts to melt, the clinker tiles underneath dark and wet.

Then the son arrives, and together we go to the cafe through the falling snow.
It is just past eight on a Saturday morning, the municipal workers have not started to work yet. There is not so much business on the weekend, there is no need for them to be out in force.

Pass the monument to the fallen soldiers of the last war and the one before that. It is an ugly pathetic thing which has just been cleaned recently.

The cafe is warm and steamy, place our orders and sit down.

a bleak place in space.

read the news, China's explorations have reached the far side of the moon, a bleak place in space.
The British are opting to leave the club if they cannot define the rules
-and the Americans are trying to get their democracy in order.

And the antibiotics that the doctor prescribed are functioning.

Heard the sons alarm clock sound, hear him silence it.
Waited.

The wife started to cough, she is suffering the same sickness, just a younger instance of it.
She does not wish to go to the doctor.

And then got up, there is no cause to remain in bed not sleeping.

A cup of coffee and the news on the computer in the unlit sitting room
Only the light of street lanterns shining in through the big windows.

The cat is a shadow, and it is purring happily, enjoying the early company. There is somebody there to let it out. That makes her happy. The cat is part of the family, really, and has a name.

Miriam.

the blue glow of the early dawn

the son comes into the bedroom, a shadow more in the dark room. There is no light coming from the window, the electric light in the room is not on. He comes over to the bed, and asks to go to the cafe. The regular visits to the cafe are a thing of great importance to him, even though little is spoken about during these visits. It is just about being together, being in company.

Get up and put on clothing, put on the boots that are hard to lace up easily and neatly. The son is rushing about, now looking for his shoes. See them in a corner, pick the black shoes up, and hand them over to him.

He puts them on.

The street is dark, there are icy patches on the pavement. These are remainders of the snow that had fallen yesterday.

The cafe is lit inside, it is warm and cosy looking. It is really a bakery shop, but there are a few seats on one side. Order a cup of coffee and a sugary bun, the son orders a bottle of coke and a cake of some kind.

The son coughs. A young woman in workers overalls looks at him, and wishes him a good recovery. He very obviously has a cold. The young womans hair is dyed a bright crimson, she has a friendly and concerned expression.

The son says thank you for the wishes. He has good manners.

Sit at a table in the window, the son opposite to the father. The son really is not well, he is coughing regularly, his eyes are bleary, he is slouched over his coke.

The father drinks his coffee, and finishes the sticky bun. He only has the remains of a cold, it is almost gone in his case. The son has a fresh infection, one that may get worse before it gets better.

When the coffee is finished and the bun gone, the son asks to return home, and that he will take the remains of the coke home with him.

So return in the still dark streets, the castle on the hill just becoming visible in the blue glow of the early dawn

until the dizziness goes

the strumming wake-up melody from the tablet, get up to silence it, a bout of coughing on the way across the room arresting the progress towards the small writing desk upon which the device is resting.
The brain seems to be stuck in an unsteady swirl affecting balance, and now the chest is sore.
The cold has not gone away.
Despite all good intentions, there is no way that the journey to work will be undertaken in this state.
Go back to bed.

A little later, the son's alarm clock sounds, an evil sound like a maritime klaxon. There is the sound of him struggling to silence it from bed.

Sleep for a few moments, until the dizziness goes.

There is the sound of another alarm, the son collects alarm clocks.

Then there is the sound of his footsteps, coming over to see how his father is. Tell him of the decision not to go to work today, explain.
It is six in the morning.
And it is cold.
So he jumps into the bed, under the blanket for a cuddle, for a warm up. In the last years he has grown to be a young man of fourteen, it is a strange situation, but he has this cold as well, he is suffering from the same sort of cough, the same dizziness.

A Christmas 'flu that has progressed into the new year.

And when the blankets have warmed him, he returns to his own bed

onejan

The coffee machine has been filled with citric acid all night, to dissolve the lime deposits encrusting all  it's inner workings. So the first thing in the morning all this stuff has to be flushed out, with the remaining solution of citric acid and then with plain water.

The liquid coming from the machine turns from a turgid pale yellow to clean clear during this procedure. The main concern is that the taste of the coffee should not be changed.

At the end  of it all, fill the machine with water, put coffee in the sieve, and press the button to make the first cup of coffee today. Breakfast coffee in the mornings is nice.
And the coffee is good, as always. There is no lingering taste of citric acid.

The cat, excited by all the activity, wants to leave the room, to leave the flat for the balconies.
The year has changed, the century is now nineteen, and looking to the future hope that it will develop to be more mature than all of the previous ones.
Slim hope, but let us wish.
The cat was not convinced by the cold weather outside.



The second cup of coffee from that clean machine is good too. A good start.
This is the start of the period of the year with the coldest nastiest weather.


Tomorrow will be a day of work again, the first of the year, with the same notes scribbled in the morning describing the morning between wakening and proceeding on to work, the trains and the tubes and the busses.
The coffee in the paper cup in the café.
There will be people everywhere wishing each other a happy new year.