Howth is hardly visible

 It was a typical evening in the Phoenix Park, yesterday. It was a gala put on by people who need to save money, and the result was a veneer of finery which failed to hide the underlying incompetence. Starting with the incompetent service behind the service counter, the sharp rebuke that the menu was visible on a small poster snapped out by an obviously overworked and inexperienced service person, down to the overly liberal and fully incompetent placing of the food on the plates. Finally, upon returning to the seat discover that the young carrots were ancient carrots that hat been pared down to look like young carrots, the salad is hot with curry, and the fish is cold. The potatoes are steam boiled then fried.

It is good that the meal was free of charges.

Finally, a waiter came along, removed the biscuits on the desert plate from said plate and placed them on the table, then cleared away the plate. Without a word, he was just getting his job done.

The meal was a gala meal, and free, and everyone looked about as if they were consuming something special.

One could be sorry for the young sheep, the cattle, and the fish that had to die to produce such a meal.

An attempt at high class on a low budget.

This morning the sun is bright, it is still cool. Howth is hardly visible in the haze, and the brother is up and getting ready for the day. A cup of coffee and a chat, it is all very pleasant.

just bring things back

 Slept like a king, no worries that anything was going to go wrong. Listened to the noises coming from the other side of the flat, the brother and his wife preparing to go down to the garden show. They were worried last night, and they are in a hurry in the morning in order to beat the traffic and to find a spot to park the car.

As soon as they have gone, get up and start to work on the camera. The problem is difficult to understand, the machine has various controls which are arranged as menus. It is all symbols, and some of these symbols disappear under certain conditions, others remain all the time.

It is confusing.

The brother telephones, they have won the two gold medals that they were after, and are the best in the show. He and his wife receive congratulations.

There is a sound on the phone, it is the neighbour. She wants to take the dog for a walk. Bring the dog down and chat. Throw a ball for one of the other dogs, and it returns it. Throw again, and the game repeats itself. It would be possible to run that dog to its death, and it would enjoy every minute of it. This is stange. The brothers dog, the lurcher is built for running fast. The other dog is a retriever, and it always finds the ball, even when it is overtaken by the speedy lurcher. The lurcher is a fast hunter killer dog, the retriever just brings things back.

Speak to the lady of the house for a while, she has arrived in her car. She and the dog walker are both going to the garden show. She is full of praises for the brother and his wife.

sounds of silence

 Yesterday was exhausting, the camera was being difficult. Life is not easier in every way with all of this electronic assistance that is being provided by even the simplest gadget these days. A camera, which used to be a simple gadget where shutter timing, aperture size and focus where the three controls dealing with the way in which motion is depicted, the depth of field, and the sharpness of the image are controlled, has now mutated into a device with a complexity of pre programmed functions, all with their own names.

It has become more complicated.

And if you are not working in series, then it is slower too.

Last night was a night of deep sleep, and today was an awakening with cramps in the calves of both legs. It was a considerable effort yesterday to clean the dirt from the wooden paths before taking the pictures.

This morning a short email was written to the camera company hoping for a solution to a problem with the camera back.

The brother left the house early, today is press day at the garden show. Tomorrow is judgement day, and it will then be seen whether or not he has been awarded the gold medal that he had hoped for.

Now the big flat in the grand house is silent but for a dripping tap and a buzzing fly. 

And the sound of fingers tapping on a computer keyboard.

some other day

 It was a difficult day in the  company of the brother and his wife, they worked on their stand. There were a very few pictures to be taken, then the  boards to be scrubbed. They had to be scrubbed, for otherwise they would not have been clean.

In the evening, there were more pictures to be taken, and there was much less activity there. It was more pleasant. There were groups of judges wandering around adjudicating the various show gardens, all created with care and attention.

The brother's has a good chance of a good award.

There are other difficulties, they are personal, and they will be mentioned some other day

lurcher

 The dogs snout is long, long enough to reach from the edge of the bed to the sleepers face. The wetness of the cold nose and the damp tongue makes the eyes open. It is a large black dog, skinny like all lurchers. It has the long snout with the eyes directing their gaze straight into that human face.

Get up, get dressed, put on a few clothes and go into the living room. The brother is lying on the sofa, just like a lurcher, sprawled with his arms and legs pointed out in every direction. Comment on this after wishing him good morning. He says that he is just trying it out, the dog seems happy and comfortable.

It is quite a splendid day, perhaps taking pictures today will work better than it did on the previous days.

And now it is time to make a second cup of coffee.

The brother has gone to his business to arrange something, he has taken his lurcher along with him.

The sunny day is warm, the flat is pleasant and there is a view across Dublin, Howth poking its head out of Dublin bay, and in the other direction all the way across the city to the airport and beyond. 

The field in front of the window is covered in green with thousands and thousands of bright yellow buttercups . There are three horses grazing in the field.

a passing aircraft

 Such s quiet day, an early awakening, and no thought of pressure. Across Dublin bay there are only clouds, the head of Howth is not visible. The brother is in a hurry, he hands over the keys to his fllat in the grand old house.

Make a cup of coffee, then attend to the pictures on the computer. They were difficult to make and they are difficult to produce. But at least there will be something to discuss in the evening. The work on the object had not been finished yet.

Leave the house for the pleasure grounds, walk through the ancient beauty of the old lawns and the monstrous trees. The glasshouse in which the sister died so many years ago is still standing, it has not changed much in sixty five years. Natasha would be sixty eight now.

Walk around the park and back home. A few pictures of trees, and that is all.

Later take a walk down to Ballyboden, the roads have changed and there is so much more traffic on the roads. In the convenience store there buy a packet of butter and a small packet of biscuits. Walk back home. it is no more than a couple of kilometres. Still, tiredness sets in, take a rest and lie down on the bed and sleep for a while.

Afterwards finish the photos, and write this blog. It is a restful day,  there is no background noise but for the tinnitus hiss and a passing aircraft.

some good and a lot of talk

 The structure is a tall mass of wooden laths held together by screws. It sways gently in the wind. There is a film maker there who is effusive and talkative. That is all well, it is a nuisance that needs to be lived with. The man is friendly, but it is a break to the concentration.

The sun proceeds and shows the forest floor in the middle of the the hole in the pond. It is a square hole lined with mirrors, It is hard to grasp exactly what is being looked at.

Set up the tripod, move around with the light.

The day's start was early, and its end is late.

There were a few good pictures made.

Perhaps

 In the morning get the equipment ready for the day's work, and then realise that the brother is only going to go to his show garden later on. That is all right, lie down and take a rest.

Later, we leave the flat and hand his dog over to a dog sitter. She will care for the dog all day, that is convenient. She likes dogs in general, and she likes the brothers lurcher dog in particular.

Let the brother drive down to the Phoenix Park where the garden show is due to take place. The site is a hive of activity, there are exhibitors putting up their stands everywhere. The brother's stand is the tallest of them all, and is certainly an object of beauty. A framework of wooden laths stands over a still pond with an opening its centre, at the bottom of which there is a forest floor. It is all very nicely done.

The sons wife is planting the forest floor in the pit in the middle of the lake. The pit is walled with mirrors,  in which the floor of the pit is reflected. The still water of the pool around the pit reflects the wooden structure above.

The weather is not useable for photographs, it is too grey. Also, the activity round about is disturbing. Help the brother place a few large stones in the pool, to serve as islands. The pool is not deep, only a very few centimetres. The work is hard, because the rocks are very heavy.

Then a group of people turn up with a politician, the Irish representative to the European Commission. The European Commission is the sponsor for the stand. and they have brought a photographer to take pictures for the papers.

Chat with one of the young workers while everyone is busy getting their pictures taken.

And then, later on, return to the brothers flat with the brother in his Land Rover,

Perhaps the photographs may be made in the morning.

electrical car

 Awaken before the alarm sounds,and go downstairs. Make no breakfast, it is too early for that.Then take the two suitcases and the two bags through the town to the bus stop. The cobble stones and the plastic wheels on the suitcases do not appear to be compatible. Try to find the smoothest area of cobbling.

Wait for the bus, and then take it to the station. At the station decide to have a coffee. The lid on the paper cup does not seal properly and a few drops of the brown hot liquid land on the white shirt. That is too bad.

The train is five minutes late, but that is not too bad. The train goes all the way to the airport, with the final stop in the basement of the terminal.

The airport is very efficient, with a machine to check in the baggage. Put the stickers onto the two big pieces of luggage, and see the conveyor belt take the two pieces of luggage away.

At the next stop the machine that X-Rays the luggage nas broken down. This causes a nervous wait of about half an hour.

Finally arrive at the gate in time, even a little bit early.

The flight itself was not particularly interesting, there was a cup of coffee and a piece of cake.

The sad news came in Dublin, the brother was ill and could not collect as promised. Take a taxi, and that is the first time ever in an electrical car.

He is happy as a result.

Today is packing day, tomorrow morning early the bus will be taken to the station, and then the train to the  airport and then the plane to Dublin. Hopefully it will all work out. There is a bus at five forty.

The decision was made today to buy a second fare for a second big bag. All of the packing and choppint and tricking about would be just to complicated. And that little bit of extra space might be good for a much greater level of comfort in Ireland. For the time being, buy only one fare for an extra bag in only one direction. There will be plenty of time to buy a fare for the return journey next month.

The excitement is mounting, and hopefully, nothing, absolutely nothing, has been forgotten.

There were whinging complaints from a colleague who cannot deal with computers today. So reduce all the pictures to Instagram size and send them on to him.

He is happy as a result.

Perhaps things will be all right after all.

 it is sadly said most difficult to pack equipment without a custom case that fits the sizes demanded by the airlines. Fiddle about all day trying to find a suitable method, it just is not easy at all. Wake up badly again, this will continue on and on this way. It is just not easy to get up.

It was a delight to receive a phone call from the long ago love yesterday, there is no understanding why it the call was made, there was no reason given and none asked for. The voice never aged, even after thirty five years.

The baggage allowance on aircraft has been reduced, and that is sad. The valuable camera will have to go into the hold, even though that is not at all the preferred method. But it will be one extra thing to look forward to in Ireland, in Dublin. Time spent trying to make a fitting picture of the brother's works and maybe time spent in the mountains.

Remeasuring the large leftover suitcase, it turned out that the size was exactly right. All the gear fitted in, barely.

Perhaps things will be all right after all.

This is sad and too bad

 The plan was to be up early, and as far as waking was concerned, it worked.

But that was all.

At eight, make breakfast, and then sit around in pyjamas finishing the pictures taken at the party the day before yesterday.

That, and a few hours later, send the pictures on their way. Who cares, all is done. The man will never look at them anyway. That is the way with seventy four year olds.

Disturb a radio reporter and have a cup of coffee at the place of his choice. Then go home, and check the camera equipment. When all is done, the radio reporter rings up on the phone, go out to a group of young people running a farm nearby. Take a few pictures there for a few hours, and now return.

Hunger is gnawing at the insides, there is not much left to eat. This is sad and too bad.

just a little bit less sick

 Up early and away.

That was the plan, and it worked more or less. Collecting the elderly Argentinian gent worked well, and the journey down to Tittling was no problem either. But the various activities that needed to be undertaken in that town itself and the surroundings were awkward and difficult. The man visited is seriously ill he suffers from a lung disease, one which is steadily destroying his lungs. He has to carry a small oxygen flask around with him, and this makes everything difficult. It will only last for two hours or so and he needs to return home to refill it.

Things go wrong with the refilling and it all takes time. He is also very concerned with himself, and his fear of imminent death makes all conversation difficult.

It is a beautiful day, time is spent motoring around and showing him things that he knows and remembers and wants to show. He says that it was a special day for him too.

Then drive back home, an hour on the motorway and then it is done.

The strangest thing, the man seemed better after the day, he was just a little bit less sick

garden party

 The morning was spent wastefully, indolently. Things were measured and small amounts of knowledge were garnered. Then, at one thirty, the journey to the centre of town was started to visit the photographer friend, the man who talks much about himself  and has a spelendid memory. He has three beautiful daughters and a couple of pretty grandchildren too.

He has a garden party and he is seventy four and he has a number of serious health issues behind him. There are Munich people at the party, and they are all self centred.

The admiring attentions of a very young woman are disconcerting, play football with her and her brother. Mind the grill for a while, and then take a few pictures.

Leave, and drive home. The car appears to be functioning well, there are vague hopes that the problems with the oil consumption have dissipated. It would be nice if they were finally cured.

Drive slowly, but drive more quickly than on the inward journey. 

Try to keep the petrol consumption down.

things

The alarm on the 'phone sounds, fumble, and then concentrate to touch the correct position on the small screen to silence the inane jingle. 

The rain has stopped, there is the sound of dripping from all the gutters and eaves in the neighbourhood. It is a pleasant thought that nature has taken over the chore of watering the plants in the courtyard for today.

Relax for half an hour, pure indolence and laziness takes over. Then get up, go downstairs, go to the loo, feed the cat and make breakfast. Breakfast has become such an important anchor for the day. Eggs on toast, and today an avocado pear.

Before going downstairs again make up the bed.

Enjoy a shower, taking the trouble to wash all the sleep and so forth down the drain. Then, with washed hair and still in pyjamas start checking the details for the train journey to meet the departure next week. There is excitement at the thought of leaving for Dublin and taking pictures of the brothers construction in the Phoenix Park.

Smoke blows past the window, somebody, a neighbour, has started using their stove. Shortly after the seeing the smoke become aware of the smell of burning firewood. 

The bells outside have stopped ringing, it is ten in the morning and there are things that need to be done.

morning time

A day that starts of with pottering about. Pottering about in the slovenly kitchen, trying first to clear a space to make breakfast in, and having succeeded in this, trying to clear the general mess in the kitchen. There is no success here, for it becomes increasingly clear that this work will be undone within minutes of any of the other parties to this space working here. So fill the dishwasher, clear the workspace a bit, sweep the floor and clean the sink. Leave the stacks of shopping and the rotting vegetables where they were left by their purchasers. It is a crying shame to see what could be a pleasant space turned into a disaster area.

Take the dark clothing that needs to be washed downstairs to the washing machine. Read the mail that has come into the computer in the mean time, read the news, write this blog.

The day has begun, the sunlight outside is creeping around all of the corners into the upstairs room.

The clocks are all ticking, all showing the same time.

Rhea birds, ducks and flamingos, donkeys and llamas

 The journey to Bayreuth was interesting and exciting. Apart from the pleasure of meeting the son again and being able to enjoy his company the journey itself represented a break in what has turned into being a routine. The journey started with a visit to that Swedish emporium to buy a cheap mattress and some bedclothes. The Swedish emporium offered its usual organised chaos. After an hours search in the store the  item was found. The woman who had given directions had been equipped with out of date information.

The two hour journey to Bayreuth was stressful with all of that fast-moving German traffic. But the afternoon and evening spent with the son was really most pleasant company. His cooking is really good these days. 

A walk was taken  along an old railroad track now converted into a cycle path. The walk ended at a park surrounding a lake. The weather was nice, it was evening and it was nice to see the animals that were kept in the park. Rhea birds, ducks and flamingos, donkeys and llamas.

The night was spent on the floor in the sons apartment, comfortable on the thin new mattres covered with quilt from the same company.

The early morning was spent washing up the dishes, and then after a cup of tea the return journey to Landshut was started.

Apart from a road blockage by the police the journey was uneventful. The blockage took place in order to be able to safely salvage  a van with a trailer that had broken down in the centre of a motorway junction near regensburg.

now

Wake and wonder what the time is. The eyes will not permit the reading of the clock, that is a drawback of growing older. Things lose their function, eventually it all becomes weaker. The mind too. The concept that the only time that you have to do things in is now, for things and conditions will be different in the future. Putting things aside and leaving them fractionally done (half done, quarter done, just a concept) is a mistake. It is wrong.

Do it and finish it.

Make breakfast and sit there looking at the untidiness in the own room. Be thankful that the room is there, and is usable. A friend writes and wishes for confirmation of a date on Friday

Confirm.

This morning there still needs to be a shower taken, and those pills taken too. At ten to the car and a long drive up to Bayreuth, to visit the son and to have a conversation. Exactly what it is to be about is as yet 

unknown

Take the pills and make the bed

now

limit

 when evening came on this day the thirteenth of may the beginning of the day was nearly forgotten. There was time spent practicing with the view camera, the electronic controls are all most unsatisfactory. It is a shame that something so expensive should have such a strange interface. The results are marvellous, but the way there is not so easy.

Tomorrow there will be a drive to visit the son, a journey of some one hundred miles, or one hundred and sixty kilometres, however you like to express this. It will be a relaxing day, hopefully.

Today was hot, and the home is uncomfortable. There is the impression that the wife is being messy deliberately, whatever on earth will be served by such behaviour. The pictures taken yesterday are done and dusted now, some are good and others are not so good.

There was a bit of a walk through town today to buy a Döner Kebab. This is a strange form of meat rich nourishment, but there had been no chance to go to the Thai place today.

The truth of the matter is that this life in more advanced age has turned into a form of hopscotch, attempting to land in a suitable position after every jump, and knowing that at some point a limit will be reached.

white fluffy clouds

 Collected today by the artist pair after a short walk to the meeting point at the tax office. It is Sunday, and Monday is probably a deadline for there are people pulling up one after the next and delivering large brown envelopes to the official post box of the building.

Wait a while, the artists telephone that they are going to be late. It does not matter, read the American news on the phone, and in no time at all the time has elapsed.

Later in the day, beyond Regensburg, there is a stop at a gallery, one with a huge converted barn and a cellar. There is an opening there, and there are many well-off looking art connoisseurs there admiring all the paintings, all of which are very good, It was a complete and very sound exhibit.

The journey went on to another exhibit in an old mill, a huge building. All of the implements had been removed., the space was entirely open. There was one man showing his skill at painting flowers, they were good, but there were too many of them, he was showing a production.

Another man was showing his pictures of plants made with keyhole cameras. These were many and some were good. The show as such was exhausting, it was too much. But the technology was fine, it was interesting. Fewer pictures would have said more.

Then there was a delicious meal in the neighbouring beer garden with the artists. It was amazingly well cooked, all very well done. The end of the day was a walk in the garden of the old brewery and mill.

A perfect day.

Bright sunlight all day, a clear blue sky with white fluffy clouds.

Back at home, the domestic tension starts to gnaw again.

it is just too bad

 All things considered, today is comfortable and peaceful.  Yesterdays pictures are done, the medicine in the morning was remembered as was the Wordle game of the day.

Around town was peaceful, eggs and coffee were bought, and a decision to buy a new pair of shoes was made. These are a pair of Clarks desert boots. They seem much too expensive, but that is what you get for buying shoes in a shop in town.

The son has returned from Bayreuth, he seems content. He says that he has become used to the student lifestyle. This is all very well, and he has also got used to minding his flat. He has made an invitation to go up and to see him there on Tuesday.

That should be both fun and interesting.

Take a walk to the nearest paper store in the new shoes. On the way there, realise that they are going to have to be broken in somewhat, the soles of the feet are sore after a while. At the paper store, buy some envelopes and then return. On the way back, the new shoes are no longer so painful to the feet. If these things do not get better it will become necessary to buy a set of insoles.

The day is splendid, the wife has returned home. All she does is glare angrily. It is just too bad.

cooing at another time

 It is forty minutes past nine in the morning, and the day is fine. The stomach and the bowels are sore, perhaps it was too much coffee, who knows?

In one hours time it will be time to leave with the two artists, they want pictures of a display in town. This will be work, though their company is always pleasant. The weather is too bright, but nothing is going to change that soon.

The indigestion has got worse, go downstairs to deal with the matter, and then upstairs again to put all the bags into order for the expedition. And now it is two minutes past ten. In the rooms there are three clocks, they all show the same time. They were collected from different sources, there are two German clocks which have electromagnetic winders and one French clock which works using an electromagnet to deliver an impulse to the pendulum. They are all reasonably accurate, this was a craze some years ago. They have a certain tictoc beauty, and they are very much more valuable now than they were when they were acquired.

Time is passing now, and there is little sense in starting anything in a big way.

It is just a matter of hoping that the matter with the bowels will resolve itself soon. This is an unpleasant matter to talk about and probably not so comfortable reading matter.

But the interim at the open door with the light from the sunlit sky coming in with the birdson outside is just pleasant. A cawing crow passes by, the rough sound is a contrast. There are no pigeons to be heard, they will start all their cooing at some other time.

fifty euros and a slice of roast pork

 The struggle with the internal hounds continues. Maybe they are cats, not hounds, for they like to spend so much of their time sleeping and also seducing their host to spend time in the company of old Hypnos. Stick to the important routines and continue, read the news and see that common sense has prevailed in northern America. Play the New York Times Wordle game, and get it right yet again. A struggle with five letter words in English.

A shower and breakfast, life is good where things are going well.

There is a new message, there is praise for the catalogue from a third party. It is nice to read the short missive, it is all friendly praise. Criticism is great, but praise is more pleasant.

There is a request to take more pictures in Munich, even including payment. Perhaps this will be better than the last thing, where a nights work was paid for with fifty euros and a slice of roast pork.

sorting

 The day was strange, waking was a problem, as always. Perhaps it will become necessary to take up walking again, to try and bring the body back into condition once more. It is just difficult when everything is so lazy and sleepy.

The day was strange with a bill arriving from the mecahnic, charging for things that he did not do, or checks that he did twice when once would have done the trick too.

The bill is higher thatn expected.

There are things to be sorted, and also start to worry about the packaging of the equipment for the upcoming short holiday in Ireland. It is not easy and it is not going to be free of risks. It would be a shame if stuff was stolen.

The package with the new shirts arrives. It will now be possible to throw a few of the older and increasingly threadbare shirts away.

These are staccato days, it is just not clear what exactly is going on. It is time to start a new project. It is raining outside, and a short visit to the cafe does not really reduce the misery.  Return home, set up the ironiing board and iron all of the light trousers for the coming summer. That takes a few hours, and that is the end of the day. Just the clothes dryer needs to be emptied and the clothes sorted and put away.

Look forward to working in the Phoenix park

 The intention this morning was to clean up the bathroom, but this was only moderately successful. It was just too filthy. The floor with all those many many badly laid tiles caused nothing but problems, for the grouting had not been properly done years ago and is just an ugly dirt trap now. The high lime concentrations in the water have made keeping the shower clean a difficult undertaking at the best of times. And these are not those best times.

Use the small rotating mop to work on the shower. Use the scrubber on the floor. Wipe the surfaces. Mop up the residues.

The water in the bucket changes from deep black to milky tea to almost clear.

The time that elapses is about three hours.

The bathroom looks better afterwards, but it is not finished.

Leave the house, walk about town, and have a bowl of soup at the usual place.

Then go home, and there is a sudden fit of depression and tiredness. It is a thing to look forward to, the holiday in Ireland and the pleasure of being the one to take the pictures of the construction in the Phoenix park.

Listen to the rain commencing

 The day started with the sound of the front door slamming. It was earlier than eight, the wife has some sort of early shift now. She has taken to earning her own pocket money now, which is a good thing. It is a matter of pride for her. 

Shower, and then make up the room.

The bathroom is in a state, that will have to be done.

Then take a look at the internet problem. There is no connection, says the system. Try to use the telephone's hot spot, this works. Then try to solve the problem using the provider's fault finding system. That ends up with the message that everything is in order, the fault must be elsewhere. Write a note to the son, he telephones back and provides the information that his server under the stairs has maybe given up the ghost. Go down and switch it on. Now the system works, but really very slowly. Reboot the small upstairs router. Then attend to the repeater.

Now the system works again.

It is eleven.

The telephone rings, it is the Argentinian man. He has a problem, he needs a page from a file printed. Tell him to send the file over, which he does. Print it twice, and wander down to the café. Receive a cup of coffee and have a short chat. He has to deal with German officialdom later. He is concerned that appearing there in shorts would undermine his credibility.

Have a bowl of Thai soup in the Thai soup kitchen,

Visit the shops later on, buy things. A bag of apples that will later turn out to be overripe and partly decaying. Some bread and some pretzels and a package of cheap cheese. And, as an afterhought, a bottle of vinegar and a supply of cat food.

Later on, the son turns up, he has an appointment to deal with in Landshut. It has something to do with his friends from school.

He is upset, because there was cat vomit on the steps, and he stepped into it.

Wash down the steps

Wite these notes.

Listen to the rain commencing.

never again

 The party yesterday was somewhere between strange and awful. It was like a job. It was taking pictures of grtuoups for whatever reason people take pictures of groups, there is no reason for going to a party just to get your picture taken.

The whole afternoon was spent taking pictures of party goers. These were not interesting people, they were just  people who had difficulties having a good time.They all sat about at their tables, and when the food was finished they drank.

And then they left.

After having a picture taken. This was all very strange. It really was..

And today was spent getting the pictures into order and all nicely edited.

A waste of time.

In the evening a telephone call, thank you for taking the pictures, and the hostess meant to give fifty Euros for the trouble.

That is all such awaste of time, the payment is almost insulting.

Now it is the evening of the next day, and a visit to the pub is in order.

valve cover

 Early, the alarm made strange noises, and was quickly silenced. Downstairs the time was taken to wash carefully and then to make breakfast. Today is an avocado day, the fruits have been on the shelf for long enough for their flesh to soften and to become edible. There are plenty of eggs, crush the one empty egg carton underfoot and discard it in the waste paper container. It was crushed so that it would take up less space. Egg cartons are a wonderfully ecologhical package, they will turn into waste paper with no problems and hardly any residue.

Breakfast upstairs, read the news. There is much happening in the world, the world is turning back into a hostile place in many of those parts that had been peaceful. The town is silent, it is early on Saturday morning.

When the news has been read and all is done about the room, when the pills have been taken and the clothes put on it is time to leave for the repair shop. This is a Saturday morning repair that was offered last week.

Walk through the town that seems so completely asleep at half past eight in the morning. There is hardly any traffic either, and those ten kilometres to the shop are done in quarter of an hour. The mechanic is there already, he proudly shows the new part. It is all made of plastic.

Exactly like the one that is dirty and covered in oil.

The bonnet of the car is raised and with no waste of time the covers are removed from the cylinder heads, the ignition coil assembly is removed, the connectors are put to one side, and the old plastic lid is removed.

Admire the two cam shafts, both now plainly in view.

Then the new valve cover  is carefully placed on the cylinder head and all the screws tightened. The remaining bits and pieces are assembled and the job is done.

Later, take the car on a drive. No faults are apparent, it seems to be using much the same amount of fuel as it did before. It has become impossible to provoke smoke from the exhaust pipe. That is a good sign.

After filling the tank at a strange petrol station return home.

That was the mornings work.

in hopeful anticipation of a feed

 The night was silent but for the distant screams of some bird in the park. It was really very silent.

Then in the morning the birdsong started everywhere, as a sort of harbinger of the summer.

Got up, and noticed that the weather had become chilly again, well, it is that time of year. The locals call it "Übergangszeit". They do have a name for everything.

A small trip taken to the shops today, to buy a few necessary things, and on the way back to have the little pump spray bottle refilled at the opticians. It is really a most useful thing, it is a great thing to clean up glasses with Also computer screens. The day ha evolved around these things, the second hand camera bag arrived and it is really most beautiful. It is of greater capacity than the old one and it will be possible to transport more items without causing trouble.

Return home to be greeted by the cat. It scampers up the stairs in hopeful anticipation of a feed.

dissatisfaction and a satisfactory result.

 The early trip to the lawyers office proved to be a waste of time. He spent his time reading things from a screen, that is what you get for legal insurance. He receives little, so therefore he gives not much. Too bad.

Leave, just a little bit disgruntled. 

Before the lawyer there was a vist to the bank. That was funny, it was necessary to make three signatures on two bits of paper. All that happened is that an account was dissolved, an account that was superfluous anyway. But the move had to be made with the proper permissions.

At home after that cleared up the kitchen a bit, and charged the dishwasher.

And after that there was the frustrating experience with the lawyer.

Printed out the pictures of Mary lou and Giovanni and emptied the dishwasher. Filled the washing machine.

Walked on up to the small restaurant with the pictures. Amid cries of "Belissima" the Argentinian who had been met on the way and the photographer both got an espresso.

Accompany the Argentinian to his favourite bar and have a glass of water. He is enjoying himself looking at the proprietress, who is good looking and the waitress who is pretty.

Leave him to his fun and go to the Turkish stall and have a Kebap.

On the way home take several photographs which are quite satisfactory.

the facades of Landshut

 Woke Early. The meaning of woke is some past tense form of the verb "to waken". As far as Americans appear to be  concerned it is a favourable treatment of anybody indulging in non-mainstream sexual practices.

In this case it is the end of sleep at  five in the morning. Lay there enjoying the silence, then the sound of the peacocks some nine hundred metres away, closely followed by the sound of a next door hen. The twittering of the sparrows adds to the concert, as does the occasional call of  the blackbird. A joy and a beauty to waken to.

Leave the other meaning of Woke to those in America who are advocating the placement of those awaiting  a child under surveillance in order to prevent post conceptional child abuse. 

There is no talk from the lawmakers to makie the biological parents joint debtors with respect to a child's upbringing until it comes of age. Many men could be forced to pay, for proof is easy enough today. Maybe this would lead to a greater personal responsibility for conception, cos who just wants to have to pay regardless?

Silly thoughts have no place here. Reading the New York times and a few other American papers is probably bad for the mind, leave these thoughts to enjoy the day. Pack the tiny picture printed yesterday into an envelope and walk up the hill through the park to deliver this to the camera collector. He deserves this for all the ideas that he has shared.

And in a fit of tidiness, water the plants in the courtyard. That is all done, then tidy the yard too. Now it looks a tiny bit more presentable.

Now it is time to go out and to use the bright sunlight lightly diffused by the haze to take colour pictures of the facades of Landshut