Panic is knocking at our doors

Today I was a bit shocked.
Not about our empty streets in Berlin, the empty stores or the empty tube (nice, even as an older person you get a seat without having to fight about it with a 14 year old...).

Outside you see: old people, men with dogs and parents (one) with a pram.

I came back - feeling like a "Hero for just one of Day,"  - yep, I still walk out in the sunshine, think that it will give my immune system a boost, as my humour  will - though that is on the downward scale by now:
I saw a neighbour from above standing in front of our house. Two days ago he had asked me whether I would translate a letter for him from Netherland to German - yes: I am able to do that now! - and of course I said that I will do that, for free.
Now he told me that it is not longer necessary: their vacation in Mailand is canceled, and their money will be refunded. (Why the letter is in Netherlands I do not know).
Fine.

Then we went inside, to our little elevator.
He said - and hurried two steps up - : "We should keep distance. I go up first!"
Jumped in and I stared at the closed door, and the elevator. Moving up.

I, I, I, - or: Me, Me, Me .

I don't expect - even not from an elderly academic as him - courtesy any more. Women want to be equal - in all aspects - So what?!

But no - not true: I expect it still.
Especially from an elderly neighbour whom I granted a favour.

So I mused a bit about how PEOPLE might act if life becomes even more  dangerous than now.
Mused about my flight to Amsterdam on Saturday, (a big birthday), and a visitor coming by train tomorrow. (He is young, I am not).

Then I thought: "What the heck!" - I don't want to sit in isolation (a little voice in my head squeaked: "You might sit there earlier than you think!" and I said: "Shut up!")

I hope it will.

As I opened my bag to get out my keys a very shiny copper cent fell out. A promise for good luck.

I might need it.

Beauty is everywhere (if you dare to look)

                                                                                              copyright Britt Holland

Ain't that cute?
(I am proud of my photo).

First I wanted to show you how Berlin looks today: empty, void, spooky.

But then I thought: No - I want to show you something beautiful.  

Beauty still exists, and everyone could see it if they would raise their eyes from their smartphone or a foaming-mouthed hysterical newspaper. 

And step outside. Into the fresh air. 

I took that photograph above last year - but the blossoms of that very tree have begun to open up now - that is a very early start, I think. This far it was two days ago:

Chaos, Enlightenment - or just Life?

Small things usually put the proverbial "final straw" on the heap.

I possess (too) many sweaters, and yesterday, when I felt a bit moody, I remembered (!) my cozy lovely forget-me-not -blue one. (Honestly: to have to remember(!) a favourite(!) tells it all...)

That was my first irritation: am I still myself if I'm not able even to remember what I love? 

The second irritation:
I could not find it. (And I am an orderly woman. OK - my apartment is unethically large - but normally I find what I am looking for).
But I didn't.
That made me think:

1) if I cannot find it in Berlin - Berlin, where I happily spend a part of my life

then it might be in

2) Amsterdam (it is near Amsterdam, but that doesn't matter here) - Amsterdam, where I happily spend a part of my life

or, if it isn't in Amsterdam,

then it might be in

3) Bavaria    (as you know: I respect the wish for privacy of son and DiL and the triplets (though they do not care about privacy - they are half a year old now) - Bavaria - where I happily spend a part of my life now.

Seems I lost track. 
Seems - though I love it in all three places! - I lost me (a bit).

The forget-me-not-blue sweater might be just a symbol that LIFE throws at me (Nay: it hides it from me! The cozy lovely thing! My soul-comforter!)

Here you see one (!) result of my deep thinking: blogland has me back.

The Beatles sing "I say hello - and you say good-bye"   (thought that line always a bit irritating -  and prefer the Stones).

And hope you say "Hello" too!

I am a GRANDMA now...

... and very, very happy!

Mother and children are healthy and full of "joei de vivre", zest for life.

And yes, my dear attentive reader: I really wrote   "children".

And not "only" two - oh no:  as son, (2.02m), does most things large-scale - we have:

                                                         triplets!!!                              
                                                  Three little girls.  

                                          I am happy and very grateful. 


                                                             

(This stork sat one evening on top of a cathedral in Colmar - one stop of our holidays in hot July) 

Foxy

When I came to university last week, I saw him at once.
Do you remember one of my old posts about the wooden fox (who then disappeared?)

 I am curious, always wanted to know things precisely.
(Well - why you English have the saying "Curiosity kills the cat" I found out later, under different circumstances - in another Life...)

So: I asked around. The janitor told me that someone had stolen the sculpture.
NOT OK!

Now there stood this one.

He didn't look quite young.  Wiser, white hair over night (well - over a few month).
A fox in sheepskin?

I went and - of course, being me - touched him.
Stone cold.
So: This time it will be much -- heavier --- to steal him!

Gritting my Teeth...

It is so hot in Berlin (I like that, I am NOT complaining) that one needs little gentle pushes to keep the circulation going.
One push into the right direction is this advertising in front of the HUGE KaDeWe. Our most luxurious shop in Berlin.
So - what will our hip Berlin advertisers tell us?

- Will they remind me of my dentist-appointment tomorrow? (Yes, after 8 years of being utterly true I changed my Hamburgian wonderful dentist to a hopefully also wonderful dentist in Berlin - the journey by train is too long, and the fare pretty high).
And: I want to meet my Hamburgern friends from now on without a swollen lip - hope they will recognise me... :-)

- Or: will they remind me that beauty lies in the eye of the beholder? (If so - sorry boys: I will NOT buy that lipstick - thank you, but thank you no !)

- Or: will they remind me of Shakespeare's famous lines :"There are more things between heaven and earth, Horatio/ Than are dreamt of in your philosophy" ? 

- Or are they jumping on the band waggon of "diversification"? Only Germany, I think, can have such an extended debate on putting officially an " * " between our gender-specified words like "StudentInnen"  (Student, der = male; Studentin, die = female - and, being fair: officially and short "StudentInnen", pl - thus demonstrating that there are men AND women who study - and now they fight for the rights of the  third " * " group of transgender people. We are asked to write that into each and every text, dear "reader- * -resse".
Uiiii....

OK - their only aim might be to catch my attention. True: they have it.

BUT......

A Few Days in Tirol, Austria

We were so lucky: the weather in Austria was utterly fine, and thus The Flying Dutchman was able to show me many places where he had stopped with his parents on their way to Italy - long time ago.

The little village... and vibrant nature...

A Wallfahrtskirche that was a bit spooky (inside) ...

But outside the sun and after a good icecream-coffee ...

... the scary impression was blown away... like dandelions ...

...waterfalls ...

We went up to a mountain in Hopfgarten, the Hohe Salve, that is over 1800 m high

...flying lightly with the cable car (if that is the right expression for Seilbahn)

...over huge snow field (but it was hot!) - and then:
                                                What a sight!