those crazy kids

A few flanimal pics for you. Never a dull day in the lives of SpankySparkle and Mr Fluff.
Our pets ROCK!

Jetje-cat. FREAK!

The happiest whippets

Yin and Yang

wish you were here

My absolute favourite time of the year is xmas. I'm a xmas junky - it's all about the lights, the decorations, the fun and games on xmas eve, talking to family & friends on xmas day, wearing a santa hat and feeling festive. Spending xmas with family would  make it perfect, but we can't always have what we want. At least there is Skype :0)

Anyway, imagine my joy when I opened a regional newspaper that they force through the door once a week, to find a half-page article about our local xmas market! The article states that our's is a lover's market (how sweet), and that it is one of the prettiest in the region! woo-hoo!!! Go Eppstein!!!

See? Here it is:

The caption under the pic says that it is a beautiful ensemble in front of the Eppstein castle ruins.

We will be going there again this year, and I'll take some pics of the market and post it for all of you to see.

Hopefully this year will be without incident. In 2007 Mr Fluff had the unfortunate experience of being 'attacked' by a mob of teenage girls and ended up on his backside! hahahaha

Let me explain... We were standing drinking glüwein on a steepish walkway up to the castle, trying to warm up a bit and enjoying the view of the market lights. Along came a gaggle of girls down the walkway on their way to the market, happily chatting amongst themselves and not givng us a second thought. One girl accidently bumped into Mr Fluff as she walked past, causing him to stumble backwards. His unlucky foot got caught in a stray electrical wire from one of the stalls, and the steepness of the walkway was no help in balancing, and so he ended up flat on his arse with the most astounded look on his face. The girls had already passed us by this time, but turned round when they heard the loud thud as Mr Fluff hit the ground and then they all burst out laughing! I hate to admit that I was laughing too. I couldn't help it, it was just so funny! Needless to say, Mr Fluff sustained no serious injuries. Only his pride was perhaps a bit bruised. *grin*

We often remember the 'angry mob' of teenage girls that without provocation so 'viciously attacked' poor Mr Fluff. This year, we will be sure to steer clear of such onslaughts.

Here are some pics of the lovely carousel at the Eppstein Market as a taste of what is to follow soon.

 

 

 

 

the in-laws: happy 40th anniversary!

My lovely in-laws will be celebrating 40 years of married bliss on 27 November, so I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate them on this achievement. Here is a poem that I would like to dedicate to you both (I didn't write it, but mean every word):

In forty years together
You've shared so many things
That's why this very special
Anniversary brings
To you, a wish that love,
Laughter, joy, contentment too
Will be yours to share throughout
The years ahead of you!

Happy Ruby Anniversary

porridge and ice

Last week, I forget when exactly, I made polenta porridge (better known as Miele Pap in South Africa) for myself and the whippets. While I was waiting for it to cook on a slow heat with the lid on the pot, the porridge would plop loudly against the lid - like boiling mud or lava. Alula thought it was a very strange sound and she clearly didn't approve. She stood near the kitchen door and every time the porridge plopped she would bark at the pot and then look at me worriedly. It was very funny.

Alula, the original Wacky Whippet

Last weekend, on Sunday, we decided it was time to get our ice skates wet again (what with the winter sport season here and all), and so we drove to Mainz where our nearest ice rink is. It was great! The rink has been sold to the local council and they are slowly revamping the place (it is 30 or 40 years old), which meant that there were hardly any people around. It's a bit of a dump at the moment and the bistro is closed so no refreshments are to be had for a while. So what? We go there to skate.

Our skates

There were three or four 'clubbers' - women belonging to the figure skating club - taking up way too much space with their silly twirlies and crap, a dad with his little son, another dad with his wailing daughter (kids like that annoy me when they give up before they have even given themselves half a chance), and a middle aged man who is a brilliant skater (ex hockey player no doubt, and we see him whenever we go there), two other good skaters, another couple and us! How brilliant is that!!?? Space to muck about and practice old and almost forgotten skills.

We had such a laugh. Mr Fluff fell on his arse once and he went for a slide or two. Don't worry he didn't hurt himself (not like last year when I slid forwards and fell like a sack of cement onto my knees) - it was just very funny and we giggled most of the morning. I screeched loud enough for the whole place to hear me a few times (as always) when my skates didn't do as they were told, because they need sharpening and didn't grip the ice very well. Mr Fluff said a bad workman always blames his tools, but the skates do need sharpening. Honest! Nothing to do with my rusty skating abilities.

By the time we left more parents and kids were arriving.
I miss the days when I used to go to the ice rink every weekend and spend all day there, but it is so great that we were able to take it up again in Germany, where it is a popular activity that all ages participate in, and wherever we may end up for the rest of our happy lives, we intend to keep on ice skating right up to the day they forcefully remove us from the ice because walking aids are not permitted. (and that applies double to snowboarding!!)

when days are dreary

Autumn is one of my favourite seasons. I love the colours, and this is also when I get the bird feed out and start putting smiles on the faces of the little birds that come to our balcony for a free meal, but some days are just plain dreary, like today. Thankfully it didn't rain today, but everything is wet and muddy and the skies are grey. At least we got the whippets out for a run and a sniff! Silly puppies refuse to go out in the rain - they would much rather curl up together under a warm blanky. Can't blaim them, really!

Here is a muddy, recently plowed field

Some more fields and die-hard trees desperately clinging onto their last leaves

 

 

Kaya, trying to show us her teeth

Alula searching for the ever elusive moles

Autumn colours from our living room

Alula, Kaya & Jetje cuddling together

While I'm having all this crazy fun updating the blog, Bryan is sitting on the floor at the coffee table, busily updating his CV/Resume on the other laptop. Oh the fun times that lie ahead!

We have less than 5 months left in Germany!!! and who knows where we will be after that? Hmmmm, watch this space...