It's a safety mechanism Fez You have no idea how long it takes Mrs Colognehornet to get from one end of a shopping arcade, or high street to the other - she stops and looks in every shop window for an eternity.
Ah. When we get around to our Rhein cruise, which will almost certainly from Köln, I'll see if we can arrive a couple of days earlier... Mrs Fez will be in her element, and we'll just have to, erm, take our "medicine" whilst they do...
Morning all. Overcast with rain forecast for this afternoon, so I need to complete the cleaning of the garden water feature, if you can call it that. I was given a large bowl and a solar-powered fountain. Some large white stones were bought, and during a sunny day it will burble away quite happily. The problem is that it has attracted mosquitos, that have laid their eggs in the bowl, and now has to be cleaned out. Started emptying it yesterday, but the mucky part was left until today. So now dressed for it, I hope to finish it before it rains. Have a good day everyone.
Very sunny in the UK. Just got back from Hackney's 70th Birthday bash and met up with a whole group of Snorbens friends from the era... One or two not seen in 50 years. Needless to say much talk about our misdeeds. Hackney and I managed a WFC chant amongst all the celebrations.....
Morning all. Overnight rain and a mixture of sunshine and showers forecast for the rest of the day. We are into the second week of the Cannes Film Festival. I have no idea how many films the jury has to sit through before announcing the winner, but suspect it is enough to make you bleary-eyed. I once made the mistake of going to the town while it was in full swing, and there was total gridlock for miles around, and once in the temporary one way system there was no turning back. Without the festival, it is worth a visit, but do not try eating along the seafront if you are on a budget. Have a good day everyone.
Forget the cruise. Go by bike - the Rhein gorge is just magical. Places to stay - and you control the pace.
We did a great river cruise from Budapest to the Black Sea and then a few days in Transylvanian hills.............
It's now possible to take a cruise from Amsterdam, or Rotterdam to the Black Sea, via the Rhine-Main-Danube canal. The highest point of the canal is 406m above sea level, which is the highest point on earth navigable by seabound commercial watercraft. I've done a cruise on the Moselle - lots of winding valleys and some of the best wines in Germany - as far as Cochem and Trier. So that's my bit done for the German tourist board Also had many a happy hour on the Elbe whilst living in Hamburg - one of the few cities where public transport tickets for the buses and trains in the city are valid for water transport as well. There is a lot of rivalry between the two rivers here - never speak longingly about the Rhine in Hamburg or about the Elbe in Cologne
Morning all. Back from a trip to the garage to try and get my aircon working again. I was recommended to go to this one as they have more specialized equipment than most. My French is usually understood, but my knowledge of words not often used, such as car parts, is sadly lacking. Luckily, all the garages I have used come up with the same "clim" abbreviation of acclimatation. After a spot of tugging on tubes and hoses, the man said they would have to have it in. Alright, knowing the hot weather will soon be with us, I want it fixed. Looking at his booked in jobs, the first free space is two weeks away. The temperature will just have to stay moderate for a bit longer. Have a good day everyone.
Morning all. Sunny and comfortably warm today, so a day of gardening beckons. My large yellow bin is now full of packaging, plastic bottles, and paper that we have collected over the past month, and will be collected by the dustman today. At one time this would all have gone off to landfill, but now it is recycled at the centre that gets larger by the year, and costs us all a lot more than the hole in the ground approach. Have a good day everyone.
Morning all. Sunshine one minute, cloudy the next; all driven by a stiff breeze. The road I need to take to go to the physio had signs to say it would be closed for two days. Took an alternative route to avoid it, but when returning noticed the signs had gone. They had tarred and gravelled it for half a kilometre, which had taken two hours, so why they had allowed two days was a mystery. C'est la vie. Have a good day everyone.
Morning all. Just like summer today, warm and dry. Last season Chateauroux had one of the top scorers in the league, Thomas Robinet, known in this house as the tap man. (French plumbing nouns explains why.) The fans were not happy when he left last summer to join Nancy, where he no doubt was paid more. Mercenary was one of the more polite terms used about him. Last night he scored for his team, putting them ahead 3-2, enough at that stage to put Chateauroux down, who were only drawing 2-2. But then all changed. FBBP 01 equalized, and Chateauroux scored the winner. The league table changed, and by the final whistle, Nancy occupied the last relegation place. Thomas will be looking for another club now. Who says karma doesn't exist in football. Have a good day everyone.
Morning all. We have a cloudless sky, yet the man from the Météo tells us that showers are on their way this afternoon. I had a major fight to get my strimmer to go yesterday. There is not much you can do to a two-stroke engine that I can see. Still it did eventually start, and judging by the exhaust, it had been flooded by my repeated pulling the starting cord. A gentle day today. Weed and feed. I am not feeding the weeds, and my first row of peas is looking very hopeful, so I want to concentrate my bio pellets where they will do some good. Have a good day everyone.
Hope all's well. Got a 2nd visitor of the year coming over. Nice as no one gives me a visit. So, doing a good tour of around here, Mexican style. Good to see old friends.