Balconying... (for want of a garden)

Up the duff...

How did that happen?

Am very, very up the duff ... due date is on Monday...

It is all quite surreal, really.

Oh, boy, has Germany changed me...

Last night, I found myself deciding to melt some Schmultz (which is pretty much just pure rendered pork fat) through some sauerkraut to have with dinner.

And it was good...

As a general rule-

many Germans like to make fun of their Dutch neighbours for their caravan-ing ways. (In some circles this is a national past-time.) If they're not making fun of them, then they'll be complaining about them clogging up the autobahns during peak holiday times with their mobile homes.

I find this attitude a bit rich when one considers that the Deutsch population supports 4 (yes, FOUR!!) specialist caravan-ing magazines:

Two of which put out additional summer editions...

Um, no, no I don't ...

Sorry, C & A, I really DO NOT *heart* this at all.

Not even if it is only €6.

Even The Caspi-Man wouldn't *heart* it ... as he has a heart and is still saying: "Mummy, I wish we hadn't beaten you 4-0... I wish we'd beaten you 4-1..."

Well that bloody sucked...

and I'm not even just talking about the game, or the fact that The Caspi-Man had firmly pledged his alliance to Germany, but also the long walk home through the centre of Düsseldorf being THE ONLY ONE dressed in green & gold...

GER 2 - AUS 1

I have just learnt ...

that it's not just cyclonic storms that get names here ( Xynthia passed Düsseldorf yesterday arvo and wrecked much havoc)... but so do ALL meteorological lows AND highs...

WHO, I wonder actually gets to name them?

And, are they subjected to the same rules and regulations (here in Germany) as humans - who must submit names for state approval to ensure they don't give their off-spring ridiculous monikers?

Curious minds wish to know...

Something (else) I'd never considered in raising a bi-cultural child...

Guess which one of the following options the Caspi-Man believes?

There is a man called Santa Claus who will bring him a present!

There is a man called St Nicholas who will bring him a present!

There is a man called the Weihnachtsman who will bring him a present!

There is a man called Father Christmas who will bring him a present!

There is an entity called the Christkindl who will bring him a present!

There is a man called Kris Kringle who will bring him a present!

ALL OF THE ABOVE EXSIST AND WILL EACH BRING HIM A PRESENT!!!

St Nicholas and The Weihnachtsman, catching up for a chat on German Childrens' Television.

(Presumably ensuring they've got their pressie lists sorted and don't mess up by giving the same child the same gift.)

Well... Who knew?

Driving in the car on the way home from the beach with my Darlink Sister, listening to rather eclectic mix of '80s music, when on comes the Divinyls' track: "Pleasure and Pain".

"You know," says Darlink Sister, "I always used to think the words were 'please don't ask how I've been getting on' ."

"What? They are - aren't they?"

"No, it's actually - " Please don't ask me how I've been getting off."

Cue one quiet contemplation of the next chorus.

"Well, that sorta changes the interpretation."

"Yep. Does rather..."

Timewaster...

Apparently, this is how geeks are choosing to send personal messages these days...

http://www.geogreeting.com/main.html

Trainer of Jedi Masters in the making?

Yesterday, we were out for lunch with a group of friends, and at one point the discussion turned to how the Caspi-Man was going with his two "spraches".

"Not bad," I said, and it's true. Luckily, both his languages seem to be developing at a similar rate, and while most conversations contain a bit of Denglish, he does seem to speak primarily in one or the other (depending on context).

"But", I continued, "He seems to be structuring his english sentances in a german gramatical format... & he often likes to whack the verb on the end."

"Ahhh," said a friend. "So he's speaking like Yoda then."

"?................... YES! YES HE IS!"

And they're probably the same hieght.

Not sure though- that the Caspi-Man is (as yet) at one with The Force, and am quite sure, that Yoda doesn't demand ice-cream and lollies for breakfast.

Most Livable Cities...

I was chatting on the phone today with a Brisvagas-based friend and he brought it to my attention that the results are out for the 2008 Mercer's Quality of Living Survey.

This list is often used to determine the world's "Most Livable Cities".

( According to Wikipedia:
"Mercer's Quality of Life Survey is released annually, comparing 215 cities based on 39 criteria. Important criteria are safety, education, hygiene, recreation, political-economic stability and public transportation. The importance of the list lies primarily in that internationally operating companies use it to determine where they will open offices or plants and how much they pay the employees.")

I seem to recall that in the mid-90's - Brisbane used to rate quite highly on this list (and was usually the highest ranked Australian city). Not any more. This year it has fallen to number 34 (down from 31 last year) and has been surpassed by Sydney (10), Melbourne (17), Perth (21), and Adelaide (29).

This year, Dusseldorf has made it to place 6, and is the highest ranked German city.*

Now, just have to figure out how I can go about claiming some credit for this turn of events... ;)

*But really, haven't these Mercer people heard about the bloody Wehrhahn Line?

Admission:

I am a compulsive reader of messages on people's T-shirts. (& it annoys me when the messages are long and the people walk past too quickly for me to finish reading them.)

Notable recently sightings:

"I'm not really useless - I can be used as a bad example."- Altstadt

"Every time you masturbate - God kills a kitten."- Ok, this one wasn't actually on someone's chest but was hanging in a shop, &, I did actually buy it as a gift for a dear friend who appreciates warped humour.

And seen @ the Kermis last weekend - blazoned on the (somewhat ample) chest of a pretty young thing (she really could not have been more than 17 years old!) was the proclamation:

"You can't be the first - but you can be next!"

(I can't help but wonder if she understood English. And if she did - what her parents thought about it...)

Who knew?

Having never before had a cat AND a transparent-doored, front-load washing machine, I never knew there was so much fun to be had in watching a cat watch the washing...

Is it a postbox? Is it a fire hydrant? No -

but it's new, it's shiny, and the Caspi-man has to (at least 18 times a day) make sure it's still in working order. (Think there's a very strong possibility we may end up utilising the "10 year warranty".)

Is it wrong to feel so enchanted with something designed to contain waste?

Very fishy...

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks - you've probably heard about the colossal squid captured and deep frozen in Antarctica - then shipped to the New Zealand Museum for defrosting and dissection by an (excited) international team of scientists. They were broadcasting (pod-casting?) live on the net early last week -but every time I remembered to check in they were still in the "thawing"stage - which didn't really make for riveting viewing.

(Apparently the specimen's a girl. You can read all about it here.)

I've had a bit of an interest in huge squid since I was very young - (believing for awhile they were a fabled creature - like mermaids) although my father banished this misconception early on telling repeatedly the story of wagging school when he was a boy to go see two that had been washed up on the Kapiti Coast. A few years ago I read in National Geographic (my mum used to organise annual subscriptions for the Ger-Man's birthday) that numbers of the "Giant" variety were increasing exponentially and no-one knew exactly why. Scientists believed it could be due to rising sea temperatures.

But, aside from general squid interest, this whole "colossal" adventure has unleashed in me, a seemingly insatiable desire for calamari.

To be honest, seafood in Germany is, well, a completely different kettle of (um?) fish, to what it is in Australia. I so very, very much miss reef-fish; red emperor, rainbow trout, and also barramundi (although not quite to the same degree that I miss fresh tiger prawns, sand crab, and moreton bay bugs) and I'm afraid that smoked eel and Matjes are really no substitute.

We have a very good fishmonger in the food hall of the Department store (that is conveniently located a mere 50mtrs or so from our apartment building) so I do spend a fair bit of time gazing confusedly at the unfamiliar northern species (presented ever so invitingly on their bed of ice).
I even ask questions. I purchase and cook to instruction - and occasionally it's even nice - but it's not the same.

However, the fish counter also often have baby calamari and squid tubes (all under the name of "Tintenfisch"). And these DO TASTE THE SAME! And, compared to most local fish fare, they are cheap!

So today, being Friday, I decided to ignore the Ger-Man's protests (along the lines of "haven't we eaten enough? do we have to have it AGAIN???") and make some for the Schwierig-mutter.

I have two secrets to share when it comes to making succulently tender calamari; the first is milk, and the second is cooking time.

MY BASIC CALAMARI APPROACH:

Soak prepared calamari (eg rings, or small scored flat pieces + tentacles, etc) in milk (in the fridge) for at least an hour before cooking. (This completely negates any rubber band tendencies.) Some advise adding a few tablespoons of lemon juice -but this is optional. The milk soaking is not.

Then, drain, pat dry, coat in mixture of choice (my basic is cornflour mixed with salt & pepper, sometimes a few breadcrumbs too, occasionally for a change -some added five spice).

Heat oil (designed for high temperatures) in a fry-pan (1 cm deep is all that's really required if you're prepared to turn the calamari). When the oil is truly hot (some cookbooks describe this as "when a bread cube browns in 15 seconds") place individual pieces in the pan for a total period not exceeding 90 seconds. Drain well.

Serve immediately (with sliced lemon, aioli, fresh bread, salad and - if you're like the Caspi-Man - you'll be wanting a few "pommes" too ).

A recent question I've been pondering...

Is it officially in the Police's position-description to return the eager waves and smiles of young children?

Or is it a specific component of their public-relations campaign?

(Regardless - it is heartwarming that they all seem quite happy to do it!)

World Clock

I have spent way too much time this morning being mesmerized (actually - AGOG might be a more apt term) by this.

The so called "World Clock".

The link was forwarded by the Godfather (aka Uncle G in Sydney) & it has left me feeling more than a tad overwhelmed.

I'm aware of the doomsday clock- but I'm sure it doesn't move quite as quickly as this one. Am taking (small) comfort from the fact that bicycles seem to be produced more abundantly than cars...

things I will never understand

Germans, in general, have a very cautious relationship with garlic.

They will certainly often go out of their way to avoid it - especially if an important work event is scheduled the following day.

Given their enormous and whole-hearted consumption of so many varieties of cabbage - I find this more than a tad paradoxical.

Strange but true...

Our home is the only one I know of (with occupants with a median age under 60) that does not have a microwave.

And no desire whatsoever to get one.

A Kitchen-Aide mix-master? Yes. A micro-wave? No.