Minden our own business

There are many little towns around Buende, some we always visit and I love, some in have to be dragged to.  

Minden has always been one of the latter.  For the amount of time it takes to get there, there is nothing out of the ordinary.

 The shops are the same but smaller with less on offer.

Today I went with an open mind and was pleasantly surprised.  

The shops are still small, but the town itself is lovely with gorgeous olde worlde building, not disimilar to Oxford.

Today they were preparing for the Kultur Fest.

They Germans do know how to throw a party.

Leave room in your garden for the angels to dance

When mama and papa first moved into Engel Strasse there wasn't much that needed to be 'done' indoors, but the garden was another story. 

They previous owner had let things grow wild.  Everything was overgrown and weedy.

When mama, papa, Onkel Erich and I began tidying up and digging in the garden we found lots and lots of old beer and wine bottles buried under the lawn.

The lawn looked like it had two corpses buried underneath it.

The tree above was replanted by mama and I, it was planted in a pot on the deck.  We decided to move it to the bottom if the garden.  Papa told us "it'll never take and will be dead by winter."  Well it has gone from strength to strength and after

Five years, it seems to love it's new corner of garden.

Mama has spent many evening and weekend weeding and planting, and has almost single handly managed to turn what was previously an overgrown swampy jungle into a lovely country garden.

Mama has many before and after photos, she loves to get them out and show anyone who is interested.   

While enjoy seeing where the garden has come from, I don't think your can beat where the gardens is now.

Mama loved her garden, it has lots of lovely bits and pieces, in amongst the gnomes, fairies, and meerkats...

Mama always tries to leave room for the angels of Engel Strasse to dance.

Skip to my loo

If it's a Sunday and you are looking for my parents, the first place to start you search is at the skip.  

As well as dropping off garden waste, and things they no longer need because they are 'downsizing'.

Ma and Pa are avid 'pickers'!

They love nothing than a good rummage.

Nothing delights them more, than finding something for nothing.

Don't get me wrong I have no problem with them picking.

G.O and I done rather nicely from some of their bulk rubbish finds.

It just kind if defeats the object of downsizing if you them pick up more and bigger stuff.

Goedemorgen from the Orange Country

One of the benefits of living in the North West of Germany is the proximity to borders.  We can travel through France-Belgium-Netherlands and be in Germany in three hours.  Mama and papa live about 45minutes from Enschede.

Enschede is a busy little city, but the real jewel in the crown is the market.

While there we normally partake in some liquorice, windbolle, chocolates and never leave without flowers.

Without a doubt we never leave without having a portion of Garnellen from one of the fish stalls in the market.

Deep fried crayfish with a yummy garlic sauce.

Today out eyes were a little bit big for our bellies, as we ordered two large portions.

After only four pieces, I could eat no more.  I don't know what's wrong with me.

Mum had the "best" idea, she wrapped up the leftover crayfish and put them in her bag to "save" for later.  Then the sum came out and it got hotter and hotter, I'll let you figure out what happened when we pulled the bag out at the supermarket.

Supermarket Sweep

Part of the fun of visiting mama and papa is their almost obsessive love of shopping, supermarkets in particular.

I can't say I blame them, I can think of nothing better than spendindlg a couple of hours in Marktkauf, Real and Edeka.

Not forgetting good old Lidl and Aldi, while both  stock more or less the same products, here in Germany it's about everyday shopping/living rather than bargain hunting and low cost.

SalzGrotto

10am Thursday morning and I find myself relaxing on a sun lounger, nothing strange there it is after all the height of summer and we are basking in a gorgeous (so say some) heat wave.  

However I am lying wrapped in a fleecy basket in a salt grotto!  Another one of my mamilein's great ideas.

The thought behind it is that the ions and particles in the salt have health benefits, Roger so far, and that sitting in a room for 45 minutes will help people's psycho/physio well being.

The grotto is a cool, dark room.  

There are huge bricks made of Himalayan salt stacked on the sides of the wall, behind each wall is a coloured light.  Once the main room lights are switched on they salt walls emit a soft glow.  In the corner of the grotto is a 'waterfall' to help sooth troubled minds.  Alongside this in the background they play meditation style music, on a loop.

So far so relaxing, very new age an hippy.  Then we arrived, I found the whole experience very relaxing and could feel all of my tensions drifting away, except for the fact the I really needed the toilet it was bliss. After a few minutes I opened my eyes and saw, what can only be described as, a giant salt fog drifting over towards us from the fountain.  It was getting thicker and thicker and felt quite menacing.  I nudged mama and showed her.  The response I got was "next time we sit over there, (indicating the loungers across the room where the little old men were snoring) in candy feel anything!"   I drifted off into a snooze, trying not to think about my bladder or hear the fountain.  Shortly there after I noticed a fidgeting from my right, then I looked over and saw mama squirming.  Without missing a best mama said in her best five year old "I'm bored now!"

What are we doing today?

Every morning in Buende it's the same question, "what are we doing today?" The response is always the same, "what do YOU want to do today?"  Normally I'm quite chilled and will go wherever mum wats to go but today my response was "anywhere air conditioned!"

I have never been a sun worshipper I have always preferred the cooler/frozen seasons and have always struggled I regulate my body temperature (PCOS?) These past few weeks however, I have been glowing like buggery.  I step out of the shower and I'm already dripping, they say that if you are sweating then your body is working properly, but this is ridiculous.

So off we go to Werre Park, not the biggest or most dynamic I shopping experiences, but I love it.  It has everything I need under one air conditioned roof; C&A, Edeka, and an Eis Cafe. 

Happy Birthday

Today is Prince George's first birthday, I can recall last year spending two or three days camped out in front of the TV, simultaneously watching four different news channels waiting for news.  Then once his birth had been announced spending another day watching the door to the Lindo wing for his first ever appearance.

G.O called me to say he had finished early and would I pick him up?  I told home that I was expecting the prince to make an entrance and that if he didn't arrive in the next quarter of an hour I would swing by and pick him up.  

Just as I put the phone down out they came looking happy and glowing, showing off the new Prince to the world.  Then and only then would I pick up G.O, I had different priorities that day.

Happy Birthday Prince George, from Mr & Mrs Murray xxx

Motherland

After an uneventful trip I have arrived in the motherland, Deutschland.

As I came through customs who was there to welcome me?  No one, we had arrived half an hour early and I had beaten my parents to the airport, which is a first in the fifteen years I have been making this trip.

After the customary hugs and chit chat about how great it was that my parents didn't need to pay for parking, my mum announces she is hungry and we make a pit stop in the local McDonalds, no Big Mac it McRib for me, oh no, I have a craving for McNugggets with Sweet and Sour sauce, you can't get suss sauer sauce anywhere!

Then were off, two hours bombin along the Autobahn and then we'll be home.  

Although you never know where you will stop off on the way.

Miss G.O but it's lovely I see mama and papa.