2009

Mums' Birthday...
Boys on holiday...

Mum in Berlin...

Berlin in the Snow...

Happy New Year to you all

Duncan and Ute xx

Boots arrives in Berlin

Hello everybody – I would like to tell you how lovely it is living here in Berlin.

I only arrived the other day and I get up to all kinds of mischief already - please read about me and see me enjoying my first few days in my new home...

I like it here it’s nice and warm and I’m loved by both Ute and Duncan. On Friday evening they came to visit me and liked me so much they took me home with them....I had my first ride on the S-Bahn that day too and that was a bit scary but I was tightly snuggled up in Duncan’s jacket with just my little paws and noise peaking out. It was nice and warm in there and I was safe and protected and I was able to watch everyone go by.

On Saturday I found out about my new home and all the exciting things I could do...there’s a giant forest across the road...although I’m not allowed to go there yet until the doctor has given me all my injections. Until then my white Rabit will protect me!

Also on Saturday Duncan and I baked a walnut and date loaf for our tea party that afternoon – we didn’t have any dates so we used apples and sultanas soaked in Duncan’s best brandy. We both missed Ute she was studying with her friend Alex in the City. I tried to help Duncan but all I managed to do was to run in between his legs and nibbled on his little short toes! He laughed and laughed and laughed and said what a good boy I was. I had never been to a party before and I was sooooo excited I just wagged my tail all day.

Then we met up with Ute on the train and travelled to Falkensee to Gabie’s tea party. I really do love travelling by train. I met some new friends at the tea party too, one is called Glen and the other is called Miss Grace. The three of us chased each other around all these big feet and caused absolute pandemonium – we had such fun! Then Miss Grace and Glen had to go home but I was allowed to stay a little longer and I played with Jan and Tim.

When it was dark it was time to go home and go to sleep; Ulf and Gabie said I could come and visit anytime I liked. Ulf had to fly to England across the big water – it sounds such an exciting place to visit too. When I got home do you know what, I didn’t go to sleep...no I played all night long and I think Duncan and Ute only had two hours sleep...it was so much fun jumping up and down and weeing and pooing everywhere...it was just wonderful.

On Sunday I went to see Ute’s Mama and she gave me a nice stroke on my tummy which was very lovely. Ute and Duncan had cake and I have a very lovely time saying hello.

Then that evening Uncle Kuckuck and Aunty Marion came to visit me...they brought Duncan and Ute a huge Christmas cake and didn’t even give me a single crumb. But they did play with me...we played and played until I feel fast asleep and dreamed of soft white snow falling and landing on my little white nose.

I’ve heard lots and lots about all the lovely people I am hopefully going to meet very soon. I’m going to meet Lilly and Jacque; I’m going to meet Jana, Alina, Oli and Tim. They sound very exciting. I’ve also heard about Jonathan and Michael, but they live across the other side of the big lake in that place called England and that’s a long long way away but I might go on an aeroplane and that sounds lots and lots of fun...I’m looking forward to seeing the boys too! I’ve also heard about Mike, Lorraine, Shania and Naomi...I hope they will also come and visit me soon.

I think I will have lots of adventures here ...would you like to come and visit and play with me...? I like to have visitors, and Duncan and Ute have said that I’m allowed to have visitors any time I like so you can all come round and play with me when you wish.

Before I go I’d like to wish you all a happy Monday.

Bye bye for now.

Boots

We Celebrate 20 years of Freedom

The snow arrived today, there was a small flourish of pure white and then it was gone.

Here in Berlin we are in the depths of autumn now with all its vibrant colour and drama; changing the trees opposite our apartment and across in the Berlin´s famous Grunewald from brilliant bright greens to vibrant reds, pale browns and dramatic golden yellows covering the ground with a shower of autumn leaves...and in the evening sun the paths glint as if covered by gold leaf.

Last week I travelled on the train to one of our international airports, Schönefeld, to pick up my son and his two companions who were here to assist him in his 18th birthday celebrations. He had no trouble convincing them both to travel with him to Berlin; his stories of avenues of hot steaming real potato chips laced with mayonnaise and tomato ketchup and the famous Berliner Curry Wurst as well as other delights encouraged them to come for a visit.

They stayed for four days...had a wonderful time exploring the city, the sights of old Berlin, listening to the street musicians and street theatre...they sampled some of Germany´s finest beers...that had to be done to keep up their hunger for new excitements.

On Friday we ventured out into the dark of Berlin´s Grunewald and after two hours of strolling around and deep discussions on internet strategy we came upon the state Autobahn and thus had to make our way to the forest restaurant...hunger was calling from tired feet and empty tummies. It was during those final few steps that we came across approximately 8 to 10 wild boar running through the undergrowth...they were making their escape; we had apparently startled them!

The look on the boy’s faces was a dream...a wonderful day too. Although I think they enjoyed the Schnitzel and fried potatoes more.


The boys left on Saturday and we met up with a friend at one of Berlin´s famous Singaporean restaurants...the food was not as I remember while we were in Singapore but then neither was the weather. We ate and drank the delicately prepared dishes and were amazed at the preparation and presentation. The food was simply delicious.


The boys will certainly be irritated when I tell them that they missed the first weekends Christmas market. Potsdamer Platz was a beacon of exhilaration and enjoyment on that Friday, music spilling from the Alpine ski hut, the scent of apple and cinnamon, the famous sizzling Thuringian Bratwurst – all purely mouth watering.

The centre piece of the Christmas market is 30 metre toboggan ride on rubber tyres on would you believe real snow.

Once you have taken one or two rides and your lower legs are soaked to the skin it’s time to warm off in the Après´ Ski lodge for a class or two of wonderfully warming Glühwein.

It is another world than that of 20 years ago. Germany then was not only divided by a wall but was divided by both a disfigured landscape and a nation separated by trepidation.

It now seems almost incomprehensible that 20 years ago there was a million strong rally here protesting at the injustice of the wall and of the DDR regime.

Now you have to watch the Michael Caine film, Funeral in Berlin, to get any kind of sense of how the city looked then...

...how the border troops of the DDR patrolled day and night around the 155km concrete barrier, watching, listening...waiting; with the command to shoot; Schießbefehl. In 1974, Erich Honecker, as Chairman of the GDR's National Defence Council, ordered: "Firearms are to be ruthlessly used in the event of attempts to break through the border, and the comrades who have successfully used their firearms are to be commended”.

The Berlin wall today gives viewers, tourists and residence no real concept of how it was only 20 years ago...

...and certainly Potsdamer Platz and the Sony Centre bares very few scars of those times; then a grey bleak desolate corridor, intrusive watch towers, razor sharp barbed wire, machine guns, ferocious guard dogs and trigger happy border guards. No, Potsdamer Platz bears no resemblance at all to former times.

At the age of 12 my mother and father took me to a see the East West German border close to the beautiful mountains of the Harz – then sliced in two by a dreadful tarnish on the landscape.

That memory of an old shattered stone bridge, its two sides like child´s building bricks; like hands reaching, painfully across to one another still haunts me. The ancient village, its windows bricked and boarded up, cut in half by the mine field; the concrete barrier walls standing around 3–4 metres high, electric fences, anti personal mines. The forest stretching far out to the north and south melting into the horizon, scarred with an almighty trench of fences, dog runs, mine fields, patrol roads...it was as though a huge giant had scraped his garden spade across the landscape turning the bright green and yellow valley into a grey brown slug that slowly crept through the beautiful rural countryside.

No birds sang that day, I just remember hearing the sharp crake of bolt as the border guard across the river loaded his weapon. I think he thought me and my 11 year old little sister were going to attempt to leap bridge and wade across the slowly flowing deep dark river to get across to his side of the border; never in a million years.

The border was not just a fence and wire with towers, but an almost 500 metre deep man-trap. Know locally as "The Death Strip"; then the most heavily fortified border in the world.

Yet this month / this week / this Day - here in Berlin, like many other cities across Germany, we are celebrating. It is a populous celebration; they are again a people; Wir sind das Volk, heralds the cry.

Curiously it is not just those who reside here in this great city who are celebrating; tourist and visitors from all over the world, Chinese, Americans, Italians, Spanish, Russians, the Brits, the French, the Japanese and Australians et al. They are all here. They are hungry and want to sample this - this feeling of freedom; to celebrate that delicious but delicate of flavours.

Freedom; too hot and it burns to cold and it freezes. It must be nourished or it is tasteless.

This is a month of global significance; the country likes its capital is slowly returning to become once again a global icon; a city standing proudly amongst its pears.

Angela Merkel, herself caged behind the East German iron curtain, walked through the Brandenburger Tor and across the Bornholmer Straß bridge to repeat the walk of twenty years ago, full of emotions, full of anticipation, like so many who had done the same and risked all on that day in 1989.

With her was ex Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev , Lech Walesa former Polish revolutionary and Prime Minister and along with many other international leaders they quietly chatted with those who were there 20 years ago and who had return to join the celebrations.

Surprisingly this was not one of those Olympic style events with huge bands, hundreds and thousands of Euros of fireworks, boring speeches and backdrops costing 10s of thousands. This was carried out with remarkable informality. Speaking easily and informally with eyewitness Ms Merkel made an unscheduled speech and in the rain the world was hushed as she said thank you to all those who had carried the flag of freedom that day.

A day when the whole world reached out to Germany to say thank you and to remind us of how delicate the fragrance of freedom is.

The Boys in Berlin

September was a momentous month for us here in Berlin.

Michael, my eldest son arrived with his friends. He is commenced his 18th birthday celebrations with us in Berlin...he had planned it to be a long run in!

We prepared the locals, warned the neighbours, placed a few kegs of Germany´s finest on the balcony (its cooler now and it doubles as our second fridge...until the ice comes that is), alerted both the national and international media...had I forgotten anything I wondered?

Along with many of our friends - the boys have been here many times before...

On their first visit, Jonathan (my other son) entertained us all with his Malteser blowing skills...

...and his guitar playing

...their comradeship

And their table tennis skills...

Mike arrived onto this planet weighing in at just under 2lBs 8oz. He spent a comfortable first evening afterwards spent the next 3 years in and out of hospital...his duodenum was not correctly attached to his pancreas...that was a liberating few years.

Three major surgeries later and a full 17 years exposure to his world Mike is now one of thousands of young aspiring young adults gazing at the world at their feet...

Mike has no clue what a 12inch vinyl in-port is, nor why when we had to use a phone to call an overseas number we had to book the call at the telephone exchange. Telephone exchange...are there any left?

Like many of his generation he sees no issue with owning and utilizing the software on his laptop.

The thrill I felt from sending my first international text and it arriving at its designated destination (that was only 6 years ago) is simply lost on him. Text messaging, it is now as common as sliced bread.

His generation uses Face Book, Twitter, MySpace, MSN, YouTube etc. Some of his friends have a staggering 500 plus friends listed on their sites...Mike’s brother Jonathan has well over 200 on his various lists. He writes to them about his skating, films, his music...YouTube postings, games for his play station; he has a healthy relationship with most of those listed...he has never met 75% of them.

I think there was only 160 kids in my school form when I was 14...and I certainly didn´t talk to all of them...I definitely didn´t know all their names and their ´status´...interesting.

My generation was brought up with the toaster and the microwave...his generation are the first to know a world with the internet...like generations before him, those that were the first to know the light bulb, the steam engine...the machine gun.

How will they shape their world?

They have the scope to change the world...how will they manage this dramatic of revolutions?

Happy Birthday Mike xx