Berlinfusiontag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-941193915649615482012-06-08T12:03:58+02:00From sushi to sauerkraut - moving from Tokyo to Berlin.TypePadSpringwatch in Berlintag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340163063edf23970d2012-06-08T12:03:58+02:002012-06-08T12:06:52+02:00It's been all go here! Concentrating on the wildlife for now: I'll fill you in on other stuff when I get a moment. Life's a bit hectic right now - in a good way, at last! Edgar Allen Crow is doing well and has stuck around. The day after his...Carole Hallett MobbsPositive Progresstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834016763f53edc970b2012-03-19T10:20:00+01:002012-03-19T00:08:16+01:00Things are looking brighter, at long last. Light is pouring in at the end of the tunnel and I sincerely hope it continues to do so. While I may have shown symptoms of depression, I don't want to use that term. I was suffering from stress, shock and a myriad...Carole Hallett MobbsTree-dwelling Sausagestag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834015393cd4f1f970b2011-11-30T20:00:17+01:002011-11-30T20:00:17+01:00For the past couple of days I have been confusing (and mildly entertaining) my Facebook friends with these status updates, "Kita's sausages are 30 feet up the tree." and the next day, "The sausages are still 30 feet up the tree. And now so is a hoop." What happened? I...Carole Hallett MobbsDawn Chorustag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340154365e5e30970c2011-10-24T10:07:19+02:002011-10-24T10:22:43+02:00We all got up at 5am yesterday. Tim and Rhiannon have gone to the UK for half term and their flight left at silly-o'clock. I am staying here to look after the pets. It was COLD. About 2 degrees C at that time of day. Frost decorated cars left on...Carole Hallett MobbsAutumn is Fallingtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834015435ccfe3b970c2011-10-06T11:27:18+02:002011-10-06T11:27:18+02:00Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower. ~ Albert Camus It's so pretty here at the moment. Autumn is possibly my favourite season; the weather is getting cooler (although we seem to be having an unseasonal heatwave at the moment) and the colours of the trees...Carole Hallett MobbsThat's Just The Way It Istag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834014e8bd9db74970d2011-09-27T11:22:41+02:002011-09-27T11:22:28+02:00Living in accommodation provided for us is, of course, a huge privilege. However, it does come with strings attached. Obviously, it's not our 'permanent' home, for a start. It's not even necessarily ours for the four year posting. If we're lucky, and cost-cutting doesn't affect us, then we will be...Carole Hallett MobbsGardeners Don't Have Holidaystag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834014e8bc45c06970d2011-09-23T12:20:15+02:002011-09-23T12:20:15+02:00Mum flew back to the UK yesterday. During her fortnight's holiday here, she was encouraged to take control of my garden. Thankfully, she was more than happy to do this. She has her own massive, well-tended and fully-stocked garden and, as such, it no longer has space for new plantings....Carole Hallett Mobbs"I'll have a 'P' please, Bob"tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834014e89b51570970d2011-08-01T17:43:00+02:002011-07-09T01:46:45+02:00Public Holidays. Japan had squillions of public holidays - but at least the shops never closed. I truly cannot get used to everything closing on Sundays and public holidays. I have never lived anywhere where I can't buy an emergency pint of milk on these days. It means that Saturdays...Carole Hallett MobbsOh.tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834014e89b50e57970d2011-07-29T17:34:00+02:002011-07-29T17:34:00+02:00Odour. This house smells quite musty. Still. It wasn't lived in for a few months and, with an allegedly damp room in the basement, I need to find some classy room scents. I like the wooden wands in pots of oil, but need to actually smell before buying, so can't...Carole Hallett MobbsHa-ha-choo!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340154338e0aa2970c2011-07-20T16:59:00+02:002011-07-20T16:59:00+02:00Hayfever. Within a day of arriving in Berlin I re-developed hayfever. A major sufferer of this in my teens, it faded away when I moved to London but returned with a sudden vengeance here. I can't take antihistamines. So I'm lumbered with streaming, unbearably itchy eyes as a main symptom...Carole Hallett MobbsGeeee!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340154338e0468970c2011-07-19T17:53:00+02:002011-07-19T17:53:00+02:00Garden. I have a garden. It is big. Here are my first thoughts on seeing it. And later, when the Garden Invaders took hold. Mum's coming in September with instructions to bring her gardening gloves. She's desperate to have a go at it and I am happy to let her!Carole Hallett MobbsEfftag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401538fbabcd0970b2011-07-18T17:46:00+02:002011-07-08T01:47:54+02:00Late one night, while slaving away at my computer, I heard a strange sound outside. It sounded like water, but it wasn't raining. I went to the door, and there in my garden was a.... Fox! He was quite large and noisily lapping water from my Japanese stone water basin....Carole Hallett MobbsThe Garden Invaderstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834014e89621892970d2011-06-26T23:03:08+02:002011-06-27T16:25:41+02:00I had high hopes for my new large garden. When we first arrived my inner gardener awoke and immediately started planning. Put some colourful plants in and make a Japanese garden in the corner next to my desk to start. However, these plans disappeared after I took a closer look...Carole Hallett MobbsI Drove, She Rode!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401538ef05768970b2011-06-04T14:41:15+02:002011-06-04T19:52:45+02:00It's been a busy few days. But when written down it doesn't appear so. Thursday was (yet another) public holiday and the start of half term. Rhiannon had her first riding lesson and Tim had the day off. I had to drive here for the first time as I need...Carole Hallett MobbsBirds I've Seen in My Garden Todaytag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834014e88d2fc42970d2011-06-01T19:23:51+02:002011-06-02T02:11:09+02:00Warning! Twitcher Geek post ahead!! I've been hard at work writing an article about Japan today. I'll let you know if / when / where it's published in due course. So I've had my head down most of the time, but when I look up for inspiration (ie... gazing into...Carole Hallett MobbsI'm Gonna be a Country Girl Againtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401538eba9201970b2011-05-26T11:07:58+02:002011-06-02T02:03:54+02:00This song has been running through my head this week. Sorry if you don't like country music, I blame my Dad for this one! Billie Jo Spears, "Country Girl"... I grew up in the Devon countryside, so country-living is not exactly a novelty. However, I do think I'm a city...Carole Hallett MobbsBerlin Rules!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401543276faec970c2011-05-22T18:56:36+02:002011-05-22T20:33:45+02:00There's a saying: "In Germany everything is forbidden until it is permitted". This continues with various other country's variations - I'll put a list at the end of this post, I'm sure many people can add to it. One rule that particularly annoys affects me is "Everything Must Be Closed...Carole Hallett MobbsFenced In & Dog Daystag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401538e58dfec970b2011-05-08T00:16:12+02:002011-05-21T22:16:52+02:00The past few days have been non-stop busyness culminating in strangely (for me) total exhaustion. Perhaps this is an odd form of jet lag or culture shock. (It's OK - I'm fine now!) I won't write down everything that's gone on for the past couple of days as it will...Carole Hallett MobbsIn Which I Find A Farmers' Markettag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401543222234f970c2011-05-05T20:34:54+02:002011-06-02T01:28:31+02:00Went in a different direction for today's dog walk. I was actually heading towards what Google Maps said was a supermarket. The map was wrong. No supermarket was there, but instead a rather nice farmers' market lined the street selling delicious fruit and veg, a few clothes and the ubiquitous...Carole Hallett MobbsBoxes and More Boxestag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834015432026c20970c2011-04-29T10:01:03+02:002011-06-02T00:59:57+02:00Yesterday we received our "everything" - all our possessions that were so efficiently packed and sent from Tokyo to Germany by boat. At 8am on the dot, a large lorry with two shipping containers arrived. Surely we didn't have that much stuff? No, only one container was ours. Tim went...Carole Hallett MobbsBringing You Up-To-Datetag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834015431fc9b34970c2011-04-28T07:35:59+02:002011-05-01T23:29:52+02:00I'm now going to round up the past couple of weeks now so I can start blogging in real time. It's confusing my readers to have all this retrospective stuff going on and it's frustrating to me too. My Japanory blog is still missing two years worth of memories, but...Carole Hallett MobbsKaffee und Kuchentag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834014e8817d48e970d2011-04-27T11:24:43+02:002011-05-01T23:31:55+02:00Saturday 16th April was when the sun finally came out and boy, did it make a difference. I took my camera with me on my morning dog walk. This is a statue we pass on the way to the lake - Hubertussee. There are some great bird-watching opportunities around the...Carole Hallett MobbsOur Pets Arrive!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834015431ec6173970c2011-04-24T21:45:47+02:002011-06-02T00:26:38+02:00(Yes, this is still continuing from the previous post for 12th April 2011) Once we returned from visiting the school, my mind reeling at what I'd promised for Friday, I collapsed on the sofa. Desperate for sleep but knew I mustn't succumb as the only way to deal with jetlag...Carole Hallett MobbsFirst Full Day in Berlin - Morningtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401538e159fa7970b2011-04-23T23:20:08+02:002011-06-02T00:13:25+02:00Tuesday 12th April 2011 dawned... at dawn. Rhiannon woke us up just before 5am with the excited news that she'd seen a red squirrel in the garden. Yeah, OK dear... Unable to get back to sleep I got up, dressed and trotted downstairs where I took a look outside for...Carole Hallett Mobbs