Berlinfusiontag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-941193915649615482012-08-30T09:42:17+02:00From sushi to sauerkraut - moving from Tokyo to Berlin.TypePadMy Cat Hates Me :-(tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834017c3183f013970b2012-08-30T09:42:17+02:002012-08-30T09:42:17+02:00Everyone has stories of being 'punished' by their cat after they've been away from home for a while. By all accounts this passes quite quickly. But Raymi has never, ever done this to me. In the past we've been away for up to seven weeks at a time and he's...Carole Hallett MobbsNew Forest County Show: Hearses, Bulls & an Extra Surprise.tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340177446147a2970d2012-08-28T12:30:13+02:002012-08-28T12:32:36+02:00Another day trip in the UK was to the New Forest Show in Hampshire. Having grown up in the country, and having many farmers as friends, I adore a good agricultural show and haven't been to one since visiting the Devon County Show when Rhiannon was still pushchair-bound. We took...Carole Hallett MobbsDartmoortag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340177444176fd970d2012-08-21T13:57:52+02:002012-08-21T13:57:52+02:00As mentioned in my previous post, I grew up on the edge of the glorious wilderness that is Dartmoor. We always make as many visits there as our time in Devon allows. This year, the weather was appalling, but we were graced by a couple of nice days. Luckily, Dartmoor...Carole Hallett MobbsOkehampton Castletag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834017744330236970d2012-08-18T09:55:37+02:002012-08-18T10:21:00+02:00I grew up in Okehampton, Devon. My playground and 'back garden' was Dartmoor, the local woods and Okehampton Castle. This was in the good old days before mobile phones and generally over-protective parenting. I and my friends would be outside from dawn 'til dusk and we spent a lot of...Carole Hallett MobbsHome Againtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834017617125ec0970c2012-08-07T13:49:38+02:002012-08-21T15:05:21+02:00We're home in Berlin again! Our trip back to the UK was so much shorter than previous years - just three weeks instead of the six we spent there last year. This meant we couldn't meet up with so many people and I feel really bad about missing out on...Carole Hallett MobbsKita in the UK, Part 2tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340167683cda0c970b2012-07-23T19:46:00+02:002012-07-07T01:33:10+02:00Hello! I'm back again! Kita the Shiba Inu here to tell you more about my holiday in the UK last year. Near where we stayed with 'Nana' there are lots and lots of huge empty fields with amazing smelling pathways between them. As there was nobody around, and no roads...Carole Hallett MobbsKita's First Trip to the UK, 2011tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834016768342245970b2012-07-17T18:47:00+02:002012-07-07T00:58:07+02:00Hello, Konnichiwa, Guten Tag! My name is Kita and I'm a Japanese Shiba Inu. I actually do come from Japan too - I was born in Ibaraki and my 'mum', 'dad' and 'sister' chose to bring me home with them to Tokyo. I love them and they love me, we're...Carole Hallett MobbsThe Big Road Triptag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834017616284315970c2012-07-07T18:13:00+02:002012-07-06T00:58:37+02:00By the time you read this we will be on our annual Road Trip: back to the UK. Approximately 1,000km of driving to accomplish, via all of Germany, enjoying the Autobahns, a smidgen of The Netherlands, a lot of Belgium (and trying to avoid Brussels this time!) and into France....Carole Hallett MobbsLost or Found Dog in Germany?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834017742cedc31970d2012-06-29T00:21:23+02:002012-06-29T00:23:31+02:00What do you do if you lose your dog in Berlin, and Germany as a whole? How do you deal with a 'found' dog? (Also applies to cats and any other pet) I'll tell you at the end of this post, but first I want to tell you about an...Carole Hallett MobbsThe Waschbär and the Warthogtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834017615a9bb46970c2012-06-20T14:22:44+02:002012-06-20T14:25:38+02:00There are rumours that there is a Waschbär in the area. A bear that washes? Oh yes, a raccoon! "Oh, Hai!" Their scientific name is Procyon lotor - lotor is Latin for 'washer'. And yes, there are raccoons in Berlin. I love raccoons, but perhaps not in or around the...Carole Hallett MobbsAs the Crow Flies...tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340168ebc02830970c2012-05-24T15:03:04+02:002012-05-24T15:03:04+02:00... or doesn't, in this case. Kita and I returned from our walk this morning. As is usual, I went straight through the house and let Kita out into the garden. Almost immediately she headed over to a bank of shrubs and a loud, flappy commotion ensued. Out from behind...Carole Hallett MobbsRecovery at lasttag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340168eab818f1970c2012-04-25T23:52:57+02:002012-04-25T23:52:57+02:00Oops, sorry for the long delay in posting. I've been a bit busy - will explain in another post. So, Kita continued with her dramatic dying dog impression. This was mostly caused, of course, by the rather large operation she endured. But an element of it all was the dreaded...Carole Hallett MobbsEventful Trip to the Vettag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340168ea328db2970c2012-04-16T11:09:58+02:002012-04-16T11:09:58+02:00Kita was due at the vet on Thursday after her neutering operation on Wednesday. We'd spent a very restless night together. She was obviously very uncomfortable, if not in pain, thanks to the squirt of painkiller she'd had during the night. I think the vest was bothering her more than...Carole Hallett MobbsPost-Op Dogtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834016764f77486970b2012-04-12T09:08:08+02:002012-04-12T09:07:12+02:00So I collected Kita after her spaying operation. She staggered very slowly up the corridor in the surgery and looked very poorly. I called her name and got a tail wag, but she couldn't lift her head. Heartbreaking. Rather fetchingly attired in a doggy version of the surgical gown, she...Carole Hallett MobbsAnniversary and Anaesthetictag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834016764ed0435970b2012-04-11T11:18:13+02:002012-04-11T11:18:13+02:00Today is the first anniversary of our bleary arrival in Berlin. Only another three years to go! Enough said... Tim and Rhiannon are having a blast in Disneyland, Florida. I keep receiving breathless updates telling me which 'awesome' roller coasters they've been on and what American goodies they've bought. As...Carole Hallett MobbsRandom Observationstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340168e940ad84970c2012-03-26T14:40:08+02:002012-03-26T14:40:08+02:00Everyone seems to agree that Berlin is unlike anywhere else in Germany - more open, more cosmopolitan, more relaxed, less averse to foreigners. It's also 'trendy, fun and cool'. Apparently. I certainly haven't noticed 'trendy'... or perhaps I'm too old! Anyway, here are a few very random observations I have...Carole Hallett MobbsToo Cold to Snow?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340168e6d38ac3970c2012-02-06T21:26:59+01:002012-02-06T21:26:59+01:00Our outdoor thermometer has been constantly displaying temperatures normally only seen inside a deep freeze. It is Cold. Today's daytime temperature didn't rise above a bone-chilling -12ºC and in the early morning it registered -17ºC! I am completely unaccustomed to this sort of cold; in fact I don't think I've...Carole Hallett MobbsSnow at Last!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834016761586528970b2012-01-30T13:27:34+01:002012-01-30T13:27:34+01:00Mother Nature finally graced us with her snowy offerings on Saturday night. The temperature had been dropping for a few days and reached -3 C on Saturday. Then, during the early evening snow started to fall. It coincided with the dog-walking time, so I took Kita out so I could...Carole Hallett MobbsNew Year in Berlintag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834016760042baf970b2012-01-05T15:54:49+01:002012-01-05T15:54:49+01:00Happy 2012 to you! Just a quick post on our New Year's Eve here in Berlin. As predicted back in May, fireworks were exploded everywhere. I still don't much like them, but can appreciate the pretty, quiet ones. Tim and Rhiannon have become full-blown pyromaniacs though. Fireworks have been on...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 MobbsThe Shiba Screamtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401539364a6b6970b2011-11-22T12:02:41+01:002011-11-22T12:05:48+01:00Yesterday, our neighbourhood experienced the horrific sound that is the Shiba Scream. Unless you are familiar with the special breed of dog that is the Shiba Inu, you may not be aware of this ear-splitting phenomenon. Shibas are very vocal. Don't get me wrong, they aren't a noisy breed by...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 MobbsN is for...tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834014e89b4fe72970d2011-07-28T17:17:00+02:002011-07-28T17:17:00+02:00Neighbours. Our immediate neighbours have a stunningly beautiful landscaped garden. I am envious, but it takes a lot of work to keep it that way. Currently though, they have been having some urgent heavy-duty work done on their equally beautiful house. This entails builders starting up noisy equipment such as...Carole Hallett MobbsMmmmm!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401538fc1b761970b2011-07-27T17:04:00+02:002011-07-27T17:04:00+02:00Mice. There aren't many meeces left around here any more. Raymi has been doing a sterling job at keeping the rodent population down to reasonable levels. Unfortunately he doesn't clear up after himself. Kita is also showing her primitive hunting side and regularly tries to dislocate my shoulder on our...Carole Hallett MobbsDeefertag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401538fb74b05970b2011-07-14T17:14:00+02:002011-07-08T00:59:43+02:00What? Don't you get it? It's Dee-fer Dog! Dogs. Most specifically my adorable Shiba Inu, Kita. What does Kita mean? Well, as she's a Japanese dog, born and raised in Japan, her name actually means 'north'. It's a pretty word. However, in German 'Kita' means nursery or kindergarten! So we...Carole Hallett MobbsBig C, Little C...tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401538fb740df970b2011-07-13T17:03:00+02:002011-07-08T00:47:19+02:00Yes, I'm a Dr Seuss fan. Guess what 'C' is for? Yup... Cat. But not The Cat in the Hat... it's Raymi, the well-travelled cat. He's come with us from Northampton to Tokyo to Berlin. And I think he's now a bit fed up with it. Shortly after arriving here,...Carole Hallett MobbsHoliday Planningtag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340154335e01b3970c2011-06-30T14:22:00+02:002011-06-30T14:33:35+02:00Summer holidays start next week. On Friday afternoon to be precise; school finishes at midday. At least the holidays are only for seven weeks and not nine or ten as they were in Japan. So we're heading off to the UK for the first time in two years. It's turning...Carole Hallett MobbsPoorly Puppytag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401543336bcee970c2011-06-24T00:59:08+02:002011-06-24T01:00:19+02:00OK, she's not really a puppy as she's almost two, but she's definitely poorly. I've been trying to move Kita to a raw diet with a thought to maybe going to BARF or prey model in due course. Introducing the new diet slowly, I tried her with rabbit first. She...Carole Hallett MobbsAnimal Assassinationstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401543301b067970c2011-06-14T14:41:49+02:002011-06-14T14:57:23+02:00Yesterday was quite traumatic. After our return from sight-seeing in Berlin, we let the pets out into the garden. Almost immediately, Raymi the cat reappeared with a mouse. The mouse was not dead and Raymi was doing that revolting cat thing of playing with the poor creature. My inclination was...Carole Hallett MobbsMy Cat is Mended!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401538efde717970b2011-06-06T18:59:44+02:002011-06-06T22:01:09+02:00Well, it's taken almost two months, but Raymi the cat is back to his normal self! Yes, he's happy to go outside again. (You can read about his problems here) After a few weeks he was OK going out at night, albeit very nervously. Even then he'd come back and...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 Hate Fireworkstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834014e88bcacec970d2011-05-28T23:26:02+02:002011-06-02T02:05:54+02:00I mentioned about Quiet Time rules in a previous post. But it obviously doesn't apply in the case of fireworks. For the past three evenings we have been subjected to the racket of what are apparently professional firework displays, judging by the length and breadth of the cacophony. And the...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 MobbsProcrastination Overcome - Until Next Time...tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401538e9f8279970b2011-05-21T21:58:21+02:002011-06-02T01:58:50+02:00It's one thing procrastinating madly when the chips are in the air, but once they come down, then I do (finally) get to work. Wednesday was a washout, work-wise (see previous post). Then Tim told me he was taking Thursday off so I wasn't going to get my work done...Carole Hallett MobbsThe Best Laid Schemes of Mice and Mums...tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401538e83ffca970b2011-05-16T15:20:47+02:002011-06-02T01:47:47+02:00My apologies to Robert Burns' poem To a Mouse, 1786. "The best laid schemes o' mice an' men, Gang aft a-gley". I had great plans for this week: write my dreadline-due articles, organise a survey in preparation for my book which is currently in the planning stages, attempt to catch...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 MobbsClosing My Businesstag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834015432190410970c2011-05-03T21:41:32+02:002011-12-23T00:18:42+01:00I'd been looking forward to today for ages. Rhiannon's back at school now and today, Tim returned to work after another long public holiday weekend. For the first time since 9th March, I was truly free. FREEEE! Oh yes, I was extremely happy this morning. The weather perked up again...Carole Hallett MobbsNewsflash: Unpacking is Finished!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834014e88302879970d2011-05-01T23:25:12+02:002011-06-02T01:13:29+02:00Phew, I am glad this long weekend is over (almost). I am exhausted and frazzled beyond belief. All the unpacking, bar some pictures and the garden stuff, has been done. Now it's just a case of rearranging things and finding somewhere to put it all. This is the bit that...Carole Hallett MobbsMy Cat is Brokentag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834014e881d913d970d2011-04-29T10:15:00+02:002011-06-02T01:02:27+02:00Raymi seems to have developed agoraphobia! He absolutely will not go outside and if put out, shoots back in at lightning speed. I'm a little cruel and sometimes shut the door on him, until his pitiful miaows break me - it doesn't take long before I let him back in....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 MobbsJet Lag, Giant Dogs and a Janitortag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834015431ecd0b9970c2011-04-25T10:15:48+02:002011-06-02T00:32:38+02:00Wednesday 13th April I awoke at 5am again after spending most of the night in the bathroom. No, I wasn't ill, I have a peculiar jet lag symptom - needing to pee every hour or so. Actually, my jet lag is very similar to being pregnant... headache, tiredness, insomnia (yes,...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 MobbsLeaving Japantag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834014e88054665970d2011-04-23T01:47:22+02:002011-06-02T00:05:36+02:00I thought leaving Japan would be hard and I was right. However, the experience of being in the Tohoku 9.0 magnitude earthquake with all its subsequent upheaval - geological as well as psychological - made it a little easier. Perhaps at the back of my mind was the thought that...Carole Hallett Mobbs