Berlinfusiontag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-941193915649615482012-07-06T12:32:49+02:00From sushi to sauerkraut - moving from Tokyo to Berlin.TypePadBumble Bees, Dead!tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340167683413ae970b2012-07-06T12:32:49+02:002012-08-07T12:39:48+02:00If you found this matchbox, clearly labelled, what would you think? What it says on the box! Obviously. What would you do? OK, a bit more information: this matchbox belongs to my Mum. My Mum is a very talented artist; she's won medals, including gold, at the Royal Horticultural Society...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 MobbsSpringwatch 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 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 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 MobbsThings that go Screech in the Nighttag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a4288588340162fbd4e533970d2011-10-22T12:27:50+02:002011-10-22T12:27:50+02:00Late last night a blood-curdling screech ripping through the dark outside couldn't fail to grab my attention. At first I thought it was a cat fight, but when the loud, eerie shriek repeated, I realised it was not a cat, but some other creature. Unfortunately I've heard enough cat fights,...Carole Hallett MobbsWhat begins with W?tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401538fc22218970b2011-08-10T17:54:00+02:002011-08-10T17:54:00+02:00Wild Boar. These creatures are fairly common here. I haven't encountered one yet, but our arrival notes (hints and tips and information) said to make sure they can't get into your garden as they make a dreadful mess of it. No kidding! Yes, I'd like to see one: no I...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 MobbsJaytag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401543394ca87970c2011-07-22T17:32:00+02:002011-07-09T03:22:06+02:00Jay. Beautiful birds in my garden. One breed of many visitors. Japan. I'm homesick - not for the UK but for Japan. I miss almost everything about this incredible country. Apart from the horrendous summer heat and earthquakes. Rhiannon is very homesick for Tokyo and is worried because she's forgetting...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 MobbsB-b-b-b...tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a42885883401538fb727b3970b2011-07-12T17:00:00+02:002011-07-09T03:14:31+02:00Continuing Berlinfusion's A to Z rambles. is for... Lots of things! Blog. And Berlinfusion, natch! I like the design of this but I may have a fiddle with the layout at some point. Well, as much as I can with Typepad. I like the pictures down the right of this...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 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 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 MobbsWhat a Difference a New School Makestag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834014e885c64e6970d2011-05-11T11:32:52+02:002011-05-11T18:08:28+02:00I am amazed at how quickly and well Rhiannon has settled into her new school routine. I'm immensely proud of her newly found confidence and she is thrilled with the school. Whilst I agree it's still early days, she seems to have got off to a great start. Rhiannon's School...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 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 MobbsThe Busy Day Continues - Dustbins & Schooltag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00e553a428858834015431e8f692970c2011-04-24T09:33:53+02:002011-06-02T00:21:30+02:00Still Tuesday 12th April 2011 - this may take three posts as so much happened. So, we had lunch and continued unpacking while Rhiannon ran amok in the expanse of garden. Suddenly the door buzzer sounded - an unpleasant noise making us jump out of our skin. I lean to...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