2023 年 2 月 3 日
Last Monday, I got a desperate call from a local school. A water pipe had burst, flooding the instrument storeroom. Now 'Cellos don't like water.......they start falling apart. You might think that you could just glue them back together, but no, the wood gets all warped and misshapen....学校での事故 - 水道管の破裂....
This is a back joint, which has warped beyond all rescue attempts.......これは良くない
What a start to the week! 何という週の始まりでしょう！
Anyway, I got the `Cellos into my workshop and then went to park the car by the station.
As I was looking for a parking space, an oncoming car forced me to slow down and drive closely alongside a parked car. Our wing mirrors met. After I had parked, I went back to the other car and pushed its wing mirror back into the correct position. Seeing no damage, I then walked home. A few days later the police arrived at my home and informed me (very politely I have to say) that I had been reported (angezeigt ). Someone had taken a photo of me from a nearby house. They apparently had a scratch on their wing mirror. I could be charged with Fahrerflucht (hit and run). Wonderful isn't it? I have annoyed a sacred idol - the car 🚗 - So I get a fine. ばっきん罰金. It had to be Monday. 私は誰かのドアミラーをたたきました、そして彼らは私を報告しました.
Later on, after my initial astonishment and subsequent bad mood I remembered a saying from a Buddhist:
"...Nothing is permanent. So don't stress yourself too much. Because, no matter how bad the situation is, it will change, and you will be o.k."
永久(えいえん)に続(つづ)く ものなんて ありません。
だから、あまりストレスを ためないで。
今、どんなに 状況(じょうきょう)が 悪(わる)くても、必(かなら)ず 変(か)わります。
だから、大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)ですよ！(Translation: Miki-san. Thank you!)
And o.k. I am, because.......
Firstly. The skies were blue over Langen yesterday....青空
ランゲン
Secondly, at the weekend I had a nice walk with good company....週末はよく散歩
... through the vineyards ブドウ園 above Nieder-Walluf.......The Rheingau.
and thirdly.....the best spark of all......
Little Meiko 芽衣子 ✨ appeared on my screen, only 12 days old! Daughter to proud parents Emi and Taihei in Kanagawa. よろしくお願いします！🎉. May you be well and happy in your life Maiko-chan, and live in peace.
February is a time people are dreaming of, or even planning, holidays. For me, the mountains of Hokkaido 北海道, are calling.......Asahidake, 旭岳温泉, Daisetsuzan National Park
......so I am poring over a real paper 1:25000 walking map....🥾.....wow! It's one of the areas in Japan where you can avoid the summer heat.....However, the cost of a flight to Japan has nearly doubled since last year.....maybe it will stay just a dream...... 夢?
In the meantime the lights of Frankfurt beckon......フランクフルトで買い物
Actually, I loath shopping. 実は私は買い物が苦手です I can never find the right size, and even if I do, there never seems to be a tasteful colour available 🙄.
Thank you for reading this 🙏.
Feel free to share it with friends if you like. よろしければ、リンクを友達と共有してください😊
I send out the blog pretty randomly to whoever I think might be interested. Either by email, LINE or WHATSAPP. If you don't want to be sent this blog, don't hesitate to tell me and I shall take you off the list. No problem.
この投稿を読んでいただきありがとうございます。 新しい投稿のお知らせを受け取りたい場合は、上部の購読フォームに記入してください。 ありがとう！Nigel.😊
A curious photo to end. 最後に興味深い写真 I came across this whilst browsing aerial photos of the UK. When I was a child, we would take family outings to the white cliffs of Beachy Head, near Eastbourne, in Sussex. I remember peeping over the edge of the cliff and seeing this lighthouse far below. I have never seen it from this perspective before. The photo is taken from a biplane in 1931.
THE END
🛩
終わり
What a Monday! Imagine being fined for such a thing. Well, it would probably happen here, too. As for hikes - forget Hokkaido and come climb the gorge with me. Better choose a time other than summer, though.