Hamburger SV made it and entered the “Group Phase” of UEFA-Cup (with some efforts). Of course I crossed my fingers! This reminds me of a story: You may have several women in your life, but you never change your favourite soccer club. Since the age of nine I have been a HSV supporter because my father introduced me into the stadium. If you want to know how this happened just ask me. Nevertheless HSV is part of the game for the coming months. This team is bound to achieve a lot!

Ontario is trying to hire especially gay US-American doctors (see Reuters AlertNet). The Minister of Health talked explicitly of exploiting Canadian tolerance as opposed to its Southern neighbour. In Ontario since 2003 homosexual marriages now are legal in all of Canada.

I was now able to restore the pictures from Helga’s computer and therefore re-organised the albums from our Canada vactaion adding some pictures: Six Mile Lake, Caledon and Toronto, Niagara and Hanna with Family.

Obviously Apple Notebooks sometimes simply need a rest, because Helga’s iBook worked again suddenly.

Yesterday afternoon Axel’s mobile phone kept ringing, but he was asleep and I did not take the call…and then he called back and there came the announcement of a spontaneous visit of our friend Ursula with her grandson Florian……Well, somehow I seem to be a children’s fan nevertheless!!! Especially when such a short one is so sweet and nice. Both of them staid for the BBQ and the short one did like green beans as well as grilled potatoes with cheese and the juicy filet steak. He is of the same age as Oliver, my grand-nephew from Canada, but he was not complicated at all and very content. We now know 5 children of exactly this age and somehow we will certainly introduce the 3 girls and 2 boys to each other… Plans!?!?! Oh yes. and slowly I am getting feedbacks from the Luise-Henriette School, as I try to find some people again.

Today I got a call on my mobile when I just tried to sleep away my cold. Did not reach it fast enough, but fortunately the caller had left a message. “Suzan” was in the area with her grandson Florian and wanted to visit us. I called back as soon as possible and they came for their first visit at our flat. It was good to see her and as we were just preparing dinner (ample as always), both of them could eat with us. Florian (just over 2 years) took in a lot and Hanna could demonstrate her astonishingly good relation to children. But in general it is a good thing if somebody just passes by, it may always happen again.

No, it is no longer that hot, now that we have autumn. But when we came back from holidays

our cat had learnt to climb the roof watch us and the birds from up there. I still have a strange feeling in my stomach watching him climb up the rooftiles.

I still have a strange feeling when being somewhere in my job where you suddenly have lots of people in uniforms of the German Army (Bundeswehr). Today I am manning our booth at the Helmut-Schmidt-University on occasion of the 2nd Distance Training Congress of the Bundeswehr. Of course lots of soldiers appear here and I ask myself, what is happening. Even people I worked with together before, suddenly have a grey uniform jacket on them. The Bundeswehr should be something quite natural, but I am not able to discard being a late 68-person.

And served it was by the German voters, but they could only serve what was offered by the political parties. There they did not find the important alternatives that would have initiated a clear decision. Now the parties start setting what they think are the basic conditions under which they would enter a government or not.

If you take the politicians seriously, no government or coalition is possible in Germany. One does not want to go with another and Merkel and Schröder cannot agree, who has the right to become chancellor. But the first hard positions are softening: some liberals say, one should not exclude a coalition with the Greens and the Christian Democrats in contrast to what they said yesterday evening (this is called the Jamaica coalition because of the party’s colours green for the Greens of course, yellow for the liberals and black for the conservatives). And in the Christian Democrat Parties the critics of Merkel already start to gather. Let’s go: Jamaica or “Big” coalition without Schröder and Merkel?

If you want to follow the developments, the German magazine DER SPIEGEL has an English website.

In a few hours polling booths will be closing here in Germany. The many media have interviewed even the last candidate from constituency x, have explained three times, how to vote. The top politicians probably now sit at home and oil their hoarse vocal chords. I hope the turnout will be high and I also hope that the result will be bearable!

Some people one cannot understand at all. Today Hanna told me that finally she had Helga on the phone. She already had been worried: Helga is living alone and did not call or take up the phone for a couple of days. This morning she took the call and told Hanna that their friendship is over or at least at rest. And that after our taking her on holidays with us. The reason is supposed something that happened in Canada, something that I would not see as really grave, especially as no word was lost over it before. Real friends are able to clarify all matters and are able to talk through eversything. If that is not possible, it is no real friendship. This way is really strange. As if a car driver went into full force breaking without a plausible reason.