It is good that we live in the most upper floor of our house, therefore we are able to use the staircase as a winter garden for our terrace plants. The terrace now is empty except for some winter-proof plants, everything else is distributed in the stair case and on landings. But if you look at the buds, the plants seem to like it.

Listening to ”Can’t Keep It In”, by Cat Stevens (Play Count: 2)

When I come home on Fridays or Thursdays, I do not like to have a date the same evening with guests or friends. At least not if fixed beforehand. That would mean stress, preparations, lack of relaxing. It is different if guests come spontaneously. When I came home tonight, Manu was here and we had a nice evening. No obligations and previous stress, just being together. I like Manu and therefore it was mor than just ok.

Yes, now they all have gone again and looking back I first was glad. But already in the minute Heide said farewell I longed to see her again. I was very pleased about her visit with Rudi, it was great to have had Michael in our apartment and it would be great to have dear friends around more often. But I also had to realise that I was not feeling well on Monday, I had to take a strong painkiller on Saturday and then on Monday I had a kind of hangover, a resting day in bed, light depression and then the prospect of being the sole responsible for my mother again.

To day again I regretted not being able to take photographs, as the red morning sun changed a glas front of a high rise building near Alexanderplatz into a gleaming bronze wall and one could still see the full moon in the light blue clear sky, the moon which already had cast her shadows into the room. And again my plants show that they are felling well, my passion flower shows 3 new shoots on the cut-back branch, my oldest azalea starts to bloom and the holly is developing an overwhelming show of flowers. The last one I got as a present last year with buds which Smokie removed all (!!!), this is the first year it is blooming. I hope we will remember to take a picture over the weekend. And my orchids also bloom, even if Smokie tries everything to prevent it. In the staircase the arbutus is blooming, my lily already has developed 5 shoots from the lump. All gives me the strength in addition to Axel to overcome the imminent cold and darkness. I hope you take a small piece of happiness from mine for yourself.

Today I read an article in Spiegel Online about the things our retiring Chancellor Gerhard Schröder will do after the election of the Merkel: move into a flat in “Unter den Linden” (one of the best addresses in Berlin), open an office as solicitor in Berlin-Mitte and similar things. Notwithstanding that this is rather a topic for the yellow press than for a serious political magazine, I found a detail remarkable in this article: Schröder wants to learn English.

I found it strange that a chancellor of Germany for seven years had a chancellor not able to talk English (German province?), but my boss M. gave me the reason, why he wants to do it. As former chancellor Schröder can make a lot of money with giving talks, mainly in the USA. But for that he needs English. Margaret Thatcher made millions that way…

Listening to ”Jacqueline”, by Franz Ferdinand (Play Count: 36)

The big coalition in Germany will become a reality and everybody is preparing us for cuts. Everywhere there are complaints that people do not buy anymore and therefore do not help the economy.

At the same time the German online distributor (and coffee producer) Tchibo is offering useful luxury stuff such as wine climatising machines or digital cocktail preparation tools. Do we have an extraordinary situation in our country just because of Christmas? Or is it so, that well-off people now buy at Tchibo and the poorer not at all?

There is my (unknown) net friend Clarissa who is suffering from MCS. MCS is standing for Multiple Chemical Insensivity. Clarissa is keeping an Online-Diary and I recommend checking it (in German) to see the problems of this illness.

Listening to ”Crystal Frontier (Widescreen V”, by Calexico (Play Count:

And yesterday evening we had the house full of visitors again. 14 were announced, but K. and F. did not appear without telling us. But we had a wonderful evening, Hanna really went into the effort to produce 2 main courses: turkey breast Indian way (with curry, pineapple, coconut milk and more) and a classic fricassee of chicken. Tasted great. Some images I have added to our gallery of visitors.

Now Heide and Rudi have left for Magdeburg and honestly, we now enjoy the quietness that has entered our appartment.

Listening to ”Scuba-Heavenly” (Play Count: 4)

“Need Balcony, looking for Sponsor”: Seen in Berlin-Friedrichshain. I ask myself how it would work with the sponsoring. Advertisement on balcony in exchange for some contribution to the rent?

Listening to ”Nadjejda”, by Georges Moustaki (Play Count: 9)

Currently we have a lot of visitors from abroad. Some pictures I put into the gallery.

Listening to ”Jetzt Ist Sommer”, by Wise Guys (Play Count: 7)

Only the best for you!

Listening to ”Symphony No. 5 In C Minor, Op. 67, 2Andante con moto”, by Herbert von Karajan (Play Count: 2)