A letter to the Irish Times about Bertie in Bertieland.

Note the letter mentioned in this blog posting may be understood by those keeping up with the banking inquiry in Ireland.  

To those not, esp. people who are not Irish or who do not follow  what goes on in Ireland and very especially  my English students in Germany: -  DO NOT even try to understand.  

This is a letter I wrote to the Irish Times in response to Bertie´s ´not know´en noth´in about noth´en´ at the banking inquiry.   Full disclosure - it was not printed!

Banking decisions not my responsibility - Bertie Ahern.

To the Editor,

Well I felt a bit like Alice in Bertieland reading that Bertie Ahern opined that Banking Decisions were not his responsibility.   Bertie however ´ admitted his Government took chances, such as allowing too much tax revenue to come from construction.´

           

 No doubt due in part to what he says was  “the overwhelming advice from experts - that “we would not get the kind of hit that we did”.´    Which experts? When?

I am puzzled; as a housekeeper in New York during the build up and the later implosion of the Irish economy, I was privy to far less information than Bertie.  But I was concerned as far back as 2006.  And why?    Arriving in to Dublin from New York sometime in 2006, I counted 63 very tall cranes on the Dublin skyline.  – There were more, but I lost count after 63.  I knew enough to know Ireland with our small population could not support more cranes on Dublin´s skyline than could be seen on the Manhattan skyline.  That simple. 

If I could see what was coming down the line working away as I was in in New York City.  I have to ask how could Bertie - who during this time was Taoiseach for eleven years and Finance Minister for three, NOT see what was coming?

 Bertie in effect saying he had not any sense or even a vaguely accurate clue as to what was going on with the economy, with the flawed building boom - or with the banks  during this time is, frankly not credible.  -  His saying it is  gives me the same bad bad feeling I had when I read reports in July 1997 that another former Taoiseach,  this time C.J.,  told the McCracken Tribunal ”My work was my life. There was no room for an extravagant lifestyle. ”

I am wondering if things would have been clearer back then in Bertieland, if Bertie had had his very own bank account?
Sincerely,

....

Böhler´s Garden is a little corner of heaven. And all are welcome!

The pictures below come from Böhler´s garden on the Island of Reichenau in Lake Konstanz.

The garden is a labour of love created over years by Herr und Frau Böhler.  

And all of us can visit it.  For free!

I think you dear reader will agree, it is truly a corner of heaven.

Please enjoy.....

 

Sadly Herr Böhler died in 2013.

The bench here is set in the garden to honour his memory.

The Böhler´s grown son now helps his mother tend to the garden.

The Böhlers welcome all to their garden - asking only a small donation should one wish to, to go towards the garden´s upkeep.

I have blogged about this garden before. But I think readers will concur that it truly is worth another visit!

A nice walk after the rain. Which means more photos. Horray!

The summer started early in Allensbach.  It was lovely. Then it was cool and somewhat wet for two weeks.  Then, a few days ago the sum came out again.  So I went for a morning walk! 

It was a delightful splurge of green and blue and blooming colours...  This is a special birthday blog for Yvette.

In the picture above, if you look very carefully you can see the Alps on the horizon

The picture on the left is a representation of an Alet being caught in a fishing net.  Allensbach comes from the name of the fish Alet  and the German word for a stream Bach. Thus  you have Allensbach.

 

There is an nice addendum later to this picture of a pair of nesting swans.

Look closely toward the bottom center of the picture on the right to see a mallard enjoying breakfast.

-  The same day I saw a mother mallard with NINE chicks floating by.

To the left:  For good measure a heron just finishing breakfast near by.

Winding down my morning walk after the rain; that little blob of red in the background is my bicycle bag on my bike.   Will be cycling home soon to start the ´day job`. 

Addendum.

Was by the lake just four days after my walk earlier in this week.  And the brooding swan pair of four days ago were simultaneously proud to show off their three newly hatched chicks .....

............... and at the same time cautious.



























I ask you, can it get much more ´ ahhh´ than that!

 ´Same old, same old´ is often times not too bad in this neck of the woods!  

A letter to Des Bishop, an Irish man world famous in China on matters pertaining to love and marriage.

I sent the letter via Facebook to comedian Des Bishop.  I am posting a copy here, in the hopes that one of my (almost sort of) huge fan base, may have an ´in´with the aforementioned Mr. Bishop or, with Ms. Ruo Hong mentioned in the letter below.  

Dear Des,
I am writing to ask if you can help me find my friend Xinyu in China with whom I studied in Germany in 2009.  And for good romantic reason.

Seeing as you are world famous in China on matters of love and marriage I am turning to you for help.  Could I ask that you call on all use your legions of contacts in high places in China to connect with radio D.J. Ms. Ruo Hong?

Ms. Ruo Hong along with groom, detective writer Mr. Zhao Yan, honeymooned in Ireland in 2012.  So straight away we have a love connection going on. 

 

With the help of Ms. Catherine Whelan from the Irish Tourist Board, I tried to connect with the well known radio personality in China.   Clearly Ms. Whelan is not as powerfully connected in China as I know you are! 

 I am trying to locate my young Chinese friend Xinyu with whom I studied German in 2009 for, as I said, good romantic reason.

Although she was young enough to be my grandchild, we became wonderful friends in our shared aim of learning German here in Konstanz in Germany.  That was back in 2008-9.   I married later in life.  And few were as happy for me as the young Xinyu.   At our wedding in September 2009, she was a special guest. 

At the end of 2009 she went back to China and I have heard no more. I would LOVE to re-connect with her.   And more, I would love through you, Ms. Hong et al to send Xinyu a copy of our wedding album which we had made especially for her.    Herbert and I would very much like her to have the wedding album.

 

I know Xinyu´s father was a fisher man.  I believe they lived on the coast of the Bohai Sea – which I know leaves it a bit open.

So Des, you being the world famous ´man of romance’ in China... 

YOUR MISSION SHOULD YOU DECIDE TO ACCEPT IT IS: 

With the assistance of Radio D.J. Ms. Hong et al to     

FIND XINYU so that I can send her a copy of our wedding album.

With hopeful anticipation,

Hausfrau Róisín. 

P.S. I too have a Flushing connection; I came to live in Germany in 2008 after a 21 yr ´ stop over ´ in New York.  My first job in New York was working for a woman in Flushing, right near the park.  We are still in touch today!

P.S.2 . For blog readers to want to see more of Des in action on the funny job, check out....

https://www.facebook.com/des.bishop.37?fref=ts

A day like any other - only not.

It was a sunny day, so I went for a cycle.

 

I came across this fun picture of the bike up the pole!  I kid you not, a bike up the pole.  -If you look carefully, you too can see the bike up the pole.



I enjoyed looking at frescoes such as those  below, of which there are many in these regions.

Then I had a fun hour or so checking out a local second hand store for things I´d love to buy but don´t need, nor do I have room for.

Over 2000 years ago,  Socrates is quoted as saying  "I love to go (to the market)  and see all the things I am happy without´´.  On this point Socrates and I concur!
 
But, a great bargain is a bargain even if you don´t bring it home.  - Some tingling examples: This extending dinner table, dark pine, in good condition, €126.00.  In the background a cherry-wood cabinet for €75.00 in very good condition.   Ooohh that one was particularly painful´ not to need, nor to have room for´!






A woman of ´a certain age´, but dressed as if she were ´a tad younger´ came from shopping in the second hand shop and drove away in this sports car.

As my mother said ´no one ever got rich spending a lot of money.´  So what ever one might have said of the sports car driver´s dress sense, her money sense was spot on!

 Then just tra la tra cycling through the city of Konstanz...

Even more than the frescoes, there many beautifully painted houses in this region.  This house in Konstanz is one of my favorite.

Followed by lunch on the Rhine with Imperia.  - The statue in the middle distance is a rather voluptuous interpretation of Imperia who was  ´active´, shall we say, in the Vatican in the late 15th century.

Look carefully to the right of the picture below and you might see the Alps - which are a good 50 miles away.

Then tra la tra la over to  Switzerland.  - Having grown up in Ireland I never stop enjoying going abroad -  on my bike.

.......Stepped into this bucolic moment in the park in Kreuzlingen...

Looking back towards Konstanz below one can see the park in Konstanz where I had just had lunch with Imperia.....

I lay on a bench and enjoyed the leaves of this tree above me blowing in the breeze.

All this peaceful tra la tra la was only about 70 meters or so from a bustling trade show  on the Swiss - German border that same time.  I could see the participants in the not too far distance


 And the tra la tra la continues...... 

 

 


So all this tra la tra la and happy and stuff, fits in with the advice offered by baby brother W.C. : The Secret to a Happy Life - in less than 100 words.   - Which of course all avid ISFTS blog readers will know was discussed in the blog posting of April 29th last.  Summed up in even less than 100 words W.C.´s advice is: 1) Accept your mistakes or problems and take appropriate action. 2) Enjoy the small pleasures of life.  


Well this day in the sun was no problem or mistake at all.  But it was a day bursting out all over with ´small pleasures` for which I spent a total of €1.50.  For a bun.

The flask of hot tea and cheese sandwich I brought from home.   (One could add another €8.40 for three wine glasses and two butter dishes in the second hand store, but am I being too specific here?)

It was only when I clicked on the camera to take this picture at the end of my magical day of small pleasures in the sun, that the enormity of the meaning of the day that was in it clicked with me.  This day which I enjoyed in good health, freedom, with the choice with the means and with the zeal to get out and enjoy was  Friday 8th of May 2015. 

It may not immediately occur to you, but Friday 8th of May 2015 was the 70th anniversary of the end of World War ll.  There is nothing more I can say after that.  Only to be even more grateful for the life I can enjoy.
                                       ----------------------------------------------------

Things are certainly not perfect in Europe, but they are, in my opinion, great.   I am sure no one could have imagined some seventy years ago how good it would be here now.  - And in no small part because Germany today accepts the truth of the war and their responsibility for it.  For which Germany has earned my great respect.  (I know, my respect or the lack thereof is not going to worry Germany one way or the other, but they have it anyway!)

P.S. If a visual reminder would be needed on how it looked in this region, as in many other parts of Europe, seventy years ago today, click on the link below.

http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http://static4.suedkurier.de/storage/pic/region/bodenseekreis-oberschwaben/friedrichshafen/2014/friedrichshafen_zweiter-weltkrieg/8580893_3_FN-Altstadt_nach_dem_Krieg.jpg%3Fversion%3D1398419135&imgrefurl=http://www.suedkurier.de/galerie/bildergalerien/Friedrichshafen-in-Schutt-und-Asche;cme1316119,8580893&h=431&w=700&tbnid=tUnlWNafIiWlqM:&zoom=1&tbnh=119&tbnw=193&usg=__Cp-fBU0O2j8yI7yQVjAvOqNSA1E=&docid=nQ119lJ4OY2CDM

(These photos above are of the  nearby town of Friedrichshafen.  Konstanz and its inhabitants did suffer greatly during the war. But the residents of Konstanz, which lies on the border with Switzerland,  were smart enough to leave the lights on at night so the Allies thought it was part of Switzerland.  This resulted in Konstanz rarely being bombed during the war.)