The concepts of in-time and through-time and simply never assume anything!

Hello world, it's me again, still from my old armchair in my old home. Some of you may know that as of yesterday I have rented a flat in town. It's in an ooooooooooooold house, 1789 or something like that, no straight walls, some of the doors quite low, you get the picture (no, it's not THAT bad, this pic is from www.bilderkiste.de). Those of you who've seen the exposè - the photos were cleverly taken to make the rooms look more spacious than they actually are. The entrance is through the back and up some ancient wooden stairs. Once could say we are really well hidden. Nevertheless, it's going to be MINE i.e. for me and the kids and for the first time in twenty years I am completely in charge of everything. This is quite a daunting thought, on the other hand I also have the ultimate power of decision making of what goes where or if it enters "my home" at all.

So, how does all this connect to this post's title? Well, the flat was supposed to be ready for me yesterday (first day of rental) and I had simply assumed the official handing-over-of-the-keys would take place then. I had been chasing the landlord to arrange time since Thursday but only talked to his answering machine. Yesterday I finally drove by the house (not his, that was plan B) and found the current tenants still in there, right in the middle of moving. Funnily enough it had been them who had wanted to move out earlier since they already had a new place and didn't want to pay twice for too long. And again, I had simply assumed it would be empty and ready to be handed over on the day.

This very friendly family apparently has a different concept of time, the one called living "in time", being in the here and now and not too bothered about dates or deadlines. I wasn't too bothered about them still being in (a little surprised though), I was glad there was someone who could give me the keys because I had arranged for a technician to come on Monday morning to install phone, tv and - most importantly - internet connection!

As a through-time person I would have hated to cancel that appointment at short notice - the same way I would hate to be stood up by someone not arriving (vaguely) on time or not at all. So I'll be there tomorrow morning between 8 and 12 hoping for the best. And yes, the landlord rang a little while ago and asked if everything had worked out (yeah, surprisingly it did - I managed to find some keys) and if I had moved in (How without keys and the family still being in there??) Oh well, different maps of the world and communication lost in translation. We'll get there somehow, sometime. I'll keep you posted, have a great week!

Why do household appliances fall apart on Mother's Day?

Hello everyone, it's Sunday again and Sunday seems to have established itself as my blog-day ... at least for now ;) Last week was very busy at work, so this weekend I've just been lazy - as lazy as I'd ever want to be - and on top of that, it's Mother's Day here in Germany (and also in the US I believe), so my lovely children prepared breakfast, lunch and soon dinner too (ok, I had to tidy up after them and coax the dishwasher into working one last time). More about that later ... first of all - Happy Mother's Day to all mothers on this planet, wherever you are and if this day is celebrated in your country today or not, whatever your age or however your old your "babies" are, whether you are a birth, foster or step-mom (and grandmas included too) ... you are treasured and valued, not only today but 365 days a year! My mum is 81, so I'm blessed to still have her around, albeit 700 km away and only talked to her on the phone.

I was out food-shopping with my girls last night and at the florists in the supermarket mall there was the longest queue I'd ever seen there. It's surely a great business day for florists! (Pic from http://www.bilderkiste.de/ and NOT representing the local florist)

Ok, I wasn't all idle all weekend (can one ever be?) - Yesterday I did the laundry (not unusual I hear you say) ... in the BATHTUB! Yes, the washing machine has retired itself, soaked the launddry and now refuses to work ... and all this just weeks from me moving into my flat for which I would have bought a new one anyhow. That's not all, the dishwasher it's also on its last leg as are several other things. I have the feeling this house and its contents want to tell me: MOVE OUT, make yourself a new life!

Better go and see what son is up to in the kitchen (he's making spaghetti and tomato sauce, I fear the kitchen might look like a crime scene). I wonder who'll do the dishes afterwards ;) They grew up with the idea of a dishwasher, actually washing up was a game when in a holiday appartment. I wonder how this "game" idea will last. Oh well, even if I have my arms in the sink tonight (I'd rather sink into someone's arms, but hey, we'll get there) - they are real treasures and I LOVE them!