A good day

Yesterday was a good day. I slept well, got up early and went through my fitness training programme, visit to the cemetery etc and generally got on with life. In the afternoon the highlight was taking my grandson to his music school lesson with his mum. On the first Tuesday of the month parents and grandparents are permitted to sit and watch and sometimes take part. It was fun watching the youngsters playing their various games to music. The teacher has them well drilled to the sound and the rhythm of her playing on the piano. The best bit though was stopping at the ice cream parlour on the way home for an ice. 

It being the first Tuesday of the month means also that the Phileas Fogg Club meet in the Irish Pub in Rheydt. For those that don't know this was the name of the English Class I used to teach in Mönchengladbach. The group are a great bunch of people who get on well with each other. I am chuffed (proud) that they are staying together as a group despite my, for the time being, not teaching them any more. Well I went and joined them. Since I had not been there before I took a taxi, thinking that taxi drivers know where all the good pubs are. Well I got a driver who had no idea where it was and had to use his phone to find out!!

There were 10 of the 12 members there when I got there. Now every Tuesday the pub has a quiz night and the Club had been there last month and come third out of four teams in this weekly competition. There were I think 8 rounds of 10 questions each, which the quiz master reads out in English and German and one answers as a team on a sheet of paper which is then handed in for marking. It's a good thing he reads the questions in German as well for his English diction leaves a lot to be desired! 

The questions are general knowledge with popular music as a class on it's own. I'd have been lost on the music questions having to guess the name of the artist as well as the song or album even. As a group though we did very well and came first. It just goes to prove how cosmopolitan, well travelled and educated the group are.

Today I was up early for a medical appointment. There's nothing wrong, I just needed (I felt) to show my face and to stock up my travel first aid kit with some antibiotics and other essentials. I also took the opportunity to have a flu jab. My GP just also happens to be a sailor with his own boat, so he understands my requirements and it is always a pleasure to talk to him about his sailing.

I can also report that the stonemason has begun his work and has reseated the marble cross which now sits upright again. I rather hope we can get the grave all refurbished and planted by the time we have the "fortieth day" service, which we have set for 21 September. Then I can depart for the USA with a certain peace of mind.