The New Normal

 So how have you been since last we spoke? Here in Mönchengladbach I have swung like a sinus curve from extreme laziness and slovenliness to high industriousness and an attempt at cleanliness. The major reason for these swings is that I hate house work and would rather be doing something exciting and adventurous than vacuuming and dusting. My decluttering is still going on and I am making slow progress. Some days are more emotionally draining than others, because I find old love letters, some written by my father and others by a number of my ex'es! Then I need to go for a walk or bike ride to clear my head.

My new normal is that I no longer go shopping regularly. Those that know me well also know that I am a shopaholic. I love it and before this pandemic would go once a week to food shop and every other day window shopping in the centre of town. Thanks to the Internet it is no longer necessary. I now get my food and household stuff delivered every week. There are at least two good supermarket firms that deliver here. REWE and PICNIC. I have used the former and like their products, but they are more expensive than the latter, so I have stayed with PICNIC. Yesterday they sent me an email which said that they have delivered 10 times a total of 175 kilos of Victuals and that I have saved 20 hours of shopping time.

The Big Boys Toys are delivered by DHL, so I don't go without there either. Because I was not going out spending unnecessary amounts of money in coffee shops or on spontaneous purchases, I had cash available for toys. It started back in March with me using my loyalty points from a large supermarket to order a pair of nice bluetooth earphones. This led me to buy an iPod so that I could listen to even more music on my new earphones! I discovered too that the iPod Touch was as good as a Smart Phone as I could receive emails on it as well as listen to the BBC Radio. Then I decided I needed an Apple Watch! This led me to buy a new iPhone 11 Pro Max. I needed new hearing aids and have bought two really smart ones with which I can listen to the music on my iPhone, answer the telephone and listen to the TV. When listening to music or the radio I can adjust the volume or turn it off by using the little digital crown on my Apple Watch! The hearing aids Phonak Audeo M30-R have made my life more fun.  I can go anywhere and still listen to the radio or my music. When watching TV I can now go into the kitchen to do stuff and still listen to the dialogue and not miss anything. I have a need of a new computer and am thinking of now getting a Mac Book Pro, but I needed new spectacles, which I have now ordered and these are expensive so the Mac Book will have to wait a bit. Since I no longer use my car for shopping I hardly seem to use it, that I have thought of selling it, but I shall not jump to quick conclusions here as there are occasions when a motor car is useful. Especially as I shall not be getting on a train any time soon. 

I bake weekly at least a cake which I distribute to a couple of my neighbours and my patchwork family, and every so often a sourdough loaf. I am getting quite good at the bread baking now. I started a notebook in which I record my baking recipes, especially as I am experimenting with the types of flour I use. When my neighbour had her 102nd Birthday I baked her a cake. She was delighted and since then on occasions in return for my regular Sunday cake, drops off a bottle of white wine on my doorstep.

I have met with  my good friend George/Jürgen for a coffee, on a number of occasions maintaining social distance of course. On another occasion my Camino Brother Uwe happened to be in MG for a Mega March and so we met one evening for an ice. He has a sister that sews and embroiders, so I was presented with a nice Camino facemask! I have no idea how such meetings will take place once the colder weather comes since I shall not go inside a Cafe or Restaurant! 

I have been out cycling with my two grandchildren on occasions. With Christopher we combined it with Geocaching which was fun. With Vincent we combined it with a picnic.

My Anglican Church community has continued to have Zoom Services and we even started actual Services once a month. We no longer meet in the Church Hall for coffee and tea after, but go into the park opposite the Church and stand apart for a chat and a bite of my cake, baked as usual.

I have also had a Zoom chat with Brec and Sandy in Connecticut on the one day when Vodafone had a complete shut down in Mönchengladbach! I had to scrabble around until I found a friend that had a Telekom connection which was working. It was a bit hectic for awhile, but so good to see and chat with them.

I also had a less hectic Zoom Chat with Glenn and Gwen in Canada who live just outside Toronto, on a day when my Internet connection was working.

I now have cut my own hair three times in all. From the front it looks OK, it's just the back which is iffy!

2020 looks like being the first year since 1983 that I have not been sailing. Since 2009 I have been without a boat to call my own, but I have somehow always managed to get out on the water in some form of sailing vessel. When the pandemic is over I shall attempt to get the Baltic Four together for a sail on RAGNA R. 

The Baltic Four some time ago in the 80s.

There will be no annual get together of the Nienburg Crew either which is sad. We have met each year since 1992!

At the beginning of the year I introduced a Vice Commodore of the Ocean Cruising Club to member of the German equivalent, Trans-Ocean at the Düsseldorf BOOT and we discussed cooperation between the clubs and the possibility of the OCC having a stand at the BOOT 21. BOOT 21 will take place, but I have had to inform them all that I can no longer participate unless there is a safe vaccine for me! I shall help them if they decide to have a stand from my socially distanced laptop, but more I cannot do.

In another lifetime and when I was super fit and much much younger, I had a serious bout of viral pneumonia and it was touch and go then. After REHAB it still took over three months for me to regain the full capacity of my lungs! Consequently I am doubly cautious now.

It pains me to see the many people around the world who seem to deny the seriousness of COVID-19 or the need to wear masks in public places. One or two I know personally justify their actions by saying they are lateral thinkers, implying that they are the only ones with the right answer. COVID-19 is still so new and the medical and scientific community are still learning about how it is transmitted and what the true consequences are. Younger people are being adversely affected, even if they only have a mild form and recover they are showing long term medical problems and complications. 

I remarked in my last blog that what the world needed now was strong leadership for only if all countries pull together will we overcome this pandemic. I pray that the upcoming US election will bring a favourable result and that America can then take up its proper leadership role again.

My Eye Doctor when I was having my check up said to me that once upon a time all Psychiatric Hospitals used to be painted white. Now there is only one left and it is on Pennsylvania Avenue!!

Think about it, in the meantime stay negative!

A Canadian Sojourn

Alan took us by train to Canada to visit Pat and Dan his Camino sister and brother! We were thrilled to be going as Pat is one of those rare humans that understands us Bears!

This journey involved a very early start from Milford Station to first get to New York Grand Central Station, then across the city by taxi to Pennsylvania Station for an AMTRAK train that left at 08:15 hrs.

So early in the morning Grand Central, perhaps the finest railway station in the world, was not so crowded as it always is later in the day! 

Our New York taxi driver was not very chatty but got us to Pennsylvania Station without a hassle.

It was a grey autumn day all the way along the Hudson River, so the fine views we had when we made the journey three years ago were not to be had. Now we were also told that we must change trains in Albany! We had not had to do this before, but it was all done so that a dome viewing carriage could be included on the train! We were not amused at this because the new train was full up and we were lucky to find a seat at all, let alone a window one.  Consequently and especially as he could not take his luggage Alan did not even attempt to go look at the “dome car”!

Then at the border with Canada, the Customs and immigration officials took forever so we were almost two hours late getting into Montreal! Seeing Pat and Dan waiting for us when we finally did arrive was like shot in the arm!  

We had some catching up to do which was done first in a restaurant before we embarked on the long journey to Brockville! Dan is a great driver and had a nice selection of pop music for oldies and soon Alan was asleep for much of the way! 

This is the picture from three years ago when we were last here, looking a lot fresher as it was earlier in the day then and not late at night as this year!

On arrival the weather in Brockville was also grey, but it did not stay that way for long and we had some nice autumn days! 

Squirrels were out doing what they always do at this time of the year! 

Shopping is what humans do, it’s their version of hunter gathering. Pat needed stuff not just for the Thanksgiving Lunch she was hosting, but also stuff to decorate the Church with. Our BBF being a bit of a shopaholic enjoyed this and then went along and helped a bit at decorating the church!

The sun came out now and gave us some great autumn days.

The view from the house! Alan helped Dan put their canoe away for the winter as it was now getting too cold to go paddling in the wilderness!

But first he showed us how he gets the canoe up on his back for a portage! The idea of humping this canoe over long distances was enough to make Alan go weak at the knees so he chose to sit in the sun for a bit to recover his equilibrium! 

Oh! By the way! If ever you are in North America do NOT use the verb “hump,” meaning to carry a heavy object with difficulty there, for it means something rude!!! Pat and Dan are nevertheless determined to make Alan a proper Canadian by having him hump a canoe on a portage in the wilderness!

For now Alan amused himself by going to yet another Native American event. He took part in a Canadian First Nation workshop learning about Indian Folklore, singing and story telling which involved making "Talking Sticks" and "Talking Feathers"! He made two talking feathers and as he's a sailor they had to have shells on them too!

We sometimes think that our BBF should not be let out alone, but even with Pat as company he could not be stopped from buying another Bear! These two are now called Dan, the big guy, and Pat the little guy he's hugging and they send out hugs to all!

Pat and Dan took us one cold night to Upper Canada Village to a Pumpkin Inferno! What the hell is that one might ask? Well judge for yourselves by the following pictures. It was all about carving and lighting up pumpkins and was a fun event for all the family and well worth going to.

It is hard to believe from this small selection of photos that they are all made from carved and lit pumpkins. it was a fine display and inspires one to have a go!

On the day of Pat's Canadian Thanksgiving Party we were up early to shop in the lovely and friendly market in Brockville. Flower decorations were bought as well as more vegetables and Alan even bought some presents!

In the afternoon Alan made a Torta de Santiago and Dan helped by licking the bowl clean!

This year the gathering was not as big as we experienced three years ago, but nevertheless we could have fed the whole of Barrett's Privateers!

With good food and good company what more could a human wish for? Alan was inspired to copy the whole idea when he gets back to Germany so took special note of many of the recipes!

On the Thanksgiving Sunday the humans went to communion in the St John's United Church and Heather, the pastor greeted Alan with a big hug as she remembered him from three years ago!

Pat is very much a gadget person like our human. She even has a nifty gadget for cleanly chopping off the top of the boiled egg!

With Glenn and Gwenn, long time friends of Pat and Dan who visited on their way back to Toronto, we went for a walk round Brockville and went through Canada's first railway tunnel. They even have the sound of the train going through the tunnel!

On another fine autumn day our hosts took us on a hike and picnic along part of the Rideau Canal. They had canoed along its whole length to Ottawa in the summer.

At Jones Falls is one of the dams and many lock systems built along the canal long ago by a British Royal Engineer!

This being Canada, a very large country, one thinks nothing of driving some 80 kilometres to find Canada's best ice cream parlour, for a well needed ice!

Oddly enough this was also on the canal and so we had another look at one of those portages Dan had done.

On another fine day the weather was conducive to reading on the back deck!

Pat and Dan had introduced Alan to Louise Penny and her detective stories! He was immediately hooked and read two during our stay!

On a grey day our host now took us to Ottawa and we visited the lovely Canadian History Museum where Alan was particularly enamoured by the First Nation exhibits.

We'd like to see how Dan humps this heavy canoe over a portage in the wilderness!








Go all the way to Canada to learn about European Middle Ages!!

We had lunch of barbecued spare ribs and chicken with beans and cornbread in a Fatboys restaurant.

The door handles were petrol pump nozzles



and the taps in the loo were motorcycle handlebars, of all things!



We visited the Mint one of the best in the world and were fortunate enough to meet and speak to the man that developed the hologram on the Canadian coins!!

We then just had to see where Pat and Dan finally arrived in their canoe and would you believe it, fell into the canal!!!

Right under the bridge from where this photo was taken is the place!



On another fine day Alan took us for a walk around Brockville, a small town of only 22000 souls.







He found a nice quaint cafe which served the best Cappuccino he has had in North America and a pecan torte to die for.

Some people seem to go over the top to decorate their gardens and homes for Halloween, this is the best or is it the worst example?

The next Sunday when we attended Church we discovered a goat which looked a bit more like a donkey 

and a camel decorating the church! These were props and scenery for the fundraising production of Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat.

In the evening the humans went to a fundraising Ham Dinner and CR5 Bluegrass Concert which was an enjoyable and popular event, and a first for Alan as he had never been to a Bluegrass concert before.

On our last evening Alan was privileged to attend a rehearsal of the Choirs production of Joseph and was sad that he was going to miss the main event. They have some fine singers performing the piece and the Pharaoh as Elvis Presley was particularly good.

On the drive back to Montreal we were treated to some fine Autumn colours along the highway.

The humans took one last selfie and then it was a quick tearful hug saying goodbye and we were on the train back to New York.

This time the train was not full so Alan had a window seat and we sat in the aisle.

Alan did go to the dome car this time, but the weather was a bit grey so the views were not that spectacular and it was dark by the time we got to Albany and the views across the Hudson were consequently lost on us!

In Albany they disconnected the dome car and attached a new Engine. This took too much time and so we were very late getting into New York's Pennsylvania Station. Consequently it was a made dash across to Grand Central Station to make the last train to Milford, but make it we did. 

Sandy was waiting in the dark of the night at 01:30 hrs to greet us and take us home. After a much needed stiff G+T we fell into bed around 02:30 hrs vowing to choose another way of getting to and from Canada next time.