Juli / August 2012

 
(erste Bilder mit Vollformatkamera D5)

Juli, August 2012  verbringen wir in Baden und am Pool. Hier Auszüge aus dem Tagebuch

JULI

(6.7.12)
Schwimmbecken - neue Folie ~600 eur.

Antwort auf Mail von Peter Popper
> ... and did not lower them, which was excluded from the agreement - now the banks will be fined for making people agree to contracts they did not understand. .... We live in an age where being stupid is being rewarded,
This is really strange. To agree on a fixed rate is a sort of speculation - if interest rates rise, you have done well, if they fall - it's a pity, but at least you do not have to pay more.
>Brigitte must have seen all the row over reindroducing the 11 Plus exam ...
We did not. Looked it up in wikipedia - so we know what it is in principle. Why is it a support of "the idiots"?
As to your attended text: of course I am sorry for all the unpleasentnesses you have to endure, but I have to say that the text makes fascinating reading. Would fit into your biographical outline. There is one thing in it that came as a surprise and one which I deem positive. - In entertaining literature/Tv series, like fx Agatha Christie or the Inspecor Barnaby, there is this recurring motive of people investing in business of friends and relatives and thereby loosing their money. I never thought that this happens in real live. I always thought it selfevident that this would more than endanger relationships and that the financial risk is very high. - The other thing is, that you related incidents through which it became obvious also to "outsiders" that M. is sometimes a bit problematic and I think the good thing within the bad is, that it become sort of prooven through that ( so that it does not depend solely on what you had to tell) .
As to Baden: we thought to travel to France once again but were not very enthusiastic about any definit destination. At the moment it looks as if would stay in Baden and renovate our little pool. Very hot at the moment, everybody so far ok, B. enjoyss free time very much, love and regards - hermann -

(11.7.12) Hr. Kozian und Ralf bei uns wegen Schwimmbecken.

(12.7.12) Mit Felix und Katharina nach Sooss ins Gr. Restaurant "Tsatsiki".

(15.7.12)
From Peter
With less than 2 weeks before the opening, the certainty that these Olympics are going to be a disaster grows daily.
And what is worse is that the truth of the causes of the shambles are being pushed from A to B and back. A week ago the Govt. learned that the contract for 10 000 civilian security guards to be recruited by one company would not be met - they had barely recruited 4000 and so 3500 additional troops (originally 17 000) would be deployed - many of these additional bodies have only just returned from duty in Afghanistan.
It then transpires that the original contract was for 2000 and had only been increased to 10 000 3 months ago. Why so many security persdonnel are needed is a mistery - does anyone really believe any terrorist would attack any actual olympic venue - the danger points were shown last week, when a bridge on the main route from Heathrow to London cracked and the road was closed for 6 days causing incrediblt traffic chaos.
Border control is another problem - the Govt. sacked nearly 40% of the passport etc control staff 2 years ago as part of the econopmy drive and are now frantically trying to recruit enough people to man all available desks - some personnel we be provided with helpers for every 5 desks should they not know what to do.
The tube drivers are threatening to strike, and so are train guards.
When you are at one of the venues you will only be able to enjoy MacDonald food and Cocacola - no other food or drink (other than Heineken beer) to be available within 5 km of any Olympic venue - taking food and drink in is prohibited and the security personnel have been told to confiscate it, The BBC is providing 25 normal and 25 3D chnnels for the duration.
Are you looking forward to coming - official tickets for th 100 m final are £ 920, with the cheapest seats £ 300. Enjoy with an 80% probability of heavy rain during the time, We here habe had at least 2 cm daily for the oast 6 weeks - with occasional glimpses of the sun - the olympic torch is still alight although it had to be relit quite a few times.
All this would really not matter if London would be booming - hotel bookings are 30% below expectation and prices have been drastically slashed. Theatre bookings too are suffering except for 3 or 4 shows.
What will all the visitors do once the sport is over for the day - it will be lovely to watch from the sidelines and have a good stock of books at hand. Regards and love to all

(20.7.12) To Peter
Dear Peter! The Olympic / Security thing sounds incredible. Some people really trying to behave like the idiots which they are. Also incredible that you should be forbidden to bring your own food - outragous.
As to Baden:
We finally have reopened out pool. Started to rain as soon as we were finished. In the meantime had also a few nice days with children and their mothers gathering and generally having a nice time. Weather is (due to the jet stream as I heard in TV) 3 days fine, 3 days rain as fronts are passing this fast. We are mor or less set on staying in Baden - not being sufficiently enthusiastic abaout any destination. Brigitte very fond of this as it gives us more time to do things in house and garden and to relax in the meantime. I am, at the moment, experimenting with my old Leica lenses on the Canon DSLR (which I had tried in the past and not being overimpressed) and find, if I do all the "right things", ie low ASA-settings, small aperture, tripod, remote release, digital raw format, I get quite pleasant results - doing mostly flowers and portraits of the children. - So there is not much to report. Except of being quite upset about the Syria-thing, wondering what were the reasons for Putin and China being so definitly set on not interfering (except that as it was said by a commentator they felt somewhat overuled in the Lybia thing), we have a nice and quiet time. Kindest love and regards to you - hermann -
PS.: Attached a pici of our bathing season. Our online album is as always http://members.inode.at/xdsl0000204475/, but there is nothing new a t the moment

(22.7.12) Mit den jungen Blamauer ins Akropolis.

(26.7.12) Canon EOS 5D II von einer Terese Elmer in ebay ersteigert (ca. 1250.-) - wird nie ankommen - werde aber das Geld via paypal zurückbekommen.

(30.7.12) F & K & J nach Attersee.

(31.7.12) Renate Vollmann zu Besuch; mittags ins Akropolis.

AUGUST

(1.8.12) Keilriemen am Passat kaputt, Reparatur ~300.

(3.8.12) Geburtstagsfeier Niklas

(5.8.12) Geburtstagsfeier Christa Gerstbauer.
From Peter
It seems a long time since I sent you news, but it has been pretty bad.
Myrtle's vertigo has deteriorated and she now feels it even when sitting or lying down. Naturally she does not want to see any medics as she feels that they may consider that she should be in a care home as they may think that I am too old to cope with the situation.
What it means in effect that when she is in the kitchen, I have to be sufficiently near if she feels falling. Also I must be on the alert all thetime if she moves about.
We did manage to go shopping this morning, but it was far from easy - she is not a good patient.
She has also been sleeping badly and the sleeping tabs she has do not always do the trick - so she is awake for several hours at night, but does not always remember clearly what she did.
Moods are very variable and change from affection to wild accusations - the old stories repeated ad nauseam.
I will try and see my GP this week and see what he suggests that should be done. Jonty is a great help and support.
Hope everything is OK in Baden and may be soon we will not have olympics instead of news and even when shopping you are asked have you seen.
The opening ceremony was the sort of rubbish to expect from our present govt - it seems that all the cabinet and opposition are doing is watching people swim or run Love

(6.8.12) An Peter
As long as the reason for the vertigo thing is not known it seems pretty hopeless to find anything against it.
I am as always surprised how well you cope. - We were to a birthday party yesterday - a lot of good wine and good food - a thing which I hate, as my stomache quits operating about 4 pm and cannot cope with anything later. Felt rather poisoned this morning. - Julia, Felix and Katharina where at the Attersee last week and with their father over the weekend. They will go to Croatia in August. - We keep on staying at home over the summer - holydays in Baden is not to bad. I really enjoy the absence of all the travel-hassels: heat, uncomfortable or at least unfamiliar accomodation, crowded sights, crowded beaches, the anti-smoker terror, long hours of driving, etc. Instead we enjoy our little pool, Brigittes grand children, breakfast, reading, evening repast in the garden. - Of the olympics we see nothing; there is nothing that could interest me less than sports. - Bought myself a used full-frame Canon 5D SLR in ebay (full frame means that the picture sensor has the same size as a 35mm film-negativ) which has not yet arrived.
Bought myself also 2 used Leica-lenses which I will use on the Canon (with an adapter - no autofocus, but time-automatic or manual setting of f-stop and time). Together with storing picis in raw-format it is considered the way to get best quality.

(7.8.12) To Peter
Normally I ignore news, I never watch them - the idea being that the important things will filter trough in time anyway and thus avoiding a flood of things that are rubish, irrelevant and/or most if the time no "Nachrichten" ie. "nichts, nachdem ich mich richten kann", nothing that I can sensibly use to modify and improve my own behaviour or mind. But sometimes I deviate from this principle, maybe out of curiosity (pun with the following not intended), fx in case of the current mars-rover "curiosity" mission or due to the human and political impact in the Syria/Assad crisis. So I was looking for news on these 2 topics - and now I understand you very well! Not only is half the time of the news wasted to report what dumb idiot can run faster than some other dumb idiot, or how many dumb idiot of which dumb nation got mor little metal plates for doing unhealthy and useless contortions, but also seem the speakers to be ordred/trained/conditioned to grin like completly dumb idiots during ther recital. When searching several news channels for interesting and relevant things and getting this bloated rubbish instead it really gets oneself just alittle bit angry.
Ad Syria. I was horrified when Russia and China blocked the Un to interfere, but a things are developing it seems that the regime crumbles faster now than it might have with the opposition waiting for help.
(Einschub 01/2013: die neuen Regime tendieren alle zum Islamismus - vielleicht haben Russland und China das klarer gesehen)
von Peter
The real joke of the olympics is that it was intended to bring more business and tourists to London now and in the future. The reality is that London is empty and driving has been easier and parking easier than for years. Shops report a 20% decrease in sales - one assistant at Harrods said kt had been a wonderful Saturday with only 3 customers. Hotels have dropped their prices to below their normal rates - one hotel reported it had no foreign guests, the first time in years. Theatres and restaurants are empty - the idiocy stops about 11 pm and who will then go and eat or theatre visits. - It is a failure in this respect as everything else. - The Lib-Dems have now made certain that the Tories cannot win the next election by blocking boundary changes for Parliamentary seats which the tories had hoped would give them at least 25 extra seats.And the most prmising young Tory MP has quit. - Gold medals for Cameron and Osborn

(16.8.12)
Felix & Katharina mit Rainer nach Kroatien (Primosten).

(19.8.12)
Geld von erster Canon EOS 5D II zurückerhalten

(22.8.12)
Canon EOS 5D (MK I) ersteigert für 592,- bei Foto Straubinger in St. Pölten. werde die Kamera selbst abholen

(26.8.12)
Ein Canon EF 50mm/f1,4 ersteigert für 251 plus 15 Porto.

(28.8.12) From Peter
Life is very difficult as Myrtle is now quite ill with vertigo etc but steadfastly refuses to see the medics. Jonty was here on Saturday and we do not know what the best way is.
Myrtle's behaviour at times is certainly that of a mentally ill person, throwing books, saucepans or anything that is at hand. And yet she manages the household, cooks well etc - Having talked to my GP he says that she should take a lot of Diazapan (up to 8 mg a day) and a sleeping pill to calm down. If she behaves like she does they may have to send her to a psychiatric clinic, which sounds fine except to get out is very difficult, and she certainly is not certfiably mad.
The real problem is that she now admits that she did say whitin a day of marrying,m that she mnade a mistake, but that she did not want a divorce.
She also did not want sex except fot having a child. At the time I talked to my parents, but they said I should stay as I would have a large family to help.
Myrtle never wanted to discuss any serious saubject and has since told me, that she hated all the intellectual contacts I had and that it was terrible for her to have me interested in what she called all the modern rubbish. I was antisemitic, because I said Israel should never have been formed - a religious state with second class citizenms was a crime.
Only today I was told that my interest in the Thirty Year War showed how immature I was - who now cares about this. Politics is out, discussion of arts is out, so what remains.
Poor girl she is lonely and is her own worst enemy having quarrelled with most of her nieces and nephews because they do not phone her, but she will not phone them.
I am managing to keep sane and sober.
Love to all in Baden

(30.8.12) To Peter
Some message from our side was more than overdue. Sorry.
I had an almost unpleasant experience with Ebay. Bought a full-frame Canon 5D Mk II which was said to be new and would have been a bargain for the € 1233 for which I (theoretically) got it. Pain that it never arrived - the seller did not send it. Found out after a few days that the seller offered it a second time over ebay. I had paid with PayPal which is a money transfer service of Ebay. This Paypal offers a "Käuferschutz" if you do not get the item or if it is different to the description. So I started a Käuferschutz case. I also tried to inform Ebay about the article offered again. Ebay did not do anything about it. The camera was sold a 2nd time. To make a long story short - I did get my money back, the only disadvantages being the insecurity how it would turn out and the money being blocked for almost a month. I think I did get away lucky - the seller only trying to get a better price and not really trying to cheat beyond that.
In the meantime I bought a Canon 5D Mk I for €592, also via ebay but from a shop in St. Pölten where I could pick it up myself - and I am very happy with it.
Sorry that Myrtles memories of you life together are so negativ. I think you were a very good looking couple and also very interesting. What a pity that she is not capeable of enjoying the immensly varied and interesting things you had together.
I think many of your relatives were a really pain into any part of the body and they are amusing only for an outsider. That side of your reminescences are more for giving an adrenalin flash.
One thing I never get over is how well you still cope with this really very difficult situation.
As to Baden:
We enjoyed a very quiet and pleasant summer, having our Riviera at the pool. Felix and Katharina came back from Primosten/Croatia brown and healthy and happy. The holidays are almost at an end. Brigitte already spends a lot of time in school. The first day will be Monday 3rd.

There was a good programm on old and new Tyrolian photography on Servus TV, but I believe you can only watch it with an ORF-digital TV card.
I have 2 notebooks here for repair and reinstallation - one from Gregor, but have sort of to drag myself to work.
Very nice and sunny day today

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