Journal Entries
Digitalisation
Posted Mar 7, 2019
I've done all the CD's now, and have finally opened the Cassette Digitiser I bought ages ago to start transferring all the kiddies' Musicassettes that our children enjoyed in the 80s, for the use of the grandchildren (and probably even more for the nostalgic enjoyment of their parents!)
However, the gadget is not very good, and even when it's plugged into the laptop, the cassettes are driven by battery power which means they stop, start and, worse still, go faster and slower at different places. Impossible to sing along to!
Also I've broken a tape already, and can't for the life of me remember where I put that repair kit all those years ago.
I'll have to see if I can hitch up the stereo (yes, we still have a cassette player there!) to the laptop and hope that they will play a bit smoother that way.
To think that cassette tapes were the state of the art medium at such a crucial time, and many of them are now useless.
I also have a record player that converts vinyl records to mp3s, but it doesn't seem to be working properly.
I know mp3's aren't thought of as good quality sound, but this is mainly for use in the car, and quite honestly, I'm not really very sensitive about this sort of thing.
I'm definitely going to have to put in for my pension now, as this looks like becoming a full time job. I wish hubbie would start on digitalising the tens of thousands of slides he has stacked away - I'd love to see them again, and they will be fading even as I write.
By the time we get round to the VHS tapes, the digitised formats we are now using will probably be out of date. But then, we shall probably be six feet under and someone will come along and chuck the lot out anyway.
Just realised that it's a blessing that we never even started on Super 8.
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Latest reply: Mar 7, 2019
Letting go
Posted Jan 28, 2019
We think our Mum is slowly letting go. My sister has been sending e-mail reports on a daily basis this week. It's a bit difficult to put it all in a short journal, but today she apparently didn't eat or drink anything, although meals had been prepared for her. When the carer came to give her her evening meal she hardly even ate any of that.
I try and phone evety day. She often takes a while to answer the phone and is out of breath and often confused when she does answer if she is not sitting in her armchair which is right next to the phone. She has trouble walking and until she started using a stick a couple of weeks ago, was falling more frequently.
My sister is exhausted and at her wits' end. All I can do is phone, but I am worried Mum is dashing for the phone and might fall. I am flying over in February. If sis hasn't found full time care or a place in a home for her by then, at least I'll be able to stand in for a week.
I don't see her holding out for her 100th birthday, though, which would be in November this year.
Sorry. Just had to get it off my chest.
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Latest reply: Jan 28, 2019
Wolcum
Posted Jan 12, 2019
Since singing Britten's Ceremony of Carols last weekend, the tunes have been going round in my head.
Last week I bought on impulse a little baby all-in-one undergarment in pink with "welcome" on it, for my nearly to be born granddaughter. Today she finally found her way into the world. We have no details as yet, but are delighted all seems to have gone well. Tomorrow I can pack up the little parcel and send it off to my son and his growing family. I also found a little card with "welcome" on it, to put in the parcel.
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Latest reply: Jan 12, 2019
That was really quick
Posted Jan 8, 2019
Apart from applying for German Nationality, I have had to had my British passport extended, as it expires in Feburary. I sat down and went online to do it just after Christmas. Everything is now centralised and as I sent my Passport off to Liverpool I was extremely nervous for a couple of days because by law you have to carry ID with you at all times in Germany and all I have is my passport. I've only ever been asked for it a couple of times in the 40 years I've lived here, but Sod's Law dictates.....
Although theoretically something like that shouldn't have a season, I expect most people's passports have dates early in the summer when they would have applied for them to go abroad for their summer holiday. So I was banking on not having to wait the full 4 weeks given for the application to go through.
But I didn't expect it to be this quick:
27 December - filled in application online. This was brilliant, no hassle, just had to give my date and place of birth, no of passport, and upload the photo. Then send off passport by registered mail.
3 Jan - automatic e-mail from Liverpool that they had received my passport.
7 Jan 8.33 am GMT - further automatic e-mail that my application had been approved.
7 Jan 1 pm GMT - received an e-mail saying my new passport was on its way.
It should arrive today or tomorrow. I am seriously impressed! The advantage of being ordinary and having nothing special to put on the application is not to be sniffed at. However, in 10 years' time I will have to answer differently at the point where they ask if I have another passport.
I now have to hope that my application for German Nationality and the subsequent issue of ID card and passport will continue to go equally smoothly. And all be done and dusted before Brexit. 
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Latest reply: Jan 8, 2019
Good start to the new year
Posted Jan 8, 2019
We had a very uneventful Christmas, as our eldest with family stayed in California for the holidays (he will be coming to Europe at the end of Jan for a conference in Brussels which he does every year - more on that later)
Middle son stayed at home in Bonn because they are expecting their 2nd daughter very soon, and our daughter-in-law is trying to avoid long journeys (varicose veins and things)
No 3 was here for a few days, and for Christmas lunch we managed to increase our numbers to 4, with sister-in-law coming, but without her man friend, who works for a care service and had to work. For the books - I did a very traditional German celebration lunch of venison, red cabbage and potato dumplings, (as per A87766726 ) followed by mince pies.
From 2 Jan, I was away with the choir in the Seminary in Speyer, where we were rehearsing for a weekend of concerts to take place on 5 and 6 Jan. At first it was just the ladies - we sang Britten's Ceremony of Carols, and then the men joined us for the other work, also British - John Rutter's Magnificat.
Our conductor is the First Organist in the Cathedral, but he was seriously ill over Christmas with a middle ear infection among other things, and hadn't been able to play in any of the Christmas services, nor was he up to 6 hours of choir practice three days in a row, but he found a substitute (amazing, at such short notice!). The replacement was a young girl from Cologne and she was absolutely perfect for the job. We had a wonderful week with her and the concerts were extremely well received. She made us do an impromptu encore, which was received with further long-lasting applause and a standing ovation on both nights.
I must also mention the harpist who worked really hard. She had to play almost non-stop through both works and even when we weren't rehearsing she was plinging away, practising, practising. When she played the harp solo piece in the Ceremony of Carols, several of us in the women's choir were reaching for our hankies.
A most exhilirating weekend, from which I am still recovering this Tuesday morning.
In other news, my Mum is tiring and weakening, but she always perks up when I phone her. My sister carries a lot of the responsibility for her and stayed with her over Christmas, which gave her a bit of time to go through the mounds of paperwork which had accumulated in the "office". Nevertheless, this summer we shall be checking GB's entry on how to get the Queen to send her a birthday card for her 100th birthday in November - provided both ladies hold out that long! 
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Latest reply: Jan 8, 2019
You can call me TC
Researcher U154942
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