Thank you very much, virus! *relieved*

I want to take up an old tradition again, related to the CC, which seems to have got lost a bit - the text we used to write in every #0 of a new snailhouse:

This is not just another chat room. We are here to improve our language skills, German or English, and to encourage a spirit of community. All who share those aims are welcome.

In the immortal words of our founder, odondon irl: «ein Faden, in dem Deutschsprechende auf Englisch und Englischsprechende auf Deutsch schreiben können, um zu üben, um Korrekturen zu ergattern, um des Spaßes Willen». (..... followed by the link to the previous Crossover Chat)

(In some things, like how the Christmas tree is decorated and how the header of a new Crossover Chat should look, I seem to be a traditionalist.... :-D )

Thanks a lot for the new shell, virus. It will shade us during the upcoming summer days. :o)

What nice Hochlichters, hm--us! Thank you very much!

(I wouldn't know how to put strawberries in a post of mine....*admire*)

What wonderful highlights, hm – us. When did you assemble the data? It’s not a matter of an hour, is it? I couldn’t do it, that’s for sure. I needed three days to write down the following events.:

A week in Lagos.

I wrote the first sequence and found, it was far too long (1 Din-A-4 page). In the following I’ll try to make it short, though a more detailed description of each event would prove the absurdity and/or ridiculousness far better. Please use your imagination.

Breakfast: I used to enter the dining room at half past seven, always the first guest at all. I was ushered to a small table with one chair. The first morning I protested: “We are two. I’m waiting for a colleague”. The waiter raised a forefinger and taught me: “One person, one seat”. I waited for donkey’s years before one of the eight clerks (lingering at the kitchen door peering at me like schoolboys) ambled in my direction. “Tea? Coffee?” “Coffee” I replied and added “And a continental breakfast, please.” One by one I got toast, butter and marmalade, each piece brought by another grudging clerk, sometimes thrown off the reel on the plate, with the words like “Ye butta, Sir”. And when my boss came at 8 we were ushered to a table for two. While the other waiters giggling disappeared. It’s just “pulling white man’s leg”.

In the bar: In retrospect the following incident sounds funny rather than annoying: Coming back one afternoon my boss stayed outside to buy some souvenirs. I went inside the relative coolness of the hotel and, passing the reception, straight on to the Lounge and bar. I selected a seat with view to the reception and waited for the bar tender. An old man came slowly from behind the counter and said the omnipresent term: “Yesier?. “A Coke; please”. He shook his head “No have Coke, Sir. Sorry”. “OK, what do you have?” “Chapman. Sir”. Not knowing what it was I said “OK” and he scuffled away. Gazing at the reception I saw my boss, went over to him, told him where I was to be found, and hurried back to my seat in the bar. No drink was waiting for me, but the bar tender approached me again, empty handed. “Yessir?” “Where’s my Chapman” I asked unfriendly. “Chapman’s out, Sir” he replied calmly. “So, what else do you have?” “Coke, Sir”.

(A Chapman is a non-alcoholic drink with slices of cucumber, 7up, Fanta, Grenadine etc. in a bowl of crushed ice. Very dangerous in underdeveloped countries) https://share-your-photo.com/261198c119

Chief Obago: He was really the chief of a kind of kingdom, an imposing appearance wearing three ritual scars on each cheek, and a precious garment and headdress. His office looked like an office in the City of London. And it was air conditioned. “Ahh”. I said.”I guess I’m gnnna stay here for the rest of the week” He laughed. “To be honest, I can’t imagine how my ancestors could live without air con”. He has been educated in England, hence his English was perfect. Sometimes, though, he liked to switch to Pidgin English. “Hotel good? You have room with eyeglasses to the sea?”

The walk; One day I took a taxi for negotiations with another company. In Africa you have to be patient, I had learned, they’ll let you wait to show their importance. After one hour in a sticky room, dressed in suit and tie, I said good bye all the same. I denied the secretary’s offer to call a taxi (“It might be here in less than an hour”) and – walked away. White men don’t walk in Lagos, particularly not in a bedraggled area I found myself exposed to. I felt safe in the bright daylight however, and didn’t want to wait another hour. So I strode out heading Main Street. Five minutes by taxi means half an hour by foot, I thought. But picture this: A white business man in a tidy suit wearing a leather briefcase walking in the middle of a humpy road covered by ferruginous dust, with rills on both sides full of excrements and urine (according to the smell, and kitchen waste. Half-naked children were playing at the rim, poking dead animals with small sticks, and women were washing rags in dirty water besides shabby huts, looking up with tired faces. I tried not to imagine to be knocked down with a bat. Nobody of these people would care, and if I were found it would most likely be on an Autobahn. Chief Obago saw me arrive by foot, and he called me improvident. “I would refuse to go there, and I’m black”, he said.

Beware of the dark: Germans know each other when living abroad. Hence it was no surprise that we’ve been invited to a dinner with five other representatives of pharmaceutical companies the night before we left. The restaurant was situated on Victoria Island, a distinguished area,

Sun goes down at 6 p.m. in tropic countries; hence it was dark when we left the hotel at 6:30 and crossed the empty parking lots in front of the hotel towards half a dozen taxis.. We turned to the nearest one and asked him for the fare to XYZ. He said “No” and started chatting with his neighbor. We approached him and he also said “No”. Finally a man came out of the dark. “I’m their boss-man” he said self-confidently. “You have to talk to me”.

We knew the daylight fare was about 60 Naira (I seem to remember) and offered 100 Naira for a start. “Too dangerous” said he. He played all the little games of unwillingness and finally accepted 300 Naira, provided that we cower or lay down in the car to be unseen. “They like to shoot at a white head when they see one”. We agreed, handed over the money, and crouched down on the back seats. ---

The circle closes: Among the guests was the Managing Director of BASF, Lagos. And he told us what had happened a week ago. He had been informed about the fire, and his chauffeur drove him there to watch the damage. It was too late to save anything, however. On their way back they detected a car following them. The driver accelerated the Mercedes to gain the safety of the secure area where only the white people lived trying to hang out the persecutor in the jumble of private streets. They felt safe already when the headlights illuminated the villa and the guards running to open the big gate, when suddenly they stopped and walked aback slowly. Then three cars appeared an stopped on both sides of the Mercedes, two men humped out of each of the cars, armed with machetes and guns and one said quietly “get out”. The German and his chauffeur obeyed. They were lucky not to be killed. All the bandits wanted was the car.

A Ghanaian businessman laughed when I spoke about my feelings when being kidded. It’s a little revenge, he said. White man always cheats black man. The oil in Nigeria, e.g., belongs to the Nigerians, but the meters measuring the amount of oil BP buys belong to BP traders. And each time 2 liters go through the meter shows 1 liter. That’s the way white man still cheats black man.

And each time 2 liters go through the meter shows 1 liter.

Is (was) that true, or just a conspiracy theory? Surely no big international company would get away with that today, or am I being hopelessly naive?

I've never been in a situation where I was so clearly the odd one out. Even during one of the two times I was on holiday outside Europe - in Thailand - I didn't feel that exposed because my then-boyfried and both the woman and the man of the couple we were travelling with were noticably bigger and taller than I, so everybody stared at them if there was staring to be done. I mainly enjoyed being able to see something in a crowd ;-) It must be exhausting to always be the focus of attention and I can really understand that black Germans, for instance, get heartily sick of being asked about their roots. At the end of the day, most people just want to be normal, I think. Or at least choose not to be, through dress or hair or whatever.

I'm not sure I'd want to live in a place where I'm actually scared of leaving the compound, but I do envy all of you who had the chance to live in a very different culture.

OMG, hm – us, I made you work again. Thanks a lot, nevertheless.

There are typos and slips öf the fingers, but also foolish mistakes like mixing up wearing /carrying or lie down/lay down. Henceforth I’ve got to restrain myself from writing long stories. :-(

> thrown off the reel on the plate —> ? “aus dem handgelenk werfen”, like a Frisbee®

walked aback slowly —> back -> Was heißt denn "rückwärts gehen"?

> Freundschaften mit Nigerianern schließen? No. Not because thinking in „classes“ but thinking business. Business and friendship doesn’t go together. After 4 years the representatives were exchanged to avoid “Africanizing”. It meant that Europeans were getting used to a large house with servants and cooks and garden boys. An Englishman leaving Kenya told me that his house boy cried when packing the bags “You can’t go without me, Bwana. Who will mow your lawn and who will iron your shirts?”). Some find their own rhythms of life, not being able to return to an 8-to-5 day under a boss).

> alles Männer, oder? Yes, as to Africa. You can’t tell one safe country there. If it had been San Diego, Singapore ore Melbourne, my family wolf have supported me.

> Kunden fröhlich anquatschen. I like this friendly American attitude, although it might ne fitted sometimes. My rule:is The host has to be friendly first.

Henceforth I’ve got to restrain myself from writing long stories. :-(

Oh come on, RenaRd! How can you learn better than by making mistakes in here and getting friendly and competent correcturitos?

I've always found your stories very interesting, and I really do hope you won't carry out this threat!

Oh come on, Goldammer, how could you believe I’d stop writing my memories? Because of the sad smiley? Off course I was disappointed because the result I delivered was far below my expectations, but a setback never made me give up.

This must be it for the moment. The more I write, the higher the risk to slip up. ;o)

Well, Goldammer, I know what you mean. On the other hand I didn’t take offence because I was aware why I had been asked: I was white in a country of black people and a “Rundauge” or “Langnase” in Asia.  I was a black sheep among white, I attracted attention. Like the friend of your son might know that he doesn’t look German, like I still get asked in Swabia because of my accent: “Du bischt ab’r net von hier”.

USA and UK are different: When I see black or Indian (UK) or Mexican (US) people all around me, I wouldn’t ask them, assuming that they live there. A strange appearance makes curious, and I understand that to a certain extent.

As long as there’s no connotation like “.. and why don’t you go back where you belong?”

USA and UK are different: When I see black or Indian (UK) or Mexican (US) people all around me, I wouldn’t ask them, assuming that they live there

Not all regions of the US are racially diverse. Some are very White. Being used to the diverse population of San Jose, I noticed this when we visited Maine once, which at the time was 96+% non-Hispanic White.

Our move is on hold, as there has been a total ban on working visa for the US for the rest of the year. 

I thought of you, als ich die Nachrichten im Radio hörte.

*Goldammer hinterher wink* Viel Spaß!

A strange appearance makes curious, and I understand that to a certain extent. Start strange...Mist, ice tip auk Herrn MiMis Computer und er verschlimmbessert mine Wörter depart, dads ice night meh auk Deutsch schreiben kana. Womöglich schreibe ich nachher auf einem anderen Computer weiter.

@ Amy-MiMi: *LOL*

I know exactly what YOU MEAN: Unfortunately I can’t blame my computer for the mistakes. It’s the program Word® that either underlines BE written words like “famous” or misleads me by offering a dozen rectifications I can hardly decipher. And often click the wrong one.

But most of all I envy those in the chat rooms being able to touch-type. I use the hunt-and-peek system, hence I have to concentrate on the keyboard. Since my eyes are so bad I like to mix up adjoining keys like i/o, g/h, or (most often) b/n. Cab you imagibe tgat? :o)

@ Amy-MiMi and RenaRd - I'm SO glad that I am able to touch-type, because several of my keys are so worn out that I can't see what letter they are LOL. So I'm literally typing "blind" (<6g).</p>

But, RenaRd, you have to admit that some variations beat the original. Take your no. 14 here: "my family wolf have supported me." With the intended would have supported me, how commonplace would that have been! Instead, Lockruf der Wildnis, and a pun on your family relationship, fox to wolf. I liked it so much!

Mal sehen, ob das heute besser geht. Jawohl!

Bericht aus dem Garten. Gestern wollte ich kurz die Eier und Raupen des Kleinen Kohlweißlings von Kohlrabiblättern entfernen, aber auf eienem Blatt fand ich eine Raupe von einem Monarchfalter. Ich war total begeistert, denn seit Jahren lasse ich den Faltern zu liebe Seidenpflanze im Garten wachsen, aber bis jetzt habe ich keinen Erfolg mit den Zielraupen gehabt. Dann habe ich die Seidenpflanze angeguckt, angeknabberte Blätter festgestellt und Herr MiMi hat sie inspiziert, bis er eine weitere Raupe gefunden hat. Es war schon spät, also konnte ich schlecht fotografieren, aber ich knipste ein paar Fotos. Heute morgen ging ich um 10 Uhr in den Garten und nichts hatte sich geändert. Um 14 Uhr schaute ich noch mal vorbei und die Raupe war nicht mehr zu sehen, denn dort hing eine Schmetterlingspuppe. Wir sind total begeistert und freuen uns darauf, den Falter schlüpfen zu sehen. In den nächsten Tagen passen wir gut auf und mit Glück bekommen wir das mit. Allerdings geht das sehr schnell, also drückt uns die Daumen.

Falls ihr euch besser informieren wollt, habe ich zwei lehrreiche und interessante Videos gefunden.

Aus einer Monarchraupe wird eine Puppe: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4WYor6UMtU

Der Falter schlüpft sich: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCbCuvbsb08

Was ich RenaRd sagen wollte: A strange appearance makes curious, and I understand that to a certain extent. Statt strange würde ich unusual oder unexpected vorschlagen, denn strange ist negativ besetzt. Vielleicht erwartet man nicht, dass jemand, der vietnamesische Vorfahren hat, Staatsbürger ist, aber immerhin gibt es etwa 40.000 solche. Hinzu kommen etwa 80.000, die noch vietnamesische Staatsbürger sind. Hauptsächlich leben sie in den neuen Bundesländern, aber es nervt durchaus, wenn man in Deutschland geboren ist, in Deutschland aufgewachsen und ausgebildet ist, besser Deutsch als Vietnamesisch spricht und trotzdem immer wieder gefragt wird, woher man kommt. Unsere erste Austauschschülerin war vietnamesischer Herrkunft, also weiß ich von ihr, wie es sich anfühlt, wenn man immer wieder solche Fragen beantworten muss, obwohl man Gymnasiastin ist und akzentfrei Deutsch spricht.

I know, Amy-MiMi, that I can’t argue about your mother tongue, but what about a tiny discussion among friends? After all I’ve learned “strange” is exactly what I wanted to express. If the German translation is “fremdartig, seltsam, anders als der Rest um mich herum” (which means I could live with „unusual“ as well). “Fremdartig” has got no negative connotation to me. As I said above in other words: For me “A stranger is a person who is not yet a friend”, and if I want to make friends with someone I’ve got to talk with them, to show interest in then. It will not always work, but --

Some translations don’t transmit the connotation of a word. So if you still feel that “strange” did not meet my intention, please tell me. I’ll keep your advice in my mind.

“Fremdartig” has got no negative connotation to me. 

I guess that is a rare view. To me, fremdartig very strongly implies Das gehört nicht hierher.

Yes of course, mbshu, a stranger is “no bird-of-my-feather”, but for me “strangeness” does not imply “danger”. Rather a new experience.

Goldammer, I know that somedeny or challenge the purity of my intention. Some of my questions have been just out of curiosity (Is it Greek, you speak? No, it’s Croatian.), some to learn more about the country of their origin. Nobody knows whether we ever meet again, but if we do, we’ll meet somehow as friends.

I am sure that your intention is friendly curiosity and the joy of getting into a conversation with a "randomly met" person.

But originally we were talking about racism (the topic was brought up by you), and I just think that the complaint of people with a different appearance than the majority about being constantly addressed about their looking different is justified and not being over-sensitive on their side.

Thank you, virus.

And thank you, hm -- us, for the highlights. I am aware that OPs should not be linguistically criticized but since your post is #6 already ...

My pictogrammatic "°°" wasn't an Ankündigung (of something to happen in the future) but a Bekanntgabe (of something that had happened already). So, the confetti was a little late but I appreciated it very much and I felt adequately sprinkled and decorated. Thanks a million!

There is not a lot more I want to report about the event here. I will tell you three little stories instead (Of course, they cannot compare to RenaRd's adventures, which are absolutely fantastic. I think I like 'The walk' best. The business suit, the leather brief case ... all the rascals lurking in the corners must have been thinking "That guy is crazy - so he must be dangerous. Better stay away from him."):

(1) Several weeks ago my (then) fiancée and I visited a nature reserve protecting the valley of a small river. We used to go there once a year one or two decades ago but had stopped doing so after our favourite path (close to the water) had been blocked. This year I suggested going there again to find out whether the golden oriole was still there. The path was open again and we found a place to rest on the river bank. Suddenly, my (then) fiancée pointed at some object wriggling on the water surface. It turned out to be a young grass snake. I knew that grass snakes were living in the area and I also knew that they are able to swim, but I would never had expected such a small snake to be able to cope with a current like that.

There were a few other nice observations: ovipositing damselflies, water striders, an early alderfly, a kingfisher and a few ravens, but not as many as to form a conspiracy. It was probably a little too early for the golden oriole.

(2) A second walk lead us to a marshy area with a few interspersed ponds. This is an area we usually visit much earlier in the year when there may be resting cranes, but in this later season I wanted to find one or two special species. I checked each fencing post but to no avail. We saw dozens of bird species: two species of kite, two wagtail species and lots of others. When we nearly had completed our round, we approached a gate in a fence and I saw a fairly dark bird leaving a post and flying to the ground where it started to collect some items. A first I thought it was a couple of daddy longlegs but then I realized it was a bunch of grassy debris. The bird had a dark-grey throat with a bluish tinge to it and there also was a little white spot in the middle of its throat. I said "Das is'n Blaukehlchen!" but my finacée would not agree. So we continued watching the bird collecting more nesting material, getting up the post, disappearing, re-appearing, continuing its work ... when suddenly its throat had turned into a spectacular luminescent blue! And what a blue it was! It may be clear by now that we had, indeed, found a couple of bluethroat, with the female appearing first and the male second.

I had seen a bluethroat  one or two times before but never in such perfect light and never performing some activity apart from sitting somewhere. Watching those two beautiful little birds doing their little tasks was perfect. I was thrilled. I don't need to see the vagrant mauve-crested fleaeater, I am happy with the everyday activities of native birds.

On our way home, we stopped at a supermarket, and since I do almost all of our shopping, I left my friend in the car.

She had a perfect view on a couple of youths sitting on the roofs and boots of their cars without any social distancing. Later, they were joined by two similarly-aged car park wardens ...

When I returned I asked "Na, beobachtest Du die Realität?"

On second thought, however, this question did wrong to the little bluethroat, who certainly was as real as the scene in the parking lot.

(3) During the last few nights I checked the area behind our house for firefly activity. Males started flying about a week ago, and activity peaked on Saturday night, with more than 50 individuals counted. I was surprised by this given that the last two years had been particularly hot and dry and firefly larvae feed on slugs and snails, that is prey, which can be assumed to be adversely affected by drought.

FYI:

In times of coronavirus, the site below has been developed in an effort to replace direct-contact zoological identification courses with an online alternative:

https://www.digitib.de/de/digitib/

Citizen scientists may find it interesting too ...

Sorry for being so talkative.

Some more stories and storytellers, and many new impressions. I love it!

When I was young I lived at the edge of a forested ridge of the Sauerland. My friends and I used to play there all summer long in the late fifties, watching and encountering birds, insects and spiders, deer and foxes and badgers, frogs and blind-worms and lizards and even the rare fire salamander, etc. I learned to name trees and plants (have you ever tasted the sweetness of the yellow nettle blossom?), and how to built comfortable seats with a certain sort of moss between the roots of oaks (It’s forbidden today). I was reminded of all that and more by reading your vivid story, emil 14., Thank you!

And ,Norbert, you showed me how thrilling a renewal of the driving license can be. I wondered that you needed a passport. I had learned that most US Americans don’t have one, except for leaving the USA.. Tell me more, please. Perhaps via PM if you think everybody knows but me

You mentioned Covid-19 infections in San Jose, so I browsed the web for news. The development in the US over all looks horrifying (except for where President T is, i.e. Mount Rushmore). Though the recent outbreak at the nursery home seems to be moderate to me, compared to those over here in NRW, you better stay at home. Many beaches are closed anyway. :o)

Happy and secure 4th of July weekend to you and all US citizens.

Trump made it to Mount Rushmore already?! That is truly shocking.

Maybe I mixed it up with the buttercups, Goldammer. No, honestly, I can’t remember the colour exactly – is the white blossom yellowish? Just a little bit?? O.O

Er --- Emil 14: Pardon my nosiness, but what became of your (then) fiancée, an ex-fiancée or your wife? I think I know ..

I know the answer; both!

It reminds me of a fellow choir member in Munich who used the term meine langjährige Geliebte when referring to his wife (who sang in the same choir).

I wondered that you needed a passport.

I did not describe it correctly above (late at night, brain muddled). One document from the list linked below was needed to prove my identity. As I do not have a U.S. birth certificate, I could have taken my naturalization certificate instead of my passport, but the passport is much more handy. And the passport can be replaced should something happen to it, while that does not apply to the certificate.

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/driver-licenses...

The introduction of REAL ID was part of a list of recommendations after 9/11. California has been one of the worst laggards in deploying it and has already received multiple extensions from the federal government from what I understand. The federal government finally put a hard deadline in place: October 1, 2021. After that date, either a REAL ID enhanced driver license or a passport are required to pass through security when flying domestically (for nitpickers: technically, there are some other forms of ID will be valid for domestic air travel, but they don't apply to most of the population).

In addition to taking my picture they also collected my right thumbprint, at two different stations. Since the federal government should by now have four complete sets of fingerprints plus additional right thumb prints on file for me, that should establish my identity pretty conclusively, I think :-)

Covid-19 infections in San Jose

Santa Clara County provides a handy dashboard here (overview at the top; details on cases, hospitalizations, deaths further down on the page): https://www.sccgov.org/sites/covid19/Pages/da...

If I looked correctly, yesterday we had the largest daily number of new cases since the start of the pandemic. Part of that is improved testing, as our test positivity ratio remains low. But ICU utilization by COVID-19 patients is definitely going up. All officials are quite concerned.

Keine Ahnung, ob das sich wohl nur um ein ... *'blip' in LEO nicht find* ... eine kleine Abweichung in der täglichen Statistik handelt, aber immerhin bleiben wir auf den Covid-19-Karten 'nur' orange und nicht rot.

"Ausreißer" is a common term for single values outside the normal range.

hm-us, thanks for the recipe! I surely would like to try that type of potato salad, but I'm not sure whether we can get red potatoes here. I guess "early potatoes" should do as well.

Talking about potato salad: My wife hails from the Ruhrgebiet, and we live in Swabia. Thus, there's a constant battle between her, who does the p.s. the Westphalian way, i.e. with mayonnaise (and, as a matter of personal pride, self-made mayonnaise) versus the natives here who do it the Swabian way, without mayonnaise, instead with strange things like broth, vinegar etc.

It's not only a matter of love and loyalty that my wife's is the best in the world for me, second only to her mother's. But the Swabian one is also edible.

Lastly: Another excellent post, but you may wish to take a second look at the very first word.

Edit: I really like Pottkieker's "Ausreißer" in this context. I hadn't thought of it, but it's perfect.

Potato salad?

Being raised in tht Ruhrgebiet I’m used to „Kartoffelsalt mit Majonäse“

https://www1.wdr.de/mediathek/video/sendungen...

but having lived in Swabia for more than 30 years we appreciate the Swabian, made with vinegar and vegetable stock as well.

https://www.swr.de/landesschau-bw/rezept/reze...

There are slight variations among the recipes of each kind. My wife, e.g. reduces Mayonnaise by adding Miracle Whip® or sour cream to lower calories, and adds a chopped onion, leaving chive. And around my place here the potato are sliced very thin, and often slices of cucumber are added. The whole mass is quite fluid afterwards

I actually like both kinds, though for different dishes. For a Wiener Würstchen (Bockwurst/Saiten) or a Frikadelle (Fleischküchle) I clearly prefer the Westphalian style,  but for fried fish the Swabian Salad is delicious. Probably others like different combinations – the discussion is opened. :o)

Do you know, RenaRd and Jesse (I must confess I was tempted to shout "potato salad traitor" at you, but refrained from it.....), that an important quality criterion of a good Swabian potato salad is that "er muss schwätza", (it needs to speak), and that in this specific context, "schwätza" describes this unique, slightly "schmatzende" sound a well-made potato salad makes when it's turned around. It only occurs when the dressing is made right (relation vinegar-broth-oil) and there's enough of it - not too much, and not too little. A Swabian person complimenting on a really perfect potato salad will say: "Jò, er schwätzt schee!"

@RenaRd: the comment in brackets was meant for Jesse only!!!! That's not really clear, I see that. But that's how I meant it.

@Norbert: If your opinion about Swabian Kartoffelsalat was - as hm assumes - acquired in the student canteen, you must know that you didn't ever have the Real Thing! Just in case you ever come in this area again, have some in the Gasthof Hirsch in Gächingen - then you'll know what I mean.....it's better than anything, even better than my Mom's or Mr Goldammer's. "And that wants to be called something" (6-gear)

omg, a Reigschmeckter! I didn't know that! Well, in this case, you don't know better and are forgiven.

....and @RenaRd: Yes, Swabian Kartoffelsalat also gets better and better when it has "durchgezogen" for a half day or day.

If your opinion about Swabian Kartoffelsalat was - as hm assumes - acquired in the student canteen, you must know that you didn't ever have the Real Thing!

Not only in the student canteen. In my experience, in the whole of Baden-Württemberg, it is pretty much the only variant of potato salad served anywhere. I think the distribution of this culinary item even stretches into the Alsace (Grombeeresalat), but I am not sure.

Was, spezifisch, daran missfällt dir so?

Warm and vinegary. Not the combination I am looking for in a salad.

Using too much vinegar is a mistake very frequently made with salads, not only potato salad. My mother taught me a rule about making a salad dressing: in order to make a good salad dressing, you need: einen Geizhals für den Essig, einen Verschwender fürs Öl und einen Verrückten zum Rühren - i.e. not too much vinegar, plenty of oil and someone who beats the ingredients together "like crazy", so it becomes a smooth emulsion.

If a potato salad tastes vinegary, it's not perfect. (Mayonnaise contains vinegar, too, doesn't it?)

(to myself: somehow, I get the feeling that I won't be able to convert Norbert into a Swabian potato salad lover....but at least I have to try....)

Potato salad needn't be warm - I don't know where he gets that bit from. It's made when the potatoes are still warm, and it CAN be eaten warm, and some people like it, but since it takes hours to sit and "durchziehen" (what would you call that?) in order to unfold its flavor, it's usually cold until then.

(I like green bean salad when it's still warm, I must confess)

I have never been served Swabian-style potato salad other than warm. Searching the internet right now, that is certainly mentioned as one of its key characteristics in many places: warm serviert.

I have very rarely been served really warm potato salad. Maybe our concept of what is warm differs. Of course, it's not fridge-cold.

As I said, it is often made when the potatoes are still a bit warm, BUT then needs to sit for at least a few hours. It cools down to room temperature by then.

I did some research myself now. There seems to be a variety of potato salad that is called "warmer Kartoffelsalat". I found a cooking forum, e.g., where it was disussed in this sense. Someone needed help how to make a "warmen Kartoffelsalat", others expressed their astonishment like "I thought it was always served cold" and "Why warm, it needs to cool down after you make it" etc.

Really, Norbert, I have lived in Swabia more than 60 years and may have encountered it on rare occasions, but can certainly say that it's not very common to have it distinctly "warm" (warmer than room temperature).

hm--us: LOL - Swabians being stingy with such unnecessary words like "Beilage"....tsktsktsk....

Well, I personally have never been known for being stingy with words, that's for sure.....

I've never been a potato salad aficionado myself. It was more like: well, seeing it's on my plate it'll be eaten.

As I said, that's before I saw the light in the shape of my wife's and her mother's Westphalian potato salad.

In other news: a few days ago, our son handed in his bachelor thesis in Traffic Engineering (Verkehrsingenieurwesen). Actually, he has taken that degree as a safety net so he'll have a trade he has learned and can go back to. Because what he has been doing half-time and will be doing full-time for the next six months (and see whether he can establish himself professionally in that field) is: Streaming on Twitch.

Let me explain to you who, like me, have been blessed or cursed by their early births.

There's a big streaming / gaming platform called Twitch. What people do there is: They play games against the machine and they stream those games including their own commentary (much like a sports reporter) on the net. So if you go to his channel on Twitch, you'll find a screen that consists of three windows: (1) the game he's playing, (2) himself (he bought some high-end video-audio equipment) and (3) a chat window.

And there are people who watch that and, more weirdly, pay for it.If I understand correctly, money comes from four different sources, listed here in sequence of decreasing yield: (1) users who have a premium status on Twitch and pay $5 per month, of which he gets $2,50, (2) donations, (3) advertisements, (4) subsidies from gaming companies whose games he tests.

There are (few) people who make a lot of money that way. As in millions. That's not his ambition, he wants to be able to pay his livelihood and then see which development in his career comes next.

He's been at it (part-time) for about three years now, meanwhile he's a Twitch partner and has been to the Twitchcon in California twice a year. Of course, he does it all in English, and his (spoken) English is much better than mine. As a matter of fact, last time in the US he was asked why he had moved to Europe.

Well, let's see where this all goes.

Ich fürchte, ich habe sie gejinxt.

"gejinxt" - like it, I didn't know the English word before. I will try to remember it.

No. 95: I read My husband used to be a butterfly and wondered, what is he now?

The new HSV coach? Nobody ever heard his name, with the possible exception of the godfather and godmother at his baptism.

Well, at least he has 3rd League experience which might come in handy if things continue the way they are. (The German soccer term for that is Bochumisierung. The Vfl Bochum was known as Die Unabsteigbaren but then was relegated and fell into oblivion.)

Hecking did a good job for quite a while but towards the end of the season he could not make the players pull themselves together. Plus, he realised that the opponents had understood his tactical system but hastily changed to a new one for the last couple of matches and that did not work. Good riddance for missing the 1st League again with a team that on paper is worth more than 16 of the 17 other 2nd League teams! I am glad I scratched the HSV colours off my car and my laptop already last year.

I am glad I scratched the HSV colours off my car and my laptop already last year.

That's something I could never do. I've been a fan of VfB Stuttgart for 50 years, since I was twelve, and I've seen them do everything from brilliant to pathetic. Back in the times when I was a regular stadium-goer, you could have let them play in fog and driving snow without numbers on their shirts, and I still would have recognized each one by the way he moved.

Mind you, I never was a member of a fan club or even carried a flag with me, but in my heart I've been with them through thick and thin. This may well be because if you catch that virus in your adolescence, you'll carry it for the rest of your life, whether you like it or not. And even though my interest has faded slightly over the last years - which has a lot to do with the commercialization and the ego games of officials both nationally and internationally, even though I've also become something of a Dortmund fan by marriage, even though it has brought me more pain and exasperation than joy over the last decade - no other team could replace VfB in my heart.

(Reisegeyer is much more disinterested in individual clubs. He loves watching football and sits with his eyes glued to the TV when the Sportschau or an international match is on, but all he cares for is the quality of the game.)

hm--us: Your autocorrecturito was right: wie du und Herr virus euch kennengelernt habt.

And: ....auf's Laufende / Fliegende.....

I like it to be brought "auf's Fliegende" when it's about a butterfly.... :-)))

Amy-MiMi

...inclusive der den ersten Flug...

Last night, for the first time this year, we slept outdoors in our summer bed in the Pergola. It took me a long time to go to sleep, but then I slept wonderfully. The air was very fresh and at some time it rained a bit - very nice to lie in bed and hear the rain. The other side was a bunch of noisy, probably drunk youngsters who passed by somewhere nearby at 2 am...

RE Football fan

I never lived and died for a football club and I’ve never ever visited a game in a stadium. I didn’t even play football as a child (I boasted about that before). *LOL*

I loved to go ice skating with friends, some of them semi-professionals, and I became kind of a fan of “Entrechat Dortmund” that happened to hop in and out of the ice hockey Bundesliga in 1959-1965 and split thereafter. You see. I’m used to ups and downs. The open-air ice hockey stadium was only a stone’s throw away of the (roofless as well) “Westfalenstadion”, btw, so on Sundays we often heard the roar over there.

Off course I had watched football championships on TV now and then for joining in respective conversations. Then, in 2001, I visited my mother in law in Dortmund, accidentally the same day the BVB went to be Deutscher Meister, and experienced what it means to be a fan – the crowds just went nuts. More than half a million people on the streets, even policemen had painted their cheeks yellow and black- I hardly couldn’t leave the town.

I found a club to cling my heart to (and so did my wife). I still don’t know every player in the team or last month’s results, but I watch football regularly every Saturday night at the “Sportschau” (= the best scenes only). That should be enough. :D

@ mbshu; Football became much faster during the last five decades. But - have you ever watched an ice hockey game? :o)

Indeed one day I should - but only if kick-off is at a decent hour!

It seems Hmburg has no team any more but Bremerhaven has one. With a nice name on top!

Being from Hamburg, I regard Bremen as a kind of appendix, and Bremerhaven per definition is the appendix of that appendix. But I was surprised to find out just a few weeks ago that Bremerhaven is indeed worth a visit! Especially the Auswandererhaus.

Some of my friends like to sleep on their balcony or loggia, especially when the temperature doesn’t fall below 20°C at night. As to me, I rarely leave a window open at night, because I need relative darkness until I get up at 7 and absolute quietness: No people passing by, no party or barking dogs, no doves or bantam cocks*.

* This refers to a discussion here in 2013; Siehe auch: Crossover Chat 308 - #15

Thanks - we'll go there again!

NB. I always thought Pottkieker was referring to cooking pots - could it be ships instead? ("Dicke Pötte")

mbshu: we sometimes go somewhere on the Schwäbische Alb to sleep outdoors with the sky above. But for our everyday summer outdoor beds, we prefer it as it is with the roof above and the bushes around - because whe needn't worry when it rains, and we are sheltered from the street and the adjoining property where a footpath leads along just beyond the border of our property.

The outdoorsy point is: having the fresh air and a breeze around our noses, hearing the owl, sometimes the hedgehog, the singing birds in the morning - such things.

My sister often sleeps in a hammock in the garden, put up between two trees, but she has to take shelter in the house when it starts raining - occasionally in the middle of the night....

Rather as a kind of motel? If they didn't have meals included? But then again, they stayed for a while and not just for one night...

....auf eigener Faust....

(thinking why it's "ich habe die Woche auf eigene Faust verbracht" - I guess it's because "auf eigene Faust" is a fixed idiom.)

...and a correcturito for Pottkieker, if I may? ....peek into the cattlekettle..... ;-)

Soccer fans here who don't know the new HSV coach Daniel Thioune may want to read an interview with him:

https://11freunde.de/artikel/auch-meine-hautf...

It is, however, from September 2019, so there is no mention of the HSV.

Ok, you have asked...

Actually, it wasn't butterflies that were responsible that we met. It was just simple and not romantic: I was studying chemistry at the same university. My former boyfriend was working as technical assistant in the group where my to-be husband was doing his PhD (guess which topic: yes, chemistry). I was invited for coffee to this group and that was the time when we met first: 1985.

He had a girlfriend and the four of us went for holidays in 1987 to former Yugoslavia, my friend and I on motor bikes and they by car. He was interested in butterflies and in photography and combined both nicely (paper pictures or slides!!).

We had rented a house* with a nice garden where some bushes grew which opened their blossoms (?) late in the evening at dusk. They attracted some butterflies and my to-be husband tried to take photos which was difficult because of the lack of light. So I invented the famous "Einhand-Besenstativ" and hold it so he was finally able to take some nice pictures. His friend as well as my friend haven't been interested at all….

This is the "companionship" I was referring to. It took another 12 years until we became a couple…

*I am quite sure that the tense is correct but it sounds clumsy, hu?

A theory about how the coronavirus and sourdough are connected:

https://xkcd.com/2296/

For new recipes with sourdough (if necessary) the forum on www.der-sauerteig.com is a good source.

Mine unfortunately died of neglect (not enough time for baking in pre-corona-times; and the dried retain sample was disposed of by my husband, who wondered what this grey stuff might be - but only for a moment and then ... hmpf).

But the recently prepared meringues with strawberries ("buried under strawberries" I should say - otherwise it would have been too sweet for me) and whipped cream (with some mascarpone added) were a success.

Usually my son does not finish his meal by giving me a big kiss if he likes my cooking ... :-D

*leaving some of those meringues*

"Einhand-Besenstativ" sounds good.

Hello Goldammer, we are still in Ireland. The slowdown is due to a ban on work related migration until then end of the year. we are hoping that the relevant authorities will start processing visa applications at some stage in autumn, and that we then can move early next year. I wonder how your friend got a visa, or was that approved before April?

If the original timing had worked out, we'd be in California now enjoying the fantastic weather. But seeing what it's going on in that area, I'd say we might be better off staying here for a few more months. It's a bit inconvenient not being able to plan ahead, but it could be worse.

He-le-na: Sourdough has been very fashionable and trending during "lock-down". I'm sure there is a correlation between number of sourdough starters and confirmed corona cases (probably with a few weeks lag); with fewer and fewer restrictions, the trend will fade out and a lot of cultures will starve or go into the rubbish.

I made my own starter in the middle of June after I had finished up work, and find the rhythm of baking twice a week rather good for our situation. The bread keeps well for three days, the amount is just right, and overall the process takes less of time than I would need to go to a bakery or other shop selling edible bread.

Recipes don't seem to work for me, I have adjusted some that I had rather drastically to make them fit to my materials (suitable flour is a major issue) and processing. I might try my hand at baguettes on Sunday/Monday, to be eaten fresh with some nice Irish butter and some ripe brie.

For meat (and christmas cookies) we have a hand-driven meat mincer inherited from my husband's grandmother (pretty much like this: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Datei:Fleischwo...). We only use it rarely so it usually needs dedusting before use, but it works well for our purposes (not 2-3 kg of meat but usually smaller portions).

If you have too much meat to mince it might weary your wrists (a problem I have with my manually operated cereal mill).

"Nizzaer Gebäck" or "Spritzgebäck": https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spritzgeb%C3%A4ck or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spritzgeb%C3%A4ck

I am getting hungry...

Ah, Spritzgebäck, of course....thanks! My mother had a hand-operated thing for making them. Basically a metal tube with a tight-fitting wooden what's-it-called-again to push the dough through a star-shaped hole at the end of the tube. There were several shapes to use - bigger and smaller ones and a flat one for "Kekse". She used to get a belly-ache when making them, because she would hold the tube with both hands and press the thing against her belly to push the dough out....

Because you live auf einer Insel, not in it.

NB. Instead of Hotdogger I tend to read Heidegger ... I doubt he would appreciated that.

It even works when the island is a region rather than a country. Corsica, Sardegna, Sicily... all of these and several more can stand with "von" as well as "aus".

As a matter of fact, I would probably use "aus" for them.

It can’t be a matter of taste. I’m sure that there are rues, written down in a grammar book I’m just not able to read. Maybe Emil 14 knows – he’s said to sleep with Duden under his pillow. :-P

Pottkieker might know that the a Ruhrgebietler don’t care about “von” or “aus” they would simply ask “Wo kommst du den wecj?” *LOL*

I learned as a rule that, if an island is an entire country, it is in (Madagaskar), otherwise auf (Helgoland).

hm-us: Eishockey schaue ich eigentlich gar nicht gern, d.h., konnte ich noch nie ein Spiel mehr als ein paar Minuten zuschauen. (Haven't ever managed to sit through a game, wollte ich sagen.) Die Scheibe / der Puck ist viel zu klein und zu schnell, und die Spieler sind so vermummt, sie sehen wie der Michelin-Mann aus. Da gibt's fast nichts zu sehen, nur viel Eis und dubiose Figuren in Raumanzügen, die aufeinander mit Stöcken schlagen. Entschuldigung an die echten Fans, aber ...

Exactly my point of view. And with old age, the eyes get worse, so the puck is even harder to see.

Which brings back a nice joke.

re there's only two of us: I think in this particular case there is a marked BE/AE difference - no idea why, whether it is slang or London dialect, but in the UK that's what they say - and there are (!) loads of hits in any internet search. But I will try to remember not to use it when speaking to AE speakers ;-) (is that really the only correcturito you have for me?)

Wow, hm--us, what a Fleißarbeit!!!

Thank you very much for all your correcturitos - that must have been a lot of work!

Very much appreciated!

And yes, cookie press, that's a similar system.

Thanks again, hm – us. Your corrections and hints are always appreciated indeed.

patman, maybe you are right about there's two of us.

One small correcturito for you:

Instead of "das sehe ich nicht ein" in #148, I would simply have said "eine Ähnlichkeit sehe ich nicht" or "kann ich nicht erkennen".

"einsehen" does have a negative connotation in such a context, something about "don't insist, I don't agree with you and don't accept what you're saying". (<-- this is BE punctuation, I know that in AE the period should be inside the quotation marks)</p>

hm -- us, thank you for your "Korrekturitis". Argh, I always claim that I have learned my irregular verbs, as mentioned here: Siehe auch: Corona die 29. - Informationsaustausch - #14

(second paragraph)

But that is *count* about 44 years ago, phew.

#159: hm -- us, thank you for your "Korrekturitis".

Heehee - I hope that's just a typo, seeing the "i" and the "o" are next to each other on the keyboard.

Do you refer to this, Jesse? Siehe auch: Korrekturitos II – Tippfehlerkorrekturfaden

For me the Korrekturitis is the manner how to produce Korrekturitos (Tippfehlerkorrekturen). (Hrm - is this understandable at all?)

@ virus: RE Korrekturen

Over the years several terms have been established to reduce the strength of the word “Korrektur”, chiefly by diminishment. “Korrektur” developed to “Korrektürchen”, which has been shortened to “Türchen” being translated again to “doorlet”. And someone - maybe hm – us, who lives not far from the Mexican border - added the Spanish version “correcturito”. All this happened before I popped up here seven years ago and I may be corrected by long-term members. :o)

“Korrekturitis”, nevertheless has a negative connotation to me, because in my medical “education” I learned that the ending “it is” means “Entzündung” like in Arthritis or Bronchitis.  Sometimes an obsessive (bad) manner is described using the above Greek ending. A control freak might suffer from “Kontrollitis” and a know-it-all from “Besserwisseritis”

Apropos Besserwisseritis: As Robert—US is missing I’d like to teach you what he taught me;:

Where GNS use the “Erikativ”, like you did in ‘159 (“count”) ENS use the continuous form -> *sighing*, *moaning*, or, in your case *counting*

My first association when first reading the word “correcturito" in this thread was "Churros" which I happen to like very much.

The idea of something not wholly positive when the ending "-itis" is added is an idea I would also agree to. In the #159 I understood it rather as a friendly tongue-in-cheek comment on the time hm -- us invested to give so many corrections (thank you, hm -- us).

On my way to work I pass several huge weeping willows. And every time there is a gust of wind the trees look like the some long-leaved plants in flowing water. This morning the wind presented me with several gusts in one of the trees. Really beautiful!

Here's a stupid little story - hopefully entertaining enough to enrich the thread as hoped by hm--us....

In March, I had planned a business trip to Bonn. Bought the train ticket, not online, but traditionally in the Reisezentrum at the station (I know now that this was the main problem...). My company would have refunded it after the trip. The trip was then cancelled, due to the upcoming Corona lockdown. The "Deutsche Bahn" came out with a program that you could apply online for a refund (but ONLY online, not in the Reisezentrum), and so I did and got an email saying that my request was being worked on and that it could take some time. Nothing happened. In May, I contacted my colleague who would have travelled with me, and she already had her money back. She had an online ticket. I then spent a lot of time in DB hotline waiting loops, to eventually be told that there wasn't a responsible person I could speak to as a customer - I'd have to do it by mail. I mailed, referring to the reference number I had originally got. I got the identical response, telling me that my request was being worked on. Silence since then. So, today I went to the Reisezentrum again.

They told me that I wasn't the first customer with this problem - paper ticket refund seems to get stuck in the system. The man then tried to ring a number and got stuck in the waiting loop for 10 minutes. With a few people waiting in the queue behind me, he gave up and gave me the number to try again later at home. AND, would you believe it: had I come before the end of June, they could have refunded me "on goodwill" (auf Kulanzbasis) directly in the Reisezentrum, but not now in July. This option ended in June.....

I told the service man that I'd try the number but if it didn't get me anywhere, I'd come back and not leave before a solution for my problem is found.

o, speaking about hm's "Korrekturitis" sounds to me as if it was a habit she can't help, but that makes other people roll their eyes.

That exactly describes me, I'm afraid. I am notorously correcting other people's texts - if they want or not. Most of the time I am able to sell it in a friendly way but sometimes people may roll their eyes. On the other hand, I didn't want to offend hm -- us, her "Korrektürchen" are always much appreciated.

On my way to work I pass several huge weeping willows

I've read "weeping pillows" and was frightened that something terrible had happened to He-le-na...

The last time I had to give back a DB ticket it was due to heavy rain and flooding on part of the route. The train was not to go via my-town anymore. There was no problem with the refunding (yes, none at all!) and just as I wanted to leave I remembered that the train had been almost fully booked and that some people might be happy to be able make reservation in advance. Thus I asked the friendly staff person (yes even that - I already had other types on the other side of the counter...) to cancel the reservation.

I had obviously misinterpreted the rules thinking that reservation costs would not be refunded but in this special case they were.

Since this happy outcome only trips for which my husband had bought the tickets, had to be cancelled. At least he did not yet need the "Schlichtungsstelle" (up to now).

*knocking on wood*

My son has discovered my cameras. After bragging about the wonders of his smartphone camera (nothing special but nevertheless not bad for such tiny optical elements) I could not refrain from commenting on his sudden preference. He just grinned! Nevertheless he now tries to (photgraphically) capture birds and insects and seems quite happy that the plants only move with the wind and do not fly away before he is ready to take the photo. (Bird: Blurred spot in the distance - not to be discovered without being shown and not to be identified without being told)

But I really like some of his results. :-)

Well, wait until he tries butterflies! They clearly have some instinct by which they recognize when a camera is directed towards them. They remain seated exactly as long as the photographer needs to focus and then fly off, laughing loudly! I swear this is true.

Schlichtungsstelle is then probably the next instance I'll have to turn to.....

Just for the record: I have met many very friendly, supportive and accomodating DB employees in my life already. This is the first time that I'm having such a hard time getting my refund.

It depends how short the shutter time can be (isn't this a matter of the ISO values of a film? But what in times if digital photography?). He would love our Buddleja with its frequent visits of Taubenschwänzchen... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hummingbird_haw...

My son recently started a project (which will be his Maturarbeit) with dad's camera and a tilt-shift objectiv (lens?). I'm curious about the outcome. And he took pictures of the comet both with dad's new camera and a powerful telephoto lens and stunning good ones with his phone (a year or so ago it was said to have the best camera system of all mobile phones).

No. 168: Virus, if again you meet people who do not appreciate your correcturitos, tell them their freedom might depend on it: https://www.spiegel.de/panorama/justiz/usa-an...!

Yours truly, Honorary Vice President for life of the Sixtus Beckmesser Association

They are also heavier due to more "stuff" in the camera body (including the accumulator) and thus not as easy to keep steady for a longer period.

I recommend the formerly mentioned "Einhand-Besenstativ"... *gg*

@ mbshu, # 180

Wittily written. *LOL* If I didn’t know better I’d bet you’re working for DB. I could easily turn your arguments against you: I can stop my car wherever I want to have a cigarette, the car brings me to my final destination without a change etc. I admit that nowadays driving makes less fun than in earlier times because of all these speed limits. But at least in times of a Corona disease I’d feel much safer in a car.

@ He-le-na; Yes, first class travelling is nice.

It can be nice in certain time, but not at peak times – as I said above. I had to stand in spite of my First Class-ticket and seat reservation. With the years I got fed up of all the inconsiderable people ramming their luggage against my legs and slamming their rucksacks into my face to finally occupy my seat. But obviously people get used to the inconvenience: The DB plans to double the amount of passengers within the next five years.

@RenaRd

Ok, I correct myself: Travelling first class was always nice for me (it was meant in agreement to hm -- us' story).

And I also agree with mbshu's description (although I do not work for DB).

It always depends on the experiences one made.

The current pandemia may change preferences for a certain time, due to the lower infection risk in a private vehicule.

In usual times other aggressive or heedless car drivers stress me more than having to change train.

Your experiences were different and not of a kind to make you love travelling by train. I understand that those have led to a preference for the car, obviously considering the traffic on the streets to be less of a mess.

OK, He-le-na, I’ve got to admit that I „foster“ my aversion. And every negative news confirms my opinion . In my job I was ruled by time pressure, hence I had to use a car. You can hardly be in Osterburken in time using a train starting in Mannheim. I didn’t mind – I liked driving fast in the seventies and eighties (50.000-60,000 km per year without any self-inflicted accident, btw.)  wouldn’t like it anymore in today’s mess.

As to Bundesbahn: : Of course trains are not always as crowded as I described above. I remember some vivid or heartwarming conversations with very interesting people. In the 2nd Class as well. :o)

Oh, too much wine (1,5 glasses instead of 1 for dinner) - all I have written is gone due to my lack of motorical skills... hmpf!

I just wanted to say that there is no reason to fear "Verbohrtheit" on my side. RenaRd's experiences indeed do sound "zum Abgewöhnen" (especially if he likes to drive a car). ;-)

For my first experienes on the German Autobahn (hilly area) my engine was not strong enough and the other drivers were not friendly enough.

"Verbissen" would also be a good word for characterizing some discussions on transport...

The Argenitinian storms will have to wait until tomorrow. It sounds interesting, but my concentration abilities are currently insufficient.

Something nice to look at:

https://myko-kitchen.de/farbpigmente

"Pigmente" is not wholly correct, but nevertheless the image on top of the page is something to look at. They have dyed wool with mushrooms and obtained a really broad spectrum of colours.

Good night everybody!

Das waren meist sehr langweilige Spiele, zumal die Spieler ja kaum wach waren.

As professionals they should be able to wake up in time even when kick off is as early as that. They get paid for it well, and as it is their job, they can schedule everything else dependent on that.

When I was a teen, the under 17 teams used to play at 9:15 am every sunday. Dependent on how far we had to ride, we often had to gather at half past seven. Only when I was in my mid-twenties, they started to schedule the under 17 boys for 4:30 pm on saturday - good for the boys, but bad for the girls, who used to have kick off then and have their matches on times differing between early on saturday and quite late on sunday since then.

I did something on Saturday, very exciting and interesting at least for myself, my sister and my niece (I admit that probably many people would find it hard to understand how cone can enjoy such a thing....) . We joined another botanical excursion in which every identified plant species was to be listed for the project "Die floristische Kartierung Baden-Württembergs". The excursion was led by one of the project leaders. He sees those excursions not only in the context of the project, but also as an educational activity for the group - learning species one didn't know before, or learning how to discrimintate between similar species etc. Both my sister and my niece have degrees in biology and are very enthusiastic about botany, but even they learned a lot, for example about grasses. I myself am quite hopeless about grasses...

We walked around for about 4 hours and identified 258 species.

I take my hat off to you, Goldammer. Many people I know can hardly differentiate maize from Wheat or the leaves of dandelion from those of sorrel. I assume you had books or images to name and compare the plants? Have you found species typical for just your region? Must have been an most exciting day.

RenaRd: the leader of the excursion knew about 95% or more of the plants just when he saw them. For specific distinctions, he used a botanical magnifying glass, e.g. to see whether the tiny hairs on a plant stem were sticking out or resting against the stem (? anliegend), or how the leaf of a grass was "fixed" to the stem - that sort of thing. He also had a scientific field guide where the distinctions were described in detail. And he took specimens of a few plants in order to examine them closer back in his lab. Back at the car, he immediately put them into a plant press in order to preserve them.

I for myself have a very well designed app on my mobile phone which was developed by a university and really identifies a lot of plants by feeding it with photos of the flowers, leaves, fruits etc. of an unknown plant you come across. But of course Mr W. was loads better than my app....

We didn't come across very "sensational" or very rare species - but then, the area we covered was just a very ordinary one, not a nature reserve or something. The aim was to do a "Grundkartierung" - to document just the ordinary plant society of a gravel path, a meadow, the edge of a wood (a very specific and species-rich habitat, btw!) etc. Of course many of the plants are characteristic of the chalky soil of the Schwäbische Alb - my sister and niece said that some of the very common plants we saw weren't seen much in their neck of the wood, Heilbronn, where there's a different type of soil (don't ask me what...)

On a few occasions, however, Mr W. excitedly exclaimed, very Schwäbsch: "Ha desch ebbes ganz Bsonders!" - mostly with very tiny, inconspicuous plants I myself might have completely overlooked....

Jesse: I know exactly what you are talking about. I'm convinced that the bishop's weed (why on earth is it called that??) seeks dominion of at least my garden. The more intensively I fight it, the stronger it comes back.

Sure, Goldammer. I should’ve known you used an App instead of illustrations in a book. At least Sherlock Holmes’ old fashioned magnifying glass is still in use. ;-P

As I may already have reported, I'm the proud owner of a scooter. Precisely: a Piaggio Beverly 350, with 33 hp, a high windscreen and a nice sound. I love riding it up and down country, and as today the weather was fine and I had no appointments or deadlines, I took it to the Schwäbische Alb. The roads going up and down there are already great fun for motorcycle (and in my case motor scooter) riders, and once you're up on the Alb, you'll find many, many kilometres of narrow, winding roads (all with perfect blacktop) where you can (give me a nice word for "rumgondeln", please) for hours between twittering forest, gurgling brooks, fragrant meadows, softly swelling hills and cozy glens, with a small farm or hamlet here or there.

I love it!!!

For example, there's the spectacularly beautiful "Großes Lautertal". And I was particularly delighted to come across the small village of Upflamör, which is part of Zwiefalten. Judging by the name, I would have located it in Scandinavia rather than Swabia, On my return, I immediately wished to investigate about the origin of the name and came upon this short movie by the regional TV station SWR, which will also provide you with a quick lesson in Albschwäbisch.

... cruise ... given the long and winding road, also: meander ... not: rum-running ...

Very nice landscape description!

Thank you for the nice story, Jesse_Pinkman. I hiked through the Lautertal several times in earlier years, but never used a scooter (Tretroller?).  I’ve looked it up: A futuristically designed thing, your Piaggio, and a nicely formed area that you cruised through.  Not too loud hopefully, like bikers often like to do. :o)

(Tretroller?)

Motorroller. Tretroller is a completely different animal.

I always thought Upflamör meant "oberhalb Pflummern" - I didn't know that Pflummern was younger. Very interesting, and Mr Schneider is just the prototype of an Älbler. I loved the clip,thanks so much, Jesse!! <3 <3 <3 (this is meant to be hearts)</p> (and I don't have a clue why it put the strange sequence after the brackets. It's undeletable)

There's a spot above Upflamör where you have beautiful "Alpensicht" when it's clear. And there's also a very mysterious ancient kind of square barrier deep in the forest which might be of Celtic origin. At the moment, archaeologists are examining it,afaik.

@ Jesse_Pinkman. RE (Tretroller?). 

My jokey question referred to my fondness for clearly defined words, especially when it comes to technical terms. When I was five in the 40s I proudly called a Roller my own. It had to be pushed forward with one foot hence it was also called “Ttetroller”. This differentiation became important when in the 50s Motorroller” like VESPA or LAMBRETTA appeared, along with Mofa and Moped ( like my favourite, the NSU Quickly TT). 

In the 90s the Motorroller revived as a trendy fun-vehicle. And since language rules had been lowered over the decades the users diminished the term Motorroller ea to Roller. Just a few years ago the E–Scooters came along, soon also abbreviated to Scooter, which made the confusion complete.

Thus I first thought you had climbed the Alp with an E-Scooter, until “Piaggio” made me kook up the type designation. But I just couldn’t resist to ask you for the prototype of a Roller. :-D

Re. Tretroller, there is a short Werner comic in which the hero is at a shop and asks whether he may try out the Treteimer. The greasy salesperson is eager to agree, and Werner starts kicking the poor Eimer around ferociously.

(In English one could do a pun with kicking the bucket instead.)

My nephew and niece are on a one week hiking tour in the Black Forest - tonight they are lodging at this place.....

That would be just the place for us to meet for a Stammtisch, wouldn't it?

Aren't we being a bit too nitpicky about an obvious typo, my dear mbshu?

(I was wondering how one could express the colloquial German saying "ein bisschen sehr" in English? What I'd have said in German was: sind wir da nicht ein bisschen sehr pingelig, nur wegen eines Tippfehlers?)