Ramblings of an Aussie in Germany

Had an absolute cracker for Ela’s birthday last weekend. It was her 30^th and we celebrated in style. Originally we wanted to go to a bar that a friend of ours was DJing at but they wanted 400 euros to rope an area off for us, and we thought that was a bit over the top, so we took the plunge and had a party at home. Anyone who has lived in an apartment will understand what a risky business this is what with neighbours and space limitations.

 

Anyway we didn’t have to worry about anything, it was great. We had about 25 people including a few out of town celebrities (Ela’s bro and his girlfriend trekked 700km, while a few Hannoverites also made the journey, heads up to Nodeachen, he drove from Hannover in the early evening and returned in the wee hours of the morning, a round trip of about 600km!!)

 

Was a very eclectic mix of people, representing the various aspects of Ela’s life. Most of these people had never met each other before so it was a bit awkward at first but as to be expected after a few drinks they all loosened up and it was on. Hosting a party is always hard yakka as you try to talk to everyone and end up not really talking properly with anyone! In true German party tradition we played games, I was first up with Charades! At 12 then it was officially Ela’s birthday and everyone sang Happy Birthday and then I came in with the cake with 30 candles. After she cut the cake I had another tradition to perform, I had to pick her up in her chair and put her down 30 times. Don’t ask me I don’t understand either and no one really gave me an adequate explanation.

 

Then it was pressie time and wow did she do well, I can only dream about a) getting so many pressies and b) such top quality pressies! Mine was of course the last one to be opened and I did good son. I gave her an MP3 player which was pretty much what she wanted and it comes with all the bangs and whistles an MP3 can offer these days so I was fully in the good books, brownie points I’m sure to need at some point in the future!

 

The last people struggled out about 4 and we were am arsch (on arse) as they say here to mean totally bloody stuffed and maybe just a little bit drunk. My diet had suffered another major setback but fuck it, accorinding tomy poll fat blokes rule anyway!

Listening to: Still Megarock Radio

I got an email from Duncan the other day!! I was so excited, I think in 5 years of sending emails this is the first time he has ever replied, next thing I know I'll be getting emails from Sandy! It was George Bush with his metal horns that finally got him to write to me.

On ya Duncan, great to hear from you, wish I got an email more often, your good craic! Ela reckons your great too. (But then she only spent 20 minutes in a car with you...)

 

Listening to: Megarock Radio!!

Wow we have snow at last! It’s taken a bloody long time and I can’t really complain as I liked the warmth better, but damm the place looks so beautiful covered in 10cm of white powder snow! Arrived just in time for Ela’s birthday too. We started her birthday with sunny skies and finished it with it bucketing down on us in snow.

 

But you really notice the temperature difference, we’d been having average temps of about 8 degrees which is really quite dealable (yeah I can hear the aussies laughing from here!), but then today the top temperature was minus 4!! That’s middle of the day. On days like that the last thing you feel like doing is walking from the house to the station and on to work. You want a heater and you want it permantly exploding in your jacket!