Il neige! It snows!

It snowed last Thursday, 4 inches, and again last night and today on and off (another 4 or more I guess. I made and sold Christmas mince pies, sold fudge, flapjacks and Scottish tablet with Joan and others at a market yesterday and am going to a carol service tonight in the neighbouring village.

Been for a few walks, and a RUN in the snow (be impressed, be very impressed - the photo is of Penny in running gear). The bottom two are a similar spot, the first with snow, the second with frost the day before.

Life is very different and very cold. It made me laugh to see the street cleaner vacuuming the streets unpertubed at the snow falling, people walking their dogs (with little doggy jackets on), going to the shops, as if it's not -8 degrees and snowing. Cool.

Luxembourg und Deutschland!

Guten Tag meinen Damen und Herren! Ich bin am Montag aus meine Reise zuruckgekommt. Sie war ein schone Zeit, und mein unfliessig Deutsch war gut genug fur meistens meinen Sprachung. Ich habe hoflich Leute getreffen, viele alten Gebaude photographierten, zwei Weinachtsmarkts gebesuchen, und zu viele schmeckliche Essen gegessen! Die zwei Jugendherbergen waren nicht teuer und sehr gut. Sie haben grossen Fruhstucken und Abendessen gehabt...

Hello ladies and gents! I came back from my trip on Monday. It was a great time, and my less than perfect German proved fluent enough for most of my conversations. I met polite, friendly people, took lots of photos of old buildings, visited two Christmas markets and ate too much tasty food! The two youth hostels were not expensive and very good. They had big breakfasts and dinners...

In Luxembourg I got an all day pass on the buses and trains for €4, got snowed on, visited two castles, a monastery, an phenomenal photo exhibition and was treated to a hot chocolate by a Luxembourg gentleman. Caught the train to Trier (the oldest city in Europe, has an amphitheatre that was last used in 2 AD and a Roman bridge that has tarmac and traffic). I woke up on my last day in Germany and decided it would be rather cool to walk back to Luxembourg so I strolled 17km down a cycleway beside the Mosel river (yes, that's like Moselle where the wine comes from) and had some interesting chats to locals I met. How often do you get to walk to another country?

Am back in Belgium now, singing in a choir this weekend for 1000 people, helping Joan mark Geography exams, going out for dinner, shopping, went to Belgium's Museum of Things Stolen from the Congo with Joan yesterday and am generally having a delightful time. I am not missing the sunshine at all as it manages to appear once every few days - temperatures are round 2 or 3 degrees but I have lots of good warm clothes and houses and transport are warm.

Right, enough talk. The photos are of the amphitheatre and the Youth Hostel in Trier, Germany (by the Mosel), and the castle in Vianden, Luxembourg.

Birfdy

Ad a luvly birfdy fanks. Bit ovva shindig on Satdy noite wiv noice fokes, musik n game iv Picshunry in French n Anguish, den a spushil brekky wiv some of da noice fokes. Bit ovva trip t Brussils n I got ta play drumz fer noice chuch foke n it was a corker sunset n all. Spushil fanks ta Joans fer most iv the fun, n God fer allivit, incl va sunset.