Another thing you should not do when you have four broken ribs is brake suddenly. I was beetling up Salesianergasse last night on my way to pick up Cate from work when this monster Mercedes loomed out of a hidden driveway.
Salesianergasse is a very narrow street (as indeed are most streets in our district) and of course Monster Merc was not going to come into the street - but he gave me quite a start and of course I stood on the anchors.
This was followed by a piercing shriek as my ribs hit the seat belt. With the benefit of hindsight I should have let nature take its course as even if he had not stopped the impact absorbing qualities of two Mercedes Benz(s) are undoubtedly greater than four broken ribs.
Yesterday I was strolling through Stadtpark – it was a balmy 7°. A couple of workers were sweeping up the kitty litter. This is a very sinister development. It is mid-January – i.e. mid-Winter. We had some snow before Christmas and nothing since. Now they are taking the kitty litter away. I will be VERY unhappy if that was winter. Sure there was Lapland but I spend most of that on my back and in agony so it does not count.
So now on top of everything else I have to sneak around Vienna at night and scatter the piles of kitty litter back over the footpaths so as to encourage the snow fairy to visit once more.
My Canon 500D has been in hospital for a few weeks now. I have not had any news and I fear the worst. I can just imagine Herr Doktor snapping off his rubber gloves in frustration in the Canon ICU in Stuttgart as the green blob flat lines across the screen ‘Gott in Himmel’ he says ‘I het loosing vun off zese Canon 500Ds – zey are zech vine machines!’
In the meantime I am going to see Maalie next week so have acquired a Canon Powershot G12 which itself is a damned fine piece of baby Canon machinery and quite capable of taking excellent Duck photos. He is taking me around the lake district where he will point out 2,000 different species of birds while shouting ‘Look Badger - a Lesser Crested Mugwump – the first of the season!’
Unfortunately to Badger it will look just like a small black bird - but Badger will look very closely to try very had to remember its features so that at some suitable time he too will be able to shout ‘Look Maalie another Lesser Crested Mugwump’ and Maalie will say gently ‘No Badger - that is a Hooded Crow! We have seen about 600 so far today.’
(PS Rozalin has just reported that light snow is due later this week. We shall see!)
