allright then: god save the queen

it was right down as predicted: rain in the morning, rain later in the afternoon, but just to prove she has the heavens on her side the ghastly weather cleared up a little bit and we remained mainly dry, and warm, because the crowds were so densely packed.

after a long breakfast we decided to try our luck and use the happy fact that my workplace is right on the river and that our nice security staff usually let us in - and they did. we tried several places, the waterfront bar, the viewing platform on the 7th floor, somerset house, but in the end decided that while we were here it would be best to mingle with the crowds and have that hands-on feeling.

and we were not to be disappointed. it was the most spectacular line of ships and boats that we will see on the thames in our lifetime, and the friendly cheers left, right and centre really did it and we cheered as loud as everybody else. and even when rike spoke of 'her queen' and the husband proclaimed that it was after all worthwhile living in a monarchy and even when we all joined in on 'god save the queen' i didn't mind. only when deac put two large union jacks onto my determinedly german car i started wondering where this all would end...

this is your captain speaking

clearly one of the most spectacular moments in life. do by all means look at the videos but believe me i flew this bumble bee significantly more steadily than rike's clips suggest. must have been down to the photographer having fun in the backseat. for more pics click on the picasa album top right. and a big kiss for rike, for bravery as well as taking pics!!!

hidden hitch

make it to guildford tonight if you can and if you want to know more about alfred hitchcock and where my dear husband deac rossell, together with kevin last and william godfree, will shed some light unto the cult director's lesser known works.

says the yvonne arnaud theatre, where the event takes place: "by revisiting his life, this educational presentation trawls the hitchcock canon for the missing and little seen items as well as uncompleted projects both on the big screen and television. ... using slides, film and live music, hidden hitchcock: the missing films provides a very different picture of the maestro, charting his life from turn of the century leytonstone until his death in 1980."

the all-in-one-weekend

unbelievable but true this last weekend proved to be an all-inclusive one with a list of things and events as long as you can see: not only was i able to spend two full days in the garden (after six weeks of rain and misery!) but - hold your breath - we got the computer back, unrepaired as predicted, but deac had lined up the next guy and he really took the computer and returned it fully fixed in less than 36 hours. but at a time when i was actually quite happy to live the computer-free outdoor live it turned out that my birthday present (in fact one of many) from deac and fred was ready and so to biggin hill on sunday morning. about twenty minutes of instructions (yes, on the red model) to give me the faintest clue on what to do in the air and off we went, rike in the back and husband left on the ground, just in case...

a ninety minutes flight to the sea along the river over ebbsfleet and gravesend, with gorgeous views right across to canary wharf and battersea power station, a nervous instructor (german! from a town near where i was born!), a wreck of a flying student, and a very happy camper in the back taking pics from every angle.

yoke and throttle were the most used words in what can only be called a proper language on its own, and while i desperately tried to remember what was what my dear teacher had already moved to the next set of expressions, like mcp and pfd, and the only sentence i really enjoyed was "i am in control", which i had to say everytime i wanted to touch something and of course because it was so utterly untrue.

what else did we do? after the flight we had lunch, then riding, then shopping, then swimming (rike), then a wonderful dinner and "over"!!!

soon more pics from the air!
   

a clean house is a sign of a broken computer

... i read this morning but i have to disappoint again: the (beep) computer (beep) has collapsed over three weeks ago now but the house is still the same old mess because we now have to travel longer to get things done electronically, and only the child is happy with her smart phone.

also collapsed obviously has our repair guy and most certainly the relationship with him because for the last twenty days he has not answered the phone or the door and seems to have left the country for good.

it is rare that I feel really angry towards people but in this case i can't help it.

our child the opera star!

this household has been in a real turmoil over the last few weeks (what's new) and resembles a war zone (not new either) as rike not only performed in her usual spring concerts in what amounts to four orchestras this year but she was also casted as a fairy in the latest guildhall school of music production of britten's a midsummer nights dream at the barbican which really threw any normal schedule out of the window and the extensive rehearsals made her miss so many classes at school that you wonder whether they still recognise her over there.

but it must be said that despite the long hours it has been an incredible experience for her and she and her friends so thoroughly enjoyed themselves that they all wanna change careers now. 

we saw the performance on the opening night and we just loved it. britten's score is marvellous (i did not know it) and made me like him even more, it had a great cast that performed professionally and up for the job, the orchestra was excellent, the direction swift, and an adequate set design with simple yet striking images kept us entertained. the highlights were (sorry - proud mum syndrome) of course the fairies who were rather substantial in their attitude and singing and quite present right down to one of rike's friends fracturing her wrist in the last moments of the show. still running into next week and nearly sold out but catch it if you can.

Or see the whole performance live here on saturday, 3rd march, 19:00 gmt 

plus:

click here for review 1

click here for review 2

click here for review 3

winter is over - that's official!

admittedly these pics arrived a couple of days ago but really not that long and at a time when us londoners started sporting bare legs and t-shirts already as the temperature reached 16 degrees last weekend (sorry - i was 'sporting' nothing - i'm still dragging myself around in what is warm and loose and comfy, but my daughter is and certainly my students!). so seeing dear marlis and anke ice skating on what i assume is the aasee (a name that endlessly entertained us as children) brings a shiver down my spine as i really don't want to hear of cold any longer. let's hope we soon get a springy pic from their early blossoming trees - our plum tree outside the house is if full gear, in fact the whole of our street is in bloom!

winter dressage series 2011 championship table

rike managed to get into the top ten of the dressage competition at mount mascal just so but as it is her first ever dressage we are all duly proud. congratulations!

baby, you're so last year...

...and that is me actually, not the nice chap in the pics, who already complained that the announced blog entry was nowhere to be seen and it is just all my fault as i still haven't really sorted out the new blogger surface and the different buttons i have to key in nowadays.

but here it is, didi, and i'll email you straight away to let you know, cause it is a rather lovely memory of a short but sweet afternoon in hannover last summer, with the second half taking place in one of these corner cafes that also do their own bean roasting, serve twenty different blends and who do employ at least three dishy baristas and where i feel wholly inadequate cause i order tea all the time. but didi just told us that chances are he is signing a new publishing deal (or has signed by now???) and that should call for champagne anyway, so we just have to wait and see.

the first part of the afternoon nevertheless produced one of the best one-liners ever, and didi as a writer should take note: 

marienstrasse, 3pm, antiquariat gaertner

enter my husband. 

* good afternoon sir

^ good afternoon mr gaertner. long time no see. how are you?

* what do you mean?

^ what i mean? well, how are you? how you are??

* yes, but why are you asking that.

michael gove at aske's

rike's school was in the news a few days ago when the minister for education, michael gove, addressed the pupils in haberdashers aske's hatchham college and subsequently the wider public to maintain this government's view on academies and other school policies. as a year eight girl our daughter escaped because of other duties...

happy 2012!!!

a big hug to all of you and a happy 2012! 

we started the new year with a bottle watching the fireworks on bbc and in the neighborhood and braced ourselves for the day ahead and then had, as always, our lovely new year's day party, again with deac's specialty, cassoulet, and soup and apple-marzipan cake made by rike and me. 35 guests came this year, and we had a really great time. best way to begin any year, if you ask me...

(image stolen from rike's facebook, thanks, darling!)