1934 Vintage

I know two people born that year, one in the UK who I haven't seen since 1990 and very much miss, even though our friendship had only started a few years before. The other is my father-in-law Sepp (Joseph), Angie's father, a very active workaholic, charming, funny, intelligent and generous man.

Today we went to visit for Easter Sunday lunch, cooked by Angie's step mother Jani who as always produced a feast. We had to wait though until Sepp had fed the dogs their 5* menu - when we announce we are "going to Papa" they jump in the car and pant the hour drive to Olching near Munich, knowing Sepp has reserved the best cuts and bones for them.

After lunch, it is tradition Jani retires to the sitting room to knit socks for all the children and grandchildren while the rest of us talk and talk and talk at the dining table. Today I switched on the dictation function of the mobile and caught an hour of Sepp recounting his childhood and early years.

It explains all the bits and bobs around the house, the maximum use of every inch of garden and sheds for some useful purpose whether to produce fruit and vegetables or protect wildlife with boxes and tables for birds, hedgehogs and anything else that breathes, crawls and walks. The house was built brick by brick by Sepp and his father in the middle/late 1950s when they had to build a new life.

I had written a very long description (at least 90 minutes work), went to change something and instead of hitting the Publish button, managed to delete it all. I can't now rewrite it save to say that Sepp as a 9 year old had to flee his familys home along with 5 year old brother, mother and grandparents on a horse and cart, leaving behind everything the family had and treking for 25 days in bad weather (October) to safety in Austria. Bought up in camps, given his first chocolate and chewing gum by a black US GI, stealing farmers eggs (farmer didn't miss them as they were the ones laid in far flung corners of the hay barn) so as to sell them and buy food for his father who returned a dying man from a Russian work camp in 1948. Returning to the ancestors original homeland Germany in 1954 and having to start from scratch. Much like the refugees today but he had one key advantage - his family was part of a German community which had settled in Batsch-Brestowatz, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, nowadays Serbia, and could speak German and to all intents and purposes were German. However the welcome was not always heartful.

Not the first time I have heard many of the tales but I am glad to have it recorded (he didn't know) and I will try to get it down on paper another day.  I must add Sepp does not "live in the past" - he knows the value of the peace and prosperity he has been able to raise four children in. And although he has, like us all, concerns about current events, he wants the UK to stay in to help improve and strengthen the EU despite all it's faults. He did visit England in the 60's and loved it - London, Stratford et al. He is a passionate football fan of Munich but the Blues (1860) not the Reds (Bayern Munich) and of course Germany - he enjoyed and applauded the English performance last night. Germany's disallowed (legal) goal has not been in any discussion in the media whatsoever. The general view of the game and result being the Germans needed the lesson. And anyway as Mr Linecker said, Germany is a "Tournament Team". Wait till the Euro games start in June!

Both my 1934 Vintages are notable, in their very different ways.