Ongoing Smoldering

The title comes courtesy of google translate and is hopelessly inappropriate as a title and as a translation. I find I use the translate function less and less because I see how horribly it gets things wrong.

Today's Blip is a Fly Agaric (Fliegenpilz in German). It's growing out of a bank which gives it the odd shape.

I walked right into a vile little trap today. I bought a book for the next stage of "Learn German in 30 years" and it had on the back something about 2 cds. Got home and there was only 1 cd in the book. The rather oddly number CD-3. I went back to the store and asked for the missing cd. Hohoho said the shop assistant, there are no missing cds, you have to buy them in addition to the book. And without the cds, the book is useless. hahahaha she said. How much are the 2 cds then, asked I. They're another 20 Euro, says she. F*** that, says I to myself, I'm going to get them on Amazon for 10. And so I did.

I still think that's really on the very edge of fairness. I mean, my German is not bad and so for me not to have understood that I'd have to buy additional stuff, they've been very economical with the honesty of their descriptions. I may practise letter writing and write an E-Mail of complaint.

The other bit of shocking news comes courtesy of my mother. I have mentioned that my family is not a close one but the latest bit of news took even me by surprise. We were talking on the phone, as we do on a semi -regular basis, and she said "I visited your aunt Alma last week, your dad's youngest sister."

That'll be Aunt Alma, who up until this phone call I had never heard mention of in my whole life. The Aunt Alma we never sent cards to or received any from. The Aunt Alma who was never at any family gatherings and who no-one ever spoke of. I find that an extraordinary thing, that someone could be so completely erased from a family's history. That there was never a mention of her astonishes me.

Goodness knows what she'd done to be so completely rejected by her brothers and sisters, and how like my mother to mention it so casually.

So here's to forgotten Aunts. Aunt Alma, whatever you did, I hope it was worth it and I hope your life has been a blast. You deserve at least that. Trust me, you missed very, very little by not being in touch.