Traditional

Ever since 1990 when I moved to Bavaria, one has complained about not having a proper winter. Well now we have one and certain people are complaining about it! You can't please all the people ......... Funnily enough on a few TV news items, it was the oldest people interviewed who had a big smile on their face and were loving it.

Last night Bavarian TV showed a programme from a mountain parish in the German-speaking Swiss Alps. Would highly recommend you watch it even if you don't understand a word. Most non-Bavarian Germans won't understand a word either. Even if you can't be bothered, do try to watch the first 3.5 minutes (ignore the musical intro). A village of 230 inhabitants and growing again with young people and reliant on their tradition of living together with animals and nature. At about 10:00 a guy cutting wooden shingles and for every single one even if a slight fault or a knot, it knows it can be used in some form, Fascinating.

On Thursday I mentioned I was at my specialist doc in Memmingen who insisted on taking a blood sample and I was told to phone this coming Thursday when he does his weekly telephone call in session for such matters. However, on Friday evening, the surgery called and Angie took the call. They said my Vitamin B12 levels were catastrophic and although a bit better, the iron level was very low. They would be sending my GP the result and it should be with him by Tuesday.

As I knew Vitamin B was a problem, I had got a prescription in December from my GP but hadn' bothered to go with my box of ampules to have some injected (into muscle - ouch), Christmas an all that. So this morning thought I ought to go but expected the worst - the GP has been closed for last 10 days and this was the first session of the new year. Took one step inside the entrance and turned around and went home. Will try tomorrow. I would have been seen but I didn't fancy an hours wait.

On the way home, wanted to photograph the man-high snow piles on the main street in the village but couldn't find a cleared spot but knew just a few meters away the farmhouse would have wide berths cleared. And so it was that I parked next to Farmer Franz's house with wife Anna-Marie out clearing the bits of snow by hand that the half dozen tractors they have had missed. Anna-Marie likes everything to be done properly, as is the tradition..

It was also a chance to exchange belated New Year's wishes and have a short chat. Angie was waiting at home for the car to go to Ottobeuren. Yesterday I mentioned the avalanche danger and showed our house roof. Compare that to Anna-Maries traditional steep Bavarian house roof designed to cope with traditional Bavarian winters. Hardly a flake of snow on it.

Just as I was leaving, our local car dealer and workshop owner Peter came by with his flatbed and a lovely old Volvo, I think a PV544 from around 1958. See extra photo. Peter still hasn't completed my Morgan Plus 8 that he promised to have ready in Spring 2018.

Back home handed over the car key to Angie who then took Luna for a walk in Ottobeuren forest despite all the warnings to avoid forests because of the severe risk to life through trees and branches breaking off. See extra photo. Even the Waldkindergarten - Forest Kindergarten children had obeyed the warnings.

At the weekend a ski tourer had been killed instantly, just south of Munich by a tree branch. That area just 60km (40 miles) south of central Munich and known as Munich's "Hausberg" (House Mountain) is almost like a nursery slope compared to the real Alps. Yet even here an avalanche caught a skier but luckily not his companion who was able to get help quickly and save him. Further east 3 died in avalanches. Also in that county, the schools have been closed for the entire week and an official "Catastrophy"  announced. Even the county next to ours has cancelled school for the week.

Here the tough Swabians carry on as normal. This morning our brand new Recycling wheelie bin was emptied by the rubbish collectors. Today is the start of the new system - up until now we have to deliver plastic and tins to the recycling yard. Luckily it didn't snow overnight as the bin is placed just two feet from the edge of the main road so that the driver-only vehicle can grab it with its automatic arm and empty it. A snow plough going past at 50km/h would blow/push/smash the bin away!