Ce que l'on te reproche, cultive le, c'est toi! (Jean Cocteau)

Dear reader,

My beloved Auld Da, my Papi, my close friend, Malcolm J. Thomson has popped his clogs (as he used to name it) way sooner than we all had believed and hoped he would. On Monday, 27th of January 2020 he silently passed away. I am unbelievably thankful that we had the chance to spent a nice number of joyful hours with him at the ‚Vinc’ given the circumstances during the last 1 1/2 years. His invincible positivity and sense of humor in any situation shall inspire us to take life as it comes and worst case make lemonade out of the lemons it gives.

His blog will also remain with us and for anybody who wants to dive deeper into Papis life here is a link to his Memoire he wrote following my wish.

We will all miss him hugely and he leaves an unclosable gap. 

Jessi, Mickey, Tino - Nick & family - Philippa & family - and so many more!

Last farewell:

Monday, 23.03.2020 at 9:00am at AETAS in Baldurstraße 39, 80638 Munich.

In time to celebrate Hogmanay, Mickey invited Tino's father, affectionately called Riessi, to visit Munich with his son. 

I think it's the first time I've posted an image which gives some idea of how Mickey has shaped her environment now that Jessi has moved to Berlin where she and Tino are making the Kreuzberg flat their own.

Riessi did not bring with him any Christmas Tree, the weather being unseasonably mild. But the image with a tree on the roof of a red Mini with Munch license plates was just cried out to be posted.

22.12.2019

Today, as any Druidic calendar will remind us, is Juul. Henceforth and until midsummer, the days will be getting longer. Another fine reason for me to wear a happy face is that as I write Jessi and Tino are on a train from Hamburg to Munich. In the city on the Elbe the Xmas festivities kicked off for Tino's family and Jessi was their guest.

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I may not have many followers for my digital diary, but they let me know in no uncertain terms when (in their opinion) I am using my ailments as an excuse not to blog.

So herewith a whole bunch of photos from a duly chastised Auld Da.

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The heatwave, we were told, was coming to an end. 

The doctor determined that while the yellow quarantine pennant must continue to fly figuratively at the entrance to my room, after six months of solitary confinement and in anticipation of a good result from the latest treatment with super-potent antibiotics, I could be allowed a 'Kaffee und Kuchen' outing in the garden of the Vinzentinum before the weather deteriorated. 

Yesterday the sun shone! Jessi and Mickey were no longer obliged to disguise themselves in Tyvek or similar hazmat suiting. The sudden pleasure of being out of doors for the first time in half a year meant there were many photos taken. How very much I miss having a decent version of Photoshop.

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The protagonist of ColinDexter's appeared not only in the 33 two-hour episodes the Inspector Morse television series but also in diverse prequels and sequels.

Dead Man's Walk is an unofficial fan-based story that follows closely 'in the grand tradition of Colin Dexter's original creation', a posthumous prequel if you like. 

It amuses me that there is a product placement name-check for Glenkinchie Single Malt whisky, a favourite of mine not least due to its Lowlands provenance.

Now maybe I should read the Dexter oeuvre which I had hitherto written off as mere 'made for television' writing. 

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"These youngsters today don't know how lucky they are!"

The picture misleads, however. Today's wake up cuppa, much to Jessi's liking, is served at the Alikanas resort on the Greek island of Zakynthos. Since the 1980s it has become a preferred destination for the under-30 tourists in particular from Great Britain. 

Alykanas is now the busiest destination on the island for British holidaymakers, surpassing Tsivili and Kalamaki, which are more popular with families.

Jessi is working! The British operator of numerous resorts in the region is producing a series of television commercials and Jessi has been hired as stylist. Next week they'll fly her out again do the styling for one of their resorts in Turkey.

Admittedly she'll be working under supervision, but being entrusted with such responsibilities as a relative newcomer. and in a competitive environment like that in Berlin is a positive sign.