tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65010895762323292322011-04-22T00:48:19.782+02:00Life is a highway - I want to ride it all night longRenatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.comBlogger321100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-5928139136053445152009-01-24T00:40:00.005+01:002009-01-24T01:15:04.128+01:00

Thinking of people is easy. It doesn't require an effort. You just do.Staying in touch, making the effort to write or phone regularly, is a different story. At least I seem to botch this up regularly. But it doesn't mean I forget.Today I finally found a trace again of someone I spent time with decades ago. In Occidental College, Glendale, CA, to be exact.Ginny was my roomate at Oxy, from Tucson,

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-40088184596939357652009-01-05T23:55:00.010+01:002009-01-06T01:50:51.595+01:00

On December 20th (yes, we're going back in time a little but then that's normal for re-enactors), we went to Hamburg-Harburg for the annual Winterstammtisch. This time, 'we' was not just Schatz and I but also Kees, Danny, Marion and Janneke from Holland who drove up here for a long weekend. See also Kees' blog entry of December 23rd.do they have cheese in Harburg?As I mentioned before, history or

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-15995186893250205392009-01-04T23:45:00.003+01:002009-01-05T00:27:58.250+01:00

I had interrupted my earlier entry about our visit to Bremerhaven as I wanted to add some pictures Schatz took with one of his various cameras. Unfortunately, that very camera had a faulty light baffle, as he found out - some rubbery thingie in that old camera let light into the camera body where and when it wasn't supposed to come inside and ruin the picture.Anyway, I ended the first part of the

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-27443465806106011712009-01-03T00:06:00.003+01:002009-01-03T11:38:00.362+01:00

On Christmas Eve, Schatz and I went to Bremerhaven to spend the holidays with his Dad. When we arrived, it was already dark (no big feat this time of year), but there were so many lights on in the city that I snapped my little Canon anyway, like outside the Deutsches Schiffahrtsmuseum where the lines and masts of the museum ships were covered with lights.passing ships in the nightIt was Christmas

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-68912436886248186282009-01-02T17:05:00.013+01:002009-01-02T18:13:05.552+01:00

I saw it on Kees' blog, he picked it from someone else's - and maybe someone will pick up the idea from my blog: joining a microfinance organisation, investing a little of the money we have in a loan for someone who will do more with it than go to the movies or a restaurant.Over Christmas, money was lent lavishly on Kiva and requests were filled within minutes, but when I checked Kiva again today

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-83015235027334485312008-12-23T23:48:00.012+01:002008-12-24T15:54:00.433+01:00

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:"Food, Glorious Food", written by Lionel Bart, is the opening song from the musical and movie Oliver! It is sung when the workhouse boys from the 1960s West End and Broadway and musical and 1968 film adaptation are dreaming and fantasizing about food while going to collect their gruel from the staff of the workhouse.The "Ice Age: The Meltdown" variationHaving

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-41660428163637815952008-12-16T23:55:00.000+01:002008-12-17T23:14:28.296+01:00

For some years now, Schatz and I have frequented the Mittelalter Stammtisch in Hamburg-Harburg. One Friday evening a month, people interested in the Middle Ages meet for a meal, a drink and, above all, a good chat. Mind you, we don't mind when Roman gladiators or Napoleonic soldiers stop by, or Larpers, for that matter. More about the Stammtisch in a week or so.In addition, some of us meet one

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-37979086385844909512008-11-22T23:13:00.000+01:002008-11-22T23:14:34.749+01:00

... is the motto of a store I came across in July:At that point in time, they had just opened shop on Jan Evertsenstraat in Amsterdam.Bags and cushions made from old dresses or curtains really caught my attention. It is one of those things that you think you could do yourself, given time and occasion, but if you're really honest to yourself you know you never will nor can.It was obvious from some

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-17883847218523197572008-11-22T00:18:00.002+01:002008-11-22T23:15:32.709+01:00

The first time I heard a song from Dutch singer/songwriter Herman Erbé was 29 years ago, give or take a few weeks. It happened in Café Husse, a tiny "bruin café" in Langestraat which was to become my local pub for many years. Until it closed, that is.Karin, who at the time was already living in Amsterdam, had heard Herman sing in Folk Fairport, found out he co-owned a pub and during one of my

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-80232315243096392542008-11-21T21:59:00.004+01:002008-11-21T22:09:37.519+01:00

... I have been rather busy. Apart from work and such, helping my mother move from her house to an apartment in town has taken up most of my time and energy in the past couple of months. It is an ongoing project and will keep my sister and me (and our respective Schatzes) busy for some more time. But my mother feels great in her new environment, and that is the main thing.I didn't forget about

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-11253604509509475642008-09-28T23:37:00.000+02:002008-09-29T00:23:31.306+02:00

Last weekend, Schatz and I went to Oerlinghausen near Bielefeld, for a Viking weekend in their Archaeological Open Air Museum. It is a fairly small place, compared to what we know from Denmark, for example, but it takes you from a summer camp of ice age reindeer hunters via a stone age and a bronze age farm building all the way to an early medieval (Saxon) homestead. In addition, there are a

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-69143188918115674222008-09-15T21:34:00.002+02:002008-09-16T16:03:42.580+02:00

Have you ever felt dazzled by a sign? I mean really overwhelmed by the powerful, mind-boggling concept it conveyed? Well, it happened to Schatz and me last Saturday, as we were about to do our weekend shopping.Seeds for Children just € 2.49 a bucket!Seeds for Children. And they are even available in two varieties, as flowers or as sprouts! Sometimes you wonder about the geniuses behind such

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-84130790211561060312008-09-14T23:41:00.000+02:002008-09-14T23:58:21.136+02:00

The first weekend in September traditionally marks a major Viking market in Archeon, an archaeological theme park in Alphen a/d Rijn, about 45 minutes from Amsterdam. And after not being able to participate for a couple of years, Schatz and I had decided we'd really have to make it this year.Easier said than done, as we found out. First I came down with a bad headcold a few days before but then

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-84589971251237307202008-08-31T23:58:00.006+02:002008-09-04T21:37:16.437+02:00

Although we love to sleep in on Sunday mornings, we decided last night to be sensible and mature and get up early enough to go to a nearby flea market and then to the gym.We actually managed! After a quick sensible breakfast of muesli with cranberries in some yoghurt, we packed our gym bags and left. Schatz, like most every other man I know, is not very keen on shopping. Unless it's for food.

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-47775281967524507582008-08-29T23:28:00.000+02:002008-08-29T23:29:12.113+02:00

11:35hSearching the internet for something has similar effects as searching a dictionary for a word or an encyclopedia for information: you regularly come across information you weren't actually looking for but which is so interesting that you spend more time with it than you should.In my case, I was looking for ideas of how to translate a very German (labour law) term into Dutch, when I stumbled

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-89046105484371004822008-08-26T20:36:00.002+02:002008-08-29T23:30:17.672+02:00

Last weekend, Schatz and I went to the Kreismuseum in Syke near Bremen for a weekend Viking craftsmarket. A group of about 25 re-enactors had been put together by Lutz from the Hacheschmiede. Crafts shown included smithing, bow- and arrow-making, working with bone and antler, turning wooden bowls on a lathe, filting, card weaving silk braids with silver wire brocading, turnshoe-making, silver

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-7240600876171313752008-08-21T18:13:00.000+02:002008-08-21T18:13:48.706+02:00

Ack! 2 months since the last entry... *sigh*There's quite some catching up to do, I admit, and I'll try to do that bit by bit in the coming weeks. But instead of working my way up to the present, I will keep this blog a bit more up-to-date and insert some past events or trips as I go along.Today is "Off my Chest" time.This morning, I left home a little after 9 am to walk to my GP in order pick

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-87736164344703060442008-06-29T01:19:00.020+02:002008-12-11T11:31:41.869+01:00

After a hard days work in Mainz, I returned home. The fairly recently built (okay, less than a decade ago) ICE route from Cologne to Frankfurt was built at a considerable distance from the River Rhein (or Rhine for the English) as no track inside the river valley would have allowed the high speed required for this service. It reduces travel time to Frankfurt considerably but at the cost of not

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-29872432415208990182008-06-26T23:34:00.014+02:002008-06-27T00:39:45.440+02:00

Tuesday evening I took the train to Mainz, Germany, for a next day meeting. I actually got there only one hour late which was amazing really in view of the fact that there were no trains running in the last segment of my trip due to a major problem with the railway's electricity lines. You think Germans are perfect organizers? Hell no! Even though lots of travelers were stranded and quite lost

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-49852978080724001452008-06-22T13:32:00.006+02:002008-12-11T11:31:42.099+01:00

I mentioned earlier that in Warwick I had a Cream Tea and that it was not exactly what the doctor had ordered. The time has come for me, too, to lose some weight and get in better shape.It is amazing how one thinks about food much more when one is trying to consume less of it! At least it is for me, maybe because I enjoy it (or rather all the bad parts of it) so much.Anyway, I have started to

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-66193733374090342452008-06-20T19:51:00.005+02:002008-12-11T11:31:46.834+01:00

A couple of weeks ago, I spent a few days in Leamington. In Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, England - to be exact. Contrary to earlier visits, I did not mainly focus on pubs, restaurants and maybe a few shops - though I saw the inside of a few of those this time as well - but decided to spend some of my time walking through areas of town I had never explored before. And when I was told that

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-21024006095595632792008-06-12T12:02:00.003+02:002008-06-12T12:11:25.652+02:00

Some people don't like wakes, they fear that people only attend to eat and drink and be merry at the dead person's expense.Others - including me - are quite in favour of them. A funeral is to acknowledge death even though part of the ritual will be remembering the life of the person, but a wake is to cherish life. To remember the person in question in words, songs or pictures, to comfort each

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-29152487769286257822008-06-10T23:15:00.001+02:002008-12-11T11:31:48.112+01:00

Not far from where Schatz has his office, a farmer decided he could make easier - and possibly more - money from his strawberry field by letting people pick their own instead of taking them to the market.His giant strawberry-on-wheels by the road, however, reminded me that I hadn't checked our own strawberry field for a while. So when we came home, I went to collect our own giant strawberries:

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-74633965212280809852008-06-07T22:16:00.005+02:002008-12-11T11:31:48.233+01:00

Some thought they are basically extinct, some thought they only featured in oldtimer rallies these days but Schatz and I did see a DORF at Jork Viking Market, parked right near the entrance.An original DORF!

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-64964779239701121762008-06-06T22:45:00.027+02:002008-12-11T11:31:49.300+01:00

Normally, Early Medieval fight shows follow one of several patterns:King A attacks the lands of King B. They trade insults, maybe have a fight of champions, then bash each others' heads in. Works well with large numbers of warriors (150+), especially when line fights are included such as during the Danish Moesgard market during the last weekend of July.Thorstein the Wild enters a village with his

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-36683663302156931392008-05-26T21:09:00.008+02:002008-12-11T11:31:49.539+01:00

Last Saturday, Schatz and I went to visit the Viking Market in Jork.No, not York in the UK but Jork. In Northern Germany, just opposite Hamburg on the other bank of the river Elbe.The market didn't look that big and I don't think they actually had the 250 re-enactors their poster advertised but it was relaxed, spacious to cope with the visitors, and the weather was excellent - in contrast with

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-16790669166543418562008-05-25T23:07:00.012+02:002008-12-11T11:31:49.833+01:00

Catalina Soleado is a teenager who can change the world with a flick of her wrist. Or rather, the ink from her pen, but that she doesn't know when she starts her apprenticeship with an old mapmaker in Gaudi's mythical Barcelona. One day, a flying ship brings shadows wearing harlequin masks into the singing city. Her friend El Cuento, the wind that breezes through the alleys and collects stories

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-58869531705763131172008-05-25T21:16:00.005+02:002008-05-25T22:35:13.177+02:00

I have just realized that I am starting to organize things a bit like I did on my very first - and only - homepage. Only that one I modeled after a Federation Starship, with its various sections from Sickbay to the Holodeck, and from the Bridge to Ten Forward.I guess the books would have been in the Ship's Computer, to be accessed through one's own PADD or by direct language communication with

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-90862008018860528922008-05-25T20:52:00.004+02:002008-05-25T21:37:24.832+02:00

Admittedly, Xyllomer is odder than Ithrottir but both reflect significant parts of my life.Ithrottir is the quarterly Viking Age magazine which Kees, Torsten, Rona and I publish. It is written for, and by, Early Medieval re-enactors, providing background information, news on archaeological finds and digs, an extensive agenda of Early Medieval markets and exhibitions, reports on shows and markets,

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-12631699056898064652008-05-25T18:54:00.003+02:002008-05-25T19:08:12.780+02:00

Organising this blog already seems much like organising mylife - an ongoing process based on curiosity, always trying to see what else is possible.The Odd Links... are pointing toward what keeps me still crazy after all these years, which makes me odd in some people's eyes.The Even Links... are pointing toward websites of a more general nature, of interest possibly also for the more even-natured

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-87561316887949204302008-05-25T17:47:00.003+02:002008-05-25T21:38:26.764+02:00

or rather: why of all people should I write a blog too? Do I have anything pertinent to say?Not really. But it might be a great way to let friends and family share in my life instead of trying to bring everyone up-to-date via phone calls or emails. Something I never manage anyway, at least not on a regular basis.Anyway, once again, it is really Kees' fault. He got me onto the internet when only

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6501089576232329232.post-30679990224507701372008-05-24T20:03:00.001+02:002008-05-24T21:22:30.098+02:00

Kees in one of his last postings quoted some scientists on that blogging is good for the soul. So maybe I should try it, too...... tomorrow!

Renatehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11927949880547885366noreply@blogger.com1