Familienzuwachs/ Addition to the family

Gestern haben wir es wahr gemacht: wir haben ein Auto gemietet und sind nach Marbella gefahren, um uns im Tierheim Triple A eine Katze auszusuchen. Ich hatte schon telefonischen Kontakt mit einer sehr netten Mitarbeiterin, der ich erzählte, was wir uns vorgestellt haben. Sie begrüßte uns gleich damit, dass sie sich schon Gedanken gemacht hatte, wer von den über 250 Insassen, denn zu uns passen würde...
Es war dann ziemlich schnell entschieden...

Yesterday we finally did it: we hired a car to drive to Marbella and get a cat from the animal shelter Triple A. I had already talked to a very nice cat lady and told her, what we were looking for. So when we came, she had already thought about, which of the over 250 inmates would be the right choice for us. 

...indem sich dieser Kater Walter ausgesucht hat.  Er ist schon älter - ca. 5 Jahre - und wurde zusammen mit seiner Schwester abgegeben. Als Ex- Wohnungskatzen kamen sie mit der Hektik der vielen anderen nicht gut klar. Vor allem die Schwester - die dreifarbige im Hintergrund - ist sehr schüchtern und brauchte ihren Bruder.

The decision was quite easy, because this tom-cat chose Walter. He is already about five years old and was given away together with his sister. Since they are used to a home,  they they didn´t get on very well with the hectic of all the others. especially the sister - the tricolored in the background - is very timid and needed her brother.

So haben wir nun also zwei Katzen: wir haben sie Moritz und Leoni getauft.
Moritz weicht uns nicht von der Seite; er ist froh, dass er jetzt Menschen, die ihn streicheln, ganz für sich alleine hat. Und Leonie versteckte sich zuerst im Schrank, ist jetzt aber auch schon entspannter und genießt die Ruhe.
So thats why we now have two cats: we named them Moritz and Leoni.
Moritz always wants to be with us, he is so glad he has those humans, that cuddle him, now all to himself. And Leoni first hid in the wardrobe but is now already much more relaxed and enjoys the tranquility.

The Nine Magi / Die heiligen neun Könige

Yesterday we came back from Portugal. Eva brought us to the bus station of Badajoz, where we got a bus to Sevilla. It travels on a "long and winding road", stopping in a lot of villages on the way. Unhindered we passed Almendral (some people getting on), Barcarrota, Valle de Matamoros (people getting off), Jerez de los Caballeros, Fregenal de la Sierra (5 minute cigarette stop) until Bodonal de la Sierra, where there was a road block.
At first we didn´t know, what had happened, then we realized, the town is closed for the procession of the three magi. The driver backed and tried to go through another street, had to reverse, hit a street sign and finally gave up. Some passengers, who wanted to get off, said, it doesn't matter and they could walk, but he replied, that of course, that was not the point. He would have to pass the bus station in the village center to see if someone was waiting there.
So we were stuck behind the chariots of the three kings. The bus driver got off and came back with a handful of candies, that he distributed between his passengers.

It was funny to see -and hear - how all those adults were excited like children!
Then the driver said, we also might get off, while we had to wait ... so I did:

Finally the calbalgata had passed the village center (there was nobody at the bus station) and we could continue our voyage...
... until the next village, Segura de León. Here the procession was nearly over and our bus acted as the last wagon, with the bus driver throwing candies!
After that we managed to travel unobstructed through the villages of Arroyomolinos and Cala.
In Sta. Olalla del Cala there was even police to control the traffic. After a short trip to pass the bus station we managed to make a detour and exited the village by another road.
Somehow we did not need to go through Santiponce and Camas and so arrived in Sevilla half an hour late.
Just as well, because the bus to Antequera did not leave until 11 pm. and - of course - the cafetería and newspaper shop in the bus station were closed due to holiday.
We finally arrived home at 1.40 am and we in bed ten minutes later.
An appropriate end to an exciting holiday.

Books, books, books...

Here I am not only gifted with a marvellous nature, but also have a heap of books at my disposal - and since I sorted them when I was here last time, I even know what is there!

There are two shelves going around the staircase. This picture doesn't really show the amount; the lower rows are stacked from both sides and there is another bookshelf in the other corner of the room.
I have just looked in my book collector programme at what I read here, and decided the New Year is a good time for a review of last year's books. I have hardly read anything at home, but a lot on my animal-sits.

• Paul Theroux: The Pillars of Hercules ***A journalist travels around the Mediterranean
• Chris Stewart: Driving Over Lemons - An optimist in Andalucía **** Ex-Genesis drummer buys a farm in the Alpujarras  - a patch of mountain studded with olive, almond and lemon groves, sited on the wrong side of a river, with no access road, water supply or electricity. 
• Karel Capek: War with the Newts *****!!! Satirical science-fiction written in 1936, how a race of intelligent newts dominate the world
• Alan Bennett: The Uncommon Reader **** The Queen discovers the joys of reading
• Michael Allin: Zarafa: A Giraffe's True Story ***** In 1826 the viceroy of Egypt presents a giraffe as present to the French king Charles X. It is shipped down the Nile, across the mediterranean and then lead walking from Marseille to Paris
• Matthew Flinders: A biographical tribute to the memory of Trim **** The story of a brave, seafaring cat who, in the company of Matthew Flinders, circumnavigated the globe in the years 1799-1804
• Daniel Glattauer: Gut gegen Nordwind ***** intelligente Liebesgeschichte in schönen Worten
• David Safier: Mieses Karma ** leichte, dämliche Unterhaltung
• Daniel Glattauer: Alle Sieben Wellen ***** Ach, wie schade: sie werden sich nicht mehr schreiben, weil sie jetzt reden können...
• Mary H. Kingsley: Travels in West Africa ***** The adventures of a Victorian lady, who travelled in West Africa in 1893 and describes it in wry English humor
• Carlos Ruiz Zafón: Der Schatten des Windes ***** read again
• Jonas Jonasson: Der Hundertjährige, der aus dem Fenster stieg und verschwand *****  irrwitzige Lebensgeschichte eines eigensinnigen Mannes, der sich zwar nicht für Politik interessiert, aber trotzdem irgendwie immer in die großen historischen Ereignisse des 20. Jahrhunderts verwickelt war
• Tony Hawks: Round Ireland With a Fridge *** Nice to read, but since he was covered by a radio series, that reported his travels daily, it wasn't really hitchiking any more.
• Daniel Brühl: Ein Tag in Barcelona **** Man erfährt über Daniel Brühl mindestens genauso viel wie über Barcelona. Beide sympathisch. Gut geschrieben von einem Spanien-Korrespondent der SZ
• Boris Meyn: Totenwall ***** Seine historischen Hamburg-Krimis sind immer faszinierend, diesmal Immobilienspekulation um 1910
• Eric Newby: The Last Grain Race ***** Sailed around the world in 1938 on 4-mast barque Moshulu, via Cape of Good Hope to Australia, via Cape Hoorn back.
• Edmund De Waal: The Hare With Amber Eyes ***** he traces a heritage of 264 netsuke through his family.

Happy New Year 2013

With those Chinese bats of good luck I wish you all a happy New Year 2013 - may all your wishes come true - and may you only wish for those wishes that are worth to come true! ;-)