November 26th 2025年11月26日
It was a day when it would have been probably better to stay under the duvet.
👉 It was cold enough….
👉 But I had a violinist coming first thing. I had given her instrument the full make-over, so was interested to hear how she would react. Of course after two or three notes I could tell she was not happy with something. It was the strings. Not her taste. Ok, so I changed all the strings. Result? A happy smile. Good. Now it was time to pay. This is usually dealt with pretty quickly, thanks to my card terminal…..
👉 However when I activated it, for some insane reason it wanted me to log in and identify myself….bla bla bla…What, whilst a customer is waiting? Oh, give us a break. “I’ll give you the bill and you can do a bank transfer ” I said. I reached for the printer. Great. Today of all days it decided to run out of toner. …….☹️
My customer saved the day by transferring the money immediately on her mobile. Phew!
Ah, at last, now I can go for that morning walk. I glanced out of the window to check the weather….What the.…⁉️…the nearby tower block was emitting black smoke…..
You feel very alone at moments like this. Are you the only person to have noticed this? All was quiet. Quick! call the fire brigade!…..but where is my mobile 🤳???? whilst frantically searching, the reliable, solid landline caught my eye ☎️.
I was on to the fire department in seconds. The man at the other end didn’t ask me anything. He just said: “Weserstr. Wohnblock on fire, yes….is there anyone on the roof?….” (luckily not). Seconds later I heard the sirens. Phew 😮💨.
That’s quite enough for one morning I thought. Ignoring everything else I pulled on a winter jacket and walked out into the freezing, but glorious sunshine.
Winter has hit Europe. My Italian correspondent, Ciara, is driving to Rome to sing in a massed gathering for St. Cecilia’s day….
And whilst sunlight filters through the trees in Tochigi…Komorebi { 木漏れ日 }…….the next day in Hessen is far from bright….
But wait. All is not lost. Blue skies are possible, and the pigeons in Darmstadt know where to enjoy it – under the gaze of Ludwig I, Grossherzog von Hessen und bei Rhein….
When he came down from his pillar he looked like this…
He was quite an open-minded fellow, and supported the arts. The opening up of Japan was a bit after his time, but I think he would have appreciated Japanese culture….
Even if it was only a Nomi no ichi – a flea market….
Yes, I’m back in my old haunt – the Japanese Cultural Centre in Frankfurt….🎏
It’s a nice opportunityto chat.
“Who did you fly with on your last trip to Japan?” 🛬 Finnair? Lufthansa? JAL?
How many yen did you get for your Euros 💴( a lot!)
“so on return you also find Frankfurt dirty and loud? 💩
“so desu ne……🙄” ( *so it was, yes….)
👉 Jack. Not a name you often hear these days. But when I was little the adults would talk about someone called Jack Frost. He seemed to be a rather spiky, mischievous character who came in the early hours of the morning and disappeared as soon as the sun rose…..
He’s still around….
leaving a trail of spiky beauty……
Anyone for frozen toadstool, accompanied perhaps by a crispy Chardonnay?…….
What? You’re going hiking in this weather?
👉 I remembered the old adage……”There is no such thing a bad weather, there is only unsuitable clothing”
And anyway, I have a nice warm winter jacket and a woolly hat……and I knew that the walk Yorgos had planned for Sunday would include a warm meal at the end.
It’s wonderful 😊to be up in the Taunus hills, crunching through the frost but feeling warm inside…
The sheep looked quite comfortable…
“Guten Tag…”
However, not a day for a dip in the pool ……
no, no….
👉 In these hills you will always find a hut for walkers. There will be somewhere to sit down and the floor is dry…..
But hang on….. this doesn’t look too friendly…..
This is what physicists do on their days off. When they get tired of particle acceleration they go to see some tangible white particles – snow. To find them you have to go up to the Grosser Feldberg (the highest hill in the Taunus range)….I’m glad she didn’t get lost or eaten by a Grizzly bear…….🧸
👉 Well, that’s all from the Towers this week. As I write this my friends across the road have decided to dig another hole. They are good at that……..
Thank you for reading, and feel free to forward on to anyone who might be interested.
読んでくれてありがとう！。ご興味がある方にはお気軽に転送してください。
See you またね 🥶
nigelwruddock@gmail.com
The End
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終わり
The View from the Towers 塔からの眺め 