The View from the Towers 塔からの眺め A web log by Nigel Ruddock of life in Germany as an expat, with excursions to Japan and the UK.

Tag: blackcat

  • 🛠️ Handwerk “Craftsmanship” 職人技

    🛠️ Handwerk “Craftsmanship” 職人技

    9th August 2026年8月9日

    🔧 In my post on the 28th June I wrote about the awful experience of being stranded on the A5 motorway just north of Mannheim on one of the hottest days of the year. The engine of my car had literally blown apart.

    It’s not often you get to see close up what actually happened, but I did, and it looked like this:

    Close-up view of a damaged engine component showing a cracked and corroded surface with visible oil residue.
    先月、高速道路で車が故障してしまいました……。
    これがそのエンジンです。

    🔧 The rather battered shiny thing in the middle of the photo is one of the pistons. You would think that that was it for the car. Oh no, said the mechanic. You have one of the big three: BMW, Mercedes and Audi. He didn’t want to scrap it, even though it was 20 years old. He suggested replacing the engine with another one – fallen off the back of a lorry – as the saying goes. So he gleefully hauled out the motor and showed me what had happened. When I looked at the damage I understood why there had been such a dreadful cracking up noise under the bonnet.

    🔧 Now, in case you don’t take car engines apart every other day, you may like to know that a piston is connected to the crankshaft by a rod……here it is…not a pretty sight….

    Close-up of a metallic engine component, specifically a connecting rod mounted on a dark engine block with visible bolts and oil residue.
    これは良くないですね!
    Cutaway illustration of a combustion engine showing labeled components including combustion chamber, piston, connecting rod, bottom end, bracing web, and bearing cap.

    That’s a picture of a diesel motor.

    🔧 Now you find odd things in Offenbach. And one of these is Autohaus Michel Weber. No ordinary car workshop this. Whilst I was there I was shown around by the boss. He told me about his two wolves and his donkey, which he kept in a field at home. Yes. And perhaps I would fancy a Silver Spirit instead of the Audi? – a mere 30 years old…..It had right-hand drive, and whilst in Germany had been driven into a wall by mistake…….. by a Jehovah’s Witness. Heaven knows what the driver was witnessing at the time.

    Close-up of the rear badge of a silver car, displaying the text 'SILVER SPIRIT II'.
    ロールス・ロイスを買うべきだと思いますか？

    OK, let’s take the Roller. But what will the neighbours in Langen say….?

    Close-up of a Rolls Royce emblem on a maroon car surface.

    And where would I park it …..?

    Close-up view of a Rolls-Royce car's front with a detailed grille and hood ornament. In the background, there is a bust of a composer and a floral arrangement.
    でも、近所の人たちは何と言うだろうか。それに、どこに停めればいいんだろう？

    ……..somebody would be bound to nick the silver spirit……

    Close-up of a Rolls-Royce hood ornament, featuring the iconic Spirit of Ecstasy figurine, on the front of a luxury vehicle in a showroom.

    …or strip the walnut veneer……

    Close-up view of a car door panel featuring decorative wood trim with a polished finish and soft leather texture.

    Better not. Perhaps a mini would be more suitable? But sooner or later, the days of fossil fuel-driven cars has to come to an end….

    A close-up view of a classic Mini car with its hood open, showcasing the engine and interior details.
    もしかすると、ミニの方が適しているかもしれませんね。日本🎌でもよく見かけますし！

    🔧 After showing me his yellow E type Jaguar (which boasted 12 cylinders), his Mini and his Roller, The boss invited me to admire the Bechstein. The Bechstein? Yes. With Beethoven frowning down at me I reached for the keys…🎹…only to discover that the instrument was well beyond repair……pity really, I could image a genteel piano trio performing amongst the vintage British cars…..with the audience (personally selected by me of course) clinking cool glasses of Spät Burgunder…….🥂

    A black grand piano with sheet music and an antique saxophone on top, accompanied by a bust of Beethoven and a flowering plant in the background.
    残念ながら、そのピアノは全く弾ける状態ではありません。

    🔧 Not to be. I wonder why he even had a piano stool. A black one of course. It was then that I thought of all the pianists who had played on my Kawai, They were all too polite to complain about the seat. Well, surely a violin workshop can legitimately aquire a piano stool? Go for it Nigel, and whilst you’re there, get a white one…..

    I have to state that this is not from Ikea…even though I had to assemble it….

    An unassembled product with a black top part, white sides, two brown cardboard boxes, a small tool, and plastic wrapping on a wooden surface.
    Close-up of a black metallic bracket with a nut and bolt, showing a wrench being used for tightening against a white frame.
    An assembly view of a desk, with a white tabletop, a black drawer section, packaging materials, and an instruction manual showing assembly steps.
    An unassembled furniture piece with a white frame and a black base, surrounded by packaging materials and assembly instructions on a wooden floor.
    きちんとしたピアノ用椅子を買うことにしました。

    あとは黒猫が必要だ。

    ….but unlike Schmusi, who sometimes has to listen to my ‘cello playing in Sprendlingen, my cat 🐈‍⬛ would have to be black wouldn’t it 😅?

    A white cat with gray patches sits on a black piano, surrounded by a cozy room with various decorative items.

    🔧 Older than the pianos, and older than the cars, the main tower on my house, built in 1904, still stands. Of course it is not built with the dowels that would allow a Japanese temple to move with an earthquake, but there again, earthquakes are not a big issue here.

    I’m actually looking for somewhere to put the exterior part of a split system air conditioning unit. You know, that box with the fan inside it. The timbers are massive – true German Handwerk .

    View of a wooden interior with beams and a partially closed shutter, allowing light to filter through a small opening.
    ドイツの伝統的な職人技 ― 私の塔

    The hard, brutal summer sun grills the street down below, but up here a breeze wafts through the wooden slats…..

    The woodwork is robust and practical, now studded with the evidence of the 20thc……..

    An old, rusted metal hook hanging on a wooden beam, with a white plastic pipe mounted below it. The background features dark wood and boxes.

    They even left the pulley and rope socket behind, stained with grey graphite for smooth functioning…..

    Close-up view of weathered wooden beams and structural elements with visible textures and imperfections.

    🔧 Handwerk. I now remember taking this photo last year in Kamakura. This is the start of a new house…..such clean wooden joints…….

    Top view of wooden beams positioned over a concrete base with marked lines and measurements for construction.
    鎌倉で見た新しい家のことを考えました。

    And when Japanese woodwork takes off, well……..can you make out the claws of the dragon? This is on the side of a temple in Kita Kamakura….

    Intricate wood carving featuring swirling patterns and detailed shapes.
    そして神殿の彫刻

    Back to Langen. A view at the Towers, not from the Towers…..

    A street view featuring a tree and several buildings, including a pink multi-story building with unique architectural features and a neighboring property. The sky is clear with a hint of clouds.

    From up there I can see other towers. To the south, the Hochzeitsturm in Darmstadt. And looking north, the Main Tower in Frankfurt……..

    A view of tall, modern buildings against a clear blue sky, framed by green trees in a city street.

    🔧 But I deal principally in small-scale Handwerk. The sort that doesn’t need fossil fuels to run on, or big nails to hold it together. The sort that you can only play with blood, sweat and tears, and which you can hang up in the window…..🎵

    A view from inside a room looking out of a window, revealing a bright blue sky with clouds. A violin is positioned above the window, and bookshelves are visible in the background.
    私の「職人仕事」……

    As always, thank you for your interest, and if you know anyone who might be interested in this blog then do forward it on.

    Wie immer vielen Dank für euer Interesse. Wenn ihr jemanden kennt, der an diesem Blog interessiert sein könnte, schickt ihn gerne weiter.

    読んでくれてありがとう

    See you…….. matane!

    Nigel 

    nigelwruddock@gmail.com.

    THE END 🙋🏼‍♂️

    終わり

    Hmmmm…..maybe I should have taken that Roller…..

    Front view of a vintage Rolls-Royce car with a shiny grille and distinctive hood ornament, parked in an indoor setting with decorative items in the background.
    うーん……やっぱり、あのロールス・ロイスを買っておくべきだったかな。

    *