You may have realised by now that I tend to be a bit digitally challenged and that I have had difficulty trying to figure out how to work the time-delay on my camera so that both Jochen and I on occasion appear on the same photo. Well, that wonderful, techno-freak husband of mine explained it to me via skype yesterday. The embarrassing thing about that is that he did not even have the camera in front of him!!!
I put it to the test and yes, folks, it works. I now cannot imagine why I found it so difficult to start with as it is really so easy. Sigh....
This is one of the few fields that I have found where I feel comfortable allowing Jochen off-lead and throwing his kong for him. This is a small hunting hut in the middle of the forest.
Talking of hunting, my eyes cross over every time I see a hunter walking though the village or past the window with their hunting rifle slung over their shoulder. In Australia there would already be at least three police cars screaming up to the hunter and police asking some very awkward questions.
On the way back to the village last Friday on that marathon walk, a large part was on fairly hard surface internal roads and I ended up with a nasty shin splint on my left shin. Not happy Jane. I rarely injure myself and this came as a bit of a shock. I nursed the injury and seemed to be doing well as during the weekend training I did not have to walk all that far.
This morning it seemed fine but did not dare go up to Feldis as I had first intended. So I went to our favourite field and hunting hut. The way up was fine but the return being down hill was a killer.
The next few days are going to be very rainy so that means I will perforce be limited. Hopefully by the weekend it will have mended sufficiently for us to go to Feldis again.
I am convinced that the best news never reach our distant shores and so I have to share this piece of useless information from Europe with you guys.
On a German magazine-style TV program this evening was this scintillating news on how some Germans amuse themselves.
They have a developed a system of betting on when and where a cow will poop!!! YES, it is too true. It attracts a large crowd and the top payout is €500.00. They very carefully, and by the looks of it very precisely (of course, we are taking about my fellow countrymen, so it would be precise), divide up a sports field into equal squares, rather like a very large domino board. The squares are numbered (all in chalk) and bets are laid on when and which square a bemused cow is brought in to POOP!!!!
It is TRUE! I saw it. The first cow was just not in the mood to poop for anyone no matter how much money had been bet on her being able to perform this very natural (but perhaps private?) act. Maybe she was shy? Whatever. This lady bovine was NOT going to poop for anyone. After 15 minutes of no action, that was the end of the first round and whoever had bet had lost their dough, or so I understood. I was so dumb struck that some of the finer points escaped me. I am sure my mouth hung wide open in utter disbelief. Talk about gob-smacked.
The second cow was brought in and she virtually galloped onto the course, tail high, tossing her head, I think she even snorted, and waving her tail (or whatever it is that cows do with their tails), she suddenly stopped, and with a very thoughtful expression on her face (people held their breath - I kid you not), she POOPED! She did. She POOPED. A big, dark green splat of a cow poop. It was duly filmed so that we could see the full glory of this cow poop. This cow was clearly not shy.
Oh joy unbounded! What success! Cheers, clapping, whistling, victory salutes... the frigging cow POOPED in a square!!!! Imagine the wonder of it. And.....some lucky person won some money. It took me a while to recover from the excitement of it all. Be still my beating heart.
And Australians thought they bet on anything. HA! You guys have a long way to go.