Posts Tagged house
Sunday Column (208)
Posted by Volker in Sunday Column on March 3, 2013
What an eventful week. We still trying to get our little “terrors” to give us enough sleep. We utterly failed Sunday night but Monday night was one of the best sleeps in ages. Could be due to me having a successful fast day again. I am still trying to not eat on Mondays but the past two weeks I was busy with things. Never mind.
Sleep. Eating. Exercise. I managed a few running sessions by taping my shins so that the pain is relieved. It worked quite well. Eating wise I am still, for many years, trying to find the right mix and balance. The summer is easier as fresh salad is nicer and more widely available. With varying home times and evening events, I don’t seem to get a routine. Lunches are usually healthy yet media lunches are still on every now and then. Guess that and my love for wine doesn’t help. Overall I drink a lot less than I used to but due to my size I easily overindulge without noticing. Change4life, the government awareness scheme, points out nicely that it is not about being drunk but the sheer volume of booze you put through your systems or attack your organs with. At least my fruit salad regime in the morning seems to work well 
The house. You know when buying a house that you have to do some work. You don’t expect the heating to stop 5 months after having it “redone”, at the same time to replace the fridge and hoover? Luckily we don’t need a new boiler but a leaking pipe and low pressure in the system called for another plumber’s job. Despite the kitchen tap and some other small things that need done, we cannot complain. Just always happens at the same time. Never mind. I guess that is what savings are for but they only last a while 
I made another trip to Africa…at least on TV. This time for a documentary on the legendary race from Paris to Dakar. As a young boy I dreamt of crossing the Sahara or Russia with a motor bike. It never came to fruition and now my wife opposes me getting a motor bike. Might get a mountain bike though. Anyway, the competitors said that once you go to Africa it gets under your skin. You cannot forget it or ignore it. I wonder if that is about the birth place mankind will always feel connected to? I don’t know, but the rally sparked my intend again to get the Land Rover, mountain bike and get out there to adventure the world. Soon followed by my two boys. Camping, hiking, biking, outdoors. I want to feel alive because I am.
Regarding feeling alive, I watched a BBC Four documentary about a person that survived the Holocaust and his children researched his last step after his death. I will probably write more about that, but if you haven’t seen it, check it out. Six Million and One on BBC iPlayer. It had me in tears several times, maybe not so much because of the Holocaust but because of the way they interacted with it and the love they shared amongst the siblings. Definitely one to watch.
I am planning to write another extensive Germany post. I haven’t written one for a while. I think I found closure in my love-hate relationship with Germany at my last trip. This is very nice. I also got a reply from a friend who I sent a card a while back to find closure. It is nice to see that things are working.
Work was quite busy this week. I enjoy it being like that, and find that working from home is more productive as you get less interruption. So maybe Ms. Mayer Yahoo! needs to rethink her statements. My new commitment for a club looks promising also. I will join another one in 2 weeks to make a final decision, but I am convinced I found what I was looking for. It is an extra time commitment but also a very rewarding work. Final decision in 2 weeks, so watch this space.
My wife had her birthday this week, so we managed a few take aways and she went out with the girls. I spend Saturday morning running errands with Colin and going swimming. Proper me-Colin time. I enjoyed it a lot. At the weekend we had some good friends over for the famous Ballueder cheese fondue. What a great time.
Time overall seems to fly. February went with the blink of an eye and before we know it, it will be Easter. Then my birthday, half term, summer. Time. One of the few things we never get back, one of the few things we really need to use. Carpe Diem.
I seem to write about that each week how I keep getting this urge to get things done. At work. At home. At extra curricular activities. When I am old and grey I want to look back to a life and say “I made something out of it”, I managed to help people achieve things and along the way I had a good life. And two boys that by then will have their own kids.
Wouldn’t that be the ultimate fulfillment?
Have a great week,
Volker
Sunday Column (187)
Posted by Volker in Sunday Column on September 30, 2012
This week started alright I thought. Slightly hung over from Saturday I didn’t feel well on Sunday. But it was Sunday to Monday night that I found out that it wasn’t the booze but some evil virus that made me feel sh@t. A stomach bug.
Two days off sick. Or, as it happens these days, home office from your bedroom in between sleeps and toilet visits. My boss had the cheek to say “you look good being sick”. I didn’t feel it
On Wednesday I went back to work. Not only did I feel better but I also didn’t have a choice. We got a new water tank and thermostatic valves fitted. No water, no toilet flushing 
But as I said I was much better anyway. By time of writing my oldest seem to recover and we wait for the wife to be sick. The youngest had some symptoms already, maybe that was it already? Maybe it wasn’t. A bit of a gamble.
Unfortunately, I had to cancel my trip to Madrid. I haven’t seen my staff there for a while and had some good meetings lined up. Also I wanted to meet our new staff. Never mind, you cannot force things. And looking at times of visits to the bathroom, I am glad I wasn’t sitting in an airplane taking off at the time. I shall meet them all again soon.
Enough about the bug. I am glad we got another thing off our todo list for the house. We are getting the standard we want slowly but surely. We still need to get an outside vent fitted (soon), the garden sorted (October) and the downstairs loo (soon-ish) replaced. And decorating which hopefully will be done with grandpa early November. We are getting there. I feel very homely and comfortable. Definitely the right move.
At the weekend we sat down with neighbours which are in our age group who have two little girls. Not only are we on the same wave length, we also have similar life styles and problems: what to decorate, what next to do in the house, when to see the kids when working late all week…. It is a great life we have but on the other hand we are working very hard to have it.
Now I have a problem with our local dry cleaner. They replaced one shirt already. Now they couldn’t remove another stain from a shirt and I am convinced they put new stains in my shirts. I have to make the decision now to find a new dry cleaner or give them another chance. I think it will be the former.
Colin started to really like school too. I am glad he does. Also, he now plays by himself with his train set in his room. This is such a great development. Scary to see them growing up so quickly. Rohan is a chirpy one, repeating lots of words and wanting lots of cuddles. Nice
I am very balanced at the moment. I think the change of weather, real autumn storms and rain, plus the sickness, make you a bit reflective. Balanced, not stressed. Harmonised, not hectic. Hope that makes sense. Whenever you are sick, at least for me that’s true, you start going inside yourself. I ask myself why am I sick? Why now? Why me? What does my body or spirit need? And I find out more about myself. I grow stronger out of it. I calm down for a bit, I strengthen up, I come back stronger!
Let’s all have a great week. No travel for me, but probably travel each week from the following week.
Have a good one.
Volker
Room with a view
Not the greatest picture but this is the view from the rear windows. It’s green, peaceful and quiet.
Sunday Column (159)
Posted by Volker in Sunday Column on March 18, 2012
This week passed very very quickly. Not only were the kiddies ill last weekend, I also had some stomach issues from Tuesday which made my travel to Milan rather unpleasant. But I spare you any details
However, the most amazing and thoughtful moment came when flying over the Swiss Alps. Once flying into Milan, once when flying back out of Milan in the sunset. I always seem to get a bit sentimental. You look down on those huge mountains and realise how small you are as a person. How unimportant you are in the overall “earth eco system”. The view is a treat. It is terrific to see the sunset over the alps, the mountains covered in snow. Potentially areas where no one has ever set a foot before.
And whilst I sit on the plane, thinking how small I am in relation to the mountains and the world, beating myself up for only being human, I think of my family. The huge responsibility I have for my kids. I am the “go to person” for them. The entertainer, the trainer, the coach, the person for comfort. They look up to me. In their little ecosystem I am number two (after my wife) to teach them how to live their life. And I feel big, overwhelmed from so much responsibility that the responsibility I carry at my job seems small.
Perspective is the right word I guess. The angle you look at things will change your perspective. Whether a glass is half full or half empty. Whether the weight you carry is too much or just right. Whether the job you are doing is great or just normal. Whether the house you are buying is the right one or a bottomless pit.
I am not telling you anything new. I am just reflecting on the little things in life I often don’t realise until I think about them. When flying I try to work little and use the time to relax, brainstorm, sleep and make notes about my life. It is “me time”. Time solely to myself, no internet, no disturbance. That is true for flights without turbulence of course
When I looked through my notebook on this particular flight I found that the “dream house” I drew on a flight back in March 2011 is very similar to the place we hopefully end up buying. It is just missing the basement. Is that the law of attraction (LOA)? I think so.
That is why I constantly dream the future. I dream hoping that the future I dream of will manifest. It is going to happen. I think that I am at a pivotal point of my life – privately as well as career wise.
Let’s get ready to fly!
Have a fantastic week. I hope you enjoyed mother’s day and the weekend with your family as much as I do/have done.
Best wishes,
Volker
Sunday Column (157)
Some weeks it seems like a chore to write this column but most nights I really enjoy just to relax, have a sip of wine and write down my thoughts.
A fantastically short week lies behind me. I was off on Monday and Tuesday to celebrate my wife’s birthday. Now all my 2011 holidays are used up
This week was another “non healthy” week: too much drink for which I blame my days off. But also the fraternity meeting on Thursday night. It was the first time in 3 years, 5 years after I recovered the “Wappen” of the Angelsachsen from the old local pub, that I joined a “Stammtisch”/meeting in London. And we had a lot of fun. It was just like meeting relatives/family that you haven’t seen for a while. A nice way to meet new faces, new comers to London and people with similar attitudes. Although I am not as much involved any more it is still fantastic to see that where ever you are, in which ever city you live, you find some people with the same roots. I would go as far and say that the bond is stronger than any other membership clubs I know about.
The main thing this week was time with the kids. Very simple. March will see me travelling quite a lot, so I enjoyed it even more to spend time with the kids in the aquarium in London on Tuesday, then the Hopfarm this weekend. They grow up so quickly and are so enjoyable despite all the hard work Sometimes I just cannot get enough when they both try to jump on me, trying to tackle me. At least for the time being I am still the winner. But for how long?
One of the next things I need to tackle are diet, drink and sleep as well as fitness. Have you heard that before? I guess every so often I get fed up of my life style. With me now working less in the UK market I should get a break from too many lunches and with increased travel should drink less. However, I am far from gaining a sleeping or fitness routine. Sleeping gets a lot better and we had a few nights now that Rohan slept through. But Colin is very unsettled and comes to stay in our bed often. Now will that all change with the new house?
The coming week will be critical for the house buy. There are some unresolved issues we need to tackle but we are confident to make progress and push for a completion date before end of April. I don’t think it will all happen before Easter, but it could. We keep you posted.
I met a few interesting people this week. You remember that you “meet people for a reason“? Last week was one of them. I met a few people I hadn’t spoken to for a while. Some new people who I knew through other people that made an impact on me a long time ago. It is weird that those things just happen. You are thinking of someone and “bang” they are there: in your face, in your life for a reason. Then they are gone and a connection to them or they themselves will one day resurface again.
I love life.
I love living.
Have a good week,
Volker
Sunday Column (1)
Posted by Volker in personal, Sunday Column on March 1, 2009
Hello Readers,
After a long weekend, or should I say I am still in it as I am off work tomorrow, I decided to write a Sunday Column. Just really a personal update, some thoughts and some ideas on life, work and anything I feel speaking/writing about.
Am I well? Yes, I think I am. Have been back to the gym, exaggerating it and feeling rather knackered for a week or so. Also, had two shows over the last 2 weeks which drained a lot of energy out of me. However, being off really helps and the blackberry is off and I haven’t checked my emails.
This weekend we went for a meal. I will write more in detail about it but I am still wondering about the horrendous prices for going out in the UK. With or without wine you hardly get away with less than £50, or if you really go for something fancy it easily adds up to £100 or more. So mark up prices in the UK are still the norm and sometimes I ask myself why to support it? Probably because I really fancy doing it and I (still) can. Once our little baby boy arrives we won’t be able to go out at all or not as often as we do now. Guess that is where the savings come from when you have a baby and pay for diapers/nappies.
My wife is nesting. She is painting the hall is not resting at all. Hansel, our ginger tom cat, got neutralised on Friday and today he got outside again. Lucky us! The cat litter started to smell already, wonder how we managed with two kittens for almost 5 months! Guess it starts all over again in June.
Living in London is a funny thing. After 5 years there are still things I need to get used to. Public transport is one, the other one is the permanent stress and buzz level. There are always people out there, always noise, always someone in your way. The tube is full, you are annoyed, had a stressful day and only want to get home. But too many people in my way.
Sure I pick up more things about London as we go along. Luckily we live outside London, 5 streets to be exact, and enjoy the quiet suburban live. I keep you updated as we go along, e.g. soon I want to start growing my own veggies and getting rid of the mould outside on the bottom of our outside kitchen wall. There are always things to do around the house.
What else is about London? Career – that really drove me “down” here in the first place. I could, if I wanted to, change my job tomorrow. Whilst it is not the aim of the game, but it allows for flexibility. Also, you can easily sell to people as all companies are down here too. E.g. you mix and match easier in a bigger, metropolitan city – that is true for business as well as private.
On that note maybe, in case you never been to London, don’t move here if you don’t have an accent Because everyone seems to have one here and me with my mixture of Scottish, American, allegedly Irish and of course German twang I really don’t stick out too much, do I?
So, maybe that should be all for my first Sunday column. Guess it summarises my thoughts in general a bit and I will make sure to speak about more stuff next week. After a nice massage this afternoon, I will now cook a nice Cajun Garlic Chicken for my wife, with Spinach, Potatoes and Mushrooms. Yummy.
Pictures of the house
Hello,
I promised it for quite some time – pictures of the house. After putting the blinds up, of course still waiting for the curtains, I feel right at home. So nice that is!
Here are a few impressions, you will see everything when you come for a nice BBQ or diner That is if you are invited of course!
1) Picture of the spare bedroom when we moved in.
spare bedroom when moving in
2) Picture of the spare bedroom now – still waiting for a futon.
spare bedroom after 4 weeks
3) Living room with blinds after a weekend of DIY (fixing blinds).
4) Living room with furniture - at least some of it.
living room / dining room
5) Drying the Laundry.
drying laundry
The latter reminds me of the Movie Pearl Harbour. Whilst we have Gatwick around the corner, we hope it stays calm like it is.
Ok, that is all for today.
Speak soon,
Volker
busy bee
Hello,
Apologies for being so quiet. Just been busy.
Work during the week and evening commitments but also, this weekend, saw our spare bedroom disappear into about 6 boxes, the windows cleaned and the garden furniture putting in place.
Countdown to moving is 14 days, even less now. Wow. Things speed up once of a sudden.
So been a busy bee. Trying to find some nice wine online, bought half of Majestics on Saturday to get a nice variety of Chilean, Spanish, Portuguese and some Argentinian wines in. Ach well, love my vino.
Saturday also saw me stocking up on my most favourite coffee beans. Brazilian, Columbian and Puerto Rican Coffee…..
Have a great weekend.
Volker
another week – personal recap
Hello,
7 am on a Saturday morning and Ballueder just can’t sleep. I came home last night and instead of going to the gym I had a nice pizza, too much wine and was knocked out on the couch not later than 10 pm I think. Made it to bed around 11 and woke up at 7.
What has happened in my personal life the last few weeks/months? As you know I started my new job in December, just realising that it has been 4 months. The first job I truly enjoy. It not only challenges me, but I also take on responsibilities and work in my most favourite industry.
Then, Jen gave up her job and now started her new one back in London. She loves it so far too and we even go to work together in the mornings. And, she had her first real “Friday night”, e.g. she never was off at weekends before on a regular basis. Welcome to the real world. So that is all good.
What else? I sold my bench, my cooker and about to sell my computer desk. Things must go before we move. We move? Yes, we put in an offer for a house and I hope my current landlady does not read that. Looks like the paperwork should be coming through shortly and we should be able to close the chain this coming week with survey and solicitor work going ahead. We also looked for furniture and discovered that we both have similar taste. Och well, at least I do not mind my wife’s expensive furniture taste ,-) We shall see where we have to compromise. Just mentioning the word IKEA drives her mad. Sorry honey ,-) So moving date will be sometime June/July we hope.
Personal life: as far as there is one. I went back to the gym. Weights during lunch and cardio at the weekend. Is it going well – to be honest not really! I just have too much on and feel too tired. Then again I cannot sleep. I will need to work more on meditation and spiritual practises in order to gain more energy and start using my little spare time more efficiently. E.g. I still need to catch up on a few books I want to integrate in my essay and work with O and M on some ideas for my essay too. Who knows what is going to happen.
Friends – they are there and we had a great Easter. Jenny made a fab roast and I was very impressed. We will be at a wedding in 2 weeks time to catch up with friends from all over the country, so that will be great just to see everyone and go shopping in Glasgow. The latter one is worthwhile the trip, and of course the wedding!
Homepage: yes, we got a new one. www.ballueder.co.uk is now officially registered and does replace ballueder.de
That is about all.
Plans for the weekend: sleeping if I can. Gym of course. Ironing. Fondue and a great CabSav (£25), paperwork for the house.
Welcome to my world!
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