A Painting in Progress - HochWasser?

Hello Again Everybody,

I knew something wasn't quite the same as usual, when I looked out of the bedroom window this morning and saw a swan swimming alongside the road. Now the River level has been rising quite fast and the current was very strong yesterday, but the water has risen a great deal since then. Because yesterday (if the fancy had taken me and it hadn't been so cold and my healthkick resolve had been a bit more positive...) I could have walked along the path by the River and taken some photos of the water. But today, the path is all flooded.....

The little bridge (not the Railway one) on the top photo is part of the path and is where the Ellerer tributary the Eller Beck flows into the Mosel. This photo was taken back in the summer when there was very little water, at the moment the path itself is at least 6 inches underwater, probably more. You can see the green railings, but you can't walk to them. Perhaps with a pair of those fisherman's trousers (certainly wouldn't try it with wellies) - but I don't know any fishermen and wouldn't fancy all that wading anyhow, what with the strength of the current. The photo alongside it is the view from the CamperVan park - the actual course of the River is far off in the background.
The bottom two pictures are a 'Then and Now' of the direction sign on the path. When there was HochWasser (High Water) last year, you couldn't see the sign at all and the water was over the road - but last year we had early snow - this year it was only a few weeks back that the Rivers were really low.....


So, we'll see what happens - if, when I look out of the bedroom window tomorrow morning and see a swan swimming around in the garden, then We Are In Trouble. Don't forget your lifejacket Wilbur.......


Glug, glug,
Tschüss!

A Painting in Progress - Didn't we have a luverly time the day we went to...

Wasserbillig?
A dutiful day, there were storms all the way,
We could hardly see the ground you know....
But on the way back
The skies weren't so black
and we stopped for a Glühwein in Trier
Glad we were dressed in our Long-Johns and vests
As the rain poured down...


Don't the 'Old Tunes' just bring all the years together - I had wanted to bring a Musical Link at this point but you know as well as meself that you Can't Have Everything.... So here are  a few pictures of Trier Christmas Market instead.....

These photos were taken just a few minutes apart, so you can see that one half of the sky was blue and the other half ..... wasn't. The stalls are very picturesque and Trier, Germany's oldest City is well suited to it, with the Old Market Square and the lovely Cathedral. You can buy a mug of Glühwein (with the mug, if you like) a sausage, little wooden animals, Christmas ornaments, hats, jewellery, traditional cakes, have a ride on a carousel and even do a little bit of Shopping if H has Somewhere To Sit Down.


In the unlikely event that you didn't know, the aforementioned Wasserbillig is in Luxembourg, only an hour or so down the road and is the home of cheap (inexpensive) petrol, sparkling wine and coffee. H says that the cost of driving to Luxembourg to fill up with petrol evens out the cost of driving there in the first place - so basically we get a Free Day Out. Even if it is raining. And if you manage to drive into the town itself, there's a lovely Church.
We had a very good burger and coffee in the Burger King on the way back into Rheinland Pfalz - as it is sometimes nice to have something different from the Eternal Schnitzel. 


But all this rain is pushing up the River level - it's brown and muddy and flowing fast ....


So what with all the travelling, together with some design work, the Progress to my Painting has been slight, though I have definitely decided to make the celtic border a darker green with more of a golden outline. But I did do a sketch of Wilbur looking out of the window at the rain and the barges.

Soon,
Tschüss.

A Painting in Progress - Cochemer Weihnachtsmarkt

Hello Again Everybody,


As the Season of the Bah Humbug rapidly approaches (wot me? I love it) - I said to H that we should visit a Christmas Market. Now the nearest one to us, as far as I can gather, is up the road at Cochem. Now, Cochem Does Not Close - not even in the winter - we even saw a Hotel Ship today, cosy on the inside, cold on the outside. 
Anyhow, it was all dependent on us finding a Parking Space - but H was triumphant (he loses the Bigger Picture sometimes) and we paid our 20 cents for 30 minutes.

Now this photo hasn't been digitally remastered in any way whatsoever, so as to give you the Full Christmas Experience. 
We had two Reibekuchens (between us) and a mug of Glühwein each. Reibekuchens (I'm not sure about that middle 'e') are a bit like hash brown potatoes and were tasty enough - freshly cooked While You Waited. H had apple sauce with his, but I really didn't fancy that at all. The Glühwein was nice though - always is. 


Got a bit more painting - or thinking over my painting - done this evening. I've painted a lot more fur and Wilbur is almost finished and I've also done a lot of work on the landscape - but now I'm thinking that the Celtic Border needs to be a stronger colour.....

So, I did a bit of colour changing via my trusty computer - I didn't need anything refined, just a rough idea of how the painting will look with the colours a bit different... I'm thinking that a darker green circle with a gold outline onto a sagey green background (3rd picture across at the top) could work O.K. - but I'm going to think about it tonight..... It's important to keep the Green Theme as it's Ireland.

So, Soon,

Tschüss!

A Painting in Progress - St. Nicholas' Evening

Hello Again Everybody,


When I woke up this morning, the sun was shining into the garden and bouncing off the walls of the neighbouring houses. What a big difference a little bit of sun makes.....
I had an appointment this afternoon - a Cake and Coffee with the local ladies on the eve of St. Nicholas' Day - so I went for a good walk (preparation is everything) along the path by the River. The Eller Beck was a lot livelier of late, what with the Rain of Yesterday and was pouring a good bit of water into the Mosel.

I took this photo of the Calmont Slope with the River and the trees. I've always liked these trees, they remind me of a painting of Georgia O'Keeffe's cottonwood trees - spring or autumn, summer or winter, they always look picturesque.
The afternoon was very pleasant - coffee and One Piece Of Cake (kirsch krumble) since I see a diet before me. It's very interesting to be 'in-tune' with the Saint's Days - I think to meself 'What's all this about then?' then I look it up on the trusty ol' internet - and there you go - everything all seems to fit together.....
I enjoyed the singing and came home with a chocolate St. Nicholas - a present for H. of course, even though he only went 'Hummmppphhh' and it's not even Christmas yet. He says that these 'Women Only' events are a Good Idea, but I think that he feels a bit Left Out sometimes...
I had my camera at the ready, to take a photo of my St. Nicholas before he's eaten, but Bertie decided that he wanted to share the stage....

I was reading that St. Nicholas can appear with a white horse or a donkey - but here he is with an ancient (but very lively) black and white cat....


Bis Bald!
Tschüss.

A Painting in Progress - UXBs

Hello Everybody,


There was a bit of excitement today in the area as two WW2 unexploded bombs were made safe after years of being in the Rhine. Now if you were listening at the beginning of this week (and why not?) you would have read me going on about how low the water level is in the River Rhine at the moment - so low in fact, that a couple of bombs were discovered when they were made visible by the low water.
They were found at Koblenz, where the Moselle flows into the Rhine. It was the biggest bomb disposal operation for many years and over half of the population had to be evacuated. But everything worked out O.K.
Normally Koblenz is a busy place and at the confluence, where the rivers merge together (on a good day you can see the two different colours of the water) is a place called the Deutsches Eck - the German Corner. It's shaped like the prow of a ship and is a great place to stand and watch the boats and barges.

It has the flags of the German Länder flying along either side and a big equestrian statue of Wilhelm I behind them. When the rivers flood, all this is covered with water..... The opposite problem today though, even though it has rained.....

Still, all this was a good hour's drive from Ediger-Eller, so I kept an eye on the news and carried on painting.

Did some more detail on Wilbur's white fur. Still wondering about the background....


So, soon.


Tschüss

A Painting in Progress - And Some Rain

Hello Everybody,


Well the chicken stew has gone the same way as the broad beans, so next time we see a 'cheap chicken' in the supermarket we will walk on by - and next time I find some 'out of date' beans or lentils or whatever in the cupboard, I'll chuck 'em straight into the bin without even mentioning them to H. who will say....
'5 years out of date? You don't need to take any notice of THAT'


Anyhow, it rained today which was good news for the rivers - a good ol' Irish type of rain - not torrential, just continuous and soft except when you need to take the shopping out of the back of the car, when it buckets down.
But it meant that it was a good day for sitting inside doing a bit of work and a bit of painting - we had a spin to Treis-Karden - and bought some coal bricketts and some Cat Sticks on the way back. After we dried out, there were a few peaceful hours of painting - Wilbur kept me company for some of the time, watching the birds, the neighbouring cats and the odd barge.
This is the painting I was saying about before I was interrupted by the Chicken Stew....
It's Wilbur and his friend Frankie, back in Ireland - I did this painting just for me....

My new painting has the same thoughts behind it, but nobody else would know that except meself.
Wilbur's still part of it - and there's a mountain that's somewhere in Cork in the background......

I'm enjoying this painting - I'm thinking what colour to paint the background surround - something dark? something light? something contrasting? something to blend in?

I'm thinking on it.

So 'till next time.

Tschüss.

A Painting in Progress - A Chicken Stew

Hello Again Everybody,


Did a lot of painting today, but you'll have to take my word for it, as this evening is concerned primarily with Chicken Stew. There will probably no pictures unless it's one of the Noble Boys of the Feurwehr with a Feur Extinguisher and a Saucepan.
It all started when we discovered a Cheap Chicken Mine in one of the Cheap Supermarkets. 
'99 cents for a chicken....!!! Aha!!!!!'. H was elated.
'Grand Job Altogether' said meself.
Now, I'm also clearing out cupboards at the moment (you know how you do....) and I found some Butter Beans ( best before 9th January 2007 ) and some split peas ( NOT lentils - I made a mistake) - best before 25th July 2003. Now you know yourself, that these 'sell-by' dates can be given a little bit of leeway here and there.........
'Will they be O.K.?' asked meself as they festered away in a saucepan.
'No Problem' said The Chef.
'Are they supposed to look like that....?'
'Have another glass of wine' quoth He.


So I did - and in The End....
our Cheap Chicken Stew cost us......
Price of Cheap Chicken
Price of Dried Pulses and Stuff we bought Quite A While Ago (Investment For Our Future)
Price of 8 Hours electricity, cooking the aforementioned Dried Pulses and Stuff.
Half an hour's heating for having to open up the Front Door to let the smoke escape.
Worry about the plumber's fees for extracting Butter Beans from 'The Plumbing'.


We're having Omelette tonight. (With Ketchup)

Tschüss!!