Thursday was a holiday in Baden-Württemberg. We had planned to go hiking, not too far away since there would be sunny, but also rainy spells and lots of wind in the Stuttgart area, and even thunderstorms in Allgäu where we had meant to go before finding out about the weather. Before leaving, Anna called her cats Felix, Emily, and Justus so they'd be safely inside the house whilst we were off.
Felix and Emily came running soon enough, but Justus was not to be found. Anna looked for him in all the sheds and corners around our house, but couldn't hear a reply - well, it was difficult to hear anything anyway, since the wind was so heavy. After almost an hour of shouting, Anna heard a whining and meeow coming from high up in the shed. Justus had found shelter in the garage, and from there had moved on into the shed. It was locked, of course, and he was looking for a way out, too scared to remember his way in.
Anna asked for help, and we all came to hold the ladder whilst she climbed up and tried to save her sweet but scared tomcat. He was desperate, and she couldn't reach him. The poor darling climbed all along the shed to find a way out, but whereever we told him to try was too afraid to jump.
In the end, Felix went into the garage to guide him back. It took the more experienced and adventurous cat one hour, and then she was sitting where Justus had been, trying to squeeze through to get back down. No chance! And she's a lot smaller than Justus is.
We were afraid for both of them now. But only five minutes later Felix was back through the garage - without his friend.
What to do? In the end, our neighbour and owner of the shed came and allowed us to open the shed and look for Justus inside. There he was in the darkest corner, almost paralyzed by fright, looking at Anna for help. It was Alex who saved him by struggling onto the board where the tomcat hid, grabbing him by the neck, and holding him tight all the way down to safety, even when falling on his back and having to struggle to get up again. Justus was wriggling like mad, and hopped down as soon as he was outside the shed and back to freedom, whizzing into the garden and into the house in a second.
What an adventure for all of us!
No chance for a long hiking tour now, the action had taken most of the day. Still Volker, Anna and I felt like some walking (Alex preferred to stay at home and work on my laptop). So we went for a long walk through the woods to
Bärenschlössle where Anna invited us to a coffee and a cake, and from there on to
Schloss Solitude. Volker was happy at last, since there he had all the wind and space he wanted for his kite which he had carried along through the woods. Three hours of fresh air and brisk walking got us hungry again, so another break at Bärenschlössle to enjoy some tipical suebian meal and a beer. A nice day, after all.
Last weekend, I had missed the swedish midsummer festivities in Berlin. But this weekend, they had some more celebrations at the swedish embassy, with everything that you would expect at a swedish midsummer party: a pole, flower wreaths, dances, musics, the lot. And even more, it was a huge event, and everybody was invited.
Volker was in town with his collegues, and found some time in between meetings to spend with me. So much to do and see this weekend, but I had chosen just the right event for us to go to after meeting at CSD parade: "Kreuzberg jazzt!" at Bergmannstraßenfest, with Peter Subway and Souleymane Touré, the great percussionist and griot with his talking drums. Volker loved it! And so did I.
First time in years, I joined a raffle (if that is the word), and - ta-daaaa - I won! A voucher in the gym just round the corner. A week's sports and sauna for free. Yesss!
Since I first heard of the gay night at the zoo a few years ago, I was eager to go there. Last year they didn't do it, but this year they did, and I made it. Seàn and I had bought the tickets last Sunday to make sure we would have some, and met at the elephants' gate. 
Today, Emanuel was buried at "Alter St. Matthäus Cemetery". So many friends, neighbours and collegues came to the chapel to give him a last goodbye. Christine Revkin came from UNI in Switzerland, a collegue from Mongolia had sent the mongolian mourning song he had sung for Emanuel on the day they had found him dead in Cyprus. 
Fete de la musique today, and more than sixhundreds concerts all over Berlin - open air and for free! Seàn, his mother Michele and I had decided to go and listen to some in Schöneberg and Kreuzberg. We started our day with dhosas at "Rani", and then took a long walk around Gay Pride Festival. After which we were so exhausted, we just walked past the musicians at "Salut" back to our homes. 
Summer solstice, and I missed swedish midsummer festivities yesterday! I thought they were on today, but was wrong. I only noticed when I arrived at the swedish church this afternoon. What a pity!
He's living in his new flat since today, only ten minutes from my place. Daphne and I were the first visitors, bringing the traditional bread and salt. Plus flowers and some champagne to celebrate. 
First day at work after my vacation. Sad news: My collegue Emanuel had died all of a sudden whilst on a UNI meeting at Cyprus. 
Back to Berlin after two weeks of vacation in Stuttgart and Cologne, and back to blogging. Alex managed wonderfully to make my laptop work again. It runs on Ubuntu now instead of Windows Vista. He did a lot of saving and installing, and now it's perfect. I'm so happy I'm virtually connected to my friends again!
Saturday was my last day in Stuttgart. Anna invited me to join her for a long walk with Max, a cute dog from the animal shelter. We talked and walked for two hours, Max enjoying it as much as we did. He's a sweet tempered dog, just the right size and mood. He liked me from the start, licking my fingers, waving his tail in joy.
Thursday was a holiday in Baden-Württemberg. We had planned to go hiking, not too far away since there would be sunny, but also rainy spells and lots of wind in the Stuttgart area, and even thunderstorms in Allgäu where we had meant to go before finding out about the weather. Before leaving, Anna called her cats Felix, Emily, and Justus so they'd be safely inside the house whilst we were off. 
This time it was I who visited a friend: Kliment, the nice Bulgarian who hosted me in Helsinki and then we had met again and again in Greece and Germany. He moved to Cologne to work at the university some years ago, and had invited me ever so often to come and stay with him for a while. And finally I made it! 
