View from the deckchair

This is the current view from the deckchair with the magnolia tree in the foreground.

Life in the magnolia tree

After I'd taken two car loads of rubbish to the dump yesterday and then hoovered the car for an hour or so to get rid of the building dust I sat in the garden on the yellow deckchair with a take-away coffee from the shop across the road. the blackbird baby seems to have left the magnolia tree now. Instead the tree is now inhabited by great tits who tweet loudly at me and nuthatches who run up and down the branches comically.
I still haven't got my camera back so here are images of the birds from the internet.

Noises in the cellar

.... is this your worst nightmare???

Axeman revealed

Luckily we remembered to get the ladder first before Werner went down into the cellar with the axe. The ancient crumbly wooden wood-wormy stairs fell apart rather easily and are now in the skip outside the house. Stahlbau Nägele are making us nice new metal stairs which should arrive around end of October. Till then there's a piece of wood across the door warning people not to fall down into the cellar/dungeon.

BTW we wanted to start earlier today but got diverted by havinng to rescue a budgie. It flew onto our balcony almost straight into Ella the cat's mouth. Werner took it off her while I ran down to get our old gerbil transport box which we took it to the animal rescue centre in. Amazingly it seems ok. Ella is still moaning at me for taking away her toy.

Kitchen quiz

Even without photos here are the latest developments:
We have planned the kitchen. It took,... actually, I'm not going to say. Instead here's a multiple choice quiz (you can write your answers in the comments box by clicking on the pencil).

A new small kitchen costs:
a) 2,000 euros
b) 12, 000 euros
c) 20, 000 euros

A kitchen planning appointments takes:
a) 8 hours
b) 80 minutes
c) 8 days

Delivery time is:
a) two weeks
b) 2 months
c) can't remember cos there was too much other information

The kitchen will be:
a) dark brown and white
b) knotty pine
c) chrome and glass

The colour of the floor will be......... (suggestions please)

still no camera

I sent my camera off to be repaired 7 weeks ago (the lens is stuck out and won't retract). It still hasn't come back. They say they're waiting for a part. So, I'm not taking as many photos as I would like as I'm relying on borrowed camera or other people.

In any case, we decided to goaway for the weekend to Strasbourg to celebrate Werner's birthday and to have a weekend off from renovations.

Here are a couple of funky night time photos tthat Werner took of the Petit France area of the old town. Just the place for a stroll after a French curry.

Blue rain

I read in my clever RHS 'Gardening through the year' book how to cut back wisteria so that it'll flower well next year. I did as it said, and it's started flowing again already this year!

The German name for wisteria is Blauregen = blue rain.

If you look carefully at the photo you can see the top of the house in the background.