Law Breakers

The issues with Flash around the 1st May were more important than recording some of the traditions around here. But today with Flash generally improving, I was reminded of one of them.

Set off mid-morning to my GP to have another VitB 6 &12 booster jab and driving through our village saw the "temporary" speed signs and the "provisional" zebra-pedestrian crossing. As I passed the last 30 km/h sign, a police car had stopped in the middle of the road and backed up a little, it looked as though the driver alone in the car was moving to get a better photo with his mobile.

I guess he was documenting these illegal markings that the village children painted on the road during the night of 30th April to 1st May, known as Freinacht "Free Night" or sometimes Witch Night which is celebrated by the youth in southern Germany. The main past time is to try and steal the May Pole that a neighbouring village has newly prepared and which is on the ground waiting to be erected the next day. If one manages to steal it, the victim village has to pay a ransom to get it back, normally in the form of large quantities of beer. Thus villages with such a new pole will almost always have it locked away somewhere or the youth form a guard to protect it at night.

The other less adventurous, will roam the village in the night and remove anything lying around that should be tidied away. In extreme cases, you might find your car on top of a bus shelter perhaps decorated with pot plants from someone else's property. There are certain unwritten "rules" as in effect it is theft but everyone plays along. So you will see people park their cars across their driveways to block access.

I think in the case of the very sensible but law-breaking road signage, the police will instruct the parish to have them washed away. The building on the right is the village kindergarten and there really ought to be the 30 km/h speed limit, at least during school times - 50 km/h is the normal limit in all built-up areas.

The concrete silo on the left is at a farmhouse: 99% of farms in Bavaria were in the centre of the village and as the trend came to silage, I guess in the late 60s and early 70s, they had no ground to build the "drive-in" silage bunkers. So they built them vertically. The fresh grass is carried up by a conveyor and dumped in from the top, the weight alone presses it to make the silage. When ready it is taken out from an opening at the bottom probably within yards of the stable itself.

Quite practical really but these things were killers. If you happened to be inspecting them and fell in, you may have a soft landing but were almost 100% sure of dying from the fumes.

GP had a short 5-minute wait and then as I had Flash along took him for a 100m walk in Erkheim so that he could read the latest doggy "newspapers" around the sports fields. Always good to catch up on the latest events in foreign parts.

When getting ready for the trip this morning, I looked properly at the image in the mirror and realised my hair was a disgrace. I sent off an emergency WhatsApp message to friend Kathi who cuts it but didn't think she would find the time and I wanted permission to go to a barber. Tomorrow I have to look "good" for a special event.

Sitting in the GPs waiting room, the message came through she would pop by after lunch. And she did and as always made me look at least 10 years younger. Thank you Kathi and I apologise for the initial message which just said "I have an emergency" and she had no idea why but knew about the other troubles and thought the worst. So next time I have to write "Hair Emergency".

While Kathi and Angie had a long chat, I resumed some tidying up in the vegetable plot and thought I would just see how quickly the chickens could work. I heaped up my potato row perhaps 20-30 cm. Within 30 minutes it was flat again!