Repentance and Prayer

Doing the morning muck out with the radio blaring out Shenna Easton, Manfred Mann and Don McLean suddenly solemn chuch music for a full hour. Had forgotten today is Buß and Bettag, a Protestant church day to repent and prayer.

The day (last Wednesday before the last Sunday of the Church Calendar) - i.e. 11 days before 1st Advent Sunday) has had a mixed history over the centuries but in post war Germany was a national public holiday for all relgions until 1994 when it was abolished in all states (except Saxony) in order to help pay for the nursing care insurance (disabled and elderly). Employees in effect having to work a day without pay. Saxony opted to keep it as a holiday so the employees there have to pay 0.5% more nursing care insurance on their PAYE. Bavaria went with the reform but choose to make it a school free day which in turn causes misery to all parents who have to find someone to childmind. Led to many employers letting parents bring their children to work today.

(Just a note to the UK - just have a think about some of the benefits of a federal type system without going as far as guillotining H.M. Can be quirky at time but does allow local control of local issues.)

(Just another note to all those who "knock" Germany's economic success. It was not without a price and they started cutting back on social security benefits in the early 90's and really turned on the screw in the early 2000's with the Labour Party's Agenda 2010 which hit hard in 2003 -5, with high unemployment, increase numbers below poverty level, huge cuts in pay and benefits. So when the world recession came, Germany was "ready", its wage cost ratio so low as to survive the worst. Tony Blair had some involvement in the concept of the plan but didn't go through with it.)

So given yesterdays sins, today was very appropriate. Weather played along, during repentance it rained and the at midday the prayers began to bear fruit and it turned dry and even presented a glorious sunset.

I unloaded the rest of the stones, about the equivalent to two shire horses. This time the posts at the back of the trailer. In the Blip one can probably see why I had been a bit confused. The 85 posts are actually 170 posts, 80 cm x 13cm but two posts are formed together making each of the 85, 80cm x 23.5cm. When I had been told 85 posts I quickly reckoned 85 x 20kg. I sadly missed the word "double" in the description (Nogbad: Told you to "read" not fly over the words.)

The chicken on the posts is our oldest and we have been expecting her to die for months. She's blind in one eye, seems to spend hours sleeping during the day but comes to the back door and if the dogs have pushed the door open, she wanders inside. Our own fault, we started feeding her extra "scraps" at the back door during the summer. As weak as she seems, if one of the other chickens notices she is being fed and storms in to steal some, she is ruthless is picking them away.

The markings on the inside walls of the trailer is mud/clay which covered the posts with a lovely slippery film  during yesterday's loading. Very luckily I had heavy duty rubber gloves rather than leather so my skin didn't get wet but still constantly had to save my balance by using the walls.

The posts are no longer in mode but they are incredibly robust. Useful if you may fear a tank attack. When I saw the photo of them and not really taking in their size, I thought they would be useful to edge some bedding to stop the chickens scratching out the earth. The posts however would be great as a rhinocerous pen! While loading them I kept thinking of Angelique's 2013 problematic retaining wall Blip. These things would have solved the problem even if not as nice as wood. Quite happy to send them over but we do need to talk about P&P.

Just in case Angelique doesn't take up the offer, I need daughter Kate & son-in-law to find an appropraite use for the posts. They are both talented landscapers and know enough of our layout. Rhinocerous pen remains my favourite at the moment but I will organise to have a digger ready for Barry at Easter. What about a ski jump? Toboggan run? BMX trail?