WARNING THIS JOURNAL MAY DAMAGE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

A Trinidadian born, Somerset schooled, Norfolk studied, London work based, British Citizen immigrant in the depths of Swabian Bavaria who occasionally gets homesickness, mainly when visiting supermarkets.

Ended up here after my employer Grand Metr Read more...

WARNING THIS JOURNAL MAY DAMAGE YOUR MENTAL HEALTH

A Trinidadian born, Somerset schooled, Norfolk studied, London work based, British Citizen immigrant in the depths of Swabian Bavaria who occasionally gets homesickness, mainly when visiting supermarkets.

Ended up here after my employer Grand Metropolitan plc (hotels & restaurants -now Diageo) bought some "assets" here. Then had spells with Inchcape plc (automobile) & Medtronic Inc (medical devices) before saying farewell to the life of multinationals & joined a family run, 10 man band German company TVIPS GmbH (manufacturers of cameras for transmission electron microscopes).

In early 2010 a longtime intermittent chronic disease (Crohn's) raised it's ugly head again and after months of battling, had to accept that a normal working life was no longer possible and was forced to take early retirement.

Home is halfway between Munich & Lake Constance at around 630m above sea level, we live on the edge of a forest but in the main surrounded by grassland. It's the wettest & largest milk-producing area in Germany!

"We" include my wife, Angie, another foreigner here as she was born in Olching close to Munich, the 3 horses, Asyr (Arab) Rosalie (Quarter) Sultan (Shagya), Flash & Luna (Border Collies) and around 30 chickens normal farmyard & Chabo bantams. All of us are employed as servants by our 4 cats, Cindy, Sissy,  Jerry & Luis.

Not a fanatical photographer, I have been drawn to blipping by an ex-colleague and very good friend Nigel who over the years has had a hard life, painfully trying to drag me into the 20th & then 21st C. He tries to keep this failure out of his otherwise exemplary CV.

Update May 2013 - Tens of thousands of animals have moved in. Will save listing them individually by name. I am now an apiarist.

Update July 2015 - and now two geese....

Update September 2016 - Eddie the Irish named, Bavarian-born kitten moved in, an orphan from a farm.

Update July 2017 - sadly our OAP horse Asyr passed away in May just 10 days before his 32 birthday and 27 years of putting up with us.
The Geese got to be 10 in total but the fox and Christmas, means they are no more.

Update 4th May 2018 Was granted (dual) German citizenship

Update August 2018 - two days after his 15th birthday, our dear loyal often Bliped Border Collie Flash finally gave into the wear and tear of a lifetime of duty.

Update January 2021 - So much has & hasn't happened after our 1st Corona year. Our 1995 born American Quarter Horse, Rosie, died in May after a nighttime colic and no chance of the vet getting here in time to slit her open and try to untangle the innards. Eddie our wonderful youn cat died, sadly hit by a car on the road and our oldest cat & boss Cindy from 2003 had to finally give up. Jerry our 2006 cat turned blind in December 2020 but still continues to patrol the property looking for mice. We did get one new arrival, a Welsh C pony/horse who had finished her days as a brood mare who we got to keep our lonely Sultan company. So I think in summary it's now Angie & Me, Luna the Border Collie, two horses, Sissy & Jerry the cats and around 30 chickens, the numbers increasing & decreasing according to foxes & birds of prey hunger.

Update Feb 2023
Sissy the cat, born May 2006, passed away in June 2022 & Linus a few day old rescue kitten came to us a few weeks later when he had been pepped up. Back in 2021 we also took in a young abandoned cat, not sure of his age but still just about a kitten, Gizmo. So now 3 cats, 2 horses, 1 dog & approx 30 chickens & 1 cock who came to us late 2022.

Here is the closest Webcam situated in Ottobeuren showing the marketplace & Basilica. Picture reloads every 2-5 seconds so almost a video.