3 - Finishing Work

On the 26th February 2010 Fred and I had our last day at work and said our farewells to our friends and colleagues. We will fly back to Germany after our four-month trip but after that we plan to settle in Elgin, my hometown in Scotland. It will certainly be a culture shock for us both because we have never worked in the UK. Fred and I have been in Germany since 1981 and 1994 respectively so it's definitely time we moved on.
Fred had a breakfast with his work colleagues and came away with a decanter and a glowing reference from his boss. I had a lunch with colleagues and friends, the latter remaining to drink until the evening. I was touched (no pun intended!) that they gave me a Sony Ebook Reader Touch Edition which will be handy in Canada, especially since I will need to continue studying there. I have begun scanning the pages of my 2kg module book which can be saved as pdf format and put onto the Reader - fantastic!
My lovely friend, Debbie, also wrote a fitting poem which I will post on another note entitled An Ode to Kelly Richardson. Debbie's brilliant at writing poems so don't be surprised if you see some of her work in a bookstore in the near future!
A couple of people were absent from the lunch, most notably Donna and George, so this weekend the same gang, plus the absentees, are getting together at the local Greek for a few more drinks and some loverly grub. This time I'll get some pics!


Last week, we visited England to see Fred's family, buy some kit and catch up with some old friends. Fred's family lives in Ipswich so that was my first "experience" of the town. It was nice to see Fred's dad, his sister and Anna and Sean, his niece and nephew. It was also fantastic to catch up with Sarah and Luke whom we stayed with overnight in Cottenham, Cambridge (beautiful place!). We also met Drew, another friend from school, who also lives in the village. Sarah and Luke looked after us so well, feeding us nearly to the point of explosion, about which you won't hear me complaining! They also took us on our first geocache which got us out and about before we had a rest to eat some giant scones. A very enjoyable visit. Next time we will get to see what Bump looks like in the flesh because Sarah's little girl is due in June. Yay!
The next three weeks will now be spent packing our furniture, putting it into storage in Moenchengladbach and making the flat presentable for the next tenant. Luckily we don't have to remove our kitchen because the next tenant wants it (in Germany, accommodation doesn't usually include a kitchen but instead just a completely empty room - no sink, no oven, not even light fittings!) and we don't have to paint.
I also have to complete an essay on Ecofeminism, an interesting theory connecting the domination of women within society and the domination of nature by man. Additionally, I must tweak my other essay on the ethical significance of being a member of the biotic community, another interesting view which suggests the more abundant a species, the less the value of each individual member - often seen as a dire consequence for the human race. Food for thought eh?