Not so wishy washy

Last week our washing machine took a turn for the worse. During the spin cycle it sounded like it was going to explode. So Mrs H and I decided to order a new one before the old one gave up the ghost. For once we didn't impulse buy. We actually looked at several machines, compared attributes and prices and settled on buying the latest all singing & dancing model from Quelle.

Well to our surprise the new machine leaked water- Not much, but it got worse every time we used it. The leak appeared to be originating from under the machine. We contacted Quelle on Monday and a replacement new machine arrived today. As the old one was removed we found out that it was also leaking oil (presumably from the motor). This is the second time we have returned purchases to Quelle and the service has been really good both times, which for a German firm is saying something.

The new replacement machine checked out good and did not leak any water. It was also a lot quieter on the spin cycle and didn't vibrate so much. A result. On Friday we take delivery of the new car. Hopefully we won't have any problems with that.

Technorati Tags: Washing Machine, Quelle, Marburg

Your plaice or mine

I feel violated. My privacy has been invaded and I intend to sue!

Your plaice or mine

Well that explains the strange motorbike noises then!

Technorati Tags: Haddock, Fish

Juli in Januar

This last weekend the Haddock family visited the Odenwald for my brother-in-law’s birthday party. It was a great party, with lots of good food, lots of kids for the Juniorette to play with, and lashings of beer & wine for the adults. A good time was had by all. So good I was still supping at 5am, which is of course far too late for a gentleman of my age. Consequently I was a tad hungover for the rest of the day.

On the way home to Marburg we stopped off at Mainz for a concert by the band Juli. Their most sucessful hit to date is Perfekte Welle which was released just before the major Tsunami a couple of years ago. Consequently many radio stations stopped playing the song. I really enjoyed the concert and forgot I still had a hangover. Infact by the end of the show it had dissipated completely. Juli play Rock/Pop, which reminds me of the early Nena material. The Juniorette had a great time and was dancing a lot of the time. She definitely likes music with a Rock edge to it.

Technorati Tags: Juniorette, Juli, Hangover

Hurricane Kyrill is in town

At the moment a lot of Europe is suffering the ravages of Hurricane Kyrill. In Germany it has already killed 7 people, damaged many properties, felled lots of trees and seriously disrupted the rail system. I was lucky to get to work tonight. The journey took over 3 hours and my train limped into Frankfurt at extra slow speed. But to look on the bright side, a couple of extra hours on the train has to better than being at work. I just hope the trains are running normally when I want to go home in the morning.

From the BBC News Website

Meteorologists at London's Met Office warned the weather system would intensify as it moved east across the continent - with Denmark, the Netherlands and Germany expected to be worst hit overnight.

Winds of almost 105mph (170km/h) were recorded late on Thursday in Germany, prompting the national rail company to suspend all its services, leaving passengers stranded.

The head of German railways said the situation was unprecedented. Air traffic too has been badly affected with many flights cancelled. There has also been reports of flooding.

German meteorologists said the storm was shaping up to be the worst in five years and authorities have warned people to stay indoors.

Technorati Tags: Weather, Hurricane

I hate Mickey Mouse

Well perhaps not hate, probably more like severely dislike, but that's what happens after 2 weeks in Orlando. To be fair I never liked Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald etc when I was a kid. The Disney gang just didn't appeal to me. I liked Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo, Danger Mouse, and Rhubarb & Custard, to name a few.

The Juniorette on the other hand is really into the Disney gang and she's now got the cuddly soft toys to prove it. But to balance it out we both got a couple of Star Wars light sabers which we have had a lot of fun with since our return to Germany. They light up and make noise, which is quite good for chasing the cats when they have been naughty (incidently our cats are called Mickey & Minnie - I was vetoed on calling them Mickey & Mallory!)

We are back safe and sound in Marburg, but we are parked out, shopped out, and roller coastered out. I rode some rollercoasters that I thought I would never do. The Juniorette made the height requirements in all parks we visited, so it was coaster hell for me at Busch gardens, but coaster heaven for the Juniorette. It was a great holiday and we found the place where we want to stay next time we are in Florida, it's on the Gulf coast and its further away from Disney!

Technorati Tags: Juniorette, Disney, Vacation, Rollercoaster