I always forget that - in my world - everything grinds to a halt in January and it can take over a month before things begin happening again. The weather plays a big, introspective part in it, but it is also to do with the the period of recovery needed to get over Christmas. Everyone feels empty and drained after the meaningless climax of New Year's Eve.
My latest car is currently waiting to have what I hope will be a minor problem fixed - the sort which you only discover after driving it for a little longer than you would for a test drive - and so I am stuck in town until next week. Maybe that is good timing, because I don't really need a car until everything begins moving again. I am also a little ashamed that I thought that the three month warranty offered in the advert was genuine. Well, I didn't really believe it, I just wanted to. Caveat Emptor. There are an awful lot of c***s out there.
I am also aware that many - a lot - of you are going through some very hard times right now, so my little problems are nothing by comparison. Most of the time I feel very lucky.
As the previous year, I have smoked a few cigars in December. Two half Coronas and ten Cuban minis. I really enjoyed them and I like the lingering aroma which my sister would have to wash out of the curtains every time I visited her and her husband. Have I mentioned him to you before?
He was born in Germany a little before the war and his parents were Jewish. For some reason, when war became inevitable they installed him in an Austrian monastery and fled to London on their own. His father worked at the Egyptology department in the British Museum.
One day an S.S. officer came to the monastery and the children stood in line to be inspected by him as if they were soldiers. He came to my brother in law and stopped, staring a little longer than with the others.
"What is a nice Jewish boy like you doing in a Christian monastery?" was the chilling and unanswerable question.
Freddie spent the next few weeks waiting to be taken away by German soldiers, but they never came. When the war was over he joined his parents in London as a young adult, working in a large departmental store. He is now in his 90s and has Alzheimer's, but - according to my sister - is reasonably happy.
You never mentioned your brother-in-law as far as I can remember. This is an interesting and touching story. Don't be afraid of the small concerns, it goes through all of us even when there are bigger concerns.
ReplyDeleteYes, that is true.
DeleteOne small repair on the Volvo is not bad. Hopefully, all will be good in February. Your BIL sounds like an interesting person with life experiences very much book worthy. Just when you think, you've experienced the biggest, worst problem ever, something else pops up. Big or small, we all just keep marching on.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure how big or small it will be yet. I will find out this week...
Delete"...so my little problems are nothing by comparison."
ReplyDeleteI think that many lives (Thank God!) are a succession of "trivialities" - and I wrote "Thank God" because when I read how an extraordinary life as that of your brother-in-law was, I am glad of "little problems".
The (used) Merc I bought about two years ago is a faithful soul - and had, as all my cars in the past, the decency to bring me safely back to my front door, before signalling that he needs a new (or repaired?) alternator.
At the same time our German trains are gone on strike. Patience...
I have looked at Mercedes of the same age, and they rust quite badly. One of the reasons I stick with Volvos is that the paintwork is very tough and lasts. French cars are worse than Mercs for rust.
DeleteNot one spot of rust on mine!
DeleteNo, you have never mentioned BIL before, only your sister for other reasons.
ReplyDeleteAh, good.
DeleteGood grief, what were his parents thinking of? Why couldn't they bring him with them?
ReplyDeleteAlthough I think smoking is nuts I love the smell of a cigar, it reminds me of my father who always had a cigar at Christmas and small café cremes throughout the year when he felt like a smoke. (Died of lung cancer!)
Happy New Year, Tom!
We have never understood why they left him on his own. It has had its scars I am sure. HNY to you too Cher.
DeleteI just wonder why people can't be straightforward and honest when selling anything.
ReplyDeleteAnd why some people buying try and screw the price down so much as to make it not worth selling....
Particularly cars. Most drug dealers are far more honourable than car sellers. I usually don't bother to beat people down on the price unless I think it is not worth it.
DeleteHope business does not pick up until your car is operable (again). How gracious of the German soldiers to overlook a small Jewish boy.
ReplyDeleteIt may have been a simple as 'I can't be bothered', or it could have been humanity. We will never know.
DeleteI used to love smoking .... gave up about forty years ago ... I wish I could just have a couple at Christmas and special occasions but daren't as I'm sure I would start again ..... haven't had one for forty years ...... decided to give up , used the patches and have never had another ... my husband was the same .... gave up at the same time as me without the patches { actually he gave up just before me } He used to reach the surface of a deep sea dive with three on the go at the same time .... that's how much he loved smoking !
ReplyDeleteI can't imagine living with the everyday fear that your BIL must have had to live with. Hope you sort the Volvo out ! XXXX
I know someone who put on about 5 patches then had a cigarette. He fainted. I use a vape, so I am permanently overdosed, without the cough.
DeleteYou are right, we should count our blessings more and take things for granted less. Living in fear of something awful happening to you must take a terrible toll.
ReplyDeleteStress is one of the main causes of premature death. I am practising avoiding it.
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