The last of the maple syrup.

And there’s not much of a chance that I’ll be buying any more here in Wienerland.  Not this year anyway. I wasn’t on a mission to try and use it up or anything,  but we did have blueberry pancakes for breakfast on Sunday morning.  It’s difficult to try and gauge these things,  so that last pancake was really sweet.  Not leaving any in the bottle!

Sunday was a beautiful sunny day, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that we went anywhere.  

See,  the elevator still doesn’t work.   I went out on Saturday,  and I have little difficulty ascending the seven flights after I’ve come back. OK fine,  there might be a little heavy breathing,  but I can do it.

That doesn’t really work with Travelling Companion.  If she goes out and wanders around,  there’s no hope she’s going to make it back up those stairs.  I won’t elaborate, but she needs to get those knees fixed.  Not sure when that’s going to happen.

The thing too is,  we had this idea that we’d go and check out the Christmas market in front of City Hall.  

So,  as some sort of surrogate offering,  I did take a couple pictures the other day of one of the tiny ones down the road a piece.

There’s only something like five huts.  I guess this one is where you’re supposed to get your “Christmas meat”?  Whatever.

 

 

I have a couple more pictures that I took last December from in front of City Hall:

 

As much as it’s good blog fodder to go to some of these things, the burning question is,  would I want to wade through that kind of a crowd?  It just doesn’t thrill me anymore.  Actually, I don’t think it ever did.

The allure of the Christmas Cr*p isn’t quite strong enough either I’m afraid.

I might break down and buy some fresh Lebkuchen,  but it’s available in the grocery stores too.  I guess I’m a bit of a Grinch.  Or just too pragmatic.  Maybe “geizig” is the word I’m looking for (cheap, mean, parsimonious…)

 

Looks cool though.  If looking at fresh baked goods makes certain neurons in your brain fire,  then I’m happy for you.  My problem is, I can’t eat just ONE.   It’s sort of like me and cigarettes.  I quit in June of 1987.  I know I can’t have only ONE.  Wouldn’t work,  but that’s another story.   Mind you,  the analogy isn’t quite accurate,  I’m not going to wake up in the morning craving another Lebkuchen.   I always said that if I was ever drafted into the Armed Services (hasn’t happened in Canada for a long,  long time,  so chances are slim,  and now I’m too old)  and therefore there was the risk of getting blown up or getting my ass shot off,   I’d start smoking again.   It’s a stinkin’ filthy dirty habit,  but then again, so is going to war.  What would I have to lose?  Plus,  if I made it out alive, I could always quit again.  Not like that’s never happened. 

 

Just for a bit of icing on the cake,  I’ve discovered this morning that our phone and internet is somewhat crippled as well.   I’ve been farting around with the router,  having reset it a couple times,  and my signal between this computer and the router is “Excellent”,  but that doesn’t mean there’s anything happening down at the monkey house.  Someone tripped over an extension cord,  or who knows,  maybe some copper was stolen?  That wouldn’t surprise me.  It just had to last FOUR MORE DAYS.  *grumble*  That’s all I ask!

I can sort of get the first page of my webmail to load,  but then that’s it.   I might break down and call somebody,  but sitting on hold isn’t that much fun either.

 

Meanwhile,  I see the Monkey boy from the elevator company is back.  From the sounds of it,  he brought a friend.

 

Of course,  I could have cheated and taken these Friday  night,  but then of course,  he didn’t have the instruction manual with him…

 

Is this bad?   Should I cut them some slack?   In my opinion,  no.

See,  I’m a firm believer in being able to rise to the level of ones own competence.   Not incompetence either,  even though that seems to be the order of the day around here.  

I do realise that,  in my former life as a Caretaker,  one of my favourite tools was the telephone,  but that was because I wasn’t willing to take on something that was beyond my skill level.  It’s a very simple set of conditions, really.  Why get yourself in trouble? 

So here I sit in the cafe,  admiring the Christmas lights I gave them a couple weeks back,  whiling away my time.

 

Hm,  they don’t really show up all that well.  I’m not talking about the green lights either,  but the purple/mauve things.  There’s more.  I gave them a whole box full.  Something like three strings,  and there were no preset conditions as to where they were to string them.  Take them home for all I care.  We don’t need them,  as they’re wired for 220.   Do you think maybe there’s something on the horizon that I’m not letting on?   Maybe in the New Year.  Sorry to string you along like that.  I’m even sorrier for that pun.

Even though the wifi is free,  the coffee isn’t exactly,  and I’m usually too cheap or lazy to come down here to socialize.   Now if only our pub back home had free wifi?   That would be dangerous….

 

Four more sleeps.

 

Thanks for stopping in.

 

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