Michaelangelo Easter Bunny has come to Bleiburg...

 

The only Sun we've seen lately

 

Easter Bunny caught in the act of laying three eggs.

Did you say: "Global Warming" ?

So much for my head line of the other day, when I said: "Spring has Sprung"...
So much for the constant warnings about "Global Warming"...
Now there are two scientists in Russia, (don't these things always come from Russia?), who claim that we are heading for a "New Ice Age."
For three days it's been snowing again. We have about 20 to 25 cm of news snow on the ground and I can hardly wait until I will arrive in warmer climes... like Zimbabwe. I understand they have a balmy 25 to 27 degrees over there and I shall be walking around in short-sleeved shirts and barefoot in my sandals.
When I made fun of the "Global Warming" scare this morning, I was told that one harsh winter does not contradict this prognostication. I tell you, however, that had it been a very warm and early spring, those same people would have said: "See, we told you. Global Warming is going to kill us all in the long run. One unusually warm Spring and an early end to Winter would have sufficed to re-enforce their claim.

I could tell you a whole lot of interesting things about Austrian Politics... such as that the former Finance Minister stands accused of having evaded Taxes to the tune of 5.4 Millions of Euros and that he is facing at total bill ( back payment at 3x penalties), of over 16 Million Euros. 

The "zocking" story of Salzburg is quiet right now. I am waiting for the next revelation of shenanigans, pulled by good old Ms Rathgeber. Will they find out WHO forged the letter which allegedly came from ( or in fact did not come from ) the Ministry of Housing ?  but was a "clumsy forgery" ? 
But most importantly: Will they now lower Taxes, because they proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that they do not need all this money, that they have enough to gamble on the money markets?
Will they use taxpayers funds prudently and carefully, and not engage in high risk gambles with derivatives and similar money products?

Bertstravels will not hold his breath...

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

DOGGY-DOG-DOG
wants to spend more time outdoors now.
She likes the warm spring-air

Windows wide open,
to welcome the warm spring air.

More and more Snowbells,
last fall secretly planted,
decorate our garden.

The World's most beautiful and smartest doggy-dog-dog

Above: Doggy-dog-dog
just before he got his fur trimmed.
To see each curl: Look in large format.

Above and below:
Doggy-dog-dog after her visit to the Beauty Parlour.

Simply gorgeous ! No?

The Basket Weavers

The ancient art of basket weaving showed its
products during the "ham-festival" in Bleiburg
yesterday.
There was nary a woman who did not want a
'new basket', although they already owned
10 of these hand woven works of art.

 

More Snow ? Believe it : 15 cm at least

I had hoped that Spring had arrived... but Noooooo
Today we again got dumped on... at least 15cm 
I'm really going to buy Key West
Move there
stay  there
lie in the sun there
swim in the Ocean there
fish from the shore there
eat the freshly caught fish there
put sun lotion on my shoulders there
Go to the Sun Set Party every day there...
so there

Bertstravel is just doing some wishful thinking here about there.

Weather report

Yes, I know, I'm beginning to sound like the "Weather Man"...
After heavy snowfall, followed by brilliant sun shine we have today a rainy period. Not much of the snow, which has inundated us, is left. The skiers are of course crying the blues. I have a simple solution: Let it snow atop the Petzen and let the spring flowers come out down here in the valley.

I don't want to bother you with local Politics...  They're too convoluted to explain. Just as an example: There was a right of right wing party. They had a fight amongst themselves, because some members thought that the party was not right wing enough, or maybe they thought that the party was too far to the right, whichever... so they split up and now there are two right wing parties....
You know: Austria for the Austrians...  deport all the refugees ... throw them out to where they came from..
that's the general tenor of the right of right wing hereabouts.
Fortunately the majority are somewhat more cosmopolitan, and so, this small country is doing its share to alleviate the suffering of so many people in the Middle and Far East, where sanity is  a word to be found only in a dictionary.

               ********************************************************

I am making progress with my little handycam which, as I told you earlier, I bought for my upcoming (in less than 4 weeks) trip to some of the more remote regions of Zimbabwe. The problem with this new camera is that it is very difficult to hold steady in the telephoto mode. Each little jerk is magnified, so that "hand held" is just an expression... in reality I will have to find a way to support it on some sort of  mono pod...
I am already taking a heavy, sturdy, tripod with me and do not wish to lug an additional mono pod with me.
I am thinking of just using a wooden staff of the right height, nail a little platform on top and rest the camera on it. That'll probably  work... or does any of the multitude of this Blog's readers have a better idea?

Talking of "Multitude of Readers"
There is a count shown as to how many times this site was visited. I am totally surprised but, since I started to check this number I have discovered that this Blog has about 35 visits a day. ( I have already deducted my own two visits per day. )...  I know that this is a far cry from the number of hits of Justin Bieber's page... but then, he is a singing star and I only play the mouth organ a bit.. every day.. and I'm getting better at it... so maybe the hits on my Blog will also increase.

You don't want to hear about my tooth ache... so I won't tell you about it...

I'm looking forward to the time when I can go outdoors and take some pictures again, so I will be able to post them instead of my blatherings...

that's what Bertstravels says, anyway.

The First Harbingers of Spring

I saw them first !
Last Fall Christin planted some Snowbells
underneath a bush in our garden.
She never told me.
So what  wonderful surprise it was
when I saw them this afternoon.
I guess we can now say without fear
of contradiction:
"Spring has sprung, the grass has ris'
I wonder where the birdies is ?"

 

I JUST GOTTA TELL YOU

Yes, I just gotta tell you.
The other day I sent you pictures of Bleiburg after the snow fall. It had dumped 75 cm in 48 hours...
and, remember, I complained about the clouds and the fog ?
Well today the sun is "blazing" from the bluest sky imaginable, it's warm enough that you can walk around outdoors without a jacket and the snow is melting to beat the band...

SPRING IS JUST AROUND THE CORNER::::

I just had to tell you...

Bertstravel is smiling today.