Quótes & thoughts on a friday evening

Oscar Wilde once said that one's real life is often the life one does not lead. Well, fucking right on, Oscar. [...] The life I was leading didn't let me be, I don't know… be who I thought I was.
[... ]
And maybe everyone feels that way, but that's no reason to stick with it.

From "A long way down" by Nick Hornby.
I really like this book and can also recommend the audio version.
And no, I´m not feeling depressed and I´m not whingeing or wallowing in self-pity *.
I just feel that Mr. Wilde has a point sometimes.

* Well, granted, maybe a bit. But once in a while I have to to get it out of my system, and then it´s ok again :).
A very different quote by another favorite author of mine leaps into my mind almost immediately:
"People often tell me that they wish they had lived a life like mine. I say : "Well, why didn't you? All you had to do was to live it."
This one I like even better, it´s by Gerald Durrell, who´s been a major influence in my life. Life just doesn´t seem to be as simple as that. You may try and fail. But at least you´ve tried. (Soooo many quotes on that topic. Look ´em up yourself!)

And now I´ll try to summon my energy and take my landlords dog Heiko for a walk and enjoy the beautiful farmland and river and woods around my home. And as it´s quoting time today: "Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.”
Robert Brault
Luckily "One day" has come to me a while ago.

More Quotations by (and about) Gerald Durrell:

You can get too scientific about animals. They weren't designed to fit into computer programmes.

Many people think that conservation is just saving fluffy animals- what they don't realize is that conservation is war to prevent the human race from committing suicide.
When we realize that we ourselves maybe one of the species which will go extinct- we are after all just another animal- then we will do something about it. If we want something badly enough, we generally get it. That's when the chemistry changes. What we must realize now is how badly we should want it.

For future generations, their only means of experiencing this natural splendour (the tropical rainforest) maybe by reading about it and, while they read, damning us for not having preserved their heritage.

They`re mad. But they are the people who are saving these animals. You have to be obsessed to work in conservation. We all are. Look at Gerry: You might think he's a nice bloke. He's witty and charming, and given a couple of second she would have your grandmother eating out of his hand. But believe me, the man's a nutter. He's obsessed with saving animals. If you were in a firing line alongside a lemur, you'd get it straight between the eyes.

P.s.: Spellchecker doesn´t know the words "fucking" and "nutter". Seems to be a politically correct dictioniary...us-american?

Surprise!

Someone I got to meet in Costa Rica at La Selva biological station, while I worked on a project with nectarivorous bats, just posted this picture on her facebook account.
I painted it during "art night" - an evening when a bunch of people - all of them natural scientists - got together to draw.
And drink, of course.
Some americans tried to explain the rules of baseball to me that evening...without any success.
Sometimes its good to be reminded what a strange and beautiful world this can be - the unexpected memories, resurfacing all of a sudden put a smile on my face.

Ouch!

1. I remitted 80 Euro for the polish course and mistyped the recipient - everything else like the account numer, iban and swift No. were correct. The bank charged a fee of 50 Euro for sending the money- well, what´s left of it -back.

2. Just happenend:

Stairs in Rothenburg

out of the can

I´ve got a nephew!!!

Hurra, since yesterday I´m aunt twice :)!

One of my pic´s is amongst the best 100 in a photo contest : Click
Nothing to be too proud of, considered that really good Macro-photographers won´t enter their valuable photos into such contests. But one is grateful for small achievements.

Poland

Just booked my flights - I´m off to Krakow next month, on a two week language course in polish.

Bargain hunting

can be fun :).

Got this Mountainbike for 5.50 € at e-bay yesterday evening and took it home with me en route on the way back from my parents house - so I didn´t even have any extra transport costs.
I want(ed) to use it at the garden nursery where I work. I really need a bike there and my first one has been ruined by the people who "borrowed" it, and the one I´ve got there now is a bit to good for the rough life a bike has to lead there.
The only "problem" is that I now really feel like using my new aquisition in the woods next to my house :
And that I´ve got no idea how to fix a rack for all the stuff I need to carry through the greenhouses.