Tonight, there is no shortage of things to talk about. Boa eh!

You know, Pádraig is on full board, all inclusive. Three meals a day, all you can eat. All you can drink. Room service. So today we went all out, we decided to get the menu and go for it: we ordered the whole lot! Well, one meal. We asked for the pureed dish which, when it arrived, looked a bit like what our friends across the water (thank God we’re surrounded by water:) call ‘bangers and mash’. Turned out as proof for the saying that not everything looks like what it is. This was ALL pureed. The sausages were just very finely minced meat put back together to look like sausages, the potato cakes were mashed potatoes, and the third item was like a minced vegetable cake – all served with a lovely sauce. A meal for a man. He loved it. Didn’t quite manage to finish it (for from it), but he had a go! And Pat and I really started to admire the chef!

The biggest news today is (no, it’s not WOA:) – that Pádraig got a new ‘Kanüle’  and not just a new one, but a different one: much shorter and without the balloon that served to block the airways into the mouth and nose. It’s the last step (maybe the second last?) towards ‘dekanülierung’, taking the tube out all together, we were told. The only reason, as far as we know, stopping the ‘Dekanülierung’ now is that when he puts his head back, he has problems breathing, especially through his mouth. Which is something I have too. I pointed that out to the therapists, suspecting it might be an anatomical difference, rather than a consequence of the accident. They want to take it step by step, and do this with every possible care, just in case it’s not anatomical but lack of muscle somewhere in his airwaves or throat or chest. I am sure we’ll find out. In the meantime, Pádraig will get special training for all and any muscle possibly involved in breathing.

I had forgotten to mention the huge number of cars on the motorway the other day heading for Wacken. What? Wacken? WOA. It’s the worlds biggest open air heavy metal festival. It takes place in a little tiny village between Hamburg and Tating (closer to Tating than to Hamburg), in the middle of nowhere. It’s so famous, it attracted a Korean film maker to do a documentary about it and there are endless hours of videos on the web about it. You need to wear black, preferably have a bit of a belly, drive a Harley, and wear leather with a head band covering your thin but long hair. For years, I’ve been looking for someone, anyone, to join me going for the 3 days over the first weekend in August to Wacken, but they all chickened out. (I also tried the Karl May Festspiele in Bad Segeberg, equally unsuccessfully – which made me think that it might have been the company rather than the event that made the difference:) The highlight of the festival is the grand opening, by the marching band of the Wacken Voluntary Firemen. Pure Genius! Where but in Wacken Open Air – W:O:A?

Sneak preview: The coolest and darkest, the most dangerous and most RISKY, the one with the highest stakes, the one not to be missed if you love the risk and enjoy to win! Poker Night for Pádraig Schaler! Saturday the 23rd of August at 7.30pm https://www.facebook.com/events/478688752267844/?ref=2&ref_dashboard_filter=hosting – More details tomorrow!

Today’s Music Tip
Wacken – Ein Dorf sieht schwarz. A documentary by the NDR (North German Broadcast Authority). It’s in German, but the language of this movie is universal: you’ll need an hour and a half, good headphones (or an empty house and good speakers:), loads of beer, and no inhibitions.
What’s hot
Bangers and mash
What’s cold
Beer, literally
The German word/phrase/verse of the day
Boah eh!