Jozsef Cser

Jozsef Cser - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Jozsef Cser


Living - Room Sounds - an Obituary


It is how we remember people that counts; and the one thing that I will never forget about Jozsef Cser, whom we sadly lost just two weeks ago, is his collection of radios.
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Jozsef Cser didn’t collect radios in the same way that people save stamps; his collection had a reason for being, and the purpose behind it was his finely tuned love and devotion to very fine music. For him, each type of music needed its own appropriate speakers; and that’s why his living room was full of all kinds of radios.

His radio for jazz had no fewer than four very large loud speakers; his receiver for his native Hungarian folk was somewhat smaller; and his wireless for pop was the size of a match-box. His taste in classic demanded only two medium sized boxes, while his love for Schubert’s religious works needed but one; and, the New Year’s Concert from Vienna recquired all his receivers at once – a celebration of all-round sound in the truest sense of the word!.

Living is enjoyment and enjoyment of life means health. Jozsef Cser, who was not far away from his nineties, enjoyed his music very much; and he, in all his long years, was never seriously ill.

Maybe, the harmony that some of us need is lying hidden in the beautiful music that we never have time for! Could it be that a collection of radios would be good for collecting our thoughts? Melody, after all, is harmony!

My e-mail address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Birds of a Feather

Pigeon Feed - photo by Nigel A. James

This little boy could be anywhere and everywhere. He is, in fact, in the centre of Vienna. He is about to start chasing the pigeons; a thing that little people do everywhere!

I took this picture exactly one week ago.

My address, njmailboy@gmail.com

Mrs.Kastner

The Crowning Moment


Mrs. Kastner, a very dear lady with many years to her credit, told us an amusing story about Queen Elizabeth the second’s visit to Austria.

It all happened about 40 years ago. The queen was on a state visit to Austria, and, of course, in true alpine style, everything went according to plan. The banquets and the receptions came off as expected; and the people turned out in their thousands to cheer Her Majesty on. A feeling of deep and moving historical happening lay in the air - but, that was not all!

Storm clouds were gathering, and, with great speed were moving in on Vienna. They arrived with all of their force just as the Queen was arriving at the airport to leave!

The Queen’s aircraft was unable to land – the storm was too fierce; and so, there she was, stuck fast at the airport - but not alone!

There was the Austrian president, the prime minister, the mayor of Vienna and his wife, the British ambassador, and countless other dignitaries as well; and, all in the thankless position of having to think of something to talk about!

And then, just as it seemed that the small talk was about to run out, a gap in the weather appeared, and the plane, despite the continuing storm, was able to land – a visible sigh of relief arose from the highest of the high – soon the Queen would be on her way; but that’s not the end of the story, the final salute was about to conclude this occasion of magnitude.

Seeing the Queen coming out of the VIP lounge, and holding her hat, the general in-charge of the now almost frozen, soaking, and totally fed up with waiting company of guards ordered his men to come to attention.

This was easier said than done!

The soldiers were unable to hear the commands! The wind was too loud! “Salute” cried the general. Chaos! Only those nearest to him were able to understand the command and saluted, then those who hadn’t saluted, seeing what was happening, saluted, too; but not at the same time as those who had done it to begin with. The result, a confusing array of lots of different arms moving up and down according to who had just done what; then those who had saluted first, seeing the others still saluting, saluted again. Up and down went the arms!

Holding her hat, the Queen boarded her plane and off she flew. I wonder if the Queen ever thinks of the day in Vienna when she nearly lost her hat. Mrs. Kastner will never forget it; she can remember every minute of it; she saw it all on TV. Her son was one of the soldiers in the guard of honour! A great honour, indeed, for the family.

My e-mail address: njmailboy@gmail.com

Edit Neni

Edit Neni - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

An Illusion of Simplicity

Excellent cooking is more than the mixing of the right ingredients; it is also a certain feeling which is based upon the mystery of happiness; and Edit Neni from Tilaj (pronounced Tilloy), a small village in a western Hungarian forest, knows how to transform this secret into reality, for she is a master in the art of incredible food!

Edit Neni has a very large family which consists of grown-up children, grandchildren, and, even great-grandchildren as well; and, as is only to be expected, all of them are frequent guests at her table; for the thing they love most is Edit Neni’s traditional country cooking.

Wrapped in an illusion of simplicity, Edit’s culinary skills are based upon the depths of taste which reach far back to beyond the advent of our modern way of living; a period when time lasted longer and people had more of it; and this is the taste of Edit’s cooking: patience and love; and, a sprinkling of a miracle, too!

And the miracle is her kitchen. At her disposal in her very small kitchen is a table that measures no more than one meter long and half a meter wide, a very simple stove with only three rings and an oven, a tiny sink for the washing up - and a very simple cupboard that contains the five pots and pans that she owns! The secret of good cooking, says Edit, is organization, and she is an expert.

Her delicious cakes are always baked well in advance, the soup the day before, and the battered fried chicken, her speciality and everyone’s favourite as well, is produced only minutes before all of her hungry and expectant guests arrive for what is guaranteed to be an experience of pure delight.

So, good cooking doesn’t require a modern built-in kitchen, nor does it need loads of machines, what it does need is a feeling of what’s good and a love of the art of making mouths water. Maybe, a step back to more traditional ways would do a lot of us good; Edit Neni never stepped forward; and that's why a visit to her house is always the same as a mouth-wateringly trip back to the past!

My e-mail address is njmailboy@gmail.com

The Passenger

Passenger - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Where To?

Where was this passenger going? Maybe, she was going home to cook lunch; or, maybe she was going back to work from an early lunch. It was a dull early-afternoon last Friday. I took this picture in the centre of Vienna. Reflected in the window of the tram were the trees in their late summer foliage. Soon will be autumn; maybe the girl in the tram was thinking about the coming colours, or, even the coming of snow. Who knows?


My e-mail address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Mirijam Ploteny

Mirijam Ploteny - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Expected Entrancement

There is a certain magic about the theatre; and the thing that brings it to life are the players and the musicians who perform it; and Mirijam Ploteny is as spellbinding as she is bewitching and her performances certainly live up to expected entrancement!

Mirijam Ploteny is a character of dimensions. Her “real life” is at one end, and, at the other, the theatre; but, in-between is a melting pot of them both! Where does “real life” end and where does the theatre begin?

Apart from the stage, Mirijam is also a very good teacher of German, and her teaching success lies in the way she is able to involve herself in the characters and interests of her students. This is character study in real

And her work definitely displays the various shades which she has picked up upon her way to where she is now. There are traces and tones of her Italian period, and, of course, there are sprinklings from almost every where else as well. Stage is life, and life is stage, and performing is the conclusion of creativeness!

And creativity is also one her strengths. A replay of her highly successful musical revue, Boudoir Madame CC, is about to begin in Vienna. I went to see it whilst it was playing the first time round and I was amazed by its mixture of daring and comfort.

Along with Caroline Koczan, Kurt Obermair and Gertrude Kisser, Mirijam Ploteny has, in Boudoir Madame CC, succeeded in creating a revue that is full of exciting and hard hitting songs and corners of unimaginable surprises. I enjoyed it very much, and a lot of other people did, too.

Meeting Mirijam Ploteny in real, very much reinforced the impression that I had gained of her whilst watching her in action: a very real person who is able to interpret characters because she is the way that she is, a very deep and understanding person.

She has lived a lot and has experienced much!

Starting in September, for four days only, 20,21,22 and 23rd, Boudoir Madame CC will be playing at the Interkult theatre in the 6th district of Vienna, Fillgradergasse 16.

Full details and booking, www.interkulttheatre.at



Mirijam’s home page, www.mirijamploteny.com


My e-mail address, njmailboy@gmail.com

Reflections

Karlskirche - St.Charles - in Vienna, picture by Nigel A. JAMES

Standing On Its Head


Vienna. In front of the Karlskirche is a pond. This picture is the reflection of the church as seen in the water. The people at the bottom who appear to be the right way up, are, in fact, upside down! At the top of the picture, which is really the bottom, are the steps that lead into the water.

To view this picture properly, that is to say, from the correct perspective, you will have to stand on your head!

My e-mail address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Mike Hanson

Mike Hanson - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

The Crimson Vampire

There are many cases in life when so called first impressions lead only to a part of the whole, and, on the surface, Mike Hansen is a nice guy and a graduate in the science of sound; but the exciting knowledge of audible waves is only one of the layers of this young 22 year old from England.

Mike discovered a special part of himself in a bar in Leicester in England, and, in a sense, the bar discovered him, too. By demonstrating his willingness to do anything for a crust, Mike was given a job as an assistant bar-keeper – but Mike was a quick learner.

There are bar-keepers and there are bar-keepers; but the two things that separate the good from the average are social skills and creativity. Anyone can learn to shake up a cocktail, but there are very few people who are able to invent new ones on the spur of the moment – and this was where Mike discovered his strength!

His strength lay in his ability to turn other people’s ideas into liquid realities, a gift that not only requires creativity, but also social communication skills as well. Listen, create and shake, soon became Mikes recipe for success!

But there’s a devil in the best – and Mike’s most successful concoction soon became known as The Crimson Vampire, a devilish setting of three see through layers containing an invisible punch disguised in the innocence of its green, red and sweet and sour layers! This was creativity with a swing!

But Mike's name isn’t only restricted to Leicester. Everywhere he goes he is made welcome. Just two weeks ago he was to be found in a bar on the shores of Lake Balaton endearing himself to local young Hungarians with his mixture of late night charm and his gift for shaking up explosive ingredients into an eruptive WOW!

But don’t despair! Coming soon – with full effect, tips, recipes and super photos – will be Mike’s blog; possibly to be one of the best “educational blogs” in the net!

I, for one, can’t wait! And I will, of course, be keeping you informed.

My address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Reflections

Coming soon in September! We are on holiday until then. See you then!

Builder Michael

Builder Michael has sent me a new account of something that happened to him. Click onto his letter, you may find it amusing (or - not!).

Tina Modotti

Pre-war Digital Camera - pencil drawing by Nigel A. JAMES

An Exhibition of Simplistic Photographic Expertise

It was the deep running currents of explosive change that marked the period between the two world wars; and it was Tina Modotti, who, with her camera, sensitively froze moment after moment of those cascading years. Now, part of her incredible work is on display in Vienna.

It is true to say that Tina Modotti was, in every sense of the word, international; and it can not be denied that the inter-war years were hers. Her life, on the back of the developing socialist ideals that she believed in, took her from her native Italy to the Americas, back to Europe and home via Russia; and it was everywhere that she went that provided her with the richness of material for her pictures.

She took pictures of everything and everybody, and, all of her pictures, whether people, puppets or plants have an expert simplicity about them. Her work was honest, capturing not only looks but also souls and hearts as well. The people she photographed must have liked her, otherwise she would never have been as successful as she was. But of course there are people and there are people.

And people are the biggest surprise of this exhibition. Co-starring are not only the photographers Edward Weston and Johan Hagemeyer, but also the artists Diego Rivera and Frieda Kahlo as well. These were her friends, and friendships provide the best perspectives for character. Tina Modotti was one of the best, and some of the most interesting photos of this exhibition are the portraits of Tina Modotti which were taken by Weston.

Sadly, Tina Modotti died under suspicious circumstances at the age of 42. What pictures would there have been if she had survived? But her years were the dangerous ones!


This exhibition is called “Photographer and Revolutionary” and is on until the 7th of November at the Kunst Haus in Vienna. If you are interested in Tina Modotti, there is a fair amount about her in the net.

Full details, www.kunsthauswien.com

My address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Afternoon Storm in Vienna!

Athene - goddess of wisdom - in front of the parlament in Vienna -
photo Nigel A JAMES

The Gathering Storm

The goddess of wisdom, Athene, in front of Austria's parlament in Vienna. In her right hand, and very clearly to be seen, is Nike, the winged goddess of victory. The storm is blowing in on the clouds; Athene is standing fast!


I took this photo this afternoon at about six-o-clock.

My address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Country Dance

Country Dance - Pencil drawing by Nigel A. JAMES

My impressions of an Hungarian country dance in Tilaj!

My e-mail address, njmailboy@gmail.com

An Hungarian Summer Party

Paradise Foundv
Tilaj (pronounced Tilloy)

is a sleepy little village that lies amongst the rolling wooded hills of western Hungary; and it was there, last Saturday, whilst visiting its annual summer festival, that I experienced something that came as a very pleasant surprise!

On and off, I have known Tilaj for about the last fifteen years; and, in all of these years, I have seen much change, but, unfortunately, not in the right direction! What I had been witnessing had been the sadness of on-going decline. House after house had given-in to the ever on-going advances of nettles and weeds, and there was desertion and decay wherever you looked. Tillaj, I believed, was fast becoming an historical fact!

But I was thankfully wrong and my eyes were opened last week! The festival was not unlike countless others. There was wine and beer to be had, there was pop-corn and there was candy-floss, too. In the way of entertainment there were four or five groups of well practised young women performing well rehearsed dances to music of everyone’s taste; but, for me, the real stars of the afternoon were the children of Tilaj.

Their dancing act was marked by the usual disarray that is special to such occasions. The very smallest of them were turning one way, whilst the older kids were going the other way; but that’s how these things are, and everybody loved them. And everyone loved them because they were there! At last there were children, and a fair number of them, too!

And then I looked around. The nettles and the weeds, it seems, are not so much as before, and paint once again is re-appearing on some of the houses, and the best sign of all, a new bus stop is under construction; meaning, of course, there is movement. And, of course, there are the children.

Life has returned to Tilaj paradise has been re-gained!

My e-mail address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Music in Vienna

I have just received a call from Bert Millinger. His band, The Vienna House Master Project is putting on some great music! I know this band - they are great! For more, go to thier site, www.viennahousemasterproject.at

Karlsplatz - Vienna

Not to be Beaten! There are certain places that cities have that attract the creative spirits of their citizens; and Vienna, in its centre, has St. Charles's square (Karlsplatz), and it is to this square that all sorts of different people with all their varied interests come.
It was just the other afternoon, whilst going accross the square and dodging the cyclists, that I passed a line of artists painting the magnificent St. Charles's church complete with its mini lake and Henry Moore master piece in the forground; and, still being in the learning phase of their artisitic careers, they were being carefully watched over, and, every now and again, even being instructed by a not so young teacher with long grey hair, a beard, and dressed completely in black.
But what attracted me even more was a group of about 15 drummers who were peacefully beating away to the conducted rhythm of total harmony. There were very small kids, their parents, and people of every other age as well. So mesmerizing was this group, I had to sit down and let mysel go with the beat as well!
There was something very beat speacial about this drumming. Just listening to it made me slow down completely, and a quarter of an hour was all that I needed to feel completely refreshed. Maybe drumming is the answer to stress, and also the famous burn-out that everyone's talking about!

A Very Short Break

Dear friends of Diarikom! We are going away for about the next ten days. We will, however, be back with some even more interesting "short but to the point" biographies, and a lot of good pictures; and some other surprises, as well. See you again soon, Nigel A. JAMES

My e-mail address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Nina Brutti

We Are All But Players on The Stage of Life

A Blood Sucking Role! Yesterday, I had the pleasure of talking to Nina Brutti, a charming young lady who has one foot set firmly in a fantasy world of her own, and the other in the realities of life as it is; and both of these sides are as real and as true as each other!

On the one side, she’s a very realistic and down-to-earth student whose eyes are well and truly fixed on a future as a teacher, and, on the other side, her life consists of singing, dancing and acting; and, both sides together contain the depths and the shades that make her the exciting person that she is!

Nina admits that her real love is the stage, and this is clear when one sees her in action. Just very recently, she was very instrumental in the putting on of a highly successful revue in Vienna, Musical Meets Breitensee; and it was there, to the sheer delight of two packed houses, that she allowed her talents to rise to the surface as she cut her way through roles which had been taken from Dracula, Hercules, Pocahontas, The Rudolf Affair, the King of the Lions, Tutankhamen, Gustav Klimt and We Will Rock You! Musicals that are as diverse as they are beautiful – and the role that she enjoyed the most was that of the blood-sucking Dracula!

But, maybe, it is Nina’s love of creativity and the theatre that lead her to her choice of becoming a primary school teacher! There are, after all, striking similarities! Both require an incredible confidence; and both demand a high level of creativity in depth. Nina is at home in both – and both of these professions are amongst the most important that there are.

Teaching establishes intellectual interests and sets people upon their way through life; and the theatre exists because of this base. So, without the right teachers, our society would be a lot worse off! And some of tomorrows children will have Nina to thank for their success; and, a lot of us now can be grateful to her for the fun that she’s giving us!



My e-mail address is, njmailboy@gmail.com








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Green so Green

Colour Gem - Green - Picture by Nigel A. JAMES

Green, it is said, is the colour that stands for eternity and inner peace! This may be so, but I believe that green, primarily, is the colour of nature. Just look out side. Our forests are full of ever-greens, trees that keep thier needles the whole year round. They are able to survive the coldest of winters and the hottest of summers! They simply last for ever. Maybe green, after-all, is the right colour for eternity; and, forests, too, do provide us with a deep inner peace!

Something New!

Tourist snap of Schönbrunn by Nigel A. JAMES

"Events" is my new page containg info about what's going on around the world! I will of course be updating it all the time, adding and taking away, etc. If you have something you want to post on my "events page", please send me a mail. To read "events, all you have to do is to click on to it at the top right hand side of this page.

njmailboy@gmail.com

The Calm After the Storm!

Fishing in the Calm of Balaton!

Not all calm waters are always still. Just one day before I took this picture, Lake Balaton in Hungary, had been hit by some of the worst weather in living memory! The damage on shore was really bad, but, as far as I know, everyone lived to tell the tale.

My e-mail address is njmailboy@gmail.com

Ushi Haderer

Ushi Haderer - photo by Nigel A JAMES

A Branch of Photography that can Grow on You!



Most people’s hobbies consist of activities that are only of interest to like minded people. Fishing, for example, can only be discussed by fishermen, and tennis, for anyone other than a keen player, is the most boring pastime on earth! Ushi Haderer’s hobby, however, is different!

Ushi has a hobby that is as fascinating for her as it is for everyone else! Ushi, in her spare time, is a photographer; and the photos that she takes are those of trees; and her pictures are sensational.

Last week, whilst visiting her, she showed me, and the other guests as well, one of her albums. Two things struck me. The first was the nature of her pictures, and the second was the genuine interest that everyone was taking in her work. Trees, it seems, have a fascination for everybody.

I have always believed that the shooting of trees (in a photographic sense –that is) to be a very difficult thing indeed. They don’t smile for you, you can’t tell them to turn their heads, and you can’t tell them to say cheese! The work is for you. You’re the one who has to walk around and around until you find the perfect angle, and so on and so on. But Ushi doesn’t see it in the same way.

Trees, she says, have feelings of their own; they are, after all, just as alive as you and I are. If you give them long enough, they will surely tell you, in their own special way, all that is needed for the perfect picture. The time of day, the differences in the light, the weather, etc, make absolutely no difference at all. Every time is the best time for a very good picture; all that you need is a camera, the trees, themselves, will guide you!

After looking at Ushi’s pictures, I, too have started thinking differently about tree. They are, in a way, as essential to us as water. They provide us with warmth, shelter, furniture and many other countless things as well; and, thanks to Ushi, they give us great pleasure as well!



If you wish to send me a comment, my address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

High Society

A Cut Above the Rest



There are many eastern European townscapes which are still dominated by blocks of “socialist” flats. Known as “Plattenbaus”, these apartment blocks were not built, they were constructed; and all out of pre-cast concrete sections. All of the apartments offer the same simple basic comforts, and range in size from one to four rooms. Apartment blocks have, on average, 12 stories.

Veszprem, a small town in the west of Hungary, has an entire quarter which consists entirely of Plattenbaus, and, within this area, a society of its own has developed. There are all of the regular small shops and services that are normal to every society; but many of them are to be found within the basements and rooms of the actual apartment blocks themselves.

The above picture shows a hairdresser’s saloon. As you can see by the piping and the windows which are just below the ceiling, it is located in the basement of a tower block. Anita, the hairdresser who owns it, is busy giving Maxi a “Summer hair cut”.

Anita, by the way, is a very good hairdresser!




My e-mail address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Alexandra Tuvic

Alexandra with Aramis - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Deadlines




To the north of Lake Balaton in Hungary lies the little village of Alsöörs, and it is from there, whilst travelling down by road, that one gets one’s first impressionable view of the lake; and it is there in Alsöörs, on the right hand side of the road, that 12 year old Alexandra Tuvic lives.

Living in the country means a closeness with animals, and this applies more-so to Alexandra than to most other people. Her family has a riding school, and Alexandra has been riding since before she could walk: first a small pony, then a small horse, and now Aramis, a magnificent Haflinger. But a stable life isn’t only horses, it's dogs and cats as well.

Alexandra loves all animals, animals are her life, but it is for dogs that she feels the most. She understands them and they can understand her. She knows what they are thinking, it’s written in their eyes, and the wagging of their tails show her how happy they are. But, sadly, not all dogs are happy!

Dogs have the same depths of emotional wanting that we have, but without us they are lost. Dogs are totally dependant upon us, not only for food, love and shelter, but also for life itself; and, tragically, many a stray or lost dog has finished its life prematurely at a “last stop kennels”. Either no one had come forward to claim their dog, or no suitable new home had been found. And 14 days was all that they had! And one day, a couple of years ago at a nearby kennel, Alexandra looked into the eyes of those that were waiting to die, and she was saddened.

A big problem was money, and food in the kennel was short. Amazingly, Alexandra set about doing something about it. With the help of her parents and friends, she organized a flea market and raised lots of cash for lots of food. So successful was her first endeavour that this year will be her third, and her success has certainly made a very big difference.

Things have changed. The dogs in the kennel no longer have such sad and wanting eyes. Maybe it’s the food? Decent food, after all, does make a very big difference! And amazingly, fewer and fewer dogs are being put to sleep - and more and more are finding new homes!

What Alexandra started was an awareness of what was happening, and this in turn lead to happiness - and it’s still spreading.

Thanks to Alexandra’s vision, the eyes that once told of despair have now turned into stories of life as it should be!


My e-mail address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

work-schop.28 and Galerie Ruth Maier

Christopher Bily with his Mona Lisa - Photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Colouful Dynamics

Something very special will be happening this coming weekend in Galerie Ruth Maier in Vienna! As of Friday (the 7th of May), the artists of work-schop.28 will be presenting their work in a show that promises to be nothing other than a colourful sensation! Work-schop.28 is the home of many fine young artists, and, in the past thier exhibitions have proved to be not only highly successful, but also highly moving as well.

The Vernissage will be held on Friday the 7th of May, 19-22hrs, all are welcome! The exhibition itself will only be open on Sunday the 9th of may between 14 and 17hrs.

Galerie Ruth Maier - Siebensterngasse 25 - 1070 Vienna. tel - 01/ 409 2655

See You at the Vernissage!

Hermine Diwald

Hermine Diwald - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Connecting the Good


There are some people who have an enormous reserve of deep inner passion; they have a certain “peace” about them that provides strength and meaning to those that they meet - and one such person is Hermine Diwald. But, Hermine’s strength didn’t come about by chance, it grew out of cunning and stealth!

It all began at the end of the 2nd world war. All over the world, people were returning to their homes, not so for the Donauschwaben, they were being driven from theirs! And, amongst them were Hermine and her family, they were from Werschetz in the Banaat, and they, like thousands of others had been sent to a transit camp! They had a choice - and it was simple, stay put in internment and end up somewhere in Russia (and possibly even dead), or escape and take your chances. And so it was, that the 13 year old Hermine, her family, and others as well, left through a gap in the fence and started their sometimes hard, but always dangerous flight to the west!

Hermine’s family ended up in Vienna where they all succeeded very well. Other Donauschwaben went further a field, and some of them didn’t stop until they had reached America, or, in some cases, even further.

People don’t flee from places, they flee from people; and people who have fled and survived have one very big thing in common, the place that they came from, and the place that they came from will always be home!

And home needs keeping alive! From Vienna, Hermine and others are still busily producing and sending out the Werschetzer Zeitung, a periodical journal containing all that is of interest to this group of very unique survivors. Its news is interesting and factual, but there is one thing that will never be found amongst its pages, and that is bitterness. Yesterday was yesterday, now is now, and Werschetz will always be Werschetz; and the Werschetzer Zeitung will always continue to connect!

The Werschetzer Zeitung is a very big part of Hermine’s life, and, thanks to her efforts, an important tradition has taken on the importance of historical reality, not only “abroad” but “at home” in Werschetz as well!


If you wish to drop me a line, my e-mail address is the following, njmailboy@gmail.com

Leopold Hawelka

Whilst Being Served at a Viennese Coffee House - Pencil drawing by Nigel A. JAMES


Hawelk's - More Real than Tradition

Coffee houses are, without any doubt at all, the most important Viennese institution of all. Without them, Vienna wouldn’t be the place that it is; for it is within their walls that life on all different levels takes place. Nearly everyone can count a coffee house as an important part of their present, their past, and, without any doubt at all, their future, too. Coffee houses are important because they are special.

But there are a few of them which are somehow more special than the rest; and the thing that distinguishes them are the people who run them; and, high up on the list is Hawelkas, small in size, but very big in feeling, and run by Leopold Hawelka, a man who has become a real life legend!

Leopold Hawelka, has just celebrated his 99th birthday! And he celebrated it, of course, where he still works, in his coffee house.

The Hawelkas opened their coffee house within the shadow of St. Stephen’s cathedral in the centre of Vienna in 1939. It survived the war with them, and, since then it has been sung about by Georg Danzer, created in, debated in, fought in, loved in, and everything else that is expected to be done in a coffee house – and all of the time within the same non-changing décor of ever yellowing walls and the same Thonet chairs.

Sadly, Mrs Hawelka passed away five years ago, but if she were still to be with us, she, too would still be standing and keeping order and directing people to impossible to find tables. At Hawelka’s there’s always a place to be had.

I started going to Hawelka’s about thirty five years ago. To my way of thinking, Herr Hawelka hasn’t changed at all, I’m the one who has put on years, not he!

And the future? Rest assured, the future generation of Hawelkas has become the present and is already in place. Hawelka’s is set to out-live us all!

And keeping up with the times? Hopefully, Hawelka’s will remain unchanged for ever; people, after all, feel comfortable in familiar surroundings, and places that one knows are always fun to go back to.

I have decided to celebrate my 99th at Hawelka’s too!



If you would like to contact me, my address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Have you read my This Month’s Short Story yet? Click on to “short story” under "pages" at the top right hand corner of your screen! By the way, it’s a true story!

Marathon Aches!

Marathon Torture - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Last Sunday was the Vienna marathon, and with only one hundred meters to go, the thought of the finish and the end of the pain was the thing that was driving this runner on. He finished near the end, but he finished all the same. Well done!

Robert Rutöd

Keeping the Record - pencil drawing by Nigel A. JAMES

Confirmed Expectations

There is, on at the moment, an exhibition of Robert Rutöd’s photography at the Galerie Ruth Maier in Vienna. And, after having read about it in the Wiener Zeitung, my expectations were high!

There I found more than just very good pictures! What I discovered was a collection of excellently photographed moments - the split seconds in life that add up to the whole.

Moments are important! And life, one could say, is made up of them; and it is the role of photography (I believe) to capture them; and Robert Rutöd has successfully positioned himself at the front of a long-standing tradition that started with Alfred Stieglitz, and, along the way, has included such great names as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Brassai.

Simple snaps have a role to play, too. But only the practiced eye is able to pick out, recognize and shoot the essential– and all within the space of a very quick second. This is Robert Rutöd’s forte. He is recording our life!

And how he is reporting it is important, too. In Robert Rutöd's style there is an unusual colourful clarity of simplicity that doesn't fog the importance of the moment. What's important is the preserving of the split second of the now before it is gone for ever!

And this is the point of his photography. Moments very soon become the past; and it is the past that is interesting for the future; and, in years to come, Robert Rutöd’s pictures are the ones that people will be looking at and saying that that’s what life was like in those days!

I arrived at the exhibition with high expectations – they were confirmed. This exhibitio is to be seen!

This exhibition, which includes one or two small surprises as well, is on at Galerie Ruth Maier, the address is 1070 Vienna, Siebensterngassse 25. It is on until the 25th of April and is open from 4 in the afternoon until 7 in the evening.

The telephone number of the Galerie is 01 944 5500

Also of interest is Robert Rutöd’s home page, www.rutoed.at

My e-mail address is the following, njmailboy@gmail.com

For Those We Have Loved

Maxi Lighting a Candle - Photo by Niigel A. JAMES

For Those We Have Loved - A Weekend of Tragedy in Europe!

Candles not only provide a warmth of memory, but also a comforting light in our moments of darkness!

Halina Seidl

Halina Seidl - Photo by Nigel A. JAMES

The Clearing of the Fog


Big chances in life often come about by taking advantage of circumstances at the time; and, sometimes it’s better to go where life leads you than to try and plan it and shape it in advance.

Halina Seidl grew up amongst the dying dreams of socialist Poland. Things weren’t easy and the prospects for improvements and great advancements were practically non-existent. The future, it seemed at the time, was like a fog on the horizon - and no different at all from the ever rolling mists of the moment.

Being the youngest of a very large family, Halina knew how to fight and manipulate; and so, being armed with the confidence of success, she set out on her way through life. One of her brothers had already left Poland, and it was to him in Vienna that she went for a holiday one summer.

Her vacation turned into a working holiday. A friend of her brother’s needed some help in his restaurant. For three weeks she saw no sun, nor did she lay on the beach, but what she saw was better than even the most breathtakingly beautiful sunrise! Appearing before her were all of the opportunities that were waiting to be picked. For Halina, the fog had suddenly cleared and the sun had come out! Vienna had decided to keep her.

Starting anew in a foreign country means more than just getting a job, there is also a new language to be learned. This proved no problem for Halina. Soon her German was fluent enough for her to take over and run one of the greatest Viennese institutions of all, a sausage stand. Halina was in business for herself. And to run a sausage stand successfully means acceptance, and the number of regular customers that she had was also proof of her popularity.

Business grew, and the sausage stand soon gave way to a small restaurant in the 13th district of Vienna. On the menu are the popular dishes that are part of the fabric of the Viennese soul, and because sausages, too, are part of the Viennese heart, Halina has kept the street side of her tiny restaurant as a sausage stand. But if sausages are the food of today, children are the hope of tomorrow!

And children are very important for Halina. As well as building up and running a very successful catering business, she has also been quietly running a family and bringing up two beautiful girls. Most people complain about the lack of time, but the truth is, we all have as much of it as each other! Halina has been leading more than just one parallel life, she has been leading four! She started a new life, she learned a new language, she launched her own business and she founded a family! What is she going to do next?

Halina’s restaurant is to be found in the 13th district of Vienna in the Hietzinger Hauptstrasse at number 90 (just where the railway crosses the street).

If you would like to send me a mail, my address is njmailboy@gmail.com

Ps. You might like to read my short essay on doors. http://lexmatica.blogspot.com

Frozen Spring Moments

Early Spring Coffee - I took this picture whilst walking around Vienna last week. Winter had given way to spring and everyone was out enjoying themselves. If you look carefully, I am somewhere in the picture - not only once, but also twice! I wish you all a very happy happy Easter!

Herbert List

Smile Please! Pencil drawing by Nigel A. JAMES

An Exhibition to Behold

Westlicht is playing host to an all time great, and if you enjoy photography, and you are within easy reach of Vienna, then this sensational exhibition is for you!

It is impressions that one takes home from exhibitions, and trying to put them into words of understanding is well nigh impossible; the only thing that I can say about what I had the pleasure of seeing is wow!

Divided into four separate sections, this retrospective covers the entirety of the essential works by List.

His nudes are neither bad reproductions of uncovered flesh for the sake of art, nor are they naked bad taste. They are, instead, a celebration of life at its youthful best in all its vitality!

Applying vitality to still life and abstract composition is not easy; but, somehow, it is the simplicity of List’s composures that are so arresting and magnetic. There is no pretence in the beauty of even the most common of household utensils when set against the right, if not unexpected background. List understood the harmony of objects as well as the nature of people. And there is no better word than magnetic for his portraits!

Capturing someone on film is easy. Taking a very good portrait, however, is one of the most difficult photographic challenges that exists! List certainly had no problem. There must have existed a tremendous empathy between the photographer and his subjects. His portraits all reveal a very strong dimension of positive feeling that’s seldom – even amongst the best. And his real life pictures, or street photography as it is referred to nowadays, was, too, streets ahead of the rest of the pack.

His pictures of every life shows all from the very small to the very great. His photographs are a fascinating historical document of his time. There are the clothes, the backgrounds, and all of the other small but important things that made up the way of life at the time. Without knowing it, everyone in all of his pictures have become part of an extremely valuable contribution to the recording of the picture of man!

I cannot speak too highly of this exhibition. It is on until the middle of April at Westlicht in the seventh district of Vienna. The address is Westbahnstrasse 40. 1070 Wien. http://www.westlicht.com/

Language Assistance

The word behold, as in the title of this piece, means to closely observe or to pay serious attention to.

The word nigh is an old fashioned word and is no longer in (such) common use. It means nearly.

I hope you have enjoyed this very brief review, and if you wish to send me a mail, my address is, njmailboy@gmail.com

Market Forces

Schönbrunn Easter Market - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Stalls Are Not Only For Kneeling!

Churches are not the only places that are full at Easter. I took this picture at the Schönbrunn Easter Market in Vienna. Easter, for traders is already well under way; and they seem to be doing just fine. Prey it continue!

Sandwich Gabi

A Square Meal - Pencil drawing by Nigel A. JAMES

Sandwiches Are More Than Just Fillings!

Just the other day, I was taking a coffee with an acquaintance of mine, Maria Brieber, a woman of note in the city of Vienna. And, by and by, as the way things normally go, she got around to telling me about a friend of hers, a certain Gabi.

It happened just three or four years ago. Gabi, just after leaving her 50th behind, was looking forward to a soft ride home towards retirement. She was good at her job. She was popular with the customers, and her bosses in the shoe retailing world were happy with her more than just a few years of profitable sales experience. Then came the shock!

The blue letter arrived. Gabi was no longer needed; she had been “reorganized” out of the system. She was redundant! Quicker than a wink of an eye, her life turned from colour to darkness.

But, when it gets dark the morning always comes; and, bit by bit and little by little, the dawn of a new beginning started to rise and to shine. From somewhere within her a certain strength was beginning to stir; and, with the passing of time, it came to her that being fifty was, in terms of modern day life, a half-way stage - not the beginning of the end.

Having made up her mind to act, things, too, started to happen in her favour. Whilst having an Italian meal with an old friend, she discovered that a friend of this friend was in the sandwich business; and further, this sandwich person had a sandwich bar in a local school that she would be giving up in about a year.

The sandwich business? Why not? Gabi moved quickly. Soon she was working at the sandwich bar, earning whilst learning, and, within the year, the sandwich bar had become her own!

Gabi’s life has changed completely. Retirement is no longer an issue. Why should it be? Her own business, because of the way that she is with people, has become extremely successful; and the rewards are the direct results of her own making.

Work is no longer 6 days a work, she no longer has an anonymous boss, and she is no longer restricted to a pay cheque that is not of her making. Life, for Gabi, has taken off, not crashed as maybe it could have done!

Life is like a sandwich! It is as good as its filling.

Language Aid/English - German

Acquaintance – Bekannten
A certain – ein gewisse.
Retirement – Pension.
Reorganized – umstrukturiert.
Redundant – arbeitslos.
Dawn – Morgendämmerung.
To rise – steigen.
To stir – sich bewegen
In her favour – zu ihrer Vorteil
Earning – verdienen

ps. I called the above picture A Square Meal because everything that's in it is round. There is a round bottle, a round cheese roll, two round glasses and two round plates! Can you find them all? A "square meal" is another way of saying a satisfying or substantial meal.

Toys and Drawings

Pirate Ship - pencil drawing by Nigel A. James

Ship Ahoy! This is in fact a pirate ship which belongs to Maxi, my son. The different shadings are a product of my own imagination.

Sonja Hubmann

Sonja Hubmann - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Dreamy and Timeless!


Sonja Hubmann is a person who has spent her entire life being herself; and being one’s self means the living out of the dreams that are within one; and the thing that’s within Sonja is a very deep sense of the being part of the very positive, and very fun side of the entire human race!

For Sonja, being part of the whole means total involvement; and her life, until now, has comprised of a chain of achievements that have reflected her incredible mastery in the way that she is able to touch the depths of those she encounters.

And Sonja touches people in a very special way. On her journey to where she is now, she has written and produced a musical, she has taken the saddle in a country and western show, she has painted pictures for exhibitions, she has photographed animals, and her dreamy and timeless voice has been shot to the top on a set of super CDs which she wrote, composed and produced!

But this chain of artistic successes would be nothing without the people who make up the links of appreciation. People are very important for Sonja. At the moment she is expanding her horizons by getting to know a lot more people from all over the world in a language exchange programme which is being run by the University of Vienna. And the more people one knows – the more knowledge one has – and knowledge is the seed of tomorrow’s creations!

Sonja’s strength lies in her creativity, and, as all creative people know, horizons disappear as soon as they are reached; and when they are reached, new ones appear. But people with no dreams have no where to go, and only go where they are led!

Language Aid

Involvement – Engagement.
Comprise – besteht aus,-
Achievements- Errungenschaften
Incredible – erstaunlich
To encounter - begegnen

link - Glied

Touch – berühren
Chain – Kette
Appreciation – Schätzungen.
Creation(s) - Schöpfungen .

If you are interested in finding out more about Sonja, she has a very interesting homepage, www.sonni.tv

From A to B? - Or From B to A?

Buffers! Photo by Nigel A. James

Alpha and Omega
Is this the end of the line? Or is it the begining of the line? It is both in one! It is "b" when going from "a" to "b", but, when returning to "a" it has become "a" and the original "a" has become "b". Coming is sometimes going and the other way around as well!

Thomas Zotloterep

Thomas Whilst Thinking - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Spring Waters Run Deep


I can honestly say that I know Thomas Zotloterep reasonably well. And, with many more years still to put on until he is thirty, his feet are already planted firmly upon the path he has chosen in life. A course which is leading to a very bright future in the field of high economics.

This future high flyer, is, without any doubt at all, a very successful student, and the secret of his success can be summed up in only one word, balance!

What I’m talking about is Thomas’s three legged triangular balance of life: serious study, serious work and serious play. And each individual leg of this finely tuned three legged balancing act is essential for the attainment of his ultimate target; a goal which is drawing closer and closer as each loaded day goes speedily by.

Thomas is a party and festival man. The milestones in his life are the beginning of the year, the middle of the year, and the end of the year - all excuses for a party. There is the beginning of the year party, the middle of the year party, and, of course, the end of the year party; and all other parties such as Christmas parties, Easter parties, carnival parties, etc. in between.

But for Thomas, the beginning of the year is the return of the light in the spring; and spring is something very special indeed. Spring means Spring Jam!

Spring Jam is a party that is held by the sea, and it is three full days of pure celebration. There is a disco on the beach, there are bands, and, in the hotels there is all-night action.

The merrymaking begins at Vienna’s Südbahnhof, the station for the south, where students from all over Austria gather to board specially chartered trains for their journey to the sun and the fun!

Spring Jam is special. It is energy tanking pure! And it is the sea air, the sun, the surf and the company that does it. Everyone there is of the same thinking, and that’s the element that’s essential for an atmosphere of harmony and peace. And highly charged inner peace is the basic and most important ingredient for success in whichever branch you may be in.

Spring Jam makes sense. It is a meeting of dynamic minded people, and those who are so when they’re young, remain so for life. And all successful people are dynamic.

Language Aid

Reasonably – ziemlich

To sum up – zusammenfassen.
To sum up/summed up/ summed up.

Finely tuned – genau gestellt.
Essential - absolute erforderlich
Attainment - Erreichen
Drawing - annähern

Excuse (for a party) – Grund.

Martin's Biergartl

Martin's Biergartl - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Looking Back! After a pleasant evening with friends, to home is where one always has to go. This is a picture of a final parting glance of Martin's Biergartl in Vienna. Evenings there are always brilliant. The beer is good, the food is above excellent, the prices are fair and the atmosphere is simply just right. Here's to many more nice evenings. Cheers!

Gerda Zimmer-Nussbaumer

Gerda Zimmer-Nusbaumer - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Household Happiness!


Once upon a time, Gerda Zimmer-Nussbaumer used to suffer from the tedious monotony of non-challenging, humdrum and desperate housework.

The washing up was always the same dreary bubbly experience with only the occasional breakage to provide for a bit of welcome relief from this three time daily brain killing chore!

And the dusting and cleaning, being nothing more than a necessary reaction against the rapidity of the ever repeating accumulation of dust and dirt, was just as bad.

And, as for the ironing! That was something that was expected, but never really appreciated!

But that was all then! Now is different; and now is different because of one thing. One day, whilst doing the vacuuming, Gerda was struck by a stroke of magical inspiration. All of a sudden the truth of enjoying housework stood before her. All that was needed was devotion! If one were to be devoted to a job, then perfection and enjoyment would surely follow! A strange and simple truth no less!

But, how was this to be? How could this leap from hating to loving be achieved? How could one possibly devote one’s self to cleaning and dusting and ironing and washing? The answer was that you couldn’t! But then the answer, like the rising of the sun, began to evolve from the shadows of Gerda’s thoughts!

Gerda became more than one person! For the ironing she became Mina; and for the cleaning and all of the other horrible jobs, she became Agatha. Both Mina and Agatha love their respective jobs, and both are the best in their fields. And now, thanks to these two ladies, Gerda’s flat has never looked better.

And who does the cooking? Gerda, of course. Cooking and entertaining have always played an important role in her life, and now, thanks to Mina and Agatha, this has become more fun, too. After all, there is no more cleaning and washing up to be done!

So, if you, too are suffering from housework; why not take a leaf out of Gerda’s book? Invent yourself anew, and, you, too could soon be dancing around the apartment with a duster in one hand and a broom in the other! What could be better? And another thing, relaxing is more enjoyable too!



Tedious - langweilig
Humdrum - langweilig

Dreary – langweilig, fade.
Bubbly – schaumig.
Occasional – gelegentlich.
Relief – Erleichtern
Chore – lästige Pflicht (Hausarbeit z.B.)

Dusting – Stauben.
Necessary- notwendig.
Rapidity – Schnelligkeit.
Ever repeating – immer werdende.
Accumulation – Sammlung.

Ironing – Bügeln.

Vacuuming – staubsaugen.
Devotion – Ergebenheit.
Enjoyment – Genuß.

Evolve - entwickeln

Anew – again –wieder.

Carnival in Vienna

Making Up - photo by Nigel JAMES

Time to Make Up! The day after tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, tomorrow is Shrove Tuesday; and that means that tomorrow is also the end of Carnival! But every good end has to have a begining, and the better the start the better the party! This picture shows two girls getting ready for a Fasching (carnival) party in Vienna.

Always the Same!

On Track for Work - photo by Nigel A. JAMES

Mondays are the same all over the world! This picture shows a picture of some "not too happy" people boarding a tram. They are all on their way to work or school. A day later they were a little happier, two days later even more; and, by Friday, they were positively "weekendish".

Franz and Renate Gross

Franz and Renate Gross - photo by Nigel A JAMES

A Stony Path!



Stones and minerals possess an ancient strength that can never grow old. Stones know no time; and dealing in them is the same as selling eternity; and two such people who do just that are Franz and Renate Gross.

Their charming little shop is to be found in the 13th district of Vienna; and, once inside, one finds one’s self in an atmosphere of timelessness and magic!

The mineral and stone trade demands both knowledge and creativity; and, in this sense, Franz and Renate make up the perfect team.

Franz is a man of the earth; and nature has always played a very important role in his life. And this was probably the reason as to why his uncle gave him a piece of granite whilst they were hiking through the Austrian Alps one summer.

Franz, being only a boy at the time, probably didn’t realize the significance of his uncle’s gift. But the truth of the matter is the following: this event was to mark the beginning of a lifelong passion for minerals, and, ultimately, a very successful little shop which has brought them lots of friends and connections world wide.

Renate, too, is a child of nature, but her calling lies in art. As a girl, she used to spend most of her spare time either sketching or painting, which, in retrospect, was the perfect preparation for her stony future. All of the necklaces, bracelets and pictures that are to be found in the shop are Renate’s design and production. Renate is very much the creative force that sets this fine little shop apart from the rest.

But, dynamic people always lead more than one life. Franz and Renate have their swords in more than one stone! When not collecting minerals or travelling to England (something they love doing), they are to be found in a time gone by as a knight and his lady – but this is a story for summer; and in the summer we will be meeting them again.

Their shop is to be found in Vienna in the Lainzerstrasse at number 132. It is open on Mondays between 4 in the afternoon and 6 in the evening, and on Tuesdays, Wednesday, Thursdays and Fridays from10 to 12 in the mornings, and from 3 until 6 in the evenings.

Why not pay them a call!


Language Help


Possess – besitzen. To possess/possessed/ possessed.
Eternity – Ewigkeit.

Demand – verlangen. To demand/demanded/demanded
Knowledge – Wissen.

Hiking - Wandern

Spare time – Freizeit.
Calling – Berufung
Spend – verbringen. To spend/spent/spent.
Retrospect – Nachhinein –
Preparation – Vorbereitung.
Necklace – Halskette.
Bracelet – Armband.

-

If you would like to send me a mail, please do,- njmailboy@gmail.com

Put on Ice?

I took this photo at the Vienna Ice Skating Club. Is this little boy bored with waiting; or, has he had enough and wants to go home? In any event, he's waiting!