Monday 12 April 2010

Springtime - Flingtime

Yes, I have done it, I can't deny: I have betrayed you.
I have blogged away from my blog, strayed away from familiar ground built on trust and loyalty, and gone to the meadows on the other side of the fence (where the grass is invariably greener).

Go here to see what I have done and had to say.



13 comments:

SAPhotographs (Joan) said...

You are in SO much trouble, it is going to take ages before you get out of it!! LOL!! You had better read my comment on the piece. :)

Rurality said...

Nice job! But what you failed to mention is the proper pronunciation of your name. I'm almost certain that I'm saying it (well, thinking it) wrong.

Jochen said...

@Joan. I know, I'll soon be on my knees begging my loyal readers to not abandon me! :-))

@Rurality: Thanks! The pronunciation of Jochen?
Oh, that is very difficult and is the reason for my many nicknames in English.
Okay, I'll try:

J = as in yoghurt
o = as the "a" in always, somewhere between "o" and "a"
ch = a soft hissing like a "noisy" exhalation
en = as in "end" without the "d"

Jochen said...

@ Rurality: I forgot, the emphasis is on the "o".

Hilke Breder said...

Apropos American pronounciation of "ch" we had a crazy guy in our town, an old codger, whose last name was Koch. He didn't like the way people pronounced it. So he changed it to "Cokeisit".

Anonymous said...

Oh, come on, admit it - you had the easy part. I had to email you the questions, after all.

Jochen said...

@Hilke: my nickname in Canada (as a 16 year-old) was actually "Yuck" because I always tried to teach the Canadians the propper pronunciation of the "ch" by saying it was like the noise you make when you gather spit in your throat before you spit it out. My friends later always "defended" me stating it was really not yuck but Yak - the animal - but just couln't come up with a good enough reason for calling me a Himalayan bovine. Even today I am always tempted to tell English-speakers to simply call me Yuck (I've come to like it, actually), but as I am nearing my 40th birthday, it doesn't sound very, you know, "appropriate".

@Wren: yes, it was very easy for me to answer your wonderful questions. Anything for you, Wren, to keep you from telling people how hard it must have been to edit my mumblings and rumblings.

Dale Forbes said...

this link is bound to be interesting to you Jochen:
http://www.birdwatch.co.uk/channel/newsitem.asp?c=11&cate=__8950

Dale Forbes said...

1. I loved your "why blog" answer.
2. thanks for the plug
3. is there anything better than being in the mountains. just you. the mountains. the sky. and a great big bearded vulture gently enjoying the day?

Jochen said...

@Dale: hey, thanks for the link, it is interesting!

1. Thanks, I enjoyed writing it, too!

2. Hey, don't mention it. Remember those Snow Finches?

3. Oh yes, there is: everything you said, but then TWO Bearded Vultures floating around enjoying the day. Do you occasionally see Bearded Vultures in Tirol now? They seem to be firmly established in the alps now.
ENVIOUS!!! :-)

Dale Forbes said...

I have yet to see a real European bearded vulture, but not for lack of trying. One day, oh one day, I will see one. and when I do, I will send you a photo just to lighten up your day. hey, you might even see one where you live as the youngsters are known to undertake stupid, expansive wanderings...

bearded vultures for me are these mystical creatures that float out of the mists of the high Drakensberg....

the ch in your name is familiar to many English speakers in that it is like the Scotish "loch"

Monday Birder said...

I feel like I know you a lot better now Jochen. I really enjoyed reading that.

Jochen said...

@ Dale: "bearded vultures for me are these mystical creatures that float out of the mists of the high Drakensberg...."
Ah, we are clearly soulmates.
Actually, a youngster turns up at the Baltic coast of Germany every few years, amazingly! The chances however are extremely slim. It will likely take more than a lifetime for that to happen. Not for lack of trying, though.
As far as I know, Bearded Vultures might be seen in the Hohentauern?
I enjoyed the Bearded Vultures at the Alpenzoo. Of course, that is not even a fraction of the joy of seeing them in the wild, but I simply try to see them as often as I can.

@Richard: thanks, it was a lot of good fun writing it.