Everything slowed down after my birthday. After being so incredibly tired from the Arlberg, it was nice to chill for a couple of days and not do too much. I think that was the order of the day really. But just a few days of not doing too much and being around was good.
All the boys (Max, his cousin Julian, and some friends from school - Matthias, Clemens, Schrumpfi (isn't that a wicked name!) and some others) were heading to the cabin in the mountains, but i opted to stay and home and catch up on some sleep. Again, i think that i made a wise decision. Its just that, for some strange reason, ever since i have been here i have been incredibly tired all the time. I think the late nights, and excitement of everything certainly doesnt help, but it really is more than that, even when i get four or five days of good sleep, like 8 or 9 hours sleep, i still feel tired, maybe its a carryon from the end of last year, i cant really say that i got much sleep then either!
However, Friday night Konrad and i were going to the Congress for a string quartet concert, but he was dropping people off at the hut on the Gabel and the snow was too bad to return that evening, so he organised for Grandma to go with me. She lives only a couple of houses down and so i rugged up and set off on the walk down. Just as i was on my way, i stopped and had a really nice moment. It was a really strange thing. Im still excited by the snow, i love it, even though it can be a real pain, there nothing like it. Anyway, I stopped on my walk down right under this lampost and it was snowing quite heavily, but the snow was really chunky and big, so the flakes would fall on my coat and stay there. I looked up and saw the way the flakes got close to the light and melted, and that the ones that were far enough away illuminated themselves with a bright yellow flash when they passed the light, it was really weird because that night was so dead quite and still, and the really big snowflakes just fell and blanketed everything. Its funny how i have so seldom stopped to look at something like that, im glad that i did this time at least.
I got to Grandmas house (first i went to the wrong one! Try explaining, 'tut mir leid, ich habe die falsch hause' to a non-english speaking austrian, i thought that would translate perfectly to 'i am sorry, i have the wrong house', i think something was literally lost in translation!!!), and we set off. Now i hadnt been driving with Grandma Uranitsch yet, and well, to say the least, cruisin with granny was a hair-raising experience. I dont think ill ever forget her face when, several times throughout the trip she turned to me, raised her eyebrows in a surprised manner and said 'wow, dat auto vas really cloze, ja?', your telling me. We finally got into the carspot, eventually (i think that they call that style of parking in Mosman: bullbar touch parking). We had a few touches.... However, we finally got to the concert and it was excellent, they played a Haydn Sonata and then Brahms and to finish, Shumann. If anyone can ever get to the Congress in Graz it is incredible, it is lavishly decorated and has inlaid busts of all the famous German and Austrian composers around the top walls. They all have stern looks on their faces as well, as though they are about to critice the playing that is going on. A very impressive building, i will try to get a photo on here. But a fun night all the same.
Paz