I already know that I'm not going to do the last few weeks justice in these few lines. But I'm a day away from flying off to India for a fortnight, so I really have an urge to get my blog up to date, even at the risk of failing to capture delightful details of my daily doings: things like the crisp scimitar of a thin crescent moon that decorated the dusk sky when I went for a quick bike ride with Michaela & the boys; a sight that, as the sky purpled and darkened, was soon accompanied by the delicate glow of the rest of the moon's disk, earthlit and humbling in its purity.

Yeah, well, there's just no time for more details like that, so here's the usual gallop through my diary:

I went with Christian to spend the weekend near Osnabrück, up in the north of Germany. His brother Ralf lives there, and had invited us up for his 40th birthday party. Christian's parents were there too, so there were at least a few familiar faces for me.

We went by train, which made a nice change from the usual ritual of airport stress. Ralf picked us up from the station after a pleasant 5 hours' journey and we met his new wife at their flat. It was late, so after a short drink Ralf dropped the four of us at the bed & breakfast we were staying in just north of his little town of Bad Essen. It used to be a big spa resort, but is a little sleepy these days. But the walk into town the next morning was delightful along tree-lined avenues and in the crisp winter sun.

We did a little more walking later, along the big canal that runs through town just behind Ralf's house. It was a wonderful winter day! And we took lots of photos. The party that evening was fun too, with plenty of food & beer and lots of conversation with Ralf's friends & extended family. And the B&B was fab too, with a most entertainingly north German couple for hosts. All in all, a very pleasant weekend.

There was a bit of midweek fun when I went to the theatre with Christian and his theatre friends Sabine & Rudi, as well as Ädith & a few others. We saw "Dunkel Lockende Welt" by Händl Klaus. It almost defies description: a bizarre twisted comedy with just three characters: the landlord, the (female) tenant, and the tenant's mother. The mother at one point monologues for ten minutes on molecular biology; the tenant spits blood across the stage; the landlord slips on his tenant's high heels and sashays across the room. Weirdy! But most enjoyable.

And then came the next weekend away, this time in Blighty. Christian & I flew to Heathrow, picked up a hire car, and drove up to Warwick for lunch at the Saxon Mill. Again, the weather was clement and we wandered around after lunch taking photos of local sights including Kenilworth Castle and the Avon river. Then we headed to Phil & Jackie's to get ready to go out.

That evening we met up with a bunch of Powergen-era friends, including a very pregnant Frankie and a very naughty Liza & Tony. It was lovely to see Lee again - it's been ages! And the curry at Five Rivers in Leamington was mighty tasty. Apparently I was quite loud in the restaurant; Christian & Jackie spent most of the evening raising their eyebrows at each other whenever Phil or I said something tasteless. Which was often. As you can all imagine.

On Saturday we had a breakfast of yummy sausages in a bun at the farmers' market, then met up with Rob & Nonie and Helen and Mike from my choir for coffee at Café Rouge (crumbs! I hadn't been there for ages!) before Christian & I had to drive off to Watford for Selena's wedding. We arrived at the hotel literally two minutes before Chris & Kate and the girls, who were themselves followed after another two minutes by Michaela & the boys. A right old family reunion! The wedding was great fun, with food, drink and amusement.

On Sunday morning we all got stuck in to the huge breakfast buffet at the hotel, then went for a short walk along the Grand Union canal (symmetries, eh?) before leaving the Watford area. Chris & co drove back to Guildford, while we dropped Michaela & the boys at Heathrow and then went on to visit Justin & Sam in Ascot. I was very happy to see that Grace hadn't forgotten her friend Itchy (that's me, by the way), and Maisie has grown lots since I last saw her in October. After a quick late lunch of lamb & mediterranean vegetables and a laugh at some Oxford-era photos of us with bad hair, we bade the four of them farewell and headed to Guildford to spend the night with Chris & Kate & the girls. I love my nieces SO much!!!

Our flight back to Munich wasn't until Monday afternoon, so we had a relaxed morning and then popped in to Kew Gardens - cor blimey it was cold! - before zipping up the M4 back to the airport. And then, before we knew it, we were back in Munich.

The following week I had the opportunity to be a guinea-pig each afternoon for two physiotherapists who were studying manual therapy. They were a lovely pair: a cheeky dark-haired girl from Stuttgart who reminded me very much of Salma who I did German A-level with, and a strapping blond chap from Lausanne who had a very dry sense of humour - and rippling, bulging muscles everywhere! They have sorted out my neck & shoulder pain - yay!

And then came not one but TWO weekends actually in Munich!! Crazy, I know, but I like to push the envelope. On the first weekend I ate well, watched Our Earth (the film version of the BBC documentary series) at the cinema at Rosenheimer Platz, and finally finished that kitchen cupboard of mine. Hooray! I TOTALLY have enough drawers in my kitchen now! And a work surface that is high enough for me not to get back ache when I'm chopping an onion. Oh yeah, and I got my bike mended after managing to collide with another cyclist and destroying my back wheel. I don't want any more bike accidents.

On the second weekend it was a scorching hot Sunday, so Christian & I went to the zoo with cameras and I really caught the sun. Which is good, because it means I have a slight pre-tan before India. And I was at Michaela's helping her sort through loads of paperwork and stuff, as well as going for the bike ride with the boys that I mentioned several paragraphs ago.

In between the weekends I met up with my mate Rudi from Starnberg for dinner at Va Piano, and I went to the Starkbierfest at Nockherberg and then on for some tapas at Bar Teatro with Lorna & Bénédicte. I also met up with my mate Marko for a beer after work, Christian & I had dinner at Bénédicte's and watched the Simpsons Movie with her, and there was another English Stammtisch, this time at the wonderful Vietnamese round the corner from my flat, Mama. Oh, and I was at the EPO's St Patrick's Day party, replete with piping hot Irish stew and pint after pint of delicious Guinness.

Oh my goodness! I'm up to date! Damn, what do I do NOW to avoid having to pack? Or maybe I should actually decide what I'm taking to India now. It's no good avoiding it, even if it is stressful. Like Christian said a few hours ago, of all people I should know what to take travelling!

So I'll sign off now, and write once more after experiencing the sensory overload that is India...