Buss und Bettag

Not taking public transport and staying in bed day but Day of Repentance and Prayer, an important protestant feast day but also a "political football" over the centuries in Germany. Since 1852, the authorities have been trying to have a united approach, back then in Prussia, then in the Bismark united Germany. The Nazis had a go too, the communist East Germany messed around as well and finally when Germany again united in 1990, the day was fixed and declared a public holiday for all citizens, regardless of religion. Always a Wednesday, eleven days before 1st Advent Sunday.

Well it didn't last long. In 1994 it was declared it was to no longer be a public holiday, instead an unpaid workday, the money being paid in to the state nursing care (sick, disabled, elderly) insurance pot. This insurance had been reviewed and found to be woefully underfunded. The German payroll system means on employment income you pay you´r tax and then several deductions for: unemployment, health, pension and nursing care. This money is directly and only used for these purposes and is thus not available for government to use for any other purpose. I think if I remember correctly, the UK system differs in that some of these services, perhaps health and nursing care, are funded out of general tax and thus at the whim and mercy of how much the government of the day wants to spend.

One state, Saxony refused to go along and their inhabitants have a free day but have to pay 0.5% more of their annual wage in to the nursing fund than all others. This is actually more than the value of one working day and is or has been disputed in the courts.

In Bavaria, it is a free day for school children but teachers must attend school for some non-lesson work. Causes the working parents of children a problem with what do with them. Some employees let parents have a sort of "Children's Day in the office" which can work for office and clerical people but not for most industrial, outdoor, building type workers. Nuremberg City Council organises a free attended day for employees children at the cities zoo.

Back at the ranch, we observed the normal 24/7/365 routine. Angie managed a bit of a walk in the morning before the rain came and never stopped. Eddie went to the vet in the evening to have his first check up - actually no more than making sure his body jacket isn't too tight and he's comfortable. Angie and I had removed his i.V: needle the day before as his paw was swelling up. Quite difficult getting the heavily bound sticky bandaging away from his fur without pulling on the needle. Eddie was very brave and the paw went back to normal size within a few hours.

In the evening, I walked the dogs, dressed in rain jackets. It was horrible. Then popped in to Ottobeuren, to Petra's Getraenkemarkt, off-licence type shop, I mentioned yesterday. It's also a parcel shop depot for the dreaded DPD parcel delivery business. They just can't get their act togetherand a parcel sent on 4th November from 20km away in Memmingen, still hasn't been delivered - they can't find the house! On Monday I told them to deliver it to the parcel shop and I would collect it.

Had never been inside. The two people serving, one of whom was no doubt Petra were both very jolly and we had a good chat. They didn't know me from Adam and I had to insist they checked my identity from my new (June) UK passport. I was anxious to get some value for my renewing fee charged by Her Majesty's Secretary for State.  On the basis of 26 years of experience, it's unlikely I will have the opportunity again in the next 10 years (or until my free new black UK passport appears through the letterbox).

The inside of the shop is typical for a small independent business. There isn't an awful lot of razzmatazz that you can do with crates of beer, water and juices. Almost all the products are sold in glass, recycled bottles so you also pay, fully refundable on return, a deposit on each bottle and another one for the crate. The amount is the same throughout Germany. As a rule most bottles and crates can be returned to any other such business.

By the way for anyone who doesn't know the system, you don't need to buy a full crate. You can simply remove one or more bottles out of a crate and will just be charged the bottle deposit.

Few discount supermarkets use such glass bottles and sell their products in plastic bottles. There is a much higher deposit for plastic. A glass beer bottle is 8 cents, the same size plastic bottle is 25 cents.Plastic bottle deposits can be reclaimed in any other shop regardless of origin, that sells plastic bottles.

Life can be complicated at times.