Thinking of Nogbad

Not because this former, started in12thC, nunnery Klosterwald was owned for quite some time by the "English Ladies of Mindelheim" (if thats how you translate a religious order named Englische Fräulein in German and "Galloping Girls" in English!) founded in the 1600's by the English Mary Ward, a congregation dedicated to female education, a task Nogbad has dedicated much of his private life to - now he earns money for something similar but despite all the talk of equality, he only gets paid for the education of the male species even if they are "locked away" like the girls in the 17thC.

No, the Nigel Memory Day started with the news that he would have to change his King Ludwig's Bavaria Tour pre-recorded tape. The last time in 2009 when his daughter Jemma was the victim, just as one was settling down to sleep on the journey south from Munich, Nigel set forth with:

"and on your right is the prison of Landsberg am Lech built in 1908 and home for 264 days to Adolf Hitler in 1923/4 and where he wrote Mein Kampf".

Well today 150 journalists did a tour of the prison. Not a single word about Hitler or Rudolf Hess or the nearly 300 war criminals executed here. No, they were there to hear what months football was played here, if Champions League games were shown on TV, if prison work pay was tax-free etc. The reason, Bavaria Munich FC's (now ex) President has been sentenced to 3.5 years (2.5 with good behaviour) for tax evasion and is due to spend much of it here, starting after Easter. There are even calls to change the name from "Justizvollzugsanstalt Landsberg" to "Uli Hoeness Knast" (Nick). Apparently no computers allowed so no chance of selling an OU course on accountancy.

Will be interesting to see how Uli gets on there. He is almost as popular as King Ludwig, better known than Adof Hitler and has been an oustandingly vocal upholder of moral codes for years - luckily he is an adopted Bavarian (he was born 100 meters from Bavaria) and so his reputation has only taken a very slight scratch even though his original statement that he forgot about the 1 million tax which then turned out in court to be nearly 30 million - Bavarian's look after their sons and daughters - Mia san mia (we are we) - as the FC Bayern Munich saying goes. I expect he will reappear in late 2016 as a hero. As we used to live very close to Landsberg and several friends work in the prison, will have to try and get an autograph smuggled out for Angie...

Talking of which Nigel, Angie expects you to be wearing Bavaria MunichFC Red tomorrow night. If you really can't bring yourself to do it, at least put a Post-It sticker on your blue scarf with the words "1860 Munich". If you don't, she's threatening to send a German team from Oberdeppendippendorf to compete in the next T20 competition.

The river Lech on which Landsberg lies is the next big parallel river to the east of here. The blip was taken on the banks of the West Günz where I had gone to dispose a trailer full of garden refuse and went for an evening walk with the dogs. The river which is being "re-naturalised" to attrach more insects, bugs, flora & fauna and for natural grazing for cattle.

I HAVE LEFT COMMENTS SWITCHED ON TODAY BUT ONLY FOR NIGEL!