Emma McNicoll-Norbury

Video

Thu, 16 May 2013 08:35:46 +0100

Hunting for Herman, part 5 - or rather "how to look German" (a nice video demonstrating different ways to wear a scarf. German girls like scarves.

helloyoucreatives: The history of typography

Mon, 06 May 2013 14:13:26 +0100

helloyoucreatives:

The history of typography

A pink sky of blossom in #Bonn #Germany. Just like this:...

Thu, 02 May 2013 09:24:32 +0100

A pink sky of blossom in #Bonn #Germany. Just like this: http://www.boredpanda.com/amazing-places/ #beautiful I love living here!

May Outside-ness Mantra

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 14:41:29 +0100

Repeat after me…

Hooray!

At last flip flop o’clock is here

& this month of May, I will get out & about

Yes: Out of my comfort zone*
(*which is where the magic happens)

I will spend at least 82% of my time in nature*
(*including a night under the stars)

Indeed, Alfresco will be my middle name*
(*I may even get deed poll involved to make this official)

I will run til my legs hurt

& laugh til my belly aches

& have picnics.

I will go to places I have never been

& have seven kinds of adventure.

Yes, May, you will be a breath-of-fresh-air kind of month, you will.

N.B. I reckon only running, adventure etc are easily achievable. And picnics. Definitely laughing is ticked off.

Hunting for Herman, part 4

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:45:14 +0100

Not sure why I have called this “Hunting for Herman” as there has been no hunting. Here are a couple of quick observations from my time in Germany:

They are a nation of pop sock wearers. Do you know what I mean? These. I associate these with OAPs (sorry for any offence). Germans wear them all the time, with pumps, with court shoes, etc. I mean I vaguely get it (this is because I have been indoctrinated and now have adopted this fashion), they mean your feet don’t get as sweaty in the cheap shoes that make feet sweaty. However they are so gross! It does mean that shoes that may rub in the heat, don’t. As I said, it’s just an observation…
The word “Entschuldigung” means sorry. I don’t hear it very much as the German people bash their way around places, isn’t it the equivalent of “excuse me please”? I know us British folk apologise for anything even when we don’t need to (case in point here) but seriously, have some manners…

Now Entschuldigung I just need to go and buy some more pop socks…

April Me-Ness Mantra

Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:51:16 +0100

I’m a bit late publishing this month…

Repeat after me…

I am amazing
I am wonderful
I am brilliant

And April is going to be the best month yet.

I will be kind to myself each & every single day & not waste a moment worrying* (*I might waste them messing about or eating cheese instead)

But I definitely won’t worry.
especially about things I can’t change.

Instead

I shall focus on today…NOW…this minute
And make the very most of it.

I will turn off the TV,
Get outside, get creative,
& get more me than I’ve ever been before.

Yes April you rock. And so do I.

“Our superb account manager” - yes that’s...

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 13:56:59 +0000

“Our superb account manager” - yes that’s me!

For the full article: http://www.theblueballroom.com/wp-content/uploads/ontheball-Spring-20131.pdf

Hunting for Herman, part 3

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 13:56:32 +0000

I have now been here for 4 whole weeks. This “Hunting for Herman” lark has worn thin, I spend too much time in Irish bars. This weekend, more time will be spent in Irish bars because it’s St. Patrick’s Day and it would be rude not to. Therefore perhaps it should be renamed “Hunting for Harry” if Harry is an Irish name? Although, really it shouldn’t be called “Hunting” at all, as I am not desperate and nor am I hunting. I am just enjoying the surroundings.

Further observations of my time include and there is a theme here:

Germans keep their rubbish in the cellar (a dangerous place to go in my house… smashed my iPhone down there). How does it get collected from the cellar?! When you live on your own you don’t generate all that much rubbish especially as it has to be split for recycling, so this is all rather strange to me…
If you buy a bottle of drink in a shop, a plastic bottle, you pay an extra 25 cents on the price shown. You can take the empty bottle back to a shop to collect the 25 cents. This just baffles me. You see people ferreting in rubbish bins for stuff to get the money.
You can be fined 5 euros on the spot if you are caught jaywalking. I mentioned that I break this ruling a lot here. Surely this involves unnecessary paperwork at the police station? Which then needs to be recycled and kept in the cellar.

More soon…in the meantime I’m off to the English Shop in Cologne to get some Robinson’s squash. That’s what I really want - the Germans like bottled water, but it’s nasty stuff. Doesn’t taste as good! Probably the recycling antics that go on…

Hunting for Herman, part 2

Mon, 04 Mar 2013 12:26:00 +0000

In part two of my observations of the German culture (see part 1 here), written after lunch with an Italian colleague who told me about German men and the dating scene here, I have made the following discovery:

It’s quite possible that I won’t find Herman, Dieter, etc here (partly because I frequent Irish bars) because I have today discovered:

German men do not approach girls in bars
German men do not pay on the first date (don’t get me wrong, I’m a generous soul but there is 50/50 and being made to feel special).

So where do I meet Herman? And then when I’ve met him, we’ll just go for a walk in the park, as that’s free. Maybe we’ll put a padlock on the bridge in Cologne - something I really don’t get.

Other observations I have made over the weekend:

Buses have seats that face backwards here. This doesn’t help those who suffer from travel sickness…
Everything is closed on Sundays (I knew this before I came, but it is literally everything aside from a few places to eat and drink). The Germans shop like crazy on Saturdays - think Oxford Street at Christmas and queues in the shops like there is a new Apple product for sale. Therefore on Sundays, the only thing to do is go to an Irish bar and discuss such findings…

Forward...

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:07:17 +0000

Forward March http://emmamcnic.tumblr.com/post/44287665931/march-lucky-mantra

March Lucky Mantra

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:00:55 +0000

Repeat after me…

Well hello March

Month of tantalisingly slightly-warmer-but-too-soon-for-shorts weather

I am ready for leaping, bouncing and general springy-ness.

I shall be lucky ALL MONTH… luckier than I’ve ever been.

I shall dance with serendipity and dine with good fortune.

I will also be fabulously lovely to my mum

and dad

and all the family.

But especially mum.

I will inject COLOUR into my style and walk with a swagger in some impossibly fashionable new shoes.

Yes, March you will be a mountain top of a month with me at the lucky summit, you will.

Hunting for Herman...

Thu, 28 Feb 2013 14:42:00 +0000

and initial musings of a Brit on the Rhine (a bit like Frog on the Tyne?). Anyway, I have come to Germany for a few months, and whilst I have been here a number of times I guess I have been blissfully ignorant to some of the Germanic ways of living… so here are a few things that I have encountered here in the past 2 weeks:

I break the law nearly every day when I cross the road - yes that’s right, I am meant to cross when the green man shows, something us Brits don’t always do and often tempt fate. Last night in Cologne on the smallest crossing, there was an accident and we (all the people I was with also wishing to cross the road) had to wait for the green man on what seemed the safest of roads - we waited because the police were there and I presume nobody wanted to get into trouble…
The Ubahn system is not the underground - as a frequent traveller in London, I saw the pic (see my post) at Bonn Hbf and chuckled to myself (I can’t speak the lingo so it wasn’t as if I was going to chuckle with anyone else). In fact on the Ubahn there seems to be limited checking of tickets…not like the Oyster card system at all.
Public transport seems to be very good value - a weekly ticket from Cologne to Bonn and using all the modes of transport available in this region cost me 50EURO. This seems pretty good to me, considering the distance between Cologne and Bonn is around 30kms, ok so about half the distance between Guildford and London but doing the math, this would have cost me so much more in the UK…
Anyone you speak to (either in your limited Deutsch or English) wants to know exactly where you live. “Near London”. That just isn’t good enough - and then by the time you’ve told them, they realise they’ve not heard of it (as you knew) and launch into the last time that they had visited London…… many light years ago…… or they went to the Olympics, or and this is my favourite: they tell you about a friend who lives or lived in London. WOW.
Smoking still happens in some bars - I just thought many countries had adopted the no smoking rule in bars and clubs etc. Germans apparently can still smoke in some (I believe it is if your bar is under 46 square metres - bit of learning does happen when I go to particular Irish bars) and if your bar is really big then it has to be no smoking but with a random room providing it. This is weird and I had forgotten just how much smoking really brings a stench to your hair and clothing (and I don’t smoke).
Irish bars are plentiful - and always go there if you need someone to talk to and advice from someone who speaks English, and probably also has been to the city many times. Easy.

And finally for today (I’m sure I’ll notice more):

Dogs are allowed in shops - and not just Guide Dogs and not just your little kiosk that you want to buy some crisps from, no, dogs are allowed in H&M (of which there are more than enough, enough to rival the number of McDonald’s).

More soon… as I haven’t met Herman, or Klaus, or Dieter…

This is somewhat misleading #Bonn ubahn is definitely not...

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 20:28:29 +0000

This is somewhat misleading #Bonn ubahn is definitely not #London underground.

I would totally send this card...

Thu, 14 Feb 2013 12:25:27 +0000

Source: etsy.com via Aaron on Pinterest

In advance of tomorrow, just in case he’s out there…...

Wed, 13 Feb 2013 20:57:52 +0000

In advance of tomorrow, just in case he’s out there… #Valentine

Listening to my “guilty” playlist…...

Mon, 04 Feb 2013 14:58:59 +0000

Listening to my “guilty” playlist… what’s your guilty track?! One of mine is this!

February Love Mantra

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 09:24:00 +0000

Repeat after me…

In February

I shall never resist a high five.

In fact:

I shall initiate high fives regularly… sometimes even with passers by.

I shall do all the things that make me feel on top of the world & none of the things which make me feel like hiding under the duvet*
(*although a very occasional duvet hide, with toast and a good book is something to be celebrated).

I shall spend time around all the people who make me feel fabulous

& I shall endeavour to be one of those people too.

Yes I will be the love.

February, you will be one woohoo of a month.

(From the best diary - ok so 2012 was quite good).

Obviously this is about as far fetched as love could get via...

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:54:32 +0000

Obviously this is about as far fetched as love could get via @Zoelee #ValentinesDay short film by #Disney

Within Two Worlds: a beautiful time lapse video if you like...

Thu, 24 Jan 2013 11:50:38 +0000

Within Two Worlds: a beautiful time lapse video if you like looking at the skies

Some of my snaps from my latest ski adventure. Top: On way back...

Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:49:00 +0000

On way back to Les Gets on the Belvedere chair from the Pleney (sunset, last lifts)

At the top of Chamossiere looking out on the Arbis run

On the way down from Mont Chery

The Jamaican ski team heading back to Les Gets

The Fornet bowl at Avoriaz

Coming down from Nyon to Morzine

Me at the top of Chamossiere

Looking down Mont Chery to Les Gets

Some of my snaps from my latest ski adventure.

Top: On way back to Les Gets on the Belvedere chair from the Pleney.

2nd row: Left, at the top of Chamossiere looking out on the Arbis run, Right, on the way down from Mont Chery.

3rd row: Left, the Jamaican ski team heading back to Les Gets, Right, the Fornet bowl at Avoriaz

Bottom: Left, coming down from Nyon to Morzine, Middle, me at the top of Chamossiere, Right, looking down Mont Chery to Les Gets.

:-) Happy days! (click on the pics to see bigger and better versions of course!)