OK ... this deserves more than 1 point!  First (and hopefully the last) ever!  Pain pain pain!!!  First ever slipped disk, first ever trip to the German emergency ward at the hospital and first ever German X-ray.  Also, put out of action for a week so no other first opportunities :-(  2 points?

I was all set to watch the opening of the World Cup when, as the whistle blew, some wonderful singing came from outside.  There was a great choir who had decided to entertain the cul-de-sac with some lovely music.  They were there for about half an hour and it sounded great.  Totally unexpected and very much a first!  1 point?

My first ever day trip to the beach at Warnemünde.  Lovely sunny weather, beautiful sandy beaches and great ice cream!  Let’s hope it’s the start of many more; loved it!  1 point?

I loved the idea of celebrating the indian celebration of Holi in Mauerpark.  It was a lovely picnic with lots of colourful powder to through over each other.  Dead phone means limited photos but still a few to prove I was there.  1 point?

A spur of the moment decision to go to the cinema resulted in one of the best things I’ve seen on the big screen.  I’ve always been quite skeptical of the idea of watching a live theatre show in a cinema but it was absolutely fantastic and I would highly recommend it for future.  The play ‘A Curious Incident of a dog in the nighttime’ is one of my favourite books and so I was unsure how good the play would be.  I particularly liked the lighting and sound effects used to depict what was happening inside the mind of the autistic child who plays the main character.  Fantastic director and designer! 1 point?

OK so it’s been a while since I’ve updated the blog but to be fair, it’s been a bit challenging sitting at a computer.  But ... I’m back to update before our half year cut-off point!  

A few weeks ago, I went on a long walk around the lakes in Strausberg.  I did a 25km walk around Stausberg lake, and Blumenthaler Wald before heading over to Bötzsee.  It was a beautiful area with lots of lovely walking paths; highly recommended.  Unfortunately, the walk reinforced an ache that I had in my foot, which turned out to be a fracture.  1 point for the walk and 1 point for a first ever broken foot?

Well, this is the first time I have ever been legally able to vote in the EU so I did so.  As usual, I found all the registering process difficult to do in German, but I did it and I’m very proud of myself.  I originally thought this would be worth 2 points, but after actually voting, I realised that I did not understand what I was doing and probably spoilt my paper by randomly marking the ballot sheet.  Perhaps half a mark deducted for failure to understand the process and therefore single-handedly causing the EU to collapse.

At the weekend I took part in the Jena Horizontale 35K walk.  Despite not really practicing as much as I would have liked, I managed to complete the challenge in 6 hours 55 minutes.  I was particularly proud of myself as I had not realised the the whole walk would be at altitude, which meant ascents and descents that pulled at every muscle and challenged my ability to breath.  Once at altitude however, the scenery was beautiful with stunning views over Thuringia.  I managed to get in before the thunder storm too, which was a HUGE bonus!  Afterwards, I went for a lovely meal and then slept on the train all the way home.  Next year the 100K?  Mmmm, maybe :-)

OK so I know this is only a little first, but nevertheless, it is a first!  Having lived in Berlin for nearly 5 years now, this is the very first ever take-out I've had delivered to my house.  A lovely evening in with a friend to watch a film and have curry. 1 Point?

Once a month in Kreuzberg, Kiez Bingo takes place in the club SO36.  The ‘Super Sexy’ transvestite bingo callers - Ingeborg and Gisela - are brilliant and, even with my limited German, they had me in tucks of laughter!  In light of the current Eurovision winner Conchita Wurst, Gisela sported a sexy black dress, wig and beard - fantastic!  All the prizes are donated by shops around Kreuzberg and were truly weird and wonderful!  The money raised throughout the night go to political and charitable projects.  A strange night, but a really good laugh!  2Points?