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Post by Tig on Sept 15, 2012 17:28:01 GMT
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 15, 2012 17:41:18 GMT
Haha - he's got a perm - you ought to see what happens when it gets damp!!!!
Just going through the pics - thanks for the link.. You can see our lot as they all have got the new scarf on...I recognise quite a few and of course the judges!!
RF
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 15, 2012 18:46:31 GMT
Just got 3 pics out of the loads that were taken...bit better than the one in the paper today...have added the first one with names as they were in the correct order there.. From the left in the first pic again is Olaf Schactschneider, Dr.Ruediger Kirstem (EF Germany), Eckehard Hautau, Walter Ulrich, Heiko Paula (Mayor of Doetlingen and holding the plaque with Eckehard)) and Dr. Lutz Wetzlar ( EF Germany)...     RF |
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Post by Tig on Sept 15, 2012 18:51:48 GMT
Much clearer and they are all smiling - and not looking 'startled' - and the man with the perm is hiding  x Tig |
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 15, 2012 19:04:54 GMT
So would you with that hair do....he used to be like this...  That's his official Entente Florale pic... Nice bloke actually - I was chatting to him when we had the rehearsals... RF |
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Post by Tig on Sept 15, 2012 22:43:54 GMT
Someone should tell him, he looked much better without the frizz ;D
x Tig
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 16, 2012 5:57:03 GMT
Yep - but it sure as eggs ain't gonna be me !!
RF
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 16, 2012 7:38:23 GMT
Since yesterday I have been wondering about all the long faces on some of the pics that I saw... I thought to start with it was nerves as a lot of the pics had been taken before the prizegiving - then possibly as Doetlingen had only won silver, but...Doetlingen people are not bad losers!! The more I thought about it, the more I came to the conclusion that things were not right - something had happened and I waited to hear from Olaf - which I have just done... All I can say is that apart from perhaps a couple of hours I am very happy that I didn't go...a total waste of time and money as far as I can see and an official complaint will be sent out... Just to give you the gist of what Olaf has said to me - 2A4 mails!! He says that the Villages (only talking villages here and not Towns) that won Gold did so because they absolutely deserved to and that Doetlingen is very happy with Silver. It came out that Doetlingen was only one point away from getting Gold...!!! The Prize giving Ceremony was just embarrassing he says. They all sat on concrete benches, similar to being in a school classroom. The first hour was just a boring speech after another until the Press arrived and then the officials started to look more interested at last!! Ireland was very happy to have won Gold and the UK said that they hadn't expected any medals and were totally surprised... Lots of small problem but Olaf thought it would be possible to mix with the people from the other countries and have a laugh and a drink but it was not to be... Bier was 2.50E and Wine 3.75E and the Austrian left as soon as the Official part was over...once they left the other countries packed up too and after 30 minutes the whole place was dead - except for Germany and Ireland and the Jury....they sang and danced and suddenly it was all worth it although the Taxi's came too early and the rest of the Doetlingen were already on the way home... On the Saturday all the countries were to meet up at the Market Place in Venlo and Olaf says that was the most wonderful 2 hours ever... All the countries joined n and danced and sang - all except the English...they never turned up at all and it has not gone down well. I haven't a clue what happened with Bristol and Rustington but what we English didn't do, the Irish made up for and all bought one of our scarf's and were so happy and friendly!! Bier and Schnaps was drunk as though it was going out of fashion and most people got happily tiddly and throughly enjoyed themselves... Bristol and Rustington apparently arrived, collected their prizes and left...it has left a sour taste in a lot of mouths in different countries...dunno why, but I am surprised to be honest as we English are not like that!! Olaf has said that if it hadn't been for the 2 hours at the Market Place the whole Entente Florale weekend would have been a waste of time... The Jury were totally disinterested and looked bored stiff half of the time - even if they were they could have pulled themselves together a bit... The Prize giving at the Floriade and all the money that was paid - Olaf says that a school fair would have been more exciting..the Austrians drove 16hours there and 16 hours back and are very unhappy as well!! There wasn't even a party afterwards... Anyway, it looks as though I really didn't miss anything... Olaf has sent me some pics - here are a couple - the first you can see the Doetlinger...they really do not look very happy at all...now I know why!!  Here two of our professional photographers took pics...  Here is Eckehard offering the Doetlingen special snaps called Puttengeist to people at the market place..  Doetlinger Stand  Irish Stand  Eckehard and his wife obviously en joying themselves at the Market Place..  and last but not least Olaf and the Slovenian Juror (lovely man) and the Head of the Jury from Czech Rep...coo she has got hair on her teeth - but she had obviously had a couple and looked a bit more relaxed!!!  RF |
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Post by Babyswan on Sept 16, 2012 12:54:05 GMT
Well done, well done, well done on all that translating. Ohh, to miss out on gold by one point!!! grrr, you had such misfortune to have a monsoon on your judging day, right? oh well Very quiet here about Abbeyshrule's EF win. They had a big hoopla and a big deal was made earlier in the week when they were announced as Tidy Towns national winner. here is their link, I saw it in the EF main webpage. www.tidytowns.ieit's as well you didn't go in the end, then, eh? But fantastic that you got the Silver. Well done again. b.s. PS. yep, no mention of the European award win on the tidy towns link. Odd, that... |
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Post by Ladygardener on Sept 16, 2012 14:49:50 GMT
Would'nt you have thought that folk would have made more of an effort for the people who travelled so far for the awards. I'll bet now you and OH are happy enough not to have gone. Thanks for the updates and pics Rf, it's good to see and hear how it all went in the end. I googled Abbeyshrule on saturday but apart from a bit about them entering it'd not been updated although I'm sure it will be in due course.
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 17, 2012 5:44:14 GMT
Thanks BS - yes just one point....soooo close!!!! The papers are full this morning and there is a lot of criticism about Venlo and the organizing... I would have expected far more LG - so did the other it seems!! I am now pleased that we didn't go - except for the Market place the next day which was great fun apparently!! The Floriade closed at 7.30pm and they were ferried around a back door into the room where the awards were presented...the whole thing left a lot to be desired...perhaps that is why loads left but it still doesn't explain why the English didn't even go to the market place... Doetlingen took 100 sunflowers with them and gave them out...here are a couple of pics.. The woman at the back with the cup in her hand is Olaf's wife...lovely person!!  This is Walter - he actually picked all the flowers. He is the man that used to pick OH and I for the evening meetings. He is also the one giving me the potatoes next year...  RF |
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 18, 2012 16:30:17 GMT
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Post by Babyswan on Sept 19, 2012 19:33:52 GMT
Would'nt you have thought that folk would have made more of an effort for the people who travelled so far for the awards. I'll bet now you and OH are happy enough not to have gone. Thanks for the updates and pics Rf, it's good to see and hear how it all went in the end. I googled Abbeyshrule on saturday but apart from a bit about them entering it'd not been updated although I'm sure it will be in due course. yeah, lg, and I've one in-law from Clonmel and I've not heard a dickie bird about it all summer. Odd, indeed. Maybe it's a case of out of sight, out of mind. The Tidy Towns is really big here... and oh, our garden, one I attend with a group of local men to 'give 'em summat to do' or 'keep them out of trouble' got a merit award in the local/south central district area of the city awards. We got a little framed certificate which was nice. We have taken over and renovated a courtyard garden of a community centre which also acts as a day care centre for senior citizens. Feeding them lunch and doing various activities. singing old songs and painting and stuff. We also adopted a Grotto of 'holy jesus'. Well, there's a statue of him with a flower bed centred in a bit of grass. It had been untouched and unloved by locals and the council for several years. We have taken it in hand and it's looking the better for it. We were unsuccessful in growing native wild flowers, due to the Council poison sprayers...thanks, lads, thanks a bunch!!! |
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Post by Ladygardener on Sept 19, 2012 19:47:15 GMT
The council are lethal with their sprays here too BS. Well done getting your certificate and for all the hard work you do.
Rf they all look quite happy there and what a lovely idea to give out the Sunflowers.
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Post by Rosefriend on Sept 20, 2012 10:32:27 GMT
We now have Environmental Police her and they admonished our next door but one neighbour for spraying the pavement (he actually only used vinegar)..not allowed in public places - you can spray as much as you want in your own garden etc....
Down the road at a small island all the "weeds" have been sprayed - there were some lovely poppies there (had my eye on them for seeds actually) and everything was just ruined of course...sooo we have to get down on our hands and knees any pull every blade of grass and weeds out but they can just spray anywhere they want...great!!!!!
The Entente Jury were very bog on this and not using poison and being very environmentally friendly etc etc - Doetlingen got top marks for this btw..
RF
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Post by Amber on Sept 20, 2012 15:40:09 GMT
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