Hello hello hello! It’s been three weeks since the last round-up. An update is overdue, especially since I already returned from Germany a week ago. I missed last week’s round-up because I was wrecked from a delayed return the night before. Thunderstorms in Munich delayed my departure there so that I only arrived into Dublin at 11.15pm, reaching home after midnight. I’m not a spring chick anymore, so I needed some adjustment after the trip – and after the sudden changes of temperature. Munich was great, but we had – as is customary whenever I visit in summer – temperatures in the mid-30s. Coming from chilly 17 degrees in Ireland, it felt like being hit with a sledgehammer. But never mind, it didn’t hold us back from having a great time visiting my daughter on her ERASMUS semester.

Before I ramble on, let’s first get to what you came here for. The weekly round-up – with a new cover picture, thanks to a newly released image by Kaitlyn Mikayla.

- Starting off with some heat *coughs*… NSFW! An Armitage Summer Splash contribution by linasofia that makes me want to travel by train…
- Since I missed half of the Summer Splash series, here is a link to middleearthpixie’s masterlist of fics that she wrote for the project
- And some last words by fizzyxcustard on the Summer Splash
- I can’t really go through all the fics that I missed reading over the last couple of weeks. So I am leaving you with this: Lathalea put together a *complete* Summer Splash masterlist with all the prompts and the participating submissions. This should keep you going for days!!!
- Wind in his hair… 😍. Riepu10’s gif set of Ray, looking out to sea
- Mezzmerizedbyrichard puts the new RA-on-a-box picture beside an old favourite by Robert Ascroft
- LOL – the Thorntons in selfies. With a twist. Posted by thornton-loves-margaret
- I love these types of edits by riepu10. Here is Porter
- Indulging my own love for paper crafts, here is fizzyxcustard’s collage on the prompt “Time travel/do you regret being with me”
- Sorisooyaa took part in the Summer Splash with graphics/edits. Here is her masterlist
- I couldn’t resist dipping into linasofia’s Porter fic (also as part of Summer Splash) and I was not disappointed
- I still haven’t watched the space movie, so riepu10’s gifs of Sullivan are very welcome
- Close up with Adam Price, courtesy of mezzmerizedbyrichard
- Lockscreens of NS for your mobile, created by mockscreens
Really, there is so much more there with all the fics, but since I couldn’t read them all, the links to the masterlists will have to do. Hope you’ll find some distraction there.
As for my short break in Germany, apart from sweating, drinking and eating we also did a few other things. I felt extremely lucky to be spending time with my grown-up children, and it was great to have the opportunity for many chats, often over a glass of beer or “Radler” (shandy).

One of the highlights was undoubtedly a day trip out to one of the lakes near Munich at the foot of the Alps. We took an early morning train (for which the children had to get up at 6am!!! Quite a feat!!!) to the Tegernsee and spent the day walking on the shore, taking the boat to the other side of the lake, exploring, eating, swimming and enjoying the mountain panorama.









In Munich, I also got in touch with Linda60 and she spontaneously came out to meet me for dinner. We even went to the same restaurant where we met on my first Munich visit (Pfälzer Weinstuben in the courtyard of the Residenz palace). While my son stayed with his sister in Munich, I was put up by a friend. The three of us spent the days together, but in the evenings I let the kids do their own thing party. Tbh, it was wonderful to see for me as their mother that my children get on so well with each other and enjoy spending time together. – Master Guylty had to return home on the Monday, and I then took the train to Regensburg to stay with my other friend again. It was very relaxing because despite a few work commitments, all we had to do was walk into town, shop, sip coffee, eat ice cream, have dinner, and walk home. Perfect 😉.

And yes, of course I came back with more than I had initially flown out with. 😂 My Munich friend raided the free book exchange in her parents’ affluent neighbourhood and presented me with 20 antique books. 📚 I chose the best ones (i.e. with old German font and gorgeous covers, some of which you can see above) and then added a few more when I found some gems in the Regensburg Oxfam. Among others, I picked up a handwritten recipe book from 1930 (centre of picture above) with some beautiful hand-writing… (Oh, and of course I also stopped in “Action” again 😊.) This time I was prepared: I had brought an (empty) extra bag with me and bought an extra piece of luggage to check into my flight…

Ending today’s round-up + update with a picture of Jag, our cat. Those of you on Twitter know that the poor thing had to have one of his hind legs removed while I was away. I was very upset over the whole thing, but according to Mr Guylty, the vet assured him that amputation was the kindest thing to do. Jag had grown a tumor on the leg, and the only options were painkillers or amputation, with the latter actually promising a longer life than simply giving him painkillers. The picture above is already post-op, but he is sitting in such a way that you can’t see he is missing a leg. I was worried that he would have problems walking up and down the stairs but he is coping very well with his three legs. Thank you for all the good wishes and for sharing experiences – it really made me feel reassured that all would be fine!
Right, that’s an over-long update. Hope you all have a nice weekend!
Sonja ❤️
Nag is beautiful! I hope he recovers quickly.
Thank you for this, the round up, and the vacay pictures. Makes me. Want to travel.
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Glad you enjoyed the little glimpse into Southern Germany 😉
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Thank you for sharing part of your trip with us, I love travelling but can’t do much of it so I also love living it through someone else 🙂 I’ve been to Germany twice and I would love to go back. I hope jag will recover soon, he looks well already!
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Jag is definitely on the up. But the vet told us yesterday that he is a tad too heavy, so we have to reduce the amount of food we give him. He is not happy 😁
Oh yes, travelling has been reduced to the mere necessary trips home. I miss going to other places for a longer holiday 🥲
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What a fabulous report! Welcome back, G. And now I know where you get all those interesting papers that show up in your hand made items. Interesting!
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I love scouring charity and thrift shops abroad for papers and all things vintage to be included in my journals and crafts. Germany is uncharted territory in that respect, and those old font books are always great because they are unique to the German speaking world.
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Jag looks regal! Always enjoy your round ups.
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Regal is the word. He really is the king of this household 😂
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That is unmistakably Rottach Egern. Gorgeous interior. Deutschland, wie ich Dich vermisse!
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I’m impressed you recognised the Rottach-Egern church, Servetus! It is indeed! – We kind of missed the centre of R-E and got only as far as the church. I actually liked Bad Wiessee more, because it seemed quieter and less celebrity-residence. But the whole setting of the Tegernsee is beautiful.
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Thanks to the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, I got to walk around the Tegernsee with a group of German high achievers back in the 1990s. While discussing Faust, because people like that never quit. Seems funny in retrospect.
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🤣 reads funny as well! especially because I know exactly what you mean and also in the moment it would be the totally normal thing to do in such a group
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And technically, I am included in “people like that.” Maybe not with regard to Faust, but otherwise. I was lucky to get to go — those folks were really smart. I have to say the German government has been really good to me.
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So glad Jag is doing well and that you had an eventful (in a good way) trip. Thank you for sharing your experiences and lovely photos.
I’ve had time to read only pixie’s SS submissions (all great btw) so TY for the master lists so I can catch up in my free time. 😉
Thanks too for introducing me to “manspreading” as I hadn’t a clue before the release of the latest RA photo. Guess I’ve led a pretty sheltered life 🤣 but now that I’m aware, I’ve perused my photo stash and found enough similar, er … positions to fill several FB posts.
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I really must delve into the SS fics when I have some free time. I only read a couple of fics this week (both by linasofia) and enjoyed them both.
With his long legs, RA probably can’t help but manspread. I’d hope that he’d be a bit more considerate when sitting on a tightly-packed plane or train 😉
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I doubt I’d complain if his legs touched mine. 😉
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So many nice edits, #8, 7, 5, 13, 14… 😊 and 6, RA-on-a-box pictures are definitely one of my favorites. I have to go back to fan fiction sometime in the future. In the past I really liked the ones with Guy. I even read a story about Guy brought to the present, it was really well written.
Beautiful photos from your trip, Spatzl 😉 😊. The blue ton is even prettier than on the last RA selfie. Gorgeous photo with your kids, they look very similar to you, from hair to smile. I’m so glad you had such a nice trip.
Hihi, cows in Bavaria really wear bells around their necks.
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There are some more RA-on-a-box shots. Mezzy could’ve also added this one: https://guylty.net/2014/09/09/emergency-ooof-moving/ 😍 I really love this (because I always like him better when he *doesn’t* look at the camera).
You noticed the bell on the cow! Well, that was a bit of a joke among us. My kids were very excited about the fact that the cows really have those bells… I took the picture for them 😉
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This RA photo is gorgeous😍 Really *A true smile-facilitator and joy-bringer*. I needed it so much today, thank you.
I was also very excited about the fact that the cows really have those bells… 😂.
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Oh, I was really tempted by that one S. it’s one of my absolute favourites! ❤️ I ended up leaving it out because he was sitting on a box rather than a block, I was being very specific with my criteria hehe 😉
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Welcome back! Thank you for my inclusion in the roundup and for sharing your experience and photos – what a wonderful holiday, all the more special for sharing it with your children.
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Thank you, Mezz. Oh yes, I savoured every moment of that short break with my children. It doesn’t happen very often anymore. We all enjoyed it so much and actually said we would like to do it again, or on a regular basis. That’s quite a nice compliment from my kids…
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5 Windswept Ray is beautiful. He can pull off almost any look. Our sexy chameleon.
6 I love that shot and the new one as well.
7 Paula is always fantastic. Portah!
9. Lovely collage
13 Yummy Adam. The lighting in some of these did wonderful things for his nose. 🤩
I am glad you had such a lovely time with the (not so) little G’s in good ol’ Bavaria. Great photos. And Jag looks like he’s in control. Well done kitty! 🐈⬛
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Chameleon is right. He really is such an attractive man who looks handsome with any hairstyle…
Paula is a gem!
LOL, I hadn’t really noticed Adam’s nose…
Jag is doing great but our vet said that he needs to go easy on the food. With one leg less, he is a bit less mobile, so we are to feed him less food. He is angry now 😂
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Poor Jag. But yeah, the fewer daily steps you get in, the more you need to watch your calorie intake. What a nuisance.
Re the nose—one often sees it described as knife-edges, but it really isn’t so much when viewed from certain angles. It’s braided in places and just has a fascinating topography which is very nicely visible with all these closeups. (Have I spent too much time looking at this proboscis? Quite possibly.)
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Thank you for your input, Ottokorrekt. I did, in fact, mean knife-edged and his nose isn’t braided, it’s broader in places. Go home.
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I was really struggling with the concept of a braided nose and gave up! (He does have an exceedingly lovely nose.)
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Your trip sounded great and relaxing, i am glad that you had a good time – the Munich lake with the mountains looks beautiful. Thanks for the round-up, I couldn’t tear me eyes away from those Adam close-up! It is good to hear that Jag is on the mend.
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I have to say that Munich really is worth a visit. The city itself is very pretty (and has lots of things to do – and to eat, haha), but it is also situated so close to the foothills of the Alps that you can easily go on day trips to the many lakes in the area.
Jag is doing well, although he is miffed that he has been put on a diet…
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Packing my suitcase …
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😂 👍🏻 (I hope the Bavarian tourist board puts the check in the post, soon.)
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Your trip sounds and looks wonderful! Glad you had such a good time with friends and kids.
Hope Jag continues to do well!
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It sounds like you had such a wonderful trip and thank you for sharing the photos. Jag is beautiful, btw. And thank you for including me in the roundup this week! 💜
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Nice to read your update. Sounds like a wonderful trip. I’m just finishing a holiday now, but only the younger of my two sons came. In August, all of us are going away for 5 nights and I’m really looking forward to that.
I didn’t realize there was so much fan fiction being produced right now! I’ve bookmarked this post for later so that I can find some stories when I want to read a few.
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I saw your post. Looked lovely, as always. It must be so lovely to wake up with a view of the lake!
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It is wonderful. On the other hand, we go back home today. ☹️
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But hopefully the batteries are recharged 😉
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Definitely!
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