All in all, 2012 was a relatively quiet year. There was of course the usual trip to england to visit my parents, other family members, and friends. The most notable thing about that trip was the fact that a bridge on the A1 (Autobahn 1) between Holdorf and Neuenkirchen-Vörden was closed for repairs. The A1 connects Hamburg and Osnabrück, and is the road we normally take on our way to Hoek van Holland in the Netherlands, which is where we board the ferry for Harwich in England.
Traffic was re-routed for many kilometres along often narrow country roads, and we were delayed for several hours. We eventually arrived at the ferry terminal with only minutes to spare before the ferry was due to sail, and were waved through the various checkpoints. We were the last arrival, and needless to say it is not an experience we wish to repeat. At least we had an outside cabin with a huge window.
Apart from that, life continued as usual. I continued to work on the garden, which was now actually starting to look like a garden. I also continued to work on my website, and my German was slowly improving. We tentatively discussed the prospect of me applying for German citizenship, but I have to admit that it was not high on my list of priorities. I believed that the UK would remain within the EU, and I was hesitant about taking such a step because I wasn’t sure how my parents would react.