Hi everyone, and welcome to my Mini Page.  My name is Gaby and I was born and still live in Germany.  I am a secretary.  The reason why I am involved with the Ex- Lancs 0n Line pages is that during my teenage years I visited Southport in Lancashire as an Exchange Student.  I stayed with a wonderful family and became the best of friends with Helena Revell, the daughter of the family where I stayed.  We became pen friends but over the years we lost track of each other.   Since that date Radio Merseyside from Liverpool, England have been  successful in tracing my friend Helena. In June of 1999, we are to meet up again in England.

          I was born on 22nd August 1947 and I am a Leo!  Werner my husband and I,  first met on December 11, 1974 at the Anglo-German Club in Muelheim/Ruhr which was a Club for the British Army that was stationed in Muelheim and they ran it to get in touch with Germans and to support friendship between the Germans and the British. One of my English teachers told me about the Club and took me there first because she knew that I was interested in everything that was English.

        Werner and I fell in love and in September 1975 I went to work on the cruise ship Europa. When I got the offer to work on the MV Europa, Werner said: "Well, if I ask you to stay and we separate, you would always be angry because you missed something. Just go on and we will see if it lasts."  And it did!   We got married on 18th November 1976, I worked on the Europa until April 1977 and then returned to Germany.  Andreas was born on 27th September 1979 and Christoph on 6th September 1983.  Both boys still attend school, Andreas will graduate next year. He is the outgoing type, sporty, curious, likes the English language and loves the United States. He wants to emigrate sometime (but I'm not sure about that). Christoph is the quiet type, likes to sit before his pc, meeting friends, likes the English language as well (I think they've got that from their mother),  and just wants to stay where he is. Another thing is, he wants to join the German Army, is highly interested in planes, helicopters and weapons. They are both good boys, thank God. Just the normal kind. Of course we have got Lancer, our Beagle dog. We love him and he loves us, he is the friendliest dog ever (for us). No watch-dog as he welcomes everybody who's coming in and at night he sleeps, you could take the house away and he would still sleep. He enjoys long walks and he also loves to eat - everything except garlick!

          I have a sister who is 15 years older and a brother who is 13 years older than me. Nearly the same applies to Werner, he has 2 sisters, 17 and 15 years older than he is. Both live in the US, in LA and in Medford/Oregon. Werner was born on 15th April 1935 and he was a specialist in Computers (the big ones and he is now retired). 
  As for my penfriend Helena. I started writing to her in 1960 or 61, when I just didn't know a word in English! I bought myself a dictionary and a friend of mine tried to teach me English. Later at Commercial school I learned English and I liked it so much that I took evening classes and later attended a fulltime school for a half year. . Helena visited me in 1963, I went to Southport first in 1964 (my first flight, very exciting with BEA and changing planes in Birmingham, then heading for Manchester) We went to Liverpool, the Cavern of course and to several places where we could dance and see and listen all the new groups, like the Apple Jacks, Rhythm & Blues Inc. etc. We visited Windermere, the Lake district which I loved. In 1966 Helena visited me again and in 1967 I went to Southport to celebrate her wedding when she got married to Peter Davies. Helena had her first baby, Michael on 13 November 1967 and in 1968 a daughter, Tracy (Teresa). It was then when we lost contact. I called her parents now and then, but then lost contact totally. And that's how I got to the Ex-lancs page where I met so many nice people.  I loved the time on the cruise ship, although I missed Werner, but it was such an experience. We grounded in Puerto Rico and the ship was damaged, so the crew could stay 2 weeks in San Juan while the passengers were flown home, we also grounded in Venice but the ship got no damage. The ship also grounded in front of the Turkish coast (near Izmir) . With the ship I went to nearly all of Europe, around Africa, India, Spitzbergen, Iceland, many Carribean Islands like Martinique, Cuba, Antigua, from Cuba to Florida, Panama, Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela. During that time I made a lot of films (super 8) and many photographs. My colleagues husband will get those films on VC-tapes, but that will take quite a time.  I never knew how much I had to tell until now. I like nearly all kinds of music,  classic music (Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Mozart, Semtana) as well as songs from the sixties, Beatles of course, it was my time, Rolling Stones, Gerry and the Pacemakers, The Hollies, The Searchers, Dusty Springfield and the newer groups and singers except Punk Music and Rap Music. I liked the late John Denver (I think this list is endless) and I like a song called "Camouflage", I think it's sung by a Russ (or Ross) Ballard, but I couldn't find it here anywhere. And another one, there was an Irish Group, I forgot the name, something with Irish Rebel songs, maybe you know "the hills of Doonin" can't remember the correct spelling.

         As  my pass time I love to read, write and receive letters (especially to my good friend Mike), listen to music, bake cakes, have friends at home, take pictures, ride my bike together with Werner and surfing the Internet and I love to travel even though at the moment there is no time to travel. When I go on vacations, I love the sea. Especially the German Islands in the Northern Sea, some have no cars allowed so you can go on your bike or just take walks along the beach. Or go to lovely Bavaria and Austria and admire the mountains, but never climb them. And, when we plan our next bigger journey it has to be the US, visiting LA (relatives) I love Yosemite, the Grand Canyon, Wyoming and Yellowstone. And where I've never been, the East coast and the New England states and Pennsylvania will surely be on our "program".

      I hope to include pictures of my family  after we move into our new house this month or next.. So keep coming back please..I will keep my eye open for you..

As promised, here is a picture of our new house.
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