Yesterday afternoon, I invited friend Maki on an afternoon walk through the nearby forest. We were too early for chestnuts, but decided to meet once more on my balcony in the evening.

September evenings can still be quite pleasant in Germany. We watched the sun set behind the Taunus mountains, and before it got to dark, I called my daughter to take our photo with her mobile. My iPad is in Nottingham at the moment, on loan for a couple of days, only.

Maki from Fukushima/Japan, residing in Oberursel

Maki enjoys her life in Oberursel, but would rather live with her British husband of two years in the U.K. instead. Unfortunately, the U.K. immigration office makes her entry very difficult. Her first application has been denied, and now a second one is made with the help of a lawyer. This process is a real drag on the young couple.

She can stay in Germany, without having to be married to a German. She just started her third year of residency in Germany, all the while wishing to be with her husband in the U.K.

Some bureaucracy is full of flaws.