Hello again! About De PiepkesI bet you anything they are a Dutch group. And I can actually help (maybe) with the meaning b/c as well as being a Yank, my mother is Dutch. "Piep" means "beep" in Dutch, and "kes" is a diminutive but actually in Frisianone of the closest languages to Old English (mom can actually read parts of Beowulf). So something like "the little beepers," but I'm thinking it means "kiss" in Frisian? So, "little kissers?" I'll keep you posted--I'm sure you are waiting with baited breath. Damned insufferable American.
Slings and Baking Eating, we're adapting well, and yes, we do say "purse" and "pumps" (actually, "high heels") not to mention cookies, pants, and so many other things. I'm glad you're a bit sweary, Slings, as you'd probably enjoy the mistake I made as soon as we arrived in Ilkley: in the US, "bugger" is an affectionate name for someone, like rascal, etc. Imagine the expression on faces of the gentle old ladies at the bus-stop when, after chatting with them a moment, I looked at my 3-year-old and said, "C'mon, you little bugger!" But he came home from preschool today saying that he had a biscuit for his dinner, so I'm throughly looking forward to adventures in a language I thought I knew.