O du wunderschöner Herbst - life in German and Austria thread

[admylin]

It is a wunderschöner Herbst at the moment isn't it. Lovely sunny bright blue sky with a chill in the air. Shame we're stuck in the house, ds has a flu like virus so the balcony is as far as we'll get.

whoo hoo a new thread!! well done on the title ad!

yeah the weather is gorgeous but i just saw on the internet that its to change to crap autumn weather tomorrow! not pleased cause we've got BIl and SIL coming tomorrow - they are hyperactive and not very childfriendly so really racking my brains as to what to do with them in the rain!

hope your ds feels better soon!

Oh dear, how long are you having them? I'm not ready for guests at all yet. Today I've spent ages trying to unblock the disgusting sink in the spare loo. The bathroom is also still abit yuk but I have the kitchen to paint first before I start that job.

To be honest I don't feel like doing any of it! The last people lived here for 10 years and they seemed so clean and respectable iyswim. What a mess they left, well hidden of course, the surface all looked ok when they lived here. The other day I made the mistake of taking off the lid on the flush behind the big bathroom toilet as I could see something as if it needed a good wipe, it had 1ch thick black furry mould growing right around the rim, it was so disgusting but I had to scrape it all out and wipe it. Took ages.

Ds getting better thank goodness, fever is down so he's resting and begging to be allowed back to school tomorrow not sure what to do really.

1ch is 1cm by the way!

Hi, hi!

Eeew on that toilet, admylin! There are always those nice little surprises that pop up when you move into a new place.

Good that ds is feeling better. I guess if he no longer has a fever he could go to school but it's difficult to decide, isn't it?

I think it's about 24°C out there right now and I get to spend the afternoon at the dentist's because the crown I had put on in January has been hurting like the dickens for a couple of days and I think it's the nerve underneath- hot food and drinks make me go through the roof but cold ones don't so that means something in there is very wrong. I'll probably need a root canal. More money down the drain. sigh

Good luck with your guests, Canella and I hope the weather holds out so you can entertain them outside.

Hi westvan, you feeling better I hope! This lovely weather is great isn't it. I was sitting out on the balcony before and had to come in as it was too hot! It is a shame not to make the most of it so might go for a walk with the dc later, there's a forest just down our road - you just have to be careful which way you go because at some point you get to a lake which belongs to a nudist club!

LOL on the nudist club! You'd have to brace yourself for that. I think we're going to throw some stuff on the barbeque tonight if it stays nice.

I've been to the dentist and back and he did a root canal right then and there and I have to go back in two weeks so he can widen the canals again but he said the pain should subside now. Such a nice young Vietnamese dentist. He started as an assistant at the crusty old dentist we go to and I have a feeling he may take over the practice one day.

It's great if you have a dentistyou can trust - makes a lot of difference. I haven't found one yet here in Hannover. We went to one but I wasn't convinced and it's the same with the Frauenärztin, she's OK but they always seem to be trying to get extras out of you that cost more of course. I still haven't found one who doesn't take 10 euro for krebsvorsorge either (which is meant to be without praxisgebühr)

We didn't make it to the forest. Dd is still sitting studying French, please tell me how to stay calm when the dc make stupid mistakes. She has trouble with spelling but there's only so many times I can explain things. I've written it out so many times je m'appelle but tu t'appelles with s on the end and just asked her to conjugate etre and she can't spell any of it.

Think she'll just have to write this test off as a bad one.

Dh's mum is very ill - he's had a text message in Athens to get in touch with his sister so doesn't sound good. She'S been in hospital for a week and she's so far away it's impossible to go over there.

I'm still not quite sure about our dentist as none of us have had any major work done there - a few people recommended her to me, but one friend said she had an awful experience there when the dentist kept on drilling and the pain was just awful. Mind you, I think she was doing that strange Austrian thing of not bothering to have a local anaesthetic. I also switched gynaecologists recently as my last one was just useless, and now go to see the mother of one of DD2's friends who opened her own practice a year or two ago. She's a Wahlärztin so I have to pay up front, but she only charges me the student rate and I get most of the money back from the Krankenkasse so I pay about 20 euros per visit. Plus there are no added extras like there used to be with my Kassenärztin and the free pill samples she gives me more than cover the cost of my visits!

I'm dreading having to start helping the DC with French homework as I'll realise how much I've forgotten. It's a shame they don't offer French at our school (our neighbours' DD is the same age as DD1 and had the option to start learning French last year); DD1 struggles enough with her German spelling and her English spelling is atrocious so I don't think another language would be a good idea at this stage, but DD2 is really interested in languages - she'll have to wait till secondary school, though.

Sorry to hear about your MIL, admylin - have you heard any more about how she's doing?

No haven't heard back yet about MIL and dh has his big lecture today and is helping a few of his team standing by incase difficult questions come so he can help if they can't answer them (which will be the case with a couple of them)so he it's a bad time to get in touch with him.

Very soon I am going to switch the computer off and go to the cellar and get the pot of paint and brush/roller. Then I am going to paint the kitchen at last - I am aren't I?

switch MN off admylin!! you know you can do it!
sorry to hear dh's mum is ill - are they in the UK? maybe he could change his flight and fly back there?

we love our dentist here - he's so friendly and efficient and really enthusiastic about doing preventative stuff which the dentist in the UK didnt give a monkeys about! never been to a gynaecologist yet altho i really need to have a pelvic floor repair done at some point in the future - having 3 big babies has ruined me! but just dont feel my german is quite up to that level yet and going to wait until the kids are a bit more independent! maybe in 10 years then!!

so been back to the hospital this morning with ds2 - the doc last week said they would take the cast off when we went today! we werent happy with this idea -its only 9 days since he broke it and with the cast on at least he could be a little bit more his kamikaze self but if its off he really needs to be super careful! but despite me explaining all this they ignored me and took it off! so he's now dead anxious about using it and its still painful to touch around his elbow but also really painful round his wrist! they never xrayed his wrist - hope they havent missed a fracture there too!

How have you managed to live in Germany without ever going to see a gynaecologist, canella? Or maybe you haven't been there as long as I thought... we're supposed to go every 6-12 months here. Or can you go to a GP for your Kontrolle etc. there?

That does sound very soon to have the cast off. DS's friend's little sister broke her leg just before the summer and had to have a cast for about 6 weeks; she wasn't supposed to put any weight on her leg either. She had the cast removed but the leg hasn't healed properly, so she'll have to have an operation but they're going to wait until next year when she's a bit older (she's just turned 3), as it takes about 6 months to recover from the operation if I understood right. Such a hassle - and all because she fell over awkwardly.

I am having a tea break - and I haven't got the paint out yet but I've been doing other stuff and swearing alot.

A light bulb in the bathroom went (2 in cupboard above the sink) and it's a funny little one with pins which I don't have so decided to put a lamp on the ceiling - after all there are some cables up there so must be for a lamp. Took ages, dropped the screw driver don't know how many times, dropped the screw etc etc so up and down ladder 100 times - switched electric back on and lamp didn't work.

Googled the colour of my cables etc and figured out the Altbau electricity is not to be experimented with, sounded very dodgy so took all back down and tidied up the mess (plaster all over bathroom floor) and am now going to get changed and go to the Baumarkt to find a little light bulb with pins!

Yes, 6 to 12 months is the rule for frauenarzt isn't it. I always feel like a child being told off when I go for my pill prescription as the receptionist always says no you have to come for your check up first. I often lie and say oh please I have to take it tonight and I totally forgot I didn't have any more bla bla bla and I will make an appointment etc. In the UK it's much easier and less fuss (and cheaper), doctor there just checked my blood pressure last time.

linzertorte - no panic!! yes we've been here 18 months but i was sterilised when ds2 was 6 months so no pill taking required!! i am way way to fertile - this was a running joke that i only had to look at dh to be pregnant so it was safer all round especially as we were absolutely sure that we didnt want anymore kids!

but do i still need to go to the gynae doc? i'm sure i must be due a smear at some point soon!

havent been to a single doc for myself since we moved here!! far too healthy (touch wood!)

admylin - sounds like you've had a mare of a morning!! just buy the right lights - it might be easier!

canella - I realised after I'd written my last post that I managed to spend four years in Germany without going to a gynaecologist, apart from just before we left (and that was only because I was pregnant with DD1), so I really shouldn't have been ! I always used to go for smear tests back in the UK, but went by the guidelines there so only every three years. They recommend having a smear test every 6-12 months here (and from what admylin says, it's the same in Germany) so yes, you should still go! It took me ages to make my first appointment as I didn't know what I should say (to make the appointment, I mean) and DH was no use - I had to ask a friend in the end! If I'd been organised enough I could have been sterilised when DS was born; I have very vague memories of being asked if I wanted to be, but it's all a bit of a blur to be honest (quite literally, as I wasn't allowed to wear glasses or lenses).

admylin - sounds like you've had a busy morning; hope you managed to get the lightbulb you were after.

I didn't manage to do half of what I'd planned this morning as some urgent work arrived, but I finished it just before the school run so can relax in time for the weekend now. We're planning a trip to Bratislava tomorrow; I want to look for a slow cooker at Tesco's and have some stocking up to do at M&S as well.

every 6 - 12 months for a smear!!!! i hate going for them and was quite happy it was only every 3 years in the UK!! better get myself on the phone on Monday!!

(but what do i say? what is the word for smear?)

v jealous of your M&S trip! and tesco! i'm flying to scotland in 2 weeks and plan to give the robbing ryanair b***ds the money to put a suitcase on the plane so that i can fill it up with goodies! cant really complain since the flights for ds1 and I were only 70? in total!

have a great weekend!

They definitely seem to be more thorough about these kinds of things here. In Austria it's called a Kontrolle (einen Termin zur Kontrolle ausmachen) as it's more than just a smear - the gynaecologist also checks your breasts and my current one also does an internal ultrasound. (Smear test in German is Abstrich.) Apparently my last gynaecologist had overlooked the fact that I should have already been for a mammogram so I got sent for one of those as well (I'm sure you don't need to start having them in the UK until you're 50 - and in fact the sonographer said there's not a lot of point in doing them at my age).

We usually fly with Ryanair and pay for two suitcases over and four or five on the way back! At least their flights are cheap, but it all adds up with the luggage, priority boarding, etc. We're going to be flying with Lufthansa at Christmas as Ryanair's flight times were really inconvenient and it wasn't all that much more expensive - plus it will be nice not to have to worry about being 100 g over the limit (I've had to repack my luggage at check-in twice now). It's great that you can go back to the UK in October; we have Herbstferien for the first time ever here this year, but it's only really a four or possibly five day weekend so it's hardly worth us going back to Wales (it takes us the best part of a day to get to my parents).

They call it Krebsvorsorge in Germany. That includes a pap smear and a manual breast exam every 6 - 12 months. My gynecologist charges extra for breast or vaginal ultrasound. I don't mind going - been with the same gyn since 1996 when I found I was pregnant with our second and he's been great.

When you turn 50 they send out a reminder that you should have your first mammogram.

Does that mean you don't pay the Praxisgebühr if you don't have an ultra sound westvan? How is the tooth?

Ds is on the mend although he's still being ick with every other coughing fit so he hasn't had much nutrition in the past few days. I'm wondering if I should get him some sort of energy drink/shake. He's skinny anyway but he'll need more energy to get through next week back at school.

Dh gets back tonight, his mum is still in hospital and they can't get her temperature down. She's in Bangladesh so no way of just a flying visit. That's a tough part of living far from family. When his dad died (before I met him) he had just been over there a few months before so he couldn't get over to see him one last time when he was in hospital.

Hope the weather isn't too bad for canella nad her guests. Wonder how Ernest is doing in her new house too.

I'm not sure, admylin, I've never asked them. I always bring an Überweisung with me just in case something else comes up bugt I do think if it's only the standard exam you don't need to pay the ?10. One time I told them I had a problem and they said they couldn't deal with the problem and do the Kresbvorsorge on the same day so I had to come back for it on another day. Very strange.

Hope ds will be feeling better soon. Maybe make him smoothies with banana and powdered milk and such to keep his energy up? Our youngest is like that too - not much meat on his bones and when he gets sick we start to worry.

That's very alarming about your MIL. Hopefully things will take a turn for the better very soon.

Oh, and the tooth is great, thanks for asking. I sure hope it stays that way.

Well, the heating is on - it's really cold today and thank goodness the heating all works in every room (I was expecting something not to work right in this place) so we've had a cosy warm evening and pizza delivered too.

We met dh at the airport last night. He said his boss even expected him to buy a ticket for a gal dinner for 125 euro on the last night in Athens but he refused and didn't go! Instead he went to look at the acropolis.

Any of you have the bset tips for online clothes ordering in Germany? I've been to shops about 3 times now and we never find what we want. Maybe online will be better.

thanks for all the gynae info - will ask my female friends here who they go to!! sounds like they take better care of you here than in the UK! or is it all a money making thing for the Praxis?

sorry admylin that your dh's mum is still so ill! and so far away! makes these kind of situations even more stressful. hope that ds of yours feels better soon! hard sometimes for skinny kids to shake illness off! like they've got no reserves.

well we survived my hyperactive (and not so child friendly) visitors!! the weather was shite yesterday but we just got our rain jackets and umbrellas out and went out! had a lush meal in the place where the recipe for Kloss (dumpling things -not sure if thats the right spelling!) was invented! so the food was obviously great!
but today the weather was better and there was a kinderfest in the local town - probably a nightmare for my visitors but if they come and visit a family with 3 dc then these are the things they need to do!! they just kept saying how we need to make plans next year to go to Oktoberfest with them - did tell them i dont like beer! and dh doesnt like crowds but they said i'd like Oktoberfest beer and dh would be fine!! cant even drink a small beer never mind a 1 litre Stein!!!

Morning all. Wet and windy day here. Ds has gone off to school still coughing and dh mumbling that he shouldn't be going, he'll just get worse but the poor boy wants to go and is too worried about missing more so i hope he holds out and doesn't get worse.

Ideas for healthy meals with lots of vitamins needed. He won't eat soup though.

Dh's mum is over the worst. It turns out, she was ill and no one was there to look after her properly so that's when it got so bad. She's going to SIL's place to recover. Over there the women are still very traditionally the only ones who cook and care for dc and elderly. MIL lives in a big house with 3 of her grown up sons but only one is married and the wife had gone to visit her own mother.

aw glad she's over the worst! thats a proper relief for all of you!

what about making some really nice pasta sauce for him - i'm sure tomatoes have loads of vitamins and if you added some carrots and peppers then it would be full of goodness!

or does he eat broccoli? if you steam it i think it retains all its goodness!

or make him a smoothie!

i'm full of good ideas this morning!!!!!

Just remembered I've got okra in the fridge which is his fave vegetable so I'll do that for him.

I'm trying to motivate myself to go to the post office in this rain. ordered some jeans and jogging trousers for dd but they were no good so have to send them back. The jogging trousers had such a wide waist that they just fell down and there was no cord even to tighten them. The jeans were OK on the front but they didn't show a back view online and the back pockets turned out to have huge silver swirls on which dd refused to even try! Don't they get fussy as they get older..