Sommer, Strand und Sonne - life in Germany and Austria

[LinzerTorte]

A thread for all those living in Germany or Austria, and for anyone else who would like to chat.

Silkenladder, congratulations to dd, I loved that age but you just need to have a lot of time and patience otherwise expect tears! They are so proud when they do manage to do something the first time!

Dh says it's a very strong version of e-coli though that can cause kindney failiure or something. I suppose if yu wash the veg realyl well then it should be OK. I heard it could have come from those pre-packed salads that cantines use, not properly washed.

I remember that phase, silken - in fact, I think DD is still in it! It started when she was around 1.5 and even now that she's nearly 7, everything still has to be done exactly the way that she wants it. She is a bit better at letting me help her with things (now that she doesn't need as much help), but I just have to check with her first if I want to avoid a tantrum.

She had a huge tantrum this morning as one of her friends is off school and her mum phoned up to ask if DD2 could bring her DD's school books home for her to catch up. Thanks in part to her tantrum and partly because DH insisted on testing DD1 on local castles rather than helping me get the DC ready for school, we didn't have time to cycle this morning so I had to take them in the car.

admylin I always end up buying too much milk so freeze whatever we don't need; it does come in useful sometimes on the rare occasions that we run out. It took about 6 or 7 minutes to defrost in the microwave this morning, though, while the coffee was ready - most frustrating!
Have you tried Eduscho coffee? I really like their Wiener Gold, but my MIL (who uses it too) makes it far too strong and I just can't drink it.

Afternoon all!

After the lovely weather over the past few days it has turned again :( Thunderstorms and rain predicted for today and the sky is already looking threateningly dark.

Admylin Thanks for the tip about the salad! I hadn't heard that but am glad you mentioned it as guess what I had planned for dinner tonight!
Do you have a normal coffee machine or a pad one? I had a problem finding coffee that I really liked but then we bought a Senseo and I really like that one. (That might be influenced by how much I love the machine though, simple things....)

Well my efforts to get to the Führerscheinstelle and exchage my license have been scuppered once more! I finally got the document I needed from the DVLA, and for 3 days in a row now DH has forgotten to leave the car documents for me - I really don't fancy being randomly stopped and not being able to produce the documents on the way to exchanging my license - I have a feeling that would not look good. By the time I had hunted around for them today and checked out the bus times, the office had closed for the day. It's not a big problem, my photocard is valid for another month. Just a bit of a pain when you have planned your day around something. Moan over :)

Quick question, actually, while I'm here...

First baby kicks. When did you start to feel them and know they were baby kicks, and how frequent were they at first?

I'm about 22 weeks (just under I think) and had been feeling flutters every couple of days which I thought were baby, but now haven't felt anything for a week. The Dr mentioned at my last appointment that the placenta was at the front so it may take me a little while longer to feel movement, so I'm not sure whether I should be getting worried or not. Am in 2 minds as to whether to call the Praxis, but with being so early, placenta etc, I'm not sure whether I'm just overthinking a non-issue.

(Sorry for the blatant hijack of an otherwise lovely thread!)

Bananas I remember being very impatient for DD1 to start kicking and I don't think it was until around 24/25 weeks (I think it's often later with your first). The placenta was at the front with one of them too (can't remember which one now!) and I definitely felt less kicking with that one. I don't remember feeling regular, proper kicks until I was 30 weeks or more. I wouldn't have thought you needed to worry if you weren't feeling regular kicking at only 22 weeks, but you could always call just to put your mind at rest. When's your next appointment?

Just found this article about foetal movement, which might be useful.

BananaMed, I felt ds the first time at 22 weeks, on a plane flying to Karachi! Can't remember with dd. If it's not too much of a hassle to get to I would still put my mind at rest and go to the doctor. Are you on monthly visits at the moment? When is your next appointment? You could just pull it forward maybe?

I've heard good things about the Sensea coffee machine. We have a normal one and I buy Dalmeyer Prodomo or dh likes Mövenpick - I think I might try a mild coffee. You remind me - must get my Führerschein too. All I need to do is print the form from their website and go to the office. Is it around 30 euro? Must get round to it. It has been on my list for over a year ...there are some really old things on my list!

Thank you Linzer! My next appointment is in 2 weeks so I shall see how it goes. I figured 22 weeks was a little early, but once you get an idea in your head.....
I might give the Dr a call anyway once they open this afternoon and see what the (really lovely!) receptionist says.
The article was very interesting - I've added it to the favourites.
Thanks again for calming me down a little - I'm trying to be as level-headed as possibly with this pregnancy but learned VERY quickly that that's not always possible :)

Admylin Thank you for your post too! I think I'll give them a call this afternoon anyway and see what they say.

We had the Dalmeyer coffee recently too and DH really liked it. I didn't try it as I'm on decaff at the moment but he seemed very happy with it. I can't remember if they did a mild - I think it was just normal or strong. At least that's what was in the offer and I didn't really look any further than that.

My Führerschein will be ?35, according to the lady I spoke to. It has taken me ages to get round to it too :)

I only needed to fill in a form and didn't need any documents other than my UK licence and passport photos, but it still took me several years to get round to getting an Austrian driving licence - mainly because I hate getting passport photos done.

Glad you're feeling a little calmer Bananas. As the receptionist is friendly, it sounds like it might well be worth calling - if you're anything like me, at any rate, as once I've got an idea into my head I can't stop worrying about it!

My neighbour has one of those pad coffee machines and loves it. I find the coffee a bit cold though. Mind you, that's also a problem with a lot of the posh (non-pad) coffee machines; I always end up thinking, "You spent hundreds of euros on this coffee maker and the coffee is only lukewarm!" I must confess, however, that I'm slightly obsessed with having to have hot coffee - I always preheat the jug and cups (we have about the cheapest machine you can get).

Banana, sorry - I'm getting you mixed up with bananasananas.

Ha ha there are loads of Bananas on here! I considered changing my username to avoid confusion - was thinking of something along the lines of LaterAlligator - a quick search didn't throw up any similar names.

In a moment of pure fortune as I was getting out of the shower a few minutes ago there was a little flutter in my stomach, exactly where the baby is (theoretically, going by the big round hard bit!) lying. Cue a loud whoop from me, right next to the open window so God knows what the neighbours must thing, and a very, very happy Banana!

Sorry to have involved you all in my mini-panic - you did really help to calm me down though :o) Piping hot (and not too strong) coffee and biscuits all round!

Piping hot coffee much appreciated, Banana. Great news on the flutter!

Some more work has just arrived (haven't finished the last job yet, and this one is due next Wednesday) so am starting to feel slightly stressed - I'm not used to this level of work any more. Apparently they decided that I should translate the text on cattle rather than pigs because my name rhymes (sort of) with the German for cattle!

Linzer I love that justification for your cattle translation!

There seems to be an animal theme today - I'm working on a translation involving camel trains. (In an idiomatic sense, took me bloomin' ages to work out how to translate that one and I'm still not sure it's right!)

I hope work's not stressing you out too much - you come across as very organised in the way you talk on here so I'm sure you will be ok :)

Wow, you guys have been really chatty lately! Glad you felt the baby move banana - that's always so lovely! It's great that you are getting lots of work too. My last German class is tonight and I won't start again till the end of September. I am, however, starting to teach French for one hour a week after we get back from holiday! It has been a long time since I taught that but I gather they are beginners so it should be ok.

Keep safe with all the food illnesses! Off spinning in a minute in a desperate attempt to lose some weight before tomorrow's holiday starts! hahahaha

long time no see! I´ve namechanged to avoid the confusion...currently going under my Spanish name!

Great to have a chance to catch up - very impressed by the running, hopeful for new jobs and exam results, relieved to hear butterflies are back in banana´s tummy and that jenny might be getting some warmth (even if she has to travel miles to get it), making mental note to get Halloumi (I´ve not had it for ages). And feeling sympathy for 6 changes of clothes - ds is finally getting the toilet training trick after nearly 9 months!(he had it for a while and then lost interest, but is back on track again, I hope).

Work is good but working long hours so I can have some time off in lieu in August when I have no childcare. It´ll be great to have 3 weeks off in August but days feel long especially when the weather is so so nice. House is a mess, children are fed and have clean(ish) clothes. I am being exposed to different Austrian accents - from Tyrol today, wow was that hard. At first I understood nothing but slowly I began to understand a bit.

Well, must really log off but just wanted to say hello!

Just been downstairs and there's a cucumber next to the compost container. DH (who is asleep in bed) must have put it there, so I checked online and apparently the verdächtige Gurken have been sold at Lidl in Austria too (although only in Tyrol and Vorarlberg, according to the ORF website). I bought two at Lidl and the other one went into KiGa for the Gesunde Jause yesterday ? no reports of any sickness in DS's group this morning, though.

Good to see you again platonos! (Does your name mean plantain btw?) Glad work is going well; I can hardly cope with my ILs' Upper Austrian dialect, let alone accents from further west!

Jenny Hope your last German class goes well and have a great trip!

Banana I wouldn't have a clue how to translate camel trains ? is the translation into German? I do try to be organised work-wise, but the house tends to descend into chaos as soon as any work arrives.

Only four more pages left to proofread now; the end is in sight.

Ha ha Platanos - you beat me to it! I just name changed (from BananaMad), came on here, and no bananas in sight :)
It's good to hear that work is going well! I know what you mean about accents, they really throw me sometimes. I'm sure I must look like a total loon concentrating on the person's mouth when they are talking but sometimes it's the only way!

Jenny Good luck with your last German class and have a lovely holiday. The French teaching sounds very interesting - keep us posted on how you get on!

Linzer I think I translated camel-train as 'Karawane' in the end. It was a translation into German so I asked DH to cast an eye over it last night and even he struggled with the German and it's his native language! Glad it's done though and I can send it off this morning and not think about it any more. I did the next assignment straight afterwards - translating into English - and it took me an hour. I'd been struggling with the nasty German one all week!

I didn't realise that the contaminated salad had reached Austria too. They were saying on the news last night that they think the contaminated products have come from Spain and that it is a nasty strain of E-Coli, I think. Best just to avoid for the time being, unless you've grown it in your own garden, I guess. (After getting food poisoning last month from a salad in Canada I'm a little paranoid at the moment!)

We're off to the Mosel with some friends this weekend, so fingers crossed the weather holds out!

Apologies for the sheer number of exclamation marks in that last post :)

Hi! Only took me four days to figure out that there's a new thread! Ha ha.

House is a still a mess and ds18 gets back from his Abifahrt tomorrow so he'll be throwing the contents of his suitcase all over the place. ds15 is going to Outward Bound on June 20 and I swear I'm going to be organized for that one and not scramble around at the last minute. And there's just tons to do in the garden. We've got a whole bunch of hanging baskets this year so I'm always out there watering and deadheading.

Now they're saying that the e coli is coming from Spanish cucumbers but are advising not to eat any raw vegetables since there could be cross contamination and washing DOESN'T get the stuff off. It's actually inside the veg. Bleh. I'm just going to cook what can be cooked and throw away the rest, I guess.

I think I've finally gotten in the exercise groove - 40 mins on the elliptical machines five days in a row. I started watching Sturm der Liebe, a cheesy German soap opera, while I'm doing it and time just flies. I actually watched Vermisst the other night where that English man and his German daughter found each other and yes, it made me cry.

Ad - we need to get together soon! Let me know when you have time.

Back later to read all the posts.

Hello, sorry to butt in on you ladies but I wondered if I could ask a really trivial silly question.
Can you buy Weetabix in Austria? (told you it was silly)
We are heading to the Salzkammergut (sp?) region in a few weeks and Weetabix is pretty much ds's staple diet!
Just wanted to know whether i need to pack some.
Grateful for any help,
Sorry to intrude

Hi Bellagio. Yes, you can get Weetabix here in Austria - I've bought it at Spar before and I think you can get it at Merkur too (although you'll probably find a Spar more easily).

Hope you have a good holiday - the Salzkammergut is one of my favourite areas of Austra.

Morning everyone. Hope you all had a good weekend. We did nothing really. Some weekends I can't get motivated to do anything so we just potter at home. Dh applied to Regensburg for a job and got a letter to say they had got the application but I think it's a number too big for him. I don't think you can be a professor without being an assistant or Privat Dozent first.

I have decided changing my driving licence is too much hassle. On the website it says I need an eye test and a Bescheinigung that I've been to a first aid course, then would have to get new photos as the ones I have in reserve are too old now to get away with!

Does everyone have a long weekend this week? Or have I marked it wrong in my diary? Dd wants to go into town with her friend to look for t-shirts for their performance but I think I'll still go with them, not quite sure, they'd probably manage alone at their age but not sure if the other mum would like it.

Admylin - Thursday is a national holiday, Himmelfahrt (aka German Father's Day), and the school kids get both Thursday and Friday off. The next holiday coming up is Pfingsten (Whitsun) where they get June 13 and 14 off.

Thanks Linzertorte one less thing to pack now!
Yes we have been to the area before (pre ds) and loved it so can't wait to go back, such a beautiful part of the world.
Thanks again