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Sommer, Strand und Sonne - life in Germany and Austria

764 replies

LinzerTorte · 23/05/2011 11:38

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

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hupa · 09/09/2011 10:31

thequietone - weren´t you living in Bayern and feeling homesick. I hope I haven´t muddled you up with someone else. How is it living back at home -has it lived up to expectations?
Ernest is still around, although not so often. She´s moved into her new house.

Hope everone has a great weekend.
Dd´s got a gymnastics tournament on Sunday and we have to be there at 8:00, so I´m not looking forward to the early start.

admylin · 09/09/2011 13:17

Help - has anyone ever used one of those PC rescue services? Did it cost a fortune?

Dh switched PC on and sent an email this morning then went to work, I checked my emails then went out shopping. When I came in the PC had switched itself off and now won't go back on. Have to save loads of documents - panic, panic.

Hope everyone is OK and looking forward to the weekend, nice rest at last, except hupa - oops 8am is abit early! Ds thought he had to play table tennis on Sunday and start at 9am but it's cancelled -phew.

platanos · 11/09/2011 15:15

oh dear admylin - that does not sound good. Has it reacted since Friday? Is it a portable? We used to have a portable that did that, and would need to take the battery out the back, replace it and then it worked again.

Still got a sick dc3 - he seemed fine yesterday, we went for a walk and without warning he threw up in a busy Vienna street. Poor boy. He's not been sick since and he seems okay today. Hope work has not fired me after a 10 day absence.

hope everyone is having a good weekend! Lovely and warm here.

5moreminutes · 12/09/2011 01:23

Hi Everyone

Sorry I am not caught up - unmumsnet hugs though Jenny for struggling with 7 months of sleep deprivation and boisterous dd! Our dd has been pushing buttons this last week, in her own different way, and I also think it is to do with anticipation of starting school, hope it eases soon for you!

Later hope baby is here soon - my first born was 10 days late so I know how it is, although after that the boys were both planned c-sections at 38 weeks - c-sections are not nice but it is nice having a fixed date!!!!

I am on here at 2.20am because (apart from the fact DH's snoring may be part of the reason I can't get back to sleep, having just fed the baby) I am having an irrational panic about dd's first day at school. Fellow Bavarians somebody please confirm for me that schools go back on Tuesday not tomorrow! I know it is Tuesday and have found a general on line calendar (not specific to her school, which has no website) which says it is, but I was lying in bed panicing it is really tomorrow and she is going to miss the all important first day of school! I came downstairs to dig out the letter from her teacher with all the material requirements but it has no date, just see you in September! Argh! I will be up early with the kids in the morning - if any Bavarians come on here can you please help me out by confirming schools go back on Tue 13th not Mon 12th!!!!!!

Thanks (I sound crazy don't I? We have been on holiday in Croatia the last week and got back yesterday evening, otherwise I would have been speaking to other mums and not be in doubt!).

LinzerTorte · 12/09/2011 05:11

5more Canella posted further up the thread that schools in Bavaria go back on the 13th (not sure how to link to it but her post was on 31st August). I remember it because I was sure it was a Monday (we always start back on a Monday here) so was quite surprised to find it was a Tuesday.

Will be back later once I've got rid of the DC and DH, who has decided he's going into work an hour later today.

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Canella · 12/09/2011 05:52

5more - its definitely TUESDAY!!! The 13th. I've got 2 starting new schools so I am absolutely sure.
Hope you got some sleep and didnt panic all night!

silkenladder · 12/09/2011 06:58

5more my student who goes to school in Bavaria also said he was going back on Tues. I know Canella already confirmed this, but just to reassure you even more Smile.

5moreminutes · 12/09/2011 08:07

Thanks for the reassurances everyone - after posting here I remembered a "parents in Munich fb group I joined ages ago and posted on there too - and somebody was up and replied immediately to confirm it is Tuesday! So I went back to bed then less panicked!

Hope everyone had a good weekend, will be back when I have a bit more time to catch up and post properly - still got all dd's school stuff to name and put covers on etc. and MIL rang and convinced her she needs new shoes for the first day so may have to do that - she has a new dress my mum sent her from England and I guess the shoes she's been wearing all summer, or trainers, will look a bit scruffy though they fit fine still - argh!

hupa · 12/09/2011 08:21

5more glad you got that sorted. Is you dd going into the erste Klasse?

planatos - hope your ds has recovered.

admylin any luck with the computer? We had to use one of those PC rescue services once. It was about 8 years ago and dh thinks it cost 40-50 euros, but they managed to save everything. We´ve learned our lesson and now have and external hard drive as back up.

Anyone else have bad weather at the weekend? We had a terrific storm yesterday with a few trees blown down and so much hail it looked like winter. In the next village they had to get bulldozers out to clear the roads as so much hail had landed.

LinzerTorte · 12/09/2011 08:31

Well, DH changed his mind about going into work late as he decided he had too much work to get done before he goes to Turkey tomorrow (not sure why he didn't realise this last night), so I went out for a run instead. It was far too hot and my face is now a very unnatural shade of pink, as if I've overdone the make-up!

Am feeling much better now, but had to limit my MNing time as I was struggling to catch up with work after not being able to do anything all day Thursday and had a job due today. Sent it off late last night, so finally have time to catch up with the thread properly!

platanos Hope your DS is better now and that you've been able to go back to work today. The same thing happened to DD1 in Chester, although luckily we were able to haul her off into a quiet side street - we'd actually been about to go into a restaurant, but fortunately didn't!
Your parents' evening sounds as eventful as ours; I'm not sure whether the father was objecting to the trips themselves or just the cost - probably both. The teacher did say he could get financial help from the Elternverein, though, as he has twins in the class so obviously twice as much to pay as everyone else.

admylin Oh no, what a nightmare. Did you get it sorted out in the end? I'm always worried about something like that happening and should really back everything up far more regularly than I do.
The H&M catalogue was sent to me at my parents' address in the UK (I think I must have registered on the website when I was thinking about ordering something), but you can order it online here.

hupa How did the gymnastics tournament go yesterday? Hope the early start wasn't too painful.

Canella The DDs have definitely already had the bug and DH thinks he may have had a mild version of it, so it's only really DS who hasn't caught it - fingers crossed he'll be OK now.
Good news about the bus driver; you really don't want someone who shows so little regard for the children's safety driving your DC.

Jenny Glad to hear you had a better day on Friday; hopefully things will be a little easier now that your DD's at school (my three just seemed to be quarrelling constantly towards the end of the the school holidays). I feel at the end of my tether with DD2 sometimes when she really starts playing up, and I don't even have a baby/sleep deprivation to deal with so I can only begin to imagine how you must be feeling.

silken I hope your DD starts feeling a little more settled at KiGa this week; I'm sure that seeing other children there who are upset can't help. The DC all went to a nursery before KiGa (ages 2 to 3; KiGa didn't use to take children under 3) and they used to allow 2-3 weeks for the children to settle in before you could leave them there on their own for the whole morning - of course, some settled more quickly than others and some would still cry after that initial period. For some, the novelty of going to a new place seems to wear off after a few weeks or even months and that's when they start getting upset about having to say goodbye to their parents. As long as she seems happy there overall (you can probably tell from what she's like when you go to pick her up, before she's spotted you), I'm sure there's no need to worry.

Later Hope you had a relaxing weekend after your productive day on Thursday!

5more Hope you had a great time in Croatia; we know quite a few families who go there and love it.

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LinzerTorte · 12/09/2011 08:34

Apologies for that massive post - didn't realise quite how long it was. Blush

hupa The weather was really hot here and the DC all ended up going to the Strandbad yesterday (DD1 with the neighbours, DD2 with a friend and DS with DH) which meant that I could work in peace (it was also nice to have an excuse not to go, esp. as it was ridiculously busy there apparently). Still hot today, but I think it's supposed to get cooler from mid-week.

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admylin · 13/09/2011 16:02

Phew, just got out PC back. Computer man round the corner fixed it and only took ?20. He said it has nothing wrong with it but sometimes when windows does updates the anti virus scan goes mad and switches the whole sytem down.

Canella, 5more tell us how the big day went. Hope it went well, did you cry? I did, very discretly shed a few tears.

hupa, hope no damage was done by that storm, saw it in the news and the smashed car windows and thought I had better put my car in the garage from now on.

Canella · 13/09/2011 17:45

Glad it got fixed and didnt cost so much.

The Einschuling was great for both dc. Dd was very nervous going to the Gym this morning but came out beaming. Was impressed with the staff - the new head seemed friendly and the teachers all looked young and enthusiastic. (dd's teacher is actually very handsome!!! Blush). Felt like I could have cried when I dropped her off but think they were tears of pride more than anything else.
Ds1 had a fab time for his Einschulung and no tears from either of us! The teacher seemed strict but was friendly to me and spotted immediately that I was British and said she was looking forward to chatting to Alexander a bit in English! There's only 20 dc in the class and he looked really happy with it all. We'll see how it pans out over the next few days for both of them.

But after the stress and adrenaline of this morning, I'm exhausted now! Will be in bed before 9 i think!

Looking forward to tomo morning tho - first childfree morning in 6 weeks GrinGrinGrinGrin

Canella · 13/09/2011 18:31

How did you all get on 5more?

platanos · 14/09/2011 05:24

canella- good to read that the school start went well for both of yours. Enjoy your childfree morning - what are you planning to do? How was it chez 5more?

admylin - good to hear you got all the stuff back and it's far cheaper than I would expect.

hupa - thanks, ds beter, dd2 now has a runny tummy but nothing as bad as ds had it plus she is older and more resilient.

Linzer- well done on the running, most impressive. Our parents were objecting to the number of them.

Canella · 14/09/2011 06:36

Glad DS is better Platanos but typical that its spread to someone else!

My plans for this morning are to be a bit more of a domestic goddess than I've been recently then lie on the couch with a book I got from that bookswapper website that someone recommended! DS1 will be home at 11.45 so am hoping I get enough "me" time. Feel I deserve it.

admylin · 14/09/2011 06:58

Canella, what an exhausting day yesterday for all - did they sleep well? Glad they enjoyed it so much. How was the early start this morning? Took my 2 a while to get back into the swing of it all! Which book are you reading? I'm always looking for ideas. Just got myself a couple to take on holiday in October although I'd rather read them now.

Platanos I agree, some years the number of daytrips and missed days was a joke. In Berlin ds was out somewhere so often, with a dizzy teacher and the busy centre of Berlin - I aged a few years with the worry! I imagine all these Klassenfahrt weeks away must be a worry when you have twins or 3 or 4 dc.

We've just had a letter that we have to send 88? for a graphic calculator for maths. Haven't even started on the winter wardrobe for both of them yet except the 90? odd I spent in the sports shop for hockey shoes, shin pads and a waterproof coat fro dd.

LinzerTorte · 14/09/2011 08:02

Which books did you buy, admylin? I'm always looking out for new ones too - most of my recommendations come from MN. I have three on the go atm: Wolf Hall (which I'm struggling a bit with), a Jodi Mitchell (which I'm a bit bored with, have read better ones of hers) and have just remembered I finished the third one yesterday, a Sophie Hannah, which was good although not as gripping as I was expecting. I also bought about 10 books from charity shops when we were in England the weekend before last!

platanos Glad to hear your DS is better and that your DD isn't as badly affected. I'm hoping that DS escaped the stomach bug we all had; I'm only just getting used to have the mornings back to myself again. Wink

Canella Glad that school got off to a good start for your two; that will be us next year! Still can't quite get used to the idea of DS being a Vorschulkind at KiGa, let alone starting school next September. Enjoy your me time!

DS had his first appointment at the speech therapist's yesterday, which went quite well. I'd heard from another parent that she can be a bit of a dragon with the parents, but she was fine with me and really good with DS.

I was a bit worried about whether I'd make it back in time to pick up DD2 from school and had arranged with her that she would walk home on her own for the first time, but the speech therapy only lasted for 20 minutes so I made it to school in time after all. DD2 was quite disappointed, although she didn't refuse to get in the car! She's going to be walking back on her own after school today instead; I feel a bit nervous, but I'm sure she'll be fine - she's quite sensible and DD1 was walking home on her own at the same age or even younger.

Have just been for a run (still too hot here, although I've just noticed that some dark clouds have appeared) and now I need to get off MN and do some domestic goddessing too!

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admylin · 14/09/2011 08:16

Linzer, I read this The glass castle ages ago and really enjoyed it so I got another by the same author:
Half Broke Horses
And then I got Alone in Berlin.

I think our fridge has just died. The door wasn't closed properly all night and since I closed it at 6:30am it's not cooling. I knew everything was going to go at once. Trouble is if things like this happen in 3s am I finished now or does the car not count? Car, PC, fridge....I wonder.

What is it that you're ds needs to improve for his speach therapy? I know the feeling about them walking home alone. I'm still not used to it! If they're more than 15 minutes late I get worried too. You just have to trust them though don't you.

admylin · 14/09/2011 08:20

Argh. speach or speech - it's the schock of the Kühlschrank death!

LinzerTorte · 14/09/2011 08:45

I hadn't heard of that author before, admylin; I'll have to look out for her as both books have got very good reviews on Amazon. Alone in Berlin is on my to-read shelf - it was one of my charity shop finds in the summer. I'm trying to stop myself from buying new books, unless they're really cheap to start with, as I keep seeing them in charity shops (usually in very good condition) not long afterwards. I'm also annoyed that I seem to keep missing out on the MN book giveaways.

DS has a slight lisp and also doesn't always pronounce the "sh" sound properly. I wouldn't have noticed it myself but DH picked up on it; we had an initial appointment with the speech therapist a year ago, and have been on her waiting list until now! The only thing I've noticed is that DD1 can't pronounce "th", but no speech therapy for that here...

Is there no hope for your fridge, then? I'm sure the car counts, so hopefully that's your run of three finished now. Lol at schock too - I'm always typing [schock] and wondering why the smiley doesn't work!

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admylin · 14/09/2011 08:55

Lol, it's no wonder we're so mixed up. Last night I was going through a German text from 1932 with dd for her homework and the other day for English they were taught 'Romeo, wherfore art thou Romeo' so I got Romeo and Juliet off the shelf and read some of it to them, they found it very funny and had a good laugh until I told them they had a good chance of having to study it later on! The next minute I had to help ds write a short text in French about Les cing amis by Enid Blyton (why EB in French lesson??)!

LinzerTorte · 14/09/2011 09:08

Surely there must be some French children's authors?! I was also confused for ages about who Hanni und Nanni were, until I discovered that it's the St Clare's series. Can't remember what the twins were called in it, but certainly not Hanni and Nanni!

And why is it so difficult to find books for the DC that were originally written in German? The DDs' current favourites are the Magisches Baumhaus series (which I've never heard of in English; maybe it's like Dinner for One) and Gregs Tagebuch (I've given DD1 the first book in English, but she doesn't seem to be getting very far with it).

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admylin · 14/09/2011 09:22

Dd read Gregg's Tagebuch in German and the last couple in English, she enjoyed them. Did you try your dd on Die Rottentodds ? Dd found those ones easy going and after Gregg's those were the books that got her off to enjoying redaing. Now she's on The Warrior Cats which is a huge series and I can't keep up with her, she's on series 2 book 2 now.

I tried to find some French books for children on Amazon but mostly found translations of books we already have. I'm getting the Winnie The Witch ones in French for them as they're easy and we have the English versions so they can compare the phrases etc.

LinzerTorte · 14/09/2011 09:42

No, I haven't yet, although I remember you recommending them and was looking at them in the bookshop not long ago. I'm looking for something else to order from Amazon so that I can get free postage on some weights (!), so maybe that's an idea... Is Der Fiese Fall des Hannibal the first book in the series? I also get some ideas for DD1 from what her cousin (2. Kl. Gym.) is reading - he was on the Drei Fragezeichen series last time we were there. Wonder if that was originally written in German.

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