Die Kaffeestube - German and Austrian cyber Kaffee und Kuchen

[admylin]

Kaffeeklatsch for anyone in a German speaking country or interested in German, Kommt herein und setz euch!

I like to think I am laid-back and spontaneous, but I'd like to know which day we fly so I know how much food to buy now to see us up til then. And be able to know if I can make plans to see people before we go. And whether to be generous with the small amount of shower gel we have left, or abstemious and eke it out! Also, we have no Internet from Thursday!

Hacked off about the slow progress with the planning permission, just don't want to think about the money we are effectively losing. Ach, I know many have it a lot worse.

Yeah, will manage without an oven, but I think, WHY are they putting us in a place with no oven??? I do think we will try a raw vegan lifestyle for a while. It is good for us, and I do like a challenge. That said, I do like cake too! :) And crumble!

On a positive note, we are absolutely boxed up, labelled and ready, apart from the things we can't put away until the last minute. I have written the inventory, and feel relaxed about this aspect of the move.

What happens when you fly with a carseat? Do you take it on with you, or is it put in with the luggage? I don't like the idea of it getting bashed about.

I have flown with ds1 in the carseat and strapped him in it. I had bought a separate seat for him though. German cakes are excellent, though I don't know about vegan ones.

by separate seat, I mean airline ticket. He wasn't sitting on my lap.

Our carseat is huge, not sure I can imagine it fitting on an airplane seat. Hm.

Oh but I like baking my own!

You could check on the label to see whether it is FAA approved (or whatever the European equivalent is) for airline travel. There are also covers you can buy for putting it in the hold.

Won't be too long till you get a flat of your own with a decent kitchen.

nohun can't help about the car seat, but I would phone the airline to ask. A lot of my friends fly with weirdly-shaped and sized musical instruments and they mostly know the airlines' policies better than the airport staff. I've only flown once with DD, but she was over 2 and so had to have her own seat (and there was no way I was lugging a car seat around the airport).

jenny your lo sounds so cute!

admylin yes, my mum was a huge help when DD was tiny and still sees visits to us as a chance to take some day-to-day stress off our hands. We still have our differences of opinion, though, and I think I still care too much about what she thinks and tend to back down rather than argue with her.

I have to teach a conversation class at the gymnasium this morning. Dnephew asked me and said I shoud choose some topic related to British Landeskunde. So I've chosen the monarchy and plan to argue the case for republicanism . Whether any of these 15-16 yos will be able to argue back remains to be seen .

They're all going to be super-groomed with masses of eye makeup/taller than me and wearing intimidating hoodies, aren't they?

Rather you than me, silken - but then I'm easily intimidated. All the teenage girls around here look exactly the same - long straight hair, massive scarves wrapped round their necks and skinny jeans. And the make-up! Girls who wore obvious make-up were in the minority when I was at school, although I think we would have been told to remove it anyway. We certainly wouldn't have been able to get away with hanging round outside the school smoking either. (Which I obviously wanted to do. )

NoHun You sound very organised - how annoying about all the things outside your control, though. We brought DD1's car seat back from the USA and put it in the hold and it was fine (we've only just stopped using it now for DS, in fact).

Jenny It's only been this week that it's been warm enough for us to cycle to school (well, apart from yesterday) - being able to leave the car at home is very liberating.

Ploom Glad the freckle removal went well. You can hardly see my scar any more, although it's right at the top of my leg and you wouldn't see it anyway unless I was in a bikini so I wasn't too concerned about whether it was noticeable or not (the doctor told me about various creams that I could put on it, but I didn't bother).

admylin You can get such cute baby clothes (and toys); I love buying for friends who've had babies. And thinking rather them than me. (Although I've been watching One Born Every Minute - my staple viewing while I do the ironing/fold washing - and must admit to feeling quite nostalgic about the baby stage.)

Thatis Hope you manage to get some rest soon, even if it doesn't involve a Kur.

Ooh, my Glossybox has just arrived - yet another thing that I wouldn't have bought if it hadn't been for MN. I've been getting so many parcels lately (DH seems to be constantly ordering things from Amazon) that I'm now on "hallo" rather than "Grüß Gott" terms with the postman.

Morning! I'm sitting watching the clock, dd set off half an hour ago, alone to the city centre - first time! Her friends were meeting her at a bus stop on the way so she'll be just getting to the city now. It's the first time so I'll be worried until she's back but she was so excited and looking forward to getting a bubble tea!

Linzer I know, the baby clothes are so adorable! I keep saying I can't wait for my grandchildren! Never heard of Glossbox but I googled it! I don't think I'd get through so much stuff even if it is samples mostly! Actually at the moment ds uses the most shower gel, shampoo and deoderant! He's constantly showering and changing clothes although dd is catching up.

Silken good luck with the teens! Hope they join in, but should definately be able to as the standard of English at Gymnasium (and French) is amazing compare dto my experience at school. Ds is already so fluent in French in Year 8 and learning phrases and words that I only came across when I moved to France.

NoHun we only ever had booster seats with us so no idea about big car seats. I'd say it'll have to be checked in as luggage so a cover would be a good idea. A friend of mine did a raw diet for ages and she loved it, said she felt so much better but some of the recipes sounded difficult as I didn't have a clue what some of the ingredients were!

Ploom glad it went well - how do the stitches feel? I might try and get dd an appointment soon as I'd say the earlier she gets it done the better (if it really does need done).

Dh is mega stressed again at work. They've 'stolen' his idea to give to a student as his Phd thesis and want dh to supervise it all but without his name as the supervisor. They've taken a plan he wrote and used it in their name to apply for a grant too - all things dh needs to do himself to advance in his career.

admylin I'm so angry for your DH! Is there really no way he can put his foot down? That is appalling. Hope your DD enjoys her trip.

Ploom Glad it went well!

Linzer That sounds a lot like the teenage girls around here. Except they all have that sweeping fringe that starts really far to the side of the head.

Nohun No idea about the car seat but you've just reminded me I need to check that before I book our flights to Canada. I hope you get some info soon about flights etc - I'd be in a right flap by now!

silken Good luck with your conversation class. I remwmber when I was an assistant I used to marvel at how he girls had time for perfect hair, a full face of make up & a carefully chosen outfit every morning when school started at something ridiculous like 7am. They never looked tired either. Hmm....

Do you have your eye on a particular style of kitchen, hupa?

jenny German cakes are dangerously good, aren't they!

Oh yes, I almost forgot the sweeping fringe that starts about an inch above their ear, Gator - it's a must-have here too.

admylin Oh no, how incredibly frustrating for your DH - I'm not surprised he's stressed. Hope your DD gets on OK; how far is the town centre from you? And what's a bubble tea? (Actually, I could google that, couldn't I? Will do so now!)

Have just opened my glossy box, which is certainly very prettily packaged - the box itself is very nice too. It had a crystal nail file in it, which I'd been wanting to try out anyway (another MN discovery), plus some bath salts, shower gel, some kind of miracle oil for my hair (definitely needed), eyeshadow and lip balm (which I can always do with). Worth the money I think, although I'm very glad I got in before they put the price up from ?10 to ?14 and doubled the postage!

Linzer I´m another one who succumed to Glossybox after reading about it on here. Mine arrived yesterday and was really worth the 10 Euro although mine was completely different to yours. I got an exfoliator cream, a small nail varnish, a night cream, an intensive night treatment and a Gesichtswasser (not sure yet if it´s a cleanser or toner).

admylin - no wonder your dh is looking for a new job - that´s really appalling treatment.

Nohun I can´t believe you still haven´t got a date. Sorry I can´t help with the car seat, but it´s definitely worth calling the airline.

Silken How did the class go? Skinny jeans, canvas shoes and long hair seem to be the uniform here. On the plus side teenagers here don´t seem to be a obsessed with labels (eg. Jack Wills) as teenagers in the UK.

I went clothes shopping this morning and the lighting in the Esprit changing rooms made my cellulite look 10 times worse than it does at home. It was just the motivation I needed to start doing some sport.

grrr admylin - I'm so angry on your dh's behalf. But I dont know where he can go for help since his boss is obviously responsible. Is your dd back? did she have a good time?

linzer - never heard of a glossybox but have also just googled it. I'm not a big enough user of cosmetics to justify spending that amount of money every month. Maybe if it would get rid of my wrinkles then maybe i'd spend the money.

silken - rather you than me at the gymnasium. DD is only 10 but she already has the skinny jeans every day, the scarf and a bit of a sweepy fringe. She just needs the long hair to fit right in. Hope the lesson goes well. Have never seen anyone else here with a RH drive car apart from me - was the woman friendly?

nohun - I've put a car seat in the hold before. Just wrapped it up in a bin bag at the airport and it cam out absolutely fine.

arrggghhh hupa - I feel your kitchen pain. But its so worth it to have a kitchen that meets your needs. What cant you decide on?

jenny - agree your ds sounds super cute at the moment.

Been back this morning to the GP for the wound check - its still bleeding a little so wonder if i might pop back on fri. I dont have any plasters big enough here so think it might get wet before I go to my next appt on Monday.

Had a bizarre conversation with my neighbour this morning - he asked me "were you playing the bagpipes at the weekend?". Eh.... no! He had heard some bagpipe music (and really enjoyed it!) and presumed it was me. I'm now also intrigued as to who it was!

I think Gesichtswasser is normally toner, hupa. I just had a look on the German site and saw that they've put the price up to ?15 there too, although at least you get free P&P. I can't believe they've raised the price by 50% here - I wouldn't want to pay ?18, but ?12 is OK (they're keeping the price at the old rate for existing customers, which I hope applies to P&P as well).

I find the opposite with changing rooms - the mirrors always seem to be far more flattering than ours at home. What kind of exercise are you thinking of doing? I decided to take up running when I decided it was preferable to giving up chocolate and biscuits!

at you playing the bagpipes, Ploom (as all Scottish people do, of course ).

Can you get special plasters at the chemist's? I seem to remember buying some (big waterproof ones) when I had my mole removed. Then again, if it's just as easy to go back to the doctor's, it's probably a good idea - especially if it's still bleeding.

I was told to put hydrogen peroxide on my wound. It stung a bit but the scar's only quite big because the mole was.

I'm so angry for your dh too admylin. That is shocking. Can he just say no, I'm not supervising if my name isn't on it?

My cousin in Kansas' baby died last night aged four months. Her sister was staying with her to help look after him ( their mother died when they were at school) and their Dad hadn't been able to visit him yet as his SIL had died when they were planning a trip. He was the first baby in their family. Does anyone have any idea what I could write? Thank you xxx

Oh jenny, that is so so awful.:( :( :( I'm so sorry. How very sad. The bereavement board on here will have ideas for what you could write. I am hugging my baby tightly now. Him leaving me just doesn't bear thinking about. Your poor cousin. :(

There is this. Sorry if it's not appropriate.

Down below the surface of a quiet pond lived a little colony of water bugs. They were a happy colony, living far away from the sun. For many months they were very busy, scurrying over the soft mud on the bottom of the pond. They did notice that every once in a while one of their colony seemed to lose interest in going about with its friends. Clinging to the stem of a lily, it gradually moved out of sight and was seen no more.

'Look!' said one of the water bugs to another, 'One of our colony is climbing up the lily stalk. Where do you suppose she is going?' Up, up, up it went slowly. Even as they watched, the water bug disappeared from sight. Its friends waited and waited but it didn't return. 'That's funny!' said one water bug to another. 'Wasn't she happy here?' asked a second water bug. 'Were do you suppose she went?' wondered a third. No one had an answer. They were greatly puzzled.

Finally one of the water bugs, the leader of the colony, gathered its friends together. 'I have an idea. The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk must promise to come back and tell us where she went and why.' 'We promise', they said solemnly.

One spring day, not long after, the very water bug who had suggested the plan found himself climbing up the lily stalk. Up, up, up he went. Before he knew what was happening, he had broken through the surface of the water, and had fallen onto the broad, green lily pad above.

When he awoke, he looked about with surprise. He couldn't believe what he saw. A startling change had come to his old body. His movement revealed four silver wings and a long tail. Even as he struggled, he felt an impulse to move his wings. The warmth of the sun soon dried the moisture from the new body. He moved his wings again and suddenly found himself up above the water. He had become a dragonfly.

Swooping and dipping in great curves, he flew through the air. He felt exhilarated in the new atmosphere. By and by, the new dragonfly lighted happily on a lily pad to rest. Then it was that he chanced to look below to the bottom of the pond. Why, he was right above his old friends, the water bugs!. There they were, scurrying about, just as he had been doing some time before. Then the dragonfly remembered his promise: 'The next one of us who climbs up the lily stalk will come back and tell where he or she went and why'.

Without thinking, the dragonfly darted down. Suddenly he hit the surface of the water and bounced away. Now that he was a dragonfly he could no longer go into the water. 'I can't return!' he said in dismay. 'At least I tried, but I can't keep my promise. Even if I could go back, not one of the water bugs would know me in my new body. I guess I'll just have to wait until they become dragonflies too. Then they'll understand what happened to me, and where I went'.

And the dragonfly winged off happily into its wonderful new world of sun and air.

That's beautiful, thank you. xxx

Thanks all re the car seat advice. DH has asked his contact at his new employers, as they must deal with this a lot. No answer yet. We can't call the airline as we don have flights yet so don't know who we are flying with! I am concerned about putting it in the hold, and it crashing and bashing down the carousel ramp - they say one small crash in the car and you should replace your carseat, so this bothers me.

Sold the car! DH took it to WBAC.com, got a bit less than they guessed online, but just happy to be shot of it, one less thing to sort out.
Been running around doing errands today, bank stuff, getting car tax refund forms - stupid local post office didn't do them, so after I'd queued there for ages, I then had to trek to the other post office. I hope they are more efficient in Germany!

Am out of food now, apart from a few tins of baked beans, and bread, and we have no fridge, so will have some takeaways until we leave! Yippee! Curry tonight, I think. Pizza tomorrow. Maybe Wagamamas the next night! :)

admylin, that utterly sucks about your DH's work. I'd be fuming. I hope something cane be done, this is not on at all. I'd be seriously demotivated if I were him.

Ploom, hope your wound is doing ok.
DS is half-Scottish. I'd really love him to learn how to play the bagpipes.

X-p. glad you liked it. I do too. Though I think if I were a bereaved parent, nothing would help. :(

Oh jenny that is so so sad. Do they have any idea why it happened? I'm going to give my dc an extra hug before they go to sleep.
I'd have no idea what to say in this situation but I always think just saying something is better than not.

Oh Jenny, that's just heartbreaking. I never know what to say in that kind of situation either, but agree with Ploom that saying something is the most important thing. Also to let them know that you're still thinking of them a few months down the line, when they'll be getting far fewer messages of support, and not to be afraid to mention their baby and/or give them the opportunity to speak about him (if you see them).

I remember a woman at a baby group telling me she'd lost her baby, also of SIDS - it was fairly recent IIRC and I just didn't know what to say (I'd never met her before). Can't remember exactly what I said now, but I know I told her that I didn't know what to say.

NoHun Good news on the car and takeaways. Haven't been to Wagamama's for years - the last time was probably when we lived in London.

Finally have some moving info!
Van coming Saturday to take our boxes. Should fly Monday afternoon! So much for DH starting work on Monday! But am glad, will be nice to have an extra couple of days here to chill. Even if we have no fridge, and no Internet!

Linzer, I don't think there is anything to say. :( Just so awful. Just be there to listen, give hugs, I don't know.

morning!

Glad you've got some concrete plans nohun - enjoy the takeaways.

Meant to say yesterday - thanks all for the BF advice for my friend. She's now over the worst. They think she had some kind of fungal problem in the cracks in her nipples (ouch!!) and they gave her some anti fungal ointment and she's now pain free. So she's stopped expressing and he slept for 7 hours the night before last so she's feeling like a different person.

Managed to get in the shower without getting the plaster wet this morning and dh is going to bring me some from work later. Think its not bled anymore overnight so will get dh to have a look at it late rather than going to the GP.

Really need a kick up the bum to motivate me to clean my car this morning. Got to drive dd and my IL's to the airport on sunday and i'd be ashamed to let them in it at the moment. Go on cyber kick me.....

Did that help?

Good news that you finally have a moving date, NoHun; it must make everything much easier to plan now.

Just back from the optician's. I need new contact lenses and was going to be very assertive and tell him I would order them from somewhere else, but when it came to it, I couldn't do it. I'm sure he asked last time whether I wanted them to order some, but this time he just told me that they'd order some new ones for me and that they'd be in after Easter. Oh well, I shall just have to cough up (I'm sure two boxes came to well over ?100 last time ) but will definitely order the next lot online.

Jenny that's so sad, hope they have plenty of support. Can't even imagine what they must be going through.

Ploom your dd must be getting really excited! Is she all packed? My car is also a disgrace inside and I must do it before I take the car to get the summer tyres on or I'll be ashamed.

NoHun great news! Enjoy the last few days and make the most of as many take aways as you can as they do not taste the same over here! Yes, my dh is very demotivated due to them messing him about at work like this. He didn't go into work until now - he's just left, he usually leaves at 7:15am.

Well, dd didn't get back until 4pm yesterday but she did phone at 2pm to say they owuld be staying longer so that was good of her! They tried bubble tea and weren't impressed! She got a t-shirt and her friend bought earrings, now dd wants to get her ears done! Then they went in an American diner to eat chips as that's all they could afford.

Do your dds have earrings? I'd only be worried that she turns out like me and can only wear pure gold or silver then she will be frustrated that she can't buy all the fashion earrings that she has her eye on now!