Der Nebel steigt, es fällt das Laub - a German and Austrian autumn thread

[AntiqueMuppet]

A thread for anyone living in Germany or Austria, or anyone else who fancies a chat.

Previous thread here

Hi all, hope your weekends were good.
nutella good luck talking your dh into finishing all the jobs off. Men just don't get the nesting instinct do they? Always remember dh not understanding why I was bulk buying and stocking the freezer up with food before ds was born. Before we had dc our fridge contained coffee, wine, beer and olives and that's about it.

I got ds a new bed cover/quilt thing this morning but had to go back out and exchange it as I'd bought an übergröße so it was 220cm long. Although that will be a good size for ds fairly soon I'm sure, none of my bedding is big enough and I don't want to have to buy new bedding yet.

Anyone around?
I have just reversed into a parked car as I came out of the garage, it was the neighbour's dd's car. I've called the insurance people and the owner, (got the number from the neighbour) and she's coming round tomorrow morning, took me ages to explain but I hope they've all got the right info. I hope she doesn't shout at me or anything. It's only the bumper on one side.

I hate driving.

, admylin. I know (and hate) that feeling all too well. Well done for sorting it all out, though. Most people are pretty understanding about these things, hope your neighbour's dd will be, too!

nutella it sounds like you are way more ready for your baby's arrival than I was at that stage. We didn't even have our car seat or pram before dd's birth (we'd ordered them too late) and our freezer was too small to fill up with pre-cooked healthy meals as well. Mind you, I did manage to take down and vacuum every book in the living room before the birth . Because babies need clean bookshelves, don't they...

I had the feeling this morning that this week was going to be hectic and since then I've had a call asking me to work away from Thurs-Sat. Sorting out who is going to look after dd when was hard enough, but on top of that the concert programme contains an extremely tricky solo which I'm already nervous about having to play. Wish me luck!

Oh admylin, you poor thing. You may have seen on FB how often I've managed to reverse into stationery objects ; I try to make a joke out of it (as I would probably cry otherwise!) but it's not funny really. The worst thing was when my car door blew into the car next to it in the car park, which was the only time someone else's car was involved. It was such a hassle and an unnecessary expense and I felt awful about it, so I know exactly how you feel.

Good luck with your solo cheas and with motivating your DP Nutella. After all the problems caused by lentils on this thread recently, I'm feeling quite glad I stayed away from them on Friday.

oh no admylin - its such a sinking feeling when it happens. Hope the dd isnt too hard on you when she calls - if your insurance will pay for it then she shouldnt have much to moan about.

nutella - those blasted lentils - stay away from them!!! They are evil. We had a very windy night after me lentil induced belly ache. I am jealous of you and linzer having Indian food - it is the thing I miss the most.

cheas - have you played the solo before? Are you in full practicing mode at the moment? Is your dd going to Oma and Opa? Think that'll make them very happy!

I am really suffering from my cold and cough - had to fight the poorlyness yesterday morning to take the boys to handball (which was a surprisingly fun morning) but suffered last night for it. Hate having an exhausting cough - just feel thats all I've done all day.

But (moan about dh coming - warning!) - he didnt call once all day to see how I was - this isnt new - he never calls in the day but I still think he should when he knows I'm home poorly. But then he sent a text this afternoon with "think i've got a migraine coming on" - nothing more . I replied a bit later on asking how it was and he says better. So he comes home at normal time, doesnt ask me how I am and says "I'm going to lie down". I am sat downstairs seething. I understand I'm not anywhere near as sick as the patients he looks after on intensive care all day but still. We'll be having words when he gets up!
(moan over!)

Thanks everyone. I've had a beer to calm me down! Can't take anything stronger or I'd be knocked out! Hope she's in a nice understanding mood tomorrow.

ploom hope you feel better soon and your dh apologises. Typical doctor eh?
linzer so reasure me, how much did your only accident with anothercar cost you? I hope this one won't cost me anything upfront and we can take the higher percent car insurance as it's really low now anyway (and I bet dh won't even notice).
cheas hope you manage to organise everything on time and good luck playing the solo piece.

I even managed to miss the dc's orthodontist appointment today. I was happily sitting having a coffee and chat with ds at about 2.30pm when they phoned to ask where we were. I'd got it into my head that it was tomorrow so mad rush, not exactly dressed to go out. I'd just said to ds, I must remember to give you a note for the last lesson tomorrow as you need to come home early - well he doesn't now

admylin We ended up settling privately and it cost ?250. The woman said it would cost ?500 to repair at a garage but she had a friend who would do it for half the price. I had no way of checking that he really did charge that amount, but I just felt I couldn't face any more hassle and might as well pay up! Plus if I'd insisted she take it to a garage and we do things officially, we'd have lost our no-claims discount. Hope you can get it sorted out as amicably as possible today, anyway.

Ploom Grr at your DH. Even if I'm not ill myself, I get irrationally annoyed when DH isn't well and can just go to bed/take the day off work; I don't think he appreciates how easy he's got it! Hope you're feeling better soon.

We're a bit worried about DD1's tortoise as it seems very lethargic, isn't surfacing much and isn't putting on weight like the other two. The vet also said its shell is too soft and recommended we buy a UV lightbulb for them (which we've done) and feed them more protein. He also said to only let them hibernate for about four weeks, but we're worried that it won't survive the hibernation as it still isn't eating much.

Phew, the neighbour's dd was really nice, not mad at all (well it wasn't such a big crash or anything) and I gave her my insurance contact number and rang them myself too. I don't care about the no-claims discount anymore as there's no way I can pay the dd at the moment anyway and dh had a smalll accident when he reversed into a car in Berlin about 4 or 5 years ago on the same insurance and I don't remember it increasing in price that much (they payed around 2000? to fix that one).

Also, dh sent an application off for an assistant professor job in Houston yesterday. He could have a chance as he has a contact in Texas who knows the people (another scientist in a director position). Don't fancy the heat and humidity of Houston but the dc think it would be great.

Ploom I think it must be true what they say about Dr's being terrible patients and I can imagine they get a bit short sighted about how loved ones might be feeling when poorly.... the couple we know who are a pharmacist and a trainee dr don't seem to do normal illness but I think it's a case of too much knowledge :) like googling - not necessarily the best option to self diagnose and medicate... But I hope you feel better soon!!

admylin sorry about your accident but good it sounds like the DD is reasonable and FX things get sorted relatively painlessly for you.

cheas don't be fooled - I don't feel ready! I feel more like I'm going through the motions of planning and finding and writing lists...

Awww Linzer sorry to hear about DD's tortoise :( I always wanted a tortoise - possibly after reading Rohld Dahl's "Esio Trot" :) hope he perks up soon!!

DP has tomorrow off so all being well the furniture should be up at some point :) even better - I'm going to the hairdresser and his brother is coming over (drilling holes in the wall is something they can both do ) so fingers crossed by the time I get home he'll have managed to get some stuff done. We're off to see the bond film tonight!! - In English - I really can't wait! Feels like ages since we went to the movies.

nutella great that you'll have everything set up and all drilling finished with while you're out. Enjoy the film, I must check out what's being shown in English at the cinema, might even trick dd into speaking English if she's watching a film and is surrounded by people who obviously understand it too.

linzer hope dd's tortoise is OK. Have you had them long?

admylin it's usually a Monday or Tuesday night at the Raschplatz cinema and there is a choice of one film. It's amazing ....
For a largish town the options are rather poor :( when we visit friends in Nürnberg we sometimes make time to see a film - where there are three or four different films and you can go -steady yourself- at the weekend!!!! ho hum...

That's no good then as I don't think school nights would be a good idea.

I'm planning to go to the garage some time soon to see if they can adjust the bumper on my car abit then dh will never have to know about yesterday. Hopefully it will just click back into place, it's only very slightly out of place on the right back side.

Nutella Am very of you seing the Bond film as a friend of mine (who's not normally into "action films") was raving about it and I've decided I'd really like to see it now. I'm sure it's showing in English somewhere in Vienna, but the logistics would just be too complicated... and DH has said he doesn't want to visit his family again before Christmas, so no chance of seeing it there (where we'd have babysitters on hand) either.

admylin The DC got the tortoises for Easter and they all seemed to be fine up until a couple of months ago, when DD1's started trying to hibernate (we assume). We brought them indoors but he/she still stays under the bedding - or whatever it's called - most of the day, doesn't eat much and now looks very small compared to the other two (they were all the same size when we got them).

Good news that the neighbour's DD was so understanding. The woman that I had to deal with was fine too, although the fact that she was quite young probably helped. Friends of mine have had similar incidents but with much older people involved and had quite different experiences; one of them was even followed home to make sure that she'd given the right address (all over a ?20 tin of paint!). Also good news that it's not too obvious; unfortunately DH couldn't miss the results of my incidents! (Although the DC usually get in first to tell him.)

I told a lie yesterday - I did in fact hit someone else's car a few years ago when I was parking. I only gave the bumper a light knock and you couldn't see anything, but he said there was something on the bumper that was used to attach something or other and it was quite sensitive, so he'd test it and would be in touch if it had stopped working. Fortunately I never heard from him again!

admylin they often put up the cinema listings on the H4ES facebook page - think they put out the new listings on a Tuesday actually... but I don't remember seeing any listing for something being shown during a weekend in Hannover :(
Hope that things with your bumper work out though!!

OK, I'll go now and stop making people jealous of our cinema visit I even promise not to tell you about the film :)

Afternoon all!

Sorry to hear about your accident, admylin - I hope it get sorted out with the minimum amount of fuss.

Ploom Hope you're feeling better soon. Boo at the lack of sympathy from your DH!

Linzer Hope the tortoise perks up soon and that there's nothing seriously wrong with the poor little thing.

cheas Good luck with your concert!

Big wave to everyone else!

We popped round to the new house last night to have another quick look, measure for curtains etc, and they want us to take it from the beginning of December, which means we can start moving stuff across really soon - eek!
We'd already realised that we're going to have to pay double rent for a month but it means we can move stuff across gradually and get cleaned up here and the last few doorframes etc painted before we hand over the keys.
We've found two people who are interested in the flat - I've sent their details to the landlady but we haven't heard anything back yet. I'm really hoping it works out (which I'm sure it will) so we don't have to pay double rent for more than a month. I'm starting to get really nervous even though I'm fairly sure it will be fine. We're off to Canada for 10 days over Christmas and New Year so we'd really like to have it all sorted by then. Am calming my nerves with a Milky Way and a cup of tea while DS naps and browsing for curtains on the internet. What a wild afternoon

Oooh I meant to mention - I went to see James Bond in English the other week (DH and DS spent a nice morning together and I went to the cinema - I felt like a teenager whose parents have let her out alone for the first time ) and I loved it! Definitely worth a watch for anyone considering it and not just because Bond is beautiful

Morning!

Very of you all going to the cinema to see films in English! And double to antique for going out on her own in the day to the cinema. Its not the James Bond that particularly interests me but there are loads of films that I'd like to see and havent ever seen any round here in English .

Good news about the house antique. Maybe you need to chase the landlady up about the new tenants?

I didnt know you had tortoises linzer. We contemplated getting some but they seem like a lot of work (well most animals are which is maybe why we're still pet free!). How is the little one looking this morning?

Hope your dh gets the work done today nutella. Will this be your last trip to the hairdresser before the baby comes? How was Bond? As handsome as ever?

admylin - glad the dd was ok with you. Hope you can get it all sorted quickly and easily. Houston would be a big change from chilly wintery Germany! I've got a friend who's just come back from being there with her dh for work - she quite liked it but did comment on the heat. Got my fingers crossed for you all.

Thank you for the supportive grrrrrs about my dh - he does it every time I'm ill but since I'm not ill very often then I forget and then get annoyed when it happens again. we had words bout it yesterday but whether it gets through who knows.

My head cold has nearly gone but (warning TMI) I have got the grottiest wheezy & productive cough - I was spitting up green phlegm this morning and I am so short of breath when I do anything. I am contemplating going to the Hausarzt (he's back from his hols) but I dont have a temperature so dont think I can have an infection that would need antibiotics. Really feel like I could do with an inhaler but I'm not asthmatic so not sure he would give me one. Not sure what to do.

after typing all that I realised I really should go to the doctor - I've got an appt at 10.40.

ploom Going to the doctor definitely sounds like a good idea in your case - at the very least, he can put your mind at rest. FWIW I'm not asthmatic but have an inhaler, which was prescribed because my dust allergy can make me quite wheezy; I haven't needed to use it yet, though.

Only the bigger two tortoises had surfaced this morning, but your post made me think I should go and get the little one up, so I've just done so and put a lettuce leaf in front of it! Tortoises are generally quite low-maintenance compared to most pets, especially when they're out in the garden all summer, although DH worked quite hard on making a run for them.

Antique Very excited for you about the move; it seems to have come round quickly. Fingers crossed for you that it works out with the new tenants; we lost quite a bit of money when we left London as the estate agent didn't find new tenants for ages.

Nutella Don't worry about mentioning the film; I can enjoy it vicariously, which is probably about the nearest I'm going to get to seeing it until it comes on TV.

DS went off to school very happily this morning as he's allowed to take a cuddly toy in today (I may have mentioned before that he loves all his soft toys) so his favourite dog went in with him. They're off school tomorrow for St Leopold (patron saint of Lower Austria), who was sent to try the patience of working parents - I had to turn down some work yesterday as I knew I wouldn't get it done with the DC around tomorrow, although at least I can turn work done. And it gives DD2 more time to revise for her Sachunterrichtstest on Friday - they were only told yesterday what they need to revise, so I spent most of yesterday afternoon typing up questions for her.

ploom I hope you´re feeling better soon. I think you´re doing the right thing with going to the doctor. My dh is exactly the same when I´m ill and it´s so annoying, so you have my sympathy.

Linzer Hopefully the tortoise will perk up soon. I hate it when pets get ill. Mind you we´ve got guinea pigs and they seem to drop down dead without any warning. It´s always a bit of a shock, but at least I don´t spend ages worrying about them.
I have to say I´ve never heard of St. Leopold which is probably hardly surprising. I thought that there were a lot of days off here in Germany, but it seems that Austria has even more.

admylin I hope everything with the car gets sorted out without too many problems. Have you found out how much it will cost to fix your car?

nutella I hope your dh gets everything finished today and then you can sit back and relax and enjoy the time until the baby arrives. I´m sure you´ll enjoy the time after the baby arrives aswell, but hopefully you know what I mean.

antique Have you heard anything back from the landlady? i bet you can´t wait to get into the new house.

I didn´t mind watching the Bond film in German. I just don´t notice the dubbing anymore, although it really used to annoy me. It´s funny how you get used to the voices of the German actors. I remember watching CSI Miami in England after only having seen it in German and being really surprised at how awful some of the original voices sounded. Mind you, George Clooney´s German voice is just wrong - I´m never going to get used to that!

thanks for the reassurance about going to the doctor - even dh sent me a text telling me he thinks its the right thing to go and I probably need some antiobiotics (maybe the words worked!)

linzer - I agree with hupa - you seem to have loads of holidays in Austria but we seem to have loads in Bayern too. The dc are off next wednesday for Buß und Bettag even tho its not a public holiday. Glad your ds went happily to school this morning - my ds2 still loves his soft toys too well especially his Tigger. And dd still sleeps with her "Magic Ted" - he's called that because we like to pretend that cuddling him when your poorly will make you magically better . He was the first teddy that she got after she was born so I love that she still has him - wonder how long this will last?

hupa - I cant get used to watching dubbed films. I've never watched those CSI programmes but they seem to be on every night from a different city. Are they any good?

Off to the GP now but dont want to inflict this cough on the others in the waiting room so will go just exactly right on time so that I'm hopefully not sat too long.

Good luck at the doctor's, Ploom; hopefully you can get something to help your cough. I remember Buß- und Bettag from years ago; I think it was a public holiday when I was in Berlin (I'm sure I wouldn't remember it if it wasn't as I don't have a great memory for religious feasts otherwise!). Bavaria is quite Catholic as well, isn't it - definitely good for bank holidays! Plus we also get quite a few days when school is closed but that aren't public holidays, like Leopolditag next week (although that's only here in Niederösterreich; other Länder have different patron saints).

Aww at your DD's Magic Ted. DD1 still has her first teddy, called Bärli, and likes to take a couple of teddies with her if she stays overnight somewhere (although she didn't on her school trip!).

hupa Even after 20 years, I still can't get used to dubbed films and programmes; the voices just sound so unnatural and I'm convinced they have a maximum of 10 actors dubbing absolutely everything.

Must be so sad when your guinea pigs die - how long do they normally live for? We were expecting the tortoises to still be around for years (they're only just over a year old), so I really hope DD1's survives the winter.

ploom hope the doctor could give you something that will help you feel better and hope that your dh's talking to sticks with him abit longer this time. My dh is one of those lucky people who hardly ever gets ill and when he does he still carries on as normal and has been to work with flu (only in his lab or private office).

Dd is 13 and still has her Polo in bed with her, a very scruffy polar bear with one eye. Ds hasn't touched a cuddly toy since he was about 5 years old though!

linzer how's the tortoise? It must be confusing to know if it's in hibernation mode or if it's ill. Is your dd worried? My dd gets very worried when one of her gerbils isn't well and is great at looking after them, cleaning an eye or an ear and spoon/syringe feeding Babybrei!

hupa same here, I wouldn't recognise many a famous person's real voice as we only watch German dubbed series. (ploom all those CSI, Navy CIS series are addictive, dd wants to watch them all and dh watches them with her then always has to have the plot explained to him at the end!).

antique you come across as being very calm and organised about the move, well done! Double rent is tough, hope someone wants to move in to your flat as soon as possible.

It's dh's birthday today and the local shop didn't have what I wanted for his meal so have to change my menu now. Not that he wants to celebrate really, he gets all depressed when he's reminded that he's a year older.

My niece and nephew had a hamster and I believe it dying was quite a trauma (although it bit me so I wasn't sorry ) and they have a new one now. I asked my brother about it and they just left it at the pet place that put it down... we used to bury our pets in the garden, when they died - of course.

But really hoping your Tortoise makes it through the winter Linzer does it need some extra vitamins or something? I remember we had a little snake that we had to give some powder to; but it died in hibernation :( sorry that's not really what you needed to hear is it?!

Thanks everyone, I'll let DP know you're all keen to see how handy he can be he's in a very good mood getting some jobs done that he has on his "to do" list so I'll let him get on with that and then hand him a list before I go to the hairdresser :)

Ploom I think it might be my last trip before baby.... I might make an appointment with the hairdresser very near to my due date and warn that it might be cancelled at short notice I have short (ear length) hair, it can look a bit bleargh after about 8 weeks so I usually try to go about every 8-10 weeks...

Bond was fabulous!! A few people had already let part of the ending slip and I think it was general knowledge. But they hadn't let the details slip so I was prepared for what was coming but didn't know exactly how it was going to happen.
Daniel Craig looked lovely as ever, Ralph Fiennes is also in the film and he wore trousers with braces which for some reason really distracted me and made me think of older films
What I really loved were the London locations... ahhh London..... Definitely a film to recommend, the budget has, as always, been spent on fireworks, lovely tailored suits, fancy cars and fast women . The new Q is also brilliant and I recognise him from the telly but I'm not sure what...

Best of all there are plenty of those little quips and lines in very British humour eg Q hands Bond a gun - which Bond isn't initially very impressed with and Q replies "what did you expect, an exploding pen? We don't really do that sort of thing anymore." :o

Good luck at the Dr's, Ploom. I hope they can give you something to clear things up nice and quickly. Green phlegm sounds nasty! Did you have to wait long in the end?

Linzer How's the tortoise? Poor little thing. Is your DD ok? I remember the trauma of pets dying, horrible!

hupa I still can't quite get used to the dubbing - I think it's the fact that it doesn't match the mouth movements that irritates me a bit, but I'd rather watch something dubbed than not watch it at all, if that makes sense.
Nothing as yet from the landlady, but I only emailed her on Monday. She is very nice but impossible to get hold of, which makes chasing her impossible. She works abroad a lot I think and has an answerphone that you can't leave a message on, which is really bloomin' helpful!

admylin I was all calm and collected until I tried clearing out for the move with a toddler in tow. I'm not quite sure what persuaded me it was a good idea but I'm now extremely frazzled, on about my 100th cup of coffee and have started eating the chocolate I bought to post to my brother
On the other hand, once the landlady pulls her finger out I'm sure it will all go smoothly so hopefully we'll only have to pay double rent for one month - we have 2 different people who want to move in this month so it's really just waiting for the landlady now.
What are you cooking for your DH? [nosey] It's really sad that he's always sad on his birthday, that really made me go 'awwww' when I read it.

Nutella Yay, someone to share my Skyfall love with! Ralph Fiennes in braces really distracted me too, for some reason. I was sitting there with my popcorn giggling away like a small child at all the little quips. I'm actually desperate to go and see it again but have far too much to do for the move to justify another cinema trip. (Although if I did DH could experience packing with a toddler first-hand..... [evil] )