Friede, Freude, Eierkuchen : German Corner 3 - life goes on

[SSSandy2]

Other thread was getting a bit full. Alles wie gehabt :
"Deutsch or English
Native speakers, expats, anyone
From Brezeln to Bier

Please don't ask if you join in, everyone is welcome "

That sounds nice too. Well I think the figure is in trouble anyway since I promised we'd bake a cake today and we bought the things we needed for a carrot cake yesterday. We use that nice Mary Berry recipe (not the weird version with banana in it but her normal one) which always works out so well and we make a double portion ofbutter icing to cover it with. It's delicious. I just caught sight of that cheesecake recipe this morning and thought it would be really nice with the white chocolate mixed into the cream cheese. Something different.

I think though if I tried to change the ingredients too much, it might just turn out tasting odd. Shame. Have printed it out though and can make it overseas sometimes when we live somewhere with double cream. They really don't sell it here, do they, or have I missed it I wonder because they call it something entirely different?

Well done getting stuck into the packing admylin. I think once you make agood head start, you feel more motivated to finsih.

Dh back from South Africa this evening. I have actually missed him for once. Told dd I was missing him and she was so RELIEVED, gave me a huge smile and said, I always feel like that when he's away mummy. I always feel like he's never coming back. poor little thing I didn't know, I thought she barely noticed, since he works such long hours, she hardly ever sees him anyway.

I think I was starting to really seriously dislike him because in a way I hold him responsible for us being here and the crap dd goes through at school etc.

I read you mail last night too - I hope you can get something sorted for September.

I just saw the time and I have to get cracking - had the dc at the dentist this morning then quick shop (hope it's the last before we fly on Wednesday) and I bet the dc will start asking to be fed soon. I've got a stiff neck and sore shoulder from carrying dd's school stuff home on tuesday - we went from school straight to her friend's hotel in the opposite direction to where we live so I had a long walk down Friedrichstrasse and chausseestrasse to get home. Bought some asprin and hope it helps, a massage would be good. Have to iron as well today as I must start on out suitcases for Texas - dd keeps getting tops out of her drawer and I have to scream no don't wear that I have to pack it soon!

Cool here too.

I'm beginning to lose all hope for my figure. I was quite slim once upon a time and never had to watch what I ate much.

Cake sound good though! I think, as the cream is whipped and folded into the mixture then the cream you buy here would work perfectly well. Sugar is also fine I think. But I'm not sure what you could use instead of hobnobs. I'll have a look at the biscuit section when I go shopping later. Then again, maybe I shouldn't...

Hope the packing is going well, admylin. We (dh mainly) have got hundreds of books too. I like books but I curse them each time we move.

There is a biscuit like hobnobs in Plus - can't remember what they are called here though. You can get them. What you can't get is a decent copy of a digestive - that's what I like as a base for cheesecake. Looking forward to trying American style foods - dc want to go for Mexican as they love Mexican food, I want to go round a big shopping mall and just compare stuff, my sister does that when she's abroad - just goes round a big supermarket for fun and to see the differences - men don't get that sort of thing so I hope my SIL is willing!

I like bases made of digestive biscuits too admylin but I haven't seen anything like that here really. I don't look at the biscuit shelves much though. I may justnot have seen them. If you come up with something, let us know Taipo. If you think the cream would be ok, I might just try it. I know you can do things to thicken cream when you're beating but can't remmber what.

Hmm, my mil would know. You could use a bit of gelatine I suppose.

Admylin, I like looking around foreign supermarkets too. I found myself in a Russian one near here recently - it was in an area where lots of Russians live. I found it fascinating!

The closest thing I've seen to a digestive is a chocolate covered one in Aldi - called something exotic like Gallileo. But when I say closest, really not that close, more of an approximation

Right, back from my trip to the supermarket. I bought a pack of something called Hobbits which look a bit like Hobnobs. Haven't tried one yet though. Actually it's been so long since I've eaten a Hobnob (I've never been much of a biscuit eater) I can't really remember what they taste like.

That's what I was meaning too, hobbits are nearly like hobnobs! We've just had new potatoes for tea with mint sauce on (from Lidl special) - and the dc got to wondering if there will be a Brit style restaurant in Houston! Doubt it but I bet there'll be Bratwurst or plenty of German style stuff available, the Germans seem to auswandere to the US the same as the Brits to Australia.

Was mad today with our new neighbour - a young trendy studenty type girl moved into one of the 2 roomed flats with her also trendy student brother and she's got herself a puppy (labrador) which we didn't know but we already found a big poo in the middle of our garden where the dc usually play football. We thought it might be a fox as there is plenty of green over grown patches around the neighbourhood. Dc were quite prepared to forgive a fox for pooing in their garden. Today we saw the culprit at large, young woman with puppy in the hall downstairs and it pooed before our eyes while she checked her letter box. She just laughed and said oh now I'll have to clean that up hihi, I said it must have been in the garden too maybe you could clear that up at the same time. She only cleaned up the indoor poo but no energy to fight about it as we move soon anyway, still disgusted.

Don't be fooled by the Hobnob impersonators, they are not as good as the real thing. I tried then once many years ago. They might be ok for the cheesecake though. The cheesecake sounds delicious.

MIL uses Sahnesteif to get the cream to thicken. No idea what is in it though. Funny, the Germans are normally pretty conscious of no additives etc but they lob lots of strange stuff into their baking. See the gelatine glasur stuff that MIL puts on her KiwiQuarkTorte.

I was in Edinburgh today, my paretns took the DCs to Museum of Childhood while I went bra shopping. I went to Bravissimo, have heard lots of people on MN raving about it. I have gone from a 36DD to a 32GG in one day

I must say that my norks do look rather lifted, and mum says I look like I have lost weight.

Admylin
I packed the DCs clothes a week before we went on holiday as otherwise they would have had everything on

Phew, it looks as if I've managed to pack for Texas, I think...well still have to go shopping for the toothpaste and co and h came in briefly today and said oh these trousers I'm wearing have to be washed before we fly - in 3 and a half days - I wasn't counting on washing anything so I'm going to iron them and tell him they are clean, some times it's quite good that he's a mad scientist not on our planet most of the time so he won't even notice.

Have ran out of boxes nearly for the move - will also need to get some more at Baumarkt - any idea how many I should get for the kitchen stuff? Ten should do it I think, any clothes or bedding will be going in big bin bags. OMG I hope it all fits in the lorry. I'm also itching all over becaus eI've been in the cellar and there were silver-fish scuttling about every where and it's made me feel all itchy.

Silverfish. Yuk. We are ok in our present house but our old flat was terrible for the things.

Ten boxes sounds ok for your kitchen. I don't know how many we had. The removal company would have told you if they reckoned that you would need more than one lorry. They are good at estimating how much space they will have.

Our first move, from a 40qm flat, the lorry was more than half empty. They finished packing in about 3 hours.

That's such a change in bra size ML, how strange. I'm wondering now if I should get a proper fitting, but where?!

Yes that's right I remember having seen Sahnesteif but never knew what the point in it was. Maybe it is used to thicken cream because it whips up anyway really. Never thought of using gelatine actually taipo. I would really rather just use thick cream though rather than adding things to it. I used to be able to buy pots of cream so thick you'd need to spoon the top out, you couldn't pour it but I don't think they sell it like that here. Maybe where we'd use thick creams traditionally, they use vanilla sauce whipped up or some other ingredient.

Will have a look for those hobbits taipo, just out of interest. I really should not be eating ANY of this stuff though or even contemplating making a cake.

We have silverfish here admylin. I am a bit used to them scurrying about but the first time I saw them I thought eek!

When we moved into a student family flat years ago it was alive with silver fish running along the cracks in the tiled floor. Every time I put the light on at night time I saw them scuttle away. Someone told me lavender was a natural remedy to put them off - so I bought some pure lavender oil at the pharmacy and put a few drops in the water every time I washed the floor and it seemed to help but I think it was just the fact that it was regularily cleaned because the vormieter hadn't done much in the way of cleaning the floor or windows (I had to scrape the window panes before I could clean them)

Have you booke dyour holiday yet? We've got 2 and a half days to go - have nearly finished packing cases and most of my flat is packed up too - had teh dc painting their room today all white, they had a great time and begged to be allowed so why not, all their stuff is packed anyway so they didn't have much else to do except watch TV or play out !

MmeLindt - 3 hours packing for o 40qm flat? Wonder if my lorry will beat me to Hannover, I'm planning on leaving by train at about 9:30 or 10:00 but I reckon they'll load up very quickly as it'll all be packed and ready to move. Ifthey beat me they'll just have to have a coffee break as the Wohnungsübergabe has to take place when I arrive.

well done getting everything done admylin. Are you looking forward to travelling now? No, we haven't yet booked anything. H will be travelling all year by the sounds of things. He just said yesterday that after Australia, NZ, Singapore end of July he will be in China, Hong Kong, Japan, Russia and Kenya Sept/Oct, somewhere else Dec. He is even travelling when dd has her birthday which upset her (and me too tbh) I think he had forgotten when it was.

Well had THE big talk today admylin. NOt sure how I feel about it, hope I am doing the right thing by dd.

Wow, he really travels alot, home will start feeling like a hotel. Can you not got with him sometimes?

I'm feeling quite proud about all the packing but not relaxed yet because I know theer is still so much to do, I remember last time you think you've packed nearly everything and then those last few cupboards and bits n' bobs add up to quite a lot mor ethan you think. I'm going to have to get more boxes which is a pain - have to get a taxi as can't carry those big folded boxes.

So what have you decided?

I think there will be a few more follow-up talks to come first admylin.

Well good luck - hope you catch him inbetween flights!

Where has the summer gone? It is freezing here atm. I'm not a big fan of really hot weather but I've taken to wearing woolly socks around the house and debating whether or not to get the winter duvet out again.

How is the packing going, admylin? You must be leaving for Texas either today or tomorrow. Hope you have a really good time. Try not to think about the big move too much

Hi taipo, don't worry the summer is forcast to be back as of tomorrow! We fly tomorrow morning very early - all cases are packed but I'm sure i've forgotten something. Don't care though, haven't got the energy to do any more!

House is packed all except the kitchen things - have 3 days when we get back from the US so hope I don't have jet lag for too long and will do it then. I just got 10 more boxes delivered as couldn't face dragging the dc to Baumarkt and back in taxi. Are you staying put or planning a trip away ?

taipo is going to la belle France to track down your ex boyfriend. She was so intrigued by his band

I didn't hear the summer was returning. That's good news. Don't like it too hot but could do without lashings of rain. Dd is at her museum workshop, started today. THey are all so nice the people running it. Looks like fun, they are holding it outdoors (how brave) and there are lots of good trees for climbing there so dd and almost every other dc there was up a tree within seconds.

oo la la!

Am indeed off to France but not until end of August. School holidays start on Thursday so we've got 3 weeks to fill before we leave. I was anticipating spending quite a bit of time at the Freibad so I hope that summer does return.

You've done very well with the packing. We didn't start ours last year until the weekend before the move which also happened to be the hottest weekend of the year.

Have an amazing trip to Texas admylin I expect you're winging over right now. Be sure and come back with seriously BIG hair and a sexy drawl, y'hear?

Summer returns tomorrow taipo apparently. According to the weather forecast anyway; Friday is supposed to be seriously hot so you can dust off your swimming gear and hit the outdoor pool again.