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 "

Anyone around? Summer has indeed returned and we spent Thursday and Friday afternoon at the pool. In the changing rooms I overheard a woman complaining about the showers being filthy. I was surprised as they seemed very clean to me. In fact I've never been to a swimming pool here which I would remotely describe as dirty. Unlike our local pool in London which was truly grotty.

The summer holidays have started at last here and already dd is complaining she is bored.

hi taipo, have to go in a second. I know they get bored so quickly, don't they? I had dd ata museum's workshop last week (4 mornings) on ancient China. They are always excellent and give me a break and her a bit of stimulation. This week she has the summer camp at the American church (5 mornings).

Depends how you feel about religion but they will have a religiöse Kinderwoche at the German chruches during the holidays. Or maybe a swimming course at the outdoor pool one week?

Have to run, catch you later!

Seem to be washing myself down about 5 x day atm. Hot, isn't it?

I know what you mean about the general state of cleanliness of public buildings. I have been in a public pool here I found grotty. Actually I was thinking a while back when admylin posted about looking at the flat in Hannover and how spotless and tidy it had been although the people livign there had not expected a visit. I would ALWAYS have to tidy up (and tbh clean) before someone could come round and view our place. I always plug away at it but it is never tip top. Most German homes are really clean and tidy, aren't they? How do they do it?!

oops supposed to say I have NEVER been in a grotty public pool here !

Our house is always in need of a tidy up. I just never seem to get on top of it. I try to at least keep the bathroom and kitchen clean but it's all the piles of stuff that I never seem to able to clear and if I do then another one springs up somewhere else. Tis very depressing.

I think in public places people expect a certain level of cleanliness and complain if it is dirty. In Britain we might grumble a bit but probably wouldn't complain officially. The pool we used to go to really was filthy sometimes and I always said that I was going to complain but I never actually got round to it.

Hot here too, and muggy. Took dc to the pool again this afternoon. Dd is still complaining that she is bored. I don't know why exactly as I have got some things lined up for her. This morning she played tennis and is going again twice this week. Then she met up with her friend at the pool. She was so looking forward to the holidays but now they're here I think she is perhaps a bit daunted by the thought of 6 weeks of no real structure every day. Perhaps I should set her extra school work to do during the holidays - that might make her change her mind!

How are you enjoying the holidays?

I'm enjoying the fact that school is not a daily drama but it is uncomfortably hot where we are atm and, as you say, dc seem to need occupying when they're used to a structured school day. I suppose it just takes a bit of time to lose that and fall into the habit of süsses Nichttun?

We got a pile of library books and she has a book on drawing mangas which she is busy copying out (or possibly tracing out) page for page. She had 4 days of hanging about when school finished, 4 days of workshop last week, 5 mornings summer camp this week and then I think that should be enough organised activity and hopefully she will fall into a trot by next week. She is doing a wee bit of schoolwork every day but nothing dramatic - mostly handwriting practice, bit of reading comprehension (which she likes) or maths (which she hates). Maybe 15-20 minutes all in all.

Ladies, I have a summer party at Kindergarten on Thursday. Everyone has to bring food. I've decided to bring scones, even though I hate them myself and have never made them before! OK, clotted cream is no doubt unavailable, so what should I use instead, so you reckon? What's the German for whipping cream. That should get reasonably thick.

Mascarpone is probably the closest thing to clotted cream that you can buy pretty much everywhere in Germany.
Schlagsahne, or sometimes Schlagrahm in the South, is whipping cream in German.

Hmm, not sure about scones with marscapone. It could work but the whole point of scones is surely the clotted cream. I'm not sure that Schlagsahne would be thick enough.

Hi thequietone. Might be a bit too hot for the whipped cream? Or is it due to cool down a bit?

Well when I make scones, I just use Schlagsahne whipped up normally and it tastes ok but I haven't tried taking them anywhere, just have them at home. I haven't found anything as thick as clotted cream here yet

Have you thought about just making a tray bake cut into slices?

Hi Gracelo, will you be in Germany for the holidays?

Can you whip up mascarpone? What is it exactly? (I mean I've eaten things containing it but I don't actually know what it is made of).

SSSandy2, we've already been. We came back to Scotland last Tuesday. Managed to miss both the hot weather and the Lufthansa strike . No plans to go back before Christmas.
I don't think mascarpone can be whipped. It is quite similar to clotted cream but has a slight acidity.

oh I see, might not be sweet enough for the scones then, not sure really.

well done missing BOTH the heat and the Lufthansa strike. It's been almost unbearably hot gracelo. Depends where you are, I suppose, if you're sittingi n the shade in the garden or trotting around town. We had around 35ish the past few days and we're due for more very hot weather on Friday. Today is nice, warm but overcast and feels cool by comparison.

I remember my last summer in Germany (1994) was so hot for so long that the Isar in Munich got too warm for chilling the drinks for the traditional BBQs along the shore.
I wouldn't enjoy weeks and weeks of heat while working but a few days sitting in my parents' garden in the summer heat with an ice-cold Caipirinha in my hand and the children looked after by Oma and Tante...I would have liked that. 35 degrees would have been a struggle for my 7 month old ds though. And I would still have been told that I don't put enough clothes on my children

Back from Scotland, and into a heatwave! I got used to the cooler weather at home and am struggling a bit today in this heat. It will take me a day or two to get used to it.

Don't know about the clotted cream, I usually just whip some cream (Schlagsahne) if I don't have clotted cream. I bought some in Köln a month or two ago, must use it up soon, I think it is sell by August.

DH's company is being very annoying at the moment. The überboss has not signed his contract yet and until he does we cannot plan anything. Munich office told us to go ahead and start making arrangements, so we have handed in our notice for the house. The nachmieter moves in 1st Oct and we do not know if we can move to Geneva by then.

If we do not move,t hen I have to think of what to do wiht DD. She shoudl be starting school this year. Do I let start school here and she might only go a couple of weeks? I wanted to wait and put her to school in CH so she would not have to start a new school twice.

I am very nervous and upset at the moment.

Welcome back MmeLindt! Tis hot isn't it? How annoying for you that the contract hasn't bee signed yet. I guess it will all be fine but I hate that kind of uncertainty too, especially when you have dd starting school to think about. I'd probably assume you will be moving soon and keep her out until she can start in CH. Unless you think she would be fine about going here for a few weeks and then starting all over again somewhere new.

Basically it's the situation we were in with ds when we moved from UK to here. He started reception for about 6 weeks then we moved and he had to start KG here. It really unsettled him but that is mostly down to his personality, he was also only 4 then. Dd would not have been so bothered I think and she would want to start here so that she could get the Schultüte - she still complains that she missed out on that.

Thequietone, did you make your scones? Thinking about it, when I worked in a cafe as a student we did scones with ordinary whipped cream and I think in many places you don't get the real thing unless you're in Devon or Cornwall of course!

Taipo,
yes, that is basically my dilemma. Do I put her to school here knowing that at most it will only be for a month or two? And knowing that if she goes here then she will surely find it more difficult to move to a new school, in a new town, speaking a foreign language and with no friends. I am very torn.

In Scotland we eat scones with normal whipping cream, btw. Some cafes offer clotted cream but most do not.

Thanks everyone for the scones help. Got back earlier from the party. It took a while for the other mums and children to try them - they were eyeing them suspiciously! They ate the lot!!! Hurrah for the Brits!!!!

Well done, Thequietone. That is what has happened when I have made scones. Or trifle for that matter. One brave person tries them and then whoooosh they are gone before you can blink (or try them yourself)

Had a quiet day at home with DD. She is not going to kita anymore and of course is not at school yet. I was a bit upset at kita this morning, blubbed all over the Leiterin She was really lovely, very sympathetic.

DS got his finger stuck in the bobby car this afternoon. They have a little hole in the front, for towing. DS was in the garage with his little friend and was shouting on me. He was not sounding upset or anything, just the normal, "Maaaaaaaaaaammmmmaaaaa" so I kept asking what he wanted and did not get up. My friend and I were drinking tea and I thought he was just being annoying.

My friend's DD said, "DS has his finger stuck" so we leaped up to help him. He was very calm. We popped him, bobby car and all into the paddling pool until his finger could slip out.

Lol at finger in bobby car incident

Any news about the move yet, Mme Lindt?

Ds has his last day at KG today. I feel quite calm atm but no doubt I will be all choked up when I go to collect him. God, they grow up so quickly, don't they?

Funny weather today. Overcast with a strong breeze but a very hot one so no chance of cooling down. Dc want to go to the Freibad again today. We've been every day this week and whilst it is very nice there I think I could do with a break now.

No news yet, but DH has lit a fire underneath his HR rep so we are hopeful that we will not be homeless in October.

DD was at kita yesterday for the first time as a non-kita child. She was a bit sad and I cried with her

Hard to believe that my little girl is a schoolchild already.

Good news on the househunting front. We now have a choice! The one that DH looked at last week that we had almost decided to take and another one further up the coast of the Lake that the HR rep in Geneva said was even nicer than the first. Just when we thought we had made a decision.

I am not sure of the second house though as it is in a small village. Another ISE lives close by though so perhaps he could tell us a bit about the area.

I wonder how Admylin is doing in Texas. I hope she does not run away with a cowboy

I hope she comes back with the most outrageous cowboy boots ever! Hope she is enjoying herself. Needs a break after all the stress of the past few months.

Great that you have 2 houses to choose between. Tehy must both be quite reasonable by local standards then if this woman tells you the second one is even nicer than the first. Therefore they are both good.

Is this village one too far for dh to commute and for you to get to the schools you had in mind?

No choice of schools in Switzerland, DD will go to the school in the catchment area of whichever house we choose.

Both sound good, we are going to try to speak to the current tenants and perhaps arrange a trip down to see both houses ourselves before deciding. I am a bit hesitant about the house in the small village, but otherwise it sounds lovely. The village is right on Lake Geneva.

I would love to see Admylin stride through Hannover in cowboy boots and a stetson. She must have bought a stetson, surely?

How are you enjoying the holidays, Ssandy?

If I know her, she bought BOOKS ML but I sure hope that gal got herself a real fat hat too. Actually cowboy boots, stetson and a GUN would be a great outfit.

Oh sorry getting muddled with the schools, that word unhinges me. For some reason I thought they were going to specific schools in a certain area or something. Well if you fear you might be a bit isolated and out in the wops, maybe don't go for the village.

It's so hard to know, isn't it? If you're a SAHM best to have the nicer home to be in all day IYSWIM but since you won't know anyone much when you get there, not sure how much social life the village offers (not sure if you're into knitting circles etc but you see what I mean)maybe you want to be a bit closer to where the action is.

In other words I have no idea, just rambling really.

I'm alright thanks ML, sound like I'm a bit unbalanced maybe but enjoying the break from those 8am school starts.