Der Herbst ist da - wir wollen aber kein Regenwetter: Life in Germany cont/d

[finknottle]

Too lazy to scroll through the other long one.

Here for Obst und Blaetter - guess what d came home from school singing yesterday?

All welcome, Austria & Switzerland & any German-speaking Leute too

Finknottle
So sad to hear about your friend's DD celebrating her birthday without her, the first year of bereavement is horrible, all those firsts.

I got a call from the gynae today, I have to go back at the end of the month for another blood test as they tested the tissues after the m/c and found the placenta but no embryo. He wants to ensure that there is nothing left, not sure why that would show up in a blood test. I am surprised that they tested at all, tbh, I know that in Germany they don't until the 3rd m/c. Saying that, it was my 3rd but I had 2 sucessful pregnancies in between.

I chased the cat around the house trying to get her to go, she kept disappearing into corners and nipping downstairs. She was a bit frightened of me to begin with but soon let me pet her. I just grabbed her and put her out then. I have the feeling that she is going to be a regular visitor. The DCs will be pleased.

TQO
I have the feeling that the "Alles Klar" is a bit of a regional thing, I have noticed that they say it more often in Southern Germany than in the North. My MIL says it all the time. I think that she just uses it to fill in gaps in hte conversation, or if she does not know what to say

Hello there! I have just slept 'til 11am I can't believe it, have not done that since I was a teenager! I remember my mum shouting up the stairs that lunch was ready. Today the dc were so quiet and played together in dd's room - they usually start making a noise when they want breakfast but didn't even do that. Well, I must have needed the sleep because I went to bed at 11pm so that was a long one!

Poor Gabster, hope the nursing is going alright. My h only takes medecine of the strong scientifically proven type but in my desperation I've smuggled homeopathic stuff in his tea before so you could try that for a quicker recovery?!

Finknottle do you not think your exhaustion (and mine and all of ours) comes from doing everything ourselves? I mean I see my sister with both sides of the family really nearly next door and she gets a hell of a lot of help with everything. My parents noticed this time how hard it is when you never have family to just give you a night off and he also noticed that it isn't easy to get your dc looked after by 'strangers' let alone find decent babysitter arrangements. It all adds to the hard work of it all being on duty all the time. Most of us seem to have workaholic partners too so not much help either. I can't wait for my next UK trip to have a rest. I've seen tickets - if I pay now return to Newcastle for 130 Euro for me and 2 dc, if I book now do you think the company might go bust by July?!

By the way how did the sleepover go - must take notes for when this happens to me the first time! Where did they all sleep? Did they sleep? Is the fridge empty now?

Hey all! Finally found some time to get online!

NICM - also, try baby-markt - dead cheap - and baby-butt.de

Should add ladies, that baby-butt also has a kinder-butt site which is dead good, just in case you hadn't found it before.

Finknottle - sad, horrible stuff. Commiserations.

Taipo - feet up and a nice cup of tea! Well done for getting through the week - I'm sure the next one will be a bit easier.

Admylin - dead jelous of the sleep. Totally agree though - it is the mental knowledge/thought of knowing you are "on duty" sometimes which is the strain. 24/7 - no excuses. Definitely think that's why I have problems sleeping at the mo - was just saying as much to DH last night (in the hope he would offer to cover, but no such luck). We still have not had even one night off together (even when parents visited, but that is another story) and ds is 8mo.

I would go for the flights if you have the money to spare by the way - so cheap would kick myself if I didn't! Have just paid 250 for me, DH and DS to Heathrow.

TQO - I use/hear "Alles Klar" all the time. I have never thought of it as anything but positive. With everything that's happening with KiGa lately, I would tend to think it was her trying to reassure you that she knows exactly whats going on. I know things often sound different second hand so hard to be sure, but would say its a good thing.

Ernest - hope my cake was tasty!!

Chin chin ladies (well, Baileys and ice anyhoo).

Some people don't believe you do they when you say you haven't had a night off in so and so many months/years. One summer I was back home and my sister took us to the cricket club where her dh plays. After the game we all sat ouside the club enjoying drinks, the dc played at the adjoining park and then the wives started to complain - one said I haven't been out since last weekend, another wife said well I haven't been out for 2 weeks, a 3rd one said well this is my first time out for a month - I then said well I haven't been out for 7 years and they all nearly fell off their chairs and a big discussion started about how I should move back straight away - that would have been the worst imaginable hardship for all those women!

Mornin' all,
Am sitting here with hot chocolate (hands nearly froze on the bike just now) surrounded by the debris from the weekend. We had a great 2 days at the lake, sailing & sitting drinking beer in the sunshine. Were invited to another club and a change of scene did me the world of good, as did the fresh air & sun.
MmeLindt, how far are you from Lake Geneva? Think it would be wonderful to live closer to the water, I never get tired of photographing the lake, trees & boats or just sitting looking out at the water.
Friday was grim indeed but term's started again and the daily routine helps. I got definite brownie points for bringing in the nit-free certs to school.

Taipo, working again would be such a shock to my system I probably wouldn't sleep! Are you enjoying it? I've been asking around as a few mornings teaching would suit me but the only thing going is 2 hrs (@ 45 mins) about 45 mins drive away so Cost more to get there.

Admylin, no wonder you're stressed, moving is a total wrecker on that score. And your h sounds as useful as mine on the home-front. So yes, time alone is essential. I go out with friends for a drink or meal occasionally, different than having someone over for coffee in the morning. So much social life here revolves around Vereine so maybe you could look and see what's on offer. There must be expat stuff in Hannover too?

Sleepovers: pizza, industrial quantities of crisps, games. They all bring sleeping bags and sleep on the floor in the boys' room.
For breakfast I do hot chocolate and pancakes.
Don't expect anyone to brush their teeth or sleep before 1am. I was up at 1am as they were banging around, then they woke me at 3 and again at 6. Sent h up at 6 to bark at them but I couldn't sleep again so I felt destroyed all Saturday.
That was the worst on the amount of sleep I think. And the sitting room is still littered with crisps & games as we were away all weekend, can't face it yet.

The tickets sound good & booking the tickets using your credit card should give you some protection.

Admylin
Is that HLX that oyu are booking with, or whatever they call themselves now? We used to fly with them when we lived in Hannover, they were good. I would book it now, that is a good price, as as Fink mentioned, booking with your credit card gives you protection if the company should go bust.

Fink
We live about 1km from the lake . We can see it from the house when the the leaves are off the trees. I never get tired of gazing at the changing vista.

Gabster
How is the patient today? Lol at Admylin's sneaky homeopathy commando

Have you all signed the petition yet? I noticed that Fink has.

Morning all

Glad to report H is on the up. Managing to help out with a tad of dog walking and even cooked dinner the other night. We have an appointment with a lung specialist Wednesday so once more love living in Germany!. He just needs to rest really, so is sleeping lots (more than DS I might add ).

Love to hear about your weekends Finknottle. Grew up with sailing/water exploits and really miss it all. What lake do you go to?

Oooh Lindt, dead jelous of your view of the lake. Mind you, everything is Soooooo pretty now with multicoloured leaf carpets. Love walking in the woods although would be better if dog didnt keep attacking my feet. He gets a bit over-excited about leaves - you have to kick them in the air for him. And if you don't, he will bit your foot so you kick automatically and then chase the leaves that happened to fly into the air.

TQO - fancy meeting up this week?

Ernest - is Tuesday OK for you?

TheGabster, glad your h is on the mend, agree about how quickly you can usually see a specialist here. My GP said recently, "Oh you see to see an X, let me call one for you, I know him," and I had an appointment 2 days later.
We sail on a lake on the Altrhein, i.e. the bits they cut off the Rhine to make a straighter more commercially viable waterway. It was originally h's hobby from way back and when he took it up again, we all got the bug. We belong to a lovely club with few snotties, mostly down-to-earth sailors. To an outsider it may sound all boaters & floaty dresses but the reality is old fleeces, warm socks, a flask of hot coffee & hot choc for the children, manky water in your boat, a hundred bits of old rope & a scrubbing brush to clean the boat covers of algae
Then again in fine summer weather we do drink a lot of Sekt, prance about in bikinis & swim in the lake naked first thing. Compensations

Oh dear, h has bought the car he was after. I can not get excited about it because to be honest I hate driving here and I'll go for miles round slow back roads rather than go on a motorway. They drive so aggressively here don't they? Now I have to figure out the safest non-motorway route to the Hanover airport for Friday to get my sister. If I can't figure it out I'll go and pick her up by train! I mean on a Friday there will be Stau anyway won't there?

Evening all.

Glad to hear your dh is feeling a bit perkier, theGabster.

Admylin, I've never driven here, well apart from driving a Trabi 18 years ago in east Germany and borrowing mil's car once. Certainly never done any motorway driving and tbh it would terrify me. I think we're going to have to give in at some point and get a car but I really don't like driving.

Finknottle, sailing sounds lovely. I imagine it must be a great way to relax. Which bit of the Altrhein do you sail on?

Well, I've done two weeks of teaching now and am enjoying it but it is tough because I have been thrown straight into it so preparing lessons is taking a long time atm. Still, it's good to get out of the house and have something else to think about. Ds is not settling very well at school which we anticipated but kind of hoped would turn out not to be the case

Evening taipo, are you using a set method or books from the place you teach at or do you have to make all the lessons from scratch? I had a British friend who taught at a prison and she said she just followed their book and it was a doddle! It's all the preparation that puts me off even trying teaching really but if it was just following a text book it might be Ok. I want to try and get some sort of course on teaching English crammed into the summer holidays in UK if I can then I could try working again, mainly to get me out of the house. Proof reading and correcting translations at home on my computer doesn't help me get out and about!

Finknottle, I'm from the Lake district so love lakes and rivers and thought ds would like to try sailing or such like too. When I offered him the chance of joining his new school rowing club he just said 'glaubst du ich bin verruckt?!' - that's what Berlin did to him eh.

Admylin
Am sitting here thinking about getting to the airport without using the motorway, I am sure that it would be possible. You need to head up the Vahrenwalderstrasse, if I remember rightly, that takes you pretty much right to the airport.

I love driving and don't mind motorways, even the German Autobahns. I think that once you get used to them they are ok, and you just have to keep saying to yourself that you have as much right to be on the roads as the plonkers speeding up behind you in their BMWs and Audis.

We had a good day today, a wee trip to some of the parks in Geneva. Found a good playpark, but no cafe nearby. And a lovely cafe with a reasonable playpark. Not found the holy grail yet, a fab cafe with fab playpark, but another 4 days of the hols to go.

We have an alarm system installed in our house and have asked about the code. Turns out that the previous renter never used it and noone knows the code. Great. We knew that the previous renter did not use it, he was broken into. There have been a lot of breakins so it would be good if it worked.

Gabster
good to hear that your DH is on the mend.

TQO
The thought of all the preperations for your classes, makes my head hurt. It always takes a long time, doesn't it. The second year is much easier. Glad that you are enjoying it.

Am I allowed to pop in from austria and ask for help?

Does this sound right - to cancel our car insurance?

"Ich mag meine Auto Versicherung als vom 1. November annullieren"

Thanks

My German is rubbish so I won't be offended if it needs completely rewriting.

Hi DebinAustria,

I would write, "Ich möchte meine KFZ-Versicherung zum 1. November kündigen"

How are you doing? Are you enjoying Austria?

Really am going to bed now.

Thanks MmeT

Admylin, that's what puts me off doing stuff from home. I need to have something which makes me leave the house!

I have two groups of students. For one group there is a text book which is pretty comprehensive and I just need to work my way through it. For the other group there is no book as such though. I also have to go through lots of past exam papers with them to prepare them for their exam next spring so that's a bit daunting. Part of it involves translating from English into German which I also find quite tricky as I can't judge that well whether what they've written really sounds OK. Oh well, I've been saying for ages that I need a challenge so I suppose I shouldn't moan

We had a nice walk through the woods on Sunday, spoilt only by two pensioners on their bikes who had a go at ds for walking in the middle of the path and then at us for not keeping hold of him all the time

Taipo
I got on to an elderly man who shouted at the DCs yesterday. They were waiting at the side of the road for me, I was putting the picnic basket into the car. The road was cordened off with those red plastic bands, I think they are starting with the roadworks today but there was nothing there yesterday. The DCs were touching the bands, not pulling htem off, just walking back and forward with holding on to them. He shouted at them in French, and really scared them.

I came across the road and said to him (very politely) "My children do not understand French and you have no right to shout at them"

He probably did not understand a word, but I felt better.

Hi everyone,

MmeT, sounds like you are settling in well there. Geneva does sound like a very pretty place to live. I am sure you will fall on your feet and come summer, you will not ever want to leave.

Admylin rowing is quite tough work, isn't it? I used to know a girl at school who rowed and she had the most amazingly broad shoulders/upper back. Would hurt your hands too, wouldn't it until the skin toughens up. Wouldn't be for me I don't think but kayaking I quite fancy. Keep meaning to do a course in summer but of course never get round to it.

You know I'm wondering whether you couldn't do a couple of practice runs down to the airport to get used to the car and finding your way before your sister arrives, choose a quiet time of day maybe. Would be good to be more independent of dh sicne he is not often around to drive places. (Should be following my own advice here I know)

Taipo, am so impressed with you going back to work. Well done woman!

ha that's so funny! I hadn't read your last post about the nasty old French-speaking Swiss man when I posted how well you were settling in!

Old people can be real trouble-makers, think they are just desperate for any kind of interaction sometimes. What to make themselves visible any way they can

HI all

Just have 5 mins - LOL at the "grumpy foreigners" thread.

Have to add - its not always old people Zen! Went into town today (and very nice cake it was too, thanks Ernest) and was a huge queue for the lift to get on/off the S-bahn platform. Two women were waiting in front of me, one with a pram and the other with a double buggy. When the lift arrived, there was a woman standing in it. The women waiting in front of me then started having a right go at this woman, saying she was obviously able bodied and should be on the escalator and would now have to move into the corner/stand on the ceiling so that they could all fit in because they had been waiting ages and were not going to wait any longer and were determined to all squeeze in!!! Was actually very impressed they got a pram, a double buggy and themselves in let alone with the existing passenger.

Needless to say I just quietly waited for the lift to come back, mind.

debinaustria,
you could also add "Bitte bestaetigen Sie mir die Kundigung. "

Thanks - I've sent it now!!