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

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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

Lol at birthday sleep fest! At least your dc kept to the no-fighting deal. Don't think mine would...

Had our first bottle of Federweisser yesterday and very nice it was too. Sorry Gracelo .

We also had our first bottle of Federweisser on Saturday. The friends we were with are from Chile and they had made pisco sour cocktails. All I can say is that they are both great drinks, but definitely shouldn´t be drunk together, unless you enjoy thumping headaches the next day.

I have to admit I've never had Federweisser! Is it a regional thing? If not I'll have a look for it. In south Germany in the villages I remember going to wine parties where the locals offered their own wine in September - maybe that was something like Federweisser?

Hia, Back from Switzerland

Happy birthday, Admylin. All afternoon asleep ---mmm sounds lovely.

My feet are cold but I can't find my slippers (took 'em to CH).

Must unpack, but so boring. Going away for weekend annoying, cos you basically need to take the same as if going for a fortnight

Now dh is away til wed night, and I used dss school rucksak yesterday, and accidentally sent ds to school with my purse so dodgy start to week.

Hi thequietone, forgot to specifically thank you on other thread - how rude, was just in a rush, sorry. But thank you. WAs nice to hear from you again. How are you settled in? Sorry to hear ds cried at Kindergarten. Some kids do that at ours too. Make me feel very for the parents and immensly grateful my ds doesn't as it would tear me up. Ds2 did this when I put him in a krippe once. I hated him crying so much, I took him out, but can't really do that with Kindergarten. I'm sure he's having a great time now, and you get left feeling miserable He'll be fine. DOes he often cry or was this unexpected?

Hi ernest, did the dc enjoy being back in their old place?

Hope you get your purse back intact and with the complete contents! Is there a decent snack shop at school?!

I'm searching the web at the moment for a bike for dd - she'll be 9 in October and wants a new bike but we're still recovering from the move financially so I have to do a good search and try to get a bargain. Her last bike was second hand so she's requested a new one this time otherwise I've seen some good used ones, what a shame when you make promises months before you know what your situation is going to be like.

Oooh Oooh - can't believe I have only just found this part of MN!

Please, please, please can I join in? I livin in Munich, South Germany, and have a 7m DS - would love to talk to somebody in the same time zone.

PS Have lived hear 7 years and seem to have massive gaping whole in German education as never heard of Federweisser. Somebody please fill me in?!

Federweisser is fermenting grapejuice. It's called Bremser in other parts of Germany and I'm sure there are other names for it too.
It's basically grapejuice with varying concentrations of alcohol depending on the stage of fermentation and CO2 bubbles. It's dangerous because it's so easy to drink and goes straight to your head and knees. People with no experience of it (and those with as well) usually get horribly drunk the first time because they don't realize quite how potent it is.

Utterly gorgous here today, not a single cloud in sight. That's a rare occassion at the Scottish Westcoast.

Hello Ladies

I vaguley remember a German finger-rhyme which goes something like this:

Das ist der Daumen,
der schüttel (sp?) die Pflaumen,
der hebt sie auf,
und trägt sie heim,
und der kleine, kleine, kleine isst sie ganz allein.

Please excuse spelling errors and forgotten words. Can anyone tell me the rhyme and what it means?

I think it is something like:

This is the thumb/ woman
who picks the plums
and picks them up
and carries them home,
and the small is all alone.

but that wouldn't make sense

Sorry superbunny, never heard that one!

Hello thegabster, I think Ernest is near Munich too. We 've just moved to Hanover, don't know a sould yet so thank goodness I have a telephone flatrate (phoned friend for 2 hours today!) and MN! Have you got to know the locals?

SuperBunny the version I´ve heard goes,

Das ist der Daumen,
der schüttelt die Pflaumen.
Der hebt sie auf,
der trägt sie nach Haus.
Und der kleine Schelm,
der ißt sie alle auf.

The last line means the little imp/rogue eats them all.
Hope that makes more sense.

It's a Fingerspiel. Here you find some more and an explanation how to do it.
www.kidsweb.de/spiele/finspiel.htm
You basically just wiggle one finger after the other, or tap on the child's finger.

The Gabster how do you like it in Munich? My brother lives there and I´m very jealous, I think it´s a great city. Hope you feel the same.

Thanks for the warm welcome ladies.

Yes, Munich is fab and love living here thanks hupa.

Still not heard of this wine business. Probably because down here if its not beer they aren't interested. I mean we took DS (7mnth)to a beer garden last month and let him "hold" DHs mass glass. The waitress told me I should give DS the beer as its good for the bones.

We sing this song at baby group about fingers, but my German is pants. It something like "zehn keline zappel finger". DS loves the tune, but I really am going to have to learn the words soon - people are starting to give me funny looks when they suss I only sing the one line!!

Right, the shops have got the Christmas stuff in around here so I have to ask a question: my dd 's biggest dream is to have a pet and it's got to be a cat or a dog. I like dogs - I think, but want to ask have any of you got pets and how do you deal with going abroad? I want to go to the UK for as long and as often as the school holidays allow but what would I do with a pet? I mean h could take a dog to his office maybe when we are all in UK. Or should I try to talk her out of it? It just seems so unfair, it's not her fault that we're abroad but we aren't really we live here but all our family is abroad. She won't fall for a goldfish either, it has to be a 'real' pet. I've already tried nintendogs too - she loved them for a year but now plays other games!

A colleague of h's back in Berlin has a budgie and he had to pay nearly 400 Euro to put it in a vets while he went to do a Praktikum in London for a couple of months so what would it cost to put a dog in a kennel place I wonder?

Dd's idea is that she gets a pet for Christmas by the way.

We have a German Shepherd (figures!) called Dino.

Costs differ here - farm "hundpension" takes him for 11 euros a day, walks extra. Local stables is 16 euros, walkies included and found a lovely spa place for him in May which cost an arm and a leg (25 euros a day) the lucky doggie, but we had no choice as it was the school holidays and everywhere was booked up (DH had been instructed to book months before as was friends wedding and new ages in advance but I was busy in hospital having DS and DH forgot - Grrrr).

Think that is the biggest problem - if you want the school holidays, you have to be organised and book early!

Other than that its great as take dino in most shops, all restaurants and B&Bs when go away (usually) etc.

DH takes dog to work with him when I want to do baby things or meet friends etc. Dog sits in car or under his desk and is totally acceptable and normal (although I still think it is wierd).

Have you had a dog before?

Thanks for the fingerspiel help

Morning from chilly BW. Hello TheGabster, and welcome

Dh bought another bottle of Federweisser yesterday. This one was pink and still basically grape juice. It is in the kitchen fizzing away, hopefully turning slowly into alcohol . I suppose it must be a regional thing given how difficult it is to transport. I like the warnings, in capital letters, on the bottle not to lie it flat or close the lid too tightly. I'm impressed that MmeLindt got a bottle to Scotland though.

No pets here, admylin, but dc would love one and I think it would probably be good for them. We were seriously thinking of getting a cat last year until it turned out dd is allergic to them We haven't yet come up with an alternative we can all agree on.

That sounds quite reasonable for the Hundepension! Supppose it would add up if we went away for 5 weeks like last time! H's colleague has a Schäferhund and it sits in her office under the desk and when she has to go to an operation or in the lab for a longer time the lab assistant takes it out when he goes for a smoke!

We had a dog when we were small - a border collie who used to jump and bark like mad if anyone went past the gate and wqas otherwise a big softy. We loved him and dd would adore a big dog but I'm not sure if I could manage one that size (I'm thinking scooping the poop here) even though it isn't the law over here I couldn't just leave it like most people do. Somehow I think a cat might be easier going for me. Have to wait and see how things go with getting settled first. Anyhow she's getting a bike for her birthday next month, we'll get that over with first before she starts ordering her Christmas stuff! Ds is so different, he never wants anything, never wants to go anywhere and will probably want one nintendo game for Christmas. Dd wants to try everything and go everywhere and NEEDS so many things!

Mornin' all.

Agree with Ernest about stuff needed for a weekend away. Thought I had it down to a fine art but the car always seem stuffed and one more bag needs a place.

Admylin, we had a dog for years till I was pg with d, 6 yrs ago and since he died, h, the boys and d have been on a "Persuade Fink to get another dog" mission. I remind h about 9pm on a Feb night when it's -8C outside and he must walk said dog. I used to do a long walk in the mornings through the vineyards with pushchair but was either out "airing" baby or in later years out on kg run anyway.
Hols were a hassle, we left dog with ILs when we went to UK but they're too old/rheumaticky to do that now, wouldn't be fair. Also now there's the microchip so no need for quarantine/kennels.

Think I've finally convinced h that the expensive & gorgeous lovely parquet we put down in the sitting room would get scratched to bits, ditto wooden stairs.

Oh, and the poop-scooping, I've done enough of that too. And ticks, fleas, washing muddy paws on rainy days, combing... And for all they're always out sweeping the road with a dustpan and brush, Germans seem quite happy to let their dogs crap everywhere. Even on the paths between kg and school. Yuck.

Forgot - Welcome TheGabster

Thanks finks, that's exactly what's been putting me off - most of all the cold dark winter nights when I would get the task of taking the dog out! Luckily the nice friendly neighbour has a lovely big dog and she's quite prepared to lend him out to us if we feel the urge to go dog-walking!

It's pouring down at the moment here, we wnet to school on our bikes this morning s when I pick dd up we'll have to push her soaking wet bike and hold an umbrella up at the same time. Hope it isn't pouring down like this near Fulda where ds is on his trip.

Agree best thing is to have a dog you can borrow, lol.

Gorgeous autumn day here, very slight haze, sunshine, have been clearing out the courtyard as the wood is being delivered on Friday. Remember h's fit of DIY when he started tiling the porch? Since then all the tools/tiles/bags of stuff/tile cutter etc have been gathering dust out there. Porch still only half-tiled

Half-term starts next Friday here, am planning big garden work parties. Boys keep asking how they can earn extra pocket-money - can help tackle clearing our "Acker" Still find it mad that we get 2 wks half-term in the autumn and nothing apart from 2 days for Fasching in the spring term and then a few long weekends in the summer.

People keep asking if we're here for half-term as loads go away on holiday. Not much sign of the credit crunch.

I think we've got 2 weeks in Hannover too - in the middle of October. We've got visitors coming so will make an effort to explore the area with them. Somehow haven't bothered up to now, we've just stayed in our little area and got on with daily life!

It's still raining here, will have to take my washing down to the drying room to hang up as it'll never dry on the balcony. I hate those shared drying rooms wheer you have to brush past the old couple's undies and sheets to get to the free washing line. The other day someone had rolled a carpet out to dry under all the washing lines. I try not to complain as I've lived in worse places, always have to think back to our student family flat then I feel lucky.

We got a cat - I was always a dog person, so reluctnt, but she is a great pet. In CH we always had neighbours who could come in and feed her, so cost only a bottle of wine or so, but this time e had to send her to a Pension - 200 euros for a fortnight! And she was skin & bone when she returned. She also took to hunting and now keeps hunting & bringing home lots of dismembered mice. bleurgh.

hello, thegabster, have we 'met' before (dunno whether I'm coming or going?) I'm also in Munich or thereabouts.

Anyone starting a German course?