Streupflicht und Schneeschaufel

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Thanks Gabster for the inspiration for the thread!

Add your resolutions here & I can slip alongside and pretend I'll make some too.
Still too fragile - my sleep patterns go haywire when I'm home, stay up till 1 or 2am, then awake at 5am (6 here, usual flipping school time) then I come back & keep crashing on the sofa at 10pm and wake up at 4 bright & breezy.

We have snow, very pretty and h is off till Weds so am pushing him out for Streupflicht, bartered it for a fry-up with real English bacon, hmmmmmm.
Forecast is for -12C to -14C tonight - and when the children go back to school on Thursday. Yikes.

I've just seen the Ryanair website, they seem to do cheap flights but then there is a huge list of extra costs - even just to check in. Probably wouldn't work out cheaper in the end, adding on the train to Bremen too.

Are you driving Taipo? Wonder if TheGabster's h would give us a lift on his way up in the caravan!

Why oh why did I buy those mini snickers at the shop today, I'm on my 3rd.

We're flying Ryanair (oh, the shame). The flights are actually free. Taking just one suitcase would have meant paying about £60 pounds as we would all have had to do the airport check-in. So in a mad moment I decided to do online check-in for all of us and only hand luggage. Now I may regret this but I think it is possible. The major drawback is that we won't be able to bring stuff back with us.

Mind you I wouldn't be too surprised if the flight were cancelled - it's from a tiny airport and I can't imagine there is much demand.

My sister flew with befly or something and manage dto get her dd's stuff into little suitcases on wheels which justpassed as hand luggage but she checked 1 case in . Still it was a tight squeeze when she came to pack to go home!

I wouldn't manage it especialyl going up to our area, you need all weather kit as it can be realyl cold and wet!

This morning it was raining abit and the dc both said oh can we go in the car and I told them about my childhood in the wettest place in Britain. You would come home from school drenched to your skin and we'd just get changed and out to play in wellies and a rain coat. Dd just read diary of a wimpy kid so i told her this was Hannover wimpy rain, we walked!

I think all that rain would put me off living in the NW of Britain.

It's raining/sleeting here today. Really cold and depressing after the quite pleasant weather last weekend.

A lot of people say that but I think, because I grew up with it, it just ddoesn't bother me and for me when I read those threads about Australia or California and teh heat, it's the last place I would want to live!

In Texas I just kept asking myself, how on earth did this place become populated, it's like hell with this heat! My SIL loves it though, she's cold when the air con is on 24°.

My dc hate the heat too so tey must have inherited that from me. Ds runs from shade to shade in summer as he can't stand to be in the sun!

actuaslly this has nothing to do with anything anyone mentioned here today, sorry about going off on a tangent but I wanted to go back to what you said , ML about the Chinese girl at school and kids making slanty eyes at her etc and the draw a Chinaman homework.

I think the dp should speak to the head (about the slanty eyed thing at least). That kind of thing needs to be nipped in the bud IYAM and I think if you do it quickly and well, primary school dc will soon see sense. Best to get it sorted now I think.

Evening all.

Funnily enough DH and I have talked about how kewl it would be to open a German restaurant or Biergarten in UK. I will have to report back later!

Indoor one sounds really kewl Lindt.

Things I will miss

Blaukraut!
Spanferkel
Spätle (DS will miss it lots too, he loves it)
All the dif. sausages (esp. Nurenburgers)
Wild gericht
Prezels (DS here too I feel)

Am going to grab loads of prezels at the airport to take back as my mum and dad love them too.

Wow Admylin - sounds like quite a treck to get back to homeland - how long do you want to stay for?

Piled into the packing today and got lots done, but still a bit overwhelmed by how much is left. Oh well, am cream crackered so going to bed in a sec.

nighty night all

Dd was at a disco birthday party this afternoon. She went at 3pm and was back at 8pm and the first thing she said was I'm starving. I was surprised that there was only one small slice of cake each and one bowl of sweets to pass around. Especially if I invited dc until so late I would feed them. She said there were about 20 guests.

TheGabster, I must have got my dates mixed up somewhere as I thought we had 3 weeks off school for Easter but looks like it's only 2 now. Not sure if it's worth it as I would just be getting relaxed and have to come back to it all. I will definately go in summer for longer.

what on earth could Blaukraut be? No, think I don't want to know really... Might have to be do it yourself Spanferkel Gabs. Well done getting everything organised, Hut ab.

Admylin, I would have fed them something more substantial too. At least pizza or baguette and probably sausages or whatever they might eat. Maybe there was tons of food there but the dc just weren't interested.

Disco party sounds pretty easy after all those toddler parties with organised games

Can't believe there was nothing else for the DCs to eat Admylin. Especially if they are going to be dancing and stuff - very odd idea of a party. The best bit is always the spread with a big birthday cake in the middle. Was it a German family? Was it in their home or a hall or something?

Blaukraut (possible mis-spelt though you understand) is saukraut made with red cabbage, or "blau" cabbage, as the Bavarians call it. Usually has apple in it too and is a softer, sweeter flavour then the usual stuff. Yum scrum.

I might have a go at making it though. I have bought a spaetzle press though so hoping to have a go at that too when I get back to blighty.

Just down in the basement packing up some more of my office. Or at least that's what H thinks as am really MNing. Tut tut

Just read back and seen all the messages I missed/did not read before posting. Admylin, you are more than welcome for a lift (if you can fit).

Lol, thanks TheGabster ! I was joking really. I'm just so desperate to get home, home sickness, withdrawl symptoms really bad for a decent bacon butty and just the feeling of being back in UK.

So have you counted how many boxes you'll have? when we moved here I was surprised at how many boxes I packed as I'd been quite good at getting rid of stuff, and thought we were minimalistic.

Hmmmm .... bacon butty ....

Have got 33 boxes so far, and still packing.

Just a short note, on my way to bed but had to answer the blaukraut question. Truly yummy stuff, delicious with pork.

Gabster,
you can get Nurnberger bratwurst in Aldi in UK, not sure about brezel.

Zzen
Yes, I am going to have another word with the parents of DD's friend this week as DD was making slantyeyed faces today. She does not know that it is offensive, she is only 6yo. I told her that it would really hurt her friend's feelings and that it is not acceptable. She said that the children in the school do it.

We were at the Geneve Autosalon today, boy, it was BUSY. Lots of fancy cars that we could never in a million years afford and "hostesses" in skimpy dresses presenting them. Why do women do that? Talk about demeaning, standing next to a car wearing next to nothing while drooling men take photos of you. Ok, they are drooling more at the Maserati or Ferrari that the girls are draped over but still.

I had visions of a MN posse riding in to rescue them.

Morning everyone.

HAd a dead boring weekend, failed to go out and do something but atleast dd had her friend round and ds had so much work to do so he plodded through it slowly.

I have gone through all 10 episodes of Lark Rise to Candleford on the computer since Friday night. Discovered it was on You Tube so started watching. Any of you seen it? I love things like that and German TV is such a load of rubbish.

Morning.

We went to mil's for the weekend so not boring just lots of biting my tongue and trying to rise above her usual barbed comments.

Haven't seen Lark Rise to Candleford. Might have to check it out when we get our new computer. Last year I watched the entire 'Apprentice' on YouTube but whenever I try to watch something now it sticks every few seconds.

Am supposed to be tidying the desk ready for when the computer arrives but I have zero motivation.

Our computer used to stick with youtube too, it's been great since we got the new one. H met an old friend just by chance at the weekend as he was in Hannover town and the Cebit computer messe is on. His friend made it big in Germany, he came as a refugee and learned German, did a computer Ausbildung (I think stuff like fixing them not programming them) and he's now got 3 big computer shops in 3 different cities and employs 50 people, and is extremely well off!

I just hope it opens his eyes to see real life examples of success without a degree and a PhD. Anyway, he's brought a print out home for another job in Oxford to apply for. I don't want to sound awful but I don't think he's got a chance. He hasn't published enough inthe last 4 years so they won't even offer him an interview, I mean who (as a scientist) doesn't want to have an Oxford position on their CV?

I think many really successful people left school early so I don't think having a degree is the be all and end all.

But I do think you need a certain type of personality to succeed like your h's friend. I often dream of setting up my own business but I doubt it will ever happen because if I'm honest I don't really have the determination and energy you need to be an entrepreneur. Basically I like an easy life and that means going down the traditional route of being employed by somebody else and needing bits of paper to prove my worth.

That's true, I must admit the friend is also a very good salesman and his first success when he just had 1 shop was to go around and get the contracts from all the local schools and a few businesses. Once he had them, he was made, but he was very charming and convincing and it didn't matter so much if his shop was quiet as he knew he had the big contracts to supply and look after the computers for the schools etc.

I'd love to have my own business, I know I would have the energy and when I work for other people I usually end up doing too much and then after they get used to it and they just expect the extras which is bad for me ifyswim.

taipo, sympathise, battled for years with barbed mil comments. OK nowadays but am still never at ease with her.

Had a lovely lazy weekend but still feel washed out. H & s1 were in Sweden and heaven knows what s1 was eating in the car on the way home as he woke me up at 1 am with those immortal words, "Mummy, I've just thrown up all over my bed" ... actually, never mind heaven knowing, h must know what he ate & I bet he let him eat rubbish & sweets. Am sure it was something he ate that made him sick.
So I (reluctantly) win the "crappiest start to the day" award.

Admylin, any thoughts of just planning a permanent move?
I love "Lark Rise.." but have missed the last 3 weeks - never thought it might be on YouTube, big thank you!

Lol at Gabster prowling the aisles of Aldi and Lidl in the UK. Cannot believe how quickly it's all happened.

Well, a permenant move would be the best thing for teh dc but h was talking (well, muttering to himself realyl) the other night about how he didn't trust the Chefarzt here, he seems to be getting rid of his doctors and scientists at a very fast rate and h reckons he won't have a chance of being kept on after teh 3 year contract runs out.

On after thought, I jsut can't believe what a mess we're in because I think the dc need stability in one place and one school - in 10 years ds should be finished with his A levels and he'll only succeed if he has good schooling. So after this contract, ANOTHER move, another 3 years somewhere and then what? They will still be teenagers, should be in the middle of GCSE's by then.

Can't you draw up a pros and cons list for your h, after all stability in education is impossible here if you have to move again, esp at Gymnasium level, cos of the different Bundesländer.
Is the drip drip effect working, i.e. that he's applying or at least looking for UK positions?

My afterthought: anyone have an idea for a new thread title? This is getting long and spring does finally seem to be around the corner.
Spoke too soon there, we'll prob have a foot of snow by the weekend now.

Good idea with the pros and cons list. I should start on it, keep putting it off among other things. I sort of feel like I have had my head in the sand for too long, but so has h. I've started another thread for advice on education too, might get some good ideas for my pros list. The one about the Gymnasium being different within Germany is a good one.