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Original poster

** German Chat ** Alle sind willkommen. ** Frühling läßt sein blaues Band ...

768 replies

MmeLindt · 10/03/2009 13:11

...
Wieder flattern durch die Lüfte
Süße, wohlbekannte Düfte
Streifen ahnungsvoll das Land
Veilchen träumen schon,
Wollen balde kommen
Horch, von fern ein leiser Harfenton!
Frühling, ja du bist's!
Dich hab ich vernommen!

*

Für Deutsche und nicht-Deutsche, Goethe-fans und Gottschalk-fans, für Herzschmerz, Heimweh und Heimatgefühle.

Alle sind willkommen.

OP posts:
Original poster
MmeLindt · 22/03/2009 16:40

At least you got a cup of tea, Admylin. DH doesn't come home till this evening so I have had no card, flowers, nothing.

Still, can't complain, he did take the DC over to France a couple of weeks ago and came back with 3 bunches of flowers. They could not decide which flowers were the nices so he bought all of them.

Everyone who came to the house asked if it was my birthday.

OP posts:
ZZZen · 23/03/2009 09:16

HI all! Did everyone have a nice weekend?

admylin · 23/03/2009 09:18

Morning.
Somehow I didn't seem to sit down all day yesterday, or when I was sitting I was trying to drum maths into ds's head. Great, but I did get a surprise painting and a box with a homemade keyring anhänger and a chocolate from dd for mothers day,oh and a couple of cups of tea.

ZZZen · 23/03/2009 09:20

I was trying to find Buona sera Mrs Campbell on youtube but gave up in the end. They just have a trailer and the opening song. I love that film with Gina Lollabrigida.

What old films do you like to watch re-runs of?

admylin · 23/03/2009 09:27

Just on Friday we watched the 1939 (or36) version of The Little Princess with Shirly Temple. Love watching that sort of film. Also watched a really old one with dd about Helen Keller.

ZZZen · 23/03/2009 09:35

haven't seen those films admylin. Dh likes thsoe old Sandalenfilme - Cleopatra and Spartacus and that kind of thing.

admylin · 23/03/2009 09:38

Dd enjoys them most, both my dc ar epast all the rubbish on children's channel or atleats the ones we get. It's either silly cartoons or those American shows with the laughter in the back ground sort of thing so she prefers to watch a really old film.

taipo · 23/03/2009 09:47

Morning.

We had a quietish weekend. Went to see one of the schools dd could go to next year on Saturday. Yesterday we went for a short walk in the woods.

I like watching Some Like it Hot which seems to be repeated quite often. Still very funny imo. Recently I saw Logan's Run for the first time in years - it was a film I loved as a teenager. It was apparently quite ground-breaking at the time in terms of special effects but it seems sooo dated now. For a good disaster movie I think you can't beat The Towering Inferno.

admylin · 23/03/2009 09:52

Oh yes, I'd forgotten about that, we also went to see a potential school on Saturday. It had a nice atmosphere, people were friendly but the times were wrong - starting 8:10am finishing 4:10pm and I asked a teacher if it was really 100% no homework (as that is what they advertise) and he said no, there is homework, vocab of course but if a dc doesn't finish quickly in class then iit has to be taken home to complete. As dd is a perfectionist, she would be bringing stuff home I'm sure.

I also asked him if he felt that the dc were really anwesend in the last hour of lessons and he said, honestly no they ar enot and they are not anwesend in the first hour either.

ZZZen · 23/03/2009 09:53

hi taipo. Doesn't it make you cringe when you see the films you used to like as a teenager and think: eek they are so DATED! Or what about jaws which scared the living daylights out of me and when I saw it again as a re-run a year or two back, I thought it was so bad and the shark is just so obviously a big lump of rubber, I actually luaghed through it. Mind you the scarey shark music still gives you the creeps.

Put me off swimming in the sea that film

How did you like the school taipo?

taipo · 23/03/2009 10:01

Jaws still scares me, especially the music! I recently watched some clips of The Day of the Triffids and couldn't believe how dated that was. Really static sets and stilted dialogue and yet that terrified me as a teenager.

Was quite impressed with the school. It's probably the one we will go for as that's where her friends are going and I think that is probably quite important for her.

admylin · 23/03/2009 10:08

Dc are hoping there will be something decent on at the cinema over Easter - they can go by themselves as it's a small town and cousins and friends to go with too.

Anyone seen that Slumdog Millionaire film? I don't really fancy it but h thinks it would be good.

taipo · 23/03/2009 10:14

No, I'd like to see it though. I used to go to the cinema loads. Not much chance now though, we usually wait until we can rent films on DVD.

ZZZen · 23/03/2009 10:14

no idea admylin. Is it rated?

Totally forgot Day of the Triffids

admylin · 23/03/2009 10:18

No idea, wouldn't be any good for the dc I don't think. Just h was saying he would go and see it but then I thought if it was a family film we could all go but it probably isn't so he will have to go by himself.

When do you leave dc alone in the evening? I can't remember when we were left as my gran was usually there. Maybe 14 or 15?

admylin · 23/03/2009 10:20

Same here taipo, when i lived in France I saw almost every film that was released - used to go twice a week as I had a student pass so it was really cheap to get in. Saw loads of Spanish and Italian films with French subtitles too.

taipo · 23/03/2009 10:34

Probably depends on the dc. I leave dd for up to an hour on her own during the day but wouldn't leave ds yet.

Dd begged to be left on her own in the evening without a babysitter, so a few weeks ago when I was doing my conversation class with our neighbour I left them both in bed on their own. She wasn't so brave when it came to it though and I think she realised being left for longer periods with us not being in easy reach is out of the question for the time being. They were both asleep when I got back though!

I should think your dc are nearly old enough to be left if they are happy with it.

admylin · 23/03/2009 10:38

That would be my idea, to put them to bed and go out but dd won't do it. Ds did stay one night when we went to a school thing (dd came with us) but he didn't enjoy it although he was in bed asleep when we got back.

Ds stays during the day no problem for over an hour but dd won't stay with him as she says he' ll fight or be bossy.

ZZZen · 23/03/2009 10:40

I've left dd alone for an hour or so quite often for quite some time if I have to go and get something done. she's used to it so she's fine. I would start small though, building up at a rate they (and you) are comfortable with.

They should be fine in your flat with the neighbour close by. I would make sure they know how to use the phone and can call her if they are feeling alarmed though.

When I began leaving dd alone at home (to do some shopping or something, maybe max an hour) I had first made sure she could use the phone and it was pre-set for my cell phone and dh's work. I also set her up with something to do so she was engrossed in that.

I would not yet (at 8) leave her alone at home at night though. I would have a babysitter for that or arrange for her to sleep at a friend's place.

admylin · 23/03/2009 10:46

This time when we go to UK it'll be the first time dd has freedom to go into town or out to play just with her cousin. She is so looking forward to it. That's how it should be, when the dc is ready and wants to have the freedom. Last time we went she was 7 and too young for complete freedom. Ds is old enough but he's a stick in the mud and doesn't want to move away from the nice warm fire and arm chair!

ZZZen · 23/03/2009 10:48

Yes admylin I was thinking about that the other day and at 9 I was roaming around freely after school most days but with my brother and sister. My sister is 2 years older than me and VERY responsible (read: bossy), my brother is 3 years younger so he would have been just 5 at the time

ZZZen · 23/03/2009 10:49

oops he would have been 6

ZZZen · 23/03/2009 10:50

mind you at that time we were living in a quiet seaside resort where everyone knew everyone so maybe it wasn't typical. i don't think we would have been let loose in a city at that age tbh

admylin · 23/03/2009 10:52

My sister and I were talking about the memories we have of our summer holidays at gran's house before she moved to our town and how we played out in a field behind her house and walked down the road to our cousins house alone. Then we figured out that we were 4 and 5 when she moved to our town so we must have been remembering our 3 and 4 years old holidays with so much freedom and must admit we were shocked! But there were no cars speeding down the street, we even remember walking to the end of the street to the shop alone.

admylin · 23/03/2009 10:55

Look how late it is, I haven't lifted a finger this morning, except to get a bowl of salt and vinager crisps. Have to do washing and such like, have forbidden the dc to wear certain items of clothing so we can pack them for Sunday ...7 days to go!