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

[MmeLindt]

...
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.

you could have a civil wedding at the flower farm and the priest could then just bless you which would be nice.

Come on now, you know you want to!

You don't know Father G. or my pils. They would probably break into a full Catholic mass the moment everybody is seated which would mean dp storming off in a huff. It would become part of the family legends. But whatever ceremony it will be everybody can bring their children whatever the age or how many.

Ah, the old Scotland/England thing. I have mellowed a bit over the years but do still correct people gently if they say that I am English. I suppose we cannot really complain, did not know much about the geography of Germany before I moved there.

The flower farm sounds lovely. But at the family organising a sneak catholic wedding.

I spoke to a friend of DH's recently, he is a beamter. It was interesting to hear the ohter side of the story, why they are so pigheaded stubborn sometimes. He said that it was because they can be held responsible for anything they put their signature (and stamp!) on so will only do that if they feel that they have dotted all the Is and crossed all the Ts.

When one of dp's cousins got married to an Anglican in an Anglican ceremony his father was so distraught that he went to see someone at the NZ branch of Opus Dei (not sure if he is actually a member)and the Opus Dei guy said "don't worrry, we will be there". Not sure what they did, performing a mass in secret underneath a cloak in the back of the church? Sprinkling holy water at unexpecting guests?
We never found out what happened because neither dp or his parents or sisters went to this wedding. And on all the photographs I've seen everybody looks perfectly happy.
I understand that they have to make sure that everything is right before they issue a permit. I wouldn't have minded the paperwork. I gave up when she said "we might have to check if this is not a pretend marriage for a visa". He's got a British passport he doesn't need a visa for Eu countries.

love all this wedding chat - am always more excited about other people's weddings than i was my own!!

we've had a lovely afternoon (well most of it) - i went to bad bocklet and let the kids cycle round while i wandered - it was full of old people but i was qute happy enjoying the sunshine!!
stopped to let the kids have an icecream and when ds2 had finished his he spotted the crazy golf and was just walking over the obstacles! well the owner came out and had a right go at me - didnt catch all of it but it involved him saying it wasnt a spielplatz here!! i should be on the AIBU chat but i'm too scared but what harm was he causing - no-one was anywhere near that hole and he was only walking back and forward over the obstacles!! its the first negative thing i've had since being here - didnt know what to say so just said nothing!!

but survived the new bakers - oh and it was so much nicer than my normal bakers!! might have to change!!

Canella
You are right fickle, you are. Changing bakers at the drop of a hat. That will teach them to close on a perfectly normal Thursday. Our baker is closed on Wednesdays, but I hardly notice anymore as I bake my own bread now.

LOL at the undercover Opus Dei antics. Very cloak and dagger stuff.

Hold me back from SCREAMING at my DC.

DD just told me that she likes her friend's family because their Mama tells them what to do and they all have to "abay". I told her that I would LOVE LOVE LOVE it if they obeyed me when I tell them what to do. I asked if I have to do anything to get them to behave well but she said that they have to change, not me.

All fine and good, but since we got home she thumped DS, he thumped her with a plastic spade, they both got a time out and on the way there she thumped him again.

I give up.

Is it wine-o-clock yet?

God, here she comes.

ha ha ! She LIKES the other family because the mum says what they have to do and then they do it.

Love that one

PMSL at the bloke from Opus Dei saying, don't worry, we'll be there. Classic.

hope admylin is havign a good break. Sending her some good vibes right now - ZAP!

Ooh, I'd love to bake my own bread but DH has veto'd the purchase of a bread machine. "Vot is the point?" he said. "We have many breads here..." Yeah, but not sundried tomato and mozarella and german bread makes my mouth hurt.

Seeing as there's a churchy theme today, I've a question and I really don't mean to upset anybody who is devout; my DS will be going to the local grundschule, which is Katholische and, apparently, they attend confession twice a month. Now, not being a religious sort, I've no idea what 6-10 years old confess to. Will he get into trouble if he doesn't confess? Should I start making him a list of faux-confessions?! I don't want him to feel left out!

Frosch
No idea about the confession thing, sorry.

You don't need a bread machine to make bread, I bung everything into the food processor and then put it in the oven in a silicone loaf tin.

Frosch, where I grew up children wouldn't start confessions until they had their first communion (about 9) and in the few years between my first communion and me coming out as an atheist I certainly wasn't going to confession more than twice a year, before Easter and Christmas usually. That was on the insistence of my mother. I wouldn't have gone to confession if it would have been my choice. I hated it. I also could never think of something to confess besides the occassional lie.
I'm pretty sure that there won't be a problem to pull him out of confession. I don't think he will be the only one. Confession is a Sakrament. For a true catholic this shouldn't be something done lightly or because everybody else does it. I'm surprised it's done with children so young, wouldn't happen in my very catholic village.

I'm afraid they are winding you up Frosch. It is not your dc who will have to go to confession twice a month, that is YOU the parent!

As gracelo said you don't do confession until you have learned what it is about, so not till after first communion. Since it is about preparing yourself to take communion with a clear conscience, it only makes sense when you are at the stage of going up front to take the wafer IYSWIM

If your dc are not Catholic and have not attended preparation classes for First Communion, they would be exempt from this. Maybe what the school has twice a month is a church service?

my my there were some early worms on here this morning!! i've no time till i get back from taking the little monkeys to KG to get on the computer!!
Frosch, i had wondered what happened to our non-catholic children at the catholic grundschule and KG at times like confession and communion. We didnt choose to send dd to a catholic school - thats just what the local school is! but in the UK even though the school was nondenominational they still went to church sometimes and i said to dd it was up to her to make her mind up about what seh believed in. I've said the same here but it wouldnt be appropriate for her or your kids if they're not catholic to take part in the more official parts of the ceremony. Can you speak to the teacher and explain you're not catholic?

So i need a big MIL moan today - she phoned last night and we had a 5 min chat about the nice weather and what i'd been up to with the kids - all in deutsch so she seemed pleased with that!! gave the phone to dh and he came downstairs 20 mins later sayinh his mother had gone mad!!
She's got a few things she'd like to discuss

1. Why havent i been phoning her for tips on how to do my housework and laundry?

1. Have i washed all my windows inside and out because you must do that before easter or it will reflect very badly on us with the other people in the village!

1. Why had i only booked the boys into KG for 3 hours a morning? this would not be sufficient time to do all my housework and laundry!!

she's obviously mad! here's the answers i'd like to have given her (sure dh told her thought!!)

1. I'm 34 and have 3 kids so think i might know how to manage a house and keep on top of my laundry!! Used to work 3 days and do it all so think i can do it now i dont work!!

1. Whats going to happen if i dont wash my windows before next sun? are the easter window police going to come?

1. Think 1 answers it!! 3 hours is plenty to do housework and spend time on MN!!

Just needed to get it off my chest!! bloody german MIL!!! Feel better already!!

tired now though canella. My advice is not to rush on learning the German otherwise she'll be spending 5 minutes chatting pleasantly to dh and 20 minutes grilling you on your housekeeping.

I think Germans are quite big on the clean windows, you know. Maybe she's right in a small town, you will be judged if they are not clean since that is what the outer world picks up on.

She sounds a right pain, how far away does she live?

My mother would get many more pictures of her grandchildren if it weren't for the total mess in the background of most of them. I just know her eagle eyes would detect the tiniest stain on the carpet, so I only send outdoors pictures. I would pay a lot of many for program that automatically rids images of background mess.
Canella, do not hang washing outside over Easter. Your mil would probably get a heartattack, it's just not the done thing.

they live in weimar so about 90 mins away!! she is a right pain at times - just quite highly strung and its her way or no way!! but even dh tires of her quickly!! we're going for the day tom - they're having dd for the first week of the school holidays! she is obsessed with my dd - she only had sons so she's always said dd was the daughter she never had!! scary!! last easter she came back to the UK after a week in weimar with leopard skin shoes on!! she was 6 at the time!!

But i'll take all your advice and wash my windows (only 6 look onto the street so will do them first!!) And wont hang my washing out at easter either (well not when she's here!! ha ha!!)

Its amazing how different people are here - its all about what others think of you!! thankfully i dont know what they're saying so i'm not that arsed!! yet!!

Morning everone. I've finally got some time to catch up with you all here.

OMG, canella, your mil sounds worse than mine! Rant away, it's very therapeutic Lol at Easter window police. I suspect they are on their way round to our house this very minute.

OMG canella, nip this in the bud NOW! At least your DH sees this behaviour as being a tad odd; imagine if he agreed with her! You've got back up on here as well. My MIL is lovely, my mum is doing my head in; she's been here two weeks, two to go. I intend ranting in the next couple of days.

Thanks all for the Katholische advice; it's all a bit rum for a lapsed welsh baptist like me. Maybe I should look further afield for something less godly.

MmeLindt has inspired me; I'm off to look for hefe today and make some bread with DS this weekend.

My friend is an evangelical Baptist and her son is going to the RC school here in Germany, and I am sure he will not be going to confession! I imagine he will just do something else if that is happening. Non RC children are not allowed to take confession as far as I know, as they are not baptised or prepared.

Thanks for the info on Legoland. Will probably stay in the holiday village for convenience but will not expect too much!

BTW Canella, on the subject of Kindergarten hours, my DS only stayed till 12 up till Christmas, and now stays for lunch. I have found he loves to stay and play, also it is quieter in the afternoon so he gets more attention. His German has come on in leaps and bounds too. AND he gets a good lunch-although I found the milk pudding day confusing!

at the bewildered Welsh Baptist.

Berlin is generally thought of as very ungodly especially by Southern Germans so I don't know if this is standard but dd attended a German Catholic school foryear 1. They had two class services in church (just the school). They said a prayer every morning, can't remember it exactly something like "lege dein Hand auf jedes Kind und hilfe dass wir mit einander glücklich sind" or something like that. They didn't do anything much in religion, not even the Lord's Prayer, heard something about St. Elisabeth founding hospitals and that was it.

No discussing sins, confessions, no masses, not much of anything in fact.

thanks for that trockodile!! the boys are going to go until 11.30 till september then they're both going to stay till 12.30 - after that it becomes quite expensive (would only pay 80 euros per child per month up till 12.30). I'm sure their german will be coming on by then - ds1 said tasche(sp) today without prompting so thats a first!! he knows loads of words - just too shy to say them!!

Zzen - your experience of catholic school would suit my DD! not sure what they teach her but she has 90 mins of religious lessons every week!!

LOL at the window police. A friends landlady used to ask if she would like to borrow some Windolene, she had noticed that friend had run out again.

I would just tell her that you have cleaned the windows. She lives 90 mind away. Is she going to send a neighbour to check?

Hi everyone, haven't had time to read but just letting you all know we are having a lovely time and it is amazing weather wise, well so far anyway! We brought all our thick jumpers and coats and now it's nearly 20 degrees, blue sky so plenty of fresh air for the dc, it'll be doing them good.

Will update on my investigations about staying or coming back for good later.

Now going to sit out in the garden with a beer with my sister and chill! So nice not to have any nagging or moaning to the dc to hear.