** 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.

Trockodile - that's VERY close to us . Call in some time. My two are five and two (going through a very stroppy phrase - we got tutted at on the tram yesterday). Is the church moving soon? My neighbour goes and he was telling us something about it the other day.

Admylin
Good to hear from you, enjoy the lovely weather. I am guessing that you did not need the waterproof trousers?

Good to hear that admylin is having some decent 'me' time!

Hi Scootergrrl-you must live near M? The church is looking for a new building, but not found one yet. The downside of it is the timing, as it is generally 7pm when we get away, and it is a rush to do tea, bath and bed. We are very friendly though!
www.ibcbielefeld.com is our website-I do the weekly bulletin so my email is on there if you want to get in touch-or ask M-he has it!

Have just booked our holiday-one night at Legoland and a week at a Kinderhotel in Austria. Don't know if any of you are as sad as me and like school stories but it is where the early Chalet School stories were set! I am so excited and it looks gorgeous. DS has been pouring over the brochures and asked if it would have lots of new Deutsch friends!

Canella do you have to pay for both boys? I was sure my friend gets her second free? Maybe it is different in other areas.

oh trockodile i'm dead jealous at you going to one of those kinderhotels - they look like the best fun for kids!! is it cheaper if you book it from here? it seemed dead expensive when we thought about booking it from the UK!
We have to pay for both boys but its worth every penny - it teaches then german, makes them some friends and most importantly it gives me some time to myself to do jobs so i can then spend the afternoons being supermum!! ha ha!! but thats kind of how it feels - we've done something every afternoon this week cause the weather's been good!! long may it continue!!

Admylin - good to hear from you and like the thought of you sitting with a beer!! its wine o'clock here now so cheers!!

Last MIL moan - i'll need to do the windows next week - they're coming here on easter sunday!! that means i'll see her 2 weekends in a row!! might need valium (or just lots of wine) for that!!

For the 3 of us it is 1600 euros for 1 week so not particularly cheap. (Last year would have been cheaper as we will pay in pounds!) BUT DS is in his own room which is a big plus, and the food is supposed to be mostly fresh and organic and all inclusive. We prob won't use the childcare but it is there if DS fancies it. We are planning on doing lots of (free) walking, swimming, chilling out and just being together after being apart for over 4 months while DH is in Iraq. His Op tour bonus mostly covers it too which is great!
link here

Newcomers in our village today. They moved in a week or so ago and the DC were at school for the first time today. The DD is the same age as mine, and the DS same age as mine DS. And they are from Scotland.

DD said that they speak different to us, but that she thinks it sounds really nice. I am hopeful that she will now copy her new wee friend and not the English and American girls in her class.

She decided today that she wanted to get her hair cut, tomorrow, or ASAP. DH said that she might as well wait until we go to Germany next week but she does not want to wait that long. I told her that it would be easier in Germany as I cannot tell the hairdresser exactly what she wants done. She got a photo of how she used to have it and said (in French) "I would like to have my hair cut like this".

That´s really sweet MmeLindt. Mind you I find the problem with hairdressers is not so much the understanding, but more the interpretation. i.e. just a quick trim, no layers = 5cm off with a few layers added, but maybe I´m just unlucky.

trockodile - the hotel looks gorgeous you´re bound to have a great time. I forgot to say that we were at Legoland in July and there were absolutely no queues. Admittedly it was midweek, but I was amazed.We were able to go on the really good rides loads of times, so hopefully in May it should be godd for you aswell.

Why are children always ill at the weekend. Dd was ill all last weekend and now ds has just started throwing up. At least last weekend the weather was crap, so we didn´t really mind not going out, but with all this sun I was really looking forward to doing something this weekend. I´m hoping he´ll make a miraculous recovery by tomorrow, but it´s not looking likely.

guten abend!! had a surprisingly good day with oma and opa!! kids were really well behaved and no mention of housework!! Thankfully they like a drink so wine o'clock was very early today!! will be in bed very soon!! hope you all had great days - hope the weather stays good tom!

Wow mmelindt, taht's so nice to get Scottish neighbours! I bet they are pleased to have someone too. Wouldn't that make life easier if we moved abroad and the neighbours were from back home!

I have stuffed myself today. I had crumpets for breakfast, fish and chips for lunch and have just had hot cross buns for tea, who knows what will be for dinner! Oh well, they are all things I can't get in Germany so I have to make the most of it. Walking round supermarkets is like being in heaven. My sister noticed me picking up boxes of stuffing mix and stroking the packet and then going back for another look too

Any news from TheGabster? wonder how she is settling in. My dc want to stay, thet refuse to speak German and hide behind me when my mum introduces us to anyone as the grandchildren from Germany.

Morning everyone!

Admylin, I'm glad you're having a good time, relaxing and eating loads - sounds like my idea of heaven!

Glad to hear your day with the in laws went OK, canella. Amazing what a glass or two of wine can do. I sometimes wish mil would drink so that she could chill out a bit but she won't touch the stuff, partly because she doesn't like the taste and partly because her father and her dh drank too much. Which is understandable really.

Can anyone beat my stupidity this morning? I managed to set my alarm clock an hour early to wake the dc this morning, i.e at 5:30. I didn't realise until dd finally emerged bleary eyed downstairs, looked at the clock and said, 'Mama, it's quarter to six!' Whoops

morning!!
stuck in the house this morning waiting for our new mattresses to arrive!! we've been sleeping on the borrowed mattresses on new slats on the floor since i came here!! still dont get why you cant buy double mattresses in germany!! but the actual bed frame isnt coming for another 2 weeks - cant wait!!

Taipo - you've been really daft with that clock this morn!! especially cause its holidays!! dd is off but i've still sent the boys to KG!! you'll be exhausted later - maybe its an excuse for a lunchtime nap!!!

Admylin - you sound like your having the best time!!enjoy every minute of having some peace!! have you made some decisions??

Mme Lindt - i am deadly jealous of you having scottish neighbours!! have you gone for a chat with them yet? think i'm more likely to get the pope as a neighbour than any other english speakers!!

So dh and i finally got round to trying our sauna last night - its in the Keller and we've just not got round to it before cause its cold in the kellar and altho we knew we'd be hot once we got in there it was the thought getting to it that stopped us!! but since its been a bit warmer we thought we'd give it a go!!! it was great but its really quite snug so i'd feel weird in there with anyone but dh!! couldnt cope with it too hot - maybe i need to build up my tolerance!! wasnt a big fan in the UK but if its in the Keller then might as well use it!! still find it amazing that the house has one!! you'd be amazed if a house in the UK had one!!

No German class this morning so off to do some housework-inspired by this thread to clean my windows before easter! Kitchen first though. Can't believe the kindergarten holidays are so short-gives me no excuses though for housework not being done!

admylin - crumpets and hot cross buns, my mouth is watering just thinking about them. I´m glad you´re having a great time.

All this talk of window cleaning is making me feel guilty. I´m so lazy that I´m waiting to hear if the in-laws are likely to pop in over Easter before I clean mine.

canella - enjoy the new mattresses when they come. Dh ordered new mattresses for us last year, but they were the wrong size for our bed (dh´s fault), so we spent weeks sleeping on the floor until a new bed arrived.

Hi all,
has anyone ever successfully made hot cross buns? My mum used to and they were yummy but I have never tried. It is the yeast thing that puts me off. I can never get it to rise. Do you put it in the oven on a low heat to rise or would that kill it off, anyone know?

Admylin I saw your mail and I'm thinking about it. I don't really know, so hard isn't it? Will write back when I get the chance, we're a bit busy this week. Hang in there and enjoy your break.

Canella, in my defence our holidays haven't started yet - dc break up tomorrow, so I wasn't stupid enough to wake them on a day they didn't actually have to go to school. Still bloody annoying and stupid though! Maybe they'll be so tired later that they'll go to bed an hour earlier

Oo, talking of window cleaning can I just boast mention that I did mine on Saturday. Didn't quite make it round the whole house but nearly and am now amazed at how much more light is coming through them!

oh taipo thats not so bad!! i'm sure they'll be exhausted later!!
i've done all the windows that face the street this morn - dont think i ever cleaned the outside of our windows in the UK - paid a window cleaner for that!! i'm sure thats not the done thing here - especially when its easier cause they open inwards!!

Have gone back to the new bakers this morn (mme lindt - i am very fickle but the other one is closed till 11.04) - boys were happy - they gave them some tiny roll things!! my boys are always happy with food!!

Zzen - never made hot cross buns! but would love to know how - they are so so yummy! do you have a bread maker - maybe you could make the dough in there?

I have been thinking about trying out Hot Cross Buns. Will look for a recipe and try them out this week I think.

Admylin
Good to hear that you are doing well. How are the DC enjoying themselves?

I am in a bit of a snit today. The visitors are off, I have spent the morning doing housework and they wont be back till later afternoon, early evening (I hope).

We have this week of SILs family then we are visiting the PILs next week and now DH tells me he would like to go to Munich next week for a night. Alone. He does not understand that I am not happy about this as we only have the one week holiday, which we are spending at his parents. That I am away in Frankfurt (at a wedding, he did not want to come) on Saturday and that only leaves us 2 days really. Monday is a Feiertag, Tues/Wednesday he will be away.

He had a weekend in Würzburg 2 weeks ago. I have Frankfurt then the weekend in May when my friends are coming and he is taking the DC camping, then the henny weekend in June. I feel that we are spending too much time alone.

What do you think? A lot of the problems we had last year where due to us having seperate holidays and I am scared that this will happen again this year.

MmeLindt- I can see where you´re coming from, but I wouldn´t worry too much.The things that you´ve got planned are really great one off events eg. friends over, hen night etc. I think it would be more of a problem if you or you dh wanted to go off and do something alone every weekend such as golf/fishing etc.

I can´t get the thought of hot cross buns out of my head. I found this recipe, but reading the reviews it sounds a bit heavy. Still, I might give it a go tomorrow.

Hupa
I know, I just wrote it all down on a AIBU thread, and the more I wrote the more I though that IABU. I should just let him go I suppose, I am such a wet waschlappen sometimes though, as it means I am left with the PILs for the evening watching bloody Volksmusik.

They do let me choose between Hansi Hinterseer and Die Lustige Musikanten.

That recipe looks good. Where would I get mixed spice, I wonder.

Ah well you didn´t mention Volksmusik in the first post. In that case YANBU an dh should definitely give it a miss.

hi all. I think you might have to order mixed spice online ML.

OK I have the ingredients so I will have a bash at them but I am a bit pessimistic about it. Thought I 'd take some to church at the weekend, so need a trial run first. - Goodbye waist, such as it is.

I have the Mary Berry recipe in her ultimate cake book. Love Mary Berry. Her recipes always turn out if I follow them properly

What are you all eating over Easter? Anything special? I never have any ideas. Find cooking such a grind.

ML why can't you go to Munich with dh and leave the dc with their grandparents for that night? I think it is a bit OTT to leave your spouse with your dp (watching VOLKSMUSIK) whilst you go out on the town. I think it would be a different matter if you were in your own home but not at his parents.

PS admylin, if you come on I sent you a reply full of a thousand tipos I'm afraid, worse than usual but was in a bit of a rush. W

mml - think you are being perfectly reasonable to want him to stay with you while oyu are both at his parents!! or as zzen suggested can you not go with him and leave dc with grandparents for the night? only you can know whether the amount of time you spend together feels right - i spend too much time with dh at the mo - we're together every eve and most of the weekend but i'd rather that way than the other!
and its the volksmusik that would tip me over the edge - its on german tv all the bloody time!! i've even taken to watching millionaire which i'd never have watched in the UK!!
love all this chat about hot cross buns - can cope without them but love the thought!!