Durch die Strassen auf und nieder, leuchten die Laternen wieder... ***Herbstunterhaltung im Deutschem Eck***

[MmeLindt]

Durch die Strassen auf und nieder
leuchten die Laternen wieder:
rote, gelbe, grüne, blaue,
Lieber Martin, komm und schaue!

Wie die Blumen in dem Garten
blühn Laternen aller Arten:
rote, gelbe, grüne, blaue,
Lieber Martin, komm und schaue!

Und wir gehen lange Strecken
mit Laternen an den Stecken
rote, gelbe, grüne, blaue,
Lieber Martin, komm und schaue!

*

It is that time of the year again. Check your lanterns, get enough batteries, start the Bastelaktion.

come to think of it, I have never known a St.Martin's day where it did not rain. Never poured down but it is always drizzly. Saw some mums have their lanterns covered in plastic somehow. Could never be bothered with any of that faffing about myself though

ah looking forward to this eve already

dh isnt that clever - the kiga sent him all the stuff home with all the wood and instructions on how to make them!!

not raining at the mo but threatening dark clouds in the sky!! cant wait!!

it'll be nice in a village. No one taking the mick of the kids or anything (Berlin). We used to have a police escort (I kid you not) to stop the traffic etc. Going through a small village will be a piece of cake.

And you get a baked goose pastry thing at the end. I would strap little ones into a buggy and let them just sit and hold their lanterns though. It's a pain I should imagine to keep track of three in the dark unless yours are not runners (as mine was)

bit surprised at the kiga sending a make-it-yourself wooden lantern kit home. I thought all this arty crafty stuff was kiga territory.

Zzzen - you´re certainly right about it always raining on St. Martin´s day. Even though it´s dry here at the moment I know it will be drizzling before we leave the house later. This is one of the few German traditions that I just can´t get excited abut. We also stupidly told dd that she would be able to have a fackel now that she is in school. I really hate them as some children wave them around so wildly. I´m always scared they´re going to set someone´s coat on fire.

I always want to laugh at Germans who moan about their health service. Somebody the other week was moaning that they were having to wait 2 weeks for a scan of their little finger that was hurting. I did point out that in the UK you would never get a scan for that and even if you had something seriously wrong you´d still be waiting longer than 2 weeks.

admylin - hope you find something soon. I think I´d be going slowly insane if I´d had to share a small flat with dh and the dcs for so long.

Hi hi!

So terribly sad about Robert Enke, isn't it. That's what I've been thinking about too - standing there in the rain waiting for a train to hit you - how utterly horrible. The poor man and his family.

I agree about the health system here. When I had to have elective abdominal surgery I got to see specialists right away and got an op date within two weeks. My mum in Canada had to wait 9 months for major back surgery and was in severe pain the whole time. Just ridiculous.

We only had four kids come to the door this evening so I fear I will have to finish off the candy myself!

Robert Enke´s suicide is really heartbreaking. I saw his wife´s press conference yesterday and was amazed at how well she held it together to talk so calmly and movingly about her husband. I went to the supermarket this morning and the local paper had as it´s headline the quote from her where she said, "Wir dachten, mit Liebe geht das." I must admit to nearly crying - I had to take a few deep breaths and blink really rapidly. It´s such a shame he didn´t feel able to be more open, but hardly surprising given many peoples response to mental health issues.

Well surprisingly it didn´t rain here yesterday for the Martinsumzug which made the whole thing much more bearable. Do children knock for sweets where you are Westvan? - that doesn`t happen here.

I sat and cried last night at the news when they showed the press conference, and the church service. It is so sad, so unbearably sad for the family.

My SIL is bipolar and it is times like this that I am glad that she is in treatment. It is really difficult because she gets most attention and help (and pressure from her family) in her 'high' phases because she is a pain in the arse then.

When she is depressed we tend to let her be as it is such a relief that she is no longer bouncing off the ceiling.

I thought about her yesterday, she shows no signs of being that bad, has never hinted at suicide. But then, who would have known that Robert Enke was so depressed?

How did all the Martinszüge go? I miss that.

They go around for sweeties in the Rheinland area too, Krippchen it is called I think. Sort of like Trick or Treat. They go from house to house and sing a St Martins Lied. It is lovely.

had never heard of Robert Enke before yesterday but the thought of anyone committing suicide especially with young children is really sad. its amazing how well he must have hidden his depression if no-one knew he was suicidal.

The Martinzug was suprisingly nice yesterday - no rain but pretty cold! it was quite magical to see all the kids walking along with their lanterns! much nicer than having halloween like in the UK!! thankfully no trick or treating "Krippchen" here!

Its different getting used to all these new traditions - St Nikolas is next i think? i've already been told some of the villagers take the children round the village and meet "St Nikolas"! wonder if i need to go with them - doubt anyone would be so brave to take all the kids without the grown ups but you never know what will happen in these wee villages!

OH dear, new installment to our flat saga, tell me what is best to do girls please:

No calls yesterday, but just now the owner of the damp flat phoned. She wants to meet us before giving us the flat so I told her that we'd been back to look at it and were shocked at the mould and damp so we weren't going to take it in January. I said that if I was her I would try to go there as soon as possible to look at it and see what needs to be done.

She was quite nice actually and said how about, instead of us taking the flat from 1st January, we wait and she renovates the 2 rooms that have mould. I said she would really have to get it done professionaly not just old wall paper off - new on, as the mould and damp had gone past that stage and surely was in the wall too. She still wants to meet us and my problem now is - can I trust her to do it properly ? I already said I don't want the people who live there to do it as they would try to cover it with new paper and I would have the old problem back within a few weeks.

By the way this is all about a 120m² ground floor flat with own terrace and own garden right in the place we wanted to live.

I would only agree to that if she gets it done professionally, Admylin.

You really do not want to be in a house with mold, it can be very bad, especially if any of you have problems with allergies/asthma.

Canella
Do watch out if they do the Kronprinz Rupprecht there. If they do you might want to talk it over with your DC first, so that they are not traumatised.

Is it perfect aside from the mold issue?

Yes, apart from that it would have been perfect. We should go and speak to her I suppose as she wants to meet us any way (probably to check dh out, make sure he doesn't look too terroristy as his birth place is Karachi!) and she sounded as if she would get the 2 rooms done for us.

Kronprinz Ruprecht must be the more posh version of the Nikolaus tradition. He is a Knecht where I come from, but I'm working class, we couldn't afford a Kronprinz.

Gracelo
oh, I think you are right, it is Knecht not Kronprinz I just promoted him

we got our first Xmas presents yesterday. MIL sent them because she us worried they wouldn't get here in time.

lol at your terrorist DH, Admylin. I bet that birthplace raises eyebrows. Shame that all we know it for is bombs and war. I suppose it is like 20 years ago saying you were from Belfast

Wow, that's thoughtful of them. I don't know how often my dc's presents arrive at the last minute in fact one Christmas they arrived in January and we were student rock bottom broke so had only got them one or two things from us, what a miserable Christmas day that was!

I've finished my Shopping for UK but am lucky as only have 4 presents to get sorted.

DD had a teenage strop this morning because she has 'nothing to wear' - whatever she put on it wasn't how she wanted it to look, not baggy enough (she's going through a big and baggy is beautiful stage). This is just the start I know...sigh.

Oh, I am so not looking forward to teenage years. DD seems to be in prepuberty already, going by the eye rolling and huffing that is already a major part of our day.

DD got laughed at when she went into the playground by some of the boys. She had put on her flurescent vest thing cause it was misty when we left the house. Poor thing was quite embarrassed.

I know, it's going to be tough! We#Ve been round huge clothes shops and she hasn't managed to find one item of clothing that she finds acceptable.

This weekend we might go to a big shop and I'll tell her I'll meet her at the changing room and she has to have atleast 3 items to try on then just leave her to it.

Gosh, all that to come too. Can you let her shop online (with you obviously).

Next deliver to Germany now as do M&S. If you could get her into M&S that would be great because unlike Next, they deliver direct from UK so their prices are in £ not Euros so you are saving on the exchange rate.

I like the stuff at M&S but dd ...you can imagine! Fat face has nice stuff too. Gone are the days when you can order the Tchibo outfits and they don't care that 30 other girls have the same cardigan on at school!

I tried to sit her down amd look through Otto and Neckermann websites but it's too mind boggling. Might try H&M as a last resort but I don't fancy going into Hannover on a Saterday. I like to drive to those big shopping mall style places or warehouses where you can park, shop and get out quickly!

Eeek, just noticed that the meeting in town that I thought was at 10.30am is actually at 9.30am

Better go and put some slap on and get into town.

What about any of the cooler shops in UK? Do any of them deliver to Germany?

FatFace delivers to Europe. I don't know what they charge for it though. I'm waiting for a delivery from them. I'm now wondering if FatFace is too teenagy for me?
I'm trying to remember where my teenage nieces shop, mix of H&M, S.Oliver and home made I think.

PMSL at Kronprinz Ruprecht

thank goodness dd is not bothered in the least with clothes. So long as I don't try and get her in a dress (which tbh I don't), it's alright.

All the clothes conscious German teenage girls of friends of ours wore Zara which seems to be in the in thing. Lots of black. Boys seem to be allowed to wear colour so long as they make sure their hair is falling right over their eyes and half way across their cheeks. That seems to be the main thing.