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.

A German in a kilt! LOL!

I hope you had a good time, admylin. It sounds very festive. I always try to ask the Turkish kids in my little English class about Eid but they never come up with much other than that they get presents.

Yesterday I made sugar cookies, Vanillekipferl and gingerbread men and today we went to visit the father-in-law in his nursing home for St. Nicholas. That only lasted about half an hour before he wanted mother-in-law to take him out for a walk in his wheelchair so we took off and went to the Christmas market in Hannover. It was very nice this year, not as crowded as usual.

We had a good time, great food from Chicken curry to lamb curry and lots of Indian sweet dishes! They had rented a party room.

Yesterday I made a buche do noel (sorry no accents) for ds's French class. His teacher was telling them all about Christmas traditions and handed out a recipe for buche de noel. Well I decided to just go for it and somehow throw the butter cream together without a recipe! It took ages to mix and then decorate and I had made enough for about 3 buche de noel so ended up adding eggs and flour to the left over butter cream and I got some quite tasty brownies out of it!

Oh another thing, at the party at the weekend, alot of the people there are house owners, business men mostly and they all said don't take the flat with the damp because it'll come back for sure 6 months later and then by chance the woman who lived in the flat rang me to say not to trust the owners, they will fix it themselves and it'll come back and in the last 10 years 7 families have moved in and out of that place! Sigh, buying our own place sounds more and more tempting.

Oh, dear Admylin. Trust your instincts, do not take the flat. If they have so many people going in and out of a reasonably priced flat with a garden then the Vermieter must be nutters.

DS is home today, with the cold. He has had a bad cough for a couple of days and I think he needs a day or two of rest. Thank God for Cbeebies and my iPhone.

Have they also got so much going on at school? I thought it would be abit calmer at Gymnasium but dd has 3 Christmas related celebrations, one of which we get to attend and bring Plätzchen, ds has gone off with his buche de noel and he has another thing next week where we get to attend again and bring Plätzchen, and then a Christmas breakfast. All that, on top of tests every week at the moment.

Oh the joy, I have to sit and revise electricity with them this afternoon after tennis. I remember giving up on physics at school after the first electricity lesson, now I get to learn it all in German. At least it has been qiuet on the percentages front for a few days, he seems to have 'got it'!

Yes, very busy.

We had the making of the Xmas tree decorations last week and then the switching on of the tree lights. Everyone brings a snack to share, the school provide Glühwein and the DC run around like mad people. Good fun. photos here

This week it is the Escalade, the biggest festival in Geneva. The DC have to take a couple of bits of veg into school on Friday, they make soup out of it and the whole village is invited to eat soup and drink wine (natch) in the evening.

The weekend is busy busy busy with the Escalade celebrations in Geneva then we have the Christmas concert on 18th.

I will be in desperate need of a holiday by Xmas.

Great photos, why did they make Babuschka, that's russian isn't it? Lovely tree, haven't even thought about decorations yet!

Daphne is so cute, dd wants an alsation but I keep showing her cute mini dogs on the street - I couldn't cope with an alsation. We have to move first, then we enter the pet phase.

Last year they did angels, the year before it was birds. I think that they just chose a nice motive and do them. Every child in the school makes one.

Show your DD some photos of Daphne. She is really an ideal dog.

Is your DD willing to take an GSD out for a long walk in all weather? Daphne just needs a short walk and when it rains wont go out at all.

She'd be willing but GSD are just too big and strong for me to be able to allow her out with one alone. I'll show her daphne!

Also I can imagine scooping the poop, size wise, much easier with a daphne size dog!

Wow, I ordered Christmas presents on Amazon yesterday, normal post, and they were just delivered!

I love Amazon, ordered all my Xmas presents in UK this year.

Yes, use the comparative size of poop to be scooped to persuade your DD. I sometimes go out with my neighbour and her big dog (Alsatian size). God, it is horrible. I don't think I could do that.

wow mmelindt - your dc could be models - some of those photos look like professional ones!

and your dog is vv cute!!

It´s so manic here at the moment I´m hardly finding the time to mumsnet.

As well as all the Christmas celebrations it´s dd´s birthday on Thursday and we know 3 dc who have a birthday on Friday so trying to fit all the birthday parties around the Christmas events is proving a bit of a logistical nightmare.

Daphne is really so cute. We´re still borrowing our neighbour´s dog occassionally which is the perfect solution for us.

Another vote here for Amazon. Like admylin I ordered yesterday and the order arrived this morning.

hmm, perhaps I should send the kids to model agency and get them earning some cash. They need to start paying for their keep

Oh, birthdays in December are hard. Mine is the beginning of January and noone wants to celebrate on that date.

Gorgeous pictures, MmeLindt! Love the babuschkas and the kids are adorable.

We want to get a dog too and have made several trips to the animal shelter but the smallish, good tempered family dogs go fast and we haven't had any luck yet.

No Christmas parties at school now that they're older. I have to go to a library volunteer Christmas thingie next Monday night but that should be all right.

Is that the animal shelter near the airport Westvan? We should maybe go their for a visit too, it might just put dd off her idea of having an alsation if she sees how big they are close up!

I've been wrapping presents today, must remember to get everything done before they break up from school! Still have to get a few things though, especially ds is difficult to buy for. He doesn't want any toys anymore and apart from the yu-gi-ho cards he collects, and some books I have no idea what to get him. Any ideas? He's 11.

Yes, the one by the airport, admylin. I think they expanded it recently, we haven't been in a while. The good thing is they tell you as much as they know about the dog's personal history and won't let you take a dog they know wouldn't be suitable for families and children. Here's the website - they put their newest additions up there but I don't think they update it very often.

www.tierheim-hannover.de/

My kids could only think of one thing they wanted for Christmas and they're getting money from Oma and Opa and some close friends of ours so they're happy.

hasnt this thread gone quiet!

just a quick question - still not bought a present for my ILs!!! and stuck in the house with poorly ds!!
Want to order my MIL a boxset of Krimi DVD's - she loves watching them. Anyone know the name of a good Krimi?

Canella

I only know the ones that are on TV, Tatort, Bella Block etc.

Do they like Italy? The Brunetti ones are good.

Sorry, no idea either - never watch german TV but I know dh used to love Tatort, what ever it is, it seems to be the most famous series.

I've been busy trying to sort all the surprises out for Christmas. Somehow, had double work because my parents don't bother with getting the presents for the dc - I have to do it, I get money sent and then I have to run about figuring out what I am getting for each of them and if I've spent roughly the same amount and have they got the same amount of parcels. I then get to wrap them all and then my mum send gift tags for the parcels.
Next year I'll just be giving the dc the money and they can enjoy spending it after Christmas.

Off to collect dd now as she only has 4 lessons on Tuesday, quick stop at hairdresser for a trim then off to tennis with ds, then oh joy, dd has to revise for a maths test so I'll be on hand for testing her and helping out.

good luck with your maths afternoon admylin! sounds like you've got a busy day!

I NEVER watch these Krimi's on the tv either - always looks like bad acting to me! They dont care where the Krimi's come from - when we lived in the UK she was always telling me about british ones that she loved (and i'd never seen!!)

will get dh to have a look on amazon later for one of those series! Thanks

Canella - I love krimis, but my minds gone blank. I hardly ever watch German series, but I think the Tatorts with Schimanski are well liked, but your mil has probably seen them all. If she doesn´t mind where it´s from what about CSI or Prime Suspect.

I think I´ve finally got all my Christmas shopping, I´ve just got to wrap it all now.

admylin - it´s a bit mean giving them a maths test this near the end of term.

feel like im hiding from christmas

ds and dh are on holiday

we are meant to be going away on saturday

and waiting on our offer on a house

can I postpone christmas .....

thanks hupa - prime suspect is a great idea! even i liked those and i dont do Krimis!

Cinders - can i join you in postponing xmas - i cant believe it next week and i dont have presents for our guests or any great plans for food and i'm stuck in the house with poorly ds!

Where are you going on hols? hope you have a good time!

Canella
Get them Taggart and watch them struggle with the Scottish accent. 'He's deed, Jim'