Endlich Fruehlingszeit in the German Corner

[admylin]

'All welcome, Austria & Switzerland & any German-speaking Leute too'

Thank goodness it's over at long last! That was a long winter. Welcome Spring!

ah yes, that wasn't very clear - dh has banned me

Thanks for the kind words

kitchen not too difficult - I know the shape I want the height I want, the fronts I want. It's just a Q of how long to make it (thinking the plan is maybe too long - 4 m!) and the innards, is do I get drawers or cupboards or cupboards with pulley outey shelves. Have seen dishwashers starting at knee height. Am hoping that will work - how many times have you bashed your shins on the open dishwasher door?! And so much more comfortable emptying when it's higher up. But to make it higher up means it won't be in the logical or most efficient place? Hmmm.

Prob is getting a bloody appt. My man has been on holidays until friday, so when he return he will be snowed under ( saw several URGENT!!!!) messages on his desk when I went by today.

ah yes, that wasn't very clear - dh has banned me

Thanks for the kind words

kitchen not too difficult - I know the shape I want the height I want, the fronts I want. It's just a Q of how long to make it (thinking the plan is maybe too long - 4 m!) and the innards, is do I get drawers or cupboards or cupboards with pulley outey shelves. Have seen dishwashers starting at knee height. Am hoping that will work - how many times have you bashed your shins on the open dishwasher door?! And so much more comfortable emptying when it's higher up. But to make it higher up means it won't be in the logical or most efficient place? Hmmm.

Prob is getting a bloody appt. My man has been on holidays until friday, so when he return he will be snowed under ( saw several URGENT!!!!) messages on his desk when I went by today.

now what trickery made that pop up twice

Ernest - so glad the passport came through. Hope you had a great weekend.

I´m not much help on kitchens, but we have a Poggenpohl kitchen which was here when we moved in and is about 25 years old. I hate it, but have to say it is really excellent quality. All the hinges etc. are still working perfectly and there´s just one drawer that sticks a bit - not bad for such an old kitchen. By contrast we stayed in a new Aparthotel a couple of years ago which had only been open 2 weeks and already some of the hinges were knackered. I think the quality of hinges and other fittings is more important than the shells of the cupboards.

Dh made me laugh a couple of years ago when we considered buying a new kitchen. He honestly thought we could get a new one including appliances for 3000 Euro. He soon changed his mind when we went to look at them.

I´d reall recommend an Apothekerschrank (don´t know what they´re called in English) -really useful and you don´t have to scrabble around at the back of cupboards trying to find things.

Thanks for tips Hupa. I will be the proud owner of not 1 but 2 Apotekaschränke - a full height one and an under the counter one Chose kitchen yesterday. It will be a wall of full height wooden units, then a side of cream undercounter ones leading to a Halbinsel. We were struggling with chosing a granite. In the end we were just going to go for plain black when we spotted one (also black) with golden flecks in it. The gold picked up the wood tones perfectly. It was stunning. Ah. But was 1000 euros extra. Dh decided it wasn't worth it

Only semi really. Kitchen will be very nice so will not complain about my gold flecks.

Switzerland was beautiful. I miss it so much. Honestly, my hear is in Switzerland. I cannot explain it. I have lived many many places and moved a lot, but as soon as I got over the border I felt at home again, and everything felt so right and familiar and like I had never been away. It was like balm for my soul. One day I will return. The boys had a great time too.

If I could find a cheap room/apartment to stay I would be back all the time. I can't stay at my friends all the timw. She is so welcoming and generous and hospitalbe, but she has 4 children, I have 4 children, she gives up her room for me, it is too much. Ds would love to go back during the Pfingstferien. If I could book a room at small cost I would take him, but I cannot say to my friend, actually we will be back in a fortnight! If anyone has any tips....

Oh and just to end on me me me - it was my birthday yesterday. And tomorrow is my dh birthday. We both celebrate our 40th I am spending today, the 18th of May in traditional style - rushing round trying to get dh another birthday present as what I got him is crap compared with what he got me.

Hope everyone ok and enjoying the weather. will it rain all over Pfingston too? I think it has rained for 3 weeks solid now? The world has exploded into the most amazing lush greeness as a result though. Lovely.

you deserve to "me me me" when its your birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY (and to your DH for tom too!). what did he get you? i want to know!!

glad you got your kitchen sorted! i look forward to the time when i can post that on here too!!

think the weather forecast for the weekend is better! fingers crossed!

well we've booked our summer holiday to Ruegen!!! never been (and not sure if dh has been) but we've booked a nice Fereinwohnung at a reasonable price - some of them were stupidly expensive!!! hope the weather doesnt let us down then (august) - will be gutted if it does!

Sorry to interrupt and hijack ladies, but I have a rather urgent pronunciation question and thought you lot could help.

I'm giving a paper at a conference (high embarrassment potential) and need to quote a German theorist called Jauss.
Am I right in thinking that Jauss pretty much rhymes with the English word "mouse" (IYSWIM)? (Rather than rhyming with "verbose", which is how my French colleagues would say it...?)

TIA and Happy Birthday to Ernest!

yes, rhyming w. mouse and 'y' not g/j sound at the beginning.

good luck.

Thanks Ernest!
(I need it...)

Rügen will be lovely if teh weather holds out - well done for booking. Wish I could say the same canella, we still haven't got anything sorted.

Dc, especially dd want to go to France but it'll have to happen (if it happens) at the end of June when we break up from school as we move mid-july. Then a couple of weeks after my move we're getting visitors from India (6 all together) for 2 weekls and then school goes back at the beginning of August. There isn't going to be time to do much in the way of holidaying.

Just had bad news from ds's best friend's dad - they have to rush to the mum's bedside an hours drive away so he's going to take him from school and set off in pouring rain. She's been ill for almost 4 months now and I've been feeding them home cooked food as the two of them had been living off macdonalds and chinese take aways. HOpe they come back tonight with the news that she's out of intensive care atleast.

Yes, nosey here too - what did you get each other ernest?

I'm getting a bike for my birthday in September and dh won't do birthdays so I'm OK there! Ds is up next, this weekend but he also doesn't want to celebrate at all so he'll just get a few presents and an Erdbeer Torte (his favourite cake).

Dh was too generous - I got a digital piano (well, it will be deliverd direct to the new house in August, so in the mean time I have a picture of one), and he then got me a silver bangle which I won't attempt to describe but is very nice and something I've ALWAYS wanted since I was a little girl with a nurses dressing up outfit. I got a watch that hangs on a chain, upside down and it's in a ribbed silver capsule with a silver tassle on the end, so it looks like a silver pendant, but you pull it open and it's a wtach. I'm not the best at painting a mental picture, but it is fabulous. Can't believe he spent so much, we are skint. I can't even have my lovely granite .

My present seems shite (as always) in comparison.

I got him a lovely holdall type trolley case and booked him a surprise weekend in Dublin with his best friend. I thought a break and reast and some fun time with his friend he only sees 1 oe 2 times a year. Well, he had a good time and just made it out before Dublin airport was closed due to volcano. (Lieterally the last flights out, yikes).

Then this morning I gave him some chopsticks (was moaning recently ours all missing), a little Lederhosen schnapps cup and a watch which he doesn't like.

Now he's off to Turin till tomorrow night so I feel I've failed him. I would now like to ban birthdays. We don't need anything anymore.

Oh well.

Glad you've managed to get booked up Canella.

Ad, fingers crossed for your ds bf & mum and dad. Really hope there's good news for them. And how awful for her to have to be so far away.

In the summer we don't even break up till the beginning of August.

Sounds like you both had good birthday! Ds still doesn't want to do anything on his day.

His friend's mum seems to be stable again but all hooked up to machines for heart and kidneys an hour and a half drive away. Hopefully she can get transfered to Hannover soon. Poor boy burst into tears when his dad picked him up from school as he thought the worst.

When do you hope to move into new house ernest?

poor lad I remember when mil was seriously ill, every phone call made your heart skip a beat. What's wrong with his mum? WIll she get better? The mother of one of ds classmates died of bc a couple of weeks ago. A few weeks earlier, she'd been aken into hospital and they'd brought round a collection and to sign a card for her. I asked how you spelt 'gute Besserung' (didn't know what was wrong with her & how ill she was). The mum bringing the card round just shook her head and said don't write that, just sign your name Poor kid.

Anyway, I hope now she is stable they'll be able to transfer her to Hannover soon. Let us know how she's getting on.

ds2 is poorly at the moment, think it might be tonsillitis, His lymph glands in his neck are enormous, fascinating to look at in a gruesome kind of way.

Does your ds usually not want to do anything? Not even go to the cinema with a few mates?

I'm not sure about her getting better. When she was in hospital in Hannover dh went in a few times to ask them what was wrong and about her treatment (one of his studenst was on the ward who is a doctor but specialising to be a neurosurgeon under dh's training) and she'd had a small stroke, already had a pacemaker which they changed and then they sent her off to a Kur-Klinik to recover for 4 weeks and she had only been there 2 weeks when she was taken into hospital with infection and heart trouble again.

The worst thing is the dad is British and can't speak German so he has to get the ds to help alot and we all know about snotty secretary syndrome in Germany - well I wouldn't want my dc to have to deal with that sort of person on the phone. Apparently they just put the phone down on him when he was trying to get through to the ward.

shite.

oh and of course that was supposed to be sad not smiley face. poo poo poo.

Is no one able to help the dad? Must be awful the poor kid having to deal with that.

I'm trying to help. I spent a whole afternoon trying to get through to the hospiatl too - everytime I explained that I was calling as the dh didn't speak German and they would put me through to one place, then another and then I'd be told that the doctor was busy and to call back in 20 minutes, then 15 minutes then an hour ...

Ds is abit alternative - he has done parties but this year he totally refuses anything - I think he's fed up that he can't have what he realyl wants because we need to buy a decent tv first and that will happen when we move - he wants a playstation of some sort like his friend has. Anyway, he's having a cake and treats and I'll ask his friend and dad round for cake in the afternoon if they aren't at the hospital.

I guess also no matter how helpful and kind you are he still maybe won't want to turn to you every single time Difficult situation

I still haven't booked anything for holidays. Is everyone else booked? Ernest where are you going?

Canella where did you find the holiday flat/house? There are so many web sites out there. No idea where to start. I need a flat within walking distance of beach on north coast for 10 people at the end of July. I think I should maybe go the good old fashioned travel agent route.

we are planning for a week 'up north' (germany) (pretty vague and wooly) followed by week in UK. My grandma is not so good and been moved to a care home in Great Yarmouth, so we're trying to be not too inconvenient for Hook of Holland-Harwich ferry, so we can get to Gt Y not too bad, spend a couple of days there, then the rest of the week in Kent.

Due to house move (end August) and grandma and finances, gonna be a pretty tame holiday this year.

Actually traying to decide what's worse, the return drive from Kent//Gt Yarmouth or HoH/Harwich overnight ferry. Toughts? You have experience of long ferrrie non?

No never used ferry since I was young and free travelling 24 hours by bus and ferry to Brittany! Even then it was exhausting.

I'd like to go to over once with the car (mainly to stock up on shopping as I usually run out of suitcase space). So where will you find your up north part of the holiday? Do you do it all online or get an agent to help?

probably on line, this w/e, time running out.

Where you thinking of?

I'm busy ploughing through kitchen plans/ appliances, sigh. Wish it were more straightforward.

I don't envy you there - there is just too much choice isn't there.

I was thinking of Nordsee or Ostsee for the last week before we go back to school (5th August this year) but as there will be 10 of us we have to be near everything as no car that big and I can imagine public transport nightmare (and price) of getting around. I just want to be able to relax, send the 6 dc off to dig in sand or get themselves and ice cream while we chill and enjoy fresh sea breeze! Oh, my fantasy world is so nice..

YOu used the word 'relax' in th same sentence as '6 dc' or should that be

Thinking about it, on eofthem is 17 or 18 so not a dc as such and the youngest is 6 then 8, 10, 12 and 14 inbetween. They aren't even going to play together are they?