The weeks are just flying by and now we are in our last week before we leave for S.A.
The kids are getting really excited but secretly I think that I am the biggest kid here.
On Monday morning I decided to go and find another pair of boots. Found a pair at Deichmann's and bought them. Because they were slightly cheaper, I went off to Textile Sagawe and bought myself another 35% Cashmere poloneck top.
On Tuesday , I decide to wear the boots around the house and realised that they were just not comfortable enough. Took them back and got a refund. In the afternoon I took Lara to dancing lessons and drove out to Eifa to deliver one of Robert's birthday invites. Zelda and Ryan arrived home today.
On Wednesday morning I had a long chat to Zelda and caught up on her news from S.A. I dropped the boys at light athletics in the afternoon and Lara and I took a walk into town. I went into Muller and found another pair of Rieker boots which were almost identical to my first pair. I was so chuffed.
Marcelle, Zelda and I had decided to have a ladies night on Thursday and treat ourselves to dinner and then go on to the Christmas market for some Gluhwein.
Gerard had an appointment with a vet, to have Frankie's vaccination done. So he took Lara with him and I dropped the boys off at soccer and went straight to meet the girls at the Italian restaurant. We had a lovely shrimp cocktail and then walked into the town square. The whole town had decided to come out that night, so we pushed our way through the milling crowd to find the band. They were a bunch of old guys so we decided to go to one of the Gluhwein stands and drink our Gluhwein in peace. It was really nice to get out and about and spend time with friends.
On Friday morning, I met Marcelle at Dr Riese where her and I had the inevitable and dreaded gynae appointment. We had just arrived and I was sent through. She was quick and to the point and we were out of there. At least that is over for a while. We then walked up to Oma's Cafe where we had a lovely chocolate flavoured cappucino. Bought books for Patricia and looked for a calendar for Robbie.
On Friday evening, we had the Bell Christmas dinner where we all met once again. Spent a lovely evening, learning things about my cell phone that I never knew. M is a very good teacher on all these gadgets. We had a good evening with tasty food and good company and only got to bed at 3.00am. Marcelle rang me the next morning, so I woke up to the sounds of Robbie singing next to my bed!!!
Gerard and I went grocery shopping on Saturday. In the evening, we sat watching the run up show to the final X-Factor 2006. It was amazing to see how well some of last years contestants have done for themselves. Just goes to show what publicity can do for one. Was just getting into the final when I received an SMS on my phone. Knowing it would be M, I grabbed the phone wanting to reply and noticed that I had received an earlier SMS from my sister in law Kelly. They were letting me know that Dad had had a fall and had broken his hip. What news!!!!! I was quite upset and phoned M to tell her and then whilst X-Factor was on, I was trying to contact Val back in S.A. Phoned Roger, but did not speak too long - they were having a huge storm and phone line was crackly.
Leona won X-Factor much to our delight - she is certainly deserving of her win.
Wonderful voice on a beautiful girl. Hope she goes far.
Later, I called Aunty Hillary in Australia to find that Dave was spending a week up at Eddie's house. Called him there to find that he had just spoken to Val.
He hasn't secured a job yet but is going to lots of interviews and is hoping that something comes his way soon. They have been in Oz two weeks already!!!
Today I just stayed at home. Stayed in my pyjamas all day while Gerard took the boys to their different soccer tournaments. Steve's team played at 8.30 this morning and Robert's team played at 3.30pm.
I spoke to Val today and will call her again tomorrow to see what is going on with Dad. They are wanting to operate tomorrow afternoon but have to make sure that all is o.k. with him first. Hope and pray that all goes well.
Grace won Circus Celebrite tonite. She also deserved to win as she put so much into her acts.
Only 5 more sleeps before we leave.
Sunday, December 17, 2006
Monday, December 11, 2006
The Chocolate Diet
I forgot to mention in last weeks post, that the kids are on their chocolate diet again. When December starts, they remind us very quickly that their advent calender must be put up. This is hung on their door and every day, Father Christmas fills up the compartment with chocolates.
This week started with some medical issues once again!! I took both Robert and Lara to the doctor on Monday evening. Robert for strange "ringworm" type lesions on his legs and Lara for a persistent cough which had her in "coughing fits" in the middle of the night. Lara was diagnosed with Constrictive bronchitis and Robert with Tinea.
We wake up on Tuesday morning to Steven barking like a dog. He came through to our room battling to get his breath and quite uptight. I nebulised him and off we went again to the Doctor. Of course, by the time we got to see Dr Becker at about 9.30am (after waiting for longer than an hour at the rooms)Steven was just soooo much better!! He had Spasmodic Croup and was told to stay at home for the rest of the day and lay off sport for 2 days. He had to be nebulised 3 times a day. This had put a bit of a dampener on the morning of St Niklaus. On the morning of the 6th Dec, the children put their boots out and St. Niklaus fills them up with chocolates. Left him at home and went to NKD and bought myself a nice brown jacket. Took Lara to dancing in the afternoon. Steven came along so that he could choose a present for his friend who was having a birthday. I also went into the hairdresser and booked to have my hair done. It was also Heidi's birthday today.
I had my hair done on Thursday morning by Simone. She cut and coloured it quite well. My husband's comment was that it looked like a 1960's style!!! I rushed into NKD to get Steven a snow suit for 12.99. Took Steven off to the Altenburg Sports club where his friend Marvin's birthday party was being held. Went to Eudorf to Textile Sagawe looking for a skirt. Landed up buying a skirt and top!!! Came home and had to take Robert and Alex off to soccer training.
On Friday morning I went off to visit Marcelle. She helped me set up a blog on 24 and also gave me a hand with my new camera. I am useless at these things and Marcelle is very clued up and loves all these gadget type things. Will have to call her Mrs Gadget in future. Had a lovely morning with her.
On my way home, I called into the shoe shop where I had bought a lovely pair of winter boots. The stitching had come undone and wanted to know if I could replace them with another pair. Unfortunately, they no longer had my size so refunded me.
Took Robert, Steven, and Alex off to their Soccer Christmas party at the Altenburg Sports Club. I came home, so that I would be ready to go off to our Tennis Club Christmas party. Patricia came over to babysit for us and she spent the night here.
Our Tennis party was the same as all the usual German functions. A smoke filled room of people all eating and drinking and talking. No dancing or music - dead boring!!!
On Saturday, we went to pick up our blinds from Deco Dormus and did a bit of shopping in town. Came home, picked up Robert and hit the road for Weiterode where Yvonne lives. We spent the rest of the day celebrating her birthday with her friends and family. Really nice but I am sure also quite fattening with all the cake eating. Got home in time to watch the semi finals of X-factor which is now so exciting. Ben was voted off much to my dismay but the other two were fantastic.
On Sunday, Gerard got up and took Steven off to a soccer match which started at 8.15am. I got up shortly afterwards and made a quiche. This was my bit towards the Kindergarten brunch that we were attending. Lara's Kindergarten put on a little Nativity play and then everyone tucked in to a wonderful assortment of food. Diet definately out the window.
Later in the afternoon, we decided to take the kids to the "Weihnacht Markt" in Alsfeld. Of course, it was very full with people coming and going, and after an hour or so, we were starting to feel cold. Lara had the most fun as she got to ride on the carousel and little train, but the boys have outgrown this and found it quite boring!!! We had a Bratwurst there for supper. By the time we left, the temperature had gone down to 3 degrees. Took a drive past some of the houses that really do their houses up with lights etc. Really pretty.
This week started with some medical issues once again!! I took both Robert and Lara to the doctor on Monday evening. Robert for strange "ringworm" type lesions on his legs and Lara for a persistent cough which had her in "coughing fits" in the middle of the night. Lara was diagnosed with Constrictive bronchitis and Robert with Tinea.
We wake up on Tuesday morning to Steven barking like a dog. He came through to our room battling to get his breath and quite uptight. I nebulised him and off we went again to the Doctor. Of course, by the time we got to see Dr Becker at about 9.30am (after waiting for longer than an hour at the rooms)Steven was just soooo much better!! He had Spasmodic Croup and was told to stay at home for the rest of the day and lay off sport for 2 days. He had to be nebulised 3 times a day. This had put a bit of a dampener on the morning of St Niklaus. On the morning of the 6th Dec, the children put their boots out and St. Niklaus fills them up with chocolates. Left him at home and went to NKD and bought myself a nice brown jacket. Took Lara to dancing in the afternoon. Steven came along so that he could choose a present for his friend who was having a birthday. I also went into the hairdresser and booked to have my hair done. It was also Heidi's birthday today.
I had my hair done on Thursday morning by Simone. She cut and coloured it quite well. My husband's comment was that it looked like a 1960's style!!! I rushed into NKD to get Steven a snow suit for 12.99. Took Steven off to the Altenburg Sports club where his friend Marvin's birthday party was being held. Went to Eudorf to Textile Sagawe looking for a skirt. Landed up buying a skirt and top!!! Came home and had to take Robert and Alex off to soccer training.
On Friday morning I went off to visit Marcelle. She helped me set up a blog on 24 and also gave me a hand with my new camera. I am useless at these things and Marcelle is very clued up and loves all these gadget type things. Will have to call her Mrs Gadget in future. Had a lovely morning with her.
On my way home, I called into the shoe shop where I had bought a lovely pair of winter boots. The stitching had come undone and wanted to know if I could replace them with another pair. Unfortunately, they no longer had my size so refunded me.
Took Robert, Steven, and Alex off to their Soccer Christmas party at the Altenburg Sports Club. I came home, so that I would be ready to go off to our Tennis Club Christmas party. Patricia came over to babysit for us and she spent the night here.
Our Tennis party was the same as all the usual German functions. A smoke filled room of people all eating and drinking and talking. No dancing or music - dead boring!!!
On Saturday, we went to pick up our blinds from Deco Dormus and did a bit of shopping in town. Came home, picked up Robert and hit the road for Weiterode where Yvonne lives. We spent the rest of the day celebrating her birthday with her friends and family. Really nice but I am sure also quite fattening with all the cake eating. Got home in time to watch the semi finals of X-factor which is now so exciting. Ben was voted off much to my dismay but the other two were fantastic.
On Sunday, Gerard got up and took Steven off to a soccer match which started at 8.15am. I got up shortly afterwards and made a quiche. This was my bit towards the Kindergarten brunch that we were attending. Lara's Kindergarten put on a little Nativity play and then everyone tucked in to a wonderful assortment of food. Diet definately out the window.
Later in the afternoon, we decided to take the kids to the "Weihnacht Markt" in Alsfeld. Of course, it was very full with people coming and going, and after an hour or so, we were starting to feel cold. Lara had the most fun as she got to ride on the carousel and little train, but the boys have outgrown this and found it quite boring!!! We had a Bratwurst there for supper. By the time we left, the temperature had gone down to 3 degrees. Took a drive past some of the houses that really do their houses up with lights etc. Really pretty.
Friday, December 08, 2006
Monday, December 04, 2006
And the waiting continues ........
Gerard left us on Sunday afternoon at about 3.00pm for the airport. He foned on his way and said he thought he was going to miss his flight. He had been in traffic jams etc. and was really running late. He thought he would drive directly to the airport and park there. However, the park and ride chap, phoned him and said they were waiting for him, so he was taken by them to the airport and he arrived just in time!!!! The kids and I started on our training routine and were busy doing the gym thing when my Dad phoned from S.A. He has been told that he will have to have a knee replacement done on both his knees. He also reminded me that my brother Dave was flying off to Australia early the next morning. So we all spoke to my brother and his kids in Kynsna for the last time (in S.A. I mean).
On Tuesday, Lara went to her dance class. Vicky, the teacher asked me to leave, as she prefers to teach with no parents around - I was wondering why she allowed us parents to hang around for so long!!!! I went off to do a bit of shopping and bumped into my friend Sabine. Her and I decided to go and have a cappucino together and catch up a bit. At least I managed to pass the time without spending too much money!!!
Gerard arrived hom late that evening and brought me my English mags and newspaper.
He had had a fairly decent trip, considering it was France (his most unfavourite destination).
On Wednesday, I phoned Dave in Australia. It was 10.15am here and he was sitting down to supper there (about 7.30pm) It was great to hear him so clearly and they seemed to have had a good trip. They were just exhausted and had spent most of their day sleeping off the jet lag. It was also so nice to speak to my Aunt, who I haven't spoken to in 20 or so years - she sounded just the same!!!!
I took the boys to light athletics in the afternoon. Lara and I went off to Halligallie to book Robert's birthday party. The guy allowed Lara to play around and I waited out the hour there, free of charge!!!
And then from there took Steven straight to soccer practice. Even though their practice starts at 5.30pm, it feels like the middle of the night - it is pitch black!!!!!
On Thursday I just did the normal mundane grocery shopping. But must say that the weather here has been unbelievable. We have had such mild temperatures and lovely days, that every afternoon, I have been outside raking up leaves. The kids have also helped and we have the leaf thing a bit more under control now.
Robert had soccer practice on Thursday evening which Steven went to as well.
On Friday, I took the boys to light athletics and Gerard collected them.
We have both been very good this week, what with being on a strict diet and doing a workout in our gym nearly every night.
I had asked Gerard to phone the doctor for my results and guess what? We have another week to wait!!!!!!
On Saturday, we had a nice lazy start to our day. We did a bit of shopping, dropped Robert at his friend's birthday party and headed for Fulda. I had hinted that I wanted a new camera for our trip to S.A. Gerard bought me a lovely new Sony digital camera which has a touch screen. So will be going to Marcelle for lots of tips on how to use it correctly.
We decidced to head straight back and not be tempted to go and spend even more money in Fulda town.
Watched X-Factor and was so sorry to see the McDonald brothers go but unfortunately it was their time. The three final singers are all so good that I am wondering, who the public will put through as the winner.
We had a lazy day at home on Sunday. Gerard and I cleared up the last bit of leaves in the garden and I had an afternoon nap. Had another evening of fitness - hoping to look slim and trim before we hit the beaches in S.A. Not much longer to go.
On Tuesday, Lara went to her dance class. Vicky, the teacher asked me to leave, as she prefers to teach with no parents around - I was wondering why she allowed us parents to hang around for so long!!!! I went off to do a bit of shopping and bumped into my friend Sabine. Her and I decided to go and have a cappucino together and catch up a bit. At least I managed to pass the time without spending too much money!!!
Gerard arrived hom late that evening and brought me my English mags and newspaper.
He had had a fairly decent trip, considering it was France (his most unfavourite destination).
On Wednesday, I phoned Dave in Australia. It was 10.15am here and he was sitting down to supper there (about 7.30pm) It was great to hear him so clearly and they seemed to have had a good trip. They were just exhausted and had spent most of their day sleeping off the jet lag. It was also so nice to speak to my Aunt, who I haven't spoken to in 20 or so years - she sounded just the same!!!!
I took the boys to light athletics in the afternoon. Lara and I went off to Halligallie to book Robert's birthday party. The guy allowed Lara to play around and I waited out the hour there, free of charge!!!
And then from there took Steven straight to soccer practice. Even though their practice starts at 5.30pm, it feels like the middle of the night - it is pitch black!!!!!
On Thursday I just did the normal mundane grocery shopping. But must say that the weather here has been unbelievable. We have had such mild temperatures and lovely days, that every afternoon, I have been outside raking up leaves. The kids have also helped and we have the leaf thing a bit more under control now.
Robert had soccer practice on Thursday evening which Steven went to as well.
On Friday, I took the boys to light athletics and Gerard collected them.
We have both been very good this week, what with being on a strict diet and doing a workout in our gym nearly every night.
I had asked Gerard to phone the doctor for my results and guess what? We have another week to wait!!!!!!
On Saturday, we had a nice lazy start to our day. We did a bit of shopping, dropped Robert at his friend's birthday party and headed for Fulda. I had hinted that I wanted a new camera for our trip to S.A. Gerard bought me a lovely new Sony digital camera which has a touch screen. So will be going to Marcelle for lots of tips on how to use it correctly.
We decidced to head straight back and not be tempted to go and spend even more money in Fulda town.
Watched X-Factor and was so sorry to see the McDonald brothers go but unfortunately it was their time. The three final singers are all so good that I am wondering, who the public will put through as the winner.
We had a lazy day at home on Sunday. Gerard and I cleared up the last bit of leaves in the garden and I had an afternoon nap. Had another evening of fitness - hoping to look slim and trim before we hit the beaches in S.A. Not much longer to go.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
The Waiting Game continues
Monday arrived and I asked Gerard to phone both doctors for both sets of results.
As usual, Gerard is more tied up with work and needed gentle reminders during the course of the morning.
Eventually, he reported back that Dr. Becker would call me directly with Steven's results.
At this point I had forgotten to ask about my results.
Dr Becker did call and unfortunately the tests he ran were inconclusive. He also feels that Steven should be hospitalised, tests done to find the cause of his high blood pressure.
A young German man (18 years old) hit the news today, as he went on a rampage in his old school. He held students hostage and shot the headmaster in the stomach. All this before he shot himself. So sad - had his whole life ahead of him.
This whole incident was of interest to me, as my friend Liesel lived in Emsdetten, where this all took place. We had visited them in Emsdetten a few years ago. She and her family returned to S.A. in July this year.
Gerard left for Austria. He and Oliver Bonn from work, left for a meeting in Austria.
On Tuesday, I dropped Lara off at Kindergarten and drove out to Lauterbach to visit Marcelle. It was great just getting out and spending time with a friend.
In the afternoon, I took Lara to her dancing class. The class has become very small and I heard the two other mothers sounding worried as to how long the class will continue.
Gerard arrived home late but had already eaten supper on the way. He and Olli had taken a scenic route via Berchtesgarden and Gerard has been so impressed that he had brought a brochure on the place. Well, the bit I have seen of it, we will definately be visiting that area next summer. It is just stunning!!!!
On Wednesday, we took the kids down to Frankfurt to the Swiss Embassy. This visit was to get their passports (which had expired) in order. This was part two of Gerard's disastrous Tuesday last week, where he was told to come back with his kids!!! After half an hour there, we walked through a shopping area and got to a
C + A which is one of my favorite clothes shops. The reason I like it so much is that we can do a family shop there - always find something for everyone and it is soooo much more affordable than most other shops.
Left Frankfurt at 4,30pm to avoid heavy traffic and stopped off at a Burger King along the way. Steven kept urging us to eat quicker and get going - he had football training at 6.00pm!!!!
Lara went to her friend Zina on Thursday afternoon and I picked her up after dropping the boys at soccer training.
Gerard and I have decided to do the Atkins diet again, so no better time than starting on a Friday. We need to lose a few kilos before we go on holiday!!!!
On Saturday, we had a lazy start to our day and then decided to do a bit of shopping at Roller and Hafu. I bought a carpet for my new little room upstairs and a lamp for Robert's desk.
Robert's team had soccer matches in the afternoon which we watched. Our son was quite the hero scoring the only goal for his team. Their team has improved since last week but needs a lot more coaching.
Had great news from Heidi that she had become a granny!!! Tina had a baby girl - Anika Kelly.
Steven had us up at 6.30am this morning!!!! What a way to start a Sunday - but of course all for the love of football.
We went to watch his games in Nieder Ohm but their team didn't win a single game - great disappointment. Got home and Gerard had to pack and get ready for his trip to France. Gerard phoned me along the way and felt that he was going to miss his plane as he had been in so many traffic jams etc. Anyway, he made it in time and is now in France.
Tonight I phoned my bother and his family to wish them well tomorrow. They are leaving S.A. for Australia. I can't believe this day has come - I felt quite sad wishing him well, knowing that I won't see him for quite a while now. We will visit them in Australia in 2008 hopefully.
Well, that is another week gone with the wind. Now I am still waiting for my medical results and will now have to wait for my husband's return.
As usual, Gerard is more tied up with work and needed gentle reminders during the course of the morning.
Eventually, he reported back that Dr. Becker would call me directly with Steven's results.
At this point I had forgotten to ask about my results.
Dr Becker did call and unfortunately the tests he ran were inconclusive. He also feels that Steven should be hospitalised, tests done to find the cause of his high blood pressure.
A young German man (18 years old) hit the news today, as he went on a rampage in his old school. He held students hostage and shot the headmaster in the stomach. All this before he shot himself. So sad - had his whole life ahead of him.
This whole incident was of interest to me, as my friend Liesel lived in Emsdetten, where this all took place. We had visited them in Emsdetten a few years ago. She and her family returned to S.A. in July this year.
Gerard left for Austria. He and Oliver Bonn from work, left for a meeting in Austria.
On Tuesday, I dropped Lara off at Kindergarten and drove out to Lauterbach to visit Marcelle. It was great just getting out and spending time with a friend.
In the afternoon, I took Lara to her dancing class. The class has become very small and I heard the two other mothers sounding worried as to how long the class will continue.
Gerard arrived home late but had already eaten supper on the way. He and Olli had taken a scenic route via Berchtesgarden and Gerard has been so impressed that he had brought a brochure on the place. Well, the bit I have seen of it, we will definately be visiting that area next summer. It is just stunning!!!!
On Wednesday, we took the kids down to Frankfurt to the Swiss Embassy. This visit was to get their passports (which had expired) in order. This was part two of Gerard's disastrous Tuesday last week, where he was told to come back with his kids!!! After half an hour there, we walked through a shopping area and got to a
C + A which is one of my favorite clothes shops. The reason I like it so much is that we can do a family shop there - always find something for everyone and it is soooo much more affordable than most other shops.
Left Frankfurt at 4,30pm to avoid heavy traffic and stopped off at a Burger King along the way. Steven kept urging us to eat quicker and get going - he had football training at 6.00pm!!!!
Lara went to her friend Zina on Thursday afternoon and I picked her up after dropping the boys at soccer training.
Gerard and I have decided to do the Atkins diet again, so no better time than starting on a Friday. We need to lose a few kilos before we go on holiday!!!!
On Saturday, we had a lazy start to our day and then decided to do a bit of shopping at Roller and Hafu. I bought a carpet for my new little room upstairs and a lamp for Robert's desk.
Robert's team had soccer matches in the afternoon which we watched. Our son was quite the hero scoring the only goal for his team. Their team has improved since last week but needs a lot more coaching.
Had great news from Heidi that she had become a granny!!! Tina had a baby girl - Anika Kelly.
Steven had us up at 6.30am this morning!!!! What a way to start a Sunday - but of course all for the love of football.
We went to watch his games in Nieder Ohm but their team didn't win a single game - great disappointment. Got home and Gerard had to pack and get ready for his trip to France. Gerard phoned me along the way and felt that he was going to miss his plane as he had been in so many traffic jams etc. Anyway, he made it in time and is now in France.
Tonight I phoned my bother and his family to wish them well tomorrow. They are leaving S.A. for Australia. I can't believe this day has come - I felt quite sad wishing him well, knowing that I won't see him for quite a while now. We will visit them in Australia in 2008 hopefully.
Well, that is another week gone with the wind. Now I am still waiting for my medical results and will now have to wait for my husband's return.
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Medical Issues (The Waiting Game!!)
Another week has passed by us in such a rush as usual!!! This week was full of medical questions.
Gerard had previously arranged to take Tuesday off to chauffeur me to a Specialist in Marburg. He had also managed to get an appointment for Steven at the Cardiologist in Fulda on the same day. Gerard however, started his day, by driving down to Frankfurt to the Swiss Embassy, to get the childrens passports renewed. On arriving there, he found out (to his absolute annoyance) that the children had to be present for this. A 3 hour trip all for nothing!!!
When he arrived back home, it was literally to pick Lara and myself up and get straight back on the road to Marburg. We found the doctor very easily and then the wait was on. We sat around in the waiting room, filling out necessary forms, and then the nurse called me and she weighed and measured me and took my blood pressure. I eventually got to see the doctor (a woman) who asked a few questions and did a physical examination. She then sent me out to wait yet again. I was called to the room where I had been weighed etc. and the nurse took some blood samples and I was asked to provide a urine specimen. I was then told to wait again. Then I was called to another room, where the doctor asked me to remove all my clothes again!! This time for a sonar scan. She scanned all my vital organs and eventually I was told to redress and take some scan pictures to the nurses. They asked me to wait once again!! Eventually Gerard went and asked why we were waiting and the nurse advised that our wait was over at last. She had just typed up the necessary referal letters for me. The one to my Gynae, as she had picked up ovarian cysts on the scanning device. The other was to a radiologist to have my knees x-rayed. We went off to look for the latter and to our dismay found that the rooms were closed. As we were leaving the building, a man walked in and it was the doctor we were looking for. Was x-rayed and was told that other than normal wear and tear for my age, everything there looked normal. By this stage, Lara had, had more than her share of doctor's waiting rooms and we hit the road for Alsfeld.
I had to phone the boys and tell them to be ready, because we would again arrive home, just in time to load them in the car and head off in the opposite direction to Fulda. We had yet another wait, before we got in to see the Cardiologist. Luckily, being a children's doctor, there were plenty of playthings for the children to keep them occupied.
The doctor did an E.C.G. on Steven and then a thorough physical. He advised us that Steven's heart is in good working order and that to get to the bottom of the cause of his high blood pressure, he would have to be hospitalised so that they could run tests on him.
What a relief for us to hear that Steven did not have a heart condition!!!
Off we went to Burger King for supper and eventually got home at about 8.30pm - what a day!!!!!
The next morning (Wednesday), I had Steven at Dr Becker (our paediatrician in Alsfeld). Had to wait for an hour before we saw him. He had received a report from the Cardiologist and said that he would run the tests himself. So he has taken blood and urine specimens from Steven and asked me to call on Monday for the results.
Dr Becker has given Steven the go ahead to play sport again - what a happy little boy we have!!!
Lara had her little friend Zina come and play on Thursday afternoon. Too cute to watch these little girls playing dolls etc. So gentle compared to the boys rough games offootball and play fights etc.
On Friday, Steven had a reading day at school, where his class went to the local old age home and read and sang to the old men and ladies. His teacher had organised that she would have an evening for the parents to listen to their reading and then they would do a walk through the town with lanterns etc. I went along with the kids and thoroughly enjoyed the reading and singing. We couldn't do the walk as Gerard and I had previously booked an evening of theatre at our local community hall. The Local Fire service - all voluntary workers - put on a play every 2 years.
I had been to the one 2 years ago with a friend and had enjoyed it then, so Gerard was quite keen to see what it was all about.
They had adapted an English play called Cash on Delivery by Michael Cooney - a comedy. What a laugh - it was hilarious!!! Gerard and I were in stitches and we thoroughly enjoyed our evening out!!
We had a nice lie in on Saturday. Went off to town and ordered some new blinds for my bedroom. Did our necessary grocery shop and went home. Took Robert and his friend Alex off to their first soccer match in Homberg. Unfortunately their team lost every game. How disappointing for the little boys but even more so for the old parents who stand watching them being whitewashed.
Sunday has been a real lazy day, like most Sunday's in this place. The weather has been really grim today with rain most of the day. It seems as though November has finally arrived!!!
Gerard had previously arranged to take Tuesday off to chauffeur me to a Specialist in Marburg. He had also managed to get an appointment for Steven at the Cardiologist in Fulda on the same day. Gerard however, started his day, by driving down to Frankfurt to the Swiss Embassy, to get the childrens passports renewed. On arriving there, he found out (to his absolute annoyance) that the children had to be present for this. A 3 hour trip all for nothing!!!
When he arrived back home, it was literally to pick Lara and myself up and get straight back on the road to Marburg. We found the doctor very easily and then the wait was on. We sat around in the waiting room, filling out necessary forms, and then the nurse called me and she weighed and measured me and took my blood pressure. I eventually got to see the doctor (a woman) who asked a few questions and did a physical examination. She then sent me out to wait yet again. I was called to the room where I had been weighed etc. and the nurse took some blood samples and I was asked to provide a urine specimen. I was then told to wait again. Then I was called to another room, where the doctor asked me to remove all my clothes again!! This time for a sonar scan. She scanned all my vital organs and eventually I was told to redress and take some scan pictures to the nurses. They asked me to wait once again!! Eventually Gerard went and asked why we were waiting and the nurse advised that our wait was over at last. She had just typed up the necessary referal letters for me. The one to my Gynae, as she had picked up ovarian cysts on the scanning device. The other was to a radiologist to have my knees x-rayed. We went off to look for the latter and to our dismay found that the rooms were closed. As we were leaving the building, a man walked in and it was the doctor we were looking for. Was x-rayed and was told that other than normal wear and tear for my age, everything there looked normal. By this stage, Lara had, had more than her share of doctor's waiting rooms and we hit the road for Alsfeld.
I had to phone the boys and tell them to be ready, because we would again arrive home, just in time to load them in the car and head off in the opposite direction to Fulda. We had yet another wait, before we got in to see the Cardiologist. Luckily, being a children's doctor, there were plenty of playthings for the children to keep them occupied.
The doctor did an E.C.G. on Steven and then a thorough physical. He advised us that Steven's heart is in good working order and that to get to the bottom of the cause of his high blood pressure, he would have to be hospitalised so that they could run tests on him.
What a relief for us to hear that Steven did not have a heart condition!!!
Off we went to Burger King for supper and eventually got home at about 8.30pm - what a day!!!!!
The next morning (Wednesday), I had Steven at Dr Becker (our paediatrician in Alsfeld). Had to wait for an hour before we saw him. He had received a report from the Cardiologist and said that he would run the tests himself. So he has taken blood and urine specimens from Steven and asked me to call on Monday for the results.
Dr Becker has given Steven the go ahead to play sport again - what a happy little boy we have!!!
Lara had her little friend Zina come and play on Thursday afternoon. Too cute to watch these little girls playing dolls etc. So gentle compared to the boys rough games offootball and play fights etc.
On Friday, Steven had a reading day at school, where his class went to the local old age home and read and sang to the old men and ladies. His teacher had organised that she would have an evening for the parents to listen to their reading and then they would do a walk through the town with lanterns etc. I went along with the kids and thoroughly enjoyed the reading and singing. We couldn't do the walk as Gerard and I had previously booked an evening of theatre at our local community hall. The Local Fire service - all voluntary workers - put on a play every 2 years.
I had been to the one 2 years ago with a friend and had enjoyed it then, so Gerard was quite keen to see what it was all about.
They had adapted an English play called Cash on Delivery by Michael Cooney - a comedy. What a laugh - it was hilarious!!! Gerard and I were in stitches and we thoroughly enjoyed our evening out!!
We had a nice lie in on Saturday. Went off to town and ordered some new blinds for my bedroom. Did our necessary grocery shop and went home. Took Robert and his friend Alex off to their first soccer match in Homberg. Unfortunately their team lost every game. How disappointing for the little boys but even more so for the old parents who stand watching them being whitewashed.
Sunday has been a real lazy day, like most Sunday's in this place. The weather has been really grim today with rain most of the day. It seems as though November has finally arrived!!!
Monday, November 13, 2006
Flu in the family
The whole Liechti family experienced flu this week!!!! Gerard suffered with flu at the beginning of the week which was passed on to Lara who was actually quite sick for 2 days with temps and bad cough. Steven has been coughing on and off but seems to have beaten the bug.
Robert and Steven decided to walk to Gerard's office, from school on Tuesday, which caused quite a ruckus. I received a call from Stevie's teacher first and then from Robert's within 5 minutes of each other. They were very concerned that they had not caught the bus as usual. I was on my way out the door to find them, when in drove Gerard with all his children in the car. He had picked up Lara and seen the two boys headed for Bell. He explained to to the head master that this would not happen again and that the boys would be sternly dealt with. Lara went to dancing in the afternoon and she has now joined the dance group. She really loves going and I think it all helps in coordination.
Steven went to a class mate's birthday party on Wednesday afternoon, where all the children played soccer. Nothing will stop him from playing his beloved soccer!!! Not long before he sees the doctor thank goodness!!!.
On Thursday, Heidi invited Marcelle and I for tea. It was so nice to get out and spend a morning with friends, and also consume Heidi's wonderful cakes. After a snap decision, the three of us decided to pay a visit to some newcomers in Alsfeld. There had been an article in the local paper that one of the hotels in town had been bought by a young couple. He is German and she is a South African from Cape Town with 2 little boys. Unfortunately she was not there but we introduced ourselves to him and said we would be back to meet her another day. We did learn however, that she has been in Germany for 4 years already and has done an intensive German course, so she has become very "Germanised".
On Thursday, we celebrated Urshi's birthday with their family as usual. We are always invited to join her and her family for a sit down meal which is always top class. While I ate, Gerard went off to Robert's parents evening! This was being held in Eudorf at a hotel.
Robert had been to soccer training and had asked one of the other mother's to drop him off in Eudorf!!! Gerard had in the meantime gone to pick him up, to find no one at the sport hall. Talk about a run around and lack of communication!!!
Robert was complaining of a head ache (he put this down to too many headers made during his soccer game) and feeling sick but managed to polish off a good plate of food. The Liechti family left at about 9.15pm just as the choir arrived to sing to the birthday girl!!!
I did not let Robert go to school on Friday as he was still running a temp and was feeling really miserable. I managed to sleep away 2 hours of Friday morning, in an attempt to sleep off my head cold which had been around since Wednesday.
Lara had her lantern evening on Friday night, so Gerard, Stevie and Lara went off with their lanterns - leaving Robbie and I at home alone. We weren't actually alone, as we had Arno (our building man) and his electrician were here. They were completing a job they had started in May this year. They were connecting the heating up in Robert's "new" room.
We had a nice sleep in on Saturday morning and later in the afternoon, Arno arrived to finish another small job he had started in May.
Gerard also decided that Saturday was the day he would drain the pool.
We watched X-factor on Saturday night which is getting really exciting again, as every week, one singer gets voted off, and they are down to the last 7 acts which means it is getting tougher and tougher.
Sunday morning was another lie in. Had a late breakfast, and then Gerard and I decided to do some unfinished business in the garden. Gerard covered my strawberry patch with some evergreen tree branches (keep the snow off the plants) while I cut off all the dead hydrangea flowers. Gerard also tackled a rose bush outside my kitchen window and some other plants in the garden.
We all sat down to a roast lamb and veges at about 5.30pm which was a great end to our weekend.
Gerard had managed to knock at least 8 items off his to-do list(which I had drawn up for him) of 15 items. All in all, a rather productive end to our week!!
Robert and Steven decided to walk to Gerard's office, from school on Tuesday, which caused quite a ruckus. I received a call from Stevie's teacher first and then from Robert's within 5 minutes of each other. They were very concerned that they had not caught the bus as usual. I was on my way out the door to find them, when in drove Gerard with all his children in the car. He had picked up Lara and seen the two boys headed for Bell. He explained to to the head master that this would not happen again and that the boys would be sternly dealt with. Lara went to dancing in the afternoon and she has now joined the dance group. She really loves going and I think it all helps in coordination.
Steven went to a class mate's birthday party on Wednesday afternoon, where all the children played soccer. Nothing will stop him from playing his beloved soccer!!! Not long before he sees the doctor thank goodness!!!.
On Thursday, Heidi invited Marcelle and I for tea. It was so nice to get out and spend a morning with friends, and also consume Heidi's wonderful cakes. After a snap decision, the three of us decided to pay a visit to some newcomers in Alsfeld. There had been an article in the local paper that one of the hotels in town had been bought by a young couple. He is German and she is a South African from Cape Town with 2 little boys. Unfortunately she was not there but we introduced ourselves to him and said we would be back to meet her another day. We did learn however, that she has been in Germany for 4 years already and has done an intensive German course, so she has become very "Germanised".
On Thursday, we celebrated Urshi's birthday with their family as usual. We are always invited to join her and her family for a sit down meal which is always top class. While I ate, Gerard went off to Robert's parents evening! This was being held in Eudorf at a hotel.
Robert had been to soccer training and had asked one of the other mother's to drop him off in Eudorf!!! Gerard had in the meantime gone to pick him up, to find no one at the sport hall. Talk about a run around and lack of communication!!!
Robert was complaining of a head ache (he put this down to too many headers made during his soccer game) and feeling sick but managed to polish off a good plate of food. The Liechti family left at about 9.15pm just as the choir arrived to sing to the birthday girl!!!
I did not let Robert go to school on Friday as he was still running a temp and was feeling really miserable. I managed to sleep away 2 hours of Friday morning, in an attempt to sleep off my head cold which had been around since Wednesday.
Lara had her lantern evening on Friday night, so Gerard, Stevie and Lara went off with their lanterns - leaving Robbie and I at home alone. We weren't actually alone, as we had Arno (our building man) and his electrician were here. They were completing a job they had started in May this year. They were connecting the heating up in Robert's "new" room.
We had a nice sleep in on Saturday morning and later in the afternoon, Arno arrived to finish another small job he had started in May.
Gerard also decided that Saturday was the day he would drain the pool.
We watched X-factor on Saturday night which is getting really exciting again, as every week, one singer gets voted off, and they are down to the last 7 acts which means it is getting tougher and tougher.
Sunday morning was another lie in. Had a late breakfast, and then Gerard and I decided to do some unfinished business in the garden. Gerard covered my strawberry patch with some evergreen tree branches (keep the snow off the plants) while I cut off all the dead hydrangea flowers. Gerard also tackled a rose bush outside my kitchen window and some other plants in the garden.
We all sat down to a roast lamb and veges at about 5.30pm which was a great end to our weekend.
Gerard had managed to knock at least 8 items off his to-do list(which I had drawn up for him) of 15 items. All in all, a rather productive end to our week!!
Monday, November 06, 2006
Back at School
The boys went back to school on Monday 30 Oct after a nice 2 week break. Robert got a 2 for his maths test that he had done just prior to the holidays which was good news. Robert had to take his bicycle helmet to school on Tuesday and again on Wednesday as he was doing his test. All the 4th year school classes had been given theory which covered all the different road signs that a cyclist would use and then the police came in to actually test their cycling abilities.
Robert passed his test and proudly came home with his "bicycle licence".
On Tuesday night, I received a call from Robert's football trainer, advising me of the change of venue and of the requirements needed for Robert to play football for his team. They are now playing indoors at his former school at 6.15pm on a Wednesday evening. I have to furnish the trainer with a copy of Robert's birth certificate, a copy of his passport and a medical certificate from his doctor. Can you believe all this just for a little boy to enjoy a sport!!!!!!!
I took both boys to training on Wednesday evening which just so happened to be a cold, wet and miserable night. Gerard then collected them on his way home from work. It felt like midnight when they eventually got home for "supper".
I had only been able to get them in to the doctor's for their medical on Thursday afternoon at 5.00pm. Dr Braun started doing the medical on Robert first and then Steven. She gave Robert a clean bill of health and supplied the certificate (at a cost of 10 Euros I might add!!!!) but could not do the same for Steven. When taking Steven's blood pressure, she got quite flustered and eventually after about 5 different attempts, she just announced that Steven could not have a Certificate and in fact could not play sport until he has seen a cardiologist.
Well, what a shock for Gerard and I to find out that our little Steven has high blood pressure!!!
As you can imagine, Steven is not impressed at all at the ban on his beloved soccer and any other sport.
We could only get an appointment at the child cardiologist in Fulda on the 14 November, so he will have to wait it out until then. Hopefully, the cardiologist will explain this high blood pressure problem to us and Steven will be able to continue with his soccer.
We had a quiet weekend and lazed around the house for most of it. We went and did our grocery shop at Kaufland near Treysa just for a change. It is a really nice big shop with quite a lot more variety than the little shops of Alsfeld offer.
I finished off painting Steven's desk on Sunday and now I have the urge to start on redecorating the kids rooms!!! This should keep me busy for the next few cold and dark months.
Robert passed his test and proudly came home with his "bicycle licence".
On Tuesday night, I received a call from Robert's football trainer, advising me of the change of venue and of the requirements needed for Robert to play football for his team. They are now playing indoors at his former school at 6.15pm on a Wednesday evening. I have to furnish the trainer with a copy of Robert's birth certificate, a copy of his passport and a medical certificate from his doctor. Can you believe all this just for a little boy to enjoy a sport!!!!!!!
I took both boys to training on Wednesday evening which just so happened to be a cold, wet and miserable night. Gerard then collected them on his way home from work. It felt like midnight when they eventually got home for "supper".
I had only been able to get them in to the doctor's for their medical on Thursday afternoon at 5.00pm. Dr Braun started doing the medical on Robert first and then Steven. She gave Robert a clean bill of health and supplied the certificate (at a cost of 10 Euros I might add!!!!) but could not do the same for Steven. When taking Steven's blood pressure, she got quite flustered and eventually after about 5 different attempts, she just announced that Steven could not have a Certificate and in fact could not play sport until he has seen a cardiologist.
Well, what a shock for Gerard and I to find out that our little Steven has high blood pressure!!!
As you can imagine, Steven is not impressed at all at the ban on his beloved soccer and any other sport.
We could only get an appointment at the child cardiologist in Fulda on the 14 November, so he will have to wait it out until then. Hopefully, the cardiologist will explain this high blood pressure problem to us and Steven will be able to continue with his soccer.
We had a quiet weekend and lazed around the house for most of it. We went and did our grocery shop at Kaufland near Treysa just for a change. It is a really nice big shop with quite a lot more variety than the little shops of Alsfeld offer.
I finished off painting Steven's desk on Sunday and now I have the urge to start on redecorating the kids rooms!!! This should keep me busy for the next few cold and dark months.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Last Week of Holidays
Last Week of Holidays
Last weekend was a quiet one at home. On Sunday, Gerard attempted a lamb on the Weber. What a disaster!!!! My kitchen reeked of woodsmoke for hours!!!
On Monday, Marcelle brought her Mom and Dad along for a visit. It was nice to meet the people you have heard about and put faces to their names. Gerard brought Lara home from Kindergarten and was able to join us for lunch. Then after tea and milk tart, Marcelle and her folks left to visit the Aldstadt of Alsfeld.
On Tuesday morning I picked Heidi up and brought her back home to have a look through Lara's baby things. Heidi is going to New Zealand on the 12 November to be with her daughter while she has her first baby. Zelda also joined us for a cup of coffee and a catch up of our last week.
Gerard took Wednesday and Thursday off to spend two days with the kids before their holiday finished. We decided to visit Autostadt in Wolfsburg. We left Frankie in the playroom, hoping that she would be alright for one night on her own. We travelled up to Einbeck where we had lunch with Pamela and Klaus. It was really nice to see them again but poor Pamela had had bad news about her father on the weekend. He had suffered a stroke.
After our visit with them, we hit the road for Wolfsburg vacinity. We had heard about a bed and breakfast in Walbeck which was about 35kms away, and decided that we would overnight there. It was pleasant and comfortable but the quoted price was "upped" by 20 euros due to a linen charge for the children!!!!!
The next morning, after breakfast, we left for Autostadt. What an amazing place.
We spent 6 hours there and still had not seen everything. The kids had a wonderful time and got to do their "drivers licence" and have a ride in a simulator which made their day. We left Autostadt at about 4.30pm and only got home at 8.00pm after a stop at Burger King.
Gerard went back to work on Friday. Lara wanted to get back to Kindergarten as well. I visited Heidi in the morning and then tried to do a bit of housework in the afternoon.
All the South African's met at the Schwalbenest Hotel on Friday night to meet Marcelle's folks and also say goodbye, as they were leaving Germany on Sunday.
A lovely evening was had by all.
The weekend was uneventful - just TV viewing on Saturday night being a must!!! X-factor is on and we are glued to the screen. The boys were very disappointed as Robbie Williams was on, on the German channel and they wanted to watch that.
Gerard's mom gave us a wake up call this morning at 8.00am. In S.A. it was nine o'clock but today we turned our clocks back an hour. We are now officially in Winter and on daylight saving!!!
Gerard took the kids for a swim at the Alsfeld pool this afternoon. The boys needed to swim 50 metres and have their time recorded - this to be given to their Athletics teacher on Wednesday.
Holidays are over and it's back to normal in the morning!!! draft by Carols Chat 12:28 PM Delete
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Last weekend was a quiet one at home. On Sunday, Gerard attempted a lamb on the Weber. What a disaster!!!! My kitchen reeked of woodsmoke for hours!!!
On Monday, Marcelle brought her Mom and Dad along for a visit. It was nice to meet the people you have heard about and put faces to their names. Gerard brought Lara home from Kindergarten and was able to join us for lunch. Then after tea and milk tart, Marcelle and her folks left to visit the Aldstadt of Alsfeld.
On Tuesday morning I picked Heidi up and brought her back home to have a look through Lara's baby things. Heidi is going to New Zealand on the 12 November to be with her daughter while she has her first baby. Zelda also joined us for a cup of coffee and a catch up of our last week.
Gerard took Wednesday and Thursday off to spend two days with the kids before their holiday finished. We decided to visit Autostadt in Wolfsburg. We left Frankie in the playroom, hoping that she would be alright for one night on her own. We travelled up to Einbeck where we had lunch with Pamela and Klaus. It was really nice to see them again but poor Pamela had had bad news about her father on the weekend. He had suffered a stroke.
After our visit with them, we hit the road for Wolfsburg vacinity. We had heard about a bed and breakfast in Walbeck which was about 35kms away, and decided that we would overnight there. It was pleasant and comfortable but the quoted price was "upped" by 20 euros due to a linen charge for the children!!!!!
The next morning, after breakfast, we left for Autostadt. What an amazing place.
We spent 6 hours there and still had not seen everything. The kids had a wonderful time and got to do their "drivers licence" and have a ride in a simulator which made their day. We left Autostadt at about 4.30pm and only got home at 8.00pm after a stop at Burger King.
Gerard went back to work on Friday. Lara wanted to get back to Kindergarten as well. I visited Heidi in the morning and then tried to do a bit of housework in the afternoon.
All the South African's met at the Schwalbenest Hotel on Friday night to meet Marcelle's folks and also say goodbye, as they were leaving Germany on Sunday.
A lovely evening was had by all.
The weekend was uneventful - just TV viewing on Saturday night being a must!!! X-factor is on and we are glued to the screen. The boys were very disappointed as Robbie Williams was on, on the German channel and they wanted to watch that.
Gerard's mom gave us a wake up call this morning at 8.00am. In S.A. it was nine o'clock but today we turned our clocks back an hour. We are now officially in Winter and on daylight saving!!!
Gerard took the kids for a swim at the Alsfeld pool this afternoon. The boys needed to swim 50 metres and have their time recorded - this to be given to their Athletics teacher on Wednesday.
Holidays are over and it's back to normal in the morning!!! draft by Carols Chat 12:28 PM Delete
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Tuesday, October 24, 2006
My life in Germany
My life turned upside down in the decision that my husband and I both made to leave our wonderful country South Africa for Germany in Europe.What was once a normal, run of the mill type lifestyle in S.A. was now to be changed forever.We arrived in Germany and moved into a 3 family house. That on it's own was totally different to our normal way of life. But looking back now can only see how beneficial it was to our family. We learnt so many German customs and of course the language, due to the family who lived upstairs. They took us under their wing and introduced us into many areas of "German life" that we would have struggled with otherwise.When moving to a new country, one is thrown curve balls continuously and one learns something new on a daily basis.We arrived on the 6 July 2001 and my two little boys started Kindergarten after the summer holidays. I had many lonely moments and found it very difficult to "become" a housewife.After spending two months in Germany, I found out that I was preganant - what a shock!!!German Gynaecologists was the first curve ball that had come my way. The medical profession in Germany is totally different to the one we were accustomed to in S.A. and one that I can't come to terms with. There are some excellent doctors etc. here but due to the lack of privacy and patient\doctor relations, I would rather steer clear of!!!!!!My daughter was therefore born in S.A. and was brought into the world by my own doctor etc.We have been here for 5 years now and every year that passes seems to make living here a bit easier.We have met many people here, some of whom have become good friends, and with them, have had some really fun experiences.Travelling (one of my passions in life) has become a reality for us. Living in Germany had made travelling around Europe just so much easier and we are clocking up some mileage!! We bought our own home 2 years ago and this has also improved our whole quality of life. We have our privacy back and are getting down to the living in Germany on our own now. Our "German family" and us are still good friends and we spend our birthdays and Christmas's together.Even though we have visited S.A. on a number of occassions, this is the first Christmas together with our family in S.A. for the past 6 years. We have started our count down already. Both my husband's mother and my father are growing old and this will be a memorable Christmas for my children. Roll on 22 December 2006.
Posted by Carol's Corner at 11:48 AM
Monday, October 23, 2006
Autumn Holidays
The boys have been on school holidays since Friday 13 October. That also means that Mom is on holiday. I have had the opportunity of lying in most mornings. Hubby brings me a cup of coffee along with the morning newspaper. When the kids start moving around, I then get up and start my day.
We left for Koln on Friday afternoon. We got to Venetia and Patrick after a long delayed journey due to traffic jams and roadworks. On Saturday morning, after a lovely breakfast, Gerard, Lara and I headed for the City centre. I cannot pass up the possibility of shopping at the English Shop. In the afternoon we followed Venetia and Patrick to Bruhl where we were meeting up with another South African couple, Penny and Michael. Penny is a South African married to a German.
They had invited other S.African people along to this lunch and it turned out to be a very interesting afternoon. Barry (an English guy) married to Leigh (ex S.A.) is a manager for EMI records and Leigh was a base guitarist for the all girl group Clout. Penny's friend of 25 years, Louise, was also there. She is a stylist living in Kensington London.
Penny's kids and ours got on well together and a great afternoon was had by all.
Sunday morning, we had a slow morning and after breakfast, allowed the kids to go to the Playground and soccer field which borders on Venetia's house.
We had a lovely weekend in Koln with our friends.
The morning temp on Monday the 16th was a really chilly 1 degree. A decision was made to put the underfloor heating on from that night. We have "Nachtspeise" which is a night rate on our electricity. This is a cheaper rate than the normal daily rate. Therefore our electrical household appliances all start work at 10.00pm. I start the dishwasher then, as well as the washing machine.
I had friends over for tea on Tuesday morning and Gerard left for England in the afternoon.
Robert's friend got to spend the rest of the week with us.
On Wednesday I took the kids to movies. Went to see Cars which turned out to be a really cute movie (even in German).
Gerard got home on Friday evening late. There had been numerous problems on the highway, so he had driven via Wurzburg and then Fulda to get here. Gerard spoilt me by bringing me the Live 8 DVD which I had tried to get him for his birthday!!!!
The weather had warmed up again and the mornings weren't as frosty as at the beginning of the week.
In fact, we had a week of really good weather - beautiful sun filled days.
We left for Koln on Friday afternoon. We got to Venetia and Patrick after a long delayed journey due to traffic jams and roadworks. On Saturday morning, after a lovely breakfast, Gerard, Lara and I headed for the City centre. I cannot pass up the possibility of shopping at the English Shop. In the afternoon we followed Venetia and Patrick to Bruhl where we were meeting up with another South African couple, Penny and Michael. Penny is a South African married to a German.
They had invited other S.African people along to this lunch and it turned out to be a very interesting afternoon. Barry (an English guy) married to Leigh (ex S.A.) is a manager for EMI records and Leigh was a base guitarist for the all girl group Clout. Penny's friend of 25 years, Louise, was also there. She is a stylist living in Kensington London.
Penny's kids and ours got on well together and a great afternoon was had by all.
Sunday morning, we had a slow morning and after breakfast, allowed the kids to go to the Playground and soccer field which borders on Venetia's house.
We had a lovely weekend in Koln with our friends.
The morning temp on Monday the 16th was a really chilly 1 degree. A decision was made to put the underfloor heating on from that night. We have "Nachtspeise" which is a night rate on our electricity. This is a cheaper rate than the normal daily rate. Therefore our electrical household appliances all start work at 10.00pm. I start the dishwasher then, as well as the washing machine.
I had friends over for tea on Tuesday morning and Gerard left for England in the afternoon.
Robert's friend got to spend the rest of the week with us.
On Wednesday I took the kids to movies. Went to see Cars which turned out to be a really cute movie (even in German).
Gerard got home on Friday evening late. There had been numerous problems on the highway, so he had driven via Wurzburg and then Fulda to get here. Gerard spoilt me by bringing me the Live 8 DVD which I had tried to get him for his birthday!!!!
The weather had warmed up again and the mornings weren't as frosty as at the beginning of the week.
In fact, we had a week of really good weather - beautiful sun filled days.
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