Well the last few weeks seem to have just rushed by without me updating my blog.
I took Steven to the paediatrician here in Alsfeld on the 11 April. He read the hospital report and advised that he did not have the required equipment needed for the 24 hours Blood pressure check on Steven. He suggested that I either go to Giesen for that or I could do it through the cardiologist that Steven had seen last year in Fulda. Gerard flew to S.Africa that evening and I was on my own with the kids. Luckily they were still on holiday, so I got to sleep in the last few days of it. On the 12th April, I picked Heidi up and we went to visit Roxy in Romrod. Roxy and Ryan are the new couple from S.A. that have replace Ryan and Zelda. It was the first time we had seen their house and at this stage they are camping out in it as their furniture hasn't arrived from S.A. yet. Marcelle left for South Africa that evening. I picked Roxy up on Friday and she spent time with me at home.
Gerard saw Roger and Kelly over the weekend but was quite involved with suppliers and Cliff from England. He stayed at Jack's corner in Richards Bay. On the Sunday, I took the kids for a walk around Liederbach as the weather was absolutely beautiful. We took a walk up to a much looked at and wondered about "gallows" which is in a field, in close proximity to our house.
The kids started school again on the 16th and it was quite a relief. I had Roxy with me for most of the day again. On Wednesday I picked Roxy up and we went to Heidi's to do a bit of sewing. Heidi was wanting to make a material "touch and feel" book for her grandchild, Roxy decided on a picture of Winnie the Pooh for her baby's nursery and I took along material to make cushion covers. We had a fun morning together.
Took the boys to light athletics which they thoroughly enjoyed and then Steven went onto soccer practice. We had another morning of sewing at Heidi's the very next day. Gerard arrived back from S.A. on Friday 20th. As he was asked by the company to bring two boxes back for Bauma, he was caught going through customs. He had to pay customs duties etc. which all delayed in him getting back home. But he did come home to see me first and it felt like Christmas all over again. He had brought a fair amount of stuff back for me which was really great.
We spent a lovely weekend together. We drove to Fulda on Saturday to get some things for Lara's birthday and on Sunday we walked through Alsfeld Altstadt because all the shops were open and there was a cheese market in the square. Alpine horn blowers were also the highlight of the day. It was such a beautiful day and there was a wonderful festive atmosphere in the square.
Gerard left for Munich in the early hours of Monday 23rd. Can you believe that this day is the Day of German Beer. This week was also a week of Eltern abends (parents evenings) which I had to attend. Young Jessica came and babysat while I spent time with a bunch of German people, trying to understand what they were trying to plan for the children. Roxy and I spent our week helping Heidi paint our her flat. She just felt that while Heinz was away at Bauma it was a good opportunity to do some much needed painting. We had great fun doing this and on Thursday night Heidi treated us to a wonderful home cooked supper. She made Nieder Gar which is cooking on very low temperatures. She cooked a roast beef for 3 hours on a temp of 70degrees and then had a delicious home made bernaise sauce to go with it. The meat is so soft it just melts in your mouth - delicious.
Gerard got back home on Friday night from Munich after a long hard week. On Saturday, we had organised a braai for our friends, to come and celebrate Lara's birthday. It was great to braai again and spend time with our friends.
Sunday was Lara's 5th birthday. I had made a cake the night before and I had to shape and ice it. It was to be a horse cake. It actually turned out very well and I was quite pleased at what I managed to accomplish. Lara has 3 friends join her at Halligalli and they all had a great time. Happy birthday Lara!!!!
Monday, April 30, 2007
Sunday, April 29, 2007
The Edersee
After visiting the town of Bad Wildungen, we went onto the Edersee which was only 3 kms away. It was a lovely day and we were kept busy by walking along the dam wall, going into the museum, going for a boat ride and the kids playing at the Aqua centre.
The next time we go, will be in summer when the kids can swim and I would also like to go up to the Waldeck Castle and have a closer inspection. Apparently, there is a cable car up to the Castle.
Here is some info that I got off Wikipedia about the Edersee.
The Edersee is a large reservoir created by the construction, from 1908 to 1914, of a rock and concrete dam across the Eder river, near the small town of Waldeck, to generate hydropower and regulate water levels for shipping on the Weser river. It lies at the northern edge of the Kellerwald.
The dam was destroyed by special bouncing bombs dropped by British Lancaster bombers during the night of May 16/17, 1943, creating massive destruction and loss of life downstream, including the drowning death of 749 Ukrainian POWs in a labor camp just below the dam. Through the breach in the dam, 70 meters wide and 22 meters deep, some 8,000 m³ of water per second emptied in the narrow valley below, a total of about 160 million m³. A flood wave of 6-8 meters in height roared through the river valley as far as 30 km downstream, before it diminished in the widening floodplains of the lower Eder, the Fulda and the Weser.
The dam was rebuilt within months by forced labor, and the lake today is a major summertime recreational facility. It's capacity of 199.3 million m³ makes it the third largest reservoir in Germany.
At low water, in late summers of dry years, the remnants of three villages (Asel, Bringhausen, and Berich), along with a bridge across the original river bed, that were submerged when the lake was filled in 1914, can be seen, and descendants of people buried in the now submerged cemeteries go to visit the graves of their ancestors.
The 1954 film, The Dam Busters chronicled the British attack on the dam
The next time we go, will be in summer when the kids can swim and I would also like to go up to the Waldeck Castle and have a closer inspection. Apparently, there is a cable car up to the Castle.
Here is some info that I got off Wikipedia about the Edersee.
The Edersee is a large reservoir created by the construction, from 1908 to 1914, of a rock and concrete dam across the Eder river, near the small town of Waldeck, to generate hydropower and regulate water levels for shipping on the Weser river. It lies at the northern edge of the Kellerwald.
The dam was destroyed by special bouncing bombs dropped by British Lancaster bombers during the night of May 16/17, 1943, creating massive destruction and loss of life downstream, including the drowning death of 749 Ukrainian POWs in a labor camp just below the dam. Through the breach in the dam, 70 meters wide and 22 meters deep, some 8,000 m³ of water per second emptied in the narrow valley below, a total of about 160 million m³. A flood wave of 6-8 meters in height roared through the river valley as far as 30 km downstream, before it diminished in the widening floodplains of the lower Eder, the Fulda and the Weser.
The dam was rebuilt within months by forced labor, and the lake today is a major summertime recreational facility. It's capacity of 199.3 million m³ makes it the third largest reservoir in Germany.
At low water, in late summers of dry years, the remnants of three villages (Asel, Bringhausen, and Berich), along with a bridge across the original river bed, that were submerged when the lake was filled in 1914, can be seen, and descendants of people buried in the now submerged cemeteries go to visit the graves of their ancestors.
The 1954 film, The Dam Busters chronicled the British attack on the dam
Thursday, April 12, 2007
Hospitals and Doctors
On Monday, I was supposed to take Steven to the Eye specialist and somehow, I managed to forget the appointment altogether. Is this old age or what???
Gerard was away and obviously with him having made the appointment and not being around to remind me, I just simply forgot.
After taking Lara to dancing lessons on Tuesday, I quickly went round to visit Heidi. She had got me a packet of plastic egss which Lara had to take to Kindergarten. I got to meet with Heidi's friend Helga. She is an elderly lady trying to learn English, so we landed up speaking more German so that she could understand us. Helga told me about Bad Wildungen and how beautifully decorated it is at Easter time.
On Wednesday morning I met Heidi in town and we went to the Marchen house which I have been wanting to visit for ages. It was quite disappointing - I probably expected too much. We had a cup of coffee out in the Markt platz and soaked up the sun. After leaving Heidi, I bumped in Danielle who insisted that I saw the Maths helper she had just bought for Denis. I went into her house for the first time and found it to be a beautiful place. She often has people stay over in her house, as a bed and breakfast. Gerard arrived home and he had brought me lots of goodies from England. What a treat it was.
On Thursday, we had to have Steven at the hospital by 11.00am. We got there in good time but once again, it was an endless waiting game. There were no beds available, so we were put at the table where the children eat their meals. After the usual question asking and normal stats being done, we were told to go down to XRay department where Professor Alzen wanted to speak to us. He explained the procedure in detail to us and we could ask him questions. He then accompanied us back up to the ward and advised the doctor on the ward that Steven would have to be put onto medication immediately to lower his blood pressure. He is going to try and do the procedure under local anaesthetic, but should it stress Steven too much, they will then do a full anaesthetic. Another doctor then asked us another set of questions and he then said that another colleague of his would be taking some blood samples from Steven. Well, poor old Steve went white. Three doctors battled to get a few little vials from him – another harrowing experience. They left the butterfly all in situ, in case he has general anaesthetic tomorrow. We then had to go to another section of the hospital, to fill out forms and see the anaesthetist. Another wait was in stall for us!!! Thankfully, the actual time spent with the doctor was very brief.
Eventually a bed became available at quarter to three and I could at long last, get Steven into his pyjamas, pack away his things and say goodbye. He seemed ok with this and is lucky enough to be sharing his room with a little girl, whose mother and I had been talking earlier in the day. She said that she would keep an eye on Stevie, should he need anything.
Gerard and I will be leaving home at 6.30am tomorrow to get there in time for the procedure. Gerard will wish him best of luck and leave me there for the day. Steven spent Thursday night in hospital on medication to lower his blood pressure. On Friday morning, he was sent to the X-ray department where Professor Alzen did an Angiogram. When Steven’s bed was pushed through the doors I was asked to leave. He was put under anaesthetic and the procedure began. I went back to his ward and read a mag, took a walk and then went back to X-Ray department. The procedure lasted an hour and eventually I was allowed in. Steven took one look at me and he became very tearful. At this point they were applying pressure to the wound and were “waking” him up. I was taken aside by Prof Alzen and given a run down of the situation. Everything went well and the kidney is not “dying” due to lack of blood or malfunctioning. What a relief to hear this.
He was sent back to the ward, where he was attached to a monitor for normal stats recording, and still had a drip. Steven’s reaction to the anaesthetic was first one of tears and much crying, then anger because everything was sore and he was hungy!!! The more the nurses told him he couldn’t eat, the angrier he became. Eventually, after a tasty lunch and about an hours sleep, my little boy was back to normal. He was not allowed to walk for 24 hours but he wasn’t too upset about that.
We went and fetched him at 2.00 o’clock on Saturday. He will be on medication for as long as his blood pressure remains high and we will have to keep it monitored on a daily basis.
I am just too grateful to have my little boy back home and know that he is on the mend.
Robert played a soccer match and on our return from Giessen hospital, we popped in there to fetch him. Gerard had an evening out in Eudorf with the tennis club. They had dinner and drinks and discussed various outtings etc. The tennis court will be ready for use soon. Looking forward to having another go at tennis this year.
We spent a very relaxing day on Sunday and had our first Braai of the year.
The school holidays were now officially started and the kids could sleep in etc. On Monday,after much telephoning to make an appointment with the paed in town, I drove there to find a letter on the door stating that they were closed due to holidays and should we need a doctor urgently, we should go to Mucke. I did however get Steven's script filled from the chemist. He is on Tenormin 25mg.
The Kindergarten was still open this week so Lara continued going as normal. I would just take her when I was ready and Gerard was leaving early each morning for the office.
Venetia had phoned me on the 1 April to say she was back in Germany and asked if they could come and spend 2 nights with us over the Easter weekend.
They arrived on Friday late afternoon, and it was lovely to see them again. Venetia looks well and has lost some of the weight that she gained after he op last year. We took them to Fulda for the day on Saturday, which they had never visited before. We had lunch at a pizzeria which was lovely. We had hoped to braai over the weekend but the weather turned out to be quite miserable. I made a dinner of chilly con carne instead.
Patrick and Venetia had brought Easter Eggs for the kids and they were horribly spoilt. I hid them all out in the garden and then the hunt was on. They will be overdosing on chocolate for the next month with the supplies they have got.
Patrick and Venetia left just as Ursi arrived with more easter eggs and presents for the kids. They each got a t-shirt with Milka easter eggs. It was nice to see her again. On Monday, we had decided to do a trip to Bad Wildungen and Edersee. It is about 80kms from Alsfeld. We stopped and had a walk around the town but was a bit disappointed not to see more easter decorations.
The Edersee was another story. Very interesting and full of history. I will post another blog after this all about the Edersee and with the photo's we took there.
Gerard was away and obviously with him having made the appointment and not being around to remind me, I just simply forgot.
After taking Lara to dancing lessons on Tuesday, I quickly went round to visit Heidi. She had got me a packet of plastic egss which Lara had to take to Kindergarten. I got to meet with Heidi's friend Helga. She is an elderly lady trying to learn English, so we landed up speaking more German so that she could understand us. Helga told me about Bad Wildungen and how beautifully decorated it is at Easter time.
On Wednesday morning I met Heidi in town and we went to the Marchen house which I have been wanting to visit for ages. It was quite disappointing - I probably expected too much. We had a cup of coffee out in the Markt platz and soaked up the sun. After leaving Heidi, I bumped in Danielle who insisted that I saw the Maths helper she had just bought for Denis. I went into her house for the first time and found it to be a beautiful place. She often has people stay over in her house, as a bed and breakfast. Gerard arrived home and he had brought me lots of goodies from England. What a treat it was.
On Thursday, we had to have Steven at the hospital by 11.00am. We got there in good time but once again, it was an endless waiting game. There were no beds available, so we were put at the table where the children eat their meals. After the usual question asking and normal stats being done, we were told to go down to XRay department where Professor Alzen wanted to speak to us. He explained the procedure in detail to us and we could ask him questions. He then accompanied us back up to the ward and advised the doctor on the ward that Steven would have to be put onto medication immediately to lower his blood pressure. He is going to try and do the procedure under local anaesthetic, but should it stress Steven too much, they will then do a full anaesthetic. Another doctor then asked us another set of questions and he then said that another colleague of his would be taking some blood samples from Steven. Well, poor old Steve went white. Three doctors battled to get a few little vials from him – another harrowing experience. They left the butterfly all in situ, in case he has general anaesthetic tomorrow. We then had to go to another section of the hospital, to fill out forms and see the anaesthetist. Another wait was in stall for us!!! Thankfully, the actual time spent with the doctor was very brief.
Eventually a bed became available at quarter to three and I could at long last, get Steven into his pyjamas, pack away his things and say goodbye. He seemed ok with this and is lucky enough to be sharing his room with a little girl, whose mother and I had been talking earlier in the day. She said that she would keep an eye on Stevie, should he need anything.
Gerard and I will be leaving home at 6.30am tomorrow to get there in time for the procedure. Gerard will wish him best of luck and leave me there for the day. Steven spent Thursday night in hospital on medication to lower his blood pressure. On Friday morning, he was sent to the X-ray department where Professor Alzen did an Angiogram. When Steven’s bed was pushed through the doors I was asked to leave. He was put under anaesthetic and the procedure began. I went back to his ward and read a mag, took a walk and then went back to X-Ray department. The procedure lasted an hour and eventually I was allowed in. Steven took one look at me and he became very tearful. At this point they were applying pressure to the wound and were “waking” him up. I was taken aside by Prof Alzen and given a run down of the situation. Everything went well and the kidney is not “dying” due to lack of blood or malfunctioning. What a relief to hear this.
He was sent back to the ward, where he was attached to a monitor for normal stats recording, and still had a drip. Steven’s reaction to the anaesthetic was first one of tears and much crying, then anger because everything was sore and he was hungy!!! The more the nurses told him he couldn’t eat, the angrier he became. Eventually, after a tasty lunch and about an hours sleep, my little boy was back to normal. He was not allowed to walk for 24 hours but he wasn’t too upset about that.
We went and fetched him at 2.00 o’clock on Saturday. He will be on medication for as long as his blood pressure remains high and we will have to keep it monitored on a daily basis.
I am just too grateful to have my little boy back home and know that he is on the mend.
Robert played a soccer match and on our return from Giessen hospital, we popped in there to fetch him. Gerard had an evening out in Eudorf with the tennis club. They had dinner and drinks and discussed various outtings etc. The tennis court will be ready for use soon. Looking forward to having another go at tennis this year.
We spent a very relaxing day on Sunday and had our first Braai of the year.
The school holidays were now officially started and the kids could sleep in etc. On Monday,after much telephoning to make an appointment with the paed in town, I drove there to find a letter on the door stating that they were closed due to holidays and should we need a doctor urgently, we should go to Mucke. I did however get Steven's script filled from the chemist. He is on Tenormin 25mg.
The Kindergarten was still open this week so Lara continued going as normal. I would just take her when I was ready and Gerard was leaving early each morning for the office.
Venetia had phoned me on the 1 April to say she was back in Germany and asked if they could come and spend 2 nights with us over the Easter weekend.
They arrived on Friday late afternoon, and it was lovely to see them again. Venetia looks well and has lost some of the weight that she gained after he op last year. We took them to Fulda for the day on Saturday, which they had never visited before. We had lunch at a pizzeria which was lovely. We had hoped to braai over the weekend but the weather turned out to be quite miserable. I made a dinner of chilly con carne instead.
Patrick and Venetia had brought Easter Eggs for the kids and they were horribly spoilt. I hid them all out in the garden and then the hunt was on. They will be overdosing on chocolate for the next month with the supplies they have got.
Patrick and Venetia left just as Ursi arrived with more easter eggs and presents for the kids. They each got a t-shirt with Milka easter eggs. It was nice to see her again. On Monday, we had decided to do a trip to Bad Wildungen and Edersee. It is about 80kms from Alsfeld. We stopped and had a walk around the town but was a bit disappointed not to see more easter decorations.
The Edersee was another story. Very interesting and full of history. I will post another blog after this all about the Edersee and with the photo's we took there.
Wednesday, April 04, 2007
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