tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24381307612157150282024-03-13T02:18:32.896+01:00Emma's Expat AdventuresMusings of an English Mummy in GermanyExpat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.comBlogger74125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-2428952739884130802013-07-08T11:52:00.000+02:002013-07-08T19:02:25.584+02:00Baby you're a firework (or something like that)Yes, it was our American expat friend's annual 4th July party at the weekend - and we all rocked up to help them celebrate casting off the shackles of British oppression all those years ago (or something like that!)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4s062kAyp_s/UdqIpC2oRqI/AAAAAAAAAfs/EKR6LfpaWjs/s1600/048.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4s062kAyp_s/UdqIpC2oRqI/AAAAAAAAAfs/EKR6LfpaWjs/s400/048.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4th July Celebration Cake</td></tr>
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So, happy to join in the fun, despite the colonials having unceremoniously kicked us Brits out, we donned our red, white and blue (H in his subversive Union Jack pants!) and mucked in.<br />
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As ever, the dilemma of what to take arose - all we seem to do is eat and drink at every event we go to (but it's not <i>all </i>that bad!) and, as ever the tables were groaning under the offerings of all the guests. The main event, the barbecue was being taken care of by our hosts - and the lovely <a href="http://www.blipfoto.com/GlobalAttitude" target="_blank">Global Attitude</a> had provided a range of American treats, from home cooked beans, to chocolate chip cookies and brownies, to lemon pie and jello shots (laced with a slug of vodka for the grown ups) <a href="http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/3242335" target="_blank">Kettwigefrau </a>provided the British classic of sausage rolls - in a wonderfully ironic Union Jack tin (just to wind the Americans up of course!). That left me then - so I thought I'd push the boat out a bit and aim for a surprise 4th July cake - a centrepiece for the table.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TZJz6y-RAz0/UdqH12QrLaI/AAAAAAAAAfY/WgcB0g3bViY/s1600/039.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TZJz6y-RAz0/UdqH12QrLaI/AAAAAAAAAfY/WgcB0g3bViY/s320/039.JPG" width="240" /></a>An afternoon browsing the web threw up a number of ideas - but in the end I plumped for a hidden flag cake. The theory being that you make a red, white and blue sponge and layer/cut to resemble the US flag upon cutting the cake. So, a rather large batch of sponge cake was prepared using the usual 2:2:2 per egg ratio - and then split and coloured - roughly 2/5 each of red and plain and 1/5 blue and baked in sandwich tins. I think I ended up with 7 individual cakes (3 red, 3 plain and one blue).<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ay3UezGnzA/UdqHXAAiHpI/AAAAAAAAAfI/PL1043kxnO4/s1600/042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3ay3UezGnzA/UdqHXAAiHpI/AAAAAAAAAfI/PL1043kxnO4/s320/042.JPG" width="240" /></a>I then layered the first pair of red and white tiers (sandwiching with buttercream - that's a 2:1 sugar:butter recipe). Then, having sought a suitable size cutter - in this case a cappuccino mug, I cut a circle out of my blue cake - and matching circles from the final red/white cakes - which were then placed inside the circle cut out of the blue cake to form the top layer.<br />
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So far so good, it was built and holding up! The trouble being of course is that you can't check what the inside looks like until the big reveal so I was a little apprehensive as to whether I'd got the levels right. A coating of plain white fondant icing on top and no-one would know about the flag inside until it was cut(well no-one would have known if I hadn't got a bit tiddly at book group the night before and spilt the beans - ho hum!)<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kJ1X0V3ULNM/UdqHwn62AwI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/hGyOB0IQhpc/s1600/043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kJ1X0V3ULNM/UdqHwn62AwI/AAAAAAAAAfQ/hGyOB0IQhpc/s320/043.JPG" width="240" /></a>A plain white cake was however, a little dull - so over a few glasses of rose the night before the girls and I had decided to add bunting and sparklers (pretty much the only fireworks you can get away with without a permit here I think). So, slightly overhung the next morning, I set about making some bunting from the fondant icing I had - but forgot to put the sparklers on...... oh well, you win some you lose some!<br />
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Anyway, by all accounts it went down well - the big reveal was a lovely surprise for our hostess and the cake seemed to be well received both visually and more importantly in terms of taste!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1a841dUT-Sw/UdqI8XTyM1I/AAAAAAAAAf8/c_GGFl-H2ew/s1600/072.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1a841dUT-Sw/UdqI8XTyM1I/AAAAAAAAAf8/c_GGFl-H2ew/s640/072.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The stripes could have been a bit more even, but as a first attempt at creating a 'surprise picture' inside a cake, I'm pretty pleased at how it turned out.</td></tr>
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-30757727052468790392013-07-02T12:52:00.000+02:002013-07-02T20:45:51.649+02:00A taste of home...If you're a regular reader, you'll know that my life here seems to be one social whirl of parties and associated baking!! With the odd bit of culture thrown in - oh and perhaps some wine (more of that later I'm sure!)<br />
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Not to disappoint, here's another post covered in chocolate, as I was when baking for a friend's recent housewarming party.<br />
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This friend - a fellow expat - hails originally from Scotland and so, to make her feel right at home in her new corner of the Fatherland, I decided to attempt a Scottish tea-time treat - the <a href="http://www.tunnock.co.uk/products/teacakes.aspx" target="_blank">Tunnock's Tea Cake</a>. It is a thing of great beauty - crisp biscuit base, soft, gooey marshmallow centre, all lusciously draped in thick milk chocolate.<br />
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Now I had googled extensively (as one does) and came across the <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/chocolate_marshmallow_60410" target="_blank">GBBO</a> version - which was a bit ambitious for my liking and too perfectly round. I'm not known for my attention to detail - nor my artistic abilities so steered well clear of that one! Anyway, it turns out that a morning lost on Pinterest came up trumps and I found a few ideas of how to proceed.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IKGfjodonMY/UdKrBAltgGI/AAAAAAAAAeM/PtaudgCFmrc/s1600/098.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IKGfjodonMY/UdKrBAltgGI/AAAAAAAAAeM/PtaudgCFmrc/s320/098.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biscuit base </td></tr>
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I came across a recipe on <a href="http://www.buycuteaprons.com/blogs/news/6153374-homemade-marshmallow-teacakes-to-rival-tunnocks" target="_blank">this blog</a>, which seemed to work for me in terms of what was in the cake and how to make it - although I did need to put out an emergency call to the expat ladies as I'd run out of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_syrup" target="_blank">golden syrup</a>. Cue another big UK/US debate about what it is and what is not substitutable - anyway a UK friend kindly lent me some in return for being a taste guinea pig at Mahjong the next day.<br />
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Anyway - as usual I digress...... The biscuit recipe was straightforward enough - but I think next time I'd make one sheet of biscuit then use a cutter to make smaller, mouthful size bites.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HQ5fPjy-t5I/UdKrM5CDjoI/AAAAAAAAAeY/xkn4zjy9HDM/s1600/100.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HQ5fPjy-t5I/UdKrM5CDjoI/AAAAAAAAAeY/xkn4zjy9HDM/s320/100.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marshmallow mix over bain marie</td></tr>
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The marshmallow mix was a bit of a leap of faith for me - I'm used to meringues and whisked egg whites hold no fear for me, but the marshmallow is only lightly cooked over a bain-marie and so knowing when it's done enough was a bit of a stab in the dark - but I think I got it right. It held its shape on the biscuit and (as far as I know) I didn't poison anyone!!<br />
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So two of three components ready - and assembled - no problem! Now, I just need to cover them in chocolate - well, I was covered - the kitchen too - and then the phone goes..... oh well in for a penny in for a pound, that too was lightly coated. In fact so many other things than the tea cakes got a covering that I ran out of chocolate!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WseR05SXpHY/UdKrmUKoipI/AAAAAAAAAec/ax_r2GB8D8U/s1600/102.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WseR05SXpHY/UdKrmUKoipI/AAAAAAAAAec/ax_r2GB8D8U/s320/102.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pre Chocolate Coating</td></tr>
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Anyway, they turned out OK in my opinion and were not as tricky as I'd expected - so would definitely do them again. The proof is in the eating as they say, well I didn't have one (or even lick those chocolate covered hands) as I'm lo-carbing. But they went fairly quickly at the party and I like to think they were a wee taste of Scotland for the Hostess - oh and of course the other present - a bottle of the 'Rusty Stuff' - <a href="http://www.irn-bru.co.uk/bru-skies" target="_blank">Irn Bru</a> - a Scottish soft drink. It was apparently good for clearing the hangover the next day!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d220GVI1XSI/UdKsDhGxLUI/AAAAAAAAAe0/LRM76mIyLlA/s1600/105.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-d220GVI1XSI/UdKsDhGxLUI/AAAAAAAAAe0/LRM76mIyLlA/s640/105.JPG" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homemade Chocolate Teacakes!</td></tr>
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We had a great afternoon (and evening once we'd sent the menfolk home with the children) and lots of Sekt was consumed...... Oops!<br />
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-56566994852331274612013-06-13T09:29:00.000+02:002013-06-13T09:32:12.996+02:00A Smashing Time!Last weekend saw us in a flurry of social engagements - so much so that I had to (very reluctantly) miss <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/28012668580/" target="_blank">Bookgroup </a>(sorry Ladies!) Mr EE had been in the States all week, flew back Friday and that evening we'd been invited by our next-door-but-one neighbours to celebrate the forthcoming marriage of their son at a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polterabend" target="_blank"><i>Polterabend. </i></a><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuqvfZZFYuE/UblzCp084eI/AAAAAAAAAdk/qNPgfu3Ff9Y/s1600/pa4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wuqvfZZFYuE/UblzCp084eI/AAAAAAAAAdk/qNPgfu3Ff9Y/s320/pa4.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Before the Storm</td></tr>
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These neighbours love to throw a party - we frequently have cars parked all along the street for their events - every Christmas they invite the whole street (and half the surrounding streets!) to a<i> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weihnachtsmarkt" target="_blank">Weihnachtsmarkt </a></i>they hold in their garden. Anyway, I digress a little, so the week before the <i>Polterabend</i>, we have a knock on the door and are informally invited to the shindig, are given a huge bar of chocolate for the Kindling and are asked if we mind if they close off half the street for the evening. No problem we say.....<br />
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Well, the day of the party dawns and as I'm doing the morning school run notice that they've hired in Dixi-Klo (Portaloos) which gets me thinking about just how big this party might be! Then, when I come back after shopping, the beerwaggon is there - you know a full on pumps and all type job..... When we're back finally from the to-ing and fro-ing of school and husband collection, there are balloons showing the way from the edge of the village, the sawhorses are out and the road is blocked and a merry gathering is beginning to form.<br />
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At this point, we're still not quite sure what a <i>Polterabend </i>actually is - I was under the impression it was some sort of Stag-Do type affair - but it's not really that.<br />
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As we're getting ready to join in the fun, we start to hear the sound of smashing plates - followed by lots of whooping and clapping - okaaaay we say - what on earth is going on. So, it turns out that the main idea behind a <i>Polterabend </i>is the smashing of porcelain to bring the happy couple luck in their marriage. Everyone is supposed to turn up with china to smash which after it has been broken the Bride and Groom must sweep up together to symbolise working as a team in the marriage.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XxnjjbTlKuI/Ubly6oNFhlI/AAAAAAAAAdU/08mUlw5Qb2A/s1600/pa1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XxnjjbTlKuI/Ubly6oNFhlI/AAAAAAAAAdU/08mUlw5Qb2A/s320/pa1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Smashed Plates in front of padlocked skip</td></tr>
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We noticed that the skip they were tidying into was padlocked shut when they weren't sweeping up - we assumed that this was something to do with the regulations about what was allowed to be put into it.....well it <i>is </i>Germany! But no, on asking it's because there is a tendency as the night goes on for the more jovial revellers to try to empty it out again - therefore making the wedding pair clean up again.... oh it's all good clean fun!<br />
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So, beer (and Aperol Spritz) flowing nicely, Bratwurst on the grill, Ice cream in a mini-freezer hired in from the local Eis Café, live music and lots of very friendly folk - we had a smashing time! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0V7S_WEqSFM/Ubly8Me4-tI/AAAAAAAAAdc/WlWT6iomx4M/s1600/pa3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0V7S_WEqSFM/Ubly8Me4-tI/AAAAAAAAAdc/WlWT6iomx4M/s320/pa3.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">L & I dancing to the band!</td></tr>
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The weekend continued on Saturday (as weekends tend to do...) with a trip to the Variety theatre <a href="http://www.variete.de/de/spielorte/essen/essen.html" target="_blank">GOP </a>with fellow Expat friends, <a href="http://www.blipfoto.com/kettwigefrau" target="_blank">Kettwigefrau </a>and her husband. We were taking advantage of some birthday and long-service pressies and had a fabulous night out which started off with a ride around Essen (oh the glamour!) in a stretched Limousine.... (definitely, but in a slightly trashy way, glamourous!) The variety show was fantastic - contortionists, bicycle fun....culminating in bicycle trampolining (yes I kid you not!) all washed down with a bottle (or three) of bubbles. A real treat of a weekend!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PeNEiKQTxlQ/Ubl0WABXFqI/AAAAAAAAAdw/l_TPjgsboWg/s1600/limo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="246" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PeNEiKQTxlQ/Ubl0WABXFqI/AAAAAAAAAdw/l_TPjgsboWg/s400/limo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mr EE and I heading out in the Limo!</td></tr>
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-11251246613011800782013-05-17T08:52:00.000+02:002013-05-17T08:53:05.428+02:00Big Bad Wolf.....otherwise titled "I'll huff and I'll puff and I'll blow your house down" - or knock it down with a wrecking ball and throw up some cubist monstrosity. Well that's what the current state of the property market seems to be like around here to me.<br />
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If you're a regular reader of my blog, you may be aware that since early 2011 we've been looking for a house to buy (<a href="http://emmasexpatadventures.blogspot.de/2011/02/to-buyor-not-to-buy.html" target="_blank">to buy or not to buy</a>). This search has been long and hard and not without it's curiosities and problems along the way.<br />
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<li>I've been astounded at the number of swimming pools houses in my neck of the woods seem to have - lots of them outside and it's not as if the weather here is that spectacular that you need to cool off every now and then. </li>
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<li>I've been gobsmacked by Makler (estate agents) telling me that houses with four bedrooms all together just don't exist.... It seems that the trend is to have a separate 'Elternschlaftract' which is a parents suite - and this is often on a different floor to the other rooms. Great when your kids are older and more self sufficient, but with three children under 10, it's not the best of set-ups.</li>
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<li>I'm beginning to get my head round the kitchen sizes - or lack of...... An eat-in kitchen - or at least a kitchen big enough for a bit of social chatter whilst cooking was one of my top wants.</li>
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<li>However, the main one I've really struggled with is the propensity there seems to be in this area to buy a house, knock it down and build again. Now, undoubtedly some of these houses are in need of significant renovations, conversion work, decorating and the like, but with some there is really nothing wrong - certainly in our eyes.</li>
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If you read my post <a href="http://emmasexpatadventures.blogspot.de/2012/05/wobble-wobble.html" target="_blank">Wobble Wobble</a> you'll know we went to view a (very nice) house near the Boys' school. There was nothing specifically wrong with the house - other than a noisy road at the back of the plot. It gave me the wobbles (which fortunately I seem to have stilled for now) and we didn't buy. Driving past it last week however, we were surprised to see it had been knocked down and a new modern house was being built.<br />
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Now apart from the noise (which rebuilding isn't going to address!) there was nothing wrong with the house. It was a 1950s villa - with a fantastic staircase, beautiful original features such as some stained glass windows, solid oak front door, fabulous 50s bathroom suite - overall, in very good condition and a house which had obviously been cherished as someone's family home. Now it wasn't right for us - but to completely demolish it and start again - with something which is not at all in keeping with the surrounding properties - it all seems a bit weird to me, and surely not in line with German eco-sensibilities.<br />
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Roll on 9 months and just before Easter we finally found the house for us - yes a 1950s villa, four bedrooms all on the same floor and gas in the (albeit small - but extendable) kitchen. Now, we seem as far as we know to be the only people to actually want to buy the house - despite 20 odd viewings in the first week it was marketed - the only conclusion we can come to about this is, that the plot doesn't lend itself to demolishing and rebuilding (fortunately for us!). <br />
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So it's taken us the best part of three years to find our new home - and naturally the course of property purchase never did run smooth - but we're hoping to have contracts signed in the next couple of weeks and then to move in the early Autumn. So all fingers and toes are crossed here and we're 'druckening our Daumen' too.Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-33136209751797018042013-04-06T21:04:00.000+02:002013-04-06T21:04:01.583+02:00Wine of the Month - April 2013Feeling rather sheepish as I write today - been very neglectful of the blog these past few weeks, life had simply got in the way! Anyway, I will try harder...... so here we are with another wine recommendation - and a revamp of the blog. <br />
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Spring has, I hope, finally sprung and boy has it been a long time coming - the clocks changing, a few warmer days (though it was sleeting here again today and we've still some lingering piles of snow....eek!), and lighter evenings and my thoughts turn to crisp, dry, cold whites.....<br />
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Well, my latest recommendation is a somewhat overlooked wine in my opinion - the humble <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscadet" target="_blank">Muscadet</a>. It hails from the Loire region of France, and in keeping with most of the whites from that area is a reliable dry, crisp, light wine - <i>very </i>easy drinking!I have recently stumbled across a very reasonably supermarket available Muscadet (NB do not with <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muscat_%28grape%29" target="_blank">Muscat</a> which produces a very sweet wine).<br />
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La Cheteau Muscadet Sevre et Maine sur Lie - to give it its full name ( Sevre et Maine is the part of the Loire Valley it hails from and sur Lie means it has been left in contact with the 'Lees' after fermentation). It retails in Germany for about EUR4.50 a bottle (and UK readers you can get it in Asda for £6.00).<br />
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It is a very light, fruity (but not overtly so) subtle wine, which works well on its own as an aperitif, or with lighter dishes - fish, seafood - that sort of thing. Highly gluggable and well worth a try!<br />
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Bottoms Up!<br />
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-51829994457750270562013-03-04T11:33:00.001+01:002013-03-04T11:33:21.331+01:00Why?Why, why, why???? It's all I seem to hear at the moment from L - who's almost 3. It was the same with the Boys, so I wasn't expecting any different with the Wee Girlie - how else is a toddler to learn without questioning everything they come across?<br />
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What other 'question' words should my toddler be using? Well, it depends very much on where you're from it would seem. As an English mummy 'Why?' is the word I expect most - probably closely followed by 'How?'. Not so in Germany it would seem.<br />
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Last week we were at the <i>Kinderarzt </i>for the U7a the 34-36month developmental check-up (more on '<a href="http://emmasexpatadventures.blogspot.de/2012/06/developmental-checks-u-appointments.html" target="_blank">U-Appointments</a>') and had the usual forms to fill in on what your child can do. At the 2 and 3 year checks, this is concentrated on speech and social skills - so which words they use independently from a long list (not what they'd parrot after you) and how they interact with others / in certain situations - i.e. if a stranger approached them.<br />
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One of the speech parts of the questionnaire this time concerned what question words your three year old uses. Did they use the following words:<br />
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<ul>
<li><i>Wie? </i>- how?</li>
<li><i>Was?</i> - what?</li>
<li><i>Wo? </i>- where? </li>
<li><i>Wohin?</i> - where to?</li>
</ul>
I was very surprised to see that Why? (Warum?) didn't feature on the list. Now my three year old chatterbox uses all of the above - but her top word is most definitely WHY? repeated a myriad of times over the most mundane of things.... the temptation to say 'because I said so' is very difficult to resist!!<br />
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So do German children not ask Why? - is it a cultural thing that they are not encouraged to question the way things are? If you ask Herr EE, from his experience in the work place he would say yes - there seems to be no questioning of 'why' things are being done just a propensity to say 'no I'm not going to do it'.....! <br />
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Is it so expected that Why? is the question word of choice that it's not even worth asking about it - I have my doubts here given the German propensity to double check everything.... their thoroughness would not allow them to miss out something so important as 'Why?' nor indeed to make the assumption that everyone uses it.<br />
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Of course, I forgot to ask the <i>Kinderarzt</i> why (!) it wasn't on the list - I'm certainly always querying why he does certain things - what the need for them is and I get the impression that it is not the norm among his patients - but what that is down to of course is still up for debate.<br />
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So 'Why?' Do / did your children use it incessantly, is it an Anglophone thing, or are your experiences of other cultures such that the use of 'Why?' is common to all childrens' development? <br />
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Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-32022710187529486492013-02-21T12:04:00.000+01:002013-02-21T13:16:47.083+01:00The House on the HillOn a hillside promontory, overlooking the Baldeneysee on the southern outskirts of Essen stands a house on a hill. It's rolling park-like gardens and wooded glades give it a very rural and peaceful air - you wouldn't know you were in the (in)famous German industrial heartland of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruhrgebiet" target="_blank">Ruhrgebiet </a>- nor would you suspect you were standing at the front door of the former seat of one of Germany's great industrial families - the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Krupp" target="_blank">Krupps</a>.<br />
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So it came to be that yesterday I was standing there - with about 25 other ladies (mainly Americans but with a couple of subversive Brits thrown in to liven the mix!) - waiting for our guided tour of <a href="http://villahuegel.de/cms/projekt01/uk/pre/index.html" target="_blank">Villa Hügel</a> (literally the Hill Villa). It had been arranged by the <a href="http://www.awcduesseldorf.org/start/index.html" target="_blank">American Women's Club of Düsseldorf</a> and I had been invited along by a friend who was involved in arranging the excursion.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pvljK5r3j-Y/USX9wyJG-7I/AAAAAAAAAbE/TG0Rr9udYa8/s1600/vhback.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pvljK5r3j-Y/USX9wyJG-7I/AAAAAAAAAbE/TG0Rr9udYa8/s400/vhback.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back of Villa Hügel showing the main house on the left, a corner of the 'little house' on the right and a linking building with arched windows in the centre.</td></tr>
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Now I had seen Villa Hügel from the lake below whilst boating around it with the In-Law's last summer, and had passed through it's (very own) railway station en route to Essen centre. I'd seen books about it and watched a historical drama about the Krupps which featured the house - so I knew a bit about it before going. I'm also a veteran of the National Trust in the UK - so have a bit of experience of the odd country house (or three) and not to forget I'm a complete expert on all matters upstairs/downstairs having seen Downton Abbey - so I was most definitely prepared for the visit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aqu2uka9-Is/USX902dOmvI/AAAAAAAAAbc/5fpq_yojPWE/s1600/vhroof.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aqu2uka9-Is/USX902dOmvI/AAAAAAAAAbc/5fpq_yojPWE/s320/vhroof.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grand Hall with domed glass ceiling</td></tr>
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Villa Hügel didn't disappoint - although it's not like it was in it's heyday of course due to continued modernisation over the years, but there was still an air of grandeur, some fabulous chandeliers and tapestries and a sense of awe at the scale of the house. It was built in about 1873 by Alfreid Krupp - he designed it himself and used a large proportion of Krupp produced materials to build it (a steel frame for example and a steel staircase) - he was apparently paranoid of the house burning down and so wanted to use as little flammable material as possible....<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--DEAH8H9K-c/USX9xYune-I/AAAAAAAAAbM/3umJq0dt3Q8/s1600/vhgreen.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="295" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--DEAH8H9K-c/USX9xYune-I/AAAAAAAAAbM/3umJq0dt3Q8/s400/vhgreen.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Room in the 'Linking Building' </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nqGD1MzPX6Q/USX9x6X0suI/AAAAAAAAAbU/p2MIE2SW7uc/s1600/vhdining.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nqGD1MzPX6Q/USX9x6X0suI/AAAAAAAAAbU/p2MIE2SW7uc/s320/vhdining.JPG" width="211" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dining Room in main house</td></tr>
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As befit one of the leading industrialists of his time, Krupp's seat was impressive - some 269 rooms consisting of over 8000sqm of usable floor space - a pretty impressive house by all measures. It was a very extensive estate and at it's peak there were over 700 staff manning the house, gardens, home farm etc. Villa Hügel also paid host to a constant stream of important visitors - all of whom had the red carpet treatment in an attempt to further the Krupp business. These included various Emperors (of Germany and abroad), Kings, Statesmen and so on - not all of them were enthusiastically received however, Hitler being one of these - whilst Krupp needed the work from the war effort - and Hitler needed Krupp's steel there was a big social divide - one which the Lady of the House was not willing to cross. <br />
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Villa Hügel remained the family seat until the end of WWII when it was appropriated by the Allies used in that capacity until it was returned to Krupp in the early 1950s. It was however not used as a family house again. It was opened to the public for use as a cultural centre - and still houses exhibitions today. It is also home to the <a href="http://www.krupp-stiftung.de/index.php" target="_blank">Alfried Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach-Stiftung</a> (Krupp Foundation) a not-for-profit organisation who were passed the Alfried Krupp's estate on his death.<br />
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It is a beautiful house and well worth a visit if you are in Essen. The grounds are beautifully kept and there are apparently lots of things to look at / explore within them - unfortunately, we didn't have time for that yesterday - so another visit is most definitely called for!<br />
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(Thanks to <a href="http://www.blipfoto.com/entry/2778166" target="_blank">Kettwigefrau </a>for the pictures)<br />
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-20133013945874255352013-02-18T11:53:00.001+01:002013-02-18T11:58:03.295+01:00Wine of the Month - February 2013Herr Expat knows I enjoy my wine and so my usual Valentine's treat is a nice bottle - and he didn't disappoint this year.<br />
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February's recommendation comes from South Africa, from the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stellenbosch_%28wine%29#Stellenbosch" target="_blank">Stellenbosch</a> region, well known for its sumptuous reds. We tried a Jacobsdal <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinotage" target="_blank">Pinotage </a>2010. Now it retails at a bit more than my usual bargain finds (about 12Eur according to Mr. E - and he found it in Edeka which seems to have a rather good wine selection if you can find a big enough branch - rather like the Co-op used to have in the UK - but I digress.....)<br />
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So to the vineyard. This pinotage hails from <a href="http://www.jacobsdal.co.za/location.html" target="_blank">Jacobsdal </a>- a family run wine estate in the Stellenbosch which has specialised in the production of Pinotage wines - almost exclusively - until the introduction of a Cabernet Sauvignon in 2004. And I must say that they do pinotage very, very well. This wine was bursting with berry flavours, soft, full and rounded on the palate - a shame we only had the one bottle to drink.....<br />
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I think Pinotage has to rate highly as one of my favourite reds, this wine and another SA stunner the <a href="http://emmasexpatadventures.blogspot.de/2011/02/merry-widow.html" target="_blank">Delheim </a>(funnily enough that hails from another Valentine's day post....) are two that I can really recommend - but of course, the downside being that they come with a heftier price tag - worth it I'd say.<br />
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Prost! <br />
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-61824840818915819002013-02-04T10:04:00.001+01:002013-02-04T10:04:52.668+01:00Wine of the Month - January 2013Yes, Yes, I know it's February - but I bought and fully intended on drinking and talking about this wine in January - but I've been laid low by the lurgy for two weeks and until yesterday had not touched a drop of wine..... I must have been <i>very </i>ill.......<br />
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I have some very fond memories of Sardinia, we spent our honeymoon there and it holds a special place in my heart. Alghero, on the North West corner is my particular favourite - known for its winding alleys, fantastic Lobster and some incredible wine.<br />
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When we were there, we stayed in this amazing <a href="http://www.hotelvillalastronas.it/" target="_blank">Hotel</a>, once a holiday home of Itallian Royalty, it sits on its own little rocky outcrop, surrounded by gardens just outside of the centre of Alghero.<br />
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Anyway, I digress, back to the point in hand, or rather glass in hand...and a Sardinian Red to be precise. Today's recommendation is a Cannonau di Sardegna. Now you may well not have heard of Cannonau, but you will no doubt have tasted it somewhere.... for Cannonau is actually <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grenache" target="_blank">Grenache </a>- where in Sardinia it is one of the principal varieties used in red production.<br />
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This wine is a beautiful plummy colour - almost damson-like, a rich, deep, purple. It just invites you to get stuck in. On the palate it is full, rounded and smooth and bursting with the fruitiness it's colour suggests - a real find for Eur5.99 in my local Edeka. <br />
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-59388339415021362512013-01-31T18:13:00.001+01:002013-01-31T18:27:17.715+01:00Phone PhobicI don't like using the phone - well that's not entirely true.... I don't mind chatting on the phone (for hours and hours actually) to friends and family - or even the bank etc as long as I can do it in English.<br />
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English.<br />
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That is the thing you see, I can do phone calls in German - book appointments, arrange play dates, change all these arrangements most apologetically and so on, but I don't like to. Being able to converse confidently on the phone in another language is quite a skill. Indeed, being able to do so in your own language can be tricky - you see, when we talk on the phone, so many of the other communication tools and clues we rely on in everyday life are missing and that makes it very difficult.<br />
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In my native language, I'm confident in judging by tone and tempo how a phone conversation is going and what the subtexts of the conversation are - I just can't do that in German. Indeed, I rely heavily on gesture when I speak German as mine is really not that good and I obviously can't do it on the phone.<br />
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According to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_language" target="_blank">this</a> some researchers have put non-verbal communication as forming up to 80% of communication - with this comprising body language, gesture, posturing, eye-contact, clothing etc all of which give the participants a myriad of clues as to what is going on - and of course, all of this is absent in a a phone call.<br />
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So added to the fact that you miss a lot by relying solely on the verbal, and that my German skills still leave a lot to be desired talking on the phone can be a bit of a trial. I plan in my head as far as possible what I want to say - but am often thrown by a response which I either mishear / don't fully understand / wasn't expecting - and then try to bluff my way onwards which as I usually rely heavily on hand gestures can be an interesting experience in murdering a language! I generally succeed in getting my point across and booking that appointment.....but I sometimes come away from the phone call not being 100% sure I've done what I set out to do - oh and did I get the time right..... half past and half to is just another one of those things designed to throw me!<br />
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So often, I chicken out and pop into wherever it is I need to call and have the conversation in person, I find it easier that way.....<br />
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-7727255064781064592013-01-25T10:38:00.000+01:002013-01-25T10:38:38.623+01:00Five on Friday.............the last five books I've read.<br />
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I'm a bit of a bookworm, I love my library - frequently read books more than once and haven't quite got used to the Kindle yet.....prefer real pages! So along with a bit more time to myself (now the Kindling are all out during the day), an English-speaking bookgroup and my love of all things literary, I'm getting through quite a few books now.<br />
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Here are the last five I've read, with varying degrees of success/enjoyment <br />
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1) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middlesex_%28novel%29" target="_blank">Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides</a><br />
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A book group choice (mine actually I think). I have really enjoyed this, it combines a family saga from Turkey to the US with a coming of age type novel with some medical curiosities thrown in. This is my type of book, I love that history of a family through several generations type novel - seeing how people live and change as the world changes. Throw in a family secret or two just to add a little twist and it's certainly gripping stuff! Definitely worth a read.<br />
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2) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolf_Hall" target="_blank">Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel</a><br />
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When I say 'have read' I mean .....still struggling through - manfully! I am enjoying this although it is a bit heavy going at times - one of those books you really need to concentrate on or you'll completely lose who's speaking / what's going on. I started reading it due to the publicity around it and because I was watching the delicious <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Rhys_Meyers" target="_blank">Johnathon Rhys Myers</a> in the excellent TV series <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758790/" target="_blank">The Tudors</a> so it all fit in together. Wolf Hall is the story of Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII and it <i>is </i>interesting, but I need 'time off' now again with something a little easier going! I will finish it though - it's not often I'm defeated by a book!<br />
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3)<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fall_of_Giants" target="_blank"> Fall of Giants - Ken Follett</a><br />
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Loved, loved, loved it. I was captivated by Ken Follett's other series (<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pillars_of_the_Earth" target="_blank">Pillars of the Earth</a>/World without End) and couldn't wait to read this opener to his new Century Series. It's set in the first quarter of the 20th Century, detailing the Russian Revolution, World War I, Prohibition and the way in which certain families lives are intertwined between these events and between Russia, America and England. It's one of those unputdownable reads - which as it comes in at a whopping 864 pages is some going - but as it ends, you're left feeling desperate for more...... good job there's a sequal!<br />
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4) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hare_with_Amber_Eyes" target="_blank">The Hare with the Amber Eyes - Edmund de Waal</a><br />
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This is a non-fiction book about the author's attempts to try to trace his family from fin de siècle Paris through to the modern day. The Hare in the title is a 'Netsuke' an ivory carving which is intrinsic to the family history. Again, this one is a little slow going - and it still on the go, but it's fascinating stuff - I love the intimate glances you get of a family's life over the years and how you can see the actions of the previous generations influencing and affecting the subsequent ones. <br />
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5) <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/JACK-in-the-BOX-ebook/dp/B00AESMKIS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1359049877&sr=8-1" target="_blank">Jack in the Box - Hanna Allen</a><br />
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I read this on the Kindle - it was a free download from Amazon.de - now I'm not as I said above completely sold on the kindle yet - for one thing the page size is too small and so I'm forever turning the page....interrupts the flow of the book for me. Anyway, I digress, Jack in the Box is a typical police whodunit. It's set in London so for me has some familiar backdrops which made it a bit more interesting. I enjoy this genre of book and it makes good escapist, easy reading thrown in amonsgt some of the more heavy going books I choose. What can I say - yes, a good story, fairly formulaic as these types of books often are - but with a nifty little twist at the end. Not bad for a freebie!<br />
<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-31897536443456152852013-01-11T17:20:00.002+01:002013-01-11T17:20:54.766+01:00Five on Friday............foodstuffs I miss most from the UK.<br />
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Well, another Christmas over and I'm sure the supermarkets in England are proudly displaying the Easter Eggs already, which is a good thing as I, for one, can't get enough of that loveliness that is a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadbury_Creme_Egg" target="_blank">Cadbury's Creme Egg.</a><br />
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I have a secret stash here in my cellar as you cannot buy them in Germany so I rely on visiting Englanders to keep me supplied. I now only have one left........ but I'm not going into panic mode just yet as I have visitors coming in a couple of weeks to top up the contraband!<br />
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However, the diminishing supplies got me thinking - what are the foodie bits I miss most from back home? I know I could probably get most of them here <i>if I really tried </i>- but it's not quite the same as popping into Sainsburys.<br />
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So here you have it - my 'Friday Five' - those things I can't do without.....<br />
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5)Bacon - in the land where pork is almost raised to a godlike state, the state of bacon is, suffice it to say, absolutely shocking. Fine if you want lardons to start of a stew or soup, and fine if you want very thin strips of streaky to wrap around things - but if you're after a bacon sarnie or bacon and eggs for breakfast, then it's disappointing. All that seems to be on offer is very, very thin, small rashers of streaky bacon. On the very odd occasion I see back bacon in the shops (it's marketed as 'English Bacon') you only seem to get 4 rashers to a pack so you'd have to empty the store if you wanted to make the family bacon butties for breakfast. Good smoked back bacon is another of those foodstuffs I make sure I fill up on when home, and ask those coming over to smuggle with them, sometimes only a bacon sarnie will do to start the day!<br />
<br />4) Self Raising Flour, yes, I know you can make your own but I never, and I mean never, manage to get it just right. As a result, some of my baking has become quite interesting - in a not very appetising way. And yes, you can find it in 'Ethnic Supermarkets' (though not in the Turkish ones I've been to) but that requires finding the right sort of shop and making a special trip, instead I come back with kilo's of it from the UK!<br />
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3) Crisps - proper ones that is - not the pale imitations you find here - pappy, paprika flavour.... nope - I want a burn your mouth salt and vinegar, a scrumptious prawn cocktail, even a ready salted kettle chip. Now yes, you can get some of these here, but - and it's a big BUT, paying 3Eur plus a pack for kettle chips - no siree, and the salt and 'vinegar' flavour you can get here doesn't deserve the name. So I always need to stock up when home. Actually, you could also add here twiglets (see no1 for the real reason!) and Bombay Mix which I've not seen anywhere here.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--1DFxrX36q4/UPALhDKw0eI/AAAAAAAAAY4/Cu1Kb4R2kqY/s1600/egg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--1DFxrX36q4/UPALhDKw0eI/AAAAAAAAAY4/Cu1Kb4R2kqY/s200/egg.jpg" width="150" /></a><br />
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2) Cadbury's Chocolate - Creme Eggs, Dairy Milk, Crunchies...... I'm not that fussy when it comes to the purple stuff!<br />
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1) <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marmite" target="_blank">Marmite </a>- food of the Gods - need I say more?<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-B_m5SD2Yg/UPALgcE0pNI/AAAAAAAAAYw/396uHkD4QoA/s1600/marmite.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="248" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-B_m5SD2Yg/UPALgcE0pNI/AAAAAAAAAYw/396uHkD4QoA/s400/marmite.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Delicious!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-85904605845110944582013-01-09T13:01:00.000+01:002013-01-09T13:01:26.394+01:00Sparkling SylvesterA very belated Happy New Year!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-szDwXjK6ms4/UO1ZgAgvM9I/AAAAAAAAAYE/314S3oL2OAs/s1600/girls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="263" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-szDwXjK6ms4/UO1ZgAgvM9I/AAAAAAAAAYE/314S3oL2OAs/s400/girls.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Girls in their finest</td></tr>
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We saw the old one out and the new one in in style this year - I'd planned a black-tie (we don't get much opportunity to parade our best frocks so need to make the most of any that arise!) and cocktail party to ring in the new, but for a number of reasons, it didn't pan out quite as planned. Thankfully, a fellow Expat, who conveniently lives staggering distance away, offered us the use of her 'Partyzimmer' and co-hosted with me.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ly2qG2tG2M4/UO1Zf2GxW8I/AAAAAAAAAYA/mpx78Z4q8J4/s1600/km+party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ly2qG2tG2M4/UO1Zf2GxW8I/AAAAAAAAAYA/mpx78Z4q8J4/s400/km+party.jpg" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feuerzangenbowle at Lipstickandlaptop's Christmas Party.</td></tr>
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Now Sylvester is one of the few times the Germans really, and I mean <i>really</i>, let their hair down! New Year's Eve in Germany is inextricably linked with fireworks - yup come midnight - actually for quite a bit beforehand too - it's like world war three has started. The bangs are almost more important than the sparkles.... There is a great article on the <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/expat/expatlife/9768909/New-Year-in-Germany-is-full-of-suicidal-charm.html" target="_blank">Telegraph Expat</a> site about Germans and their love of all things fire related - be it fireworks, feuerzangenbowle, barbecuing or even just their continued addiction to the humble cigarette.......<br />
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I digress, back to the party..... Glad rags on, Partyzimmer suitably decorated, drinks bought, canapes made.... we were ready to rock and roll! And we had a great night - despite illness (Mr. Expat Emma) and bad weather (raining - thankfully the wind had dropped - that would have made the fireworks even more fun...) we managed to see 2013 in in style - think glamourous frocks, champagne cup, delicate canapes - you're about on the right lines (at least that's how I'm picturing it in my minds eye.....)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9sjfMkmlwbM/UO1ZhlCPE-I/AAAAAAAAAYU/7sdk6c-oo0c/s1600/laughs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9sjfMkmlwbM/UO1ZhlCPE-I/AAAAAAAAAYU/7sdk6c-oo0c/s320/laughs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Enjoying the Champagne Cup!</td></tr>
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The <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Pomegranate-Champagne-Punch-240761" target="_blank">champagne cup</a> - a mix of a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Champagne#Blanc_de_blancs" target="_blank">Blanc des Blancs</a>, Pomegranate Juice and Seeds, sugar syrup and white rum, went down rather too well but was balanced out by a 'mocktail' for those not partaking of the hard stuff - this was a concoction of grapefruit lemonade with a tropical lime/coconut juice (think Malibu without the alcohol!) Apparently very subtle and sophisticated - but not having tried it I'll have to take that on trust!<br />
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The canape table groaned with samosas (unusually done in a 'fladenbrot' a flat Turkish loaf as there was a lack of pastry it seems in Dortmund that day - actually supplies were running low in Kettwig too...); blinis with smoked salmon and dill creme fraiche; sun dried tomato hummus; a plethora of other chips and dips and then (more) mince pies and Christmas cake! <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for the Fireworks</td></tr>
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Then as the clock hit midnight - I'm not sure how we checked this as we didn't have Big Ben bonging in the background, we all toasted the New Year with a glass of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sparkling_wine#Sekt" target="_blank">Sekt </a>and headed outside for the fireworks. The rain didn't deter us or dent our spirits at all - nor did it adversely affect the display - or the bangs! What is really lovely is that the whole community are out on the streets at this point, each doing their own small display but what you end up with is an ongoing, much bigger firework show than you'd have managed on your own. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PQ2S4drDkl0/UO1Zd6h05DI/AAAAAAAAAX0/UwwtqvTyHJo/s1600/bangs.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PQ2S4drDkl0/UO1Zd6h05DI/AAAAAAAAAX0/UwwtqvTyHJo/s640/bangs.JPG" width="422" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seeing 2013 in with a bang!</td></tr>
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-80890113890475934212012-12-30T08:36:00.001+01:002012-12-30T08:36:15.004+01:00Wine of the Month - December 2012Just!<br />
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This month's tip is a D-I-Y affair - yup, into the kitchen to whip up a homemade batch of 'Irish Cream Liqueur'.<br />
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It's ever-so-simple, and ever-so-yummy.... your equipment consists of a whist and a can opener... and you'll need the following:<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rPT-0UJ6l-M/UN_uFYqAYOI/AAAAAAAAAXc/Sc0Gc0PXvxE/s1600/baileys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rPT-0UJ6l-M/UN_uFYqAYOI/AAAAAAAAAXc/Sc0Gc0PXvxE/s400/baileys.jpg" width="300" /></a>1 x Can of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condensed_milk" target="_blank">condensed milk</a> (I use <a href="http://www.carnation.co.uk/Products/Default.aspx" target="_blank">Carnation</a>)<br />
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1 x Can of Evaporated milk (ditto)<br />
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2 x Tsps Glycerine (from the baking aisle - gives it a lovely consistency)<br />
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1 x Small strong Espresso style coffee (or as much/little as you like)<br />
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Whisky to taste......<br />
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Empty all the ingredients into a bowl and whisk thoroughly, I think it's best to use an electric whisk for this, but you can do it by hand. Then decant to a suitable storing and pouring vessel.<br />
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It's best from the fridge and over ice!!<br />
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-50702488529861693722012-12-25T15:06:00.000+01:002012-12-25T15:06:04.367+01:00Merry ChristmasMerry Christmas Everyone - and here's to a great 2013!<br />
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-76854444449985696402012-12-11T22:32:00.000+01:002012-12-11T22:51:10.330+01:00Poptastic PartiesSaturday saw the first of the parties of the season for us here. A fellow expat blogger (<a href="http://kettwigefrau.blogspot.de/" target="_blank">Kettwigefrau</a>) hosted her annual 'Christmas Cocktails' do last weekend - and we trudged out through the snow to attend - wouldn't have missed it for the world. In fact, come to think of it, the last couple of times we've attended it's been snowy....perhaps we should take heed for next year?!<br />
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It was a very convivial affair - as one would expect from some expert <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Party-Planners/122479097908597" target="_blank">Party Planners</a> - plenty to eat and drink, fabulous company, children spirited away - what more could we ask for? It was an opportunity to catch up with the Girls from the London weekend - and yes, we're all still talking - in fact, I think for most of us last week was quite quiet and if they were anything like me, they probably felt a little adrift, missing the laughs and inane chat!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5lGs21uTPKc/UMejUpeD01I/AAAAAAAAAWQ/H8iVMJbj1xs/s1600/eyeballs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5lGs21uTPKc/UMejUpeD01I/AAAAAAAAAWQ/H8iVMJbj1xs/s320/eyeballs.jpg" width="238" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Halloween Cake Pops courtesy of <a href="http://maturestudentmusings.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Mature Student Musings</a></td></tr>
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Naturally, heading off to a party one asks one's hostess what can be done to help, what should one bring? And so I decided on something sweet and Christmassy. Having smuggled a Marks and Spencers Christmas Pudding through Gatwick the weekend before (only just as I'd forgotten all about it on the Saturday Sainsburys Excursion - thank goodness for Sunday Shopping and M&S!) I was all set to have a go at the current trend of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cake_pop" target="_blank">cake pops</a>.<br />
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Having seen a fabulous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cake_pop" target="_blank">Halloween Number </a>- I thought I'd try a Christmas take - and do a Christmas Pudding Cake Pop!<br />
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I blitzed a 1lb Christmas pudding in the food processor and mixed it with about 250g of meted dark chocolate. This was then moulded into ball shapes and I stuck a lolly stick in at this point, the pops were then refrigerated for a couple of hours.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YoH2831p9LY/UMekd6otFXI/AAAAAAAAAWY/zPffO75KqL0/s1600/pops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YoH2831p9LY/UMekd6otFXI/AAAAAAAAAWY/zPffO75KqL0/s400/pops.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Christmas Pudding Pops</td></tr>
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Secondly, I slightly reshaped the almost set pops to be rounder (the tops had flattened in the fridge!) and then coated them in melted dark chocolate. Once this had set, I added a drizzle of melted white chocolate and and couple of dots of red icing for that festive touch! Apparently they were very rich, but very yummy - I don't eat Christmas pud (anything with dried fruit in is a waste of good grapes in my book....but that's another story) but have it on good authority that they were a hit - needless to say they didn't last long!!<br />
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Back to the party - Hugo's all around ( a mix of Prosecco and elderflower cordial) and a fabulous spread and great company - what more could you ask for? We certainly had a great time, even H(5) perked up in the end - surrounded by a gaggle of girls who couldn't? We're very much looking forward to next year's bash!!Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-36494413858030180112012-12-04T11:16:00.000+01:002012-12-04T12:19:14.596+01:00Five go mad(der) in LondonLast weekend was THE BIG ONE...... yup, five slightly mad Expat ladies headed off to the big smoke sans husbands and children for a 'girlie weekend'. Not that we'd been counting down the minutes or anything, but you could say we got a wee bit excited about the whole thing - and fortunately, it pretty much lived up to expectations.<br />
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My fellow Expat <a href="http://kettwigefrau.blogspot.de/2012/11/under-influence.html" target="_blank">Kettwigefrau</a> gives a pretty good run down on how we came to be heading off to London for a carefree weekend in her Blog - so I won't go into much detail, save to say it included a fair bit of wine.... Anyway, tickets bought, bags packed, husbands almost all home (more of that later!), children farmed out and we are ready - London Town here we come!<br />
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The first hurdle was to make sure we actually could all make it. One husband was due to fly in on Friday lunchtime from the US, one wasn't due to arrive until Friday night from China, one was due to pick the children up at 5pm (and had us on tenterhooks just as we were waiting to board as he'd not arrived by then).. Fortunately, everything worked just fine and we could all get away! <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ITU2uiqaC-I/UL3MSNDtngI/AAAAAAAAAVM/1FCUTJO6uNM/s1600/airport.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="239" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ITU2uiqaC-I/UL3MSNDtngI/AAAAAAAAAVM/1FCUTJO6uNM/s320/airport.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready for Take Off</td></tr>
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I'm not quite sure Dusseldorf Airport was ready for a gaggle of giggling girlies on Friday afternoon - which is what we had morphed into - perhaps marginally over-excited (but who cares!) - and there were some decidedly odd glances at check-in - poor souls praying they weren't on the same flight and even more worryingly in the sixth seat in the row! KM who'd booked the tickets for us (saving up for a big air miles trip home....) had very kindly pre-booked our seats on the way out and lucky old us - we were in Row 1. Cue much commentary on the crew - the co-pilot who was very young, and our steward Alex - who was 25 if you were even minutely interested, but we managed to find that out - and in 'Lucky Seat F' was Paul (35) from Sussex - I could probably give you a run down of his full life history and vital statistics seeing that post a couple of glasses of wine, KP who was sitting next to him was unstoppable!<br />
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So we make Gatwick unscathed - even immigration was remarkably straight forward - the Americans in our party waltzed through with no trouble at all - although I was slightly dubious of the answer to the "what are you coming to England for?" question given by KM "to go shopping and drinking" - and well wouldn't you know she was the first one through!! Bags collected we traipsed to find our onward connection via the lottery that is the UK rail network, but even that was running smoothly, on time, not overcrowded and even a clean train (wonders will never cease). And then there we were - London (well Clapham but we won't split hairs over which side of the river counts...) Well for 2 of our party it was the first time in the UK, and London didn't disappoint - black cabs, double deckers, men in shorts - all good for first impressions!!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o1kK0YdDy3I/UL3cDHGxZjI/AAAAAAAAAV0/no1uu2uPxNM/s1600/vanda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-o1kK0YdDy3I/UL3cDHGxZjI/AAAAAAAAAV0/no1uu2uPxNM/s320/vanda.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coffee and Cake in the V&A Courtyard</td></tr>
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Friday night passed in a haze of red and prosecco - quicker for some of us than others - I understand the hardcore were up well past the witching hour! Saturday - our only full day here - and boy did we have plans. We may have been up bright and early, but we didn't really get out till getting on for lunchtime - partly due to too much chit chat and partly due to the magnificent Full English Breakfast provided by our hosts - top stuff thank you! So full of bacon, sausage, egg, beans etc, etc, we hit Sainsburys (an English supermarket) and Oh My God - you've never seen anything like it - D who came with us as unpaid Sherpa/pack horse didn't know which way to look, apparently, our eyes lit up and then we ladies scattered..... Now some of us know Sainsburys and had come with very specific lists, but for our New (to) England(ers!) it was a novel experience - and a proper supermarket not like what you find here. So about three quarters of an hour later (I only went in for three things....) and with D very laden, we head off for the rest of the day, with strict instructions of where to meet and when. The 2 Vs and KM headed to the Kings Road for some shopping fun and KP and I hotfooted it to the <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/" target="_blank">V&A</a> to indulge in some cultural highlights. We had tickets for the <a href="http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/exhibitions/ballgowns/" target="_blank">Ballgowns Exhibition</a> which was beautiful and we also managed to see the jewellery, some fabulous stained glass and have coffee and cake outside in the courtyard!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ioPIuB5F0gE/UL3MVguqqEI/AAAAAAAAAVU/SKlVCimirhQ/s1600/club.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ioPIuB5F0gE/UL3MVguqqEI/AAAAAAAAAVU/SKlVCimirhQ/s400/club.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At 'The Club'</td></tr>
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We then head up to Covent Garden for a sneaky bit of shopping (us being the non-shoppers) before we all met to go to H's club the <a href="http://www.crazybeargroup.co.uk/coventgarden/lounge.html" target="_blank">Crazy Bear</a>, for some well earned liquid refreshment. Mine was very definitely earned as KP had insisted we walk up the stairs at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Covent_Garden_tube_station" target="_blank">Covent Garden tube station</a> (about 10 storeys.....). We weren't there long (about two bottles worth!) before we were off again for a quick change and dine at the flat as we had tickets for the cabaret. Us Englanders had been looking forward to dinner - takeaway curry - delivered too - a real treat! Unfortunately, it didn't quite live up to our expectations - the curry itself was pretty good, but the Naan and the Bhajis really didn't make the grade - in fact when we asked D the next morning if he'd enjoyed his Bhajis (he'd eaten after us once we'd left - sensible chap!) he said we'd not left him any - but that the dumpling things were alright!<br />
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So semi sated we head back to the bus for our evening's entertainment - the <a href="http://www.forevercrazy.co.uk/" target="_blank">Crazy Horse</a> cabaret - this didn't get off to a good start as the wine was shocking.... most of us managed to sip it a bit before casually putting the glass down somewhere and sauntering off. For us, not to finish a glass of wine (given that we'd been on the bubbles most of the afternoon) is quite something! So the cabaret starts and it's all legs and boobs - now, I was expecting a significant amount of nudity - but I was rather expecting a bit more variety in the show rather than just dancing. I noticed several people around us leave at the interval - and ironically they then missed the only other act which was a fabulous drum/tap number (the applause for that sketch was more than for the whole show at the end.). Needless to say we were a bit underwhelmed. What the show lacked in entertainment though, the group of drunk, bra-less, middle-aged women in front of us made up for and gave us all something to laugh about for the rest of the evening - thank you ladies!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yg7AqZjU8uM/UL3MW3MDdaI/AAAAAAAAAVc/zZfv6BVrofg/s1600/homeagain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yg7AqZjU8uM/UL3MW3MDdaI/AAAAAAAAAVc/zZfv6BVrofg/s320/homeagain.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Homeward Bound</td></tr>
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On Sunday we had the morning to fill and managed a lovely brunch in Clapham at All Bar One (more prosecco and bloody marys) - and even some shopping (on a Sunday!) we popped into M&S for some forgotten essentials and some sausage rolls for KP (had to be M&S - nothing else would cut the mustard!) before heading back to Gatwick and back to Germany. Now, all I need is to catch up on some sleep and give my liver a rest! A top weekend, lots of fun and laughter and I can't wait to do it again - where next I wonder?<br />
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-72905890182407132282012-11-25T10:35:00.003+01:002012-11-25T10:35:59.317+01:00All the fun of the Fair<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday saw G's school's Christmas Fair. Still being relatively new to the school, we of course decided that we must go and support the Fair as much as we could. Whilst this time we were unable to give our time - we've had visitors this weekend, I did bake for the cake stand, and we turned up and participated in the activities and spent our 'wertmarken' on various goodies there. <br />
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The week beforehand, we had been asked to buy activities cards for the children (5Eur each) which would allow them to participate in various craft activities, these included fabric bag/wallet painting; candle making; orange and clove pomander making; biscuit decorating; face painting and an activity organised by a group of Japanese parents at the school which involved sticks and elastic bands (more of this later!)<br />
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I was pleasantly surprised at how busy the school was when we arrived, it seemed like a good turn-out, and of course the money we are all contributing is going towards the school and so will benefit the children so you don't mind too much the additional spending! There was a busy 'Christmas Market' zone in the main hall, at which some commercial traders had set out their wares - decorative items, calendars and the like. I have to admit to whizzing round for a cursory look before heading down to the children's activity zone and the cake/beer/grill tents!!<br />
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It seems from our experiences at Kindergarten, Football Club and now school that you can't use cash at these events where they sell food and drink. Instead, you need to buy 'Wertmarken', I'm not sure if this is just to make life easier for those on the stalls or to get round some sort of tax/licensing requirements. Anyway, I had my strips of tickets to exchange for goodies at school.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QpGf21_Y5MU/ULHku8Pf8fI/AAAAAAAAAUw/dqsXexwwZi4/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QpGf21_Y5MU/ULHku8Pf8fI/AAAAAAAAAUw/dqsXexwwZi4/s320/018.JPG" width="320" /></a>G wasn't up for taking part in any of the activities when we arrived, but once he saw H and L joining in he did decide that it was perhaps not such a bad idea after all. He'd had his eyes on the bamboo stick activity - this involved a convoluted contraption, constructed from bamboo sticks and elastic bands - this eventually turned into a functioning, elastic-band shooting gun - all of the children had done this activity and were careering around the playground shooting each other - absolute chaos - but out from under our hair!! <br />
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L and H were a bit more sedate, and decorated their canvass purses, studded oranges with cloves (oh how the smell makes me feel Christmassy!), H went for the face-painting and L got carried away with the biscuit decorating - this involved lots and lots of little sugar balls, very sticky fingers..... and a massive grin on her face! (thankfully I wasn't on tidying up duty afterwards - lots of excited children, and bowls of small sugar decorations - hundreds & thousands, silver balls and so on make for a large amount of debris under the table!)<br />
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Obviously an event like this wouldn't be complete without the obligatory bratwurst (or 2!) and a small beer to wash it down with! I've had it on good authority that the bratties were of top quality - and can vouch for the restorative powers of the beer myself! There was also a superbly well stocked cake stand with everything from baked cheesecake, to chocolate brownies, to flapjacks (mine!) to cupcakes and everything else in between!<br />
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All in all our first visit to the Christmas Fair seemed to be a great success, next year I will try to be more involved and help out - but well done St George's a resounding triumph! <br />
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-50798697852081247452012-11-23T09:28:00.000+01:002012-11-23T09:29:03.087+01:00Wine of the Month - November 2012<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-awT1yxZOrsA/UK8uDb6CZkI/AAAAAAAAATo/XCS_i1eup4g/s1600/aperol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-awT1yxZOrsA/UK8uDb6CZkI/AAAAAAAAATo/XCS_i1eup4g/s320/aperol.jpg" width="138" /></a>It's coming up to the party season and so thoughts are turning to celebratory drink (as if we need a reason!) and I want to point you in the direction of a sparkling-wine based cocktail to try, if you've not already.<br />
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Aperol seems to be on the rise here in Germany - and Aperol Spritzers are becoming very popular.<br />
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So what is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aperol" target="_blank">Aperol </a>then - the new Campari? It's an Italian bitter-orange flavoured aperitif, but who knew it also contains Gentian and Rhubarb?! Indeed, a quick browse on the interweb tells us that Aperol is indeed owned by Campari now and the main difference between the two seems only to be the alcohol content - with Campari being twice the strength of Aperol.<br />
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Now, the Aperol Spritz, a somewhat trendy beverage for me to be indulging in, but is actually very drinkable - perhaps a little too so!! You need a sparkling wine - I suppose seeing as it's an Italian drink, Prosecco should be called for, but any fizz will do. Then a good splash of Aperol, and then topped off with sparkling water - and there you have it, a lovely vibrantly orange coloured aperitif, ideally suited to Christmas parties (as you can drink a fair few and still be standing.....) or to summer lazing - and we need to look forward to the long warm summer evenings as it's dark and miserable now! Apreol spritzers will brighten any occasion!!<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R9MgZIdOTd8/UK8uCPrJQeI/AAAAAAAAATg/I1RbSMSXTrs/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-R9MgZIdOTd8/UK8uCPrJQeI/AAAAAAAAATg/I1RbSMSXTrs/s320/005.JPG" width="240" /></a>This being the land of the discount 'super'market, you can of course buy a variety of un-branded variations on the Aperol theme. The real thing will set you back about 10Eur a bottle here in Germany, but of course if you're somewhat miserly (like me) you'll want to shop for a bargain. I have to say, that the version I tried from Lidl is indeed a passable alternative - and at half the price would make a good option for a party drink! There you have it then - Bitterol the recommendation for November....<br />
Salute! <br />
<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-32636285204849973542012-11-19T12:44:00.001+01:002012-11-19T12:44:04.952+01:00In der Weihnachtsbäckerei - Plätzchenzeit<div style="text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-khu6BZgRamY/UKoZejO4jeI/AAAAAAAAATE/OUEa57DJ-cQ/s1600/PIC_0067.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-khu6BZgRamY/UKoZejO4jeI/AAAAAAAAATE/OUEa57DJ-cQ/s320/PIC_0067.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schönes Leckerei </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><i>"In der Weihnachtsbäckerei<br />gibt es manche Leckerei<br />Zwischen Mehl und Milch<br />macht so mancher Knilch<br />eine riesengroße Kleckerei.<br />In der Weihnachtsbäckerei</i><br /><i>In der Weihnachtsbäckerei"</i></span></div>
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This time of year, just before Advent is 'Plätzchenzeit' - the time in which the baking of Advent and Christmas biscuits is undertaken, the cookery magazines are full of recipes for the varying types of Plätzchen and the ingredients are often on special offer in the shops - or at the very least grouped into a seasonal display along with biscuit cutters, special baking trays and all the other accessories and implements one might need to bake these delicacies with.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A & H hard at work in the Weihnachtsbäckerei</td></tr>
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The words above, come from a traditional children's song and it's title translates as "In the Christmas Bakery", each year, as I read the recipes for these biscuits, or see them in the shops, I can't help but start humming the song to myself - it's one of the sure-fire signs that Christmas is on the way - and I love it!<br />
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So, what of the biscuits themselves? This year, A has been busy biscuit baking for us, we've had Vanillekipferl, a crumbly almond and vanilla biscuit shaped as a half moon; coconut macaroons - very yummy and moreish, and I'm not even a big fan of coconut and finally, black & white cookies - a chocolate/vanilla swirled cookie.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Schwarzweiß Gebäck / Black & White Biscuits</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coconut Macaroons</td></tr>
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These biscuits are very traditional to Germany at Christmas time, although the style and flavourings are anything but. Of course, there are the traditional Kipferl or Lebkuchen recipes, but a quick look on one of the German recipe sites <a href="http://www.chefkoch.de/rs/s0/weihnacht+platzchen/Rezepte.html" target="_blank">Chef Koch</a> brings up almost 5000 different 'Weihnacht Plätzchen' recipes - there's certainly no shortage of choice on shape, flavour, ingredients and so forth. There are variations from plain butter biscuits, to poppyseed or marzipan or nuts or dried fruits or rosehip paste. The shapes and decorations are endless - and what's more, in my experience they all taste pretty yummy too!Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-65421085977521070662012-11-16T18:44:00.000+01:002012-11-16T19:27:53.854+01:00Crock-pot Cock-upNever one to shy away from experimentation in the kitchen, I've naturally had my ups and downs. Fortunately, there have been more ups than downs, but this week saw an epic fail on my part.<br />
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It's not often I have to throw something away - and yes, this week I had to throw (most of) a whole dish out it was so revolting.<br />
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The story starts with me getting the slow cooker (Crock pot if you're from 'over the pond') out from it's summer hibernation and starting to get back in the swing of slow, languorous cooking resulting in melt-in-the-mouth moist stews; thick, hearty warming soups or slow roast pieces of brisket and the like. So slow cooker installed on the worktop, I decide that a risotto must be doable in the slow cooker - and therefore bung in the ingredients, onion, garlic, herbs (thyme and oregano), chicken, stock and rice and pop it on and away I go.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sPzxc7iJFSs/UKZ2q2Q0zvI/AAAAAAAAARk/iLO9Q2breiU/s1600/PIC_0007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-sPzxc7iJFSs/UKZ2q2Q0zvI/AAAAAAAAARk/iLO9Q2breiU/s320/PIC_0007.JPG" width="320" /></a>So far so good - well I say that but it didn't look overly appetising at this point, but such is the art of a slow cooker that sometimes things which look the most unappealing and unassuming turn into things of great joy over the hours - this time it was not to be.<br />
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When I came home from the school run, the house is suffused with a wonderful smell of cooking chicken and aromatic herbs - at this point I'm quite hopeful for a good supper - then I get to the pot. I look inside. Somehow, all those lovely ingredients and that wonderful smell looks like something the cat threw up (if indeed I had a cat - that is what I would assume it to look like). I taste it - oh my, it is so utterly revoltingly pappy that I cannot bring myself to eat it myself, let alone serve it to the family. There's only one thing for it - rescue remedy.<br />
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I carefully pick out the pieces of chicken and rinse them under the hot tap - thinking I can transform the cooked chicken into another dish easily enough. The wallpaper paste pot of rice is unceremoniously dumped into the bin. The chicken was added to a tomato ragu and served with pasta and passable enough so not all was lost - thankfully.<br />
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I remain convinced that a risotto is slow-cooker friendly and am not entirely sure what went wrong with mine - perhaps I ought to look at a recipe -or measure some ingredients - you never know that might help!<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ttgXxei4R1c/UKZ21AjSisI/AAAAAAAAARs/HnKWVhdU2bk/s1600/PIC_0014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ttgXxei4R1c/UKZ21AjSisI/AAAAAAAAARs/HnKWVhdU2bk/s320/PIC_0014.JPG" width="320" /></a>Never one to be put off, I try the slow cooker again the following night - this time a somewhat 'out-there' recipe which involves cooking a ham joint on a bed of sugar. And well, it was a triumph! No messy burnt on sugar to deal with, just melt in the mouth Kassler with a sumptuously sticky sauce - perhaps only to be improved upon with a slug of rum next time, or some Chinese spices - I was hoping for leftovers for sandwiches for lunch - but no such luck.<br />
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The recipe I read called for 400g of dark brown sugar (not very easy to get hold of in Germany) - I only had 250g of light muscavado sugar so used that instead - and a ham joint - I used a peice of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kassler" target="_blank">Kassler </a>which is a smoked, cured pork from Germany, and that was it. The recipe calls for 10 hours on low - but I only put it in at 1.30 so it had 4 hours on high then the leftover bit went on low for a couple more hours once the children had had their share!<br />
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The moral of the story - try, try and try again - never let a culinary disaster deter you from your dishes!Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-59160424831633500942012-11-16T09:34:00.000+01:002012-11-16T09:34:04.704+01:00Laterne, Laterne, Sonne Mond und Sterne...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Yesterday at Kindergarten we celebrated the story of St Martin in a traditional way with a lantern parade. The official saint's day for St Martin is 11 November and as that was a Sunday this year, we celebrated on the next closest day.<br />
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The story is that of St Martin of Tours, who as a Roman Soldier gave away half his cloak to a beggar who turned out to be Jesus - see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_of_Tours" target="_blank">here</a> for more information about St. Martin.<br />
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At this time of year, Kindergarten swings into full <i>Blue Peter</i> mode with the building of lanterns which we parade around the village on a light stick. This year, having 2 children at Kindergarten, I had the joy of two lanterns. Fortunately, the wee girle's one was simple as she's only 2, but they get progressively more intricate as the years progress, we have done all manner of designs from simple glowing balls to sheep, crows and witches! So, about 2 weeks ago, we met at school for a 'bastel-abend' an afternoon of cutting, sticking, drawing etc - I think I was more covered in glue than the lantern but then I'm not known for my crafting abilities! All this is of course accomplished with much chat, coffee and biscuits! After we had all finished the lanterns, there was a wee practise of the 'Martinslieder' the special songs we sing whilst parading (today's title is a line from one of the songs).<br />
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So roll on to last night's parade. We all meet in the dark at the appointed time at Kindergarten and form a parade to walk around the block next to the Kindergarten - for this we have a procession starting with the village policeman, then St. Martin on his horse, then the <i>Maltesers </i>(not the confectionery, but a <a href="http://www.malteser.de/" target="_blank">First Aid organisation</a>), then the <i>Vorschulekinder </i>(these are the biggest Kindergartners so aged 5/6), then a brass band to provide the music for our singing and finally the rest of the rabble of Kindergartners ranging from 2 - 4 with associated parents, grandparents and siblings - quite a feat for a small village Kindergarten - and all for a walk of about 500m!<br />
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Having paraded and sung, we then congregate on the football pitch next to the Kindergarten where there is a bonfire roaring in order to watch a small piece depicting St Martin sharing his cloak with the beggarman.<br />
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Having sung and paraded, it's then back inside to continue with another tradition of the day, the <i>Weckmann</i> which is a gingerbreadman shaped cake made from a sweet yeast dough and tradionally has raisins for eyes and a clay pipe. These are handed out to all of the children at the <i>Fest</i>. We used to then celebrate with <i>Bratwurst und Glühwein</i>, but after an unfortunate minesweeping incident at last year's Sommerfest, we are now 'dry' for Kindergaten events - which does make them that bit more difficult to get through!Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-16854750752831300302012-11-15T20:15:00.000+01:002012-11-16T09:33:31.523+01:00Schularzt UntersuchungAnd so back to the fun and games that is German bureaucracy.....<br />
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H (5) is in the last year of Kindergarten and next year becomes 'Schulpflichtig' meaning that he is required by law to attend school, no not be educated / learn etc but actually, physically go to a school and be taught there - you are not allowed to home school in Germany (in fact one <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/27/german-home-schooling-family-asylum" target="_blank">German family was granted asylum</a> in the USA as their human rights had been infringed by not being allowed to home school - but that's a whole other kettle of fish). As part of the preparation for entry into Primary School or Grundschule, each 5 year old is required to attend a pre-school medical.<br />
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This appointment is generated automatically and you are required to attend the regional health department to see the civil service doctors for a series of tests and examinations to ensure that the child is ready to go to school and that it can enter mainstream schooling without any problems. We did this today, and H is not due (by German standards) to go to school until August when the next academic year starts, although we have chosen to opt out of the German state system and enter the International school system here instead and he will start after Christmas (this is a bit of a fudge of the two systems, UK and German - H would have started Reception in the UK last year but in the German system wouldn't start until next year - so he's going into Year 1 in January hopefully early enough not to have missed too much in the UK system, but with long enough in a German speaking Kindergarten to get the language well grounded).<br />
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We arrive a bit before the duly appointed time - and fortunately, they're running early (hurrah!) so H gets taken in to an office for a hearing and sight check whilst I have to grapple with some German forms about his behaviour and social skills (I can't help but think if I'd been in the UK that the form would have been provided in my own language to make it all a bit easier) I wasn't sure I'd completely grasped the right way to answer the questions but on further discussion with the doctor's assistant it seemed I had, thank goodness! H then had to answer a series of basic questions based upon counting and colours etc as well as some simple drawing/copying tasks. He accomplished all this without problem fortunately.<br />
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His 'Red Book' or baby record was checked for immunisation details, birth details, weights and measurements - and this always causes debate as the UK and Germany don't share the same immunisation schedules, the same system of developmental checks, even the same basic recording of birth data - so we muddle through and understand that some information is not available - cue much huffing and puffing - and that yes, I do know we haven't had X jab or done Y check - in this case, Hepatitis B being the immunisation - not regularly done in the UK, part of the standard baby jabs in Germany and also no significant baby development checks - done very regularly in Germany and not at all in the UK (see my post on the <a href="http://emmasexpatadventures.blogspot.de/2012/06/developmental-checks-u-appointments.html" target="_blank">U Appointments</a> for more on these checks). Anyway we beg to differ, but all is well.<br />
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We then have to wait to see the real doctor - and after a while are called through and some of the same checks are repeated, followed by some more complex drawing and describing exercises - well all going well here until H is asked to repeat something which he'd already said - and down comes the wall and he's not playing ball anymore - had enough of doing and saying and following instruction. Now I'm sure this is all part and parcel of ensuring they are ready for school, but H is a very stubborn fellow and an immovable force - thank goodness after much cajoling, threatening and stern talking to he finally went back to finish most of the exercises and we have our signed piece of paper to say we are ready for school - not that it actually matters as he has his place for January anyway, but these hoops are here to jump through. The threat that he'd have to come back and go through the whole thing again was too much to contemplate for him and me and fortunately he saw sense and got back to it.<br />
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Of course, once we'd left the building the little darling was full of all the answers to the questions asked of him, and could I shut the bugger up!Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-54449254325250522012012-11-11T10:48:00.001+01:002012-11-11T10:48:20.329+01:00Dressed to Impress....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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the table that is - not me! Last night we played hosts to some friends for dinner and I'd decided to push the boat out somewhat and step up from last time's curry banquet!<br />
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After much deliberation I'd narrowed down the menu to - something cheesy to start with, followed by lamb (my absolute favourite meat - and not the easiest to get hold of here in Germany - you can really only get frozen New Zealand imports unless it's Easter) and then I thought something chocolaty for pudding.<br />
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So far so good - but the loose airy ideas needed focusing into dinner. Well, being Autumn, we needed something warming and hearty - and that didn't require too much last minute attention - after all who wants to leave their guests to don a pinny and faff in the kitchen - not me, that's for sure! I therefore plumped for braised lamb shanks - something I could get going and then forget about. After much perusal of recipe books and the interweb, I came across this <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/rioja-braised_lamb_66249" target="_blank">Lorraine Pascale </a>recipe on the BBC Good Food website and felt it was just what I was looking for, strong robust flavours which had mellowed over the 5hours I cooked it for.<br />
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Main course sorted I then went to work on the starter. I'd fancied something cheesy and was erring on the goats cheese/red onion combo which I know works well, but then thought I'd try something slightly different and I decided to add beetroot to the mix - so I was after a beetroot chutney/relish type recipe. Despite copious amounts of googling, I couldn't find a recipe I was happy with - so had a go at throwing something of my own together and came up with my own beetroot relish recipe.<br />
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500g Beetroot<br />
1 bulb Garlic<br />
1 Red Onion<br />
Thyme<br />
Sugar<br />
Red Wine Vinegar<br />
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I roasted the beetroot and garlic till soft (wrapped each piece in foil) then fried the chopped red onion in olive oil and added the soft roasted garlic and some thyme and fried a bit more. The I added the roasted beetroot which I'd diced. Briefly mixed together, I then added about 3 tablespoons of sugar and about 150-200ml of red wine vinegar (just guessing here as I didn't measure it). I left this to boil on the hob until it had acquired a deep purple colour and a jam-like consistency - and voila!<br />
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I made some shortcrust pasty tartlet shells and put the relish in the cooked tarts and topped each one with a generous slice of a Camembert style cows cheese and grilled it before serving with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. <br />
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We paired the Cheese Tartlets and the Lamb Shanks with the Nembus wine - which was <a href="http://emmasexpatadventures.blogspot.de/search/label/Wine" target="_blank">wine of the month in October</a> - and it definitely hit the right notes with both dishes - suitably robust to cut through the Camembert and the richness of the lamb, but not so much to overpower either dish.<br />
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And so to pudding....... well chocolate was definitely order of the day - and I pulled out all the stops and attempted this <a href="http://irenesleckereien.blogspot.de/2012/04/moelleux-au-chocolat-ohne-butter-von.html" target="_blank">Moelleux au Chocolat </a>which was actually a remarkably easy pud to make - it didn't need quite so much cooking as suggested on the recipe but was still moist and very, very moreish! The pudding is a butter-free recipe ( so almost diet food!!) The melted chocolate and cream ganache was mixed with egg yolks, ground almonds and a tablespoon of flour, then a meringue mixture was folded in, the resulting batter baked for 30 minutes to give a moist, sunken cake - which I think could probably be slightly improved upon with a generous slug of Cointreau or Armagnac or the like - will have to remember that next time I try! Served with cream it was actually a lot lighter than I thought it might be and so finished the meal off perfectly.<br />
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<br />Mmmmmm Lecker!<br />
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<br />Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2438130761215715028.post-28904399518000439342012-10-14T16:26:00.004+02:002012-10-16T18:43:39.356+02:00Puff the Magic Dragon<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MjEijbvfoaY/UHrLTex_keI/AAAAAAAAANc/y_wLICly3jk/s1600/mavis.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MjEijbvfoaY/UHrLTex_keI/AAAAAAAAANc/y_wLICly3jk/s320/mavis.jpeg" width="156" /></a>lives by the sea, and frolics in the Autumn mist in a land called Essen-Kettwig (or something like that!) well we - 'Puff's Power Girls' frolicked alongside the Ruhr yesterday afternoon and partook of a Dragonboat Regatta.<br />
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Well we all showed up - 10 <strike>rowers </strike>paddlers, and one drummer girl so that was an achievement in the first place. We were all appropriately clad in the PPG get up - pink hair, pink hoodie, tutu.... you get the picture! And we were ready to rock (the boat) and roll (following a fortifying glass of bubbles!)<br />
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Eleven eccentrically clad expat ladies had entered a team in the local regatta - quite what we were thinking I'm not entirely sure..... Five of us had managed to attend our one and only training session (so that left half the team sitting in a dragonboat for the first time yesterday) but we were all more than willing and so buoyed up buy the Adrenalin and high spirits from the over-excited squeakiness that only 11 girls in pink can manage (and the bubbles of course!) we traipsed through town and down to the river - I'm not quite sure what the locals made of us - but we were <i>very </i>chatty with them en route....<br />
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How did we come to be in this predicament... well we have to thank <a href="http://kettwigefrau.blogspot.de/" target="_blank">Kettwigefrau </a>and <a href="http://lipstickandlaptop.blogspot.de/" target="_blank">Lipstick&Laptop</a> for their (drunken) suggestion that we ladies should mount a team (our own I mean here and not one of the Lycra clad real rowers......) and participate in the annual local regatta. Having seen the flyer, we noticed the <i>encouragement </i>of fancy dress ( and indeed a prize for the most original) and of course most of our focus was on that and not the rowing. We might have won the prize for the costumes (YAY!!!!) but for course we hadn't taken the racing seriously enough by half (this <i>is </i>Germany....) and of course we came last - 20 out of 20. We were most disgruntled to have to race back to back for the booby prize as that meant we were somewhat delayed in reaching the beer tent......<br />
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But, do you know what - despite the ridiculous outfits and the shockingly poor paddling performance, we had an absolute ball! We were out there - pink and proud and chatting away to all and sundry and I think we embodied the 'it's not the winning but the taking part' mantra! We had a great deal of very welcome support from (some very embarrassed) friends and family - Thank You All!<br />
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And so what next - well next year's regatta is already in the diary - but we're thinking a 20 man mixed team would be the way forward - but we need a good costume idea for the boys...... not sure pink and tutus is quite their thing!Expat Emmahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16050289349936244751noreply@blogger.com2