I am......

Your Elf Name Is...

Floppy Cartwheels

What's Your Elf Name?

New York New York

Well, yes I apologise for my lack of blog. Arrived in New york and there has been no time as such. However, the Elf has been blogging away and keeping up with all happenings so I don't feel so bad about it. The Sharkster and TH are the perfect hosts and despite the Transit strike all has been fabulous. I was last here seven years ago while pregnant with the Elf so it is wonderful to be back to show her the sights properly. Have done it all. Even tried out the Hospitals but not for the Elf this time thank goodness. After the flight I had the blocked ear syndrome which always puts me into a bit of a panic and makes me feel like I am permanently on a very rough sea. So, advice from the Sharkster and we walked the 40 blocks up town and I was greeted by the doctor. First questions.........Do you have mental health problems, drug abuse, alcohol intake? All clothes off and they irrigated my ears and I happily left $400 lighter of pocket.
New York is a wonderful place and I definately won't want to leave The Sharkster and the TH. Boo hoo.

Words of the week: Happy Holidays

Krankenhaus ( part two)

Well the Elf seems to be getting into the habit of having an accident a week these days and I am hoping that she grows out of this phase quickly because I am aging rapidly. However, I will soon be qualified as Purplemafling SRN extraordinaire. Last Friday involved me turning up to school to find an ambulance outside. I did not think for a moment after last weeks events that this could be for Ms Elf. How she does it out of 280 children I do not know. Much panic from me because no one seems to believe that I DO NOT yet speak German and I discover she has had a fight with a spade. How a plastic spade, a sand pit and a best friend can cause that much blood I don't know. Anyway we didn't really need the ambulance but went for the ride anyway and lots of proper SRN's ran around and glued up the cut between her eyes. Phew!
I am a little confused however as to why the school called an ambulance for a cut and ignored a broken arm for five hours? Oh well, maybe I just need to accept that things are different here. If I can make it to Friday without another event I will be singing all the way to NYC and be drinking all the way into the New Year.

The Krankenhaus

Well, it has been an eventful week. I have had to miss a lot of school but have learned many new german medical terms. The reason being that the Elf broke her arm on Monday skating. Her school didn't seem to realize ?????? and I went to pick her up at the normal time and was a little shocked to see her arm looking somewhat strange and stiff. But, about suing the school........Need to look in my dictionary before attempting to go ahead with that one.
German hospitals I have to say are,as one would expect, very clean, efficient and organized. No one in casualty, no waiting time ( King's hospital you could learn a few tricks here) lots of doctors and lots of disinfectant. However, they did forget to give me the vital bit of information, Don't feed Elf because she might need an operation. So three tangerines, biscuits and rice cakes later they decide they do want to operate on the arm but can't because being a mother I have fed her everything in my bag. A lot of tutting and cross looks at me and then they plaster the elfs arm up and tell us to return in the morning when they will add a bit of cork? Yes, my German is really improving with this one.....If this doesn't work then they will operate.
So we have spent the week in and out of the Krankenhaus and at one point they did decide to operate and I got to wear a great nurses costume complete with rubber boots and the Elf had some medicine which made her very drunk and hilariously funny. I wasn't laughing then but now luckily all seems fine so I can. Just before op they said to me. 'Hast sie einen Schrittmaker'. It sounded very important and all I could think of was why didn't I learn German years ago because now it REALLY MATTERS. Anyway, after much miming over the drunk, giggling Ella who was trying to reach for the lights I understood. " Has she a pacemaker fitted?!"
So it's now Saturday and we have spent the day shopping for clothes to fit over broken arms. And that brings me to a possible new career. Thought I would set up 'The broken limb clothing factory'.
Off to study hard and learn how to say. " How the fuck do you not notice a child with a broken arm in your class for five hours after it has happened. You are well and truly sued."

Words of the week:
Der Gips-plastercast
schmerzhaft-painful
Schlittschuh laufen-skating
Die operation- operation
Das Geschenk-present
Der Chirurg- Surgeon