Any colder and I'm out of here.....

Yesterday it was -17 outside and -15 inside. I was about to grab bag and passport and head off to nearest warm destination when knock on door by friendly female plumber with hairdryer stopped me. Yes, on the coldest day of the year the heating decides to pack up and for a hausfrau, needing to study this is a complete and utter no no. After all I have been back in Berlin for two days....and would like to complete the week if possible.

So friendly plumber precedes to search flat for a reason. Haben Sie eine Terrasse? Hurrah my German is improving. I took her to the Balcony and she found the problem, 'Ach so, Ach so, Nay ya'. She almost smiled. So, frozen pipe INSIDE flat by balcony is heated up with 10 minutes of hairdrying and heating worked. Wow. I tried to hand her a 100 euro note but she was having none of it and left. She must have been my guardian plumber? I switched up heating to 25 degrees as the H wasn't in and left flat to go to Dentist.

Another story. The Dentist, Herr something lives above us. There are so many dentists here that there is one for approximately every 120 people in Berlin and almost one in every block of flats. As I walked in I was hoping that was the reason why it was so empty and was greeted by three dental assistants. I filled in form which took 30 minutes and involved a panicked scramble through the dictionary and then got called into very clean, very quiet, very white room with only bird and water sounds in the background. Herr something introduced himself, goodness knows what as, and I cracked what I thought was a joke about my broken tooth being caused by the German bread...............lots of silence later. I understood almost nothing except luckily, lift up your left hand if it hurts. Clenching my left fist he preceded to make me a tooth and fit it without me noticing anything. Wow. Second time today. I was truly impressed. So, if any of you need a dentist this seems to be worth the flight......and all for only 10 euro.

Word of the day: die Faust ( fist)

Mailand or Milan or Milano

Have spent the last few days in Milan and I can now honestly say that I am feeling more like a nomad than ever before and definately not feeling like a resident German. The Elf and I arrived at Schönefeld airport only to discover that the ticket I had booked for her was no where on the sysem. So what to do? Couldn't really leave a stranded seven year old Elf and hop onto a plane with the parting words 'Bye bye honey I am sure you can find your way home.' However the Elf being much more intelligent than myself decided perhaps that I had written the wrong reference number down. A Z is a 2 and the Elf says I need to work on my handwriting?
Since when has Milan been called Mailand? Well, always apparently in this country. Once more needed some help from the Elf to find out which destination to go for........
Milan is warm. Milan is full of the most gorgeous pasta one has ever tasted. Milan is full of Italian.........and oh I wish, I wish I was learning Italian instead of the big G.......but don't tell the F!
Italian fits my mouth better and my soul better. I can wave my arms around saying Ciao Bella, va bene, vorrei un taxi and everyone knows what I am talking about.
There is a wonderful market place in milan where you can have secret conversations from one corner to the other. The accoustics are such that one can stand and whisper into one corner and it can be heard by someone in the other corner. If you get what I mean? Had much fun with the Elf....

Words of the day: vin rosso, vin bianco, vin secco

Snow

I don't remember the last time it really snowed in London? Can anyone remind me? Tonight is the second time since being in Berlin that it has........and I love it. I am secretly hoping that it will snow all night and then I can stay in all day and skive my only one job of the week. ( hee hee) By Thursday however it has to clear because I fly to see the other Scottish redhead and her new wee one. Life is good but I am feeling a little more guilty by the day for my lack of German learning and job hunting. Check out this. The blonde librarian hasn't had a job since 2002 so what am I worried about?

It must be a redhead thing.

Your HARE DAEMON represents your passive,
kindhearted, and honorable nature. Though you
are occasionally shy with new people, friends
admire your unshakable tranquility, even in the
face of chaos.


What Animal Would Your Daemon Settle As?
brought to you by Quizilla

Speaking backwards

Chocolate man left on Thursday with a trail of yummy Suisse goodys behind him and I attempted to return to the life I had here before Christmas. Finally got to the gym and managed a conversation with woman behind desk which went a little like this,
Hallo
Hallo
Kan ich eine termine machen
Ya,wenn?
Nächste woche
Gut, danke

Piss easy this language......
However, I have realised that it is now January and I should have a job and should be speaking fluently with the F. Mmmmmm. So on Thursday evening the family Maflings went for dinner and spoke only German. What a laugh that was!! The Elf suddenly after speaking not a german word with us rambled away as if she had never known any different ( how unfair is that ?) I however, stumbled with a vocab of twenty words and wished I had stayed at home in the safety of laptop land. If I have only one resolution this year it is this.
By 2007 I will be able to have a conversation in German using the perfect German grammar and a conversation in English using the perfect English grammar.

I will to bed soon go be.

Christmas decorations are down. In our house anyway. In Germany there is no such ' take them down date' . Isn't the world supposed to end and for there to be a year of bad luck if you don't take them down by the sixth?

Not here it seems so I share with you my favourite tree of the season ( apart from Sharksters of course!)

Being Home?

Well we have returned to Berlin. It was very strange flying over the London town and leaving the Sharkster and the TH and all the high buildings and the noise. Berlin is sooooo quiet and lots of snow which is lovely. we arrived back to find a big HAPPY NEW YEAR sign on the door and the chocolate man in residence. He thinks he lives here now and that we were coming to visit him??This has made the return a little happier because he is noisy and always brings lots of chocolates and laughs with him. New York was quite wonderful and I know I will return soon but first it seems that we are inundated with friends visits and trips to
other places. So to continue hausfrauing for a little longer and back to my one job a week
starting tomorrow.............and of those New Year Resolutions? What were they? I simply can't remember. Is it the jetlag or have I just given up on trying so hard? This is the year to get unfit, get drunk, spend money and work less.

The Elf view of New York.....

Four things

Four places I have lived:
1. London
2. Brussels
3. Birmingham
4. Berlin

Four jobs I have done:
1. Road census researcher
2. Foley Artist
3. Filmstar( ha ha) Knights and Emeralds
4. Checkout assistant ( British Home Stores)

Four favourite cafes:
1. Maison Bertaux ( London)
2. Cafe Einstein (Berlin)
3. Chartiers ( Paris)
4. ( for chocolate man meetings) F and M

Four favourite places
1. Brockwell Park
2. Khao Lak, Thailand
3. The sea
4. Top of the Empire State Building

Four favourite foods
1. Indian
2. Indian
3. Indian
4. Indian

Four favourite films
1. Rear Window
2. Delicatessan
3. Breakfast at Tiffanys
4. Hairdresser's Husband

Four phrases of the year
1. Whatever.
2. Do we have...........?
3. Ich hätte gern einen Karotten saft
4. I'll be there in a minute.


.......to be continued in 2006

The year just going....

So 2005 was quite eventful. In January I was unmarried, living in London, wondering where the next money was coming from and contemplating a life of comfortable regularity. ( Ha ha) It is December and I am sitting in New York, married, living in Berlin, without a job, with a little more money and trying out the hausfrau existence and contemplating a life of frequent holidays and personal development. Wow! What will 2006 bring,
Twins?
Travels to india and Chile?
A Madonna body?
Another language?
An installation?
Sleep?
New friends?
Air miles?

Happy New year,


The very happy Purplemafling XX