I usually ignore the doorbell because it's usually for the dentist upstairs and I am sick of having to let in punters who aren't coming to visit me anyway. Yesterday after much ignoring it turned into a knock on MY door.......someone must have let said person in downstairs. I opened it and was greeted by two large very chatty German guys who calmly walked passed me into MY flat and preceded to measure the old unused oven. They threw questions at me and in panic I alternated between 'Ya' and ' Nein' not having a clue what was going on. Definately time to get back to german school. They left seeming happy and me laughing hysterically. Have I agreed to have a new heating system installed? Has the F sent around builders to measure up for a gorgeous, new flat screen TV? Or am I just going bonkers? Whatever...I need a German language brain implant.

The old unused oven story

The plan

Had a very grey weekend. The weather here is getting to me and last night I woke up many times with many plans. Was it a full moon CNL? It must have been. So the one plan I have settled on is to learn German really fast ( which means doing a year long course I reckon) or not, then have another wee Elf to accompany the Elf, then travel the world with a stop over in NZ to study with thebest yoga teacher in the world, then set up a yoga centre in somewhere very warm by the sea and during all this become a visual artist with my one very good idea, which I'm not going to share just now.

The Reichstag

Tour guide

Apparently people have stopped breeding in Germany so new laws have been introduced to encourage everyone to produce babies. These include giving lots of money to the father if he takes off two months in the first year of the babies life on top of his salary.....not bad eh! Anyway I have been introduced to a new side of Berlin as M an M, two children and baby have been here all week. I have been tour guide for the week and have been amazed at how having a baby helps! We have been fast tracked away from the cold cue outside the Reichstag and put in special warm lift and zoomed to the top and down again. " Thankyou baby frank" who managed to sleep through the whole event. We have received so many gifts, sweets, cakes and extras in every cafe and restaurant that I am not surprised that the germany economy isn't booming. So I suggest anyone wanting a baby comes here.......The famous five return to Herne Hill tonight and I will return to my hausfrau duties and try to find the floor again under the jungle of lego, clothes, tents, starwars, boxes and sweetie wrappers. That was a fun week......

Bekannt is short for famous.

Last night managed to limp to a performance which could have been classified as dance, music or theatre and was definately the best thing I've seen here yet. The highlight was Graham Valentine singing from his soul and his feet. Never heard or seen anything like it. See him if you can.
Meanwhile today, Berlin is filling up with filmstars for the Berlinale. Apparently the biggest Film festival after Cannes? So now, German books in hand I intend to head down to the local Berlinale caf in search of a few British stars........ and learn a little German of course. My new method of learning this incredibly difficult language is to watch lots of television and read lots of magazines and pick a theme a day to work on......laterx

Todays German theme: Bekannt British filmstars

Schlittfahren

Just returned from lovely London (Sorry CNL never did manage that Indian......but back in March!). Friends happily took over my blogging time but now with no friends here I'm back with it. Sunday went sledging for the first time ever and The F had to deal with hysterical screams and over excitedness from both myself and the Elf. He spent his whole childhood doing this...........
Yesterday went to a dance class and a yoga class and now can't walk. Ended up going for Indian dinner with ten strangers and wandered home at 1am through huge amounts of falling snow. Wow Berlin looked beautiful. A lovely evening and even managed the odd broken conversation in German ( Ha ha). The F had visions of me falling into the hands of some gorgeous yogi never to return. But no I am back blogging away much to The F's relief. The snow is disappearing fast now and my inability to walk has left me house bound. Incase you 're interested the reason being the tortoise posture. Can't find an image I'm afraid but it involves sitting down, body forward over legs and then getting both your ankles around your shoulders?! Don't think I will be trying that one again for some time.

Word of the day: Die Schildkröte