So that was Christmas…

All those days of rushing around like a lunatic, trying to get cards written, gifts wrapped and packages sent are now over, culminating in family and friends in various locations spending about a minute tearing off the wrapping paper and briefly admiring my offerings before moving on to the next brightly wrapped gift.

I sent a friend in England chocolate-coated Lebkuchen (a German gingerbread), which she has informed me she could happily eat every day of the year. Success!

My mum loves her posh herbal tea and has already started reading her book. My sister liked her book too.

My brother’s deodrant goes with shower gel and aftershave he got from other people. He’s happy because the scent he wanted is expensive and he couldn’t have afforded it himself!

The last few days my Facebook newsfeed has been full of photos and statuses referring to various babies’ first Christmases. Many of my friends gave birth to their first child this year and of course Christmas had to be recorded in minute detail. I’m sure I would be the same if it were ever to happen to me. Very cute photos of small children in their Christmas pyjamas. Those born at the beginning of the year are old enough to at least be somewhat aware, even if they did find the wrapping paper much more interesting than the gifts inside.

Our Christmas was busy. We arrived at Jan’s dad’s fairly late on 23 December. Christmas Eve for the Germans is Christmas day, but only in the evening. Until around 1 pm it’s an ordinary day and the shops are open. We went for a walk around the village then ate Lebkuchen while drinking tea. In the evening we ate sausages and potato salad before opening a few presents – one each for Jan and I. The rest had to wait until “my” Christmas. At midnight I opened another gift – a tradition in my family!

Early on the morning of 25 December we drove down to Jan’s dad’s girlfriend’s place (overuse of apostrophes in that sentence!). More gifts were exchanged there. By the time I’ve eaten all my chocolates I may never want to see another one again! Lunch was fish in a creamy sauce served with potatoes and tomatoes baked over with lots of cheese. Delicious! Afterwards we took advantage of a lull in the rain to go for a bit of a walk. It had started dripping again by the time we got back though.

We stayed there over night then drove up to Jan’s mum’s place on boxing day. Got there just in time for lunch, which was delicious beef from a happy cow (his mum knows the owners personally). After showing them our photos from Sweden we spent the evening playing Scrabble in German! There was one round where I did not come last Another night, another bed – we stayed there rather than going back to Jan’s dad’s.

Yesterday we came back to Karlsruhe, and tomorrow we go to Luxembourg for the New Year. A brief visit in our flat; two nights in our own bed then off on our travels again.

Christmas was busy, but fun. Next year I want to spend it in England again. After two christmases in Germany it’s time!

(Sorry, no pictures. Zemanta isn’t working and I didn’t take any.)

Merry Christmas! Frohe Weihnachten!

It seems we are going to Jan’s dad’s for Christmas after all, a decision that was made at fairly short notice after Jan finally got hold of his dad yesterday afternoon. The dad said he had no plans and we could come if we wanted. Jan wanted, and so we go. Today!! With one day less than I was expecting and no magic housework fairy to help, I only managed to get about half of the cleaning done. We will come back to a mess, but it can’t be helped.

Last night we had a picnic tea, trying to use up things that needed to be used up. I made sausage rolls from scratch because you can’t buy them here and I know Jan likes them.

Picnic basket (Photo: uberculture)

I only figured out that I can make them myself this July! My achievement of 2012! LOL. There were also roast potatoes, sandwiches (to use up the bread) and carrot sticks to make it sort of healthy.

Right, I must go and finish sorting things out now. I want to put another load of washing on before we leave. It can dry while we’re away, ready to come away with us for New Year. Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have a lovely time and get everything you wish for, whatever that may be (peace on Earth? An engagement ring? A white Christmas? I’m just hoping our train’s not delayed!).

Karlsruhe Christmas market 2012

Still here

Well, it seems the world hasn’t ended, so it looks like I will have to turn 30 after all. Thanks a lot universe – I thought you were at least going to help me avoid that one!

After six years, I still find it difficult to speak German on the phone. Jan’s mum called last night, on the landline, so of course I answered. When his dad calls the conversation usually goes “Is Jan there?” “Yes, I’ll just get him for you”, but his mum tends to converse with me before I hand over the phone.

The Red Phone (Photo credit: Eric Kilby)

My German is good, but I tend to forget words occasionally and it’s so much easier to get my point across when I can use hand gestures as well.

After assuring me that “he felt fine, it was just his nose that was blocked” when I left for work yesterday, by the time I came home, Jan was in bed complaining of a sore ear and a headache. He still refused my offers of Lemsip and Ibuprofen though – apparantly you only need medicine if you actually plan on getting out of bed? (Is this a German thing, a man thing or is my boyfriend just weird?). I made us some nice tea containing lots of vegetables and some extra hot chilli flakes (I defy any blocked nose to withstand them!) then spent the evening doing cross stitch with a couple of glasses of wine (I bought myself a mini bottle). After about half an hour, Jan actually came out to join me and started reading out questions from the quiz book he had in his advent calendar today. If the world had ended it wouldn’t have been a bad way to go, although it would have been a shame not to actually finish the cross stitch – I still have lots to do.

Right now I’m waiting to find out whether we’re going to Jan’s dad’s place tomorrow or staying here for Christmas. If it’s the latter, I need to go and buy food for Christmas today. I’m planning on doing roast chicken for Christmas day if we’re here (cooking one turkey a year is more than enough for me!).

FINALLY Friday (time for some Friday letters!)

Letter to Santa (Photo: Great Beyond)

It’s Friday again, and this week I am unbelievably glad that it’s finally arrived. Work has been slow for past few days (which I actually find worse than when it’s stupidly busy and I have to do overtime – although the up side is that I got to leave at 3 p.m. today becasue there was just no point in me staying for another 2 hours) and it feels like everyone has just been waiting for the week to end. I am now on holiday for two whole weeks!! The thing I am looking forward to the most? Sleeping for more than 6 hours at a time! Anyway, here are my final Friday letters before Christmas.

Dear Thoughts Appear. You mentioning Gremlins on your blog made me realise just how long it is since I’ve seen that film. I didn’t have it in my collection, so naturally I had to order it, and it arrived the other day (in time for Christmas!). I’m sooo looking forward to watching it. Thank you for the inspiration!

Dear boyfriend. We’ve had our ups and downs, but overall I think this year’s been good. Thank you for making such an effort recently. I love you!!

Dear Christmas. I have finally written and posted all my cards, finished wrapping gifts and got all my parcels sent off (some of which probably won’t actually arrive on time…). I think I’m almost ready for you to come now.

Dear magic housework fairy. My flat currently looks like a bomb’s hit it, and I really want to get it cleaned up in time for Christmas. If you’re not too busy, a little help would be very much appreciated!

Dear friends. PLEASE could you stop having babies/getting married for a while? I now have three cross stitch samplers to do, for April, May and June and I have no idea how I’m going to manage!

Thank you (Photo credit: Avard Woolaver)

Dear readers. Thank you for all your lovely comments on the state of my relationship. All of your opinions and advice are very much appreciated. As is the fact that you read my drivel at all. You are amazing – every single one of you!

Dear rest of the year. Do you think you could maybe go a little slower than the months leading up to you have? I need some time to sleep, and I also need to work on various cross stitch samplers (at this point, I feel the need to reiterate that I have three events to stucth for!), spend time with my boyfriend and we are going to Luxembourg for New Year. Of course, if the world ends tonight this won’t be necessary

Dear world. If you’re actually going to end could you please get on with it. I’m sick of hearing about Mayan calendars now…

Dear boyfriend (again). Didn’t anyone ever tell you ebing ill on Christmas is not allowed?! You need to hurry up and recover from your cold. And don’t go giving it to me either – I don’t have time to be ill this close to Christmas!

That’s all from me. I now have to go back out in the pouring rain to purchase some vegetables for tonight’s tea. And after that I have a date with some dirty dishes. Housework fairy, I’m waiting!

It’s Friday letters time!

Another Friday, another chance to write letters to life, the universe and everything…

Letters (Photo credit: alto maltés)

Dear spammer. Thank you for giving me a laugh this morning. “Your website is like an encyclopaedia for me, thanks“. That’s very nice, but I’m still not clicking on your casino link!

Dear post office. You have made a small fortune off me this week – and I’m not finished yet! Still three packages to be sent…

Dear Karlsruhe Christmas market. I haven’t been to you once yet (passing through doesn’t count). Something needs to be done about this very soon!

Dear new cousin. Welcome to the world, little baby girl! I hope I get to see you one day, even though you live in Australia.

Dear relatives. Only 10 days til Christmas! The chances of my packages reaching you in time are now slim. I hope you don’t mind opening New Year’s presents instead! (Actually, I know at least one person who will. Sorry Grandma!!)

And now I’m going into town. In the pouring rain. I need to get at least one of the aforementioned parcels sent (at the only post office that’s still open… and just happens to be halfway across town!) then try to get presents for the last few remaining people on my list. Right now, I’m just not feeling the Christmas spirit!

Showing the Germans how it’s done

So, my Christmas dinner went well again. There was way too much food, of course. That’s the whole point in Christmas dinner, isn’t it? Actually, we seem to have ended up with more leftovers than usual, although I didn’t think I had made more food. Perhaps people weren’t as hungry this time?
Anyway, here’s what we ate:

Food, glorious food

For the starter, aubergine rounds and very garlicky tomato bruschetta (delicious!).
Then came the main course. You probably can’t tell what everything is from the photo, so here’s a list:

• Turkey (obviously…)
• Bread sauce (home made)
• Spicy sausage meat stuffing
• Bread stuffing with herbs (not pictured – it eventually went were the aubergines or on here – made by my friend K)
• Mashed potatoes
• Roast potatoes
• Broccoli (yuck! That one was for the others…)
• Carrots
• Honey-roasted parsnips
• Pigs in blankets – made with Bratwurst!
• Cranberry sauce
• Gravy
• And home made lemonade to drink (plus some passion fruit flavoured sparkling wine that I picked up purely because the label had a picture of a multi-cultured lizard that I thought was cute)

Here’s a picture of just the turkey. It was perfectly cooked – even if I do say so myself, which I kind of have to since there’s nobody else here to say it for me. Not too dry, but not undercooked either (every year I am paranoid about poisoning everyone!).

Desert was an apple and raisin crumble with Amaretto, again made by K. By this stage in the proceedings, I had forgotten all about cameras, so there are no photos of it. Never mind, I’m sure you all know what crumble looks like. And for the record, it was delicious!

I’m knackered now (didn’t get to bed til around midnight!), but it was worth it. And at least I don’t need to worry about what to cook for the rest of the week. Turkey with everything it is!! Here’s how I’m making tonight’s tea…

Friday’s letters

A post box in Durham, England

What? You didn’t think because I wrote last night’s post this morning there would be no Friday letters this week, did you? Don’t be silly – that would never do! Here are my letters for the week:

Dear self. You are aware that it’s 7 December and you haven’t sent a single package of Christmas gifts to England yet, aren’t you? Get on it!! I am serious.

Dear giant turkey in my fridge. Please defrost in time. But not too quickly. I don’t want to poison anyone…

Dear housework. Why is there so much of you? And why do you take so long to complete? I think I need a robot.

Dear snow. You are pretty. Please could you stay this time and not turn into rain? I’m sick of rain!

Dear computer. I know you are old, but if you go any slower you’ll start running backwards! Sort it out. (Actually, dear boyfriend, it is your computer, so you should sort it out!).

Dear December. Having crept up on me while I wasn’t looking, you are now charging forward at an alarming pace. Please slow down!! I have too much to do, and you’re not leaving me any time to do it!

Dear person who came to read the metres for the heating. I would have liked to tidy up a bit more, but seeing as I was working from home (solely because you were coming!) I felt that I should actually do some work as well. I do apologise for the mess, though. There just aren’t enough hours in the day! By the way, if my boyfriend had been the one to stay home waiting for you, the place would probably have looked even worse. (Actually, the visit went so fast, I doubt the guy even noticed what the place looked like. I had to keep turning lights on for him cos he just didn’t bother!)

OK, now I’m off to send a parcel to America and buy the remianing ingredients for Sunday’s Christmas dinner. I have a list as long as your arm!

Christmas baking – round 2

Gingerbread men, baked in 2011

Question: What do you get if you turn a gingerbread man upside down?

Rudolph!

Answer: A reindeer of course!

I saw this idea on Facebook a while ago, and knew that as soon as the time for Christmas baking came around (November is not the appropriate time!) I would have to try it out.
The picture I saw used white icing for the details, but I preferred to make mine with chocolate icing. I think they worked out quite well, considering I only bought the thing for putting on the icing yesterday (no idea what it’s called – it looks like a syringe!). Technically, my reindeer aren’t upside down gingerbread men, because they contain no ginger! I put cocoa powder in, and now wish I’d gone with vanilla or something so the icing would show up better. But overall I’m pleased with them.
Here are some more Rudolphs:

Rudolph times four (And you thought there was only one!)

(This was actually supposed to be last night’s post, but by the time I’d finished icing it was midnight and I was exhausted! Since I’m working from home today, I can post this before I log on to work and still start at my usual time… and it’s still last night somewhere in the world, I’m sure!)

Christmas baking – round one!

It is now December, which obviously gives me free licence to consume lots of sugary goodness (and Glühwein) all in the name of “getting in the Christmas spirit”. The first Glühwein of the season was had yesterday, so today – being the first Adventssonntag” (Advent Sunday) of the year, it was the turn of Christmas baking – round one. Rest assured, there will be other rounds! For today’s effort, I choose to make Christmas cookies, which are basically vanilla chocolate chip cookies, but with red and green M&Ms instead of chocolate chips. Because anything red and green automatically equals Christmas. Or leprechauns – one of the two.

I’m sure you’ve all guessed by now that the photos in this post show my cookies. Very Christmassy, no?
If I was German (or my boyfriend actually upheld his traditions!), we would have a wreath with four candles, the first of which would have to be lit today. We would then sit around said lit candle and have Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) or Christmas biscuits. I believe religious people would also do some praying, and maybe carol singing (sorry, I’m a bit hazy on the details). As neither of us is religious and only one of us is actually German, we will be lighting an ordinary (scented) candle, making a pot of tea and munching on my delicious Christmas biscuits (well, the boyfriend says they’re delicious, and who am I to argue ). All in our living room, that’s been beautifully decorated for Christmas. I did that today, too.

Happy first Sunday of Advent everybody!

Friday letters on the last day of November

Letters (Photo credit: paul-simpson.org)

The end of the week has come, and with it the end of the month. Tomorrow is the first day of the last month of the year – scary! Here are my Friday letters for this week.

Dear flu jab. I was told that the arm the needle had been stabbed into may be a little sore the next day, but why did nobody see fit to inform me that every muscle in my body would be aching as well? I was so glad to sink into my bed on Tuesday night! And just so you know, my arm didn’t stop hurting until today!

Dear December. With all the activities we have planned, I am either going to have an amazing time or you are going to be the death of me. I’m hoping for the former!

Dear Heidelberg English shop. I am not impressed that you’ve moved away from opposite the train station. Now I’m actually going to have to go into town for the things I need to make Christmas dinner. So much for my “quick” trip to Heidelberg this weekend!

Dear Christmas biscuit recipes. It’s December tomorrow, which means I’m allowed to start baking! Can’t wait to try you out at the weekend.

Dear brain. There are only 3 more working weeks before I’m off for Christmas. I know you’re tired, but please don’t give up on me now!

Dear Eddie Izzard tickets. I was planning to buy you this month, but I can’t afford you as well as Christmas (and everything I have planned over the next few weeks). Please, please, please don’t sell out before I get paid next!