Sundy Snaps 123

A week ago I was lying in the sun in Spain (this was a view from the sun lounger)  
We flew back last Monday and I have now caught up on the washing and ironing, just in time for friends to visit.
Haven't quite got back into the blogging zone though, sorry.  
Will try harder....

Sunday Snaps 122

Off to Spain tomorrow, let the packing commence...

Unlucky 13?

Today is Friday 13th, probably one of the most superstitious days in the year.


I'm quite used to the English superstitions, having grown up with them (not that I adhere to them of course) but German ones?  Now that's a whole new ball game, here's a few I bet you haven't heard of...

• bury your (dead) dog under your doorstep, his ghost will guard your house.
• knock on wood to prove you're not the devil, because he's allergic to oak (it's considered a holy tree don't you know) this is why when Germans gather together around a table, rather than greet everyone individually they knock on the table.  The first time I saw this happen I was very confused, and couldn't understand how knocking on a table equated to saying hello.
• do not walk between two old ladies, really unlucky.  Little old ladies are considered to be evil...
• setting a loaf of bread upright on the sliced off surface brings bad luck, oops, I always do this, it stops the cut end going stale.
• never toast someone's health with water, it means you wish them dead.  I'm unlikely to do this by accident as I'm usually found with a glass of wine in my hand but why does water indicate a death wish?  We are after all 60% water* so surely by toasting someone with the substance that is so familiar to their body you're encouraging life...clearly not in Germany.
• spitting on each others left shoulder.  Yes really.  Whilst British and American thesps tell one another to 'break a leg' for luck, the Germans spit.  Nice.  They also say 'toi, toi, toi', better than spitting I guess.
• bread and salt are the perfect housewarming gift.  This gift ensures that the household will never go hungry, they may dehydrate but starve no.
• tanz in den Mai.  The 30th of April is a day that people have to dance from the evening all the way into the early hours of May 1st, otherwise the Devil will rule the world.  I knew there had to be a logical reason for the parties that are always advertised for April 30th, I knew it couldn't just be a 'joys of spring' thing.
• when building a new house, the roofers have a ceremony of raising a green wreath over the highest point of the house when finishing the roof timbers.  A sprig of this wreath is supposed to be nailed in the attic later.  It prevents the roof from ever caving in.
• never give a German a knife as a gift, a fork or spoon is fine, but a knife is a big no,no. It means that you're wishing all in the household dead.  This surprises me because lots of the little boys (under 10's) seem to have knives for whittling and disemboweling (joke) so where do they get these knives from if they're not gifts?  Steal them?  Find them?  Borrow them?

I could go on, but I wont.  And I know there are lots of equally bonkers superstitions in the U.K. but it's always interesting to explore another culture's foibles!

So enough of the hocus pocus and gobbledegook, Friday 13th (of July) is also my mom's birthday, so happy birthday mom, I hope your day is wonderful and that no black cats cross your path...

















* I thought it was higher than that, but google says no.

Sob sob

Friday was the last day of term, and for Jas and all the other year 4's it was time to say goodbye (again) to class and school mates and teachers.

What a palava.


We, parents, started gathering around 10am for the playground farewell at 10.15.  Sekt was opened and distributed, just enough to numb the pain or maybe to tip some moms over the edge.


The year 4's took their seats on the benches (good job I hadn't sat on one, I was tempted) and then the rest of the school children sat on the playground facing and in front of the leavers.


Songs were sung, including the "school song", which caused me to lean over to R and ask, "school song?"  After five years you'd think I'd know they had a school song wouldn't you...whoops!


The hip hop dance from last month's show was performed with the whole school joining in and then a final song and the flood gates opened.  Some of the girls had been sobbing too much to be able to sing but when the singing stopped and the farewells started in earnest...

I guess the problem for the children lies with the schooling system, that allows parents to send their child to any high school they wish (as long as they're accepted that is) and different schools specialise in different areas (this is Germany for goodness sake, schooling is a serious matter, even if the children are only there for half a day at a time)  If you want your child to specialise in sports they can, science also do-able, all girls and taught by nuns?  Yep, currently possible but after this year's intake boys can go too!  Jas will be joining Ben at the bilingual high school* which happens to be the closest and within walking distance, all of the other schools are outside of Kettwig and require transport.  With so many different schools available the children are all going to different places, hence the hysteria I guess.


An end of an era, from August both my babies will be in high school, what a scary thought!




* in year 8 they have history and geography taught in English, which makes it a pretty tough option for the Germans, but for English kids who are now bilingual already...It was the obvious choice.