Day 346

First an apology, got my left and right mixed up again! Hopeless!!!

Now to today, Work this morning, and I left myself enough to warrant a visit next week too. No, I just didn't finish, and I wasn't trying to go slow.

This afternoon Robert had guitar, but his friends Dad took them and I only had to pick them up today, that was nice. Whilst he was out, I finished Richard's new hat off! I'm proud of it, and he loved it, a win-win situation (as they say here!)

Florian is on a plane right now on his way home from Brazil! Woohoo!

CU tomorrow!

Day 345

Work this morning, a bit later than usual as Robert had a late start at school. But I was busy all morning and surprise surprise I can even go in tomorrow morning too!

The boys came home from school together today, so we all got to have lunch and watch Gino cook on TV (I know shouldn't really watch TV at lunchtime, but we all love Gino!)

This evening it was Roberts Advent Concert. I don't really know what I was expecting. Probably an assortment of Christmas Carols, what we got, was a Christmas Musical. It was great. My first Nativity Play with one of my boys. Robert was part of the choir, but they were amazing, as were the actors and singers. An all round great evening!

Robert is third from the left in the back row

And then he moved!!!

The complete choir, apparently about 200 kids from the 5th class (I didn't count them, I'm taking Roberts word for it!)

Teachers joined in too, with a Christmas version of "morning has broken"

The complete cast!

CU tomorrow!

Day 344

This morning I had to take Roberts insurance card to the eye doctor, as we had forgotten it for our actual appointment. I think I wrote about how disappointed I was in the eye doctor and how I am looking for a new one. For some reason though I didn't just not want to go anymore I wanted the doctor to know why we were going. So I sat down and wrote him a letter, which I left there after cancelling our 2015 appointments. 

At lunchtime I had a phone call from the doctor himself, he phoned to thank me for taking the time to write and for making it such a friendly letter even though I was leaving. So I think I got my point across, and who knows maybe something will change for other patients. 

Richard had Karate today and I was there earlier to pick him up and was going to get some pictures, but my mobile decided that today was the day it was going to run the battery empty. So no pictures today.

I popped in to work, whilst Richard was at Karate, a colleague is leaving and was having his leaving party and I wanted to say goodbye.

CU tomorrow!

Day 343

I went to sport this morning with my friend, the trainer had something new planned for us, and I can feel it already in my bum and lower back - oops! Still enjoyed it though!
After sport I decided to go for the "Mum of the Year" award and took Robert's sport things to him at school. He managed to forget them for probably about the 3rd time in a row. I'm not sure whether he was happy about it or not, but it might have saved him from a bad mark.

This afternoon I took the boys into town and finally got Robert's glasses fixed (they were all crooked). Whilst at the opticians, I asked them about Richard's eyesight and if it was OK, when one can't read 7 of 8 numbers that he didn't get new glasses prescribed. She recommended I get a second opinion, and when I told her who our eye doctor was, she just rolled her eyes - that says it all, and we will not be going back there again.

After the opticians we went to the Christmas Market, where the boys had a candy floss, and I got a great picture of them!

Late blogging, cause I have been watching TV all evening - love Tuesdays TV!

CU tomorrow!

Day 342

Robert wasn't too happy this morning, when I made him read through his religion exercise book again for his test this morning, but he needed it! When he got home from school he told me the test was easy, let's hope so!

I went to school to this morning and entered about 25 new books into the system, still a lot more to go, but we'll get there before the Summer holidays, I'm sure. Richard got his new book at school today, he is now the proud owner of his first Harry Potter book. I know we have them all, but mine are all in English, he wants to read it himself. Bless! As long as he is reading I'm happy!

Robert had school longer today, they are rehearsing for their choir concert on Thursday night, that has thrown all plans for the week, as they are rehearsing on Wednesday and Thursday too, but they don't start school then until about 10 o'clock. Not sure how I am going to handle that one yet! We'll see if it sorts itself out tomorrow when I have to phone work and find out if they have something for me to do.

Robert had more practicing for the next test to do this afternoon/evening, so I found someone to take Richard to and from Karate. He didn't put up quite as much resistance today, and I think it had something to do with his Biology test that he got back today! All that practicing paid off and he wrote a 2 - so proud of him!
Hopefully he now knows where the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Ocean are, and I hope he can remember what Australia is called, but other than that he seems pretty good at the rest. Fingers crossed.

CU tomorrow!
(Sorry no picture today, I forgot!)

Day 339, Day 340 and Day 341

So I had a good reason, why I didn't blog this weekend, we went away! This time last year we booked a weekend in the "Erzgebirge" for a Christmas break. Florian had hoped that there would be a nice sprinkling of snow to go with it, to make it look like a picture postcard, but that unfortunately wasn't the case, but we still had a GREAT weekend. But I'll start on Friday first!

Day 339 - Friday
I didn't have to work today, so I was able to get all the jobs I had done before we had to head for the station. First up was the ironing, Florian will need the shirts for next week. Oops! Then I had to head into town and get the rabbits a new water bottle, they managed to break theirs yesterday! I got all my jobs done, then cooked Schnitzel for us all (not the cleverest of meals, when you are short on time and have to coat them with breadcrumbs, but I had had to change menu plans, when Robert brought all those girls to lunch!) It was delicious though.

Robert was home a lot later and I did cook his fresh, and right after he had finished Marcel picked us up to take us to the station. You see Florian was already at our destination!
Here are the boys at the station!

The train journey was long but quite uneventful. The boys were really good. For the first part of the journey they read their Donald Duck comic that I got them at the station and for the next part they played on the mobiles! Me, I knitted a hat. I actually finished it, unfortunately the pattern for it wasn't quite big enough for me. So although I wore it to change trains, I did end up undoing it and unravelling it a bit of a way. Makes more sense if it fits properly!

Florian picked us up in Zwickau and we drove the last 45 minutes to our destination in the car. The boys were really excited we were going to a hotel. Here they are in their bed.

We had a "suite" which was basically a room with a sofa bed.
Luckily only Florian snored!

Day 340 - Saturday
This morning we took the boys to a place called Annaberg-Buchholz and there to the "Frohnauer Hammer". It is a water mill, that powered a hammer for the blacksmiths. And as Richard always says he wants to be a blacksmith when he grows up, it was a great choice for an outing! It was really interesting too.
Here some pictures from there.

Next door to the blacksmiths was a very nice quaint shop selling traditional Christmas decorations, which is what the area is really famous for. We had a good look round, and wanted to buy but decided to look elsewhere too.

We had lunch in the woods somewhere, very nice, I had pasta with a walnut and chicken sauce, lovely combination. Speaking of food, in the evening I had brussel sprout soup. That was delicious too. I just had to try it!

In the afternoon we went to the Christmas Market in the town we were staying in (Schwarzenberg). I think it is my favourite Christmas market ever and I have seen A LOT! It was in all through the old town. The pictures can't capture it, but it was beautiful, atmospheric and great fun. Even the boys enjoyed it!

We were all worn out in the evening and spent it all snuggled on the boys bed, watching "Santa Buddies" together.

Day 341 - Sunday
After breakfast we checked out of the hotel, but not before we got some pictures of me and the boys on our balcony. Yep we had the room right behind the great Christmas decoration. We look like royalty on this photo with all our fans down below (don't tell anyone that they were just tourists waiting for their bus!)

After checking out we took the boys to a model railway, which Florian's colleague had recommended for the boys. Well, turned out that Florian and I had just as much fun there as the boys! Here a couple of pictures!

After eating there too. It was time to head for home.

Back home the first thing we did, was to unpack our new treasures, Yep, we went back to that quaint shop on Saturday evening and bought ourselves some traditional German Christmas decorations.

Then after tea it was time for Florian to leave again, right now he is on a plane to Brazil, We were sort of hoping that Lufthansa would still be on strike, but no such luck!

CU tomorrow!

Day 338

Work this morning, and I had just enough to keep me busy until lunch time, but I won't be going in tomorrow, but that is fine by me this week.
Today is St. Barbara Day, and apparently it is tradition around here to bring in a cherry tree twig and come Christmas Day it should be flowering. Here is mine

along with the Amarylis that Mum treated me too. Isn't it beautiful!?!

Richard was really excited when he got home from school, he wrote a 1 (full marks in maths). So proud of him!

This afternoon Richard and I went to celebrate Marcel's birthday with him and his family. (Robert was still at school) We only stayed until 4ish, as we had to be home for when Robert got in. Robert just about managed to finish his homework in time for football, but when I asked to see his homework book, I found a message from his English teacher about missing homework (and from the looks of things it has been missing for most of the term) so I put my foot down and didn't let him go to football. Needless to say he was NOT a happy chappy. But school work comes first.

CU tomorrow!