Germany trip 8

I've mentioned before and I' ll say again how wonderfully warm, kind, generous and welcoming Grant's parents' friends in Germany were. We enjoyed delicious meals with them - here are some photos I took:







Daniel made firm friends with their little dog - he took this photo so then I had to get a picture of them together:





On this particular day we were invited for afternoon tea and we were served a delicious array of cakes:



Noah enjoyed playing with the train tracks:



We then headed off to a play park for the kids to have some fun while Grant's parents visited another friend in a nursing home. I enjoyed relaxing on this swing and reading - but when I later stood up I was totally seasick!









We then headed off to an Italian restaurant with everyone else:





We ordered a kiddie's pizza for each of the boys and then Grant and I each ordered a pizza. Two twelve-inch pizzas arrived. We expected the kids' pizzas to come soon. But then two 16 inch pizzas arrived!! Would you expect a child's pizza to be 12 inches??? Especially for 4.50 Euros! We were so embarrassed with all of the pizza down our end of the table, we had to share with everyone else!

Germany trip 7

This was one of the days that we enjoyed beautiful weather while in Germany. We went to Balingen to meet Grant's parents' friends at the market:





All the "grown ups" went to a coffee shop while our little family wandered off to find an internet cafe as we needed to check our email (we were waiting on a reply). We found a see-saw on the way:



After checking our email we went back to the coffee shop to join everyone else. There was a waterfall outside it:



We ordered Noah an ice cream that came in a plastic car - he loved it. (Daniel had fruit salad and Grant and I had chocolate milkshakes.)







Everyone was still chatting and visiting so we took the boys to a nearby toy shop to buy some Lego. This big Playmobil man was outside:

A-ha moments

Today I was thinking about those little "a-ha!" moments when you discover something or someone tells you something that makes your life easier. I thought I'd share four here - some I figured out on my own (years ago) and some I've learned more recently.

Box tabs
Don't you hate it when you are pulling foil or plastic wrap out of the box and the roll keeps jumping out? Did you know that on most boxes there are tabs you can press in on the sides to keep the roll in the box?



Zig zag wrapper ends
Did you know that the zig-zags aren't for decoration, they are for ease of tearing? Just tear into one of the V's and the plastic will split easily.



Piercing the tube
Don't you hate it when you open a new tube of ointment and it has that tough foil seal on the end? You cast your eye around for something to pierce it with ... then you realise that if you spin the cap around, there is a purpose-made spike in the end to pierce the foil with!



Which side to fill up?
You're driving an unfamiliar car. You stop to put fuel in. As you approach the pumps you wonder which side the fuel tank is. Did you know that you can tell by looking at your fuel guage? It usually sits to the right or the left of your speedometer - whichever side it sits is the side your fuel tank is. (Usually, but not always; this was not the case with the car we rented in Germany!)

This fuel tank should be on the right in this car:



And did you know that in some cars the fuel guage actually has a little arrow showing you which side the tank is? You'd need it in this car because the guage is on the right ... but the arrow shows that the tank is actually on the left.



When I learned the last tip it blew my little mind ... but then I was disappointed by the car we rented in Germany that didn't bear it out. So I'm asking all of you to renew my faith - is your fuel guage on the same side as your fuel tank??

Puddlejumping

I absolutely adore this picture that my cousin Di took of me when she was visiting last week - it was worth getting wet for!



I took this one:

Cellar tour

Germany trip 6

Some beautiful buildings in Germany.

This is an inn near where we stayed - check out the giant wooden spoon:



















I was amazed at how many of the houses and commercial buildings had solar panels, sometimes completely covering the roof:

CSN Stores giveaway!

As you know, I have twice had the opportunity to purchase products from CSN Stores, who do everything from lights to cookware to furniture. I just realised I never reviewed my last purchase, which consisted entirely of metal cookie cutters for me to use with fondant or for cookies. I'm pleased to say I experienced the same excellent service and quality products the second time around as I did the first - and now you get to do the same!

Check out their stores and leave a comment here saying what you would love to order if you win, and next Thursday, to celebrate my kids' return to school, I will pick a winner randomly and you will win a £60 gift voucher to use as you wish in any of their UK store websites!

Sorry, open to UK readers only!

Germany trip 5

On one of the days we went on a lovely walk at a place near Tieringen. When we first met up with Grant's parents' friends it started pouring with rain. We waited it out and before long the rain reduced to a drizzle and set set off. It soon stopped altogether and thankfully held off for the rest of the walk.

















We came to this sudden sheer drop, with no warnings or barriers or anything. Just an abrupt cliff!





Careful, doggie!



A misty view of the valley below.







Our family with Grant's parents. I don't know what the weather did to my hair!



We had lunch at the restaurant afterwards:



Mmm, delicious! Those noodles are called spaetzle and are divine.



The cream mush on the right hand side is German potato salad - no mayonnaise, just vinegar, oil and a touch of stock.