New bike

Last weekend Andre took his bike, a BMW GS1200 Adventure, for a service. While there he chatted to the owner of the shop, Paul at Bahnstormer, who happens to be the same guy he bought his first bike from here in the UK in 2004. Paul worked out a real good deal for Andre on a different bike with some discount which basically came to the same he's been paying per month for the GS.

I was on first aid training last Saturday. When I got home we had to go to the BMW shop so Andre could show me this bike. I played devil's advocate. He really didn't need a new bike. But since it wasn't going to cost any more, then why not if it's what he wants.

So he ordered it right there and then. So not him. Andre always sleeps on things like this before making a decision. 

Here he is leaving for the last time on the GS.

He picked up the new bike this morning. It's a BMW 1200RT. 

Arriving home for the first time with his new bike.

We've just come back from a nice 2 hour ride. Started out a sunny 14C, then started raining on the way back and dropped to 6C before it started hailing! We stayed dry :-) When we arrived home we realised even though we made sure to take house keys, my keys were still in the front door on the inside so we couldn't open the door from the outside!! We managed to get the garage door open the way the locksmith did it a while back. (I don't think I ever told you that story here.)

Some details Andre would like me to tell you about the bike:

Firstly it has heated seats!! Even my seat is heated with a switch which I can adjust myself while I'm sitting behind Andre.

While the GS was more of an off road bike, this one, the RT, is a road bike, but not a sports bike. So you still sit upright like on the GS. As I understand it, it's just more comfortable for long trips and seeing as we won't ever do any off road riding here in Europe we don't really need a GS anymore. It's supposed to be more comfortable for me too. My heated seat sure makes it nice and comfy!

The windshield in the front is electronically adjustable so Andre can raise it for more wind protection. Of course it still has the heated grips as the GS had too. Still no heated grips anywhere for me though.

Oh, it also has cruise control so on the motorway Andre can sit back and relax. (not quite!)

It has speakers so you can have a radio installed although that's an optional extra which Andre didn't take.

Some things I know nothing about and can't explain is:

it also has stability control, ABS brakes and adjustable suspension for either one person, two people or with luggage.

World Book Day

I said I won't be posting anything about work here but I'll post this link for you to go have a look at since it's online for all to see anyway ;-) World Book Day photo

We all dressed up as story book characters. I was Puss in Boots. I ordered the musketeer hat and the sword which the child on the left is holding. The children robbed me of my hat and sword as soon as I arrived and played with it most of the day. I let them draw my whiskers with eyeliner and they did a pretty good job. I did request a maximum of three whiskers each side and they did them quite small. You can't even see them in the picture really, only what looks like a dimple is really the children's whisker art on my cheek!

It was a really fun day, as most days are when you spend it working with children!

I wish I could share more of my job with you here. You can go like our Facebook page and see more photos there if you'd like.

8 Random things

So still nothing much happening over here with us. Since I'm now working full time I don't have hours and hours each day to think up things to write or bake and create things in the kitchen anymore!

1. I did bake some banana bread. On Sunday I think. Andre hinted that I haven't baked anything in a long time. I assumed that meant he'd help me eat whatever I bake. More than half way through the banana loaf and he's had his first slice today only. You can imagine who has had the rest of it.

2. He also convinced me to bake rusks with the promise that he'll help eat it. I halved the recipe which I posted on my food blog before. The reason why I never bake rusks is because it's one of my favourite favourite things to eat. Let's hope Andre does eat at least more than half of this!

3. I had this idea that I'd use my phone to blog more. I installed the app or whatever it is to be able to blog via email. You might have noticed I tested it a while back. Turns out it will only publish text and not photos... I can't figure out what the problem with that it.

4. Oh I just joined pinterest now. Finally! It's actually great because I follow lots of blogs and am forever saving craft ideas I want to do with the children. Now I can just pin it. Quick and easy! I'll have to figure out next how to add a pin it button to my blog. Haven't looked at that yet.

5. We're planning on going for a bike ride this weekend. So I might just have something to write about with pictures to go with it too. How exciting!

6. This is our second winter here now and I find especially towards the end of winter we seem to just hibernate at home. And we're ok with that except that I then don't have much to tell you. I think the only photos I've taken this year has been of the snow. And you know I usually take loads of photos.

7. Speaking of photos, Andre ordered an underwater housing for my camera so we can have some underwater fun with it when we go on holiday later this year. Andre's doing an underwater photography course. Next weekend I think. Sorry, still no photos to add to this post. Not even of the housing! I'm sitting in bed already and am not getting out now to plug in my ext drive with my photos on.

8. It was really really sunny this past weekend. You'll be seeing lots of garden photos soon. The bulbs are growing nicely already and I don't think it will be too much longer before we'll start seeing more flowers. You'll soon be tired of my gardening blog posts again!

Ok, bed time now. I have to get up early. Before 7am. Thanks for reading all this randomness. Better writing to follow hopefully soon!

just a little update

I'm still here! After thinking last week Monday that I was fine to go to work, I ended up not being and had to stay home last Tuesday and Wednesday which is a lot for me who has basically never taken a day off sick at work. I was feeling so so sick. I could't move and stayed in bed for two whole days. Felt slightly better on Thursday so went back to work again. Much better now compared to last week, but still can't get rid of this cold I've permanently got.

Then as soon as I started feeling better Andre got really sick too. He stayed home on Friday and in bed the rest of the weekend too.

So that's why there's been no blogging because I just haven't had anything interesting to write about really. It snowed again last week Thursday all through the night. I drove in to work on Friday not knowing what the roads would be like and how far I'd get. Our little village was quite snowy and the roads were not cleaned, but I just drove really slowly and made it to work ok.

It's warmed up now, a whole 5C this morning which is a lot warmer than it's been.

Hopefully we'll get to do something fun on Sunday so I can have something more interesting to tell you about. 

Snowy Sunday

Unfortunately I don't have any more snowy pictures for you. It snowed all through the night Saturday night (I was up a few times and checked!) But started melting again yesterday morning although the temperature has stayed at 0C.

I stayed in bed all day yesterday. I was so sick I couldn't move. I haven't been this sick in years. Since starting work with more children around me every day my immune system seems to really struggle to keep me healthy! My wonderful husband cleaned the entire house by himself and cooked me dinner, after working through the night Saturday night.

Last week was probably the first week in the past two months that I felt fine, no sore throat, no cough. Until Saturday evening when I started feeling it coming on once again. I've been taking echinacea to boost my immune system and was just starting to think it's actually working. Oh well. Feeling a little better today and off to work. 

Have a good Monday!

Snow update

Thought I'd show you the snowy white progress outside before I go to bed. It's now 8.30pm, two and a half hours after the photo in the previous post was taken. It's snowing a little more now than earlier and everything is now even more covered with snow. I suppose I should start using that snow shovel we bought earlier this afternoon, but nobody else has and I'm feeling rather crappy with flu again so going to bed instead.

front driveway- look at the weird patterns
on my car!

back garden

First snow!

It started snowing lightly about an hour ago and this is what it looks like now at 6pm. Will see what happens over night! We've just come back from the hardware store to buy two snow shovels in case it gets worse.