Today was Amelie's birthday, she's now 11. Actually to be honest I wasn't exactly looking forward to her birthday because she had said that all she wanted to do was play badminton all day, but it turned out to be fun and good...
We had breakfast....my favourite German breakfast...bread and all kinds of toppings that you choose yourself. And then I played badminton with Amelie for about an hour and then she started getting phone calls and the post came and there was stuff for her and everything so I got to shower and move on with my day. Then she read emails and by that time we all went for a walk...because the sun was out today! I can barely explain in words how absolutely wonderful it was to finally have some sunshine. Then we had like birthday cake...and it was ok. I mean, I'm not a huge cake fan to start out with but there was no frosting, so I was like, ok, I can deal. But I will point out here that they don't salt things like cake and cookies or cream of wheat or you name it...salt is really under-appreciated in this country. But I refrained from getting the salt and salting it, I just ate my portion and thought of how wonderful salt is and how if I ever am around while sweets are being made I'll put salt into the batter. (Really, seriously the food is good here, like I've said...but they don't eat spicy stuff...at least the stuff that they are like 'whoa this is spicy" I can't even taste any sort of spicy, so I miss spicy and I miss salt as a flavour enhancer--and I really wish I could spell. Please read that word phonetically, or is that correct?
Anyway, Amelie and I then went for a bike ride to the Rhine River and crossed over on the bad Godesberg ferry. We rode along to Königswinter and ate icecream, which was wonderful. Then we crossed back over at Mehlem on the ferry and rode back to Godesberg and then home. It was a nice enjoyable afternoon.
And....I had cheese fondu for the first time and I was totally disappointed. Like, I thought that cheese fondu would taste like cheese but I had no idea that there was wine in it. Ok, wine has it's time and place, but that certainly isn't to be messing with my cheese. I choked down enough to fill me so that I wouldn't starve and I made nice comments but I will never choose to eat that stuff again. Pwechhhhh, it's on my green bean list. I'll make my own fondu some day and it will not taste like wine. It will taste like cheese and I will dip my bread in it and it will be good, and I shall call it my cheesey goodness...(ok, jane I hope you read this).
Anybody know anything about this vegetable called Fenchel, maybe fennel in English? Well, anyway, they eat a lot of it here, it's like a common thing...and Kohlrabi? it's like a wonder-vegetable. It can be related to broccoli stock, I guess...so good.
And then we sat around and played games and tired kids tried to figure out what to do, but it was a successful day and God is good.
Meng ni is the young lady from China who is living with us. I'm glad she's here. I can't speak Chinese.
Today is the first day that I felt like I live in Germany.
"Just as I am, and waithing not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee Whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come."
Hymn: Just as I am by Charlotte Elliot verse 2
11 comments:
I love your posts.
And not to rub it in, but it is about 75 here and sunny.
Sarah
Thanks Sar,
I'm glad for you all that it's sunny...wunderbar. I'm concockting a plan that maybe Felicitas can come to us in the US...and Christoph too if we could find some way to have the kinder taken care of...was denkst du? ~HRB
1) You salt your cake?
2) Favourite and flavour = awesome
favorite and favor = grossness
I appreciate you.
that would be pretty great.
s
Dear Benny,
1) Um...yes. Are you one of those that doesn't salt their oatmeal?
2)thank you for your commentary. I'm fond of 'u's--or maybe that's a result of having a father who writes them that way...which automatically makes it not only cooler, but right.
I'm glad your my cousin (and friend).
~HRB
1) I most definitely do not salt my oatmeal. I do not believe in the healing properties of salt, so I usually don't salt my meat either.
2) I did not know your dad spells it like that. For some reason, I've done it since I was a kid in high school.
The feeling is mutual.
~benny d.
I think you can buy those tiny little salt shakers that you can slip unobtrusively into your pocket and then whip it out for emergencies, like unsalted BD cakes. Also, it's not 75 any more...today it's raining and in the 40s, like normal. Actually, it makes it easier to stay inside and study!
Love, Mrs. M
Mrs. M--that is a really good idea. Hm. I think I might just do that. It's amazing how much difference a little salt makes. You salt your cakes and cookies, right?
~HRB
I salted my oatmeal yesterday. I didn't notice a huge change. Maybe if I was to have both side by side and then sample them, I would taste a difference.
I think I concentrate on eating so much that I forget to taste my food sometimes...
understand. or maybe you didn't put quite enough in? There is a fine balance between two little and too much. You'll find it, I'm sure.
~Hila
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