Re-connecting

Mila had a week off school and me and the kids have been spending it in Hamburg. 

It was my mums birthday the other week so we came to celebrate with her and stayed on...

It has been really good to be there and to reconnect with the city I was born & bred in, to see all my family and lots of friends...

It definitely showed me how lonely I am in Berlin with not a lot of good and close friends around...at least not yet...

and I wonder, if it would have been better we would have moved to hamburg instead? 

A word about home...

We all have been struggling to feel at home here...I guess this is a topic which will come up again and again as it is what this move is all about. After all, we are trying out possibilities, sussing out situations and shuffling around priorities. 

Everyone who has lived abroad for some time would feel the same...it's hard work to make a 'home back home' when you feel so connected with your 'new and now old' home. 

We have both spend most of our adult life in Australia. We have studied and worked there. We have spend all our professional life there. We have made friends there. We have found a new family there. And we had to be pretty resiliant and self sufficient to manage. At least sometimes...

Bottom line: we have created a home there! We have had our two girls there. And in case you are wondering: if you ask either of the girls where their home is and where they are from, they will both tell you: Bondi, Australia!

No question about it, we will always have a strong connection and bond to Australia and to Germany. The question is more where we want to live in the near future. 

We thought we have to be close to family for some time, and yes, that is amazing. But the everyday life and routine is just so important too. And no doubt about that: that is definitely better in Australia. 

Not just that, but we are really missing our friends. The kids seem to make a lot of new friends at Kita and school, but for us it's hard and feels almost impossible. 

People here are nice and friendly, but would never think of you as a new addition to their circle of friends. At least usually... They don't mean it bad in any way. They just don't think of it. 

Which makes it pretty lonely and isolated for us some times. And anyone who knows me would tell you: I love having friends around me! It's what I need to be truly happy!

Nevertheless we don't regret coming here. We really needed to do this as we would have regretted not taking this chance for sure! Even if it's just to find out that what we had was pretty damn good and we'd be silly to let it go. 

Christmas time....

I know this post is kinda late....but as it finally started snowing here it still feels very chrismassy...and anyhow...I haven't been posting for ages, so now a little 'latepost' about our advent and Christmas time in our 'new home back home'.

Leading up to Christmas are the four Sundays before Christmas Eve, the Advent Sundays.

In Germany they are celebrated with a wreath decorated with four candles sitting on the table.

On the 1st Advent you light up the first candle. And for the whole week after you always just light up one! Then the next Sunday, the 2nd Advent you light up the first one as well as the second one! And so on...it is a nice tradition, especially as it helps the kids to count down the weeks, similar to the advent calendar...and it is so cosy and nice to have candles light up every morning and night while it is still dark outside.

We had been pretty busy on most weekends visiting family and family visiting us. That is the right Christmas spirit I guess...however, it was lovely and we rally enjoyed it!

On the 4th Advent, we got our Christmas tree and my Mum was here to celebrate Christmas with us.

We celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. That is the main night and the time where the christchild brings the presents. We had a great dinner with a yummy roast and then it was time for the presents...

1st Advent

2nd Advent

3rd Advent

4th Advent

Hänsel&Gretels gingerbread house... 

Lunch on Christmas Eve

A little poem before w open the presents...

Desert after the presents: Bratapfel! That is roasted de-cored apple with marzipan and vanilla sauce....yammyyyyyyy! Oh and not to forget the little marzipan snowman on the side!

BAM! And Winter is here, the 2nd

I know I've posted that winter was here before... But that was just what felt like winter to us! It was the beginning of Autumn to everyone else...!

Now it has gotten cold, and pretty much all the trees have lost their leaves...and when I say cold, this time I mean it! It's just about 5 degrees during the days and around 0 at night, so by the time we are leaving for school in the morning it is around 2degrees!

The kids are very excited and are waiting for the first snow...and I am too I have to say! 

Nothing beats the very first snow of the season and the way it muffles every sound...fingers crossed it's coming soon!

Home sweet home

Slowly but steadily we are feeling like home...that is probably mainly due to the fact that our belongings have arrived! All save and sound except for one bowl and one serving plate. But you have to cut your losses and move on...

It is soooo good though to have our personal things especially the lounge and armchair...

Thank god we took the lounge! Note to myself: DO NOT EVER AGAIN CONSIDER LEAVING IT BEHIND! In fact, DO consider to take your whole house next time! Tables and chairs and beds and linen and plates and pots and everything else!

Shipping is so much cheaper than buying new! 

So on the note of buying new: we have been to IKEA (not just ones) to get some more...things and furniture. 

I loooove IKEA! Yes I know, sometimes you can get over it but you've got to admit: it's cool, and fun, and affordable...mostly that is...and I like the fact that it almost, in a subtle and a little strange way, feels like home. 

However, we most definitely do not want our home to look like it's from an IKEA catalogue page or show room!

But a little thing here and there are allowed I'd say! 

Bam! And winter is here (I know it's autumn in this part of the world but it strangely feels like winter to me)

In, what feels like no time at all, it's gotten freeeezing especially in the mornings when I rush the kids to school. 

I've been wearing my winter coat a scarf and beanie (just have been holding off on gloves but have been very tempted). 

How am I gonna survive winter if I'm already wearing everything warm I've got now?! 

And the worse thing is: I'm not even warm! I'm cold! Not just my face: Everything!

I think I'm in real need of rethinking my winter wardrobe...any suggestions greatly appreciated!

House hunting

I have been spending every spare minute in the last weeks to house hunt.

Getting send emails with our search criteria every day and finding myself checking the web pages anyway, just to double check I'm not missing anything.

It's a strange and funny thing going house hunting. 

We realised we have a little different criteria and a lot different taste. 

It's tiring going to viewings every day and trying not to be disappointed when the partner just couldn't see the potential you could clearly hear screaming of the walls: 'I'm perfect! Take me! I could be your family home!'

I tend to hear those voices pretty often and pretty clearly. But I'm usually the only one.

I guess I'm often a little too impulsive and emotional. 

I seam to have this ability to totally ignore the fact that it is too expensive, or too dark, or on a loud and big street, or any other absolutely impossible factor you can think of.

Thank good there is a more sensible person in this relationship too. So we did not take the first place we looked at, we waited, and looked, and looked more, and a bit more. 

And now we have found it. A place we both feel like we could be home at. A place big enough for us to live in and work in and have family and friends visiting and staying in.

A place my instincts went into overdrive and made my tummy jump up and down the first time I stepped over the door sill. 

We have seen so many places (almost 30) with so many doors and now one of them is ours!

It was meant to be. We knew it straight away...and with a little help (thank you again, you-know-who-you-are) now it's ours!