This week has been busy again getting ready for Christmas. On Monday we decorated the new tree - very festive as you can see above! It cheered me up after my doctors appointment. The one positive thing about doctors here is that they are very thorough. I went to see the Ear Nose and Throat specialist and he did a range of tests including an ultra sound on my face which led him to diagnose sinusitis and prescribe me some pills and a nose spray! After all the poking and prodding, I had such a headache that I was off work until Wednesday but the symptoms are finally starting to shift. We'll see what they say at my follow up appointment tomorrow!
Tuesday was St Nicholas' Day and he left some lovely presents in our shoes. I got a book - The 13 1/2 lives of Captain Bluebear by Walter Moers. It's described on the cover as J.K. Rowling on ecstasy and it is! It's kind of a children's book but the vocabulary is pretty tough - I don't think I could have read the German version and I think some children would struggle with it but it is an amazing story. I read 200 pages on the first day. Brilliant read so far.
Wednesday was a heavy day because it was back to work and then I had my friend Loretto over to make mince pies. It was my second attempt and it was different as I used a different type of gluten free flour and didn't have time to let everything rest but they were as good as the first ones. Loretto is heading to Spain this week for a visit and taking the recipe with her so it must have made an impression on her at least!
On Thursday, I had a good day at work as one of my classes was out on a trip which had two positive outcomes: first of all, I got to finish earlier than usual and meet my Mum at the airport. Secondly, I had a cover lesson with a class I haven't taught yet. I love those cover lessons as I can always convince them that I don't speak German. You might expect that this would lead them to insult me in German and get in trouble but actually, it really makes them try to speak more English than they would otherwise have done and it's great! On Thursday evening, we wandered the markets, enjoyed some Gluhwein, did a little shopping and had a lovely Thai meal before teaching my evening class. Then we came home to more Gluhwein and home made mince pies! Perfect.
Friday was a great day with my Mum. After work, we headed into town and to the art gallery. The gallery is one of the biggest sights in Bremen that I hadn't yet seen as it had been undergoing a renovation for about a year after I arrived here. My mum loves art so it was the perfect opportunity to go there. It wasn't too expensive and the have an Eduard Munch (the Scream painter) on at the moment which was especially interesting. I was also surprised at how many other big artists (Picasso, Van Gogh, Monet, Manet...) they have in their normal collection. It's definitely worth a visit. Afterwards, we did some shopping and headed through the market again before coming home to another delicious meal from Nico (chicken wrapped in bacon in red wine sauce done in the Roman cooking pot, mmm).
Saturday was Mum's last day here and we made the most of it with a lovely breakfast at Cafe Classico with Loretto and Rachel. This was followed by last minute Christmas Market shopping to fit in all the must dos (chocolate covered fruit, mulled wine, xmas shopping) before we headed to the airport. We had a relaxing evening but I did manage to fit in some Christmas shopping. I've left this later than ever but it is progressing. While Mum was here, I bought some gorgeous presents for my niece and nephew - can't wait to see them both in the holidays.
Next week is going to be a little calmer. I must finish the Christmas shopping and get some exams done with a couple of my classes but nothing to exciting this week. Must also come up with something new to do!
No comments:
Post a Comment