SuMMeR tiMe!

It is SUMMER SEASON inEurope right noW!

Everything is in full blooM, the schools are on holidaY for about 6weeKs!

Here, in Baden Württemberg(south Germany), the seasonal fruit( apples, cherries, plums) are looking gooD & are ripe... for picking!! They taste really gooD also!! :-)

On one of our little walks, just beyond the village.. we saw 4horses helping themselves to some freSH apples off the tree!

Levi pointed to them, drooling with concentration on this discovery...!

We've been exploring our little village(Mönchberg) more & more ..& seeing more more..

NeW disCoveries to all 3of uS!

It's been sooOo HOT!
.......

EeWeY.. blaH!!

I never knew it got so WARM in this area?

Just a 3HR drive from the Alps, still, this time of the year brings days of 35°!

Clear, blue-sky hot days... thunderinG stoRms in the evenings! And raining raining through the piercing, bright setting sun.

This is mostly the way the 'day end' has been proceedinG...

The setting sun in the summer at 9:30, was a COMPLETE adjustment to the 'Roomes'!

Levi & I(Liesel), have had a leeenngthy summer... but the winter(I imagine) will MORE than make up for this...? We wait & tell :-&

People are very buzy buzzing around, getting their 'stuff' all done & prepared! ???

Because these warm evenings last only for about two months, family's are outside for as long as possible...having braai's(moO.."barbeque!").... etc.etc.

Most time is spent outdoors!
SOAK-UP an overloAd of warmth... savour the sunshine before cold winter arrives & greeTs!


Levi has moved from a summer at the ocean, set with sand dunes, to summer at the "freibads"(swimming baths) set in the hillS!

On tuesday morning we had playgroup at the 'freibad' in Hildrizhauzen! (one of the nearby villages)

LeVi 'chaRginG' to the water!!

(there are strict laws.. even babies are expected to wear costumes!)

Levi in his birthdaY suit, was not acceptable, nor a nappy! We didn't come prepared :-(

One of the other moms offered a 'bathing diaper' (cough..cough!!!) , an extra one she had that her DAUGHTER wasn't needing right then! (moO PINK 'bathing diaper') buT we're all prepared noW :-)

LeVi, Emma, Corinne, Will~~~~

'"SmiLe" HoLLy!'

;-)... !!!!!

Anita was hosting this 'playdate'(each week a different mom hosts playgroup in there home village).

She has been a lifeline for me, an incrediblE help (in a foreign country), since I 'tripped' upon her on the neT.

Uli & Anita have been living in Germany, now for 8years... moved from Pretoria in S.A! We're always very enthusiastiC to 'have a coffee' & some chats; the only moms in our playgroup(amidst the Americans & Brits!) from SOUTH AFRICA!!

There 1st daughter, Sarah, was born here... now, 4yr-old Sarah is ALL-2-PROUD of 'her' baby Hannah(sister-9wks olD)!

Anita's mom, Sarah, Anita

GreaT reckoverY wouldn't you say ladies!? Anita is known in the playgroup, as quite THE MODEL for pre & post pregnancY!

Sarah & Hannah

Basel und back~

HalO our dear family! und HalO our dear friends!

We, at this stage do not have much glamour, as such, to share with you.... We share mainly bout how we're starting-out & building a life here in Europe(right now- in Germany)...

'We've spread our wings... now we will flap that we FLY!"

The sale of our home in Winterstrand[moO!] , a haven so very dear to many of us, was just recently finalized.

Still the container hasn't arrived(been a delay)...

We've been camping-out, reallY, these first few months!

Adventure, real adventure!

BRING ON THE CONTAINER NOW!!!

The 13th of June was Levi' first birthday!!!
WOW!!!

'Volkshochschulen'..- this is a evening class for german lessons.
A couple of people have suggested I go for these. So can boldly blurt-ouT german language, in all confidence!
Been a little sheepish & quiet these days(can you picture?)-- hee! [all part of adventure-journey?]

Except maybe with Julia!
Julia confidently speaks her broken- english with her pronounced german accent!
Unfortunately though, I don't think we're really helping one-another; Mark reckon's we're sounding much alike!

Levi & I met Julia in Sindelfingen last year, at the NH hotel.
Quick-quick, before we escaped the hotel to go EXPLORE...
Julia bravelY barged into the room, coming to refresh the mini bar!! I was refreshing Levi's nappy right then.

... mein liebe freundin, JULIA!
(was this a meeting by chance??...mmmM)
Always-always 'Roome' in our faM for Julia!

We'll bring her for a visit to S.A for sure! She has a SECRET(shshsh....) fettish for chocolate brownies! Except, IRONICALLY, with all the greaT shokalade here; the brownies are shocking- BLAH! ['Star bucks' don't beat(by far) what you can get in S. OF THE A.!!!]

Levi's exploring SUPER-loads, SUPER-fasT! Forever keen to be part of 'the action'!
I must move double tiMe to try keep-up with our little 'miracle dropleT' boy~child!

The picture of our apartment on the previous post, is DECEIVING!
It does me no justice!... MIGHTY moO!
Inside the little 'tri-angle picture'... is my 'gym' girl-friends!!
-- (feel little better now, with that off 'my chest!')

...ExcepT, also, this place(Deutschland) has really good chocalate!
DUPLOS!! a 'ferrero' hit for sure!-- munch on a duplo while on the run..-- like chipS! hee!

Walter & Gaylene Fyvie, known to us as 'the Lambies', came for a (eXceLLenT) tasting of Europe, from U.K!
They landed in Switzerland-Basel, spent a week at Interlaken!(explored Swiss Alps with some faM!) Interlaken is right in the middle of the Swiss Alps!

Maybe the 'Lambies' for-real, DID see Heidi und Peter right there in the Alps?? ..mmm...

Check-out their blog: sure to be breathtaking PICS!-- http://thefyviesabroad.blogspot.com/

From our village, Basel is about 200km..a 2hr drive. We drove through the Schwarzwald, the black forest.
We chose a really stunning!.. scenic drive on the back roads through the Schwarzwald (the Black Forest), through all the small, neighbouring villages(3hrs).

Mark got a tip from our friend Martin, that we could stay at the 'International Youth Hostel' at a really good price. This info was all pretti-vague to my attention..??

anywaY~anywaY though!!... right then, in 5min, directly after we'd arrived, we were due to meet the 'Lamby Lambs'!
Quick parked our car, quick found a tram to bus station, then bus to airport!

We'd arranged to meet Walter & Gaylene at Basel airport 2hrs before they had to 'check in'!
We all sat in the resturant having 'charlie chats' & 'catch-up's' in same language with same dialect!
MoO.., then Mr & Mrs lamby walked awaY..

moO.. 2tired 'Lambs' pretti-much looking like buggered tourists right now!

A Duplo!?

At 'this' stage, Levi was snug & asleep in his kinderwagen(SUPER)!
Mark & I found a tram that took us to a typical Italian restaurant for some good pasta!

Then back to our parked car! waiting at the...'International Youth Hostel'!!!

"Yuk! What is this Mark?"...."MoO babe! Is this were we're sleeping tonight?"
Two single beds lined-up in a straight stripe, against the wall on cement floor.. Little basin with little mirror.
THOUGH...
All 3 of us slept ever-SO-soundlY all through the night... 'twinkle twinkle little star!'
We were thinking.. maybe the rushing stream outside our window, 'playing' some 'white noise', helped lull us to sleep!

Levi woke us with giggiling & bellowing ON TOP OF HIS LITTLE VOICE!

After doing communal showers etc, all packed -up; we left the car in it's great space & ventured the citY of Basel!
Very gooD, Most excellenT.. first we have a caffe' und croissant at an art museum!

Walked, tramed, guessed, chanced!!?? & saw a little, of the city-center in Basel...

Charging the electric car ... at the HILTON!!!

EncountereD a 'moO' shop! Anything your heart could desire, with a moo-cow on!..('Fangs', this was overwhelming-heCtiC!)

Coming home was 'sweet'.. -- 'home sweet h...'

The city life, we enjoy to explore, then what great opportunity to move from it's buzz & journey to the quiet of our home...now, in the village on top of a mountain in Mönchberg.

...& right now, the cherries are flourishinG!

:=)