No wonder it is closed...

But just to explain: "Bad" in German means "bathroom".

Me and my sewing

If you know me on Facebook, you'll have seen I've been doing quite a bit of sewing since we've arrived here. I wonder if there are some people who might be thinking "But we didn't send Prue to Germany just to sit at home and sew." True, you didn't. It certainly isn't all I'm doing, but it is one thing worth sticking photos on Facebook for. I could, of course, take before and after photos of my cleaning - see my bright sparkling sink, look how clean this shirt came out, isn't this floor swept beautifully - or photos of my grocery shopping etc., but that would make for extremely boring reading!

There are good reasons for my sewing. God made me a creative person, so one way I glorify him is to use my creative gifts. To stifle those would be like cutting my arms off. Sewing is one of those ruminative activities that allows you to process thoughts on life in general as you stitch. This is good for my mental health. Being the one at home, caring for the family as they adjust to life in a new country, I do need time to think about how best to help everyone settle in. It also gives me time to sit and listen to sermons, which I'm really enjoying, and thankful for the solid biblical teaching available via the internet.

So far I've made a wallhanging to make this house seem more like home, and I've made a doll for a child's birthday present because there aren't many toy shop options in Kandern - there's a newsagent which has some toys, plus another store which is a hardware/kitchenware/toy store all rolled into one, with some other random things thrown in as well! Plus, who doesn't like a handmade gift, made with love! And in the process of getting supplies for these sewing projects, I have befriended the owner of the upholstery fabric shop here in town. She's a local who speaks excellent English. And that is one of the reasons I am here - to get to know local Germans, and to introduce them to Christ. She's even suggested I can come and have some German conversation with her sometimes, to practise.

So I hope you'll allow me to spend some time sewing in my life here in Kandern!

Apple season

It's apple season here. I bought a crate of apples yesterday because we were going through them so fast. These are whopping apples too. Each about the size of a softball.

I was thinking about afternoon tea this afternoon, wondering what there was to eat, when I had a brilliant idea - why not make an apple cake? So I did.

It took an hour to cook, with one three year old waiting impatiently for it to be ready.

But once it was done it was good! So, now that I've baked a cake, it seems like this must be home now. We really are settling in.

Walking home from church today...

Our life in the Black Forest begins

This website is our journal of life in the Black Forest, Germany. We are an Australian family from Sydney, and we have moved here for Tim to work at the Black Forest Academy, an international Christian boarding school, primarily for missionary kids. 

Earlier this week we arrived here in the small town of Kandern, Germany, after travelling for more than 24 hours from Sydney. We travelled here in three cars, two aeroplanes, three trains and one bus, though not all at once! We even had a cake and lots of attention lavished on us by the cabin crew of our Emirates flight from Dubai to Frankfurt because they found out we were moving to a new country!

Tim and I had been here to visit in May this year and chose a house to rent then, which was ready and waiting for us, partially furnished, when we arrived. We have been assigned a "host family" who picked us up from the station, had stocked our pantry and fridge with a some essentials for us, made our beds, and have generally been wonderfully helpful and caring. 

We're getting to know the lay of the land here, and have taken the kids to various places around the town. They are starting to go a little stir crazy, confined to our house for much of the time since we don't have a car, but they aren't yet over their jet lag enough to start school either. I took Miss Middle Child to the school bus stop yesterday morning so she could meet some of her future classmates, and Tim took Master Eldest to his school chapel service this morning too.

 

We will visit Miss Youngest's kindergarten on Monday, so she can see where she will be going to preschool. 

So far Miss Middle Child has almost fallen into the Kander (a good sized creek - they call it a river - running through the middle of town), Miss Youngest has fallen asleep on the toilet from jet lag, and Master Eldest has not fallen out of his very high loft bed. 

I've worked out how to use the washing machine, dishwasher and clothes dryer, I've tripped a circuit attempting to use my new and possibly faulty hair dryer, found the fuse box, plus almost got my hand stuck in our letterbox. We've been bamboozled by the German rubbish/recycling system, Tim has managed to get through a whole German conversation with our new landlord when we signed the house rental contract, and we haven't yet found the post office.

But, we're here, our luggage made it too, and God has kept us safe and well. Life is only just beginning for us in the Black Forest, but we're pretty sure it's going to be a great big adventure. Please join us, from the comfort of your computer desk or armchair - we hope you enjoy the ride!