Random April

A Day in Zell am See

So not many punters on the Pippi Longstocking hairdo then?  Except for one (not sure who it was?) who was close – but the answer is – Pencils!  I stuck pencils into the lackies closest to her head.  So there you go.

Since then, Maciek started back at work as a tiler.  As expected it knocked us about a bit and we were all tired and grumpy for a couple of weeks, earlier starts, longer days, kids missing him as they’d gotten used to him being around in the afternoon.  For about two weeks Noah was asking him if he had any chocolates when he came home from work, as he used to nick them from the hotel!  But now we are used to it again and I just have to make the effort to take the kids out in the afternoons or they go crazy in the apartment and drive me insane!  But the good side is Maciek is now occupied and is not ‘ghosting’ me around the house wondering what to do with himself! (er did the washing, cleaning the bathroom or vacuuming cross your mind???)  No, he did make pretty good house husband while it lasted, but wouldn’t be making a career of it!

Pool party in April

Cake in style

We were invited to our first Austrian kids party, one of Noah’s little friends from the Kinderkrippe, turning 2.   Bit of a stress as we were running late as usual but then found the road we needed closed due to roadworks with no diversion on offer, no Sat Nav, and it was then I realized I had also forgotten my phone!  The alternative route would have taken us maybe 45 minutes at least but Maciek was having none of it and so took a punt on a tiny turn off heading up into the mountain and God knows how but we got there but we did, and arrived at a grand place with a huge front terrace with stunning views and an infinity pool, only not really an ‘infinity’ pool as it doesn’t continue into the ocean but you know the ones I mean?!  Very different from our typical Australian kids parties.  It started at 3pm with a slideshow of pics on the big screen (creatively put together to music) of the little boy from baby till now, followed by the presentation of the cake and blowing out candles and Happy Birthday songs, then cake and coffee consumption, and after that mingling while the kids played and swam.  The barbeque was then cranked up and we ate great food around the table on the terrace drinking champagne with the sun setting.  More like a civilized dinner party than a kids party.  No pass the parcel, no musical statues, no lolly bags, no buffet table full of sweets and fairy bread, no gathering around the birthday kid for the ceremonious opening of presents (these were just ripped open randomly as people arrived).  So a very different experience for us but we had a fantastic afternoon, not sure how we keep ending up at houses that look like they belong on ‘cribs’!  And we weren’t even the last to leave at 8pm. 

Just a couple of ‘Maciekisms’ to finish:

Zell am See

Maciek sat next to me on the couch, and offered me a plate with the last piece of cake on it.  He continued to stare at me while I took the slice and bit into it, and then he said “That was a rhetorical question.”

One evening once the kids had finally gone to bed I suggested we watch a movie.  We had recently gotten a hold of that one based on the books by Stieg Larsson.  And so Maciek said “Let’s watch The Girl with a Tattoo of a Dragon on her Back.”  Hahahha!!

Next post:  Dad and Rita’s visit J

Schwarzsee and the Wilder Kaiser