Art school

For the last few weeks, the theme at Kindergarten has been "Kunst" (Art). They've been looking at Paul Klee, Claude Monet — and today were crafting water lilies. They have also painted a model they made of the house by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser (the original house in Vienna seen here) and last week they did paintings of circles in the mode (loosely!) of Kandinsky. This morning, another task was to draw a partner by staring into their eyes but not looking at the picture which was quite a challenge looking at the results. This afternoon as it was such a steaming hot day, they were all asked to return with their swimming gear, and played out in the playground with water for this afternoons session. Needless to say, after football (after Kindergarten) and Zveri at a friends, then tennis in the Hof (the children are getting quite good), Bea was thoroughly exhausted!

Sunday swim

Frith is overloaded with work so he spent Sunday in the office. We headed to the swimming pool to cool off, but it was so busy it was like being in a penguin colony (although I think penguins can find their offspring easier). As usual, it didn't bother Bea and Ili who were in and out of the water all day. Bea bumped into a few kindergarten friends, and we were joined by our neighbours. Papa would have never survived the crowd, so wasn't sad to have missed it.

Afternoon games in the woods

Met with friends to go to the woods this afternoon, and it was really peaceful and very beautiful. A facility we don't use enough of at the moment. Ili played with Miya and Bea with Nico, and they had a great time (badminton, handball, frisby, tree climbing, tadpole collecting which luckily got left behind this year), while parents got the fire going, and supped a few . . .

Garden is a disaster

Our garden is a disaster this year with only a handful of visits made (too cold, too wet, or too busy), and absolutely nothing planted! Apparently we are going to receive a letter to tell us to bring it in order. Whoops. Ili and I went this morning, and I was cutting down weeks taller than her, but we've still time to grow a few veg to be ready for our return from summer holidays. Didn't take any pics, but here's Ili on the way home at the nearby kiddie animal park.

Summer has finally arrived!

After what seems likes weeks of rain, summer is here, and it's hot! Here's Ili in the Hof this morning (after our Swiss-German singing group). And after piano — which is still going well, and Bea is on his second book — he joined his friend Theodore at their allotment/garden for a hose pipe fight!

Drenched at dance

We all arrived totally drenched in warm rain to the dance session today. The kiddies were running barefoot up and down the road licking the sky! Bea then joined in Ili's group, along with another friend in his underpants.

New school class

Have gotten a bit out of the swing of things with the blog writing, but a fair bit has happened. On Saturday we received the post from the City to say which school class Bea will be in next year. It's relevant to the children as they are split up into between two different teachers in first grade and they keep the teacher for the next three years. Bea will have Frau Meyer who is supposed to be very good, but due her first baby in October (and we are as yet to find out what will happen). Bea seemed happy enough with his classmates.

Friday flower market

Met up with Sarah and Olivia at the market this morning to enjoy the summer that seems to have finally arrived — and spent the afternoon (and our first visit this year) at Bad Allenmoos with Ryan and Hil who are due to move to the US (so it carried on to a bit of late night drinking at their place).

Gnome's garden

Payed a visit to the Ghazoul children this afternoon, and the kids rigged up a hose running down the slide to make a super fast water slide, then met up with Theodore at his garden allotment.

Theodore and Sunday Brunch

We were due to go to the mountains this weekend with the parents of one of Bea's friends — Theodore — and stay overnight, but it was cancelled due to the weather. We got together for Sunday brunch instead and Theodore stayed with us for the rest of the day. Bea loves playing with him, and hopefully they'll see each other more often.

Wet weekend market, and more wet festival

The annual local market in our district (Oberstrasse) was a washout too! Luckily there were a few inside events, albeit oversubscribed, and Papa took Ili and Bea out to the market for a bounce in Bea's school gym. Not perturbed by the rain, we went back for more of the weekend music festival this evening where Bea bumped into a friend, so they stood mesmorised watching the bands. Rain or no rain, we don't get to see enough live music, so it was very much enjoyed. 

A soggy wet festival

Every year in the local park they hold a small, free music festival — the Stolze Openair. The music is actually quite good, and even though the rain hadn't stopped all day I took the children, plus friend, out for some evening mud stomping fun!

A wet Waldmorgen

I joined this month's Kindergarten trip to the woods, and couldn't have picked a worse day. In what is usually a real highlight for the kids was instead total punishment as one by one they got gradually wetter, colder, then frozen. I completely surprised myself by managing to light a fire in the hissing rain with soggy newspaper but we still came back after an hour (which felt like three!). Ili was with us, and when back at Kingergarten she made herself at home!

. . . and it rained, and it rained, and it rained

Ili with friend and neighbour outside Spielgruppe — another day of RAIN!

Sleepover that went wrong

Bea had a friend over who wanted to sleep here on Monday night. All was good, until it was time to go to bed, and shortly after lights out his friend started to cry for his mama. Nothing we could do to calm him or stop him from frantically repacking his overnight bad, so I piggy-backed him home. Nothing interesting or unusual about that. But, what really interested me was Bea's response the next day. He came home sad from Kindergarten after his friend said he didn't want to play with him. We spoke about it, and he decided himself he would go to his friends house to speak with his mother, and insisted he went alone — and he did. Very brave, and very mature I thought for a six-year-old. I believe the issue was he couldn't understand what the problem was for his friend, but knew his mama would tell him. He seemed to feel better afterwards.