Officially on Holidays.

It's such a nice feeling to have nothing do to today. Oh, sure, there's plenty of things that I probably should be doing. But nothing's going to come and eat me if I haven't done them by tomorrow. This morning atabout 9am (before the people bothering to go into the uni saw them, even) I saw that the uni had already put up the Deutschkurs exam results. I ruled it, which reassures me as to why I felt so bored in the exam. I got 19.5/20 for the Reading Comprehension, 17.5/20 for the Listening Comprehension, 18.5/20 for the Text Production and 9.1/10 for the Grammar. Combined with my in-class not-talking-enough mark (bahaha), that means that I got just over 90% for the whole subject. Go me and my lazy non-study methods, they're clearly working out here.

Five people (of our group of sixteen) didn't pass, according to the results. We're listed by number, not by name, so I'm not exactly sure of who. But I'm pretty certain about three of them. As for the other two, I have a sinking feeling about one of the girls, who had only completed A1 before she got thrown in the deep end with us. I really hope that she made it through, because she worked hard, but I think there's a chance that she just didn't manage to catch up in time. There were a couple in our group who really should have been put into G1, and it definitely wasn't fair on them that they got thrown in with us. But it's not my system, so who am I to dictate it?

And, because I make no claims to being a good human being, there's actually one person who I'm actually hoping is amongst the group who failed... simply because then in Mittelstufe I won't have to listen to his goddamn sexist jokes about how women can't do this, that or the other. It'll save me from being kicked out of the course for punching someone. ;)

So, the exam was on Friday morning. I didn't study in the lead-up, because I'm of the opinion that had I not been able to learn a certain grammar in three months, then chances are that I won't learn it in a few days before an exam. Also because I was lazy and read food blogs instead, but that's another story. Anyway, we got the usual complimentary eats, which is always nice, and our teachers plied us with chocolates and sweets. I managed to finish the sections a bit early, which was good because I didn't have to sit there and stress, and bad because I got to hang out awkwardly in the hall with the people organising the snacks. They were nice, but really I couldn't be bothered talking to them, and they weren't exactly toning down their vocab for the beginners, here. I did get coffee for free, though, so really I should shut my trap.

The text production was probably the part that I found the easiest. In fact, I actually got really bored. I'd finished writing my reply to the requisite letter in the first twenty minutes. I decided to write a bit more, simply because I could, and waffled on for a little longer. But then I decided that I'd already answered the few questions in the text quite adequately, and I couldn't really be bothered waffling on for any longer. I got impatient, really. So I handed up my text, and left. I didn't even proof-read the damn thing, which is stupidity if ever I saw it. But it doesn't matter, because I still got a good mark, and marks don't even matter so long as I passed. I walked home, still a little over-caffeinated and with a touch too much adrenaline, thinking all manner of uncouth words towards the exam and listening to the most brutal music my ipod could supply. I'd like to think it was more a victory march than a retreat - really, I was just glad it was over, and I could have a few weeks' peace.

I came home, ate some lunch, and caught the train to Muenster. Talk about the perfect getaway! I went from over-alert to braindead in the space of a 90-minute train ride, and stayed that way for the better part of the weekend. It was great to be able to relax, and in retrospect I was pretty confident about passing the exam, though admittedly I didn't think about it. I caught the bus to Matt & Tash's (though really I should be calling Tash "Frau T", simply because I think being called "Fraulein M" on her blog is nothing short of brilliant!) and was met by Tash with kids in tow. Now, as if you weren't already confident of me being in good hands for the weekend, I arrived to their house to discover it smelling deliciously cake-y... and a vegan lemon cake, made with contribution from the kids, cooling on the benchtop. I am most definitely spoiled rotten!

The evening was exactly what I needed - a chance to relax! Dinner was pumpkin soup with ginger and coconut cream (and if you know me, then you'll know how awesome I found it), followed by that amazing cake, and the requisite cup of tea. Because, y'know, the fastest way to kick your coffee addiction is to replace it with tea. Then, after the kids had gone to bed, we got to talk about blogs and homewares and other cute things, over a glass (or two) of red wine and some of my homemade olive-oil biscuits.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for the final Flohmarkt. Tash forgot her wallet, which I had to have a giggle about (sorry!) and bravely left me in charge of her small zoo of children while she retrieved it. Thankfully, they were all beautifully well-behaved and she was back very soon. The Flohmarkt itself was good fun, and people seemed to be asking more resonable prices than at the last one. I got some kneepads and wrist guards to wear whilst skating (because I've been skating in fear of seriously hurting myself, or worse, grazing my hands) and the cutest little thermos. Warm drinks, as if we weren't already close, I'm now going to be carting you wherever I go. And yes, I'm excited about it.

Tash managed to get properly-fitting snow pants for all three kids, plus games and books, not to mention the enormously popular gummi-bear night light. She even managed to find the cutest hoodie, and it fit her perfectly. I didn't find anything amongst the clothes, generally because the cool things on offer were from impossibly small ladies. I did see a couple of pairs of cool shoes, but none of them were in my size, so I think that's probably providence of some sort, telling me to stop buying stuff that I won't want to lug home. Speaking of lugging things home, I found a link to course dates for next semester, and apparently the DSH exam is on the 12th of March, which'll mean I'll be home in time for the birthdays of both Mum & Dad and Louise. Definite win.

Anyway, we went back to Matt & Tash's house for lunch. The monkey reminds me, quite decidedly, of one of my sisters. The last bit of soup and bread was for lunch, and I managed to find time for yet another cup of tea. I definitely needed it, to thaw myself out! The markets were pretty freezing, and both fingers and toes were feeling the wintery conditions. We braved the cold again, and were fortunate with the weather admittedly, in order to go to the food market by the Dom. It's like the Dom Markt here, except that it's bigger and without my favourite stall-lady. I was upsold some raspberries, and was completely happy about it. Tash stocked up on fruit and veg, half of which was probably eaten by me within the next few hours, hehehe. If a berry is squashed then it has to be eaten, right? I also got to put forward a bit of Elstar-Apple propagandha and eat some amazing pears.

We used the veg and bread at the markets to make pita pizzas. Everyone got to decorate their own (except the Mouse, who was happy just to nibble on the cheese, and Matt, who wasn't there yet) and I covered mine with all manner of delicious toppings. Probably the most interesting, for those who have known me for a while, was olives! Yep, I now consider myself amongst the ranks of the converted. I guess I'd been slowly warming to them, but I completely fell in love with the Zitronen-Oliven... needless to say, those got eaten up well before we started assembling the pizzas! Matt got home that evening and was full of excitement about the conference he'd been attending in Manchester. I read over the extracts, and it did look pretty interesting. He brought home the cutest books for the kids, which I also enjoyed reading... child at heart, here!

The next day brought a relative sleep-in for me (6:50am, oh my!) and one of the best breakfasts I'd had in ages... oats with banana and berries. So good! We went to the pool later that morning, and I was happy to be back in water for a while. Swam some laps and chilled out in a spa-type pool when the other one became too cold. It reminded me that I really need to go swimming more often! Swimming always makes me feel good. And hungry. Ravenous, even. So much so, that when we were relating the glory of the lemon cake to Matt, the idea of another one was raised... and seeing as how the oven was going on for the kids' Mozarella sticks, it sort of made sense to bake another lemon cake. So I threw all the ingredients into a bowl, the kids mixed it for me, the Bear made the icing with a bit of assistance (and a few sneaky fingers in the bowl) and we had more cake for afternoon tea. So awesome.

I went home in the afternoon, managing to a) time the bus perfectly so that I waited about 30 seconds for the train to leave after boarding, and b) leaving the Spiegel that Matt had recommended on their table. Oops. I did, however, borrow "Eating Animals" by Johnathan Safran Foer, which was a good read. I'll return that when I go up there tomorrow. Tash has said that they'll have the jar of Apfelmus empty by then (oh yeah, I brought a jar of Apfelmus with me. So much better than the store-bought, if I say so myself!) so I can take that back, and refill it with another batch! I can see my Winter-additions all laid out ahead of me: hot drinks, Apfelmus, pumpkins and vegan lemon cake. Mmmmm.

I was back in Padders by about 7pm, and managed to make the fastest pan-sized carrot-fritter in the world whilst having to share the kitchen with the Mitbewohner and his girlfriend. They were making fish fingers, red cabbage from a jar, and gnocchi from a packet to go with it. I rest my case. There's still pumple stains from the cabbage on the stove, and all they had to do was heat it up! Anyway, I'm not sure if I've ever explained my obsession with pan-sized vegetable fritters (which I call 'frittata', highly innacurately, simply because I think calling them vegetable pancakes or fritters is also an especial injustice) but I figure that can wait til later. I have zucchini in the fridge, so pretty soon I'll make an old favourite: zucchini, pea and basil fritters. Yum.

Monday I did the bare minimum of anything, and loved it. Two loads of washing did get done, though. I washed my Lucky Jeans jacket, and the belt got a bit tattered, which made me realise that I'd never washed it before. I'm a bit embarassed about that, how revolting! It's not like it smelled or anything, but still... ahem. Yesterday I also did a great deal of nothing, which was as enjoyable as on Monday, but I also went shopping. I bought a tshirt, a knit top, and some red hair dye. Online I bought some Cheap Mondays jeans, because they were dirt cheap and I'm in love with them. Awesome.

Today I went to the market, and my usual lady joked with me about the predictability of my purchases (well, about my half kilo of green beans) and how I should eat them up before they finish and I'm onto the cabbage... she has a good point, though. I also bought about a dozen Elstar apples, of which I've already eaten three, and olives from two different vendors... see, I'm transformed! The ones with lemon and rosemary, which I expected to be amazing, were quite average, so today I made olive bread. I ate half of the loaf for lunch, just dipping it in olive oil. So addictive, but a bit of gluttony on my part, really. I'll save the other one in the freezer for a later day, otherwise that'd be dinner, too... heh.

Oh, and I was supposed to have K over for dinner tonight, except that he cancelled. I'm a bit unimpressed with him of late (being a bit sketchy about replying to things) so maybe I'll just forget to reply next time. A bit of passive-aggression, in the nicest possible way. I told him that he has six months to reschedule, and that it should be enough time to work it out. I did that in a completely deadpan timbre, however, so hopefully he knows me well enough to understand my dry humour. If not, that's his bad luck. I'm not the one missing out on curry tonight...! :)