This week I'm going to be doing my bit for Anglo-Euro relations. We will be having a German kid staying with us as part of my son's school exchange visit. He'll be going over there soon (cos that's the way it works you know!) It will be a bit of an upheaval having Constantine stay but I'm actually looking forward to it. My own command of the German language stretches as far as: eine beer und eine bucke mit caiser bitte (sic) which, loosely translated means: can I have a beer and a cheese roll please. You may mock but that phrase could mean the difference between a miserable journey or a satisfying snack. I ought to point out that I'm a lover of most cheeses, except from memory I don't think cheese is Germany's strong point. Fortunately my wife saves the day, yet again, as she's pretty much fluent, having studied German to at least O level standard. As far as I know she's never actually been there but that hasn't stopped her putting me to shame on numerous foreign holidays by having proper grown-up conversations with our Teutonic cousins. Anyway, no obvious war jokes please (I had to go and mention it didn't I!) I'll report back and let you know how the invasion week went if you want to hear. It takes me back to my school exchange visit to Konigswinter, near Bonn, when I were a lad. Ah yes, the lager, the football, the athletics matches, Abba, Sorry I'm a Lady, Black is Black I Want my Baby Back, the 1970s discos, the open air swimming pool, the girls in swimsuits, Claudia in particular; now that's another story and one which you will probably never hear!....
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