h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

.. My teacher asked if we had got a name for my new born brother:

Repeating my mother, I said.. Juantamany

Hi lil,

thanks for that

If you like silly names, you might like to drop in at A310249

*giggles*

Thank you!!

Another good poem that made me
There's a very nice story (in German) about the Dutch Mr. Kannitverstahn (don'tunderstand). It's far from being as funny as your poem, though.

Hi B'Elana

Thank you for your kind comment

I love Mr. Kannitverstahn of Amsterdam

If anyone hasn't looked up Johann Peter Hebel, there's a really good translated excerpt at http://evans-experientialism.freewebspace.com/hebel.htm

You know Hebel?
Great link, btw.

Hi B'Elana

I only knew of a couple of stories by Hebel because I attended a Brit boarding school in the North of Germany. The Matron, who was German and keen on Hebel, used to quote lines of his poetry to us in German and then give us a potted translation.
Occasionally, when we were ready for bed and drinking cocoa she would translate for us complete stories and I remember "Herr Kannitverstahn von Amsterdam" for its beautiful simple style.

BTW She would descibe these times as (and I hope you can correct my German here "Gemutlich" a word, she said she could not find an adequate translation for.

Hello Captain Slogg,

yes, 'gemütlich' is correct, and the matron was right, there really is no translation for it. 'Comfortable' comes close, but only in some contexts.
Where in the north have you been? If you have been there with the army, I guess that would have been somewhere in in Lower Saxony?

Hi,

Yes your right B'Elana, Lower Saxony and North Rhine-Westphalia.

Wilhelmshaven, Detmold,and Verden as an "Army Brat" and later Lippstadt when I too became one of Her Majesties compulsory Skinheads.

BTW I loved Germany but British Military Boarding schools and the Army sucketh beyond all understanding.

That wasn't too difficult, Lower Saxony is the most northern German federal state where foreign army was stationed, as far as I know. Plus, there are several 'army brats' on site, Roymondo was even born in Germany, I think, Sho now lives in Germany. Neither of them or others I talked to has ever been higher up north than Lower Saxony. In fact, I'd say you beat them all with Wilhelmshaven and even Verden.
I'm from Schleswig-Holstein myself, so to me, 'northern Germany stops south of Hannover, if I'm very generous, I count Göttingen in.
North-Rhine Westphalia is generally considered as west Germany.