This idea is fabulous!

The DK Top 10 is a great guide for most great cities. It is small and packs lists of the best things to do by category. Berlin lists the technical Musuem as the "best" for kids, however, it didn't really meet our expectations as a whole section was closed. But.... The Labyrinth for Kinder at number two is just what we ordered! Bliss, kid off playing in super constructive german style while I sit and rest for the afternoon - madam is in paradise.



















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Location:Osloer Straße,,Germany

Just a little sleep, just a tiny bit of food, and a lot of gluhwein...

Traveling anywhere (of a distance) from Doha generally involves an unpleasant wee small hours or red eye flight. Thankfully, for this trip to Berlin we only needed to be out of the house by 5 am: good by traveller's standards. Our day started early, suffered under Qatar Airwarys "5 star" service of food and had us arrived in Berlin in time for the evening Christmas markets tired and very hungry. Spirits were high in many ways soon after, especially when I realised that my sense of direction had clearly disappeared and I had to explain to Teagan why it was exceptionally important that she made sure she was holding on to at least one parent! Ahhhhh, One must love snow, dark, lights, great sausages, and warm citrus/spicy/sweet wine! Germany, we love you!












- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Just a little sleep, just a tiny bit of food, and a lot of gluhwein...

Traveling anywhere (of a distance) from Doha generally involves an unpleasant wee small hours or red eye flight. Thankfully, for this trip to Berlin we only needed to be out of the house by 5 am: good by traveller's standards. Our day started early, suffered under Qatar Airwarys "5 star" service of food and had us arrived in Berlin in time for the evening Christmas markets tired and very hungry. Spirits were high in many ways soon after, especially when I realised that my sense of direction had clearly disappeared and I had to explain to Teagan why it was exceptionally important that she made sure she was holding on to at least one parent! Ahhhhh, One must love snow, dark, lights, great sausages, and warm citrus/spicy/sweet wine! Germany, we love you!












- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A family gets clothing for NZD100 while those in Dhaka lose their family members...

Here are two news articles.  Oh happy days for those of us who have the "means", we can get cheap clothing and we celebrate it.  Do we report about those who make this clothing?   Yes, the article talks about profit margins being shaved but really, costs will have been shaved - how can it just be margins and tariffs that have reduced prices in spit of inflation over 20 years?

112 killed in fire at Bangladesh garment factory

7:05 AM Monday Nov 26, 2012

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People look at a burnt garment factory outside Dhaka, Bangladesh. Photo / AP

At least 112 people were killed in a fire that raced through a multi-story garment factory just outside of Bangladesh's capital, an official said today.

The blaze broke out at the seven-story factory operated by Tazreen Fashions late Saturday. By Sunday morning (local time), firefighters had recovered 100 bodies, fire department Operations Director Maj. Mohammad Mahbub told The Associated Press.

He said another 12 people who had suffered injuries after jumping from the building to escape the fire later died at hospitals. The death toll could rise as the search for victims was continuing, he said.

Local media reported that up to 124 people were killed in the fire. The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear, and authorities have ordered an investigation.

Bangladesh has some 4,000 garment factories, many without proper safety measures. The country annually earns about $20 billion from exports of garment products, mainly to the United States and Europe.

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Next Article: Actor's bard garb stolen

$100 - All you need to dress a family of four

By Kathryn Powley

5:30 AM Sunday Dec 2, 2012

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Photo / Getty Images

The cost of clothing has hardly budged in the past 20 years - and items can be even cheaper if you're prepared to barter.

We enlisted the help of savvy Auckland shopper Kym Nyhoff. Her mission: to outfit her family of four for less than $100.

What Nyhoff lacked in purse power, she more than compensated with her eye for fashion and the tremendous bargains, sales and discounts on offer in the shops.

Nyhoff visited Farmers, K-Mart, The Warehouse, Amazon Surf and Number One Shoes. If necessary, she thought, she'd get clothes and a pair of Jandals each.

"It was a miracle based on the sales," she said, of the end result. "It's all quite decent stuff, it's close to $180 worth of stuff."

Nyhoff's favourite purchase was her $25 pair of high-heeled wedges from The Warehouse. Even their full price of $39 would be a bargain.

"The shoes took a quarter of it. The reason for that is that, well I wanted a decent pair of shoes, but also my dress was only $12.

But she wouldn't be wearing them today had she not been bold enough to ask for a discount at another store.

Her wallet held just $35 and she still had to get footwear for herself and husband Andrew Nyhoff, a secondary school teacher. A nice pair of Jandals at Amazon Surf for Andrew was on sale from $28 down to $15, but even at that price, she'd have had to return hers.

"It was sweet-talking. I said [to Amazon], 'I've only got $10, what can you do'?" The shop knocked $5 off the sale price, and she got both pairs.

Daughter Saskia, 6, and son Luke, 3, ended up with good quality outfits.

Retailers' Association chief executive John Albertson said Nyhoff's experience reflected a hugely competitive marketplace in which retailers were shaving their profit margins. "Going back a few years ago a speciality retailer's profit would have been about 8 per cent; today it's probably about 3 per cent. There's a lot of risk for not a lot of return."

The Consumer Price Index shows the price of men's and women's clothing has hardly changed since the late 1980s.

Statistics New Zealand said prices were kept down by cuts in import tariffs for clothing and the 1992 removal of import quotas, allowing anybody to import clothing. In 1987 some clothing attracted a 65 per cent tariff; by 1991 the tariff had fallen to 40 per cent for all items, and by 1999 it was down to 19 per cent, and now clothing imported into New Zealand attracted a 10 per cent tariff.

kathryn.powley@hos.co.nz

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Will the parcel arrive?

To the best of my ability, I have planned, documented and pre-paid much of our Christmas European circle trip.  The only detail left to deal with is pre-reserved passes for Anne Frank house in Amsterdam.
However, I am not sure if our clothing situation will work out so well this year!

Both Ross and I have really good winter clothing dealing superbly to frigid European winters.  Unfortunately, Teagan has put a "spanner in the works" for me this year.  New snow boots (snoots) purchased in the Bavarian Alps last December fitted nicely in Dunedin and Queenstown five months ago; a test fitting three weeks ago could not force bent toes down into boot.  Fortunately, Landsend.com were having a major sale so I purchased a new set of winter outerwear for the "weed" and in true colours decided to pay for "international priority airmail" saving USD25 on the order (as opposed to a direct courier service).  As time closes in on our departure the test is; will it arrive on time?  Will I ever learn that for some things cost should be secondary especially when the difference is not so large!  Personally, I think not!

United Nations Al Jazi style

At the film festival watching Contiki - roof top theatre

Still asleep on the way down

And still asleep on the way through the market

And absolutely sound asleep on the couch

A recent share on a FB post got me thinking...

A recent share by a certain S.A, got me thinking about "street play".  Whilst living as an expatriate can lead to a drastically different and sheltered life for a child; some of the housing arrangements can link children back to the "good old days".

Teagan plays outside with two "friends" (all seven within a month of each other).  Essentially, they fight, run, create and laugh together until the street lights go on.  Finally, they emerge from their self-created chaos (whoops, I meant fun), and the kid bursts effervescing into my quiet peace.  She is exceptionally resistant to after school activities and is only dragged off to Brownies (which she loves) and dancing (held within our compound all in french).  Any free time outside of these and school is spent being busy.

This weekend, the three managed to construct a submarine, grabbing their younger (note, not elder) street counterparts in awe!

A Kindle for the Kid?

Living in Qatar is not the best locale for avid readers. Ross is a walking, talking library of knowledge and if he had is own way he would spend 24/7 on a comfy chair with a drink, cat and a really good book. Both he and I learned to read quite easily and tend to prefer a book over and above a movie. Naturally, the Kid has similar tendencies and quickly made short work of our children's book collection. Without an appropriate library (suitable for a bookworm) we had to find a solution.
The solution to book access came to us on an expensive plate when we found her reading Ross's Kindle (his copy of Shirley Hughes's, My Naughty Little Sister that he had been reading out loud to her) in the back bedroom. Naturally, as readers ourselves, we jumped on her keenness and within two weeks she was reading from her own Kindle!




So, what is my opinion of the Kindle for a kid? Absolutely fabulous. We made it kid friendly by getting a lighted cover (Amazon) and a cute sticker surround. I have the categories set up as it is easy for her to use: books I am reading, books I have finished, and new "samples" on the home page. Importantly, I have the wireless turned off so that I have no unwanted purchases! I also love that her Audio books are on the same gadget so it all fits into her own little library.
As for the Kindle model; we purchasedthe Kindle touch with WiFi. To reduce the price, I selected the one that comes with adverts and have no problems or annoyances with it (I have a Kindle also), mind you we had to get it via our US address to get the low price.
Overall, the Kindle has been superb for our family situation where we have access to the UK Kindle shop, a careful child, and an avid independent reader. However, I have to say that if we lived back in NZ and we did not travel so much, I seriously doubt she would have one. Our local library would give access to the "real" book and that is all she really needs at the moment.

Location:Meshrif St,Doha,Qatar