February

Hartmut:

I was born on a Tuesday 19 April 1932. My parents were very happy, and my dad was very proud that I was a boy. Then it was still regarded as something special, when the first-born child was a boy. Boys were supposed to carry on the family name and tradition. I was given the names Hartmut Fritz Ernst, the middle names after my father and grandfather as it was tradition in my family.

Mutti was happy too. She had an easy birth. I was born in the Martin-Luther  Krankenhaus in Berlin-Schmargendorf. On the day when Mutti was released from hospital, Vati picked her up. He had bought a beautiful grey pram, and it was my first journey across Berlin on a lovely late April spring day. The trees were all in flower, and the air was scented with the perfumes of spring, lilac and apple blossoms, tulips and jasmine. The birds were singing, blackbirds, starlings, sang their joyous songs and tended their nests.  

I was pampered and had a great time. Every four hours, Mutti fed me. I grew up on mother’s milk, and was weaned after one year. This was quite unusual then. Bottle-feeding was the vogue. 

I do not remember many things from those days. My earliest memory goes back when I might have been just a little over two years old. Mutti was pushing the pram towards home. Siegtraut, my little baby sister was inside the pram, I had a seat on top of the pram from where I could see the world. Why I remember this moment? I do not know. 

I also remember, that my parents frequently visited friends, And on these visits, in the evening, when I had become tired, I was put in a bed or in a pram, and I can still hear the distant voices in the room next door. It was such a peaceful atmosphere. 

          

                                          

                                         

 January

Maybe I start like this: 

I, Karin, was born on 13^th November 1935, in Oels, Silesia, Germany. My parents Heinrich and Charlotte…

Maybe better like this:

13 November 1935. It was raining. A cool, grey Wednesday evening. My parents were on their way to the  movies, when my mother felt things were not quite right, better return home. The midwife was called. Just as she arrived I was born. She was concerned that the newborn baby did not cry much, so the competent woman picked me up by my feet, lifted me up upside down, slapped my bottom, and after a strong single cry she put me down. But she expected more and started to repeat the procedure. This distressed my mother and she pleaded to leave me in peace.

One of those early little anecdotes of early childhood. We loved when our parents tell us about our first years. Once Mutti told us that she had overlooked to feed me on time, and a long while after the scheduled time she realised that feeding was long overdue and when she came to get me, I was happily playing with my fingers and smiled at her.

Little stories like this about one’s birth and early years become important memories. As a kid I always thought I had to be tough, and I show them how tough I could be right from the  beginning.

                                               

 2021

  Childhood Stories will be my theme this year 

Every one has some childhood memories. And some people write their life stories down. I did too, so far only part of it, my childhood. Hartmut, and also his father wrote their whole life story. One of our children used her childhood memories for her artwork. 

Every one talks now and then about their memories especially from childhood.

So this year I will use childhood memories for my blog.

  2020 

Kids Picture Story Books   

will be my theme this year 

Over the years I have made quite a few little books for our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. It started off with trying to help our children to learn new words, sing songs and read stories in their mother tongue. There were no children books in German available in Australia in the early 1960s, so I had to make some little books myself. Even when for the grandchildren texts only in English were needed, home-made books were still very popular. And here some excerpts of these books for the kids.

 December

Soon the children and later the grandchildren made little picture books too. And these were especially funny.

1968: Australia Souvenir 

We sent our relatives in Berlin a Vinyl-LP record with all the favourite Australian songs. Our 4 children had to translate and explain the stories behind the songs, pasted and draw pictures so that their cousins would understand better how we live here in Australia. 

1971: A Book for PAPI’s Birthday

2003: A Story by the Grandchildren

November

2018: Who Likes To Play With a Shark?

Another photo picture book for the next great-grandchild.

Little Bear, I like your smile, please play with me for a while.

Here comes Rhino.

"Are you scared of me? No, you like me I can see."

 And here comes Crocodile 

 

and says with a smile: 

"I will play with you for a while.

You and I like the water, I love the edge of the sea.

Your sharp teeth won't worry me, I have sharp teeth too, ou see.

And when I have enough, I say: Good-Bye, see you another day."

October 

2014: Rhino Please Play With Me  

         For our youngest Great-Grandchild