The last resort

I finally found a new coat!!!

After a fruitless wander the length and breadth of the Mariahilferstraße last Thursday I was prepared to throw in the towel, admit defeat, give up my quest and look scruffy until spring. We're hopefully off to Chicago next week though and the temperature at the moment has been somewhere in the region of -10 degrees celcius. So, rather than run the risk of hypothermia or a frostbitten underarm, I decided to explore the local fashion emporia of Oberdöbling (the area where we are living).

There is a gents outfitters literally across the road from us called Schlatte (which naturally we have, rather childishly nicknamed Slattern) that, so far, I had avoided, as venturing in might mean all manner of engagement in tongues foreign. I feared, through misunderstanding, linguistic interference and a tendency to agree with whatever's being said, that I would probably end up leaving with sock suspenders and collar tips rather than a coat.

There was a moment when I was wrapped in a long puffa jacket that made me look like a fat black caterpillar that I feared things may not turn out well, but Frau Schlatte was very efficient and my faltering German not quite as faltering as I expected it to be, and I was quickly kitted out in a rather fine and very warm wool/cashmere mix driving coat. Hooray!

I hope it's still cold in Chicago when we get there!

There's a hole in my jacket, dear Liesel, dear Liesel!

I realised last week with a not significant amount of shock and horror that I had a big hole under the right arm of my coat. This may explain why I have been getting odd looks on the bus/underground recently. When I've been standing up holding on to the ceiling straps I've obviously been flashing my wooly pully to all and sundry!

I haven't had the chance to look around for a replacement yet apart from a lack-lustre wander around Zara on the Kärntnerstraße on Saturday evening, where everything looked either "too young", "too shiny" (and not in a good way) or just odd. I quite like Tracht coats, they are very smart (as well as being ridiculously expensive) but anywhere outside of Austria would also look odd in their own way (though in a smart, expensive kind of way) too.

I am planning a trip to Peek & Cloppenberg on the Mariahilferstraße on Thursday to see if I can fulfill this new (and rather pressing need should the weather stay this cold for much longer) need. Brrrrr!

What a lot we got...

How could we possibly need anything else?

Actually, a ladle would be really useful!

Updated "needs" alert

I had a minor disaster last night, I opened a bottle of wine with the corkscrew in the flatand it worked perfectly. Voila! one uncorked bottle of wine!

"So what on earth is so disastrous about that?" I hear you cry.

Well, the plastic cork had stuck completely to the screw mechanism and, in the end I had to saw it off with the bread knife before I could open another bottle!!! And, while technically the corkscrew in not exactly "broken", it is immensely irritating and I think potentially dangerous so we need a new one (no arguements to the contrary please!)!

• corkscrew (newly identified need)
  
• salad bowl (still outstanding need)
  
• scissors (newly identified need)
• tin opener (newly identified need)
• vegetable knife (newly identified need)
• vegetable peeler (newly identified need)

Things we bought to relieve our need and other needs which have arisen

mugs (from the Museum Quartier shop) featuring a red duck (pictured) and a red rabbit (not pictured). I didn't get the red poodle design due to my allergy to dogs and the stag beetle was a bit scary. a minimal salt and pepper potand maximal, baroque eggcups (complete with lion heads on either side) which seem somehow fitting for Austria though I'm at a loss as to why!
we got some wine glasses too, which, ironically, probably hold as much as the big beakers but look a lot nicer!

Other identified needs:

• a colander
• a salad bowl
• a vegetable chopping knife

what we need...

Although very well appointed, there are some things which you take for granted at home that aren't here:

• bread board
• egg cups
• mugs (there are only cups)
  
• wine glasses (only currently have huge beakers, and even we have standards!)
• salt and pepper pot
  

does this make me sound fussy?