Granger Gobsmacked!

Fred Granger and family have decided to pitch their tents in Germany for the next few years while Fred is busy expanding the Union Carbide subsidiary in Alsdorf.

Megaplan, a drawing office in Cologne, were the grateful recipients of a large contract to plan the sanitary, heating and air-conditioning systems of a plastics plant Union Carbide are setting up near Bonn. Out of the kindness of their hearts they have also agreed to do the necessary for a cosy little domicile that Fred is having built to sweeten the family’s sojourn in the land of sauerkraut and lederhosen.

Fittingly, Fred’s Aunty Ivy has just popped off, leaving the family her snug little two up two down in Hampstead. The little terraced accommodation is now on the market for the customary consideration of about £575 k, which is par for the course in this neck of the woods. Fred’s in no hurry, though. Property in greater London is appreciating right now at £3.50 an hour.

Fred was knocked out to find that private equity hasn’t yet got its grubby hands onto the German housing market. It amazed him that a roomy detached house in the land of poets and philosophers costs slightly less than a rabbit hutch in central London. Hearing that money was no object his wife Doreen jumped on the bandwagon. Seeing just how far a Euro will stretch, she also got stuck into the planning.

At their first meeting Fred and Doreen asked Megaplan to build in one or two little luxuries to spice up their dreary working and domestic lives.

Megaplan have more than come across with the goods. Take a shufty at the plans for the bathroom and the wellness area down in the basement.

Fred and Doreen were gobsmacked – you will be, too!

For those unfamiliar with the vernacular

gobsmacked platt, baff, sprachlos

pitch one’s tent hinziehen

do the necessary die nötigen Arbeiten erledigen

sojourn Aufenthalt

pop off das Zeitliche segnen

snug schnuckelig

two up two down Reihenhaus mit zwei Räumen im Erdgeschoss und zwei Räumen im ersten Stock

consideration Preis

par for the course üblich

neck of the woods Gegend

rabbit hutch Kaninchenstall

money is no object Geld spielt keine Rolle

jump on the bandwagon mit einsteigen

get stuck into fleißig mit arbeiten

spice up versüßen

come across with the goods gute Arbeit leisten

take a shufty einen Blick werfen

Aunty Ivy’s two up two down (or something similar )

£575,000

2 bedroom terraced house for sale in Hampstead, London NW3

2 bed terraced house for sale:
 Heath Passage, Hampstead, London NW3

This unique two storey freehold house has been interior designed and refurbished to an exacting standard. The accommodation comprises two double bedrooms, limestone bathroom, 21ft double aspect reception room with feature windows and a 15ft kitchen/diner with French doors onto a private patio garden