A Boy Doll Diary - The photo story about a man living with his boy doll

Dear Diary, After the month in Europe, my uncle (Vati's husband) travelled to the USA for 2 months. He has just returned, bearing gifts for Vati. It seems that he was able to purchase, for a very reasonable price, another Deutsches Kind VIII, Friedebald. Mein Vati was very pleased.  He isn't collecting them but won't turn down the offer of an exceptional example. Vati has been researching to see what clues he might find to the newest boy's date and identity. So far, nothing concrete.  He wonders if this doll was made at Bad Kosen, basing this guess on the clothes which are vintage and factory-made but not as old as 1929. The boy is in excellent condition with a near-mint body and hair and only a slight nose rub.  The face painting is also excellent. The fascinating aspect is how different our faces look.  Is it the same mould? Certainly, the colours and the amount of paint used varies from doll to doll. Naked, it would be simple to identify which...

Dear Diary, It's been six months in the planning, but we are finally heading off on our trip to Europe.  It's been full-on here this week, putting all the final preparations into action so the chores will be taken care of: g oats to tend, chickens to feed and eggs to collect, dogs to board, garden to tend and the house to monitor. Fortunately, we have great neighbours who will look out for our property in our absence. W e are more than ready for a vacation!   The gardener is set to do the winter tree plantings, built an addition to our fence, and keep the place looking nice and tidy. Even though we are about to head into winter, there is still much to do around here. "I'd best bring a cardigan in case we have some chilly weather." Mein Vati bought a pretty cool vintage leather suitcase for me.  We don't know what its original purpose might have been but it's perfect size for my kit.  I was told "less is more" so I had to select my cl...

Dear Diary, Perhaps, "I speak a little Portuguese" is over-stating my abilities, but I am trying!  It's certainly totally different from Deutsch.  Mein Vati is learning Portuguese at the same time so we practice together.  He finds it easier because he speaks Italian and he can definitely see a direct correlation between the two Romance languages.  He is having a problem, however.  When he is saying a sentence in Portuguese and he can't remember the correct Portuguese word, his brain automatically substitutes the Italian word and he doesn't even realise it's happened. Fortunately, his tutor speaks some Italian so he can point out the error. Here's an example of how Portuguese sounds and what we're up against: Vati thinks that Portuguese sounds better than Spanish but not as lovely as Italian.  Speaking it is not a walk in the park because of the nasal sounds, (probably inherited from a French influence?).  We both struggle with those nas...

Dear Diary, Our family has decided to spend part of the upcoming winter in sunnier climes.  At the beginning of our winter, we are heading for the Iberian Peninsula, better known as Spain and Portugal. We will spend a month there, travelling around and enjoying the sun's warmth while it's cold in the Southern Hemisphere. The itinerary is all decided but I wanted to check it anyway on the map.   Looks good to me. I've been reading the tour books to see what's ahead.   So many things to see and do - not to mention to eat! Mein Vati has been doing research online.  We have been watching many videos about traveling in Spain and Portugal. There is much to do in preparation for this long trip.  We are all working together to get ready for a big adventure! Hans

Dear Diary, I've been busy around the garden now that it's summer; the vegetables - and weeds - are growing quickly. There's really been little time to look around the internet.  However, the other day I was wasting some time on the internet when I discovered the site for a new doll company, Wonder Crew. Wonder Crew is a new line of dolls made for boys.  Like other dolls for boys, they rest squarely in the action figure genre.  I suppose this is necessary to convince parents that boy dolls are "safe" for their sons.  But, given social conditioning of both sexes, I suppose this approach is necessary to overcome taboos. Their webpage at  https://www.wondercrew.com  tells the story so I won't repeat it here except for detailing their mission and reproducing some photos: OUR MISSION IS TO EMPOWER ALL CHILDREN TO SEE THEMSELVES AS CONNECTED, CREATIVE, STRONG PEOPLE WITH THE ABILITY TO GO ANYWHERE. BE ANYTHING. Interestingly, ...