Thanks heavens for Babel Fish
My mother-in-law phoned tonight; she speaks no English, my German is very rusty, despite three years of formal studies. Time and lack of practice has led to my being able to translate German to English, but I struggle with translating English back to German again.
Hubby is travelling at the moment. I remember enough German to know that Schwiegermutter immediately feared hubby was ill and in hospital, or that something else was badly wrong.
Hooray for Babel Fish; Flugzeug (aeroplane), Feiertag (holiday) and "Telefon Sonntag" (call on Sunday) was all that was needed to set the poor woman's mind to rest.