Halloween

In Germany Halloween isn't such a big event as in the USA, but our children loved to make scary decorations themselves when they were small. Like weaving spiders' webs with black wool and cutting bats out of black card board. For many years we had real and pottery pumpkins in our front garden and lit candles inside them every night for weeks. Now the girls are grown up and we don't have any decorations anymore. Although our daughter will have a Halloween party in our house on Saturday......well, I better lock myself into the bedroom. 

Some children go from door to door these days and I prepared some nice gifts for them - but no one came to our house. 

Our most famous Halloween pumpkin from 2006

Once upon a time

My Space has just given me back my old blog posts from the past. This way some real treasures have returned to me and I'm very happy about it. To give you an idea why I love these old memories I have a copy of a very special adventure blog today. Enjoy!

Fantasydays 2008

When I planned to go to the Fantasydays on Burg Satzvey not too far from Cologne, I didn't expect very much. As I never read or saw the "Lord of the Rings" or any other fantasy story except for Harry Potter, there was no way to imagine what could be there. I only knew the little video on YouTube, showing nice surroundings and a few dressed up persons and the photos on the Fantasydays' website with many people dressed in medieval clothes. Ordinary people looked like aliens, so I decided to wear a long skirt, a loose blouse and to put some flowers and butterflies into my braided hair. Everybody would have starred at me in town, but at the Fantasydays I was just on the border between the two worlds.

The castle Satzvey looked like placed in a Fairy tale, except for the huge colourful balloons swimming on the lake in front of the castle. The balloons were the only thing that didn't fit the decorations.

Walking through the archway we saw an ancient book: it was the Never-ending story. Coming into the first yard, we noticed shops and stalls selling lots of medieval things and decorations from the fantasy world, like the talking Hat from Hogwarts. The program had announced the group "Dunkelschön" for that time, but we didn't hear any music. There was a little stage in the yard, but with no equipment for music. We strolled past the food stalls and through another arch into the castle grounds. There were more stalls, but also displays of magical worlds I had never heard of. Here we also came across the first persons who had changed themselves into creatures of other worlds. 

Dressing up would be an understatement. There were fairies and elves, people who had sprung out of the stone age, monsters, knights, pirates, belly dancers and many, many people in medieval clothes of all standings. There was also a throne on which I sat down to get a photo taken. Later a friend said she was afraid to get near it so I wonder about it's meaning in the fantasy world.

There was a space with competitions like shooting with arrows or fighting with swords, a camp from former times with a smith working on iron and someone making leather pouches by hand, knights and ladies in front of very old fashioned tents. We met all the figures of Oz, Fiona (Shrek's wife), a unicorn and many more. 

Behind the lawn were stages where stories of the Lord of Rings were shown and fights of knights as well. But I only read about it on the program, time was much too short to see and hear everything! On the other side was the "shopping-mall" selling jewellery, medieval weapons, fantasy clothes and crafts. Even muggles like me could change themselves with little horns or/and special stick-on ears into a creature from your imagination. It took rather long just to walk along everything once as we had to stop every few steps to take another photo. And everyone loved to be on the photo! I wonder how the fantasy people ever made it to the toilet as they had to pose for photos all the time.

Finally we found the second yard and the real stage for the bands. We only heard the last 3 songs from Dunkelschön, although I had planned to hear much more of them. Unfortunately the electricity stopped working, so their music couldn't be amplified. For their last song with the harp, all 5 musicians came down from the stage and stood just before the audience. 

It was my only chance to take a video of this fascinating band. (At home I noticed, that there was too much noise from the audience, but it still became a treasure.) 

 

In the centre of the yard were many large tables and benches, surrounded by food stalls and little restaurants. 

Amazingly there was nothing related with soccer although it was the start of the European Championship that day. THANK YOU!

We did several rounds of the grounds until we came back to the yard and the evening concert of John Kelly and Maite Itoiz. After the concert and hanging on for photos and autographs, we decided to have a look into the Disco, where they were playing music from the 80s. It must have been 17 years since I danced in a disco for the last time but in this place between the worlds, nobody knew us and after dancing a while at the edge, we joined the pirates, warriors and medieval folks on the dance floor. After about 2 hours dancing non-stop, the disco was closed. But it has been such fun!!! We had to leave the castle through a tiny door as the large gates were already closed at 1:30 am. We only had a short walk to our accommodation and soon slept tightly.

On Sunday morning we had a cosy and long breakfast and then went back to the castle. We met another friend and did some shopping until it was time for another concert of John and Maite. There were even more and different people in costumes than on Saturday and I could easily have spent all day there again, but we had to leave at about 2 pm to pack and travel home.

Emptiness

When we bought our house almost 20 years ago, there was already a tiny pond in our back garden. When our children were small, we considered to fill it up, but then decided on a fence around it, so nobody could fall in. Our 3 gold fishes became a large family and some smaller black fishes from a friend grew and reproduced themselves as well. Water lilies gave shade for the fishes and blossom for us.

Last winter we noticed that the water was getting low. Thankfully only very slowly and as the ice on the pond didn't stay nonstop we could add some water. All summer watering the pond along with the flowers became an almost daily job for my husband, so he had to take some action now.

While I was working on Saturday, he and a friend emptied the pond after catching the fishes and putting them in a very old  portable bath tube. They found an unbelievable amount of roots of the water flowers and plenty of mud. As there's no hole to be seen in the walls, we will line the pond with water tight material before filling it with water again. 

One of the fishes had been hiding successfully in the mud, so it landed on the field. Our neighbours cat was rather proud to catch it. To make sure, she won't go fishing in the bath tube, we covered it and hope for the best for our pets.

                                Happy and always hungry pets.

                                               Emptiness

                                             Water flowers

                                   Holiday home for the fishes

TakeArt Exhibition

My working place, a wine shop, belongs to a shopping Mall. As it's in an old factory building, it's not very big but very different from other Malls. The long aisle is often used for events and there's also a  small concert hall and a room that's used for lectures and meetings. There are offices, museums and schools in the top floors and side buildings. A very interesting place - but not honored by the citizens.

This past weekend the years art exhibition took place. There were 7 painters from different parts of Germany and a sculpture from Africa. On Saturday I worked all day and only saw the paintings opposite our shop.

After the nice party that evening (read yesterday's blog) I took the time to visit the other artists yesterday and took some interest in their work. 

It's difficult to take photos of paintings, as weird people might use them illegally, so I can't show you my favorite picture - but at least, a little bit of it. The original is far to big for our rooms, even if I had the money to spare (no, I didn't ask for it's price), but they sold smaller copies of it, so I can place it at my wall to remember this special event. This is a cutout of it.

It's sad, that there were only few visitors and really interested art lovers. So much work had been done to organise the event! People keep asking for wine testing in our shop, but when we offered it this weekend exactly 1 couple tasted one wine! Maybe people are more interested in the virtual world than in reality these days?

Never jugde a day before it's over!

The art exhibition at the Mall where I work was not really treasured by the people in town. There were not many visitors and after some necessary decisions for orders that were well done together with my work-mate (we usually don't work together), she left for home early yesterday and I had today off. No need to work overtime if there's no work to do.

I made some nice gift baskets to feel at least useful, but my boss had even less to do beside his oven for "Flammkuchen" (kind of very thin pizza with ham, onions and cheese).

There wasn't even a chance to play my harp that was listening to a fantastic professional piano player with a huge range of every kind of music.

Peter Weber

By 5 pm I put my harp back into it's case and was planning to go home early - but the universe had different plans:

The organiser of the exhibition invited my boss, his wife and me to the after-show party and asked me to bring my harp. With me we were about 18 persons, most of them the painters and sculptors.

While we were waiting for the food to be brought from a nearby restaurant, I unpacked my harp again and started playing without notice while everyone was talking - just for back-ground music. Bit by bit the talking stopped and everyone was listening. When I finished the song they all clapped hands! Wow - that felt fantastic!!! When I played on, some of the listeners even took out their cameras and took photos of my harp and me!!! I concentrated on playing and felt very special. After the buffett I played some more and then answered questions about the harp and explained the way it is played. Everybody was so nice that I nearly spilled over with happiness! My first performance - and a full success.

Although the day was rather unexciting - the evening made up for it. So never jugde a day before it's over!

For good causes.....

In the Mall where I work internatinal artists will exhibit their treasures This weekend. Our shop will offer food and drink for the artists and visitors. Last year the local bakery closed on Saturday at 1 pm - and disapointed everybody hoping for coffee and tea in the afternoon. I managed to make coffee for them, but had no cakes. This year I'm better prepared and made a cake for the occasion. Not to earn money, but to collect donations for an organisation caring for handicaped children, also working in the mall.  That way I make both visitors and children happy.

An while the oven was still hot, I made some fluffy "snails" with ham and cheese. This will make our daughter happy - and me as well! 

 Coconut cake

Ham and cheese snails.

Weird people with weird minds

This blog is meant for my friends and those, who might become friends - like penpals in the last century. In those times one only met weird people in the streets.

Nowadays they lurk in the internet and I am truly concerned, that this blog is obviously linked to a porno homepage! Apparently to lure me (?) or whoever to their website. No, thanks! If I want to see a nude woman, I undress and go in front of our mirror. 

I just wonder, if this rambling on about sex, naked woman and nude topics will bring me more undressed visitors, because google analytics will spot the dirty words in my innocent story? Sorry, to bother my friends with this, but I just have to get it out of my mind. 

All the Peeping Toms will get, is a nice photo of a completely naked couple - of trees!

Yeah - it worked! My blog is no longer connected to that weird page! I didn't expect them to read it. :-)

Memories of Marburg

Now, that the days are shorter and we stay at home much more by choice, it's nice to think of all the adventures summer has provided. 

After visiting my long known pen-pal from Leipzig in his freely chosen new home town of Marburg last year at long last, I followed his new invitation much sooner. Last year we only had time for a sight-seeing tour by night - now I wanted to see the town in day light. 

Marburg has a wonderful medieval city center and a university, so there's much to see and to experience.

These are some photos of the castle in Marburg - if you want to see more of the town, follow the link at the bottom.

 View of the castle from the river Lahn.

View to the medieval city center from the oposite hill.

Photos of Marburg at Flickr

Baking marathon

As I usually have to work far more hours in December, we decided some years ago, to do our biscuit baking during the autumn holidays. That way we are relaxed and have time to try out new recipes. Last year we tried many chocolate cookies, today we used all kinds of nuts. Those recipes we like best are made regulary again. 
Our biscuit tins are now filled with 8 different biscuits - the chocolate cookies still have to wait.

 Turbo-almond-biscuits with chopped almonds.

 Easy almond biscuits with grinded almonds.

 Hazlenut and Muelsi biscuits

 Peanutbutter cookies with Sesame - one of our alltime favorites. They just melt in your mouth.

 Walnut biscuits

 Peanut biscuits

 Coconut macaroons

If you want to copy any of these, ask for the recipe. ;)

Hibernation?

At the moment pupils and my alarm clock have holidays - so I can sleep in every morning and obviously need plenty of sleep right now. Still I feel tired all day long, sometimes really exhausted. For several days now I thought that hibernation is tempting. Maybe not all winter, but what about 2 months? Imagine to wake up 2 weeks before Xmas - having lost plenty of weight. Hungry for all the wonderful food over the holidays....Well, that's only a dream, as the food just wouldn't be ready if everyone would hibernate.

Right now I have far too much to do, especially for Xmas, than to sleep more than necessary. I just wish, I had more energy for everything beside the ordinary chores. 

As I work more hours in December we started some years ago our traditional baking during the autumn holidays - like now. No - the biscuits don't last until Xmas, but at least we have selfmade ones for a couple of weeks. Now, that the girls are old enough they usually manage some more on their own in December.

Today I looked through my sheet music to choose the Xmas songs I'd like to play with my harp this year. Last year my harp didn't have any levers, so I could only play songs in D-major - now I can play most songs - if I manage to learn them. Due to lack of time for practising I only played my Xmas songs with one hand last year. For this year I decided to learn less songs, but play them with both hands. Even the well known melodies sound so much nicer. And the family will be only too happy if they don't have to listen that long on Xmas Eve. ;)

Finally there's the Xmas shopping to do and some presents to make. I better get started - no time to sleep.....

One of my favorite forest walks....

This forest on the "Pig-hill" is very famous for it's spring flowers. Every March huge parts of the ground are covered with "snowflakes" (after the real snow has disappeared).

 

I like to visit this forest also at other times of the year and it takes about 1,5 hours for my usual round. Yesterday I wanted to take photos of the colorful fall foliage, but it's still early and the colors can only been seen from the outside. Within the forest the leaves at the trees are still green - only the ground is covered with golden leaves.

 

Although some of my friends are love collecting mushrooms, I haven't learned which are nice and which are dangerous. So when we found plenty of mushrooms without looking out for them especially, I only "collected" them with my camera.

If you concentrate on your surroundings, you can find many interesting things, made by nature - just look with the eyes of a child:

 A Forest Ghost

 Nature's Art

Tipi made with fallen branches.

Fall colors.