wish

wishing you a year that ends well,
and a new one
that's fresh-faced
and friendly
and gentle
to you.

p.s.: thank you friends, my father is a little better.

these days

changes can come about very quietly or very sudden. my father fell very ill a good week ago. we have no way of telling what the future holds, and to be quite honest: even if there was one, i don't think i would like to know. i'm quieter now and so very glad to have k and my family and my friends. and i'm amazed how close happiness and sadness can be. i saw my dad very poorly and held my six-week old nephew at the very same time.

i'm letting the sad moments in and meeting them with happy ones. this afternoon, i'm seeing my niece, we'll go to town and have hot chocolate.

the photos were taken on a special sunday in december when having lunch with friends, happy memories!

happy holidays

1. Untitled, 2. Let's talk about cheese I, 3. Flea market find, 4. ., 5. 13_resize, 6. Three, 7. Untitled, 8. Untitled, 9. the good stuff

happy holidays, friends!

the images in this mosaic are not mine, but the work of some stunning photographers on flickr. click on the links underneath the mosaic to see their photo streams. be inspired!

at the museum II

some more impressions from the museum, even though it seems like i've been there ages ago. don't you love that girl reading her book - must have been some serious art text she was pondering.

don't forget the giveaway for a print of your choice in my last post (just leave a comment there by wed 22 dec, midnight).

oh, and some exciting news: lovely astrid featured me in her 'why do you shoot film' series over on hei astrid. thank you!

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at the museum I

we went to the museum, and as always, no matter if the particular art in question speaks to me or not, i love the gentle flow that comes with moving along the corridors, looking into the rooms - and looking at other people looking at art. intriguing. i could do it for hours. i'm slightly jealous of that golden bag. but maybe it only works if you have some friends with brown, rusty red and purple sweaters standing next to you? in a space with tall, ornamental charcoal iron pillars?

after lots of work, i met some friends tonight and we ended up in a café with a little concert going on. it really calmed me down and got that smile back onto my face.

happy new week!

p.s.: i'm so looking forward to christmas. does that mean i'm a five-year-old inside? i think it just might.

p.p.s.: do you know what the people up there in the first pic are looking at? hint: it's at the hamburger bahnhof. leave a comment and i'll draw a winner by wed, 22 dec, midnight, to receive a 13x18 cm print of their choice (which should reach you in the new year).

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blue and red

what a day. it certainly wasn't one of the best. but all's well that ends well, right?

look at what i saw the other day - sadly, the puddle wouldn't behave and stirred in the wind, but you can still make out the string of lights. and: last weekend jo brought me nigel slater's tender (vol. 2) from london. how great is that?

oh, and lest i forget: thank you for your comments recently, they really brightened up my days!

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the real thing

after a brief thawing episode last weekend, it's been snowing again. this is the real thing.

i'm up to my ears with work. how are things with you? anything lovely or exciting happening lately?

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enough

is there ever a point when we've

seen enough
said enough
eaten enough
drunk enough
bought enough
done enough
read enough
?

i'm not talking about morals, i'm searching for an awareness. too often i only realise when i've far passed that point. and i wish i had noticed the elusive moment when i could have said: this is good. it's enough. let's stop here.

despite my recent philosophical moods (which could have to do with exhaustion), i'm intending to have a fantastic weekend. j and a from london are going to be in town. can't wait. - have a super weekend yourselves!

p.s.: this may sound far more negative than i felt - it doesn't mean at all "i've had enough", it's more a pondering on being content. i'm quite jolly actually (apart from the tiredness)!

now

now is just the blink of an eye - there, and gone in an instant. so let's try catching its coat tails before it hurries around the next corner:

now,
you are
coffee being served with a smile at lunchtime
sudden inspiration
beauty in the midst of greyness
the unexpected feeling of being needed
reading and writing
intense time pressure and moments of rest
a cup of tea

what does your "now" look like?

the grip of winter

just now, two people skied past my window. true story. i took a slight double-take. after all, i'm living in the middle of the city (more or less, that is). there they were, the dad with proper cross-country skis, the little boy or girl (wrapped up so warm and zooming by so fast i couldn't see his or her face) with miniature skis, but obviously completely familiar with it.

we had rather a lot of snow, you see. and in berlin, only the main streets are cleared, side streets just drown in snow. last year, we didn't see the pavement for close to three months. which feels rather unusual: only a few years ago, we only had little snow - for a couple of days at the most. the weather is noticeably changing.

while i love to see the kids' excitement - making snowmen, riding their sleighs - it does make everything you do more time consuming. i'm thinking twice before leaving the house, since i can only use my bike on the cleared streets and it's a fair little walk to get there, same goes for reaching a bus or train station. i'll get used to it, but at the moment i'm in two minds.

it does look pretty though, doesn't it?

if you're in berlin, don't forget victoria met albert (the shop with the white paper snow flakes) is having an open sunday. also: events at souterrain gallery and supalife kiosk.

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snow, snow, snow

it's been snowing steadily last night, and much of today as well. when i went to the post office earlier, lots of kids were being picked up by their parents from kindergarden and pulled through the white streets on little sleighs. fun!

it's very cold too, around minus ten celsius, and bound to get much colder tonight. so let's just say i'm very grateful for a heated home. and for woolly socks and jumpers. doesn't this one, the one above with the beaded embroidery, look just perfect? seen at victoria met albert. (by the way, they are having special open sundays on dec 5 and 19. read more here.)

how is it looking at your end - and what are you grateful for?

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just to say

just to say thank you for your feed-back on my last post - you are the best, you really are! if you like, you can still suggest images in my flickr as potential poster material, i'd love to hear your thoughts!

oh, and don't you just want one of those paper snowflakes? i saw them at victoria met albert, a new shop in my neighbourhood (they are not currently available but should be soon. guess who's in line for a purchase). more to come, here and over on mostly berlin.

tell me, did you have a good start to your week?

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rest

busy times. after having to skip last weekend due to work, i'm really looking forward to this one. there's still work to be done, but it will be quieter and i'll be taking a much needed rest. also hoping to take some photographs. will make an advent calendar for my man. also decorate the apartment a little, this time round with white candles, silver baubles and pine cones.

oh, and did i mention that it's officially winter now? the day before yesterday is started snowing, yesterday was probably the last day for a while that i'll be using the bike. if it can be helped, i much prefer riding my bike in temperatures below zero to sitting on the train squashed between sniffling people. but what can you do.

finally: an idea has been brewing for a while, i've been thinking about having posters made. it's still just an idea, but can i ask you a favour? when you have a minute to spare, it would be great if you could go to my flickr and leave a comment there, should you spot a pic you could see as a poster. any feed-back would be much appreciated and help me to make some decisions.

have a great weekend! (any plans?)

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saying thanks

today is thanksgiving, and even though we don't celebrate it here the same way it is celebrated in the u.s. (or even on the same day for that matter), i thought it's a good time to say thanks to all of you for stopping by so often, for leaving me a thought and for always being good company.

thank you, thank you!

i looked at these thanksgiving table decorations and thought how lovely they were. and if you are already in a christmas mood, here are some crisp and light ideas for the season.

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thinking

sometimes i wonder where my path will take me. what does the future hold?

i like listening to this, and these ideas are just up my street. anything that makes you smile lately?

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short days, long nights

i don't know about you, but the fact that the days are getting increasingly shorter and nights that much longer - dusk is slowly settling from around three thirty these days - really throws me. even though it's happening year after year. so i need things to brighten those long nights, and one thing that does the trick rather nicely is cooking or baking with friends. sitting in the kitchen and taking time to clean and cut up those vegetables, stirring up a dressing for the salad, having a glass of wine and catching up. these images are from a dinner with friends last winter. (oh, and by the way, have you seen brian's black and white images recently? so good).

also loving jördis' new blog, and luisa's brand-new berlin on a platter.

what do you do to brighten up your late autumn nights? and you friends from the southern hemisphere - could you send some sunshine over?

p.s.: it just hits me: have a blogged these images before? i can't remember, life is a little fast-paced at the moment. if i did, i hope you don't mind.

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november days

these are busy times. work hardly ever leaves me time to sit down quietly. when it does, i'm ever so happy and am enjoying every second of it. november has been a rollercoaster. but there has been candle light and chrysanthemums, phone calls to far-away friends and baking (plus eating the cake), some worries and plenty of good news. how has your november been this far?

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sunday inspiration

1. Untitled, 2. Untitled, 3. from, 4. Untitled, 5. Untitled, 6. ., 7. marina & her birds, 8. tarte au citron, 9. FIAT 500

has it really been that long that i've done an inspiration post? it feels a bit like the last few weeks have flown by with lots of work and things that kept my mind occupied, and there wasn't really enough time to look for inspiration and really let it sink in. so now, i feel a bit stuck. i'm hoping things will calm down a little, or at least that i'm finding some mind space to let myself take in things. whenever i don't do that for any length of time, the well will run dry. do you know that feeling?

anyway, here are some inspirational images from a couple of very gifted photographers on flickr. do click on the link underneath the mosaic to find their photo streams and see more of their work. i think in these, the light speaks to me, as does the stillness of the nature and landscape scenes. oh, and there are rather a few blues in there as well, lightened by some golden hues, aren't there?

have a good week.

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to ben

welcome to this world, ben! you weren't easily convinced it's a good place to come into and took your time. but just look at your beautiful parents: it was a good decision to join them after all, right? (and just think about all the aunts and uncles you get as well. they can be a nuisance of course, but you'll see, they are nice to be around.)

last night, in the wee hours, my nephew ben mattis was born. congratulations, daniel and judith! we are happy as can be about this new addition to the family.

and seven more

a while ago, astrid kindly passed an award to me and tagged me to tell you seven things about myself. thank you, astrid!

it always kind of puzzles me when i have to think about myself, usually i don't describe myself, i just am. at the same time, it can't hurt to stop and think every once in a while, right? so let's see.

- seeing a red squirrel running up and down a tree on the other side of the street makes me smile (it's over there right now!)
- i love the sound of words like 'gossamer', 'haberdashery' or 'threadbare'
- beauty touches me and makes me go all quiet
- i'm a scaredy cat
- a friend of mine told me: the best way out is through. sounds true
- time with my man and my friends is the most precious thing i own
- i'm so glad i rediscovered photography

if you'd like to play along, let us know in the comments!

p.s.: all photos taken at sgaminegg.

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at sgaminegg

one of my favourite places around here is sgaminegg. i love the simple style, the unfussy menu, the friendly buzz of the place and the quietness on other days. plus they have copies of the new yorker and edible manhattan, as you may remember. i most love going on saturdays, when the farmers' market is on just outside the café's frontdoor. what better thing to do than to get oneself some flowers, sit down and have a coffee?

i have written about sgaminegg before, posted some pictures here and put together the basic info of where and when over on my berlin blog. i'll be sharing more pictures here in the next couple of days. it's just too nice a place, i couldn't have captured it in three frames.

p.s.: this morning, i can feel the quietness. there's a little drizzle out there, the last remaining leaves are shining in the most intense golden yellow, not caring about the greyness of the sky.

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famous

you know those films, where in the end they are sailing away together? cheesy, i know. i kind of like the idea, though. (i loved this boat, spotted on an afternoon stroll along the wannsee.)

do you have a favourite, famous movie scene?

this is a corner view. for links to other corner viewers, visit theresa.

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***

right now, i don't know what to do first. everything is so urgent, how do i decide? at times like this, i find it does me some good to see beauty and to really look at it.

have a good week.

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questions, answers, comments

dear readers (known and unknown), this is just to say thank you for your questions, answers and comments. this little conversation we have going here means a lot.

a big thank you to kristina in sweden and all the others for explaining how to customise the html for flickr photos to the size i need. you are the best! - oh, if you want to know how to get bigger pictures on your blog, take a look at the comments to this post. it may sound a little daunting, but isn't really. just a little extra step, plus your images are linked to flickr, which i think is an extra benefit.

yet more thank you's here (not mine, this time), they will make you smile, i promise (and thank you, la ninja, for pointing me to it!).

picture taken at the nordic bakery in spring. it's been kind of too long since i've been to london.

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market days

saturdays are market days around here. i'm already looking forward to going tomorrow. what are your plans?

p.s.: i'm thinking about switching to flickr when posting photos here. only i can't find an html code for an 800 size (the size i'm currently using with picasa). anyone got any ideas? many thanks!

oh, and since dorte asked why i want to link to picasa or flickr in the first place (i love questions! :)): simply because the large size that blogger allows me to upload directly is too small for my liking. or have some new developments bypassed me?

pondering

why are we afraid of big changes when there are little changes all around us, all the time?
can you live outside the mainstream?
how does the microcosm of relationships and friendships address different parts of ourselves?
should i seek out new ways of bringing bread-winning and art together?
how can i miraculously get a hasselblad? (would you check your attics, just in case?)

this is a corner view. for links to other corner viewers, head on over to jane's.

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across the lake

in the end, we didn't make it to the pfaueninsel. instead we took the ferry across wannsee. one of my favourite day trips in berlin.

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mornings

when you visit berlin and you're getting up early, you can tiptoe across the hallway to your aunt's bedroom, sneak in, have a little chat with her and watch the cat. then you make your aunt give you some much too big socks and her favourite sweater and sit in the kitchen. you get to do some colouring and have some chocolate milk. not a bad start to your day.

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