Not only have they endured the last (almost) 3 years listening to me kill their language, they’ve taught me so much about what it is to be German, the traditions, culture and country. And today, they surprised me with the most amazing going away gift.. oh, he’s such a handsome fellow! I really couldn’t believe my eyes! And to make him extra special, he’s even been signed by my four colleagues. A beautiful gift from amazing friends *sniff sniff*
I am completely addicted to ceramics. There. I said it. Plates, cups, bowls, vases.. doesn’t matter, so long as I think it’s beautiful, I can’t seem to walk away.
Our cupboards are literally at the not-closing-no-matter-how-many-times-I-rearrange-the-cups stage, so you’ll imagine my excitement when our annual Freiburg ceramic market rolled around again last weekend :)
Because I’m so strong and my will power is unbreakable, I only walked away with 4 of these beautiful cups from an atelier in Berlin (oops!). Each one is imprinted with a German word or phrase, some of which are quite old German, and I had to get our friend to translate them for me. In fact it’s the presence of said German on said cups that actually allowed me to fully justify my purchase:
If anyone asks.. I bought them as a ’souvenir’ of our time in Germany, and not because I couldn’t imagine my life without them. Got it?
Auserkoren: Selected, chosen, beloved
Beglückend: Full of joy, Cheerful
Geistreich: Witty, Clever, Ingenious
Kleines Glück: Literally this translates to ‘little luck’ or ’small luck’, but I think it means more like small happiness? Any Germans feel free to weigh in!
1 BBQ, 2 dinner parties, 1 ceramic market, 1 nursery open day, 2 countries, and lots of great company.. phew what a weekend!
I never really thought much about asparagus when we lived in Australia.. I like the taste of it, but never really went crazy for it.
Germans, on the other hand are crazy for it in a big way.. particularly the big white variety that only grows at exactly this time of year, and only for a very limited time. Restaurants have entire menu’s dedicated to it, stores have specific Spargel stands, and little road-side shacks pop up next the fields selling their Spargel goodness. But they all only last for about a month and a half, and then it’s gone again (much like my beloved Peonies!). And so, for this month and a half, Germans really make the most of it.
Initially I was a little bit confused by this German variety of Spargel.. where I come from, asparagus is thin and green, and you eat it without much preparation. Lets just say, having now learnt from experience (twice), giant white German Spargel needs to be rigorously peeled and boiled before you can eat it.
Lesson #1 – unpeeled Spargel is extremely tough and bitter.
Lesson #2 – Peeled Spargel that clearly isn’t peeled enough is only marginally less tough and bitter. Spargel Fail.
That latest lesson was only learnt two nights ago, after I courageously decided to attempt cooking Spargel at home for the second time in 2.5 years (the first time was when I learnt lesson #1). Next time (if I dare attempt it again), I will shop at the supermarket down the road that is also equipped with a high-tech ‘Spargel Peeling Machine’. I’m not kidding.. it has a conveyor belt that you lay your stick of Spargel on (one at a time, please), and then you watch it ride through the clear-sided machine where it’s peeled and washed, and then it pops out the other end for you to collect. I think I’ll just stick to eating it in restaurants..
And in case anyone was wondering, white Spargel is white because they grow it underground covered by plastic sheets, so that it doesn’t ever see daylight. If it did, it would turn green.
..of peonies! They’ve just started blooming again at the flower field down the road from us, so I have approximately 4 days to cut as many as I can (afford) before they’re all taken.. I think I’ll have to go back again tomorrow to get another bunch :)
Unfortunately, like my friend Aude in the Netherlands, we’re being inundated with our yearly pollen quota… Once I get past the thought of eventually having to clean it all off, I actually find it kind of pretty..
I’m trying to use the video function on my camera more, and clearly have a long way to go, but I did manage to catch this the other day at Fasnacht. It’s only quick, but really sums up the day pretty well..
Well it’s Fasnacht (Carnival) time here again, and this year we got to share it with my sister Evelyn, and her friend Kristy.
I’m happy to report that there were no abductions this year, only a lot of confetti assaults (mostly because Evelyn wanted to take photos of all the characters, and as payment for said photo, she then got herself, and us pummeled with confetti), and I had a hair-tie stolen when it was yanked out of my hair from behind by a masked witch, who then ran off with it and left me looking like I just got out of bed!
Who steals a hair-tie?!
bowkey.. bokee.. bokehh.. can anyone tell me how exactly it’s pronounced?? It doesn’t really matter… except for when I get into an extremely intelligent conversation with some totally amazing photographer person, and embarrass myself by telling them that I think those little fuzzy light spot things in the background of photos are really tops.
So, anyway I came across this tutorial for creating custom bokeh and figured it would be fun to try..! I had a bit of trouble with the first lens cover I tried to create, but with a few tweaks, it was peachy! The only problem I had was that I ran out of lights in our apartment to take photos of :(
Still, it was tons of fun, and can’t wait to try some different shapes :)
Imagine me saying that while shaking my fist at these pesky grey skies..
All I can say is: Bring It Spring – we’re so ready for you! I keep checking the trees for signs of new growth.. and the ground for the first signs of daffodils.. and the skies for an uninterrupted patch of sunshine. I am proud to report that the first two are coming along nicely, green has been sighted, daffodil stalks are on the rise. The last one I haven’t seen much of lately, but I’ll keep checking.
I’ve also seen the first sheep (yes sheep – exciting I know!) in the fields around here, which is another sign that Spring is just around the corner. Speaking of, I managed to find some photos from Spring last year and was feeling warmer just looking at them.. these were from a walk through the forest/fields behind our house. Yay sheep!
