Sandwiches with green pesto

I have tons of glasses and jars in my fridge. Tomato sauce, pickles, olives, baby corn, mostarda (which sounds awful but is reeeeeealy tasty though hot) and and and. They all get empty after a while, but I always have problems emptying a glass of green pesto. So I needed to find a way to get rid of it and found a good idea.

You need for one serving:
4 slices of toast, a slice of ham, one tablespoon pesto, one small tomato, one hard-boiled egg, a handful of rocket and salt and pepper for seasoning.

Toast the bread and spread each of the pieces with some pesto. Place the ham on one, the sliced egg on another piece of toast, add some tomato-slices and the rocket and season with salt and pepper. Cover with the rest of the toast and there we go. Ready to serve!

Friday filler

I meet an old friend from primary school today for the first time in about 10 years. It was sooo great to meet again and to catch up with everything that had happened in the last 10 years.

I sorted out quite some of my nail polishes this week, binned almost 40% of them and will do a nail-polish-project in April

I'm still not sure if I should go away all Easter days or just two days or so.

Today, a costumour presented me with a chocolat-bunny.

I finally found out that Migros sells Cathedral City, my beloved cheddar.

My plan for this year was to read a book every week. So far I only got one in March and started two, Harry Potter 3 and "Moon over Soho" which I'll maybe finish during this weekend if I'm really working hard on it. To catch up I need to read three additional books ;-)

Zurich is such a wonderful town! I love London, I love Berlin and I love Brighton even more than London and Berlin together; but Zurich is still my "home-base"

Strong ladies

There are two movies I really want to see. One of them is "The Iron Lady", the other one is "The Lady" Nice coincident with the titles.

When I started reading a lot about the UK when I was in my teens I also read about Margaret Thatcher. I even have her biography somewhere, my first ever "real" English book - the ones I had before were just Penguin easy-readers or whatsoever. It was quite an ambitious aim to read a biography about a politican after only three years of English lessons at school... No wonder I've never got over the first ten pages or so  and the book is catching dust in my parents attic, if nobody binned it in the meantime.
Well, I'd say I have to see the movie about her, especially because of Meryl Streep.

The second movie on my wishlist, "The Lady" cought me with the trailer. It is brilliantly acted, as far I can judge after the two minutes or so of the trailer. Really need to see the movie!

One year!

Exactly one year ago was my first school day in Brighton! Unbelievable that it is already such a long time and that I'm back since June now. Still miss my time in the UK very much and I still love and miss Brighton, which has become my second home. Every day I spend some happy moments thinking of this wonderful town and of the UK in general. Every day I walk along the seafront in my thoughts, sit in Preston Park or just go for a bus ride through town. Every now andthen when I need a little bit of distraction I google for some nice pics or just read a random Brighton-related article on wikipedia.

This is not a picture post - though one will follow for sure in the next days or week - but a music-post. There are some songs that are just so related to this town for me and whenever I heard them I'm back.

When I was in Brighton for the first time back in 2009 I had recently rediscovered Johnny Cash and was listening to this song for two weeks almost without a break.

Shortly before I left for Brighton I googled something and ended up with Russ Conway and instantly liked his way of playing the piano. This song is only one of many I've listened to.

And finally this one. My host parents both really like Kings of Leon and once my hostmum was listening to this song and I went upstairs to my room and bought the song five minutes after I've heard it the first time. I'd say this is my Brighton-2011-song!

Sunday again

*seen* The best exotic Marigold hotel *heard* Oh Carol (Smokie). Quite some old Swiss songs *read* Harry Potter *done* Crossed my fingers for my mum like crazy. Worried too much. Enjoyed the nice weather. Spent a tlnoothhp with my best friend. Visited mum in hospital. Did some shopping. Bake cake. *eaten* Pizza Salmone. Tiramisu. Tomato-mozarella-salad.  Homemade veggie-soup *drank* red wine. Henniez Passion Kiwi. Orange juice. Water, water, water *thought*that I shoulden't worry so much. That it is almost a year since I left for Brighton. *been glad* that my mum is better. That live is so beautiful *been annoyed* by people who leave a train and just stop there *bought* blue blouse. A red and two white cardis. Jumper. A necklace *clicked* www.dict.cc

Early start of the balcony season

I have a balcony, which is great. Especially as I can see quite a bit of our small town from above. I love my town, so it is great to see it every day ;-) Not so great is the fact, that my balcony is only two square meters.... And it is facing nord.
So when everybody enjoys the nice weather outside quite early in year, I still have to go over to my best friends to do this or sit on the garden bench behind the house. My balcony is only sunny for some hours in the early morning, more or less from sunrise till eleven or so and once again round the longest day for some minutes before the sun sets. On the other hand it is never getting warmer then 25°, which can be quite nice on very hot summers day.

Today when I came home from shopping and had to have breaky - as I was starving at half past eleven! - I went outside there to check on the temperature. It was 15°. I learned in the UK that you walk arround without coats as soon the sun shines, no matter how warm it is. So I dressed with cardi and scarf, searched for my tablecloth, carried a chair outside and enjoyed the nice weather out there.

I hope it was the first of many breakys out there for this year!

Easter decoration

Spring is finally here and I went into town to get some red shoes this morning. Red shoes, you may wonder... She already has a pair.... Indeed I have... Two, to be precise. But both quite high-heeled and so I wanted some flat ones. I didn't found something, but I found two cardis and a jumper.
When I finished my shopping I spent some time wandering arround on the market. Compeltely forgot that there is market day on Saturday. I bought some pink roses and twigs to decorate my flat for Eastern and when I came home, I started the decorating first thing.

The bunny by the way is a present from a friend and the eggs in the bowl were decorated by my mum.

Friday filler

It is Friday, thanks God! Some German blogger have what they call Friday-filler where they just post some thoughts. I'll start it as well.

I'm so glad that my mums surgery went well and I hope that she gets well soon

The lovely spring weather gives me a burst of energy

I did quite some household stuff this week

I should do more sport, just because of the nice feeling when I come home from it

My best friend and me will watch "The best exotic Marigold hotel" tomorrow

My boss and me managed to solve the Zebra Puzzle yesterday.

I wrote a post for yesterday on Monday or so and was completely asthonished when I saw it today! Completely forgot about it!

via

Pasta or gnocchi with tomato-pepper-ham-sauce

A quick and easy meal. All you have to do is chop some pepper and maybe onions and then let the stove do the rest. You can use pasta and gnocchi, just what you like more. Canned tomatos are a good alternative to "normal" ones in winter, but of course you can also cop 400 g tomatos and use them instead.

For two servings

What you need: 400 g canned tomato, 2 dl tomato juice, 100 ml sour cream, 2 pepper (I used a yellow and a red one), onions if you like, 150 g ham bits, 100 g sour cream, pasta or gnocchi (I used 150 g pasta/300 g gnocchi), salt and pepper to season

Mix tomatos and juice in a wide pan and boil it up. Cop the pepper and onions and add them to the sauce. Allow to cook for ten minutes. In the meantime, cook as much pasta or gnocchi as you like.
Add ham and cream to the sauce, season with salt and pepper and let it cook for five more minutes. Strain the pasta, add to the sauce and mix it together.

Thats it. Quick and easy as I said. Plus tasty ;-)

I need some crossed fingers!

Morning morning everybody

Today I need some crossed fingers for my mum! She has a surgery today and I hope everything will go well! I'm sick of worry, cause I tend to worry too much ;-) Just according the motto: "Now panic and freak out"

So if anybody has some spare fingers to cross today; please do it!

Dear mum, I hope that everything will work out fine and that you'll be fit soon!

Spring shoes and warm socks

I have plenty of shoes, but every year with the first sight of spring I have to go and buy new ones. The red ones are quite high-heeled for me and after a long winter in flat boots or at the most four centimeters heels it took me some time to got used to it. The colourful ones on the other hand are just as comfy as possible and I didn't hesitated to wear them for the first time two weeks ago when I was walking arround all afternoon. I didn't regret it! They're just THE perfect shoes for walking arround.

But I'm not only proud owner of two pairs of new of new shoes but also of some knitted socks! My mum is a passionated sock-knitter and the whole family is walking arround in colourful socks. I have kind of a trauma as I had to wear socks my granny had knitted till I was 12 or so. And no, it were not colourful ones but made from black or grey wool.... When I finally got other socks I decided to never ever wear knitted ones. well, till I got jealous of the rest of the familys nice socks! So I asked my mum to knitt me a colourful pair for hanging arround at home. What did I get? Two pairs of "couch-socks", one in various colours, one in different shades of blue. Plus two pairs in black to wear in hicking shoes or boots. I think that mum was glad to have found another "customer" as my sister already has 35 pairs and don't really need new ones (in theory.... In practice she still asks for more) She is already knitting for her best friend ,for one of my sisters working colleagues and for the Swedish nephew and niece of my sisters boyfriend....  She even made a pair for Turkas, my teddy bear.

Like a cursed princess in a fairy tale

I love stitching! Really do as it calms me down and is the best thing to keep my hands busy while watching movies. I'm too impatient to just watch, I always have to do something and stitching is not that distracting.I have a subscription of an English cross stitching magazine and when I'm in the mood for bigger projects I order the stuff online.

I was quite busy these last weeks! Right now I'm working on a flower-picture for my mum for her birthday or for mothers day (which is not like in the UK in March but in May, so there is still some time)

A bunch of flowers for my mum

 "Just because" card for my Bestie

Dream and reality

This picture says basically a lot about me. Left is what I'd want to be, right what I am ;-) I'm quite a jitterbug sometimes.... But I'm working on it!

via

Sunday again

*seen* Titanic. Finally, 15 years after it came out! *heard* You're so vain *read* another one of my beloved Turnham-Malpas-novels. Harry Potter *done* spent a lovely Saturday with my family to celebrate granny’s birthday. Stitched like mad. Cleaned my flat like mad. Planted some daffodils. Played plumber – and was successful! *eaten* veal with orange-sauce. Cordon blue. More dessert than it is good for me *drank* red wine, which is quite unusual. White Martini *thought* that I worry too much all the time! Hope this time it was also too much worries for nothing *been glad* that my Bestie is cheering me up every time I'm down *been annoyed* by a costumour *bought* cross stitching-stuff. Plants *clicked* www.wikipedia.org once more! 

Spring decorations

A bit more than a week ago when the weather finally improved and changed from awfully cold to spring-like warm I went to buy some spring decoration. I'm always quite swamped with the range in there shops and want to buy half of all the stuff but sometimes I managed to think about it first and buy things that can be used for other decorations as well.

I bought a small vase, some candles, some wooden buttons, fake moss, some small blue pebbles and artificial flowers. Yes, I once said that I'll never ever buy something likely, but I did.... As I just need something bright and fresh.

Carnival

It was our local carnival on Saturday and I went to the party in the evening. It was great as usual, though I left at two. There were two guys who always wanted to dance with me.... And were not able to figure out that I didn't wanted to.... Cause they both were three sheets to the wind and not half! But the whole evening was good fun!

My plan was to go as strawberry with a red dress and some leaves made out of an old pair of green trousers. But then I could borrow a lovely witch-costume and gave up on my strawberry-plans. I'm quite in love with the hat! The picture is not the best, but my plan was to ask somebody to make a better one but then I forgot. Well....

A book a week - books 6 to 9

I'm not that bad with my a-book-a-week-task but I won't introduce every book in here from now on. As some are just not that easy to review or because I don't think anybody is interessted in them. But for the sake of completeness I'll list them in this post.

Book 6

 

Book facts

The book of Tobias
Silvie Germain

222 pages

Rating: 3/5

 

 via

 

The book used to be one of my favorite novels some years ago. I still like the very first part of the story, about Deborah, the great-grand-mother of Tobias, but then the story somehow lost his magic to me.

 

 

Books 7 to 9

*Village Secrets

*Village Gossip

*Village Matters
Rebecca Shaw

Total 925 pages

Rating 4/5

 

 

 all three pictures via

 

Sometimes I just need a decent serving of idyllic world.  Thats when I read Berte Bratt, Rosamunde Pilcher or, precisely, Rebecca Shaw. 

Her books tell the story of little Dorset Village Turnham Malpas and it's inhabitants. Turnham Malpas looks like the most boring place where nothing ever happens, but thats not true. There are peolpe who lived there for all her life and newcomers, trying to become familiar with the place. There are murder, suicide, accident and strange people you can't trust. And of course, there is love and it seems that there are quite some happy, strong couples living there. 

To put it short; I'd visit Turnham Malpas and meet the people there first thing tomorrow morning if only I could!