Back!

It is a long time since my last post... Almost three months... I wanted to come back for quite a while now but somehow it just didn't happened.... But now I hope I'm back to blogging.

So what have I done since January?

- learned to knitt
- cuddled with my catties
- found a new flat
- worked a lot for my side job / hobby
- cleaned out my wardrobe and noticed that I'm really not having a lot to wear
- found new friends
- started learning Norwegian "Hi. Jeg heter "Teadrinker"."
- crafted (basically knitting, stitching and "washi-taping")
- was interviewed for a TV-show

Bathing time

I love to have a relaxing bath in the evening, but of course only when it is cold. But it was too chilly yesterday to sit on the balcony I had a bath instead.... Well, was also feeling rubbish, very tired and cold and somehow like getting a cold so I enjoyed a long, hot bath while reading and drinking tea. And eating an ice... Yes, an ice... In the hot bath... I can only recommend it, it is great to eat Magnum in the bathing tube!

What an inspiring couple!

This might be an unusual post, though I really like to do one about Winston and Clementine Churchill. When I was small, my grandad told me storys of historic events and for him, Churchill was the hero who saved Europe. So ever since I'm a small child I'm interessted in WWII and also in Churchill. Well, maybe also because I'm born on 30. of November.
About two years ago I watched The gathering storm because of Vanessa Redgrave who plays Clemmie and so I realized what a strong bond it must have been between Mr and Mrs Churchill. I also have the book "Speaking for themselve" with some of the letters they wrote to each other and it is such a joy to read them. One of them also found it's way into "Love letters of great men" we all know from Sex and the city.

via

 

via

 

via 

There is a lovely story behind this picture. She welcomed him back from a conference in Moscow. When they kissed, the journalists tactfully turned away.

P.S: As always when I post pictures of which I don't own the rights, you can find the source when you follow the small "via" link underneath the picture.

My tiny balcony

My balcony is the size of a postage  stamp. 2 square meters and facing north. Well done, dear architect! When I first saw the flat it was winter and dark and I spent no thought about the balcony till I've moved in and spring came. As I love to sit outside, I decided to make the best out of it.

I learned quite some things about small balconys these last years and now I'm almost happy with it. But still, if my balcony would mysteriousely grow, I'd be more than pleased!

 As the balcony is facing north, I normally have hortensia (red/blue pot) and fuchsias (yellow and green pot) though this year I also try some lavender (red pot)

Towering up 

Place your flowers and decoration on a shelf. This gives you a lot additional space and flowers will get more sun as a nice side effect

Away with it 

There is even space for a big box on the shelf, where you can store all the stuff you'll need for your tiny garden like soil, shovel, flower pots and gloves. If the box is stable enough, cover it with a nice pillow or something and use it as foot-rest

Pot(tering) about 

A flower pot is a nice storage place for things you'd like to have at hand like scissors, candles and matches. You can even find a can of bubble liquid in mine one as I love to send soap bubbles out into stormy nights

Widespread connections 

Use flower boxes and attach them outside the balcony on the railing. But make sure that they are safely fixed so that they can't fall down.

Colour things up 

To make a small place more comfy, use colourful pots and/or add a bright spot with pillows or table clothes. Candles are another great source of colours.

Edge cases 

I don't like to have things on the railing when I'm not home cause I always fear that it might fall down. But once I'm out on the balcony, the railings give me some extra space to place candles or a drink.

Sunday morning ritual - or my most favorite blog

I read many blogs and I like all of them - I mean, I woulden't read them if I would not like them! - but one of them is just outstanding! It is my Sunday morning ritual to read it while I have breaky. I hardly never open it on weekdays, because I like to save it up as a special Sunday morning treat.

It provides me with all I need to know about London, the UK in general and the latest gossip about the Royals. But the best about it are the pictutes. Countles images of London, old and new, in colour and black/white and often with a lot of background information.

Thanks a lot to Thomas Moore of "The Anglophile" for this wonderful blog which is a little bit of Britain in my living room. Every time I close the page I feel quite "homesick" and want to take the first plane to London.

Curious? Here it is! Enjoy!

Saturday evening occupation

 

I spent quite a lazy Saturday evening, watching Robin Hood and stitching a birhtday card for a friend. And of cours, drinking tea. Lots of tea!

Eastern!

Finally the long weekend is here and I can't wait to start doing nothing ;-)

I started the four lazy days with some household, groceries shopping and baking, before visiting my best friend for some sushi. Love it and can't have enough of it! We have a new dress-code by the way. Comfy stuff like trainer or so but with full make up and juwellery. ;-) I was so glad that nobody saw me walking over the corridor from mine to her flat... Wearing a black shirt and my comfy purple trousers, but lipstick and big earrings... Crazy!

So for the next three days I'll just enjoy doing nothing. Reading, stitching, cooking, some DVDs and so on. Beside having to go to the shops again on Saturday the next set date is Monday morning at half past ten when my family will come for a late breakfast.

Happy Eastern everybody!

Car vs Coffee

My best friend bought a car today.... Daisy.... An all new black Citroen. As she likes the name Daisy we somehow started to call the car like this and now well, it has this name.

I bought something else today. No car... But also something black... A coffee machine. Haven't had one for the last four years. I like coffee but for me it is more a treat, I'm not running on coffee like cars on petrol. For me, coffee is something I drink at Starbucks or in a restaurant after lunch. Something to go with a piece of cake or a dessert. Something I don't drink at home but for example when visiting my parents or my granny or so. The only time when I drink it daily is on skiing holiday. 
When I moved out I bought a coffee cooker but a while ago I smashed the pot and without it, it is not goingto work. Ever since I drink instant coffee and even serve it to visitors...

But yesterday I made the spontanious decision to buy a real coffee machine as I'll have visitors during the Easter days and it is nice to serve them "real" coffee. Well, now I'm sitting here, drinking coffee and really enjoy it! As I know me... The fact that I own a coffee machine will make me a coffee drinker...

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!

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!

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!

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

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....