Pudding...

If you talk about having pudding in England it means you are discussing what or where or if to have a dessert. So pudding could be anything form apple pie via ice cream to a "proper" christmas pudding. What in Germany is refered to as "Pudding" is called blancmange on the island. All a bit confusing but not a real problem if you like all sorts of desserts. Of course, if you hate eating blancmange, come to Germany and order "Pudding" - you might be in for an unpleasant surprise. 0:0.

www.oetker.at

I love the Hipstamatic app...

...it makes my bedroom in all it's dusty glory look better than it is :-)

Windows on the island...

...I can´t say I have been spending a great amount of time in my past living in Germany thinking about windows and how they open, how easy you can clean them, etc. That changed quickly when I started spending more and more time in the UK. Windows here are in general quite small and you can´t really open them. Ok, you can open them a liiittle bit to allow at least a minimum of ventilation but that´s it. No hope for survival in hot and sticky summer nights (yes, they do exist even here...sometimes at least).
Not being able to open them properly (and to make it more awkward they open to the outside) of course doesn´t make it possible to clean the outside easy. I can´t pretend to be a big fan of window cleaning but as soon as it is not possible to do anymore (unless you have a huge ladder or know  and pay someone who does) I´m obsessed with it. I hate the windows they use over there, I think they are pointless and give me a feeling of claustrophobia in the summer. They seem to have finally got rid of the guillotine-style windows where you didn´t dare leaning out of underneath unless you felt suicidal only to replace it with an equally useless system.
But it can get worse - some people think it is a good idea to "decorate" the outside of the glass with funny metal-like lines (I´m sure they have a name but I can´t think of it) which gives a fake medieval look... reminds me of the Dursleys and the only word for it is bourgeois. Hate it! 1:0 for Germany.

www.everglade.co.uk

In 1650 Mr. Vermeer already knew of the joy an open window can bring...just wouldn´t happen in nowadays Britain ;-)

Oh dear...

...yesterday I saw that British drugstore Boots started their christmas sale. I had a look (through 1500 products, I must be mad) and of course ended up ordering a huge load of 50% goodies like a big Sanctuary Spa box, a Soap &Glory box, a new pair of my beloved Fit Flops and more goodies. Have to pre-warn my husband now that a rather huge parcel will be on it´s way soon...maybe I should stop checking out online stores at night or at least keep my bank card further away from my desk ;-)
If you want to have a look before even more of the good stuff is sold out: www.boots.com (where the pictures are taken from as well). And I forgot to mention, the UK Lush sale started as well that means another parcel is on it´s way. Will take photos when I can unpack them saturday night!

 

all pictures www.boots.co.uk

Just all proves me right again that buying all the christmas stuff before the "big" day is a waste of money and time, it´s so much more fun when you can make bargains like that. And as I don´t do christmas presents anyway it suits me more than fine...if only not pretty much every shop now would start their sale...*bigsigh

my very first time...

...as a wedding photographer.
Ever since searching for the right wedding photographer for my own wedding in 2008 I'm obsessed with beautiful wedding photography (and alarmed seeing so many bad ones). As I'm getting more and more into photography I really wanted to give it a try myself and thankfully I got a chance at the civil wedding of a very good friend of mine in september. I was very nervous because of the big responsibility resting on me but as my friend was the happiest and most photogenic bride I could have wished for and as my husband was my back-up photographer, I think we did quite a good job. Far away from a professionell level but at least a start. And I hope there will be more opportunities for me in the future as I really enjoyed this!
Here are a few examples:

one of my favourite poems...

 ...came across it for the first time in one of my German school books and love it since.

Eyes in the Big City (1930)

by Kurt Tucholsky

When you go to work
early in the morning
when you stand in the station
with all your troubles:
the city shows you
asphalt-smooth
in a funnel of people
a million faces:
Two strange eyes, a quick glance,
the brows, the pupils, the lids -
What was that? Your happiness, perhaps...
gone, passed, no more.

All your life you walk
on a thousand streets;
you see on your way,
those who forgot you.
An eye winks,
the soul rings;
you found it,
only seconds long...
Two strange eyes, a quick glance,
the brows, the pupils, the lids -
What was that? No one turns back the time...
gone, passed, no more.

You're obliged on your way
to wander through cities;
you see for a pulsebeat
the unknown other.
It could be a fiend,
it could be a friend,
or could in the struggle
offer a hand.
A looking over
then passing by...
Two strange eyes, a quick glance,
the brows, the pupils, the lids -
What was that? A piece of grand humanity!
Gone, passed, no more.

Augen in der Großstadt

Wenn du zur Arbeit gehst
am frühen Morgen,
wenn du am Bahnhof stehst
mit deinen Sorgen:
da zeigt die Stadt
dir asphaltglatt
im Menschentrichter
Millionen Gesichter:
Zwei fremde Augen, ein kurzer Blick,
die Braue, Pupillen, die Lider -
Was war das? vielleicht dein Lebensglück...
vorbei, verweht, nie wieder.
Du gehst dein Leben lang
auf tausend Straßen;
du siehst auf deinem Gang, die
dich vergaßen.
Ein Auge winkt,
die Seele klingt;
du hast's gefunden,
nur für Sekunden...
Zwei fremde Augen, ein kurzer Blick,
die Braue, Pupillen, die Lider -
Was war das? Kein Mensch dreht die Zeit zurück...
Vorbei, verweht, nie wieder.
Du mußt auf deinem Gang
durch Städte wandern;
siehst einen Pulsschlag lang
den fremden Andern.
Es kann ein Feind sein,
es kann ein Freund sein,
es kann im Kampfe dein
Genosse sein.
Er sieht hinüber
und zieht vorüber ...
Zwei fremde Augen, ein kurzer Blick,
die Braue, Pupillen, die Lider -
Was war das?
Von der großen Menschheit ein Stück!
Vorbei, verweht, nie wieder.

Paris...

 ...a few glimpses of my last trip to Paris in october. Unfortunately the trip was overshadowed by the extensive strikes but My husband and I still managed to have a good time...

As Paris is very much between England and Germany I thought it is suitable to post a few of (what I think) my best shots out of the 5 days there

They arrived!!!

www.schuh.co.uk

Today I finally got those simply stunning shoes delivered. Aren´t they just gorgeous?? Not sure I will ever wear them outdoors (even the sole has a colourful pattern) but I had to have them. Wearing them feels like being Dorothy, Daisy Duck and Mozart at the same time :-)

One thing is guaranteed though, I will never ever wear them in public in Germany. People would fall over staring (and talking about how weird I am) and I would be sent to some sort of asylum. A problem I wouldn´t really face in London or Brighton I guess...

Zara wallet...

...never been a big Zara Fan as they are undoubtfully stylish but quite expensive and only do way too small sizes for me. But after seeing some of their leather bags in another blog (an olive a day ) I had a look online and fell in love with this one.

www.zara.de

Not sure if it is really practical but anyway, will have a look in store now during the week. Reminds me a bit of the Prada bags that were on trend a few years ago...

a mitten lost on Brighton pier

It is the most
inconsequential of things -
fallen there among wrappers,
fortunes and evening tears.

The karaoke bar is singerless,
the washing waves are morning post
waiting for the sort.
The seagulls pair and criss
and confident in their kind.

Out there, perhaps someone walks,
hand to pocket, unbalanced,
out of sight. 

written by Patrick Daniel Toland

When your windscreen is chipped...

...in the UK you can go to "Autoglas" and get it repaired (you remember? this annoying advertisement jingle which is too plain and blunt to be considered as good but still stays in your mind forever...I guess while you are reading this you are just singing it more or less silently). Auto, the german word for car. In Germany the same company is called "Carglas", it uses the same bloody jingle just with a syllable less in it...does that make any sense to anyone? Is it easier to sell new windscreens when the company name sounds somewhat "exotic"? And to who on earth the words car and auto are exotic??? A weird, tiny little difference between the two nations...0:0 for that.

English impressions...