Roses are red

In a season that is more often grey, dark and cold than it isn' t, I'm probably not the only person who likes to bring some spring home with her and buy some cut flowers like tulips, daffodils, etc.

One weird thing I have noticed (although less with the spring flowers and more so with roses, lilies, chrysanthemum, etc.) is that English cut flowers bought in the supermarket last longer than if I buy some in Germany! How strange is that!? I put the little bag of plant food in the water as said on the wrapping and they normally last well longer than the guaranteed 7-10 days. Is it some unusual chemical thing? The British climate? I really don't know...but I enjoy buying my flower and having them around me for so long.

Disaster has happened, your mother has died. You have feared that state for a long time, you have tried to be prepared emotionally and at the same time always fought against that way of thinking. And now you live on just like normal…just like before the day x…and you feel surprisingly good. No tears. Often there is a memory and you feel that there is something, some form of sadness hidden, somewhere deep inside. But you can’t get to it. And you get scared of that moment you will find it…or it will find you. 

“Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans”

At the movies...

it's time for another "Blogstoeckchen" invented by Miss Winkelmann.

Last film you have seen?
Would love to name something really arty and edgy but it was "New Years Eve"

your favourite film?
Amelie, Pane e tulipani, Matchpoint, Love actually, The boat that rocked, Singin in the rain, Bridget Jones I&II, Once, Lost in Translation

do you go to cinema often?
not really...used to go more often when I was younger, was less worried about money and could be bothered to leave the house in the evening. Now it is mostly just some "I definitely have to go and see this one" followed by no action whatsoever.

what genre of films do you prefer?
tragicomedies, documentaries...and sometimes arty farty films with no real plot

what is your favourite snack in cinema?
nothing. Way to expensive! Popcorn always scares me as I don't wanna have bits of it stuck on my tonsils and get a coughing fit during the film. Of the icecream I once got food poisoning...and nachos simply stink!

which film didn't you like?
in cinema? "Emmas Glueck"...and "Pirates of the Carribean II"

favourite actor/actress?
Colin Firth, Scarlett Johansson

what don't you like in cinema?
the grubby floor, annoying people who make allsorts of noises, that it's pricey (unless you have a gem of a cinema nearby like I do).

Yankee Candle Christmas Rose

"Invite the festive spirit into your home this Christmas with the Yankee Candle Christmas Rose Scented Votive Sampler. Christmas Rose encapsulates the authentic perfume of delicate rose petals with a hint of pine."

Another wax tart out of my gigantic order from www.scentedcandleshop.co.uk
I don't know what I expected when I read about christmas roses but I somehow didn't think it would be quite so "rosy". It is basically a very powerful rose smell which seems to get even stronger through the combination with the pine. Filled the whole house with its fragrance in no time...but was more on the headache-causing side for me. So not something I need to re-buy...but maybe something for you if you love roses and very flowery smells.

TheSacconeJolys

I can't remember how I found out about this relatively famous youtube channel but I do remember that I was instantly hooked.
The daily soap of this young Irish couple from Cork seemed to be something completely unique to me. A real couple who filmed about 30nminutes of their life every day! I was fascinated by so much exhibitionism. First I was a bit irritated to be honest, Anna was too beautiful and perfect to be true and to be likeable. Jofus just always was so cheerful and hyperactive that it went on my nerves veeery quick. But I still was hooked...and still am. Cause once you start to look behind Anna's petite gorgeousness and Jofus' compulsive funny voices you see two awesome characters. People that are so normal and so special at he same time. Give them a chance and I'm sure you will start loving their videos soon enough.

and if you wanna see his soft core which is really touching and heartfelt:

The Ice Book

something beautiful on this monday evening:



The Ice Book (HD) from Davy and Kristin McGuire on Vimeo.

my cup of tea

Only a few more days and we will be living in our house for one year again already. First we thought everything would be decorated, done and finished by now...now we know better and can proudly say that we roughly managed to finish 50%. Another year and we might be getting somewhere...I don´t mind living on a building site too much so things could be much worse.
One of my absolute favourite things to do is deciding what to put up on each wall and generally how to decorate things. A tricky subject as well as we own an awful lot of stuff and therefore have to be careful with decorations just for their own sake. As most of the furniture is not in it´s final place yet, I have been hesitating to put up pictures yet...but every now and then you come across an object that you simply HAVE to have. So this is what I´m going to get. Might go into the dining room, might not, but it´s going to be lovely anyway :-)

you can find it on www.next.co.uk for 50pounds

Yankee Candle Napa Valley Sun

"Take an exotic holiday and fill your home with the warm and comforting fragrance of a Yankee Candle Napa Valley Sun Wax Tart. Napa Valley Sun captures fragrant rays of a golden, powdery amber with a vanilla flower finish.
The new Yankee Candle Wine Collection for 2011 features an exotic selection of fragrances that compliment the wine rather than smell like the wine."

I´m pleased to hear that it actually doesn´t smell of wine, how about you? Never felt the need to perfume my house with the fumes of an old drunkard so far and doubt I ever will.
If I would have read vanilla and amber first, I would have expected something completely different. Here I was simply curious about the name (had that image of Mr. Big sitting in his vineyard in California enjoying himself...).
Again I´m proving how crappy I am in describing scents but this one smells warm...and perfumy...and tender. I like it! Not as sickly as the cookie varieties and not as bordello-like as full on "perfume" scents. A nice mix that I will use during the day when it is not really wintery and not summer either. A recommendation from me!

Yankee Candle Garden Sweet Pea

"Light a Yankee Garden Sweet Pea Wax Tart and enjoy beautiful spring fragrance and sunny relaxation any time of year."

That´s what the website says about this Yankee Candle scent, a pretty no-describt sentence if you ask me. I love sweet peas but I honestly have never smelled them...so I guess this one is basically a made up scent cause it just sounds nice. Anyway, it is quite a pleasant mix of flowery and fruity but nothing special and impossible to describe. Directlyx after melting it smells nearly a bit overpowering but unfortunately, and unusual for Yankee Candles, it fades away fairly quick. Not a very long lasting way to make your house smell like a spring garden...and not a very convincing tart too. Let´s kep on trying different ones...

9 eyes

Last night I was captured by Jon Rafman's project "The Nine Eyes of Google Street View" and thought I wanted to share some of the extraordinary photos with you...I know it is a controverse subject but I just love Street View, find it helpful and entertaining. The pictures are amazing...pieces of art that happened unplanned.

"One year ago, I started collecting screen captures of Google Street Views from a range of Street View blogs and through my own hunting. This essay illustrates how my Street View collections reflect the excitement of exploring this new, virtual world. The world captured by Google appears to be more truthful and more transparent because of the weight accorded to external reality, the perception of a neutral, unbiased recording, and even the vastness of the project. At the same time, I acknowledge that this way of photographing creates a cultural text like any other, a structured and structuring space whose codes and meaning the artist and the curator of the images can assist in constructing or deciphering." (quoted from his website)

My Style

it´s time again for another Blogstöckchen from enchanting Miss W.


How would you describe your style?
I don´t have one. I´m a victim (or a chameleon, however you wanna call it) when it comes to fashion. I like vintage dresses, I like jeans, I like plain tops, I like patterns, I like warm colours, I like cold ones, I like high-heels...and no heels. As long as it is feminine. And even when I see something I don´t like - wait until I have seen it in three different magazines in a row and I desperately want to have it ;-) The upside? I can be ready for pretty much any occasions in no time.

Your favourite outfit?
Favourite as in comfy? unfortunately tracksuit bottoms, warm socks, old T-shirt. But fortunately I am not anglicised enough (yet) to leave the house in that outfit. So my favourite outfit in Germany (where I feel I get looked at more and feel much less confident fashionwise): Jeans (for once fitting without holes, split zips or missing buttons), nice top  with a bit of cleavage and a cardigan. Best in a violet, soft pink, olive green or black combination so my eyes and make-ip look best. In England: black leggings, ballerinas, a loose short dress with a flowery pattern.

Your styling tipp? Don´t be so boring (aka German) and mix more...an outfit which consists 100% of Esprit or likewise will never be exciting.

fashion faux-pas? white high-heeled boots, Ed Hardy stuff, white trainers and everything too sporty

your style icon/ favourite decade? again, can´t settle on just one. Everything from Jane Austens time up till the eighties has had its moments. And even to the eighties I seem to have warmed a bit. Icon?don´t have one.

favourite piece in your wardrobe? a small black crocheted cardigan, nothing special at all, bought it over 15 years ago in Walmart and still wear it a lot

I can´t do without...changing my shoes and handbags often. Sometimes I have been out with three different bags on one day.

I wish...that there wouldn´t be the same chain stores expanding everywhere. I want my Primark in the UK (and Ireland) only and absolutely hate to see everyone walking around with it now. M&S, Primark, Dorothy Perkins and Clarks in England...C&A and Deichmann in Germany...guess I´m an anti-globalization shopping addict.

Yankee Candle Bady Powder

When you do spend as much time and energy reading blogs and watching vlogs you just can´t miss the Yankee Candle hype that has spread within the community. Of course I was curious as well (and I get easily "infected" by a hype) and bought my first one...and more...and much more. So now I think I should start a series in which I present one by one and tell you what I think of it.

Today it is the all-time favourite of so many people: Baby Powder

On the website where I get my candles from it gets described as "one of their most endearing fragrances yet. It captures the soft and soothing warmth of a new born baby, the mild aroma of calming powder and the serene softness of a new life. Baby Powder captures the delight of a new born bundle of joy and is ideal for adding a sense of new life to your home"

Sounds heavenly (although I have to admit that I have never really smelled a new born bundle of joy)...and smells light, fresh, powdery and soft when sniffing the candle. Unfortunately while burning the scent is too light and hardly noticeable when you enter the room.
I think I might try it again in form of a wax tart (as they seem to be much stronger) but so far I can´t say that Babypowder has got "it" for me. A shame, the "sense of a new life" sounded just too promising...

The Who´s Tommy

Early december I decided that it was about time that I went to theatre again together with my husband and as we were in Germany and we wanted to see something in English we went to the English Theatre in Frankfurt again. A lovely modern and cosy theatre on the edge between the banking and the red light district.

We went to see The Who´s famous rock opera Tommy, a work I had heard of a lot in the past but never got to know more of it than "Pinball wizzard". It was about time to find out what the hype is all about.

Here is a quick wikipedia synopsis for you:

British Army Captain Walker is reported missing, and is believed dead. His widow, Mrs. Walker, gives birth to their son, Tommy. Years later, Captain Walker returns home and discovers that his wife has found a new lover. Captain Walker confronts the two, and the lover is subsequently killed in the struggle. To cover up the incident, Tommy's parents tell him that he didn't see or hear it, and that he will never tell anyone about the incident. Traumatised, Tommy subsequently becomes blind, deaf and mute. Now in a semi-catatonic state, Tommy's subconscious manifests as a figure dressed in silvery robes who guides him on a journey of enlightenment. Years pass, and Tommy becomes a young man, now interpreting physical sensations as music.

During Christmas, Tommy's parents worry that his soul is at risk of damnation, since he is unaware of Jesus or prayer. One day, Tommy is left alone with his cousin Kevin, who bullies and tortures him for his own amusement. A pimp referred to as "the Hawker" is introduced and peddles his prostitute's sexual prowess, reputed to heal the blind, the deaf and the mute. Tommy is ultimately taken to this woman, who calls herself the Acid Queen, and she tries to coax Tommy into full consciousness with hallucinogenic drugs and sex. When this does not work, Tommy's parents reluctantly leave him temporarily in the care of his Uncle Ernie, an alcoholic child molester. He takes this opportunity to abuse Tommy without fear of being caught. Eventually, Tommy is discovered to have a talent for pinball, and quickly defeats the local champion of the game.

Tommy's father finds a medical specialist in another attempt at 'curing' him. After numerous tests, the doctor informs Tommy's parents that his disabilities are psychosomatic, rather than physical. Meanwhile, Tommy is internally trying to reach out to them. His mother continues to try to reach him, and becomes frustrated that he ignores her while staring directly at a mirror, despite his apparent inability to see. Out of this frustration she smashes the mirror and brings Tommy back into reality. This "miracle cure" becomes a public sensation and Tommy attains a guru-like status. Thereafter he assumes a messianic mantle and attempts to enlighten those willing to follow him. During one of Tommy's sermons, a reverend's daughter, Sally Simpson, sneaks out of her home to meet with Tommy. As the police try to control the crowd, Sally is thrown from the stage and suffers a gash on her face. Tommy opens his own home to anyone willing to join him, and urges them to bring as many people with them as they can. When his house becomes too small to accommodate them, a camp is built with the intended purpose of spreading Tommy's teachings. Tommy's Uncle Ernie assists him at this camp, but uses it as an opportunity for profit and exploiting Tommy's disciples. Now with all necessary resources at his disposal, Tommy instructs his followers to blind, deafen and mute themselves in order to truly reach enlightenment. They eventually reject his methods and ideology after finding that his enlightenment is not reached by being cured, but by discovering a state of awareness while blind, deaf and mute.

I don´t know what your reaction is after having read the plot but my definitely was "oh yeah, definitely from around the same era as Jesus Christ Superstar". I wouldn´t say that the topics thematised have lost all their meaning nowadays but to me they appear to be a bit dated.

The Frankfurt production did extremely well in making the most of their small cast and small stage. Everyone was young, could move and sing and the whole performance went smoothly...maybe too smooth as the first 30minutes were just a chain of suggested scenes and sampled songs, I felt a bit as if I was watching the beginning of an episode were they gave a summary of what had happened before. Informative but not very entertaining.
And what I was missing was a bit more "street cred" instead of the typical musical goodness and sweetness the majority of actors had in their voice.

It improved and calmed down after that and all in all was a nice afternoon in theatre paired with some good music and some clever staging - but the real excitement was missing.

I'm not trying to cause a b-big s-s-sensation
I'm just talkin' 'bout my g-g-generation  

Yeah, maybe just my generation ...

misplaced

Maybe I´m more Carrie Bradshaw as I seem to be.
I´m having an appointment with the funeral director. I feel "neutral", can even manage a few smiles and weak jokes, only on two occasions I have to fight back the tears that seem to be always ready to flow right now...in the middle of talking about orbituaries, flower preferences and chosing a coffin (I wonder...has anyone ever has chosen one because of a proper and solid opinion? can you really have opinions on coffins??) the (female) funeral director, stops and makes a remark: "I´m sorry to say that under those circumstances but: I LOVE your shoes, they are absolutely gorgeous"...I´m just myself, as always, I enjoy the compliment, I manage to pick the right shoes for the most horrible of occasions. That´s one of those episodes when I think "I have to tell my mother about this", and then I crumble again...

just to let you know...

...it will be more quiet here now for a while, my mother has died today and I have my whole life to sort out now. Hopefully will be back soon, please stay with me!