Welcome to coffee

A week ago I saw this ad on tv and it suddenly caught my attention - it stood out of all the colourful, brash and noisy nags you usually see.
I can´t explain why but I love it.
The music, the playfulness, the magic...if this would be a 2 hour film I would happily watch it, if their coffee tastes like that I´m more than hooked too.
Next time I will buy Taylors coffee, mission accomplished.
Meanwhile I keep on dreaming...

'Welcome to Coffee' takes viewers on a journey through a 'coffee cosmos' with Budgen taking three weeks in his studio experimenting with lights, sounds, shapes and textures to craft the advert.
Set to a version of an 1855 American composition called 'Listen to the Mockingbird' the ad has no dialogue and begins in the deepest, darkest region of the coffee cosmos. As the camera pans out past a series of abstract yet recognisable objects, the viewer travels through the coffee drinking experience.
Next, the advert illustrates the awakening of the senses with bird-like whistles and quick shots of bright colours. Alert and engaged the ad returns to the cosmos where all of the elements now feature with three packs dancing into the frame along with the 'Welcome to Coffee' tagline.
Jess Bacon, marketing manager of Taylors of Harrogate, said: "The vast majority of ads go unnoticed or forgotten; particularly in the world of coffee, where romantic liaisons and brimming mugs are the ‘beige’ creative norm. We want to disrupt that and deliver the unexpected, to be confident and distinctive. Ultimately, we wanted to create an ad just like our product; a complex, magical, and mind-blowing coffee experience."
(source)

Swanage and Corfe Castle

Day two of our recent camping trip to Dorset...taking the Swanage railway to the sea (eating fish&chips) and then to Corfe Castle (having a proper cream tea).

everyday (part 21)

the first half of the year is nearly gone and still I find it incredibly easy to do something new each and every day - looking forward to the rest of the year :-)

21. - 27. May

21.5. found out about "Schwarzes Cafe " in Berlin which is open all night which sounds fascinating. I love all places that blur the difference between night and day.
22.5. planned to do some handmade spinach and ricotta ravioli - ended up not only with loads of irregular shaped ravioli but a broken rolling pin, hurting muscles and complete exhaustion on top of it
23.5. found out that the plant I was admiring in some front gardens on the walk to town is called a "Spanish daisy" (Erigeron karvinskianus) and ordered a pack of seeds straightaway
24.5. went to Manchester for the day with Virgin trains and visited loads of museums as it was raining hard
25.5. made a mango cheesecake (English/American style)
26.5. made a passion fruit curd sponge cake (it was rainy and grey, baking again felt just right)
27.5.had a pizza at ICCo in London Fitzrovia - tastes fantastic and only costs about 5£! Amazing!

Get stuffed!

Get stuffed! Well, stuffing as you'll get to make your own anthropomorphic mousey creation in any pose you wish. 

I'm an open minded person and I love to try out new things. During my life so far I have tried out painting, drawing, life painting, pottery, fashion illustration, etc and the list of things I still wanna try is long.
Now I found an, hmm, unusual offer in my mailbox which doesn't tempt me in the slightest though.
A taxidermy workshop:

 

Loved by royalty, fashion designers and artists alike, taxidermy has been around for centuries and now it's in fashion and here to stay. After a resurgence of this delicate, intricate and sometimes polarising art-form back in 2013, this popular form of Victorian art is a must-do and thanks to Time Out, you can take a class with the massively in demand Margot Magpie who's classes have been perennially sold out.
Taking you step-by-step through the mouse taxidermy process - from ethical sourcing and preservation to stuffing and positioning, you will learn everything you need to know about preserving the image of the tiny creatures and creating beautiful displays that will not only look great in your home but will become a conversation starter too.
You imagination will be your only limit in this class as you can place your mouse in any scenario you choose. Will it smoke a pipe? Wear a top hat? Or ride a bicycle? Only you will know.
The mice used are feeder animals for snakes and lizards. Not only would they usually be discarded if they weren’t sold, but the reptiles that eat them wouldn’t be able to survive if the feeder rodents weren’t commercially available.

 Taxidermy Workshops London

Well, just another proof that London offers something for everyone! I will wait instead for the millinery workshop to be on offer again. But maybe I got one of you interested now!?!

question time 4

What would you regret not fully doing, being or having in your life?
What a strange question that is.
I can only know what I do regret right now, I cannot see into the future to fathom what I possibly would regret one day (would be helpful if I could).
I´m with Edith Piaf on this one as I'm not regretting a lot. Not the never ever attempted maths housework, not the possibly risky blind dates and certainly not the third or fourth plates filled at all you can eat buffets.
Maybe I regret not having learned to play an instrument as a child apart from the recorder but...if I really would regret this I could just sign up to lessons now, couldn't I? 

Are you holding onto something that you need to let go of?
The student status.
I just love being a student (don't really love studying itself that much, hmm), the discounts and priviledges that come with it, the carefreeness. You know those slightly grubby old people that seem to live on the campus and always seem busy? That's the future me. As soon as I step onto a campus I get attracted by that special atmosphere of youth, possibilities, knowledge, freedom and a slightly alternative lifestyle...I never want to introduce myself as anything else but a student. But I guess I should let go of that and be grown-up...well...not ready yet, I think, it sounds simply boring and is attached to too much responsibility.

When you are 80-years-old, what will matter to you the most?

The fact I am still alive!

When is it time to stop calculating risk and rewards and just do what you know is right?
I have no idea, I´m not good at picking right times.

How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you are?

29, forever...all my life pre 29 I thought 35 would be the most perfect age of all - the right balance between young and elderly. Now that I know what a horrible racket the biological clock can make I think that 29 is a much better choice. If I think of myself I think of me as 29, always.

Would you break the law to save a loved one?

Anytime...I'm not the bravest of people but my sense of justice is a bit different to the law anyway.

What makes you smile?
Things like that...even when I re-watch them for the 1001th time:

and some more Lyme Regis

and more pictures from the charming seaside town Lyme Regis, what a picturesque place it is!

40 Years of Playmobil

It´s already months ago that on a very sunny day we went to Speyer in order to visit the Playmobil exhibition there.

The first smiley-faced PLAYMOBIL figures entered the world stage in 1974, at Zirndorf in Bavaria, and since then they and their numerous siblings have achieved cult status. A total of more than 2.7 billion PLAYMOBIL figures now reside in children’s rooms around the world.
But what is PLAYMOBIL’s recipe for success?
Covering a total area of about 2,000 square metres, a large number of very detailed installations on historical and modern day themes – some filling entire rooms – will take fans both old and new on a journey through time. Ten collectors involved in setting up the exhibition will share their passion with visitors.
A walk-in cave, a Roman galley and an enormous PLAYMOBIL cargo ship are just some of the exciting play areas which will invite younger visitors to come and share in the explorations.
Other features will show how artists find inspiration in the unique play system, and how the product design has changed throughout the decades – partially reflecting changes in society. But how is PLAYMOBIL actually made? The exhibition will trace the development of a PLAYMOBIL playset in individual steps, from the initial idea right through to the finished product.

It was really quite interesting to spot some nearly forgotten figures and scenes and there were more than one "Ohh, I remember this!" moments. Another highlight for me was the Roman galley that originally had been put together for the German kids tv program "Die Sendung mit der Maus" and now I could see it live.
Surprisingly not many kids visited the day we went (which was nice, I apologize for being honest ;-)).
It is not the cheapest of exhibition but Speyer is worth the visit too with it´s impressive cathedral so maybe a day out for someone to consider while it is still on!?

Anniversary exhibition at the Historical Museum of the Palatinate in Speyer
1st December 2013 - 22nd June 2014

What is a weekend?

(sprucing things up with a bit of cat content)

Have a nice weekend everyone :-)

Lyme Regis

In April we have been braving the still chilly weather and went on the our first camping trip of the year. We decided to explore Dorset and stayed near Bridport.
Here is part one of the photos I took - all those are taken in Lyme Regis (which is a lovely seaside town by the way, only in the main season I guess it gets horribly busy)

"everyday" (part 20)

14. - 20. May

14.5. sat in the sun by the Penton Hook Lock and listened to some Germans on their hired boat trying to teach the lock keeper some German
15.5. tried out a new road in Staines walking home from the greengrocers...it turned out to be a cul-de-sac so not worth repeating
16.5. watched the guards change at Windsor castle
17.5. done my 4th Heathrow Terminal 2 trial...and it was the first one that got abandoned halfway through due to a fire which was a shame
18.5. visited the Aircraft Enthusiast Fair which was funny as my Dad met a penpal of his he last saw 40 years ago!
19.5.walked over Tower Bridge - yes, that is a first. Nearly 14 years since I first visited London but never done this
20.5. made a rhubarb tarte tartin...can´t get enough of rhubarb at the moment!

on the road 11

London Overground, late Monday afternoon, between Hampstead Heath and Richmond

A strange looking guy gets on the train. In his 50's, topless, sunburned, tidy socks and shoes, talking to himself, carrying a bag with tobacco.
Sits down on the floor. Talking.
When a free seat turns up he takes it.
The seat next to him is getting empty.
Another strange man gets onboard.
In his 70's, shabby suit, dirty jumper underneath with a hole burned into the front, long and wiry unkempt hair and glasses right from the 60's.
He takes the empty seat next to strange man no1 who gets up and moves to a different seat.

He apparently cannot possibly sit next to this loony!

Made me laugh...silently.

Nathalie küsst

Autor: David Foenkinos
erschienen: 2012 (deutsche Ausgabe)

Inhalt: Nathalie und François sind ein Paar wie aus dem Märchenbuch doch eines Tages kommt François nicht vom Joggen zurück, eine Blumenhändlerin überfährt ihn. Die schöne Nathalie muss fortan allein durchs Leben gehen, sich der Neugier der Kollegen und der Avancen ihres Chefs Charles in der schwedischen Firma, in der sie als leitende Angestellte arbeitsbesessen über der Akte 114 brütet, erwehren. Als der unscheinbare Quotenschwede Markus ihr Büro betritt, packt sie ihn unvermittelt und küsst ihn.

was mir gefallen hat: Die erste Haelfte des Buches ist grandios. Nathalie's Schmerz wird so feinfuehlig und nachvollziehbar beschrieben, nie klischeebeladen. Das alles gepaart mit einem an "Die fabelhafte Welt der Amelie" erinnernden Montage- und Erzaehlstil. Ich war vollkommen begeistert...

was mir nicht gefallen hat:...dann kam der zweite Teil und die "Romanze" von Nathalie und Markus. Selten habe ich mich so gelangweilt. Der "Amelie-Stil" wirkte gewollt und albern. Wie es ausgehen wuerde mit der unnahbaren Elfe und ihrem merkwuerdigem Schweden, who cares!? Peinlich und angestrengt.

Fazit: Selten habe ich ein so zwiegespaltenes Buch gelesen. In der ersten Haelfte war ich hingerissen und bin in Rekordzeit durch die ersten 100 Seiten geeifert, der zweite Teil dann war eine Qual.
Schade...aber die Verfilumg mit, so ein Zuufall aber auch: Audrey Tautou, will ich nun unbedingt sehen!

question time 3

If not now, then when?
If not now, then later. I´m always leaving things to the very latest moment which tends to drive me crazy but I just cannot change it. Lets just hope that later won't be too late.

Have you done anything lately worth remembering?

Not for mankind but definitely for me...some of the happiest moments of the last years will be imprinted on my mind forever (or the day I get dementia) but they are trivial: bonding with a then new friend while picking flowers at night, riding on the miniature Great Cockrow Railway and laughing my arse off, etc.

What does your joy look like today?
Joy can look different each day. A huge plate full of homemade Spaghetti Bolognese when you are really hungry. A hot bath when the day was crappy. A long lonely walk through London on a sunny morning with shoes that don´t give me blisters. A strong coffee when feeling exhausted. My bed.

Is it possible to lie without saying a word?
Of course it is! Everytime you smile and don't mean it its basically a lie. Another way is not correcting people when they make a (wrong) assumption.
Years ago I met the mother of one of my kindergarten friends. She complained that her daughter was taking so long to study and wasn´t as quick and streamligned as I was...couldn't have been more wrong but I remained silent - and lied.

If you had a friend who spoke to you in the same way that you sometimes speak to yourself, how long would you allow this person to be your friend?

Till the end, sounds like a decent person.

Which activities make you lose track of time?

I would love to give a profound answer now...but it is watching random crap and all time favourites on youtube. Too often I just want to have a quick look at 10pm and finish with blood shot eyes at 3am.

If you had to teach something, what would you teach?
Oh dear, I hope no one will ever have to rely on me as a teacher. I have not a lot of patience when it comes to that. I remember teaching my mother how to send a text on her phone...we got there in the end but more because she was determined even though I freaked out several times along the process.
But if I really would have to I guess it would be photography or painting.

"everyday" (part 19)

7. - 13. May

7.5. been to the newly set up public library "Mauritius Mediathek" in Wiesbaden - will take some time to get used to the new layout
8.5. had chocolate cake at John Lewis in Kingston to use this months free coffee & cake voucher
9.5. re-visited the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum but for the first time with my Dad
10.5. went to Currys in Staines to look at gas hobs, how exciting*yawn
11.5. had a cherry and almond muffin at Kew Gardens...windy day but always worth the visit
12.5. took the London Overground and visited Kenwood House in London, again I´m absolutely smitten by the beauty of Hampstead
13.5. applied for a UK railcard and just took the required photo myself with my iPod...how times have changed, years ago this would have involved a photographer, printing, time, money...

Woyzeck

Nach dem Stueck von Georg Büchner
Musik:Tom Waits
Theater: Staatstheater Mainz
Regie: Hakan Savas Mican
Premiere: 21.3.2014

Inhalt:

Woyzeck ist ein Getriebener seiner eigenen Lebensumstände: vom Hauptmann gedemütigt, vom Doctor für medizinisch-zynische Erbsen-Experimente missbraucht, von Eifersucht auf den Tambourmajor in den Wahnsinn getrieben. Alles für seine Geliebte Marie und das gemeinsame Kind. Je radikaler er durch sein Leben gehetzt wird, desto tiefer rutscht er in eine Traumwelt. Woyzeck wird ganz Kreatur, die sich selbst nicht mehr (be)greifen kann: „Jeder Mensch ist ein Abgrund, es schwindelt einem, wenn man hinabsieht.“ Als Marie ihn verlässt, ist das Maß voll: die Erniedrigungen, die Zwänge, die Einsamkeit. Der Underdog, die geschundene Seele, setzt an zum fürchterlichen Befreiungsschlag

was mir gefallen hat: Mal wieder eine ziemlich leere Bühne die tristen Charme mit Leuchtreklame und Regenpfützen versprüht. Die Schauspieler sind erneut grossartig...

was mir nicht gefallen hat: ...ich hätte sie nur gerne in einer "reinen" Schauspielversion erlebt da gerade Felix Mühlen ein so ganz anderer Typ "Woyzeck" ist als ich ihn kenne und mich sehr überzeugt hat. Eigentlich trägt Musik ja meist zur Kurzweile bei aber hier ist das Gegenteil der Fall - es zieht sich und lenkt den Blick ab vom wesentlichen.

Fazit: Die Idee den guten alten Woyzeck mit Tom Waits zu bereichern ist an sich super und das Ergebnis kann sich auch durchaus sehen und hören lassen da ich sowohl Büchner als auch Tom Waits mag  - nur eine wirklich neue Sicht auf die bekannte Geschichte ergibt sich nicht und damit leider auch kein bleibender Eindruck.

PS: Hier ist noch der Trailer den ich mal wieder nicht einbetten kann

question time 2

...here the outcome of several hours of thinking...

Who do you love and what are you doing about it?
My husband, my father and our cat...I probably love a handful of friends too but I always feel a bit strange when describing this as "love". Saying that I am fond of them seems more suitable.
But what am I doing about it?? I married the man I love, I spend a lot of time with my father and I give our cat loads of treats and cuddles...I think that is enough?
That answer would have been substantially longer if the question would have been "What do you love".

What’s a belief that you hold with which many people disagree?
Oh, I´m full of beliefs many many people disagree with! Something in my personality hates being mainstream and since being a small girl I always loved to provoke.
Wanna get a taste?
Football is unnecssary!
Weddings should always be without guests!
Theatre is more entertaining than tv!
...
...
egg nog is disgusting!

But I guess belief means something more dignified here. I don´t believe in God. I bet that counts!

What can you do today that you were not capable of a year ago?
Making a yeast dough that rises lovely.

Do you think crying is a sign of weakness or strength?

Neither...it´s a sign of emotional upset. I´m not a crying person so not an expert on the matter. A German idiom says "somebody goes into the cellar to laugh" which means someone does have no humour or at least doesn´t show it. Well, I seem to do the crying in this metaphorical cellar.

What would you do differently if you knew nobody would judge you?
Sometimes wear the things I´m comfortable wearing in England in Germany too. Can´t really think of anything else, I guess I don´t care much about other peoples jugdement (this surprises me now to be honest). Have to think more about it...maybe drive a car?! What stops me from driving is that I always feared that I make mistakes and others will hate me for it. But maybe not, I´m happy sitting on trains.

Do you celebrate the things you do have?
Does this mean not being greedy or jealous? Being content with the things that are already there? Or does it mean wearing low cut shirts to show of a voluptuous bust?
I´m lost.

What is the difference between living and existing?
I´m not going to look it up now in the Oxford dictionary now.
For me existing means, well, that something/someone exists, is alive, is happening, is present.
To live means all of that but so much more. To experience, try, feel, do things, actively.
When I think about it could mean the exact opposite too...those seven questions are certainly not showing off the most eloquent or witty side of me!!!

Faust II - Die Playmobilshow

Autor: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Theater: Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden
Konzept: Dagmar Borrmann

Inhalt: ‚Habe nun ach!‘ und ‚Vom Eise befreit‘ – diese berühmten Passagen aus Goethes ‚Faust I‘ können viele Menschen im Schlaf aufsagen. ‚Faust II‘ hingegen ist für die meisten ein Buch mit sieben Siegeln. Spätestens bei der Klassischen Walpurgisnacht kapitulieren selbst Theaterliebhaber.
Deshalb bieten wir einen vergnüglichen Einführungskurs in Sachen ‚Faust II‘: Dagmar Borrmann erzählt die Abenteuer, die Faust und Mephisto am Kaiserhof, in der Klassischen Walpurgisnacht und beim großen Landgewinnungsprojekt erleben, mit Hilfe von Playmobilfiguren.

was mir gefallen hat: Ich mag solche ausgefallenen und leicht skurilen "Nebenprodukte" des Theaters. Hatte zwar eine vage Ahnung was in Faust II vor sich geht (genug um in einer Unterhaltung erfolgreich so zu tun als ob, ha!) aber nun bin ich schlauer. Und Playmobil mag ich sowieso.

was mir nicht gefallen hat: Manche Witze waren etwas flach...ich steh zum Beispiel nicht so drauf wenn Schauspieler in breiten, künstlichen Dialekt verfallen. Führt bei mir zu akutem Frendschämen statt Lachanfall.

Fazit: Lehrreich, kreativ, witzig (Walpurgisnacht Szene: "Wie sie sehen sind wir nun in einem anderen Kulturkreis? Den Ü-Ei-Figuren") - für solche Projekte bin ich immer zu haben!

"everyday" (part 18)

30. April - 6. May

30.4. been to the "Esprit Montmartre" exhibition in Frankfurt before having coffee with my oldest friend - she is 79!
1.5. got attacked by clouds of small flies on my usual forest walk, annoying
2.5. tried a newish Thai takeaway in Mainz, it was alright but not overwhelming
3.5. on my way to Karlsruhe I went to a bakery in Mannheim I´ve never been to so far (who said that every first has to be exciting?!?)
4.5. saw "Songs of the Wanderers" from the Cloud Gate Dance Theatre of Taiwan in theatre
5.5. found some bike-pedal-workout thingies installed in the park (and tried it!)
6.5. had some panna cotta-rhubarb ice cream