Pampelmuse and Me

I've moved...

Come and find out what I've been up to over at Pampelmuse and Me

changes

So, my exciting news is that... I'm on the move!  

Yep, I'm chaging blogs.  I've been thinking about this for a while, partly because I wanted to change my design, but also because I wanted my blog name and blog address to match.  And now my email address matches too!  I wasn't really sure how or when to do it, but when the 365 Challenge materialised I decided that it was now or never.  So now it is.

Head on over and take a look - there's a small, wee giveaway over there if you decide to pop-in.  


See you over at Pampelmuse and Me.

before and after

On my last fleamarket visit I picked up this cool 1950s footstool with the hope of giving it a new life with a change of fabric.  I even managed to find the fabric at the same market - although when I bought the stool I had no idea what I was going to cover it with.  In amongst some sheets I found an old hessian mail bag from the former West German Postal Service.  I've never upholstered anything before and I confess it was a lot harder than I thought.  Several blood blisters and bruised fingers laters, I'm really pleased with how it's turned out.  A perfect place for my knitting to rest and an extra chair for when guests come round.  Plus, now we have a little bit of Berlin's history sitting in our living room - and all for less than 20 euro. 

I've got some exciting news planned for tomorrow to celebrate the beginning of my 365 challenge... can't wait to share it with everyone!

Long night at the Museum

This weekend was the 'Lange Nacht der Museen'.  Two times a year all of Berlin's museums are open until 2am.  Each museum has it's own program of music, talks, tours and activies and one ticket gets you entry into all. It's a great night - the museums are packed and there are free shuttle buses to drive you around to the different museum areas of Berlin.  We ended up staying in one place and visted the national art gallery and the museum of design, where we listened to a talk on the culture of chocolate and hot chocolate drinking in the early 1700s.   I took these pictures as we were waiting for the bus home.  The building is the Philharmonic Orchestra's home, but mostly I just loved the moon with the clouds dancing around it.

Hope everyone had a lovely couple of days.

chasing raindrops

It's been a funny old week.  The weather has definitely turned to autumn.  Not sure if it's the weather or not, but I've felt unbelievably tired, a little bit frustrated at work (but after much discussion on Wednesday - after the "bad" Tuesday - I think this might be improving) and I've felt a little uninspired in terms of my blog and taking photographs.  Everythings been hit with a bit of malaise and apathy.  As often happens with these things, the world provided answers - or perhaps I already had the answers and just needed a little poking and proding in the form of some not so subtle clues.  

On a fairly miserable afternoon yesterday I picked up my camera and went out to the balcony and started snapping.  Pretty soon I was chasing raindrops and seeing how much detail I could capture with my macro lens.  And then when I sat down to read a few blogs, I saw that Madeline Bea is beginning a 365 challenge and creating a little community to support and encourage each other to make it through the year - that is, take one photo everyday for a year.  And I thought, why not?  So on September 1st, I'm beginning the challenge.  It'll be good.  It'll hopefully teach me things and make me a better photographer.  I'm a little be daunted by the scope of it all, but also excited.  If the idea takes your fancy even just a little bit then I invite you to join in the fun too.  September 1st, it's going to be great.

a poem on thursday : tea

The first cup caresses my dry lips and throat, 

The second shatters the walls of my lonely sadness,
The third searches the dry rivulets of my soul to find the stories of five thousand scrolls. 

With the fourth the pain of past injustice vanishes through my pores.
The fifth purifies my flesh and bone.
With the sixth I am in touch with the immortals.
The seventh gives such pleasure I can hardly bear. The fresh wind blows through my wings
As I make my way to Penglai.*

Lu Tong (A.D. 618-907) Tang Dynasty.

(*Penglai, a mountain in China, was the traditional home of the immortals.)

This week the theme from Madeline Bea was 'orient'.  My mum sent me this poem at the beginning of the year and I really wanted to use it this week.  A pot of good tea is medicine for the soul I think.

crisp mornings and yellow leaves

I had a bad day yesterday.  One of those days that should be relegated to the backwaters and forgotton about forever.  Nothing went right.  I left work frazzled and fried, contemplating how I was going to approach things differently so that I can keep turning up to work and not feel like I'm banging my head against a wall.  I dragged myself up stairs to our apartment feeling just a tad sorry for myself.  Then, in an effort to get myself out of a funk I turned on Al Green - incredibly cheesy I know, but if 'Sh-La-La' or 'Here I am Baby' can't get you wiggling your bum and smiling without seemingly overly forced then I don't know what can.  After Al Green has got your hips interested, you can turn on the pop and dance like a Diva.  Anyway, with Al Green in the background I made some Sushi and sat at my computer and fiddled with a few photos.

And within the hour the funk was over and my belly was full of delicious tuna and smoked salmon sushi rolls.  Yum!  


The photo above is from last autumn - yep, it's coming up to a year since I first moved my suitcases to Berlin and started searching for an apartment with Matthias.  I spotted the first signs of Autumn in the trees this week and the morning air is crisp and inviting.  Won't be long before everything is looking like this.  Good-bye Summer, Hello Autumn!