last weekend

i am one of those people who don't have a clearly defined weekend. most of the time, i will be working on any given project and take a few hours off on saturday and sunday. some weekends, i'll take a whole day off and work the other. that's just the way it is in my line of work and i think most people in the creative industries can relate to that. sometimes it really bugs me, and in my mind, somewhere in the future, there will be a time when i have 'proper' weekends again.

last weekend though was an execption. a really slow weekend, and much enjoyed. on saturday, reading magazines on the sofa (marion sent me a copy of 'the gentlewoman' from marseille, as it was nowhere to be had in berlin), taking a leisurely stroll on the farmers' market, having coffee at sgaminegg. on sunday, scoring some vintage, tom-ford-style sunglasses on the fleamarket as well as a crumpler photo bag and buying some home-made juices from the stall of an organic farm near berlin. again, reading a lot. even though it rained so much on sunday that i got soaked to the skin at one point, it was the most relaxing weekend i had in a long time.

photos taken at sgaminegg.

p.s.: you really are the best! thank you so much for all your suggestions of things to do and places to see in melbourne/sydney. not only in the comments to my last post, but also by email and on your respective blogs. keep them coming!

a big thank you to elizabeth of primoeza for her melbourne post - i wish i could go myself! huge thanks also to sonia, who emailed me a long list of melbourne restaurants and cafés. i can't say how grateful i am.

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what to look forward to

it's raining. by which i mean: pretty much non-stop. i find myself looking at the calendar and thinking: weather, are you out of your mind? it's august! perhaps you have exhausted yourself in june and july with that heatwave, instead of pacing yourself a little. and see what good it's doing? learn from it!

only, that doesn't really change things.

and so. even though i'm refusing to utter the name of the coming season just yet and stubbornly hold on to summer, i will tell you (and myself) what to look forward to:

plum cake (will try nath's recipe pronto)
dramatic skies
wind
socks (really? not so sure)
a new scarf
a walk by the lake (any lake will do)
bill evans
the new, tiny farmers market on seelower strasse

what are you looking forward to? (northern or southern hemisphere, i want to know it all.)

p.s.: do you think you could help me with something? i'm compiling a list of nice places to see in sydney and melbourne for a friend (wish i could go!). think great neighbourhhods, cafés, shops, galleries, parks. if you left me a comment or emailed me with ideas that would be so good! thank you!

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the love of slide

i love the tones of slide so much, it somehow makes everything look as if seen through some mysterious, very clear glass with the softest tint of blue. it makes me want to whisper.

the above were taken at the café on emmasee in bremen. shame i couldn't take the sculpture with me. it would have fit perfectly in the imaginary garden of my imaginary house. perhaps i should keep my eyes open on future fleamarket rounds for sculptures of a smaller size. what are you coveting at the moment?

latest blog crush: morgan's brick house.

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emma am see

i have been knowing this place from when i was a child. a midcentury style building from the mid sixties, sitting on a lake in bremen's buergerpark. it houses a café and just looks stunning. i have always liked it, as long as i remember, but never went.

so the last time i was in bremen, the boyfriend and i went for a glass of wine and some dinner. there was a light summer rain, but we still walked around the lake, took photos and looked at the rowing boats lying close by, me also eyeing the mini golf course. it was a good evening.

(photo by the boyfriend)

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it depends on how you look at it

there's been some guerilla wallpapering going on in my neighbourhood. my favourite one is the street sign alteration. they changed 'raumerstraße' (which is a place name with no particular meaning) to 'träumerstraße' (meaning 'dreamer's street'). makes me smile.

so really, it all depends on how you look at it, right?

i'd like to see the potential in ordinary things, look at things with fresh eyes, see a chance for something else when things go haywire, turn difficult projects into something nice with the help of little things.

p.s.: last night i had the most vivid dream about a discussion with a squirrel. it was complaining about the lack of entertainment and prettyness in the forest and wanted me to do something about it. it was really quite chatty and convincing and impatient. i was trying to talk myself out of it, but no luck. then i woke up.

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rainy days

lately, it's been raining quite a lot. these photos were taken a while ago when spending the weekend with the boyfriend. rain. and so we couldn't hire a boat. but you know: maybe next time.

in the meantime, marion has been in berlin for a week, today she is heading back home. i will miss her company, the laughs, the walks and the dinners in the kitchen upstairs! bonne voyage et à la prochaine!

(the boats above can be rented in bremen, germany, at the emmasee in the city's buergerpark. there are many options for boat rentals in berlin. a fairly central - if busy and not the cheapest - is the boat rental at neuer see in tiergarten.)

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saturday inspiration

1. 196/365 2010, 2. Sempervirens Point, 3. Untitled, 4. Untitled, 5. my first typewriter, 6. Swimmers during learn to swim week, at a suburban swimming pool, probably Wellington region, ca 1939, 7. untitled, 8. Untitled, 9. Untitled

it's been a while - time for another round of flickr inspiration.

as always, these photos are not mine, but pictures taken by photographer's showing their work on flickr, or photographs from historical archives, also to be found on flickr (what a treasure trove those are!). work that gives me no end of inspiration and i thought you might like too. go and take a look at the photo streams by clicking on the respective link underneath the mosaic. be inspired.

oh - and have a good rest of the weekend!

p.s.: welcome mint readers, what a pleasure to have you here!

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me time

sitting down to flick through a magazine is my idea of a perfect little me-time. i had a quick look at the gentlewoman at bonanza coffee heroes here in berlin. i'm thinking of getting my own copy, perhaps do you read me?! is stocking it.

did any of you have a look at the current issue of apartamento? is it good?

making plans

last summer, my friend j and i went to the venice biennial, stayed a few days and then went on to the south of france by night-train. the second part of our holiday was spent near arles, where we went to see the photography festival.

we are already making plans for next year's biennial, but we're still on the fence on whether to go for the opening week or later, when it's quieter. what would you do?

it was one of the most inspiring trips i've ever made. art, lots of art, so much sun, boats and water, a garden with a summer kitchen and a pool. markets overflowing with fresh fruit and greens, good wine, wonderful hosts at our b&b. next year is more likely to be a short trip to venice, but i still can't wait.

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still summer in berlin

granted, there's a lot to do at the moment, so it doesn't exactly feel like being on holiday, but it's still summer in berlin. when i was cycling to the copy shop earlier to have some proofs scanned, it was all warm, and definitely t-shirt-without-the-cardigan-weather. i love it when the city is all mellow and quiet while everybody is away.

anyway, apart from work, there are plenty of things to be enjoyed these days, and plenty of things to look forward to.

last weekend i spent with the boyfriend. my favourite moment was a walk through the park in a light summer drizzle, taking lots of photos (first roll to be picked up tomorrow) and having a glass of wine at a café in a lake.

tomorrow, lovely marion is coming to berlin and will be staying for a week at a friend's place - it's going to be great!

then, we are having blog camp coming to berlin for the first time in september (find out more by going over to julie's blog camp blog). photo walks, talks and laughs aplenty, i'm sure. if you have time to spare give it a thought!

oh, and before i forget, there are summer drinks to enjoy. my favourite at the moment is aperol spritz, but i also love pimm's, a truly british drink, which we had with friends a while ago. we made it with pimm's, lemonade, fresh mint, cucumber slices, peaches, oranges and plenty of ice.

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savoury or sweet

when i'm stressed, i turn into a chocolate junkie. the bad thing about that is, the more i eat it, the more i crave it. then again, when i'm relaxed, have more time to cook or to just prepare some fresh food, i don't really miss it. so with me, i'm a sweet tooth, when i'm stressed and love savoury things when not.

summing up last week, let's just say: i ate a lot of chocolate. forecast for the weekend: savoury!

what about you? sweet tooth or not? and what's your ultimate sweet or savoury craving?

p.s.: i've been interviewed by julie of moments of perfect clarity. she is hosting an interview series this month - such a fun and interesting way to meet new people! go and take a look if you like.

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eat. sleep. read.

now how's that for a motto? it may well be the path to world peace, if you ask me. (sorry about the fuzziness of the photo - could be i was laughing too hard when taking this or my friend moved a little. we were having coffee you see. i'm really jealous of her t-shirt.)

oh, and thank you so so much, all, for your kind and thoughtful comments recently - they always bring a smile to my face and they have seriously cheered me up. plus they gave me lots of ideas. so thank you for that! i'm always extra happy to hear from new readers (or those of you who have been silent readers so far). i love to hear from you, i really do.

by the way, i am aware of the fact some of you who read blogs but don't blog themselves may not comment because they are not comfortable with the idea of setting up an account. well, you know, you don't have to. if you'd like to comment occasionally, you can leave an 'anonymous' comment without having to register - in that case it would be wonderful if you sign with your first name, so i know who you are. (needless to say that i have to delete spam, but that's not we are talking about anyway, right?).

so, happy day, everyone!

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tomorrow is another day

when we were very tired, or upset (or way too excited to sleep for that matter), my mum used to say: "tomorrow is another day". and so to bed.

tell me, what do you tell yourself when you are exhausted and things just don't seem to work out the way they should, or your cat has scratched you again, or you've put on really a bit too much weight, or you are worried about all kinds of things?

summertime

summertime, and the living is easy,
fish are jumping and the cotton is high,
oh your daddy's rich, and your ma is good-looking,
so hush, little baby, don't you cry

one of these mornings, you gonna rise up singing,
you're gonna spread your wings and take to the sky,
but till that morning, there's a-nothing can harm you,
with daddy and mommy standing by.

here.