cheer me up

since march, i haven't had a single work-free weekend. and i'm at my desk, it will be a long night. there's no way round the fact that i have an important deadline tomorrow. can you please cheer me up?

garden & something else

these days, when i find time to go to the garden, a long row of sunflowers is greeting me. i'm not usually a fan of that particular flower - so big, so bright, so not subtle - but here it makes perfect sense. it's beautiful. i also love the patches of mixed wild flowers. i think they can happily stand up to all the vegetable bounty. not to be eaten, not to be used in any way, just there to make us smile.

oh, and i must not forget to ask you:

anyone interested in staying in berlin for a week in august? friends of mine are renting out their rather beautiful, split-level apartment in the middle of prenzlauer berg. the apartment is free from august 4 to august 10 (wed-wed). if you prefer, you could also arrive as early as tuesday, 3 aug and get a day for free, so to speak.

if you're interested, please email me (twinklestar at gmx dot net) for more info. the sooner the better!

i might also know of a place in berlin later in august, so please do get in touch if you're interested.

oh, and a very happy 14 juillet to all my friends in france!

lunch

when jo was in berlin, we had lunch at bixels.

it might be a bit quiet around here for a little while projects are taking up all my time. but do keep leaving your comments, they are always appreciated and make me smile!

night out

you know how some friends always come up with the best ideas? well, a while ago, p suggested we go to the (somewhat politically incorrect titled) gypsy restaurant at claerchen's ballhaus for j's birthday. so we did. can you tell how much i loved that night out?

some of you might recognise the spiegelsaal (hall of mirrors), upstairs from the regular ballroom, which most of the time is quiet and empty. it's also occasionally used for music and restaurant events like this, for dancing classes, and also rented out for private functions.

(more infos about the ballroom here, in german.)

eurovision song contest

we had so much fun at the party my friends threw for the eurovision song contest this year (some bad, bad music, lots of laughter!). we had a little barbecue on the terrace, sparkling wine and some pimm's. general jolliness and silliness. haven't had that much fun in a long time!

what kind of things do you like to organise with your friends? (in general, totally eurovision unrelated, that is...)

happiness is

shared laughter with friends
putting fresh flowers into a vase
tending the garden
hearing the birds at dusk as i cycle home
reading in bed

so out of the loop

i've been out of things recently.

so how are you? and what is your favourite meal at the moment? i want to try more recipes from nigel slater's most wonderful tender, vol II. what a precious book.

+++ you just know how to lift my spirits! the list of dishes i want to try gets longer and longer... by the way: would any of you have a recommendation for the perfect carrot cake (in the race at the moment: carrot cake from 'breakfast lunch and tea' and a tear-out from a magazine? +++

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how come

how come february feels like the longest month in the northern hemisphere even though it's undoubtedly the shortest? i've definitely reached a point of winter saturation. and yet, it's snowing outside this morning. i guess it will be all the more wonderful when spring finally comes.

recently, i was introduced to a little restaurant in my neighbourhood, which i've completely fallen for. schaedel & sattler is just the kind of place that gets me: simple and friendly, serving honest food. that, plus it's located in a new building, in which i think the bare concrete walls, a trait that has become ubiquitous in contemporary architecture and sometimes seems a little uninspired, works prefectly. more about them soon on mostly berlin.

oh, and i've finally started using pininterest. (as per usual, i'm a little late to the party, but hey.) if you like to take a look at my pinboards of images that inspire me, you can do so here. want to join in?

closer

i'm afraid i've used up all existing brain cells on my current projects, so surely, the best is to just leave you with some pictures. (it's fun to play around with the new macro lens, although i'm only starting to find out what it can do!)

on endings and beginnings

the last few days of january are here. and as the month draws to an end, i'm finding myself, yet again, thinking about endings and beginnings. how come we can't hold time when things are just right, why is it eternally moving forward? it's the basic condition we live in. so we might as well look forward to the next beginning, right? i'm hoping february has a few rays of sunshine in store.

p.s.: my post about konk is up, take a look over at mostly berlin!

p.p.s.: i almost forgot: if you're in london (or near), february will see two exciting events that you may want to check out:
a portfolio review day, organised by the photographer's gallery (apply by february 11, 2011)
a series on japanese cinema since the mid-90s at the ICA

teaser

rushing around, so here's just a quick teaser: shortly presenting konk, a wonderful boutique, in my little 'revisited' series on mostly berlin. stay tuned!

p.s.: oh those wooden mobiles! lots of them were floating just under the ceiling. i so want one.

just thinking

there are so many things to say about inspiration (or the lack thereof) - thank you so much for your comments!

the other day, jude sent me a note about searching for inspiration, or rather the wish to lure it back:

"i've been thinking about this and decided that sometimes it is okay to be fallow. just like in a garden, being fallow allows for some rejuvenation and so when the next inspirational moment happens it falls on rich ground. being still and fallow also allows for the deep part of the brain to work on things."

perhaps i'm just not very good at allowing for this and should give it a try? that being said, i've been impatient again and, wanting to shoot, have taken mary's advice to work with another kind of film in a camera i haven't used in a while. we'll see.

(the above photos were taken in early december, i only got the roll back now. do you see that little ring of light appearing on the scans i had made at the lab? i'm trying to find out what caused it. i hope it's only a smudge on the scanner's glass plate.)

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winter days

the best place to be in winter is home. it's still white out there. and icy, which brought the city almost to a stand-still this morning. i'm glad i can concentrate on my translations, at the moment i'm looking at the most beautiful renaissance paintings and drawings. i'm also fascinated by the historical background of the italian courts in the early 15th century, which sometimes reads like a unputdownable novel.

hope you are all well. what are your days looking like?

p.s.: apologies for the delay, but i've finally drawn a winner to my giveaway post in december. and because i felt like it, i drew a second winner too. tschitschi and P.K., you've both won a 13 x 18 cm print of your choice - please email me (see my profile to the right) to let me know your pick and address!

these days

changes can come about very quietly or very sudden. my father fell very ill a good week ago. we have no way of telling what the future holds, and to be quite honest: even if there was one, i don't think i would like to know. i'm quieter now and so very glad to have k and my family and my friends. and i'm amazed how close happiness and sadness can be. i saw my dad very poorly and held my six-week old nephew at the very same time.

i'm letting the sad moments in and meeting them with happy ones. this afternoon, i'm seeing my niece, we'll go to town and have hot chocolate.

the photos were taken on a special sunday in december when having lunch with friends, happy memories!

at the museum II

some more impressions from the museum, even though it seems like i've been there ages ago. don't you love that girl reading her book - must have been some serious art text she was pondering.

don't forget the giveaway for a print of your choice in my last post (just leave a comment there by wed 22 dec, midnight).

oh, and some exciting news: lovely astrid featured me in her 'why do you shoot film' series over on hei astrid. thank you!

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