what an entrance

the japanese cherries at the end of the street.

some wild garlic (ramps, or ramson) is sitting on my kitchen counter. looking for ways to cook it, or use it raw. ideas so far: wild garlic pesto or risotto, wild garlic butter. possibly in a vinaigrette, to dress green asparagus with. what do you use it for?

it's madly snowing out there as i type. we also had some rain, some sun and quite a bit of hail today. what an entrance, april.

happy easter!
happy passover!

one

last weekend
three to five hailstorms
a visit to the botanical gardens
a host of new perennials
an opening and magazine launch
work (and some more)
finishing the roll with the cherries

wishing you

a perfect weekend, and if you're celebrating, a very happy easter!

have you seen this? stephanie's been "tie-dying" easter eggs. pretty.

the sugarsnaps and heirloom tomatoes are slowing sprouting on my window sill, the garden plot will officially be open for planting from 3rd may. can't wait.

(oh, and very much looking forward to meeting this traveller from marseille today!)

care

do things because you care.

latest blog crush: miss moss.

a funny year

we are having such a strange spring this year. at the end of may, it's still very rare to see the sun for longer stretches of time and it's unusually cold, i'm wearing cardigans and scarves all the time, jeans and boots. looking on the bright side, this also means some blossoms are lasting much longer than they otherwise would have. i don't know what these are - some kind of cherry maybe? now they have gone as well. and we are still waiting for the sun.

p.s.: finally got around to posting some places to stay in berlin over on my other blog, mostlyberlin.

sometimes

sometimes, life takes you by surprise. the other day i found some expired b/w polaroid film at the back of my kitchen drawer. i have no recollection whatsoever putting it there. a little later it turned out that a friend had a polaroid camera that works with that particular film format and she kindly lent it to me.

the film shows a large white stain on each print (maybe storage related) and the colours are really pale (probably because the films expired in 2002). but i am quite hooked. it may be the ephemeral quality of the prints. or maybe the chain of events that led up to them.

more cherry blossoms

well, most of you seem to think i walked into a alice in wonderland post-tea-party scenario the other day. silly me, maybe i should have looked for a hole in the ground. you never really know what goes on in your neighbourhood, do you...?

and here, as promised some more cherry blossoms from the same roll of film. it was a bit warmer that day, just after easter, and the blossoms had ventured out into the open.

i'm having a bit of an 'i don't know whether i'm coming or going' phase at the moment. i'm not happy with the feeling of constantly being in a rush and not having enough time for the things that are close to my heart. i think i have to re-think my priorities. and make some changes.

have a good start to your week!

cherry blossom festival

so, it's officially cherry blossom festival here on no penny for them.

remember i said i would take my praktica out for a wander and snap some cherry blossoms to see how they would turn out, compared to the digital shots? well here are some - at that point the cherry blossom buds were still a bit timid - on a windy spring afternoon in berlin.

more cherry blossoms to come, be warned.

p.s.: there was a little porcelain teapot, smashed to smithereens, lying underneath on of the cherry trees. i wonder about the story behind that...

corner view: spring

a late corner view this week. we had our fair share of dark and grey days, but all of sudden the rain and little bursts of sun seem to have done the trick and the cherry trees at the end of the street have put their pale pink frocks on.

i didn't realise how hard it is to get a decent shot though. last year i was using my praktica with the 50 mm lens only, this year i've played with the DSLR and a zoom lens. very tricky. i will take some more photos with the analogue cameras and see how that works.

for now, have a wonderful holiday, whether you celebrate pesah or easter or just enjoy a long weekend!

for more spring corner views head on over to jane's spain daily.

the old garden

around this time last year we went to usedom, an island in the baltic sea and stayed in a friend's house. there and then, i fell in love with the old garden and the shed. this is how i would like my allotment to look if i'll ever get round to having one. the house itself it refurbished with all mod cons, but i love the charm of the old, unchanged bits. they quietly tell their stories. a shame though that places like these are ever harder to find these days.

and next up

haven't seen any lilacs for some days now, they've quietly gone, it seems. which makes me a little sad. but then again, peonies are up next - and that's quite alright by me!

glorious

it's so warm and sunny, early summer in april. today i heard on the radio that people are hoping for rain - people with gardens i guess, and farmers. i get their point and they are probably right, but for now i just enjoy and soak up the sunshine while it lasts.

the old camera

my aunt gave me that old east german SLR from the 1970s - a praktica - and i so enjoy using it. will need more time to get to grips with film types as well as with choosing aperture and exposure time to get the effect i want. but i so enjoy this!

these are a couple of shots i took over easter, spending the weekend with friends and the week after with my sister and her family. i cannot remember having such a warm and intense april these past few years. i'm enjoying every single day. the cherry trees are snowing off their petals already, only some of them are still in bloom. in some places i have spotted lilac about to flower. everything seems so early this year. mind you, it was a long winter...