the week :: through the lens

it has been on the back burner, i have not been taking a lot of photos for a while now, and that should change. so i put the "hand made" lens back on the camera body and got started this week. it touched me in a special way, as i wander and have the camera ready be it in the kitchen, or living room table... this enables me to see with new eyes and i like it. we will see if it sticks, it is a start to a new friday review of what caught my eye. there is to be said, that i was inspired by erin boyle and her blog "reading my tea leaves". she does a wonderful job and it is so inspirational to have a look at her photos...

:: 1. it's time for the autumn chrysanthemums

:: 2. wedensday morning moon, just so perfect

:: 3. and still warm days, reason enough to enjoy an iced coffee already in the late morning

:: 4. our apple trees

:: 5. i love the morning light in september

braiding and threading

the every day braiding. bringing together all the different strands in one household, in one family to say the least. for me it's a even a bit more than the six colors and kinds of ropes i'm trying to braid into some sort of pretty and working pattern.
life in community is wonderfully and enriching, inspiring and challenging as well. frequently it is all going well and one can thoroughly enjoy the presence of one an other. last night's dinner was a bit of a stretch, not just for me, but for most every body sitting around the table. discussions get started and laughter roars through the kitchen, it is all well. sharing the days happy encounters as well as it's toils and laborious hours.
one moment of not judging the situation was enough to get things a bit derailed. one comment making an other person uncomfortable or irritated is common, but then an other person not realizing how she was feeding into this "box of pandorra's". a heated debate, miss understanding and all those sort of things. of course it was absolutely not intentioned to run that way, and after 15 minutes or so, while we ended the dinner gathering, it all turned out to be less hot and less fragile as it looked.

though still, i'm glad not every meal has to end up in such heated and opinionated discussions!

summer squash

we have lots of summer squash and kids who are not very fond of it...
and we have chickens which started to lay eggs! this is wonderful, as most of us like eggs in any kind or fashion.
this led to "summer piccata" as i started to call those meals with summer squash dipped in flower, egg and grated cheese. and i discovered, that some more people around the table really like the preparation of the yellow vegetable in this fashion.
still thea doesn't. for her is the left over egg-cheese-omelet, which is baked in the frying pan after all the squash slices are dipped and fried in the pan.

as it has been wonderful weather, we enjoyed some out of door lunches, just on our balcony, even under the shade, it has been perfect and very enjoyable. we try to get the most out of the season.

weekending

sorry for being absent most of last week. it has been a week with too many days away from home and there was not a moment left to think of me blogging....

it's ok, i learn to be absent too. it has been a good journey over the past years, to write and post photos and be focused on the daily grind. it's mostly up beat and the sunny side of my and my families life, and that is fine. when i look back and skim through the archives, it makes me very thankful, so i guess that's what it is all about, thankfulness, not to forget the many blessings and adventures i have been given.

yesterday was such a wonderful sunday. simple and no big leaps, just good community, wonderful fellowship at church and after. in our garden with a few friends, some planned for lunch and some more just dropping in. the kids loved it too, it seems like home has been the comfortable place to hang and rejuvenate for an other week with two days in school for me and a few more meetings to keep in mind as well as the kids schedule to keep straight. it will go well and the monday laundry is almost done too!

a good start into this week, and i'm thankful to hang the laundry in the garden. thankful the sun is out and my morning run is back on track.

raspberrie tiramisu

those pictures show how wonderfully delicious this raspberrie tiramisu was. just super good. my sister in law is the dessert master in the family and we all love her for it. we love her regardless, but her desserts we absolutely don't want to miss either. she has a good hand for sweets as her blog might show...

but better than her blog is really tasting the "hand crafted art". this time we got to eat a raspberrie tiramisu, so moist, rich in flavor and light in consistency, wow and yes i would take a second serving. and so it didn't take all afternoon, the dish was empty and we all were happy.
of course the chocolate-zucchini cake was delicious too, never mind. i guess the two together were a perfect pair.

no eggs in the tiramisu and lots of raspberries... thank you j for treating us with such a gift of dessert.

and then after writing this post, i noticed, that this is the second post in a row about food, and both times not food i prepared, what's going on here! this is a bit unusual but for the time we are in, it seems quiet fitting. as we spent the weekend away and i'm in school two days this week. i'm sure this will change again, but for the moment, i enjoy it all.

take out

going places together is usually fun and sharing food on the go needs a bit of coordination...
of course, it all starts with thea not wanting to share with her siblings, but that is quickly taken care of, even before getting the food, what ever it is.
and then it often turns out to be perfect to share. it's frequently easier to eat and share, while there are more hands to hold for dipping and so on.
this was also the case the last time we hopped on the train late afternoon, our tummies where grumbling and so we got some slow fast food fries with potatoes from the area, like most of their vegetables and meats are from just "around the corner". this is my main reason to get take out "just so", "just for the little hunger" while traveling out of town. then usually we pack a little snack or sandwich and a bottle of water or lemonade.
and this time amos and thea as well as me, we all enjoyed the yummy fries and "jack & jo" made ketchup...

plastic planet

 

wir werden am 6. oktober im dimensione einen film und diskussionsabend haben. wäre schön die eine oder andere von euch da zu sehen. ein thema das mir immer wieder unter den nägeln brennt und meine täglichen entscheidungen beeinflusst...

the week :: through the lens

it has been on the back burner, i have not been taking a lot of photos for a while now, and that should change. so i put the "hand made" lens back on the camera body and got started this week. it touched me in a special way, as i wander and have the camera ready be it in the kitchen, or living room table... this enables me to see with new eyes and i like it. we will see if it sticks, it is a start to a new friday review of what caught my eye. there is to be said, that i was inspired by erin boyle and her blog "reading my tea leaves". she does a wonderful job and it is so inspirational to have a look at her photos...

:: 1. a newish plant in the garden, such a rich purple

:: 2. a piece of art, which i remember purchasing vividly at an auction, love those lines

:: 3. new sprouting

:: 4. the vintage pitcher filled with flowers, it has been sitting in the garden shed for too long

:: 5. and then there is no 5th picture, the week was too short, or maybe i was too lazy...

summer still going

the little concrete pots are wonderfully decorating some window sills toward our garden. i enjoy them daily, and the plants seem to flourish. thank you my dear neighbor for placing them there after the initial use as decoration for a celebration.
of course one has to water and tend the little plants, and even that, my neighbor is doing this and has lovingly instructed thea, in the art of taking well care for the little chicks and hens.

we are at the end of summer and i'm very happy, to see my girl taking an interest in gardening. even if it is just the handling of a syringe to water plants... who would not love to do so!

there have been different things on my list of wanting to do and make, but it seems like i'm not getting anywhere. i'm aware, i have been back to school myself, so between one and two days a week i'm out of the house. and the weather has been so wonderful, i could not let those days with sunshine let slip by. i spent the time whenever out of doors, reading and walking and visiting friends. but as i said, the house has been neglected and so my knitting and sewing.

one thing is up to speed, the ironing.... amos has taken on this chore. he is keen on learning and he is developing the skill quickly. good for me, i'm able to wear ironed dresses and blouses and so does anyone else in the family. not all is lost in my household, i guess, the kids are picking up.

be still and enjoy

as i have had just a half day of school today, i seized the opportunity to take a moment and be still. the church "zu predigern", has an open door and offers it's sanctuary to sit and just be. it is located in the old town of zurich, in many ways in the heart of this big and busy city. founded by dominican monchs, it has always seen itself as a place to flee the busyness of the every day and not in particular as a parish. and so it still is being utilized and used not mainly by people living within its close vicinity, but by people from all over town stopping by accidentally or working around the corner etc.
the view of the pew from behind, was especially intriguing to me, such a fun perspective!

and not just from the inside of the predigern, the weather is unusually warm, if not to say hot for september. i strolled along the limmat across the bellevue onto the lake promenade. and there still is the wonderful construction of a spectacular actual exhibit, the manifesta 11, it is a lot of fun and exciting to come across the different sites all over the city.
and the lake itself has been such an inviting place to be and walk and spend a few moments of leisure.

those moments of freedom, as nobody and not even myself, have expected to pop up have to be fully enjoyed...

the week :: through the lens

it has been on the back burner, i have not been taking a lot of photos for a while now, and that should change. so i put the "hand made" lens back on the camera body and got started this week. it touched me in a special way, as i wander and have the camera ready be it in the kitchen, or living room table... this enables me to see with new eyes and i like it. we will see if it sticks, it is a start to a new friday review of what caught my eye. there is to be said, that i was inspired by erin boyle and her blog "reading my tea leaves". she does a wonderful job and it is so inspirational to have a look at her photos...

:: 1. a wonderful crop of tomatoes from the veggie share

:: 2. the intriguing picture book which brought tears to our eyes

:: 3. a twig from the hydrangea, i absolutely love those flower petals

:: 4. so very unexpected

:: 5. treating my shin splints, resting and cooling and massaging the calf muscles and resting even more and longer and i really want to run...

back to school

a few months back i started to go back to school. just a day a week, taking classes toward a degree in religious education. it has been on my mind for a while, but i just never stepped up to do it. over all it's really very practical and enjoyable to be back in the classroom.
right now i'm working on padagogy and didactics, so lots of "how to teach". very interesting and i do enjoy the reading of those text books.
even better, i can sit in the back yard, read and enjoy the morning sunshine. doing so, i feel like i'm on vacation, but get things done!

of course not all of it can be done that way, but for now, i love this kind of "back to school".

it really is wonderful to study a subject, which has been on my heart and is so much what i already have been doing. it is a fun perspective to look into the future and realize, that i will be able to do what i love and be with the people dear to me and get the appreciation for doing so. a good way to dive all into it and jump into new waters.

the town fair

last weekend was fair in our corner of the city. not big at all, but all the different clubs and organizations of the area had their food stands and games and little presentations. a few rides were in town as well and one could really chose from all sorts of flavors of foods from "the four corners" of the world.

it was fun to watch the kids enjoy the rides and besides the obnoxious music, spectacular with the flickering and colors and just fun.


the little one got tired and enjoyed her special "ride" home. as we live i walking distance from all of this, it was easy and we quickly escaped the crowds, sounds and smells of the "wondrous" world, as fast as we appeared and enjoyed the moment.

every year a quick step into a very different world, which is really not ours at all, but the kids are intrigued by it all. and i do have to remark, a moment of color and world smells and scents i can take and even enjoy.

all of it

for an important event, like the installation of our friend at his new church, there must be good food and good music, beside of course good teaching and wonderful fellowship.

all this did happen yesterday and we absolutely enjoyed it. a festive service in a full church with our friend being installed as a pastor. it was great and i'm a bit envious that it was not our church....
never mind, we are not too far away and once in a while we will show up and listen to your preaching, dear friend.
after church was a wonderful reception with lots of yummy lebanese food and irish music. yes that's how international we have become, and the way we absolutely love it. the whole family was taking part in all those celebrations and many more friends and family. it was a blessed day and that's what i pray for, strength and joy in the daily ministry as a pastor, as the pastors wife, the pastors kids and next door neighbors to everyone living over the fence from you, dear c & s.