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. monday afternoon with lots of sunshine and spring warmth

:: 2. tuesday afternoon with freezing temperatures and snow

:: 3. wednesday afternoon, again some snow and it stayed like that until thursday

:: 4. enough reason to keep sitting and sewing

:: 5. and more snow, wow this was a week like mid february!

a lush afternoon

it was weekend, and after a super busy week, including saturday (kids camp all day, every day) i was more than happy to take it easy and not do anything on sunday  afternoon.
we rested, reading, sitting, chatting, enjoying the bright and warm spring rays. it was not hot at all, it was just warm enough to find a wind still spot to sun bathe.

the time was right to read and look at that luther comic, i liked it. as we call it the "luther year", or "500 years of reformation", there are a few historic novels and that kind of books on my desk. i also checked out this comic, which i hope, the kids will read and learn a snippet of history while enjoying it.
i have been reading this one and liked it a lot.

i'm in spring mode, wanting to plant, clean windows, hang laundry and so many more things....
and still, there will be cold nights, i have to be patient, wait with the flower boxes for one more week. the plants are in the garage, the planting has to wait just moment longer.

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. let's jump high and far...

:: 2. on the way side

:: 3. bringing in from a morning run

the same this week, we are super busy with a kids camp, but those photos of last weekend had to make it into my friday selection....

hiking is surprising

also over easter, we went on a quickly planned hike. joel and his brother a put their heads together and came up with a kind of a short hike, but still interesting and full of surprises. great views above the rhine valley near fläsch.

a steep incline up the mozentobel and we were blown away how great the view was. of course one could have expected, but i was just hopping along, not thinking really what i would encounter. i just asked them, if there will be some snow fields, which was a clear no. so i put my sneakers on and felt like speedy concalez, compared to the two men and their mountain shoes...
well i was fine, but had to take the long rout once, while they climbed up a very steep grassy area, i would not have been able to get a good grip, so i ran a big "zig and zag" on the steady increase of a trail. no big deal, fine with me, they didn't have to wait long for me to catch up and i felt safe this way.
of course being on the trail with joel means, being off the trail and finding interesting paths or no paths to climb or even hang on to your life. i forget this, every time we set out. he has his gps and likes to go off the beaten path...
we got kind of lost for 20 minutes, of course we knew exactly where we were, but just could not find that "off the trail, trail". i had to smile and his brother was a good sport too. it is extremely fun with joel out there in the wild. and yes i will go again this summer!!!

weekending over easter

the easter weekend was full and exciting, as we enjoyed a roth family gathering near wangs. a lower mountain range, high above the rhine valley. snow was close and some of us hiked through the last remaining snow fields. it was also snowing on sunday evening, enough to accumulate for a white dusting. the weather was good enough in the morning, for an easter fire and singing around it. and the kids enjoyed the egg roll out of doors.
braking the fast with meat, cheese and some wonderful jams (never mind the nutella on the picture... ) and of course a good way to celebrate, besides the halleluja singing is the "eiertütschis". everyone gets a cooked and decorated egg, and each round two "tütsch" their eggs against each others. (tütschen means as mutch as "hit" my egg against an others egg) the winner is the one, who's egg is the strongest and brakes the last.... it's an easter tradition, no idea where it comes from and what it means.

crafting, hiking, talking, singing, playing games and listening to my mother in laws childhood stories was making up the four days. thank you to all, who made it possible and yes i married into a very active and lively family, never tired to tell stories or eat a yummy dessert together. this sounds a bit funny, thinking about it. as i married joel over 20 years ago and the family has expanded and makes up over 20 people, what a blessing.

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. looking up into the spring sky

:: o those cherry blossoms, in full bloom

:: 3. happy chickens, happy people! and lots of egg dishes being served this season!


i know it's late and not even 5 pics, but i like them and they will not really fit a the coming friday....

memories

those wonderful flowers i get delivered, by the bucket full, from a neighbor florist and artist are such a blessing. this has been almost a year now, that she drops by on saturday after she closes her shop and brings a bucket full or more flowers of what was left in the shop.
so it has become my saturday night pass time, to arrange flowers in bouquets and little arrangements. and even better i visit neighbors and friends to hand them those joys i have been given.
there is so much joy and thankfulness, and who would have thought, this possible. no, not me, it never really crossed my mind that someone has to "get rid" of flowers and want's to just pass them on to someone thankful.

i frequently think of my two weeks i was working at a florist, when i was 16 years old. i loved it and it would almost have taken me in totally. sometimes it's really, what goes around comes around......

in the garden

we spent a lot of time out in the garden over the weekend. not really carrying the camera all the time, but at some point i got a hold of it.
so much light blue, i was surprised as i looked through the lens. there is definitely a change of color, a change of seeing and feeling, when looking so focused and intentional at the world.

it has been good, to soak it all up, the sunshine and warmth, i'm so in need of it all. the days have been and will be for this week too, very full and the list of "to do's" is growing longer by the hour. and still i have two full days of school on my schedule. even tough it's a short week, as we just started into holy week, the workweek ends on maundy thursday at 4pm, and that's just about when we will heading out for the longish easter brake, including easter monday as well. yes it's supposedly time off, but as for right now it stresses me out, we have to organize and pack and be ready to jump on the train or some of us on the bike (for a 100km ride......) to join with the roth clan for a wonderful joyous time together. i'm still a bit hesitant, as there is a lot to prepare and i'm not ready at all. but it will happen, the days will pass and my list will be worked down by thursday later afternoon.

and it will be a bit of a crunch and stress to hop on the train, but we will make it and then forget all there was. i know, we will be fine and enjoy the wonderful company of extended family. and all this in the mountains, away from the usually city life!

sounds good, doesn't it.

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. the type writer has seen some busy hours, french vocabulary words have to be studied

:: 2. a very special kind of daffodils. they grow by the dozens in my garden

:: 3. joel has visited strasbourg and brought home some pictures

:: 4. for once vegetable soup at the restaurant and not at my kitchen table

:: 5. spring bounty!

life in spring

spring is in full swing and it's delightful.
it is uplifting and makes me wanting to clean windows! yup, i have to find some moments to start that window project on friday, maybe while watching two kids play in the garden. that would seem a fitting "two flies with one slap" (zwei fliegen auf einen schlag). until then there is really no moment i can spare, school, german conversation class and tutoring a 5th grader, getting the reading asignement over with it. i should also start with that paper, due at the beginning of may. an appointment with thea on friday morning.
and then there are two choir rehearsals this week, as we sing bach's johannes passion on palm sunday. ups and i almost forgot thursday nights movie "taste the waste" which i helped to organize. i kind of wanted to skip that one, but feel like i can't let the other two organizers on their own....
it's all good and i love life!

it's about time

 for one or another reason, i totally forgot to plant the tomato seeds, as well as some others including flowers, into the soil by mid march. that's what we usually do. a strong sign, that i have too much on my plate. or rather said, that's what is at stake, taking classes. being back in school for one or even two days a week is taking it's toll.

so today, the first monday of this month has to be called seeding day!
thea and her friend got the seeding soil into the tray and we put the seeds of some heirloom tomatoes they are part of the "arche noah" project. as well as swiss chard and a few marigolds into the box. a good watering and then up there into the warm living room, with lots of sunshine. it will not take long for germination, but i can hardly wait.

it is really warm and spring has arrived a couple weeks back. it had been a steady mid forties during the days and some nights have been almost as warm. a bit too warm for early spring. but you know what, i don't mind it at all, never mind the winter weather in the boston area..... i can absolutely do without right now.