Have you made yourselves comfy? Have you put away your smartphones and switched off your TV-set? For here is the first of a whole year of Friday invites to talk, to ponder, or to write. I have this fun book by my author-friend Tyrean Martinson (https://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Sized-Jumble-Writing-500-Prompts/dp/1735769509) – and prompt number one reads as you see […]
Across the Fence: Rollmops
First of all, Happy New Year to you, dear reader! How did you celebrate the turn of the year? Did you end up with a little hangover? If so, Germans have a proven method to deal with it: Rollmops (pronounce ‘rawl-mops). No, it’s not a rolling pug as the name suggests, but a rolled up […]
Across the Fence: Chances and Changes
Another year is about to end. It was filled with ups and downs, pretty much like a roller coaster ride. For me, it was also filled with an extreme amount of writing in order to catch up with the schedule I set myself as a novelist. I’m finally back where I wanted to be and […]
Advent Calendar December 24: Nativity Scene
Each and every year, when I have set up the Christmas tree, I also arrange our nativity scene in a special place where it gets its well-deserved visibility. My husband once bought it way before we even met – it is a classical mud people nativity scene from Spain. At first, I had to get […]
Advent Calendar December 23: Christmas Tree
There have been years when I didn’t set up a Christmas tree because I was a single and didn’t think the effort worthwhile. As soon as I was married that changed again. And our Christmas tree features the magic of all our past Christmases as grown-ups, embodied by ornaments that were crafted or purchased year […]
Advent Calendar December 22: Expectations
Kids are almost bursting with anticipation these days. Adults do rarely – our lightheartedness has often been taken over by stress and anxiety as to how the holidays will pass. Pass, indeed, not be enjoyed. There are so many aspects of what we fear – imperfection of the setting, imperfection of human relationships, imperfection of […]
Advent Calendar December 21: The Whole Nine Yards
Are you checking off your lists again? Does your home look perfect for receiving your Christmas guests? Is the schedule for the upcoming holidays watertight? Will everybody have fun-stuff to do? Is the wine cellar filled, and will the food on the table be sufficient? Ah, what is sufficient?! I have stopped going to the […]
Advent Calendar December 20: Angels
Christmas is connected to angels from its very beginning. Angels are considered to be harbingers of God, creatures of light, and are most often imagined to have wings and halos. They pervade sacred art from cute little cherubs of very human toddler quality to the awe-inspiring and forbidding guardians of Paradise. But often we also […]
Advent Calendar December 19: Coziness
Are you feeling stressed out because there is still so much to do till Christmas and so little time to do it? Cut yourself some slack and make coziness part of your daily schedule. Switch off your phone, stop checking for emails or messages – these are just stress factors that don’t get anything done […]