Happy September!

Happy September to all my Friends and Readers

New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch
"Unter dem alten Apfelbaum"
"Under the Old Apple Tree"

Hanka and Frank say to this picture:

"Da kommen doch jetzt wieder Erinnerungen hoch: Omas schöner Garten mit dem alten Apfelbaum, auf dem wir als Kinder noch klettern konnten und dessen dicke Äste auch noch Kraft hatten, die Schaukeln mit uns zu tragen."
"Memories come flooding back: Grandma's beautiful garden with the old apple tree that we could climb as children and whose thick branches were still strong enough to carry the swings." 

Any fruit tree looks beautiful when it bears its yield. Who wouldn't just love to grab one of those apples now? I also remember climbing into the trees with all the fruit.

Mind you, I have a problem with apple cakes. I never liked these with the dried fruit on the top. Since I am lactose intolerant, I have noticed that most cafés or restaurants that serve cakes have only one lactose-free version, if at all. And that is my least favourite apple cake. Since that is often the only option when I go out with friends and want to eat something to my coffee, I really can't stand it anymore. I wouldn't mind if they offered some non-sweet alternative, like a sandwich but in the afternoon, that is hardly ever offered. So, I go hungry most of the time.

Read more on their website here. *

* * *

The theatre season started again. Three open air performances in the last week, one of them "Much Ado About Nothing" by William Shakespeare.

If you haven't seen an adaptation, I can highly recommend the one with Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson. One of our favourite movies. Have a look here on IMDb.

* * *

I love September. My favourite month. Not just because it's also the month of my birthday but mainly becaue it's the beginning of autumn, my favourite season. The end of summer, the end of the hot weather. So, I was trying to find a German saying about September. But I found a quote instead. I have no idea who said this but I absolutely love it.

"Ah, September! You are the gateway to the season that awakens my soul."
(Ach, September! Du bist das Tor zur Jahreszeit, die meine Seele erweckt.)

Isn't that just beautiful? And so true. It's the month where I can finally breathe again and therefore be myself.

* * * 

My Jane Austen read (see #Reading Austen project) this month was "The Jane Austen Handbook". If you are an Austen fan, I can highly recommend this little edition that tells us a lot about the Regency time.

The other August book I can highly recommend is "Knife" by Salman Rushdie. He tells us about the attack in 2022 and how he came back to life after that.

* * *

One of our outings last month took us to a nearby lake, large enough to have the feeling you are at the sea. The Dümmer See (Wikipedia)

It's less than an hour away and always a nice destination.

* * *

* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

* * *

And here is my German expression for this month:
"Das Leben ist kein Ponyhof" (Life is not a pony farm, i.e Life is not a bed of roses)

It means life isn't always easy, you don't always get what you want. It's not an idyllic holiday destination.

In this sense:

🍂 I wish you all a very Happy September! 🍂

Happy August!

Happy August to all my Friends and Readers

New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Frank Koebsch
"Morgens am Leuchtturm von Warnemünde"
"Morning at the Warnemünde Lighthouse"

Frank says to this picture:

"The Warnemünde Lighthouse, with its teapot, is the most striking landmark in Warnemünde. Whether you're walking along the promenade, taking a stroll along the beach, watching ships at sunset from the piers, or even returning from a trip on the Baltic Sea, the lighthouse dominates the skyline of the Baltic Sea resort." (The "teapot" has three hyperbolic paraboloid shells as a roof.)
"Der Leuchtturm Warnemünde mit dem Teepott ist das markanteste Wahrzeichen in Warnemünde. Egal ob man auf der Promenade unterwegs ist, einen Strandspaziergang in Warnemünde macht, abends auf Molen bei Sonnenuntergang Schiffe schaut oder gar von einer Ausfahrt auf die Ostsee zurückkommt, der Leuchtturm prägt die Silhouette des Ostseebades."

I believe everyone knows in the meantime how much I love lighthouses and windmills. It was a childhood dream to live in one of these. Sometimes it's good that dreams don't come true as I can't climb stairs anymore.

Funnily enough, one of our other calendars in the house shows a picture of the same lighthouse. With the teapot.

Read more on their website here. *

* * *

We had some meetings with friends, some restaurant visits and also two game nights. Plus a weekend visit by a lovely cousin with whom we visited the Industrial Museum in our Town (see below).

But one of the highlights of the month was the visit to an Irish-Scottish folk festival The main singer at the time was Paul Watchorn (Wikipedia), younger brother of Patsy Watchorn from the Dubliners. Paul is now with the Dublin Legends. In addition to many newer songs, which were also very good, he played a lot of well-known songs, such as Molly Malone, Rattlin' Bog, Seven Drunken Nights, Oró, Sé Do Bheatha 'Bhaile (although my favorite version is still the one by the Chieftains with Sting). The funny thing is, hubby met him at the bar and had a little chat. After his performance, he came to our table, just by coincidence. It's always great to talk to the artists.

* * *

As it's summertime and a lot of people go to the beach, my German saying this month is

"Wie Sand am Meer" (Like Sand on the Seashore).

As you certainly can imagine, it means countless, abundant, plentiful. A lot. A lot a lot. You cannot count it.

* * * 

My Jane Austen read (see #Reading Austen project) this month was "Emma". Not one of her most popular books. Jane Austen said herself that she was "... going to take a heroine whom no-one but myself will much like." 

Another book I enjoyed was "Leave it to Psmith" by P.G. Wodehouse. This author is always a safe bet if you need a break from more serious writing.

* * *

Getting back to the Industrial Museum, as promised. Our little town has a lot of industry. It developed from making the first quills from geese feathers (that animal is also the symbol of our town) in 1801 to being one of the largest plastic processing sites today.

But I think the exhibition most interesting to young people nowadays is the school. I used to go to just such a school and we had the exact same writing slates and a crocheted cleaning cloth. When I told some American friends about it years ago, they were really astonished. I am sure all young people will be surprised nowadays.

* * *

* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

* * *

☀️🌾 I wish you all a very Happy August! 🌻🌽

Happy July!

Happy July to all my Friends and Readers

New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch
"Sommerwiese"
"Summer Meadow"
Hanka and Frank say to this picture:

"In this watercolor, Hanka played with the colorful blossoms and flowers in summer colors on a meadow."
"Hanka hat in diesem Aquarell mit den bunten Blüten und Blumen in Farben des Sommers auf einer Wiese gespielt."

I love these wild flowers. They remind me of my childhood.

Read more on their website here. *

* * *

No big outings this month, though some visitors and lots of meetings with friends.

The temperature changes are really bothering me. We're constantly changing: hot, then thunderstorms, then cold, then hot again, and just when we've gotten used to it, it gets cold again, only to climb again immediately afterward, and so on. This is really bad for me. I feel constantly nauseous and dizzy.

* * *

My German saying this month goes with the picture above:

"Etwas durch die Blume sagen".

It means "Saying something through/with a flower" or "Saying something in a roundabout way". With this you hint at or allude to something, you make a hidden criticism. You express something indirectly, rather than directly and openly. You circumscribe it, or phrase it in a veiled way, often to convey criticism or an unpleasant message without hurting the other person.

I am sure other languages have similar sayings. If you know more in your languages, please, let me know.

* * * 

As I mentioned several times, it's Jane Austen year (see #Reading Austen project), and I am re-reading a book by her every other month. In the other months, I read another book about her. This month, it was "Miss Austen" by Gill Hornby. I don't really like people writing a sequel to a book where the original author died. I never did and I doubt I ever will. So, I guess my next book about Jane Austen (in August) will be a non-fiction again.

I've been reading a few less challenging books lately, partly through my book club, partly because friends lent me books I absolutely "had to read". I need to do something about that.

But, I had another successful attempt at bringing this fabulous author into my life. Lego issued another set about Jane Austen. It was a gift if you ordered something with them and since hubby always has some wishes, he had no problem getting it for me. Here is the finished set:

* * *

* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

* * *

🌸🌼🌺 I wish you all a very Happy July! 🌺🌼🌸

Happy June!

 Happy June to all my Friends and Readers

New Calendar picture with this

beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch

"Kleiner Traumfänger"

"Little Dream Catcher"

Hanka and Frank say to this picture:

"Passend für den internationalen Kindertag und die ersten Sommertage haben wir Hankas Kinder Aquarell gewählt."

"To mark International Children’s Day and the first days of summer, we chose Hanka’s children’s watercolor."

This is an absolutely beautiful painting. We can all dream with the little girl and her bubbles.

Read more on their website here. *

* * *

May had some weird weather. We didn't have any rain until the very end, everything was getting too dry and the farmers started to lament. We felt like it was summer already and had some lovely days outside, walking, putting on the barbecue, and an outing with my brothers and their wives. We visited the sensory gardens of a spice producing and importing company. They have 500 different types of plants in gardens from around the world. Lovely place.

* * *

And I was really happy to meet a blog friend, Eva, who happened to pass through the area on her visit to her family in Germany. It was so lovely to get to know her and find out that she was just as nice as on her blog. We both said we were exactly as whe had imagined each other.

* * * 

This month, I want to introduce you to a German saying:

"Die Kirche im Dorf lassen"

This means literally "to keep the church in the village".

Processions from the Catholic churches used to marched through the village. But if the village was too small, they marched "with the church around the village." So, leaving the church in the village meant not being so pompous and exaggerated.

* * * 

As it is Jane Austen year, I am re-reading a book by her every other month. This month, it was "Mansfield Park" - 1814 (The Motherhood and Jane Austen). It is not her most popular one and hardly anyone mentions it as their favourite by Jane Austen. But it is definitely a great book.

* * *

* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

* * *

🐞 I wish you all a very Happy June! 🐞

Happy May!

Happy May to all my Friends and Readers

New Calendar picture with this

beautiful watercolour painting by Frank Koebsch

"Holländerwindmühle Rövershagen im Raps"

"Dutch Windmill Rövershagen in the rapeseed"

Frank says to this picture:

"Ein ganz besonderes Motiv ist die Mühle in Rövershagen, wenn sie von dem leuchtenden Gelb der Rapsblüte umgeben ist. Die Zeit der Obst- und Rapsblüte an der Ostsee bietet Motive mit wunderbaren Kontrasten. Das Gelb der Rapsfelder, der strahlendblaue Himmel, das erste Grün an der Bäumen und Büschen und das Weiß und Rosa der Ostblüten zaubern ein wunderbares Ensemble in die Landschaften."

"The mill in Rövershagen is a very special motif when surrounded by the bright yellow of the rapeseed blossoms. The fruit and rapeseed blossom season on the Baltic Sea offers motifs with wonderful contrasts. The yellow of the rapeseed fields, the bright blue sky, the first green on the trees and bushes, and the white and pink of the eastern blossoms conjure up a wonderful ensemble in the landscapes."

Windmills are always beautiful. And somehow, they seem to belong to spring with all its tulips and other flowers blooming though their most important time is in the autumn when the wheat is ripe and the grinding of the grain starts.

Read more on their website here. *

* * *

We just happened to go to an open air museum that has three different kinds of windmills, depending on which part of the construction is moving.

The postmill (1st on the left) is the oldest form of windmill. The whole body of the mill is turned to bring the sails into the wind. The further development was the Koker windmill (middle picture). The word comes from the Low German for quiver and the mill itself moved around the main shaft which staid in the lower fixed part. The third type (right) is the smock mill (also called Dutch mill) where only the upper part (the head) moves.

* * * 

I had two great books I would like to recommend this month: "Year of Wonders" (Das Pesttuch) from 2001 by Geraldine Brooks. And a great non-fiction by Geert Mak, "The Dream of Europe. Travels in a Troubled Continent" (Grote verwachtingen. In Europa 1999-2019/Große Erwartungen: auf den Spuren des europäischen Traums) - 2019

* * *

* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

* * *

🌷 I wish you all a very Happy May! 🌷

Happy April!

Happy April to all my Friends and Readers

New Calendar picture with this

beautiful watercolour painting by Frank Koebsch

"Osterküken"

"Easter Chicks"

Frank says to this picture:

"Osterküken gehören wie die Hasen und die Lämmer zu den beliebtesten Symbolen für das Osterfest. Einmal sind sie seit vielen Jahrhunderten Symbole des Frühlings und Fruchtbarkeit."

"Like bunnies and lambs, Easter chicks are among the most popular symbols of Easter. They have been symbols of spring and fertility for many centuries."

Definitely a good picture for Easter. My parents used to raise chickens and I loved it when we had new chicks. They were so soft and fluffy. Good memories.

Read more on their website here. *

* * *

Spring definitely has sprung in our part of the world. Far too early. But it gave us the chance to visit our youngest son in Brussels. The town was so beautiful at this time of year. 

We had the chance to visit the European Parliament. And here is a picture from the outside.

* * * 

My favourite book of the month was "The Figurine" by Victoria Hislop. I have only just finished it and will review it soon. Only so much, if you like Victoria Hislop, this is one of her greatest books, for sure. And if you don't know her, it's time you did.

* * *

* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

* * *

☔ I wish you all a Happy April ☔

Happy March!

 Happy March to all my Friends and Readers

New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch

"Am Fluss"

"Along the River"

Hanka and Frank say to this picture:

"Für den kommenden Frühling haben wir uns für Hankas Kinder Aquarell entschieden."

"For the coming spring we have chosen Hanka's children's watercolor."

This picture by Hanka remindes me of my childhood. We had a little stream behind our house that would go all the way into the village and we children used to go there and take the way to our favourite places.

Read more on their website here. *

* * *

In the middle of February, I heard someone saying on the radio "When will it finally be spring?" And I thought, hey, it's only February. Shortly afterwards, we had two days of snow, the first this winter. And probably the last. I remember winters when we had snow from November until February at the least.

* * *

And there was a less amusing event for all Germans. Elections. After the last coalition collapsed, Chancelor Olaf Scholz (Wikipedia) asked for a vote of confidence which is one of the prerequisites to have new elections.

Of course, the conservative party won and the ultra-right gained 20% of the elections, something most of us feared. Now we hope they won't form a new coalition, that would certainly be a catastrophe. Wish us luck.

* * * 

With the book club, we read a German book by Michel Bergmann, "Herr Klee und Herr Feld", unfortunately not translated into English or any other language. Yet, I hope.

My favourite book of the month was "Jane Austen at Home" by Lucy Worsley. As part of the commenmoration of Jane Austen's 250^th birthday, the Classics Club has started a #Reading Austen project. We are reading a book by her every other month and I have decided do read something Austen-related by her every month. This was a fabulous biography.

* * *

And here is a picture from our two days of snow.

* * *

* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

* * *

💐 I wish you all a Happy March 💐

Happy February!

Happy February to all my Friends and Readers

New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Frank Koebsch

"Schneemann bauen im Park"

"Winter Flowers"

Frank says to this picture:

"... there are fewer and fewer days on which such a winter dream really comes true. The question keeps coming up: When will it really be winter again?"

"… es gibt immer weniger Tage, an denen so ein Wintertraum wirklich in Erfüllung geht. Immer wieder stellt sich die Frage: Wann wird es wieder richtig Winter?"

Read more on their website here. *

* * *

I remember a German song from the Seventies: "When will it be a real summer again?" And that summer was scorching hot. So, who knows what Frank's wish will bring us. Though, we haven't had a real winter here for ages.

* * *

Which reminds me of a good joke:
What do you call a very old snowman?

Puddle

* * *

January is supposed to be the longest month of all. I mean, we have seven months with 31 days, so December, for example, ought to be as long as January. It just seems shorter because there is so much going on and we all try to be ready for Christmas and then we feel the month is over before it has even begun.

* * *

This month, I have two German words/expressions for you. 

"Morgenmuffel" and "bis in die Puppen".

If you stay up "until the dolls" (bis in die Puppen, i.e. you don't go to bad early), you will certainly become a "Morgenmuffel" which means you are grumpy in the morning. However, if you are like me, you can be a Morgenmuffel any day, no matter when you went to bed the night before.

* * *

And here is a great Christmas present I received from one of my sons: Hitster. We played it several times already and love it. You have to guess songs and where they fit in the timeline. If you like music and games, check the link here.

* * *

 

My favourite book of last month was 
Tartt, Donna "The Secret History" - 1992

* * *

* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

* * *

🌼 I wish you all a Happy February 🌼

Happy January!

Happy January to all my Friends and Readers

New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch

"Winterblüten"

"Winter Flowers"

Hanka and Frank say to this picture:

"The Christmas roses bloom in our garden even in January. That is why we show Hanka's watercolor 'Winter Blossoms' on the first calendar page."

"Die Christrosen blühen bei uns im Garten auch im Januar. Deshalb zeigen wir auf dem ersten Kalenderblatt Hanka Aquarell 'Winterblüten'."

Read more on their website here. *

* * *

December is always the time to prepare for Christmas. It can be hectic, it can be busy, but hardly ever is it calm. For me, the beginning was still very busy with doctor's appointments and physical therapy. And several visits to friends and family who had to spend a little longer there.

Also, of course, preparing for Christmas, making plans for menus etc. But that I love. And I managed to buy presents in advance, as well. Yay.

* * *

Some lovely concerts and theatre visits. Some visits to Christmas markets (Bremen and Osnabrück). And advent meetings with friends and family. Always a treat.

And the best part of the month was the visit of our sons. They arrived it almost punctual this year and made it back with just half an hour and an hour delay respectively. Quite a difference to the 12 hours last year!

* * * 

In Germany, we celebrate New Year's Eve (which we call Silvester) in lots of different ways, quiet or loud, with friends or family, on big parties. But we never forget to watch "Dinner for One" which is broadcast on all public TV channels, several times during the day.

The film is only 18 minutes long and is based on a play written by Lauri Wylie. There are only two characters, Miss Sophie and her butler, portrayed by British comedians May Warden and Freddie Frinton. In 1962, German entertainer Peter Frankenfeld watched the sketch in Blackpool and persuaded the two of them to come to Germany and film it there. It has been on German TV every New Year's Eve since then. From there, it made its way into Scandinavia and many other European countries, though not into the United Kingdom. However, here it's tradition! 

 

* * *

 

My favourite books last month were 
"Drive your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead" (PL: Prowadź swój pług przez kości umarłych) by Olga Tokarczuk
and
"The Midnight Library" by Matt Haig.

* * *

One of the best gifts I received last year was this Lego set. Of course, I had to replace the lady reading the book with a figurine that looked more like me, but other than that, well done, Lego. This is absolutely beautiful.

* * *

* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

* * *

2025 I wish you all a Happy January 2025

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all my friends and readers

New Calendar picture with this

beautiful watercolour painting by Frank Koebsch

"Segelschiffe der Hanse Sail bei Sonnenuntergang"

"Sailing ships of the Hanse Sail at sunset"

Hanka and Frank say to this picture:
Die Hanse Sail ist das größte maritime Event an der Ostseeküsten Mecklenburg – Vorpommerns. Jahr für Jahr kommen Anfang August bis zu 150 Boote und Schiffe nach Rostock und Warnemünde.

The Hanse Sail is the largest maritime event on the Baltic coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Every year, up to 150 boats and ships come to Rostock and Warnemünde at the beginning of August.s.
(see here)

Enjoy this great watercolour painting by Frank Koebsch!

Read more on their website here. *
 

 * * * 

2024 was not such a great year for my family. Lots of illnesses. My brother was diagnosed with a brain tumour and already had three surgeries. My 42 year old nephew had a heart attack. And we are all getting older and have our little and larger ailments.

And worldwide there were only bad news everywhere, wars, elections with bad outcomes, natural disasters.

* * * 

It's tough to choose my absolute favourite book of the year, so I will present the first one of the year that I put on the list:
Kingsolver, Barbara "Demon Copperhead" - 2022

 (Watch this blog for the complete list.)

* * * 

So, everyone, let's hope for a great 2025. I wish you all the best!

* * * 

 

* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

* * *
🎉 I wish you all a Happy New Year! 🎉

Happy December!

Happy December to all my Friends and Readers

New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Frank Koebsch

"Wenn der Schlitten kaputt ist - Weihnachtsmann an der Ostsee"

"When the sled is broken - Santa Claus at the Baltic Sea"

Frank says to this picture:

"In the harbour of Althagen, in a landscape of snow, ice and sunshine, there was a bright red coastal fisherman's boat. When I started thinking about a motif for a Christmas watercolor, I converted the fisherman's boat into a boat for Santa Claus and that's how my watercolour came about."

"Im Hafen von Althagen lag in einer Landschaft mit Schnee, Eis und Sonnenschein ein knallrotes Boot der Küstenfischer. Als ich dann begann, über ein Motiv für ein Weihnachtsaquarell nachzudenken, funktionierte ich dann das Boot der Fischer in ein Boot für den Weihnachtsmann um und so ist mein Aquarell entstanden."

Read more on their website here. *

It's nice to think about Father Christmas coming by boat. In the Netherlands, that's exactly how the story goes, he comes by boat from Spain on St. Nicholas' Eve (though a little posher than this one). Mind you, he looks a little more like a bishop, as he did everywhere when I was little.

* * *

We had some nice days in November but also some not so nice ones, as usual in this month. Some days were pretty grey but I like the calmness this part of autumn brings.

Probably not the highlight of the month, but certainly a great day was our annual charity week in the Industrial Museum in our town. They sell each donated book for €1, children's books for €0,50. So, I got myself a nice stash of classics and some newer ones.

* * * 

Did you know that Germany has a lot of different names in different languages?

Well, first of all, Germans call it Deutschland from the Old High German diutisc, Dutch Duitsland, Scandinavians Tyskland.

The Romanic languages call it Allemagne in French or Alemania in Spanish, from the Alamanni tribe that settled in today's Alsace, parts of Baden-Württemberg and Switzerland, and hence they were the neighbours of those regions.

In Italy it is known as Germania from the Latin Germania (where also the English word comes from), it describes fertile land for farming behind the Limes (the Roman border defence in Germany).

In Polish it is called Niemcy from the Protoslavic nemets for meaning "mute, unable to speak" but also foreigner/stranger.

In Finnish and Estonian they call it Saksa and Saksamaa respectively from the name of the Saxon tribe. 

And there's a reason, of course, why we have all these different names. Germany as one country has only existed since the 1866 when Prussia and other northern and central German states created the North German Confederation, which was the forerunner to the German Empire. Before, the neighbouring country just called the people by the state they belonged to then.

 

* * *

We had two book club meetings this month, one at the beginning, one at the end. And we read two lovely books, the first one was a re-read for me:

Ivey, Eowyn "To The Bright Edge of the World" - 2016

 and the second one was a German book that hasn't been translated, unfortunately:
Knöppler, Florian "Kronsnest" - Kronsnest [Name of Village] - 2020

 

My favourite book last month was "Stone in a Landslide" by Maria Barbal i Farré.

* * *

The old German words for December are
Julmond, Heilmond, Christmond, or Dustermond.

Jul is the old-Germanic celebration of the winter solstice, also known as Yule.

Heil is healing, so the healing moon who gives us time to relax.

Christ should be self-explanatory.

Duster means dark, unfriendly. There is also a word "zappenduster" which I explained in August 2022.

* * *

* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

* * *

🎄 I wish you all a Happy December 🎄
🎄 and a Merry Christmas! 🎄

Happy November!

 Happy November to all my Friends and Readers

New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch

"Glück gehabt - Maus im Winter"

"Being Lucky - Mouse in Winter"

Hanka and Frank say to this picture:

"By November at the latest, wild animals must have stored up their winter provisions or eaten their reserves for the winter. Hanka captured a mouse in a watercolor painting in exactly such a situation. The picture 'Being Lucky' is therefore the perfect motif for the month of November."

"Spätestens im November müssen die wildlebenden Tiere ihre Wintervorräte angelegt oder ihre Reserven für den Winter angefressen haben. Genau in einer solchen Situation hat Hanka eine Maus in einem Aquarell eingefangen. Das Bild "Glück gehabt" ist damit das passende Motiv für den Monat November."

I love mice. I think they are so cute. Well, I don't want them in my house and when we had some when we moved into our house in the Netherlands, we captured them and put them out into the wild. I couldn't have killed them and my kids would have been very unhappy.

I want to imagine that they used to carry on living as they were destined to.

Read more on their website here. *

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October was a lovely autumn month. We had some good weather and could have some lovely walks in our area.

Here's a picture, taken not a hundred meters from our house. There's a little brook surrounded by trees. Just beautiful and calming.

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I always try to find an interesting German word. A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon 

🔮sagenumwoben 🔮

"Sage" means legend, "umwoben" can be translated as "enmeshed", so an "enmeshed legend", "shrouded in legend" or "steeped in myth. It refers to being the subject of legends, occurring in many legends, also figuratively, elevated: very significant, but lying in the dark.

It can mean people, places, or events that are surrounded by legendary stories or have an almost mythical quality due to the tales told about them.

 

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 My favourite book last month was "The Armour of Light" by Ken Follett.

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There are some old German words for October and they are
Nebelung, Nebelmond, Windmond, or Wintermond.

"Nebel" is the German word for "fog", so the first two words mean, the "foggy one" and the "foggy month", then there is the "wind month" and the "winter month". Both don't have to be explained since they are exactly the same in English and German.

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* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

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🎃 I wish you all a Happy November! 🎃

Happy October!

Happy October to all my Friends and Readers
New Calendar picture with this
beautiful watercolour painting by Hanka Koebsch

"Gimpel"

"Bullfinch"

Hanka says to this picture:

"We photographed these small, beautiful representatives of our garden birds in the Marlow Bird Park before he 'stood' as a model in this watercolor painting."

"Diesen kleinen schönen Vertreter unserer Gartenvögel haben wir im Vogelpark Marlow fotografiert, bevor er in diesem Aquarell Modell 'stand'."

Read more on their website here. *

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September was finally a month where I could breathe. Happy, happy, happy to see my favourite season: Autumn!

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This is the time of year where a lot of us are starting to read more and I have a great German word to tell you about:

📖 Schmökern 📖

If you look up the word on Google translate, they give you "browse" but it definitely is so much more than that. Originally, it comes from the Low German word "smöken" (to smoke, see where you got that one from). Students used an old book by tearing out a a strip of paper to light the pipe.

But, over the course of the centuries, as so often, it changed its meaning. Not it means: to leisurely browse through books, immersing oneself in the content for the sheer joy and pleasure of it and delve into them without a specific goal.

One of my favourite words.

 

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 My favourite book last month was "Remainders of the Day: More Diaries from The Bookshop, Wigtown" by Shaun Bythell.

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September was also the month of our annual holiday where both our boy met us for a couple of days. We went to Oostende in Belgium, just by the sea. It was beautiful. The weather was fantastic, we had a lovely apartment, everything was close by, especially the ocean.

To give you an impression of the beauty of our holidays, here's a collage:

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The old German word for October is Gilbhart or Weinmond. 

The first word means "yellow" and "hard" and describes the yellow leaves in the autumn. Wein means winte and is self-explanatory, the month where the harvest in the vinyards started.

 

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* You can also have a look under my labels Artist: Frank Koebsch and Artist: Hanka Koebsch where you can find all my posts about the two artists. 

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🍇 I wish you all a Happy October! 🍇