The Bump

I can't help it. Every time I catch my reflection in the mirror, I giggle. I look like some pregnant lady. I'm now at six months and there's no hiding the bump anymore. And with that visual sign that Pea is getting bigger and bigger, the reality of what is coming is occupying my thoughts and my activities more and more.

The Saffa and I are signed up for our hospital Infoabend (Information Evening) to see if it's where I want to have the baby. At that point we should also get signed up for birth classes. To be quite honest, I think I prefer to just keep my ignorance. Yes, I know I would probably regret it later but I like living in denial of having to go through the actual birth process.

I got my certificate from the doctor to start maternity leave on August 4 and shocking to think that it's only 2 months away. I plan to work until the end of August anyhow but have agreed to do home office starting August 4th. Having just started my new job, I frequently feel a bit of guilt for leaving again so soon. While I haven't at all lost motivation and am putting a lot into it, we haven't found any adequate way to backfill when I am out. I try not to let it bother me too much as I am also very much looking forward to having the experience of motherhood and it takes priority over work for me but I am also starting to appreciate the difficult balancing act most working mothers must face.

Since my last post we had our 20 week scan, a very detailed ultrasound scan where a doctor (yes, not a technician) performs an examination of all that can be checked using ultrasound (organs, size of baby, etc). All looked good and I was relieved to hear that. I couldn't wait to find out if Pea is a boy or a girl although the Saffa wanted it to be a surprise. He indulged me anyway and we now know but some readers of this blog want it to be a surprise so will not post it here.

The nursery project started last weekend. I had brainstormed some ideas and we decided on colors and a theme. I am such a home decor disaster but this is kind of fun. We rented a car last weekend and headed to hardware store, bought paint and supplies and painted the room. I am surprised how well it came out! Now I am debating whether or not to add a little more 'art' to the walls at the risk of messing it all up. I have also ordered the furniture and it should arrive in August. The Saffa has bought the first set of baby clothes - I found them laid out all over my bed one evening and nearly started crying. He is in South Africa this weekend and his family have added to the collection. So I would say we are on our way.

The last thing I have really noticed is that I am becoming such a softie. Thank you, hormones. It takes next to nothing to choke me up with tears of happiness. Barf! Even worse, if I watch a sad movie or hear a hard luck story, I am bawling at the drop of a hat. I watched the Other Woman with Natalie Portman on Friday night and spent half of it just crying. The worst choice for a pregnant woman to watch a movie about a couple and their baby who dies three days after being born. Hopefully this is just a temporary state. This Shrew does not want to be tamed.

It's been a productive weekend and now I am heading off to loaf around the beer garden with some friends on a semi-nice afternoon before the week starts again. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Posted from Munich

Apartment Anniversary

I'm not sure if I am the only one but it seems like 2010 is passing in a whirlwind. Summer is gone and we seem to have jumped almost directly into late autumn/early winter in Munich at least weather-wise.

I have now been in my 'new' apartment for one year. While it is far from a finished project, the progress on furnishing and decorating has been slow and steady. It was quite a different experience for my houseful of Oktoberfest guests a few weeks ago than for my sister and her man who came in mid-December last year and had to build their own bed while I was still sleeping on the floor.

Over the last 12 months, I have bought 2 beds, 2 nightstands, a dining table and 6 chairs, a large L-shaped sofa, a desk and chair, bookshelves, a couple of chairs, a washer and dryer and a TV. I had my first ever Christmas tree with all the trimmings. The wood stove has been well worked out and may get it's first winter 2010/2011 use today. I have printed many of my photos and they are hanging on the walls. The patio is furnished with chairs and tables and a beautiful Weber grill. I even have a few plants throughout the house.

The heart of my home, as you may have guessed from my photos, is the kitchen. Of course, it is easier to fill up a kitchen than a house as the cost is more manageable. But I also just enjoy it more. The majority is from Ikea but I have a few prize possessions, including my little Nespresso Citiz coffee machine and a set of three Wusthof knives that are incredibly sharp.

While I wouldn't call it finished, the urgent projects are over, I am settled and comfortable, can host weekend guests and dinner parties and take my time with any future projects. Not too shabby for a year and starting with next to nothing!

Best of all is that I home nearly every night to enjoy it all.

Posted from Munich

Comings and Goings

I am about due for my annual rant about how I must learn German (see how I used the very German 'must'?), followed by feverish activity to plan how that will happen, followed by less feverish actions to make it happen, followed by yet another admission of defeat. But I'll hold that thought for another day because something else is on my mind.

It is nearly one year since I moved back to Munich.

I have no clue how that went so fast. When I was getting ready to move back, I made this list about what I was most looking forward to upon my return and below a small update on how I did.

10. The Weather
Yes, still love it, current winter fatigue aside

9. Hopfisterei
Faithfully on the breakfast table every weekend

8. Beer Gardens
Took full advantage of them last summer and will be even more fun this summer with World Cup viewings to look forward to!

7. Dirndls
Added dirndl number 3 to the collection last summer. Maybe throwing that on in the next couple of weeks for Starkbierfest. Or maybe will just put it on and run around the house. Love them!

6. My Own Kitchen
See recent food photography posts. That's coming from my beautiful and slowly but steadily approaching fully stocked kitchen.

5. The Cloud
In the Heavenly Bed since Jan 2010

4. The Mountains
I make it to the mountains on average once a month. Due to my new passion for cycling, I didn't have as much time for hiking last summer as I expected. But between drives, hikes and skiing, oh yeah! The Mountains!

3. Viktualienmarkt
It's not for my day to day shopping but for any special occasion I start with a trip to Viktualienmarkt. Latest was for the Paella dinner to get the best possible seafood and yummy appetizers.

2. Decorating
It took a lot longer to find the apartment than I expected. So is the decorating. But I have to admit I am in love with what I got so far. Dining table, Heavenly bed, a desk, a guest bed, and some chairs. A sofa was just ordered and should make it by May. Probably the highlight so far has been printing out my photos and framing them to hang around the apartment.

1. Making Friends
I have really been lucky here. I sought out friends and found them. From the Greek bartenders, to the weekend cycling group, from the SATC ladies, to my photographer pals, from my ski buddies, to the German colleauges turned friends, all the people who have entered my life in the last year have made it really special.

But...

Now it is time to say goodbye.

No, not me! Didn't you just read all of the above?

And don't even get me gushing about fellow Münchener Mr. Kilt. No, I am happy in Munich.

But as is natural in life, especially the life of an expat with many expat friends, contracts end, relationships end, and reasons for staying disappear. Alternatively, reasons for leaving present themselves. And so, people go.

I haven't had to deal with that too much. The first three years in Munich my friends were colleagues in Basel who were all from different cities already or friends of M.'s who were German and never going to move anywhere. Ever.

Now, my non-colleague, non-German friends are set to leave in droves this year. Not all of them of course but enough that I foresee a large vacuum being created in their wake. I am happy for them, for those that want to go, and sad for me, who would like these wonderful people to stay. I hope to keep making more friends as new people come but I see that this will become a never-ending cycle.

For now, I am just bracing for a summer full of farewell parties.

Posted from Mannheim

Looking Forward

I am back in Mexico once again.

This time it's a shorter trip. I arrived Monday night and will leave on Thursday December 3.

Unfortunately it has gotten a bit more unpleasant this time as the stress levels of many are increasing and the tempers are flaring. Frequent outbursts and shouting matches are becoming more common.

So, as I do during these times to keep my own cool, I take a step back and look at the bigger picture. Context and perspective are everything or you become one of the madmen yourself.

Fortunately for me I am looking ahead to a nice long holiday period to cap off the completion of another project. From December 4 to January 4 I am hanging the 'Gone Fishin' sign on my door, turning off the mobile and the laptop (for work related purposes) and taking a time out.

As much as I like my job, it's been a stressful year and with more and more frequency I have been getting ill and finding it harder to shake it off and recover. That means it's time to decompress from the hyperintensive demands of my job.

So what am I doing with this time off? Quite simply, spending it with friends and family. No exotic trips. No adventures. Just time with loved ones.

*Champagne Brunch and Secret Santa with my SATC Girls*
*Christmas Market Carousing with my Sis and her BF in Munich*
*Roly Poly Fat Cat Randy Reunion*
*Spa Silliness with Mom*
*Christmas in Connecticut*
*A Very Bavarian New Year's Eve*
*A Little German Style Birthday Gathering*
*And...Some Time with My Boyfriend*

Yeah, that's right. I said boyfriend.

Posted from Cuernavaca

Heavenly...

I did something naughty.

I bought a Heavenly Bed.

I am not alone.

Hopefully only a few weeks until the first running dive into the bed...poooooooooooooofffffffffffffffff!

Posted from Cuernavaca, Mexico

Moving Day

Tomorrow morning I pick up the keys and move into my new apartment.

It's hard to believe the moment is finally here.
Moving day!

I am completely unprepared and disorganized but it will work out somehow.

To keep things from getting too boring I was approached by my client and asked again if I would consider leading the Latin American deployment for our project as they were really happy with what I have done so far. I am torn. I would like to stay local as much as possible and settle in a bit but I also think this would be an interesting challenge. They are willing to give me a lot of autonomy and flexible with my schedule and the travel. I can only imagine the great photo opportunities.

They would like an answer next week when I am back in Geneva for what will either be my final week or the start of the next adventure.

Tick tock tick tock.

Posted from Munich

Christmas Lights

Yesterday marked another project successfully delivered and one day early to boot. I had an insanely short amount of time to do this one and still I managed it somehow. After the stress of pulling it all together, the satisfaction of seeing it smoothly executed and the awareness sinking in of the fleeting time remaining before I am just another memory, I wanted to freeze the happy moment and celebrate. I wanted to jump up and down and shout Yooohoooooooo! We did it!

But there was no one there to share it with. Not really. Sure I pulled the team together, headed down to the pub and had a quick celebration ale. All were tired, even if pleased with the results, and anxious to get home to their families after so many days and long nights of work. In the blink of an eye, everyone was gone and I was left with the bright moon shining on all the empty glasses and the scratching of the fallen leaves rustling along the pavement.

I too am anxious to get home to Munich after nearly three weeks away. It's time to move to my new apartment on Friday. A few carloads and I should be easily out of the place I called home the last six months. I can imagine that moment but wonder how it will feel when I am finally there.

This morning I took advantage of the unexpected day off and booked a massage at the hotel spa. The massage room has recessed lights in the ceiling that very slowly alternated between red, blue, green...reeeed, bluuueeee, greeeeeeen.

The therapist started to do her work and as always happens when I have a massage, I skated the line between concious and sub-conscious, reaching a dream-like state yet still fully aware. My mind opened and closed random doors, skimming along memories, until I came to the room with the big full moon and, inevitably, to M. I blinked back the tears, retreated from the room, gently shut the door again or perhaps left it open a crack for another time.

To the next door and the red, blue, green, red, blue, green took me to another place. A timeless Christmas Eve. The lights on the tree slowly changing, red, blue and green. The snow silvery in the moonlight. The fat cat curled in front of the fire. Everyone else is sleeping and it is nearly silent except the crackling of the burning logs.

Christmas is not my favorite holiday. I was relieved when our family agreed a few years ago to no more presents. It is now just a time to get together. I cook a feast and more cookies than anyone knows what to do with and share them with the ones I love. It is a nicer holiday now but I don't love it.

Today on the massage table when I was a million miles away from England and in another season, I understood why some people find the holidays depressing. In that silent night, that time for family and loved ones, the truth is transparent. The sum of your life converges sharp and clear and what is important in this little time we have here becomes obvious. Right then you know, life, your life, with all its imperfections is either fulfilling and meaningful or shallow and empty. In the silent night, you can't hide from the truth.

My Christmas Eve dream is too sterile and empty. Even the fat cat isn't really mine.

Posted from Ashford Kent

More Change A-Coming

It ocurred to me today that I am down to my very last days on my project.
A week and a half in the UK. A few days in Geneva. Then another project in the rearview mirror.

It wasn't certain if I would leave but in the end I said no to offers in Sao Paolo and Singapore. They both held a certain appeal and it took a bit of restraint. But in the end I said no.

So that means time again for project roulette and perhaps a long waiting period again before I find something else.

One year, four clients, I met and worked with about 200 new people. Varying degrees of success due mainly to a topsy-turvy economy. A strangely successful but still unsuccesful year professionally. The price of this lifestyle is getting too high and I have a growing feeling that it's time for a change.

A change that will mean fewer changes. It is why I finally got the apartment that I will move into in 10 days, even as my spirit was somewhat resistant to signing my name on any contractual commitment. It is why I said no to more overseas adventures despite a little thrill at the thought of more exploring. It is the sentiment at the root of my desire for the drop-by house.

Hmmm, is it time for the gypsy woman to settle down?

Posted from Ashford Kent

A Drop By House

I want a drop by house.

It's not a very American concept but I remember as a child I had a few friends who had drop by houses. Friends and family would drop by and the door was always open. Coffee and tea, or a beer, and a bite to eat and 20 or 30 minutes spent catching up and looking out for each other. Their homes may not have been fancy showcases but they held a warmth that stemmed from the hospitality of the owners.

These homes fascinated me because my family spent a good part of my childhood moving around. Our roots were not running deep in the places we stopped along the way. My parents were focused on work and family and on a few good friends who on special occasions we would visit or who would visit us.

As soon as I could afford to, I carried on with that very private lifestyle and got my own apartment, without roommates. Occasionally I had guests over for planned events but mostly my social interaction occurred outside the home.

I remember the first weekend I moved in with M. in Germany I was in for quite a shock, when I found out he had a drop by house. People were always ringing and stopping by for coffee and a chat. To be quite honest, I didn't like it all. In part because I didn't know the people yet and in part because I was not used to it and found it unsettling to have this unexpected influx of people throughout the day.

Over time I have become a dinner lingerer for hours on end with friends in restaurants, a Sunday outdoor fitness fanatic, and a big fan of afternoon kaffee and kuchen with a visitor or two.

As I think about the big*, empty apartment I will move into in two weeks time, I think mostly about how I want it to feel and be used rather than how I want it to look. One thing I hope it becomes is a drop by house.

*By German standards

An Announcement

After nearly one year of living with no certain address, I finally found a place to call home. Tonight I signed a lease for an apartment in Munich.

Tomorrow I start packing. And also bed shopping.

Yes, it's a bit early since I don't move in until October 9 but I have no furniture and am gone most of the time between now and moving day. So there is limited time for packing. Tomorrow is the only day to get organized. Buying furniture is usually a slow process, requiring 6-12 weeks for any deliveries.

At least there isn't much to move. It all fit into an SUV when I took it from Cologne to Munich and while I have added a bit in the last 6 months, I have also gotten rid of a bit.

I am looking forward to building up a home from nothing. I've been searching for some inspiration, which means catalogs, magazines and surfing the net, trying on different looks to see what feels right and figure out what is my style. It's intimidating, even overwhelming, but fun nevertheless.

The first guests are set to arrive on December 12 (my sister and her boyfriend) so hope to have the essentials in place by then. I plan to dust off and resurrect my other blog, munich gardener, to track the progress.

Time for a glass of champagne!

Posted from Munich

The Apartment Search Drags On

Today marks five months since I started on my apartment search in Munich.

There have been many apartments viewed. One finally decided on that I should have moved into on August 15 that never actually materialized.

Again more viewed but nothing found.

Yesterday I saw three offers online that looked interesting and responded to all three.

Phone Call #1, All in German, although the agent would contest that
Me: Hello, I am calling about the apartment.
Agent: Which one?
Me: Number 34..
Agent: We have a lot, which street?
Me: On the Shuderstr.
Agent: Your German is terrible. You will never find an apartment.
Me: I know, but when can I see the apartment?
Agent: Can you get a colleague to translate for you?
Me: I only want an appointment to view the apartment.
Agent: Who is the apartment for?
Me: Only me
Agent: Do you have the correct documentation?
Me: Yes
Agent: Your German is terrible. You will never find an apartment.
Me: I understood that. When can I see the apartment?
Agent: Is the apartment only for you?
Me: Yes
Agent: Just for one single girl? It is such a big apartment.
Me: I know. It is what I want (Note that a big apartment in Munich is a tiny apartment in the US so this is all relative)
Agent: Call back with a German colleague and then we can set an appointment.
Me: .....

Phone Call #2 (All in German, the agent seemed to be ok with it):
Agent: Hello, you are interested in the apartment on xWeg?
Me: Yes, very much.
Agent: You can come see it today or tomorrow?
Me: What time today?
Agent: 16:45 would be ok. Do you know the address?
Me: Yes the street, but which house number?
Agent: 15
Me: Ok great. Will see you there this afternoon.
Agent: Ok! Later!

A day in the life of a language challenged, half deaf expat.

Posted from Munich

A New Home

I got the call today.

I have an apartment! Or I will have one later this summer when the current tenant moves out.

I viewed it on Monday night and it was pretty close to what I was looking for so I threw my name into the running. Figured it would turn out like all the others with someone else getting it.

Today I was informed that it's for me! Finally, my home sweet home.

A great location, nice size, bright, with a balcony and accessed from a quiet courtyard hidden from the street.

Now I need to start looking for some furniture...

Posted from Divonne-les-bains, France

Life

It's been a few days.

I had laptop problems, actually still do, but I also wanted to take a break from observing my life and go about the business of living it. I also took a break from work, not just in the 'on holiday' sense but also gave it a complete kick out of my head. And that was probably 8 years overdue.

So this week has been about focusing on my revised priorities in life, priorities born out of the wreckage of last year and subsequent lessons learned. My base of operation is a cheapy hotel in a good location in Munich. The apartment search is intense and progressing slowly but every step that brings me closer to a real home is a step in the right direction.

I found a perfect place last Wednesday but the owner will only decide this weekend who will get it. Maybe I will do another post on apartment hunting and how it all works in Munich once I am out of this stage. It's a tricky business, especially if you are a foreigner. For now, I am just crossing my fingers that this apartment comes through and I can call off the search.

In between running around to apartment viewings and scouring the listings for prospects, I have been re-connecting to Munich. Actually I think re-connecting is not the right word as I am more starting from scratch in a familiar place than picking up where I left off.

I've been out and about checking out the different parts of the city, learning how it is laid out and taking lots of pictures. I have, by necessity of a hotel stay, been trying lots of restaurants and will probably write up some reviews in this blog. I've been running in the English Garden. Each day I spend here I like it more and feel more at home.

I have met a lot of people this week. I joined a couple of expat events, one of which led to a follow-on invite to a dinner party later in the week and the other which led to a leisurely 4 hour lunch and w(h)ine with some very fun ladies who are just my age and at the same point in life. It's been a long time since I laughed and had so much fun. These may have been one-off experiences or could be the beginning of some nice friendships - but either way it is again a step in the right direction.

Tomorrow I move over to my lodgings for the start of German class. I am looking forward to taking another crack at German and hoping I really have an a-ha experience in these next two weeks. What I have already convinced myself is that this is the place to make as many mistakes as possible as it is the safest environment there can be. With that attitude and limited distractions I am optimistic it will be a productive couple of weeks.

Maybe I will post more in the next days or maybe I will just be out there, enjoying it all. I still have a ways to go but at least I know where I want to be.

Posted from Munich

The Good News and The Bad News

So it's official and I am finished in Cologne.

That is the bad news. Having steady work right now during these economic times is a good thing so while this situation wasn't my dream circumstance to begin with, it's not a time to be too picky and I'm a little disappointed that we are closing up shop. Now it's time for another round of spin the wheel of fortune and see what (and where) happens next.

The good news though is that this solves the problem of needing some time in Munich to do a proper apartment search and move in. I booked a one way ticket to Munich for Saturday and will spend next week there taking care of business!

And just to soothe my nerves I had a couple hours with my boss yesterday to get an update on the bigger picture of what's ahead and, for now, the outlook is still good.

Müncheners in the mood for lunch, dinner, coffee or a walk in the sunny Munich weather in the next days, feel free to reach out!

Posted from Köln

Return to Munich

In an effort to be pragmatic, save some money and keep things simple I had decided to make my home base in Köln while I am splitting time between there and the US for work. Before that it was Zürich, for the same reasons. Although I loved Zürich and am comfortable enough in Köln, there is inherently a problem with the arrangement. When the project ends, as planned or unexpectedly, I have to move along.

I got very attached to Zürich. I still smile whenever I look at the pictures of the view from my balcony over the lake with the mountains in the background. When work there ended abruptly it added to an already stressful time. I had to leave a city I came to think of as home behind and figure out where to go next. After hauling my stuff all over Germany and Switzerland in the last 4 months (Basel, Munich, Zurich and Cologne) plus flying back and forth to various cities in the US, it's no wonder I have been feeling flat and disconnected.

I don't have the heart to invest anything into Köln after what happened with Zürich. While I normally pride myself on following my wanderlust and my gypsy spirit I can only come to the conclusion that I have reached my capacity for flexibility. I am ready for something more reliable.

After giving it quite some thought in the last weeks, I have decided to go back to Munich. It is still my official home base for my job so regardless of projects that come and go I have a tie there. I probably would have decided even sooner but was still considering the option of Zürich.

When I return to Germany from this trip to the US, I will spend a long weekend in Munich. I plan to visit some friends, get something done about my hair, apply for my permanent residency and do some apartment shopping. I am not under time pressure so the timeline of the move will depend more on when I find The Apartment but at the latest I am aiming for June 1.

It may not be pragmatic, simple or cheap, but there is a cost to not having a place to call home and for me it has gotten too high. So back to Munich I go. It feels right.

Posted from Cherry Hill, NJ

My Pad

I decided to not be so high maintenance and waste so much time being picky and went for my favorite of the 3 apartments I saw yesterday.

I am now the newest resident of the Agnesviertel!

Ok, I am still a little bit high maintenance. In another week an apartment is opening up in the same building where I took the apartment but a few floors higher. I will look at it on Monday and if I like it I can switch after next week.

Now I need to start dragging all my remaining stuff from Munich and Zurich to Köln.

Posted from Frankfurt

Apartment Hunting

I forgot what a joy it is!

I am such a dork - I try to quantify the apartments by certain important criteria (size, location, sq meters, brightness, balcony, dishwasher, rent, etc.). There is never a perfect match to what I want so I end up in some kind of apartment stalemate, not quite happy with any option.

This morning I went and looked at 3 furnished apartments in Köln. I didn't love any of them. I guess I have been really spoiled with my apartments in Munich, Basel and Zurich in the last few years. Or maybe I am just really picky.

It would probably be easier if I was looking for something unfurnished to find one I liked but I don't want to deal with that when I may be moving again in a few months.

Now I have to decide, take one I am a little less than happy with but at least guarantee I can move in next week or stall a bit and do more searching next week. Hmmmm...

Posted from Köln

In Between

A couple of months ago, I pulled on a loose thread of the warm, soft sweater of my life. Slowly it began to unravel and even as I saw what was happening to my sweater I kept pulling the yarn, mesmerized, unable to stop. I was in the tropics and the sweater was hot and itchy. Now I sit here in my pile of yarn, the winter coming quickly. It's getting cold and I don't know how to knit. I wish I could have my sweater back.

Normally I am an optimistic person. The glass is always half full or, if need be, even a quarter full. The lump in my breast is at worst a cyst. He loves me is much more likely than he loves me not. I believed I would see the Red Sox win the World Series sooner rather than later despite the negativity from my more traditional New England family. More than once - well that's just being greedy. But you get the point.

However the last weeks have been wicked. Let's review what I haven't posted recently, with the optimism that it's just a short-lived phase, a minor inconvenience and all would be better soon.

An attempted reconciliation (mine) resulting in the much dreaded F word (his).*

The cancellation of my role on the project in Zurich.

Starting, stopping and starting again the search for a new apartment in Munich and thinking about how I will have nothing to put in it but 2 suitcases, a teddy bear and a pillow.

The lack of energy I have for starting ALL OVER AGAIN.

The humiliation of a fall down the Spyri Steig in my work clothes with all the scratches and bruises and busted knee.

Being sick all weekend without any hope that the phone would ring even once. Not feeling like talking to anyone anyway and definitely not bothering to call anyone.

Parking tickets and car dents and letters from car rental companies in various languages (German and, even worse, English Legalese).

Trying and failing to keep up with German correspondence, contracts and business meetings.

Becoming alternately apathetic, depressed and angry about all of the above.

There. That's enough. I needed to get that off my chest.
As expected, all the normal cliches are there to help with the situation but they are meaningless to me right now.

It's just a phase/rough time.

One day you'll look back on this and laugh.

Time heals all wounds.

Bad things come in threes.

You need to find a diversion/something to take your mind off things.

It's just something you're going through.

What I know is life is testing my flexibility and strength and I feel close to my limit right now. There is not an area of my life that is not in flux right now. Every foothold is crumbling just as I think I have finally found solid ground.

Ex-pat life is glamorous until it is not. Going back to the US sounds even worse.

In all of this there is one thing I want. To make something beautiful. Beautiful photographs. A beautiful home. A beautiful dinner. A beautiful body and spirit. A beautiful smile.

But I am not there yet. Right now I am in between.


*'Friends' - as in Let's Be.
Posted from Zürich

A Fresh Start

Last year our garden had a pretty rough year. We had just created most of the flower beds, we got hit with a very dry April, then some violent, plant-shredding hailstorms before settling into a damp, slug-infested summer. Also, by the time mid-May rolls around each year, the trees in our central park area beyond our garden fill out and turn the garden into a mainly heavily shaded area that poses its own challenges.

When choosing plants for the garden, we decided to go mainly with shade-loving, forest dwelling plants like lilies of the valley, bleeding heart, hosta lilies, elf flowers and the like. Nearly everything we put into the ground last summer died fairly quickly given all the aforementioned points. When fall came, we thought about pulling out the lifeless sticks that were the remnants of our garden but I suggested to wait, to see if anything came back this year.

And wow did it! Nearly all the plants we put in that were perennials are back this spring and gorgeous! The roses, the forget-me-nots, they are growing beautifully this spring. Encouraged, we have decided to add to the collection and fill it out with even more perennials this spring. I guess a little patience goes a long way in gardening.

Posted from Munich

More Spring

M. was off in NY this weekend so I had a 'me' weekend. What did I do with it?

Went to the hair salon of course! The roots were looking quite bad so something needed to be done. Better now!

Other than that it was mostly just taking care of the usual business. I hadn't been home in two weeks since the great construction episode and was excited to see the apartment again now that the dust has settled. We had one of the remaining pieces of furniture show up while I was away - our USM cabinets for the living room. They look pretty chic!



Since the weather forecast looked nice for today I bought a bunch of pansies yesterday to put into the garden. Our little crocuses are peeking up now and the leaves of the daffodils and tulips are getting big. The afternoon was sunny and warm - perfect for some early spring gardening. The yard is tidied up and the pansies are in.





***Warning: My overenthusiastic gardening is sure to doom us to 6 more weeks of winter. I don't need a groundhog to tell me that.***

I even managed to get my taxes done today - well for Switzerland and the US. Still need to finish Germany.

I had dinner for one and now I am winding down with a movie and a glass of red wine. Why does the weekend always go by so fast?



Posted from Munich