One Wedding and a Holiday

It's been a while since I published my last post. I feel a little bad about this but then again it gives me more things to write about. 
For example I finished my dress and was able to wear it for the wedding of a friend of mine.

I wore it with black opaque tights, black pumps, a black vintage (well...at least from the 1970s!) belt from my mother in law and a golden studded black clutch. I tried to set my hair in a Old Hollywood glamour style kind of way but ended up with large - "I've put my hand into a power socket" - curls. But it looked all right after some combing.


I was able to give them a DIY-Card for their wedding (the crabs are an insider-joke):

And was secretely amused by the phallic table decoration:

All in all it was a very nice evening. Contrary to popular opinion I actually like to go on weddings because they offer good food (and lots of it!), dancing, a reason to dress up excessively, a feeling of being moved to tears (always when the couple enters the church and the organ plays a traditional wedding march - love it!), more food, and the knowledge that you can relax because you're not in the center of attention (that's the best) and ... food!

Another reason why I haven't written for so long is that Timo and I went on holiday. For the first time in more than ten years I was able to be with my sister on her birthday! I was so excited especially because it was a very special birthday: her 30th. We had a great time and went on a mini-holiday within our holidays - a nice trip to Dingle the town on Dingle the peninsular.
As usual, Timo and I ate a lot and slept a lot because the change to the Irish climate somehow always make us tired and hungry. But weren't idle the whole time. We went running, shopping, for beach walks, to an exibition launch of Thomas Ryan, to the Blasket Center, more shopping, and ...for many lunches and dinners and snacks!
Some impressions from our holiday:

Marina`s birthday table

Ennis cathedral

Beach on the Dingle peninsular

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Beach near Marina`s chalet

Running...

I can't remember the time when I started to go running. But I do remember that at the beginning I wasn't even able to keep running for much more than a kilometer. Over time I got better and these past years I was at least able to run twice a week during the summer months albeit only 4 to 5 kilometers. However, I never really enjoyed running - I did it to keep fit and healthy and to stay in shape but I always had to overcome my weaker self when I went for a run. The high feeling so many runners described was absolutely unknown for me.

That's why I am very proud to say that finally this has changed! A little over a year ago I started to go for longer runs. It wasn't a conscious decision - I had had a bad day and was angry and sad and disappointed of myself and all that at the same time. The decision to go running then was rather a meant as a punishment for me. And so was the extension of my usual running route. But curiously enough somewhere on the way all my bad feelings vanished into thin air! I returned home a different person and the new running route (about 10 kilometers long) became my new normal route. During the last summer I managed to go running three times a week and the great feeling during and after the run usually returned most of the times. And even though I had a winter break I am happy to say that I have now come back to go running three times a week.

Last weekend I went into a sporting goods shop to get a running analysis and new running shoes. The fact that my sister Marina has problems with her knees at the moment (and I really hope she's getting better again now) really was a matter for reflection for me. And the trainers are certainly not an item where saving costs is advisable. In the end I bought black nike shoes. I tried them on in a different color and my first thought was: Oh my God, they are the ugliest trainers ever! But they felt rather like wearing socks and not shoes - they are extremely light and have a quite soft sole. I've been running three times since my purchase (the magical number three again!) and I think it was a good one. 

I really can recommend running to everyone and to those who wonder why they don't feel exalted after a good run: Keep on trying - when you finally attain that level where your body releases pots of endorphins it is worth the hard work!

Progress

I have mentioned before that I want to become more prolific in all kinds of creative work. And I am happy to say that - at least compared to the time before I have made that resolution - I have made progress.

Some examples:

I have finally managed to paint the frame for my poster. 

I love how you can still see the grain of the wood. All in all it is not a perfect frame but I am still proud of it. However, I must admit that my father-in-law helped me. (Oh, and yes - that's Leopold in the back in one of his favourite poses - leg-up!)

I have changed a dress which didn't really fit.

I tried to paint a picture with oil colors.

I can't really paint with oil colors. Originally, I wanted to paint a somber and eerie landscape. Instead, it looks like the gruffallo will pass at any moment. I am definitely not a great painter. But somehow I like it all the same.

I certainly could have produced more...but it's a start!

Regarding my last post

In some ways I didn't observe one of my blog rules with my last post. This is not a political blog or one commenting on contemporary events and the like. I am not good at this and so I rather leave it to others. On the other hand, my blog is about the things that bother me either in a positive or in a negative way. And the tragedy in Boston did bother me a lot. 
Somebody I know was participating the marathon. For one night I wasn't sure if that person was safe and even though I don't know that person very well that fact made the whole event closer and in a way more real for me.
I'm not saying that I am never shocked about bad news because it is something that has happened to strangers - I definitely am shocked and sad when I read or hear about such things. It is frightening to see what people are capable of. Still there is always a certain kind of distance to your own life. That's why we tend to be more shocked when for example something happens in a place we know because that makes the distance smaller. Or the distance gets smaller because somebody we know is in some way affected (as in my case). And naturally everybody hopes that the distance remains as great as possible.
However, as always in such cases, there are people for whom the distance has turned into nothing and who have been directly or indirectly affected. And I can't describe how sorry I am for them. 
I was relieved when I heard that the terrorists have been caught especially as I hope this will be helpful for the victims in any way. 

There is a proverb which says: Every cloud has a silver lining.
For me this silver lining was to see how the rest of the world got together in showing their condemnation of the crime and also their compassion.

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Originally my plan for this post was to write about the things I have done during the last weekend. 

But today it feels wrong to do so: I really was (and am) in a state of shock when I heard the news about the bombing at the Boston Marathon.


So I'll keep silent instead. My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their relatives.

Love what you have first...

For a while now, Timo and I are on the lookout for a new apartment. We want to have a little more space as we are currently living in an apartment on the top floor and there are some droops (I'm not sure about that word - I mean the pitches of the roof) so that there is not so much room for cupboards etc.
But the real estate market seems to be asleep in our town and we don't seem to be able to find something appropriate (ahem - "seem" seems to be one of my favorite words, sorry!). However, I realized that my wish to move into a new apartment makes me feel more and more uncomfortable in my current place. I mean naturally there are some things that really are uncomfortable for me there but still it is a nice apartment and it really doesn't deserve my discontentment. Besides, my sister always tells me that before something changes for the better in my life I have to love what I have first (that somehow seems to me a contradiction in some instances but I do understand what she means by it).
Another problem is that I don't start to beautify the apartment anymore (usually one of my hobbies) because I'm thinking "We're going to move out of it soon anyway!". 
Now I have come to the conclusion that I have to change my attitude: I have to love what I have and also start with my hobby again. 
That's why I walked around in my apartment today and took some photos of things I like there/things I have made in the past to beautify the apartment/things I have made the past days to beautify my apartment - Never mind if we're not staying there forever!
(Yes: not only empty words - I have already started to put my plans into action!)

Accidental repetition of colors in my bathroom... (I was delighted!)

The frame I finally created by the help of my father in law for a poster I got from my sister (I'm going to paint it black on the weekend).

The wingback which I upholstered myself some years ago.

Cats everywhere! (this one's a gift from my Mama)

A painting, my fairy lights (a present from my sister), a knitted doll (a present from my other sister), an old wooden suitcase I "renovated", two of my handbags (not self-made but always a satisfying view): all in one of our "room-using solutions" - part of our bed protrudes the shelf so we put up the curtain to create a calmer image.

 

Easter Impressions

I had a lovely Easter weekend: Timo (my husband), Emma, Leopold and I went to visit my mother. She is actually living not far from us, just a 15 minute drive with the car. We stayed for three nights and my sister Anke and her husband Adrian were there, too. We laughed and ate a lot, so it was a traditional Easter holiday for us. The only one missing was my other sister Marina.
Unfortunately, the weather still doesn't seem to know that it's spring now - it was bitter cold the whole weekend and this morning I had to scrape ice from the windscreen of my car (something I don't like in winter and definitely hate in spring)! But at least the sun was out today and sooner or later the weather has to get better. 

Some impressions from Easter and Timo's birthday 

A tradition: a lamb  in cake-form

An Easter rabbit from my sister Anke

Easter eggs (I lost the egg-boxing competition against my husband)

The cake I made for Timo's birthday

The pattern for the rabbit is from a book by Arne & Carlos, I think.