with all the rain right now

the sun in the pictures seems almost unreal

but it suits my current mood

.

looks like i´m into endless handiwork projects

LAMPS, BLANKETS and PILLOW CASES

it gives me a feeling of continuity when something takes years to be finished

.

to make rings jeweller need to eat rings

W even tries on a pasta ring while enjoying his coffee

then we are restored and can work a bit more on new things

.

my uncle dumped an old garage door in my yard

an odd thing to have around

but everybody just loves that amazing turquoise colour

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have a lovely Sunday everybody!

started stitching again
a cushion cover for W, started on Father´s Day
it might be ready for Christmas
somehow pain always leads to stitching
i´ve got a whole collection of back pain cushion covers
.
those marzipan + dark chocolate scones however are more a Winter treat
but it has been quite cold around here in the last days
.
my begonias before their annual dusting shower
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working on GOLDEN TOP RINGS
and some new ear studs
since my ears aren´t pierced i have to hold them up to them to see how they´ve turned out
.
lily of the valley picked the day before my operation
they´re dried by now but still smelling divine
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RHUBARB SYRUP - thank you for the reminder ALMA

a wonderful POST about healing and patience - just in time for me

a nice LONG DRESS
Cloud In Hand WEAVING

violet season is over

but there are still some fragrant varieties in full bloom

and you don´t actually need the flowers in case you want to give this a try

the sirup does the trick

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THE TIREDNESS OF ROSABELL

by Katherine Mansfield

.

her stories are unsettling

full of moodswings, lifes turned around in the blink of an eye

heavily scented with all kinds of flowers

slightly hysterical

they can make your heart break a little

so do watch out

.

drenched in London rain

milliner Rosabell dreams not only of delectable feasts

she also imagines a completly different life like the ones her clients lead

full of gleaming fires, maids, cozy boudoirs

completed by a dashing suitor

.

i felt so sorry for this hungry girl

wet and so exhausted she almost cried climbing up the stairs

comforting herself with beautiful stories

sleeping in this cold dull room

i wanted to bake something very luscious and extravagant for her

.

something like a four (dreadful) flights high haselnut cake

spread with hazelnut-chocolate cream

coverd in a violet and anis scented goat cream cheese frosting

.

and then i did something very unhealthy but utterly delicious

i put marshmallows and violet sirup in a cup of hot cocoa

made with chocolate, cocoa powder and goat milk

probably one of the craziest things i ever tasted

it could have come right from her dream

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read this and almost all of Katherine Mansfield´s stories HERE

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in case you want to bake this cake

here is the recipe for two layers only

it is really heavy and four layers are probably too much for real life

and in case you´re not intolerant to eggs

use any kind of cake batter with a bit of flour substituted with toasted ground hazelnuts

.

140 g spelt flour

50 g slightly toasted ground hazelnuts

1 tsp baking powder

75 g sugar

125 ml butter milk

mix the dried ingredients and add the milk

incoporate until you´ve got a silken runny cake batter

fill into a lined baking tin - about 22 cm diameter

bake at 175 degree celsius for about 25 min

until a tooth pick comes out clean

cream about 400g cream cheese with a few tsp of sugar

blueberry juice for colouring, crushed anis seeds and as much violet sirup as you like

when the cake is cool take it out of the tin

half it with a thin sharp knife

spread each layer with some hazelnut chocolate cream

frost it with cream cheese mixture

i used a butter knife and sometimes my fingers

since i´m not a pastry chef at all

 and if you have some on hand sprinkle with edible violets

.

thank you D for "lending" me your wonderful staircase

.

now i need some ideas to use up all that leftover violet sirup

tonight i dreamed i met a guy working as a knight on horseback

at a kind of reenactment amusement park

but he also worked as an English and maths teacher

since he needed some structure

we were married within three weeks

and lived in a weirdly awesome bungalow

.

when i looked out of the window this morning

everything was green instead of white

and so warm i didn´t need a jacket

so i set to the first bit of spring garden cleaning

everything seems so be ready to start a new year

so many promising dark red buds

on the tree paeonies planted last year

and the sedums and tulips look like they just can´t wait

best find - a hidden helleborus in bloom

(and there IS going to be a whole bed filled with those for sure)

.

the crazy thing is

this garden doesn´t seem to have any weeds

besides wood avens, rosa rugosa, sunchoke and grass

(two of them self-inflicted by grandmothers friend)

last night when i was pondering on how a meadow

needing to be tended to by a sickle

was clearly not an option for me and my back

i thought about turning it into a huge thyme spread instead

the flat and tiny kind

well, we´ll see about that...

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BLAU is the new magazine by ZIERRAT UND GOLD
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a hoop earring - custom made of gold
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OATCAKES 
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a BEEKEEPERS QUILT made of my grandmothers left over yarn
made while watching HOMELAND
has to wait
since my hands and arms are too sore
due to too much time spent on the computer
(but my physiotherapist admired my arm muscles - made by filing)

wedding weekend

(not me!)

i just wanted to make a NOT SO TINY BOUQUET #21 FALL BRIDE (or PRIDE, works both ways)

for a dear friend of mine who got married this Saturday

.

wanted to wear those blue shoes

(shown with heart shaped cat food for the lovely occasion)

but i couldn´t walk in them so i choose some old ones

but still my feet hurt so much that fun night

i spent quite some time standing on a little rolling pin yesterday

to get rid of those cramps

.

also i made an almost not recognizable BUXUS heart

(does anyone in the Regensburg area need lots and lots of little cuttings by the way?!)

and spend quite some time looking at those almost black dahlias

(was almost tempted to plant some of these pettishly beauties - not ready yet for this care intensive plants though)

.

and a picture of me showing off the bouquet with W "hiding" behind the window.

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a few minutes after finishing the crocheted bead spread

i read this sentence in Elizabeth Von Arnims "Elizabeth and her German Garden":

"... and all forms of needlework of the fancy order 

are inventions of the evil one for keeping the foolish from applying their heart to wisdom."

indeed i sometimes do needlework to sort of numb myself

and just make with out thinking only counting the stiches
and i ain´t very wise for sure...