flea market²

dear m.
Saturday we both tried to get rid of some old clothes. i guess both of our wardrobes are exploding so it was time to get some space in there. it was really good to do it together. it's kind of intimidating to expose your things which you once liked and now don't want anymore. you made some money and i made a little less money, and we both were happy to be free of some luggage and richer of some cents.the location was also really nice an old church and we got free coffee, tea and pancakes , yeah!

the next day there was a big fleamarket very close to my home. the initial plan was to just pop by and than disapear again into paper writing. it didn't work out of course, because i met some friends so we had a limonade together. but i did find some nice things. as 4 old plates:two pink ones and two blue ones, a flour sifter (i just thought the night before it would be handy to have one), a appel perforator ( perfect for bratäpfel in automn), and a caster for cinamon-sugar. i just used half of the things to prepare my weekly pancakes treat.



after the fleamarket i prepared dinner went to my male m., ha how to descibe it in another way... adn we ate and than both worked for school. i really managed to just shut my mouth for a few hours for once... well reading and talking doesn't work, even not for me.
i hope your scriptie is doin fine, but i'm sure of taht kisses
s.

Randomness

dear M.,
my life is really random those days...
I feel like on a roller coaster of feelings.
I guess the things happens in japan touches every one of us. I never checked so often the online news than in the past week. I cant even imagine what it feels like for the people in japan. and every thing i want to say just seems not enough.

it also reminds me that we have to become more aware of nuclear energy and the danger behind it. I already wrote about the topic in november after i've been on a anti nuclear energy demonstration. So please everyone: get more aware of it. for the germans of the readers, this is a webside of the german anti nuclear energy movement: http://www.ausgestrahlt.de/. it can help you to inform yourself about what you can do about it.

There is so much happening right now. than also the revolutions in north africa keep my mind buzzy. I have been to marroco and tunesia and really love this area and hope for everyone that the situation afterwards is better than the one before.

Besides the world news there hase been alot of private action around.
a trip to germany, to meet family and friends, also in theire lifes there is a constant up and down of feelings and now that i feel quiete strong i tried to support as much as possible. than coming back to belgium and trying to reorganise my life little by little, because all at a sudden i have to keep two buzzy schedule in mind... well that speeks for it self i guess. and even if it is by times hard it also makes me incredebly happy . this weekend my uni had open day, and my mom came to visit me and have a look around school. it's my 4th year there so by now she nows alot of people there. and yesterday night you and n and g met here for a gals of wine ( and to try those super nice ginger cookies you made, mhmmm). iT's always nice to have her around but also intense. we had loads of hot chocolate, koffie, nice pastry, food and wine. of course we went shopping, too.

i got a mortar ( late christmas present), found a beautyfull bottle ( which looks good next to ganesha) on the frieday market and also frames ( i build an collection of empty frames, maybe because i studie painting so there are enough pictures in my life, i also don't hang them but lean them against the wall).





a special coffee called paris hilton, an old old backery( 125 years old) called goossens, isn't the madonna just nice in the shop, with fantatsic raisin bread and one of my all time favorites: gummibären ( i also love smarties, it's kinde of the same colour sheme..)




And some more pics of the last week: an old old doll i got for my birth, my god mother made it for me it's called Kasperle. the cover of a great childrens book. and a pot i made in ceramics. it's for garlic, which is called in dutch (koof-) look, and in english you read it " look" so it's funny for me i don't now if anybody else gets it ...








the first lady bird landed on my hand this year so i guess spring really is knocking on the door. probably i forgot a bout loads of things i wanted to write here, but well i'll return to post them.
now i need to eat yoghurt ..after 4 days of croissants, gummiebears and french fries...
kisses
s

random

Dear S.,

some random photos only, for today.
The uni- papers are completely claiming my brain. Right now, Virginia Woolf's Orlando is going through a poststructuralist and feminist cross-examination. Next monday it has to be finished.

so, here's me with Orlando and the good old black cat:



what a discovery: 14 complete sets of collector's tea dishes hidden in the cupboard! I almost felt like crying when I made the discovery. My family and I started to clean up grandma's stuff. I'll try to make better photos still.







This year's favorite winter food: Pommegranate!



"Januar- Frühling" is what the news stations call the weather right now. it's about ten degrees outside and it feels sooo nice!
Yesterday we had a fantastic sundown:








This is the same place about a week ago:



Tomorrow I'll take the train back to Belgium. Weird, after being at home for a whole month! I am looking forward to seeing you all, though.

Love,
M.

Pretty little things

Dear S.,

my life here is pretty slow. Sometimes I am enjoying it, sometimes everything about it annoys me. It is sometimes pretty hard to live between the ubiquitous Spießigkeit/smugness (new word) and the sweet feeling of being at home in all the small things.

Austrian people love to eat sweet. And they love to cook with curd cheese/ Topfen/ kwark.

Today I tried a family recipe for the first time, and I can only recommend it: "Apfelschlangen"

Dough:

250g butter

250g curd cheese

250g flour

that's it. knead the ingredients until they are thorougly mingled. Now let the dough rest at least an hour in the fridge. This is very important, as the dough needs to be as cool as possible to work.

Filling:

Peel and thinly slice sourish apples (you'll need about 750g/1000g or so). Add some sugar and cinnamon.

Then divide the dough into two piece and thinly roll each of them out on a bed of flour. Place half of the apples in the middle third of the dough; fold the left and right side over to cover the apples. Press together the ends of the Schlange/snake (it's supposed to be quite long and thin :). Repeat all for the second part of the dough- Into the oven (175 °C) for half an hour...

and then enjoy.

This fast and easy variation on the austian classic "Apfelstrudel" is love-ly when it's still warm but also delicious when cold.

A few days ago, may grandma gace me some of her treasures, just look:

A beautiful pill box, an old ring, white gloves with pearl-buttons.

I love all these little things that carry so many stories within them.

- Yesterday I booked tickets back to Antwerp.. It is such a good feeling to know they're in my pocket! And I will probably even see you then. great!

That's all for now, my dear!

M.