BLUE

(patchwork stool cover/ our sky today/prints in the living room/ polish ceramic jug/ dolphin mural I painted in Stefan´s room/ front of doll house Erich and I made for Markus/curtains in Stefan´s room/ staircase picture wall / new couch in living room, erich built it, I covered it)
I have gone back and written descriptions for the Red and Green collage too. Hmmm, which colour will I choose next?

RED

(vintage biscuit tin/ pillow from India shop/ Paul Klee print/
retro lamp/ mosaic & glass water fountain I made at a deco course/ books/
part of the mosaic in living room-we added a mirror that I bought in Grado, Italy/ old chest and picture frames that Erich restored and painted red, in our hallway/ our bedroom with red walls and old farmhouse furniture)

GREEN

I saw this and was inspired to create a green collage myself.
What´s green at your place?

(ikea boxes filled with sewing supplies/vintage teapot and sugar bowl/kitchen curtains/Ken Done print/retro prints from Mr Schlinder/mosaic in living room made by Erich and I/the boys playing soccer in the garden/clay candle holder/daisies outside the kitchen door)

Sunday Scribblings #9: First Love

Hello O.B,
I know it´s been a long time since you´ve heard from me, 17 years to be exact, and I must admit I haven´t thought about you for a long time. Today I am ready to think about you.
Do you remember the first time we met? You were on a tour of NSW with your local football club all the way from Germany and I was one of the girls from the youth club picked to show you guys around. It was the first time I really appreciated being bilingual. I had a boyfriend but it was nothing serious, all the other girls had one so I´d grabbed the next best guy with a car - I was only 15. After a week of sneaking looks at you and talking a little about school, bands and travelling I knew I was hooked so the boyfriend got the flick and I was free to dance with you all night at the ball held for your team´s farewell.
Do you remember how cunningly we managed to sneak away from your team mates and, what was even more difficult, from my parents? I am getting butterflies in my stomach just thinking about it, I thought someone would tap us on the shoulder any second and call us back in. Some serious kissing went on once we were alone, the first "real" kisses in my life and it felt amazing. The next day you and your team flew back to Germany and I remember how empty my town felt after you were gone, I went about my days like a zombie, going through the motions but not really living, then your first letter came and I was alive again.
One year later, at the end of my 4th year of high school my parents allowed me to travel to Austria to visit my grandparents and my favourite aunt and uncle and ofcourse I agreed with my parents that it would be impossible to see you but as soon as I had the ticket in my hand I started developing a plan to travel those 1,500km and to this day I don´t know how I managed it. A love struck 16 year old is not to be underestimated. We spent a few surreal days together and I could hear the tick of the clock with each passing second, knowing our days were counted and quickly coming to an end. Do you remember hugging at the train station, not wanting to let go but knowing we had to? I felt so lonely on that train ride back to Austria and you were on my mind every minute of the trip back to Australia too.
We wrote to each other for about one year afterwards but things got busy with school and you did your army service and we both started other relationships. There was a birthday card every year though until I went back to visit you in 1989. How grown up you were, how lovely it was to see you, how we had changed. We didn´t really have much in common then did we? You were interested in going out, drinking, your mates, football - still, and blondes. I wanted to travel, see as much as possible, walk everywhere, meet people, feel the culture of every city, every village.
The last time I saw you was when you took me to the train station, that same train station, and we kissed farewell, not passionately this time but tenderly. We looked into each other´s eyes for a long time before the train left the station and we both knew we wouldn´t see each other again.
Today I wonder how you are, where you live, if you have children, if you are happy. I hope so. 24 years have passed since we first met and I have had many loves since then but you will always be my first love.
All the best,
Claudia

Things I love Thursday

I love a good salad.
Grilled chicken pieces on fresh
lettuce leaves from my garden,
cress, herb vinegar and olive oil.
MAHLZEIT!

Life

I received a beautiful parcel today from Liz who is my partner in Tara Dawn´s creativity exchange. I feel like the man in Amélie that got his little trinket box back. The card Liz sent is so beautiful and the quote so sums up how I have come to feel about my own life :
" She said that she cried atleast once each day not because she was sad but because the world was so beautiful and life was so short".
Thankyou Liz, for bringing tears to my eyes today - the beauty of your artwork, the beautiful music, the beauty in little trinkets and papers and the beauty in you that you have shared with me are things I will treasure.

See what I sent Liz here.

Sunday Scribblings # 8

3 Wishes!
My 3 biggest wishes have already come true. When I say wishes I don´t mean hopes or reachable goals that I make for myself, I mean WISHES, things I´ve wanted but never thought I would get.

When I left Australia in 1989 it was to get away from an ending relationship that kept pulling me back in because I was sentimental, afraid and too close so I put enough distance between us to be able to put it behind me. I travelled around Europe, to Africa and England and back to Europe. I discovered a love for decorating, a need to surround myself with pieces of me - books, pictures, people but that´s very difficult when you´re on the move so I made a wish to have a house. While I worked at a pub here in this small village Reichenfels I often went for walks after work or in my lunch breaks and there was this lovely little wooden house I used to pass and I used to dream about what it would be like to live in it, to come home and lock the door behind me, make a fire, cook a meal and read or watch a good movie or invite friends over. It was about 6 years later that I moved into my own house and I can see that "little, wooden house" when I look outside my kitchen window because a chain of coincidences led us to build our house on the piece of land directly behind it.

Each time I was pregnant I wished for sons rather than daughters. I cannot believe my wishes came true and I always thought that I would have to have a daughter to see what my mother went through with me while I was growing up. I´m so glad I don´t have to tackle the gender and self-confidence issues that often had me paralysed with fear during my pregnancies. Oh the relief each time the gyneacologist said "it´s going to be a boy!".

Wish number 3 is one that I´m sure we all carry inside us - to find true love. A love that supports you, gives you wings and lets you grow and be honest and be yourself atlast. Again, I never thought I would find it. It was about 5 years into my marraige before I realised this wasn´t it. I had to adapt too much to please him, keep my mouth shut too often and compromise my principles. I knew it was only a matter of time before it would end and that´s when I started wishing for the kind of love you read about, the kind of love you don´t see very often, the kind of love that you can´t imagine being without. Once again I "wished" because I never really believed that I´d find it. Like in the song "I learnt the truth at 17, that love was made for beauty queens", I had come to believe that I was not deserving, not lucky enough. Just when I was ready to give up, when I thought I would lose all sense of feeling, shrivel up and disappear if someone didn´t touch me, I found it and like when a child is born, once you have it you cannot imagine your life without it.

Don´t be afraid to make wishes.

Things I love Thursday

I

I love mail!!! Especially beautiful Open Yours Too packages. This one is from Debra and it has given me the kick I needed to get started on my research for my Family Book and my family photo album. I have never seen such beautiful scrapbooking supplies. Thankyou Debra! And thankyou Dawn for organising Open Yours Too!

use what you have - May

I have developed 3 new addictions this year, the first is blogging, the second is crafting and the third is swapping. A Flickr group that incorporates all three is "use what you have". It´s a great way to find fellow bloggers who share the same addictions, be inspired by all the wonderful creations AND swap. I have joined 3 swaps in May, the accessory swap, bag swap and softie swap. Above are my 3 creations - a patchwork cat, a scrap wrap and a carry-all. I hope they find happy new owners.

Sunday Scriblings# 7

"The books I would write..." would be a mix of practicle and fun, a series of books on home decorating, crafting, cooking, gardening, travel, motherhood and looking after yourself. They would have bold covers and be full of useful information, lovely pictures and wonderful interviews - there are so many creative people out there who are happy to share their experience, creativity and personality to help others realise their own ideas.
Ofcourse a TV show would follow and I would become Europe´s answer to Martha Stewart - only a lot more colourful and fabulous, encouraging the creativity in everyone to come to the surface and make the world a brighter, happier place.
My gift to myself is time to daydream on this beautiful Mother´s Day Sunday...to all of you who are already mothers and those of you thinking about it HAPPY MOTHER`S DAY!!!
And thankyou for this great site Jorth!

Things I love Thursday

I love my garden!!!
Spring has FINALLY arrived in full force and for me that means catching every possible ray of sunshine while it lasts! We have 1900 m² land around our house - a large lawn, a vegetable patch, a small green house, a raised bed for growing veges, a lot of flower beds, 3 stone garden areas, fruit trees and some cherry bushes. Quite a bit of work so we get it all done in May and then relax and enjoy it!
Check out the Flickr group : http://www.flickr.com/groups/thingsilovethursday/

Sunday Scribblings #6: my shoes

My favourite shoes stand by the front door,
waiting like a pet dog to see if they´ll get to go out today.
They watch the children come and go,
they watch visitors come and go but they only catch a glimpse of the postman,
or anyone else I don´t like who doesn´t get further than the doorstep.
They´ve been around, my shoes,
to Australia and back, to Africa and back, to Italy and back,
to marraige and back, to hell and back.
They are comfortable and worn in, I can rely on them 100%.
We have a lot in common, my shoes and I,
we are not the most beautiful but we are spontaneous,
ready for anything life throws at us.
We don´t stand out in a crowd at first, but give us a while and you will see.
We are not young and fashionable,
we are older and have a few wrinkles to show for it.
I wonder what else we will experience, my shoes and I,
in this amazing, wonderful, "if the shoe fits wear it" life?

Update 101 things!

Moving along on my list of 101 Things in 1001 Days!

1. Give away 50 things: I´ve given away 5 things already, 2 books to a friend, a scarf, a handmade vase and a small doily to another blogger.
2. Learn more about permaculture gardening.... I am reading 2 books on the subject and have started to sow spinch, rocket and 5 other types of salads.
8. I have found some fabric in my fabric basket for a pair of casual yoga pants. Will cut them out this week.
11. I have changed this one to 30 minutes of EXERCISE daily, so far I have walked, cycled or done pilates.
27. Go freelance: I have sent in my form to be able to do my own bookkeeping and taxes AND I have registered myself as an official language trainer. I will keep working for the same company but incorporate more of my own ideas into the lessons for now.
54. Reach my goal weight: I have started a journal and am using a WW booklet to keep track. 65. Erich bought me some comfortable espadrilles last week.
71. I have succeeded in drinking 2 litres a day since day 1.
76. Our financial advisor is coming over tonight and I will sign Stefan´s saving plan.
85. Have looked through and labeled all videos, that took ages!
96. See a picture of the plant box above, notice the view in the reflection!
100. I took the children for much needed haircuts yesterday and we will go again before we leave for Australia.

Thankyou everyone for your compliments about our house, it made my day to see that so many of you like it too!

DANCE!!!

It´s here! May 1st! Shyne like a Star Virtual Dance Party!
Just after breakfast Erich, the kids and I will put on our favourite music and MOVE IT!!!
Thanks for the invitation Jamie!