How many pancakes can you eat?

When I was a little girl, still going to the primary school, my grandmother cooked lunch for me and my brother when the classes were in the afternoon. Sometimes also my cousin who was living next door joined us. She was a strict woman, like her husband, my grandfather. They would be 102 years old this year. Sometimes she baked the pancakes with apricot marmalade. I remember that every time we, the bunch of kids, competed in eating them. How many of them could we eat and who would be the winner? I remember eating more than 10 of them. I can't imagine to do something like this today.
I baked pancakes for my dinner yesterday. I ate four of them. With a wonderful, a bit sour marmalade made of red fruits of Cornelian cherry dogwood (Cornus mas). Delicious!
How many of them can you eat?

Travel with me today

Yesterday I read a book about Russian prisoners of war who had been building a road over a Vršič pass in the northwestern part of Slovenia during the I. World War. I lived in a town below this pass for some time during 1996 and in the years 2002-2004. Let's travel to Kranjska Gora now:

46°28'36.84" N
13°47'02.75" E
Elevation: 848 m

Called Borovška vas in the old days, this little town is surrounded by mountains; there is always fresh air and during the winter when Ljubljana has fog every day, this place bathes in sun. I miss it, a lot. I had a cat there and her name was Kiki. A beautiful one. I had to leave her there in a care of my neighbors. The last time I saw her was in 2006 when she had 5 beautiful kittens. She came to me like in the old days. She jumped onto my lap when I called her. I miss her a lot.In 2003 I was riding a bike quite a lot. Out of sadness. I felt much better being on a bike. I rode up to that pass I mentioned at the beginning of this post very often as it was the closest. Especially during the week it was a nice ride as there were no tourists going up by car. Surrounded by mountains, meadows, larches, alpine flowers, I enjoyed each moment immensely. It is a 12km ride, 800m difference in height. At the beginning it took me 105 minutes to get to the top, on a race in September, I needed 68 minutes to the end line. Only 3 minutes slower than my dad (who trains a lot, I tell you!) I had been ill a week before and therefore I was going a bit slower than I would have probably gone. I am so proud of finishing this race. I will never be that good again, I am almost sure. I was 10kg lighter then! Today I know that the road to that pass is paved with the remains of Russian prisoners of war.

I hope that I will be able to live in Kranjska Gora again, at least when I am retired. Who knows!

Always express happy thoughts and keep an uncomplaining mind.
Give happiness and you will receive it in return.
Happy thoughts expressed are like the sunbeams that create warmth.

Climb outside of self. Do something for someone else every day.

Strive for perfection in all things.
Do not be critical, frustrated or depressed at less than perfect results but continue to reach for the highest level of achievement.
Judge neither others nor yourself too harshly.
Understanding and tolerance are easier to live with than criticism and competition.

Thoughts received by e-mail from this web site. On the photo is Alpine toadflax (Linaria alpina).

Little treasures IV

The list of my little treasures is not over yet. I have still some to show you.
Many years ago when I traveled to Munich at least once a month, I stopped at Kunst & Spiel shop. Like usual. A charming small shop on a busy street in Munich. Always when I entered I felt like being in another world. I liked most of the things they were selling (well, they still do!). Each time I was there, I looked at the xylophone, a charming instrument I owned when I was a little girl. I have never learned how to play it properly. So, one day, my ex-husband took it from the shelf and bought it for me. How happy I was! From time to time I play myself a song that is composed by me, by a sudden inspiration. No notes. Sometimes I just look at it and feel it under my fingers. I am almost sure I will never be able to play by notes on it, but does it really matter?

Two days of nothing

A weekend when everything went wrong. I had no plans. I didn't expect anything. I didn't plan (or want) to do anything. Mostly I was cleaning the house. And I was angry most of the time. When things go wrong and you don't know how to fix them.Anyway, my red amaryllis started to bloom. It blooms every year. This is what makes me smile. Every year.

Winter impressions

I know, they look more like fall impressions but I took these shots on Sunday, walking through the woods.
This is my 100th post. Time really flies these days. Happy weekend!

Another book

The last time I went to a library, I was lucky. I borrowed the book The Abyssinian by Jean-Cristophe Rufin. Just what I needed. A happy book. A book about lucky people. At least one lucky person. I enjoyed reading it and at times I had to laugh aloud. If life was that easy! Or... if we would complicate this little as Jean-Baptiste does in this story.

On Saturday I sewed another mouse and a little flower to go along. Right, the mouse lost a part of its tail due to a rough and ill treatment and the flower was left lying on a cook book.

Travel with me today

I traveled all the way up to the Moon yesterday in the evening by help of a telescope. It was a wonderful sight! I looked at Mars and lots of other bright stars. I have always liked watching the night sky, the stars, and wondering if there is some other life out there. This morning bright Venus was pinned up to the sky and very close to it was smaller Jupiter. Beautiful! On the other side of the sky there was Moon laughing at me again.

But let's travel somewhere on the Earth today:

27°07'32.02" N
109°16'36.03" E
Elevation: 5 m

Rapa Nui. Isla de Pascua. Easter Island.
I wish to see those giants one day with my own eyes. How lonely can you feel out there on such an isolated island in the middle of ocean? Can you imagine the people finding such a tiny spot in the middle of nowhere?

It is also time to celebrate today. It is the first day after Christmas when Ljubljana has full sunshine from the early morning on. No fog. No rain. No clouds. Just blue sky with lucent sun rays!

Little treasures III

Do you know a story of a dreamcatcher?

I received one for my birthday many, many years ago from a friend of mine. I enjoyed company of this friend a lot; we talked hours about all sorts of things. He knew what I liked and I knew what he liked. He always gave me presents that I secretly wished for. So, one year I received this dreamcatcher that you can see on the photo. A weird one but one of my little treasures. Actually I had no idea what it was at the beginning (I was a bit ashamed, me, a person who adores Indians), and then he told me a story about this strange object. You can read it here.

When I visited the Wounded Knee site on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in 2001, there was a booth with a little Indian girl and an old Indian man in it, selling dreamcatchers. Their webs were of all sorts of shapes but none was like the spider web. That’s why I didn’t like them. Selling them to tourists. We didn’t talk a lot. I felt like a stupid tourist although I was there for quite different reasons than just tick a place on my schedule and move on. I was following a path of Crazy Horse and his people.

So, later, when I had some real sinew, real bird feathers (not those of chicken that you can buy in every craft store), a willow twig and some beads, I made a little dreamcather for somebody I loved. I didn’t take a photo of that one, so I cannot share it with you but I was very satisfied with my work. It was a masterpiece. I hope that it does its good work like mine beside my bed. Allowing only good dreams to filter through and catching the bad dreams which disappear with the light of a day.

Colors & dreams & everyday life

Each evening when I lay in my bed and close my eyes, I see wonderful colors and patterns. I don't remember any of them in the morning but it is so nice that this keeps happening every day. It might be connected with all your wonderful blogs that I browse through because every time I do this I get so many inspirations and another view on life as well. Colors are not only vibrant behind my closed eyes in the evening but also in real life:

Colors of my new sweater from H&M. I love those colors, all of them. The dark color is brown, not black. Black is the only color I don't really like wearing. (Too) Big Ears Mouse I made on Saturday. Inspired by these little ones and made with help of this tutorial by Lynn. I simply can't resist to play with it. I named it Miš (Mouse). :)
I was making (not baking) some sweets again, this time for my colleague at work. There's delicious herbal tea in a box, if you wonder. The wrapping was colorful. The recipe is simple:

Cook some whole spelt or wheat grains.
Cool.
Grind (I hope this is a correct word) one cup of it.
Add half cup of grind nuts, half cup of chopped raisins and some cinnamon.
Mix.
If you think that the mixture is not sweet enough, add some honey.
Make little balls and roll them in cocoa or chopped nuts or coconut (like I did with most of them) or anything else that you like and will taste good.
They are actually very healthy, you can even eat them for breakfast, if you like.

My mom was right. It smells of spring.

A party

Finally I gave it away. My present for the editor of our magazine. A little bird pouch. Remember? [It seems that I like these tissue flowers lately, they are so easy to make. Until spring, when the real flowers will be growing in my garden.]

She baked this cake:

It is like a front page of the magazine. There is a bird made of fruit on it, if you haven't noticed. [I didn't at first.] The party was ok and I met a few new people that I knew only by name. It was the third day in a row that I didn't have to cook at home. A real holiday time for me. I am really enjoying myself.

Have a nice weekend, all of you!

Time for myself

These last few days I am just relaxing and enjoying peaceful afternoons and evenings by myself. Doing nothing. Just daydreaming. Thinking of the future projects. A holiday after holidays which were really busy this time. My mom and dad invite me for a dinner every day and this leaves me with not even washing the dishes after cooking. I was in a library yesterday and evening was filled with reading. With a book in my hands and hot tea. Right, I fed my cats too.
On Saturday I baked some bread, a ciabatta this time. I froze some of it and I take as much as I need from a freezer every day. I always bake bread at home with only a few exceptions - if I forget my lunch bag at home. Then I buy it at a local shop.
I also indulged myself a bit the other day, buying some new kitchen towels.
And trying hard to make these little ones survive the winter. A little spring in my home.

Air

My mom says that is smells of spring.

I say that is smells of snow. It smells of the woods. A fresh air is coming down the mountains.

Often I think of some place where I’d been when the air smells like it smelled there. Of the towns, of the sea, of the woods. But the air here never smells like the air of the prairie.

Travel with me today

A place I wish to visit one day:

47°03'09.89" N
105°52'55.24" E
Elevation: 1193 m

Mongolia. Yurts. Plains. Grasslands. Nothing. Peace. Happy people.

Little treasures II

Puzzled? No, puzzles!
Once for my birthday I received a puzzle. And I became addicted that very moment that I put the first two pieces together. Perhaps for someone this is a waste of time but for me it is like creating something, a picture that I am not able to draw but put together piece by piece.
Mostly I was buying 1000 pieces puzzles by Ravensburger which proved to be the best fitting of all that were available in our shops. Most of the pictures were maps, all sorts of, mostly those 'ancient' ones. I love such maps. A night sky was also one I liked a lot. The stars were glowing in the dark.
The only one that I put together and actually hang it on a wall like a picture, was the one you can see on the photo above. A drawing by Janosch, one of my favorite illustrators. I have always had this puzzle in my bedroom. Probably you can guess, why. The guys on this picture are sleeping! The real colors are much more vivid and I still have to find a better frame for the picture.
My little treasure for almost 10 years now.

Earth

The world has become really small these days. I have always liked all kinds of maps. And the traveling, of course. And since I can't afford to travel a lot, I have been googling around the world. Check it: Google Earth. You can find your very own house (or place where you live) on a map. I did find mine. And some cars in front of it. Of course, you will have to download it first. Our beautiful blue planet on your screen.

I don't

I don't drink wine. I can't stand its smell and its taste. I don’t use wine vinegar for the same reason. The smell is just too terrible. Generally I don’t drink alcohol. Perhaps I drink for a finger of beer in the summer (every now and then), I do drink sweet liqueurs (also one made of wine) on some celebrations like birthdays and quarter of glass of champagne for a New Year (if it can’t be avoided).

I don't smoke. Never, ever. Of course, I tried it when I was about 20 years old but I didn't like it. Not for a moment. I even didn't go to the pubs and restaurants where people smoked. Luckily there's a law now which prohibits smoking in closed places. Good. At least for me.

I don’t wear makeup. I used to at the University but in very small amounts. Just some lipstick. Red.

I don’t wear high heels. Never. I used to for some occasions during the days at the University. I was asked to. Today I would never fulfill such wishes again. I like rounded, comfortable shoes. With no heels. The ones which are good for my feet. My feet feel fine in my shoes that is why I wear them.

I don’t have TV at home. For a simple reason. I would spend too much time watching it. Although the program is terrible. When I want to watch some show, I go to my parents’; they have too many TV’s. Two.

I don’t have an internet connection at home. I have a computer but no connection. I am afraid I would spend too much of my time browsing through your wonderful blogs. Addictions are not really nice and healthy. Tell me about it.

International Waterfowl Count

Each year in January I take part in the International Waterfowl Count (IWC for short). It is done in most of the European countries on the same weekend in January. This year we counted birds this Saturday and Sunday. I am fortunate to count them near my home on a river which is not often visited by people. It was warm on Saturday and even some sun was stretching its rays into my direction. Later I was wet from a short rain shower. I didn’t see many birds, like usual. There were lots of Moorhens, Little Grebes, some Great White Egrets. I saw and heard a Black Woodpecker, warning every bird around that I was there.

It was the third time I did my Waterfowl count. Three years ago, it was about -10 degrees Celsius and there was about half meter of snow. Frozen snow, so that I could walk on it. It was really beautiful although my fingers almost fell off of cold. I needed the rest of the day to get myself warm again. That year I had to walk longer distances, so it took me two days to do it. Last year I did the half of that distance. I shared it with my friend’s dad. It is much easier this way and we are both happy. Last January it was cold, cloudy, no snow and almost no birds. I was glad when I was back at home.

I took many photos this Saturday, it was just beautiful. The water, the trees, the moss, the nature itself. I came upon some hunters, hunting the pheasants. They were shooting. Lots. At some point I met them. I had seen them before they could see me. When one of them noticed that I was there, he shouted to his colleague: “Tone, don’t shoot!” (Tone was his colleague’s name). Scary. I saw only two birds after that and I was only half way through. And I saw a child with a pistol. I couldn’t believe my eyes. This is not usual in my country that boys of about 12 years would carry guns and pistols. Really scary.

On my way down the river I collected some shells. Perhaps I will make a bracelet of them one day. They are small, about 1 cm big. First I have to clean them of all the mud. They had been lying there for centuries, I guess because once there was a shallow lake here where Ljubljana stands today (many thousands of years ago).

Different thoughts in one post

When enough is enough.
If I can't get it here, I go and look for it somewhere else. Although I am too late sometimes.
I drove up the nearest hill to see the sun and the blue sky. Because you know what we have here when we look outside. Do I need to say it? ... You can see it yourself, on the photo below. I was too late to enjoy in the sunshine but I caught a glimpse of golden mountains. What you see in a distance is Triglav, with 2864 m the highest mountain in Slovenia. And in front you can see what we have here.
Anniversary.
It's been four years today since I am with my partner. I won't write a lot about our relationship but sometimes I think I deserve better. Don't get me wrong, he loves me very much and I love him very much. But I had a much better man before and I know that there is still someone like that out there. Who I would be happier with. Perhaps I don't deserve it anymore. My colleague keeps saying that we have what we deserve. Maybe I should just get used to it and stop kicking...
Ig Nobel Prize.
Research that makes people LAUGH and then THINK. Look at this Improbable Research web site. I had to laugh. And really, later also think. Perhaps you have any good ideas? Will you be one on the list in 2009?

Children

A few days before a New Year my cousin gave birth to a boy. This is her second child, her second boy. I think that she wished for a girl.
Three children of my mum's brother are all very beautiful, one of them was once chosen as the most beautiful boy at school. You will hear about this boy I think, he took part at the last Winter Olympic Games in Italy. Just after a New Year he has almost killed himself when he fell from his sledge at about 120 km/h. His helmet broke completely but fortunately he was not hurt. Not only beautiful, these children are also very clever. I have to admire them all. And also two boys, children of my cousin are very beautiful, and as it seems also very smart. This is a greeting card I made for her:

A lullaby. And little bears.

Don't envy me

because yesterday we could see something like this outside:
It's been on Christmas day when we had the last sunshine here in Ljubljana. One of the reasons I like summer so much.

I was browsing through my (holiday) photos yesterday. There are a few more I want to share with you. Holiday spirit in one of Ljubljana's parks. Pupils of Ljubljana's schools make colorful lanterns which are lit in the evening. Each year these lanterns hang in this park and it is really romantic walking under them.Each year on the first or second day of a new year we get together with our closest neighbors. We drink some tea and have a small snack. We chat. We exchange small presents. My presents to my neighbors this year: I baked cookies for them, with honey. I made those little angels and Father Christmases and wrapped them in a cellophane, and I made those little bags and put cookies into them. And believe it or not I have huge plans for the next presents for them. But you will have to wait another year to see what they will receive from me.

Little treasures I

During the holidays I took some photos of little treasures in my home. Of the things that mean a lot to me.
Today I am sharing with you a photo of a necklace made of tiny shells.A few years ago I gave my mum and dad a present for their wedding anniversary - a travel to Mauritius. My dad had been dreaming about it for many years and at some moment in my life I was able to pay them a short holiday on this island. It was a travel of their lifetime. My dad has got Parkinson's disease now and I don't think he will have a chance to experience something this beautiful again. A pity. I wish I could help but I can't.
From this journey they brought me this beautiful shell necklace that I still keep in a bag in which I had received it. I have never worn it. I just look at it from time to time, feel it in my hands, shells slipping through my fingers. Perhaps I will wear it this summer. For some special occasion, if there is one.

End of holiday season

Yesterday was absolutely the last day of a holiday season for me. At least I hope so. In a way. My granddad celebrated his 89th birthday yesterday and we all (about 15 of us) gathered in my grandparents' tiny living room. There was absolutely too much food, like always. I think that a need of lots of food on the table comes from those days of war they had to go through. It wasn't easy for them and after the war when they got married, there was nothing to eat.
My granddad was working as a baker in Austria at the time the WW II had started and therefore they forced him to serve in the German army. He was lucky to survive as he had been sent to a Russian front. Of about 1000 people only 7 survived. He was one of them. In spite of living in such an unhappy time, he was actually very lucky. In my opinion, the best thing that happened to him was meeting my grandmum. She is a healer. She is a kind of a magician, a fairy, call her whatever you like but she has those secret powers of a healer. I love them both.
Take a peak into a present I gave to my granddad:
Sweets for a sweet life. Perhaps a bit too sweet but it was the first time I was making those Raffaelo sweets.

On Saturday when I added a short post here, I was finishing my calendar for 2008. I haven't received any nice ones recently so I made myself my very own one. With the photos of the beautiful Alpine flowers I took during the last year. Now it just has to be binded and then I will be able to look at those beauties every day.What made me cheerful and happy the first thing in the morning are all your comments you left on my blog during a weekend. Thank you so much. A very happy Monday to all of you!

I sew

It is an exception that I am here today, behind the screen. Just a quick few sentences and then I have to go again. Today I sew a little ball and I found out that it is lots of fun to play with it. It is not perfect but I will slowly learn how to make it right.
The other day I sew a little pouch for tiny personal things. Useful. Happy Sunday, everyone!

The last days of 2007

I know, the last post was a bit boring.
Though the last few days of 2007 were not boring at all. Let me share a few photos with you, of the celebrations, of the family spirit. The rest comes later, in another post. The blue sky and my wanderings to find it among all this fog we had during the last days of 2007.

Christmas dinner with my family. It is nice to gather together with my parents and brother. I know I am going to miss them someday.

Some of the gifts I received for Christmas. A book about garden plants and a fleece blanket. I am cold all the time. I think I will have to go out more often and quit reading all those books. A good start of a new year, what do you think?Christmas decorations. On Christmas tree and on my table.
I baked. The most delicious cookies of all. At least for me. The upper ones. Below left are the ones I baked for our neighbors and below right are buns with jam. All of them very delicious. But I can't compete with my mum. She bakes the best of the best. Below:
What is in a box, huh?
Two of the cats that wait in front of my door every day?
No, they are the cookies my mum baked for the holidays (right, I added mine too). Don't think that this is all there was, below those on the photo are two more rows of different cookies. She has beaten all her records this time.

Slovenia & EU

Perhaps I should share these two news with you because they are actually very important for Slovenia as a country:

1. On 21st December 2007 Slovenia joined the Schengen area which actually means that borders to other EU countries don't exist anymore for the Slovenian citizens. I am very happy about this. Since I was about 14 years old I have always claimed that I am Slovenian before telling people that I come from Yugoslavia (luckily we haven't been part of it anymore since 1991). I am very proud of being a Slovenian. There are only about 2 million Slovenians in the world and we have achieved so much! After being part of so many countries (Austria, Italy, Hungary, Yugoslavia) we still have our own written and spoken language!
   
2. On 1st January 2008 Slovenia took over the EU Council Presidency. It will last half a year and Slovenia is the first of 10 new member states who joined the EU in 2004 to have this role. This also means a lot of extra work for the organization I work for but perhaps our nature will gain something from this as well.

2008

I am back from my short 'no-computer' break. I have lots to share with you, more photos than stories. First I checked some blogs I usually visit and I came upon Leslie's blog and her idea to chose a word which reflects last and this year. I chose endeavor for 2007 and freedom for 2008. Which two words would you chose to describe these two years?
I really hope that 2008 will bring some freedom and more determination to do the things which are on my wish list. I see it as a bright year but I am fully aware that nothing will be possible without at least a bit of effort. I hope it will be a good year for you, too.