Last week, I had three very different evening things in my diary, all of them enjoyable.
On Tuesday night, I opened my home for the neighbourhood, participating in the "Living Advent Calendar" that is organized for my part of town from one of the church communities. I am not a member of that curch, but I like the idea of it: Each of the days from the 1st of December to Christmas Eve, just like you would open a little door on an Advent calendar, you can visit a family, company or other venue. You are not told what it is about beforehand, just like you don't know what you'll find behind the door fo the calendar. The address is given, and the time, that's all. For instance, the school library hosts such an event; a local wine trader, an organization that helps single parents in need, and several families open their yards or even houses to anyone who wishes to attend.
Two years ago, my parents took me along to one such event. The family who had bought my Grandma's house from us had a fire going (in a very safe iron fire basket) in their back garden, served hot tea and cookies, and we were all gathering around the fire to sing a few Christmas songs and listen to a Christmas poem the hostess read. I didn't know anyone there apart from, obviously, my parents and the hostess, and I really enjoyed the friendly atmosphere. That made me want to try this myself, and the following year - i.e. last year - I hosted my own little Advent Calendar evening for the first time (no fire in my living room, don't worry!). So, that was Tuesday.
On Thursday night, my Mum and I went to a concert of our favourite live band, Cobario. I have mentioned them before on my blog, and you can watch a video of one of their live performances at Ludwigsburg's International Street Music Festival here:
Last week's concert was, of course, not in the park, but in the beautiful Music Hall in our town. Some good pictures from both inside and outside the hall can be found here.
This festive setting demanded a matching outfit, but since I was working all day and going to the concert directly from work with no time to change in between, I had to wear something suitable for both the office and the concert hall. Here is my choice:
On Friday night, my girlfriends were coming over for our annual Schrottwichteln. I've described the event here already, so won't go into all the detail again. Let it suffice to say that we had so much fun I was slightly worried about my downstairs neighbours (I talked to them the next day, and they assured me that it had only been "a little" noisy!).
Saturday was spent quietly, catching up on sleeping, cleaning, washing, ironing, reading, writing and playing.
On Sunday, I went to my parents' for a cosy Advent afternoon with coffee, homemade cake & Christmas cookies, and board games.
If I were to do "Thankful Thursday" posts like some of you, I'd have certainly more than enough reasons to be thankful!
After some rather boring book reviews as my last two posts, I have some more Decembery pictures for you today.
Three posts back, I already told you about the Christmas market. Last week, my Mum, my sister and I went there for our first visit of this season. After I had taken this picture, we had a look at nearly every stall to find presents for my Yorkshire family, and were of course successful.
This week, I wrapped up all the little gifts for them and posted the parcel to England, hoping it will get there alright and in time. In all the years such parcels have been going back and forth between Ludwigsburg and Ripon, only once one from Mary got lost on its way to us.
Last Saturday, just in time for the 1st of the four Advent Sundays, I put up what little decoration I use this time of the year. You'll probably recognize some of it from last year:
My living room, with the Advent wreath kindly given to me by my parents.
The desk in the Third Room, with my favourite Christmas cards from past years underneath the glass plate. (That thing gets heavier every year!)
This angel was given to me years ago by one of my Mum's friends, and it always has its place in the Third Room, too. (And now I am wondering whether Frances will see things in the wood of the cabinet doors!)
I can't remember who gave me this sweet little pop-up card, there is no note on the back.
The plate of baubles is new this year. I like it!
By now, Christmas cards have begun to arrive, and the sideboard in my living room is filling up nicely with them. Lots of activities - some Christmas-/Advent-related, some not - have been going on for me since the start of this month, which I will tell you about in another post or three.
This year, I wanted to do what I know some of my friends in blogland have been doing every year: Holiday Reading. So, two weeks or so ago, I started on a specific hunt on Amazon for free ebooks with a holiday theme, and found quite a lot.
Here are short reviews of the ones I have read so far. (Since all of these were rather short, and I did not complete the last one, instead of counting 5 books, I count them as 3.)
Four Weeks 'Til Christmas
by Jayn Wilde
Jayn is on blogger, too, as I have found out. You can find her blog post announcing the release of her christmassy novella here. This romantic story starts - you guessed it - four weeks before Christmas, when Noelle literally bumps into a man at the department store where she works.
Little does she know (but the reader, of course, does!) that this event has consequences - both for herself and the man. Read this if you are not afraid of very sweet romance, where the people involved "gasp for breath" nearly every time they set eyes on each other, and their bodies "tingle" all over whenever they hear each other's voices etc. Some of the characters are quite nice, some are too good to be true, and I don't think I am going to go and look at all the other books by this author.
The Christmas Bake Off
by Abby Clements
Click here for the author's website. Any book that involves a Yorkshire village and its characters is bound to catch my interest, and this short story did not disappoint. It was just what I had expected: some real characters, a Christmas bake off at the village hall, a budding romance and a crime (that turns out very harmless and is solved in a most unpretentious manner). Short and sweet, and I wouldn't mind coming across this particular setting again in a longer book.
Courtney's Christmas Wish
by H. M. Bailey
Couldn't find an author's website apart from Facebook, but I am not linking there; if you are on Facebook, of course you can look her up easily.
Courtney is invited to a party at her best friend's place, knowing full well (and preparing for it) that she'll see the man there she's had a crush on for so long. Of course, things don't go smoothly at first, but I can't imagine any reader being kept in suspense by this short novella, or surprised by the outcome. Just right for the length of two or three short train rides to and from work.
Christmas Miracles
by Kristine Pierce
The author's website with more information about the book is here. A - for me - unusual approach to Christmas: Here, we are in the Philippines, and it was quite interesting for me to read how this holiday is celebrated in a part of the world I know very little about, and which in all likelihood I am never going to see for myself.
Read this if you want a short, easy Holiday read with a different approach (no snow in this one!).
A Grosvenor Square Christmas
by Anna Campbell, Shana Galen, Vanessa Kelly and Kate Noble
I only read the first of the four stories in this book and then deleted it, because I know I am not going to read the other three. For me to enjoy romance in a (more or less) historical setting, I have to be in a certain mood, and I definitely was not in the right mood for Regency when I started on this one.
Don't get me wrong - the writing in this one is not so bad (I've seen much, much worse), and I can imagine that the stories do grip the imagination of some readers, just not mine.
For all the sweet romantic stuff in those five ebooks, I was very much in need of something more substantial, just like you'll want something savoury to eat after you've spent an afternoon baking cookies. Good job then that I can parallel-read when it comes to very different subjects, and that is what I have been doing nearly all the time, with a rather interesting work of non-fiction. That, of course, will be subject of another review.
Sounds like a children's book, and is one; not for small children, but quite clearly aimed at girls of about 10 - 12 years of age. "Polly and the Princess" was written by Emma C. Dowd and published in 1917.
I could not find out anything about the author, apart from that she died in 1938. This book is part of a "Polly" series, but I shall leave it at that and won't go looking for the others.
In this book, Polly is 13 years old. She is a physician's daughter and lives with her family near the hospital where her father practises. In the grounds, there is a home for elderly ladies (what went for "elderly" in 1917 is not necessary the same as today: some of the residents are described at being in their 40s, which would make me eligible for the home, too).
From the outside, people have the impression that the "June Holiday Home" (so named after its foundress, one June Holiday) is like paradise on earth for the ladies allowed to live there, and that they do have fun all day long, sumptuous meals and not a care in the world.
Polly knows better, though, because she is a frequent visitor, especially to one lady she has struck up a close friendship with: The head of the home rules with an iron rod. Everything is regulated, from talking (or rather not talking) in the hallways to walking only on the carpet when using the stairs (which means that one nearly blind lady almost falls, because she is not allowed to walk with her hands on the rail), to visiting times (only on Wednesdays from 2.00 to 4.00 pm) and very, very meagre meals (no dessert, stale bread, and the weakest of tea).
Things get really nasty when Polly finds out that the headmistress intercepts mail and does not pass on messages received by phone.
She does what she can to brighten the lives of the ill-treated women, who are all afraid of being turned out of the home, should they dare to rebel, and have nowhere else to go. One of them indeed flees the home and marries the milkman out of sheer desperation!
Finally, Polly manages to make the president of the committee responsible for the running of the home see what is going on, and action is taken. Not only do the happy ladies end up with each having their own telephone installed in their rooms, but Polly also acts as something of a matchmaker for her best friend.
This was sometimes really funny to read, but more often than not, it was just a bit too sickly sweet with Polly being soooo innocent and gold-hearted like nobody ever is in real life, and the lovestory being so predictable.
As always with books written in times past, this one offers a glimpse into everyday life from back then, when telephones were still brand new, and motor cars a luxury very few could afford.
Of course, I know that the above is not a real saying. But "as far as the eye can see" is, and I thought my adaption of it quite fitting as the headline for this post, because it is about perfume.
Until not that long ago, although I was well aware of how scents can affect us (see this post about everyone's very own time machine), I did not know much about perfume. Since I often use scented shower gels and body lotions, I used to wear perfume very rarely, thinking the result of combining the two would be too strong. The only perfumes I owned were two tiny sample bottles which I had been given from a cosmetics supplier.
Then, RJ started to become interested in perfumes. Whenever something hits his curiosity button, he goes about it in a very thorough manner. Having a Ph.D. in natural sciences and a diploma in physics, he uses an almost scientific approach to all his favourite subjects, and perfumes are no exception.
From a mere two or three bottles of scent, he is now the proud owner of a collection of just over 300 perfumes, all stored in an in-built cupboard at his small bachelor pad - even his stock of food had to make room for that.
Apart from simply enjoying a well-composed perfume, RJ can tell you everything you want to know about what elements it is composed of and in what way the "scent pyramid" works, showing its head note in the first few seconds, and revealing its heart and base in the course of several hours.
He loves choosing his perfume for the day according to his outfit and matching the occasion. He can discern many different types of scent now, and many of the single elements a scent is composed of. Many perfumes have a history; some have been reformulated after their original recipe, such as "Bois du Portugal", which was apparently Napoleon's favourite scent.
Like clothes, food, hairstyles and a lot of other things, perfumes follow trends and fashions. The 1980s had very different popular perfumes from what most people prefer now. Sadly, many let themselves be fooled into buying a scent that does not fit them (and is not particularly well done) simply because some celebrity or other lend their faces (and bodies) to its promotional campaign.
There is a whole world of knowledge connected with perfumes, and of course I can only scratch the surface here. RJ has given talks about his scented hobby several times already, to different groups, from a semi-business environment to the totally private "Perfume Party" we threw the other Saturday:
We invited some of our friends, shared a meal with them, and RJ talked about perfumes. He had brought a small collection of scents from his vast stock, to illustrate the various types of scent and to advise our friends on what they should know before making an informed decision next time they intend to buy a bottle of perfume.
It was interesting and entertaining, and I think all our guests had as much fun as we did in preparing and hosting the event.
By the way, ever since RJ embarked on this new hobby of his, my meagre stock of perfumes has risen to about 7 or 8 normal sized bottles (not counting dozens of samples). Some of them are better suited for spring and summer, others are proper winter scents; I choose a different perfume for going out than for a day at the office. I will never spend as much money on them as RJ does, and don't want to give so much space over to hundreds of bottles, but it certainly is an interesting hobby, and well worth taking a closer look (or sniff?) at.
...of it being that time of the year again: Christmas is fast approaching. Dreaded, I guess, by just as many as welcomed. For me, Christmas has not lost its magic; I still am as excited about it all as when I was a little girl.
Tonight, the Christmas market starts in my hometown. It is famous for being very beautifully laid out, and busloads of tourists come visiting every year. Just look at the picture on the official website and tell me you don't agree!
Sunday will be the first of the four Advent Sundays. It will also be the day when I'll put the few bits of Christmas decoration up that I want to see for the next six weeks or so.
Other sure signs are:
My new boots! I finally found exactly what I wanted, after having looked around in two or three different shops, and then I couldn't decide on which pair - so I bought them both, something that would have been unthinkable only a year ago. But things have changed (for the better) since then, and so I walked out of the shop with two large boxes in bags, feeling like the proverbial shopaholic. My Mum was my good advisor, as usual.
The one pair is for every day wear, with a robust sole, and I chose them half a size larger than necessary, to be able to wear an extra pair of warm socks in them.
The other pair is obviously not made for snowy and very cold weather; it is very lightweight and feels as if you're not wearing any shoes at all. Inside their box, they came with an elegant satin bag to store them in, stating the manufacturer's name - a traditional company of over 175 years.
Last week, my Christmas parcel from England arrived! I was not going to open it until Christmas Day, but when I rang Mary to thank her, she asked me to open the parcel (just not the presents) beforehand, because she'd put Christmas cards inside for me, my parents and my sister. For now, it sits in the Third Room (which used to be Steve's bedroom).
I have almost all the presents ready that I want to give, except for a few things I hope to get maybe on Thursday at the Christmas market, and then I can wrap them all nicely and put those together that are going to be sent to England.
When I left work yesterday, it started to snow. I don't like winter and snow very much, but the first snow is always special, isn't it? Very fittingly, on the train I ended up standing next to an old man with a large white beard :-)
This morning, I woke up to these views which I will use to end today's post, wishing you all a happy, peaceful and stress-free (remember: that kind of stress is home-made!) three and a half weeks until Christmas!
PS: If you're looking for a small, individual present that is lightweight and unbreakable (and therefore easy to ship), have a look at my Mum's Etsy shop; the link is on the left side of my blog. There's still time enough for whatever you choose to arrive before Christmas.
The full title of this work by William M. (Makepeace) Thayer reads "From Boyhood to Manhood: Life of Benjamin Franklin", and - you guessed it - it was yet another free ebook I found on Amazon's Kindle shop.
The author lived from 1820 to 1898 and wrote the book long after its hero died. There is, of course, a lot about Franklin to be found on the internet; wikipedia is maybe the first stop if you want to know the basic facts about the man - or brush up on what you remember about him.
He lived from 1706 to 1790 and was - quoting wikipedia - "one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat. As a scientist, he was a major figure in the American Enlightenment and the history of physics for his discoveries and theories regarding electricity. He invented the lightning rod, bifocals, the Franklin stove, a carriage odometer, and the glass 'armonica'. He facilitated many civic organizations, including a fire department and a university."
Thayer's book makes mention of almost all of this, but its focus is on Franklin's childhood and youth, which was spent mainly in Boston and Philadelphia.
According to the book, he was a highly intelligent child, an eager learner, and although he had the chance of only two years of proper schooling due to his parents' precarious financial situation, he took to reading and writing like a fish to water. A lot of his time was spent studying a variety of subjects; he must have used every waking minute (and sacrificed many an hour of sleep) on that. In a rather glorifying manner (and maybe a bit unrealistically), the author claims that young Benjamin excelled at anything he undertook, be it swimming, or printing, or learning a foreign language.
After a short stint at learning the trade of candle-making, which he hated, Benjamin became a printer, being apprenticed with his older brother at the age of 12. Circumstances put him in charge of the entire business of printing and editing a weekly paper as well as writing articles for it at the age of 15 or 16.
As lucky (and industrious) he was in terms of career and business, as unlucky was his choice of friends. Twice he was severely disappointed by close friends, causing him to lose a considerable amount of money.
He fell in love with and finally was allowed to get engaged and later married to Deborah Read.
How he became a statesman and arrived at all the other achievements mentioned above is described well in the book, but I hesitate to really recommend it. To me, it made a welcome change after several novels (more or less shallow ones, as you know from my previous posts). But I felt my patience tested quite a lot with this book: Thayer has a way of telling his readers about some event or other that occurs in his subject's lives, and a few pages on, a detailed account of the event or development is repeated in conversation between the main character and another person.
That can get quite annoying, and I must confess that I did go very quickly over some pages.
Still, it was interesting to learn a lot more about Franklin, his life and times than what I had known up to then. Also, I learned a lot about what business - especially the printing business - was like back then.
So, not a waste of time, just... quite a bit longer than necessary.
