Looking for signs of spring

Yesterday I went for a walk down to the Rhine, and was busy looking for signs of spring, but didn't find many! Next week it is supposed to be getting warmer, so I hope that will make a difference. Here are some of the photos I took along the way:

Here the ducks all looked very agitated, swimming around on the little stream next to our house. Perhaps they were having spring feelings?

Then I walked along the Rhine, past the castle ruins.

When the sun came out the Rhine looked really blue and sparkly, but when it clouded over the water turned grey again.

The next two pictures are of two of my fave corners in the Church Close:

After I had had a cappuccino and a croissant in *Café Schuster* for breakfast, I started back home. I like this picture of the Castle taken against the light.

Thie is the window to what was probably the dungeons in the castle, wouldn't like to live down there!

Then I walked along the shore. This is the spot where the *Kittelbach*, the little stream where the ducks were, flows into the Rhine.

I wonder whose big feet are standing in the water?

Here the ferry across to the other Rhine side is just setting off:

And here you can see the buds on a tree starting to get fat - looks like spring will soon be here!

I very much enjoyed my walk, and after I had had a rest and a coffee at home, I moved my living room round, cleaned, hoovered etc, and it looks a lot better. Tomorrow I will have a go at my bedroom!

Have a great day you all, take care, and thanks for visiting!

Auntie Cissie at the Doctor's

Today it's time for another double party - Darcy's postcard challenge and PPF, hosted as always by Eva and Kristin. It's Week 52 over at PPF, so birthday time! Big thanks and congrats to Eva and Kristin for making it happen!

For week 10 of the Postcard Challenge our journey is leading us to Canada.

Cissie at the Doctor's!

Poor Cissie has not been at all well for a couple of weeks; she gets out of breath when she goes up the stairs, and has even been off her food, which for her is a very disturbing sign. Jason decides to drive her to the doctor's, who discovers that her blood pressure is too high, and he tells her she is overweight! 'Overweight!?' she asks the doctor igdignantly! 'I am not OVERWEIGHT!! I have big bones, and the figure to go with it'. Jason looks at his feet during this conversation. Then the doctor tries again: 'Perhaps you should just try to eat a little less, and healthy foods, like fish!' Auntie Cissie splutters indignantly, 'I eat fish every day, a double portion, with a few chips, and here and there a few crumbs of cake....Jason, tell him I eat like a BIRD!!! Jason and the doc both have the same thought, but don't dare to speak it: 'A bird? A VULTURE more likely!'
Anyway, the doctor advises Cissie not to fly to Canada, as she was planning, but to stay home, eat lightly and go swimming or do some light excercises.
As Cissie has already booked her flight by a rather notorious cheap Air Company, whose motto seems to be *Fly or Die*, she can't get a refund, and decides that Jason will have to fly to Victoria. He doesn't need much persuading! But Auntie Cissie impresses on him how important it is to behave and dress correctly when in FOREIGN PARTS, as she says. Over a giant portion of fish and chips she tells Jason to dress decently and get himself a haircut before he flies!
Jason goes to his fave punk hairdresser in Brixton, and has his hair cut and styled. He buys a matching pullover, and boards the plane at Heathrow. Everybody looks at him, and the stewardesses all smile every time they bring him his drinks. After landing in Victoria BC, he gets stopped by two men who explain they are from Narcotics Control, and want to test him for drugs....But they soon decide that he is just a bit drunk, but otherwise harmless.
'Another stupid Brit', they say as they watch him go.

Jason loves Victoria, and soon makes friends there. They take trips to the Rockies, and see some wonderful places, but as usual, the pubs and bars of Victoria are the best places for him. But for some reason, he vehemently refuses to visit Chinatown, mumbling something about having had bad experiences in China.
Here is the postcard he sends to Auntie Cissie:

Let's hope that Auntie Cissie will soon be well enough for her next journey....

For PPF I am sharing the last of the paintings I did in Bad Honnef, which I also gave to one of the therapists as a present. And he really seemed to like it! The Hebrew writing along the edge says *The tree of the knowledge of good and evil*

Here I am settling in well at home, taking plenty of time, and doing things slowly by slowly.
Okay, that's all for today. Here's wishing you all a great day, take care and thanks for dropping in!

A scarf and a painting

Hi you all, thanks for all the welcome back messages you left yesterday! I didn't get too much done; I unpacked the cases, sorted stash back into the right places, and got the shopping, including my grilled chicken! Today I will do the washing and in between running up and down the stairs to the washing machine I will make my postcard for Darcy's postcard challenge on Friday.

Today I want to show you the last scarf I made in Bad Honnef, and another picture that I made for one of the docs there. I used acrylic paints in several layers one over the other, adding details with some sequin waste and pen and ink. The Hebrew writing down the side says *Keep me as the apple of our eye and hide me under the shadow of your wings*, (Psalm 17 v. 8) hence the wings.

So, that's all for today, I will be back tomorrow with some crafting *made in Düsseldorf*. Have a good day you all, take care and thanks for visiting!

Home is where your Big Shot is....

Hi you all, got back home this morning after an uneventful journey. My neighbours were pleased to see me - and I was happy to see them again, too! My next door neighbour had a pot plant to care for while I was away, and he brought it back, covered in lovely flowers and at least twice as big as it was before - what do I do wrong?? I think I'll have to ask how he looked after it!

I have been happily re-united with my big shot, my paper cutter, my cropodile, piles of lovely stash and my wonderful coffee maker. Now all I need is a good fairy to pop along, do the washing, and tidy everything back into the closets here!

I am off to get some shopping after I have drunk my coffee, I will have to cook for myself again! But perhaps I will bring a grilled chicken from the take-away today as a back home celebration.

I will miss the nice people I met in the clinic, and will definitely stay in touch with some who really became friends in the time we spent together.

Take care of yourselves, and thanks for dropping by!

Monday Monday

Hi you all, Monday again, the time is flying, and I am happy that I will be going home on Wednesday. I am looking forward to the reunion with my big shot, and my paper cutter, and my printer etc....
This weekend I got several things made, which I want to give as little gifts to staff here. The first one is a mixed media piece using lots of texture and paints which I mixed with stickles to give some sparkle. The second piece is a little collage with painted background.

Have a good day you all, have fun and thanks for dropping in!

March Calendar Challenge

Well, I am rather late with posting my calendar for this month, but I couldn't do it before today. I am not happy with it, as I have stuck the days on all wonky. I didn't intend to put them in straight rows, but neither did I intend them to be all at different angles! And my glue stick didn't help. I bought a no-name one from the local supermarket, and it was not only no-name, but no-stick, no-use and no-good. On Monday I will buy a decent one!

I painted the background in blues and greens, to give me some spring feelings, and did some stamping and embossing and some doodling before putting on the days. Next week I will be back home, and hopefully able to cut and stick straight again! I am linking up to the *Kathryn Wheel*

Okay, that's all for today. Have a good Sunday, take care, and thanks for dropping in!

Postcard Challenge # 9 and PPF Week 51

Good morning you all. It's another double party today, week 9 of Darcy's postcard Challenge and week 51 of Paint Party Friday hosted as always by Eva and Kristin.

On arriving home after his visit to Cuba, Jason is rather disgruntled to discover that Cissie loves cigars – she just doesn’t usually smoke because she likes to live healthily, and he has to watch as she uses his rum to make *Rumtopf*, fruits conserved in rum....which need to soak for weeks before they are ready to eat!
But as she treated him to a double portion of fish and ships at that fave shop, and promised him tea and cream cakes in the afternoon, he cheers up a bit.

This week Cissie is off to Switzerland with her best friend Thelma. Thelma has hardly spoken to her all week, because she would have preferred to go to Hungary, which reminds Cissie of HUNGRY, but by the time Jason heaves the cases of the two ladies into the coach at Victoria, they are happy again. After boarding the ship, they both put on the life jackets they have brought with them, as Cissie is rather worried after hearing bad news of some cruise ships that had problems. The captain tries to tell them that it is absolutely not necessary, but they refuse to remove them, even when he invites them into the bar for free drinks. They arrive safely in Ostend, and the captain is glad to see the back of them, saying *Those two barrage balloons couldn’t sink if they tried!*

After a long drive they arrive at their hotel in Geneva, where they spend 2 days before going on to Basel and Zürich, and visiting an alm, where the tourist guide has to push the two ladies by their generous butts to get them from the coach-park to the restaurant in an *Alm Hütte*. They do some sightseeing in the towns they visit, but ignore all the wonderful museums and sights to give them more time to eat and shop. Auntie Cissie and Thelma each buy themselves a *Dirndl*, the traditional dress with blouse and apron, although Auntie Cissie is rather concerned that it makes her look a little fat.... The shop assistant assures her that she looks very fetching - *Nein, nein, Madam, a Dirndle must goot sitzen, and you have the goot body for it!*

Before they go home, Cissie buys masses of swiss Gruyere and Emmenthaler cheese, and of course, enough chocolate to sink a battle ship. Here is the postcard she sends to Jason. She had her photo taken in front of the wonderful panorama of Zürich and the Lake.

For PPF I want to share a mixed media piece that I painted last weekend. Once again I have used lots of green, blue and gold.

Sorry I haven't been around this week, my cold was sooooooo bad that I had to stay in bed for a few days to avoid more complications, but I'm up again today, and am feeling a lot better.

Have a great day, take care of yourselves, and thanks a lot for visiting!