Happy Everything

Hi Everybody!

Today I have a scheduled post to wish all

blogger friends a happy Christmas, happy Chanukkah

and happy whatever you are celebrating.

I am also linking to Art Journal Journey,

light and darkness:

 Here I used a photo taken on the lane behind the castle ruins-

Santa was added with a vintage image:

Some photos of the Christmas market, although it was a strange feeling

to be there after the terrible attack in Berlin:

The weather vane on the Uerige, one of the famous pubs in the Altstadt:

And as I turned round, I saw this old man sitting in the gutter, begging-

I hope he has a warm place to sleep:

And I saw three pairs of policemen, all armed

with machine guns - a sad sign of the times:

And the sunset over the Rhine:

Happy holidays to you all, take care,

and thanks a lot for visiting.

I will be back On Monday and will visit then!

May the light conquer the darkness

Hi Everybody!

We were all very shocked yesterday after the terrible

terror attack on the Christmas Market in 

Berlin.  Christmas will not be the

same again for so many families who have

lost their loved ones. It makes me feel very helpless

to witness all the bad things that are happening

all over the world, we so need love, tolerance and peace.

For Art Journal Journey, light and darkness I have a hybrid piece again.

We all need to hold fast to light and all that is good

 after this awful incident.

I am taking a few days blog break.

Wednesday is my birthday - a big, round one.

I'm not telling which one, but there's a 7 at the beginning, so make an educated guess!

This year has not been easy with operations, lots of pain

and other problems - it can only get better.

I just need some 'me' time-

I'll be back soon!

Have a great holiday season, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

T stands for taking a walk....

Hi Everybody!

For Art Journal Journey, light and darkness,

I have another hybrid piece. I found this background paper in my stash, and added some stenciled leaves and flourishes to the centre. The heart, light and quote were added digitally:

Today is also Elizabeth's T stands for Tuesday, so I

would like to extend a warm welcome

to all of the lovely ladies

of the T Gang.

Before we get something to eat and drink, you can accompany

me on my morning walk. I took some stale bread

and fed it to the ducks, who got

very excited about it:

 ''I saw it first - duck off''

''Over there, quick''

''It must be here somewhere''

I watched the ferry crossing, 

and cars driving off and on:

I walked through the back streets:

(Actually, I think we only have back streets here!)

The big building at the right is our skyscraper:

And this is the one and only supermarket:

I baked some delicious wholemeal bread:

And made some filled cookies, with bits of Mars bars and coconut

candy bars in them:

Go on, take a bite:

The bakery is filled with lots of tempting goodies:

And I decided to sacrifice myself and go in there

so that you all get to see it:

As I was in there I had to order something -

Cappuccino and spekulatius (spiced cookies) - help yourselves:

Hope you enjoyed your walk today!

Have a great day, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

A spark of light

Hi Everybody!

I am sure most people are still very busy getting things

ready for the holidays. These days I don't

celebrate anything - saves  a lot

of work! I have baked enough cookies

to put into bags for the postman and others,

so I feel I have done my duty....

For Art Journal Journey, light and darkness, I have a hybrid piece in which I combined a background photo with some stars (Itkupilli) and the 'paper town' images from Serif.

The photos were taken on my Friday walk through our little town,

except for the raven, who waits patiently every morning

for me to put out some food:

The tree stump is sprouting fungi again:

The ferry is on the other side of the Rhine. The restaurant 

is a popular place for Sunday afternoon coffee and cakes:

Looking along the tow path:

The next village down the Rhine, I hauled it in with my zoom:

The bridge up Rhine, taken from near the Basilica:

And here I brought it closer again:

The square by the basilica is one of my fave places, 

it really has good vibes:

The gull was waiting for its mates to come back:

The lovely flower shop:

It seems that they will be closing shortly, what a pity:

The old town hall:

Have a good new week, a great day, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!