Mid week post - And the winner is.....

Hi Everybody!

It's the middle of the week already, time is flying again!

The weather here is cooler than it was at the weekend, but still good for walking. Today we had a cool start and then a mix of clouds, sun and a very gusty wind, so I had to hang onto my cap again this afternoon, or it would have landed in the Rhine!

Thanks to all who entered my little giveaway last week.  I wish I could send something to all who entered. I wrote the names and put the folded papers in one of my caps.

Then I asked a neighbour to pull a name without looking. The first one he pulled was YVONNE - congratulations!! She will be getting the promised tag-book.

Then, as I was enjoying myself I told him to pull another one. This time

it was CATY!! Congratulations! She will receive another little tag book showed recently.

And then one more wanted to come out of the hat, and this time it was

SUE the IRON!! Congratulations! I have another little altered journal for her.

The cap used for the draw:

 And I will include a tag with each of them. Please let me have your names and postal addresses ASAP so that I can get your post off to you. You can contact me under  bastelmania(at)gmx.net

Yesterday evening the pigeons gathered in the tree behind the garden:

On Sunday I visited the Botanical Gardens of the Heinrich-Heine-University in Düsseldorf with Nelya. We had a fun time admiring - and sometimes sampling - the good things growing there:

Love this idea for collecting seeds:

Lots of wonderful veggies:

The teasels must have been 3 yards high:

Have a great day, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!

T sTands for Tags, This and That

Hi Everybody!

After a weekend that was perfect weather-wise,  we have started the week with a grey Monday - perhaps a chance to catch up on the dreaded Housew***!!

I was out and about all weekend, walked 45000 steps in 2 days, saw lots of nature's beauty everywhere and really enjoyed myself!

Today I have a new tag for Wendy's challenge at Tag Tuesday

You still have a week to join in with some fruity apples and pears. My first tag using the new stamps is here.

I used my newly carved stamps again. I stamped the apple three times using distress oxides in candied apple, salty ocean and seedless preserves. After I had cut them out I wanted to place them with foam dots on the background, a strip of yellow wallpaper from a huge book that a friend gifted me, along with 2 others - a wonderful paper treasure! The paper was matted with black and sewed together. Then I couldn't find the red apple. I searched everywhere for it, but had to stamp and cut a new one. I found it hours later, on the coffee-maker!

And you can still have time to join my giveaway here, it will close on Tuesday at 22:00 MET

Today is also Elizabeth's T stands for Tuesday link party, so here a warm welcome to all of the lovely ladies of the T gang. Here are some of my drink and food related photos from this week:

I unwrapped the cookie for you:

On Sunday I visited Nelya and she cooked us a wonderful meal - ground lamb with mushrooms and noodles:

Coffee in my fave mug and a Russian praline - which was very delicious:

It has a picture of Putin on it:

I hope I never get offered Trump chocolate or Boris Johnson candies - I could make a long list of other politicians, too:

 Although I bribed the rooster with bread it wouldn't turn round for me:

Gotcha!

Scenes along the way:

Loved these family scenes:

A notice to say that the farmer has left a strip of land uncultivated for wild flowers and pollinators - great idea:

The logs are left in the castle grounds to naturally decay to make homes for the insects:

The lion at the castle was enjoying the sun:

The Nile geese have new babies:

And the castle ghost was back again:

Saturday's spooky moon:

Have a great day, take care,

and thanks a lot for coming by!