Weekly Photo Challenge: Transmogrify

Tags

Denmark, photography, photos, Transmogrify, travel, Weekly Photo Challenge, Weekly Photo Challenge: Transmogrify

Last year I joined my aunt for a trip to Denmark. the weather was awful and my nose got stuck in between hay-fever and a cold.

On our last day we stayed in a beautiful small town called Kerteminde. It was a magical place, cobble stones and tiny houses with colorfully painted shutters and pots of geraniums outside every door but it rained non-stop as we walked around, our feet getting wet and my nose dripping as much as the drainpipes.

Just before lunch we ended up in the artists Johannes Larsen’s house. I was feeling quite miserable, my shoes squelched when I walked and my wet hair dripped down my back. I was just about to ask my aunt if she was ready to leave when suddenly a bright ray of sun filled the room we were in, dipping everything in a greenish hue (a reflection of all the trees outside) and creating a magical atmosphere – one filled with promise and joy.

a ray of light and suddenly the world changed

 

glittering graduation gifts

Tags

antik, Chalcedory, Dublin, gems, gifts, graduation, healing properties' of stones -, jewellery, Rhinestones, vintage jewllery

In Dublin there is a lovely antique jewellery shop called Rhinestones. It is just a short walk from Grafton street and I pass it often on my way to and from lecturing. Every now and then I go in and look at all the stunning pieces that hang in multitudes in various display cases. The whole place glitters and shines and is a true Aladdin’s cave filled with jewels, silver and gold.

I have rarely purchased anything as the price tags are often higher than my budget allows for but I love looking at the costume jewellery, the antique gold, the vintage designs and studio silver. But a few days ago  I was able to splurge and buy myself something special.

In less than two weeks time I’ll be donning cap and gown and going to my graduation to receive my Masters in Creative Writing. My generous Godmother is nearly as pleased about this as I am and she gave me a monetary gift with the stipulation I was to buy myself something I normally wouldn’t – and so I did.

At first I was drawn to items way beyond my price range proving to myself that I do have very expensive taste but after a little while I had picked out a handful of items I really liked and could afford: two rings and three pendants on silver chains.  After trying them on I soon settled for one from the 60s. At it’s center it holds a glass Aventurine and is surrounded by three rotatable rings.

But because I really like a 70s Chalcedory ring as well, and I still had some money left in my budget, the lovely shop girl gave me a deal and I was able to afford both. I had never heard of Chalcedory before but is is a variety of quartz.

Mine is of a milky grayish hue and seemingly the stone promotes enthusiasm, openness and transforms melancholy into joy. It is said to bring mind, body and spirit into harmony, increase physical energy and ease self-doubt.

Now I don’t know if I believe in the ‘healing properties’ of stones – to me it all sounds a little bit hippy-dippy – but since this gem seems to be filled with positive attributes I think I’ll allow for the possibility and hope it turns out to be true.

 

mornings on the go

Tags

airports, birthdays, family, flying, Ireland, leaving Dublin, life at airports, travel

I’m currently in the middle of six weeks of family birthdays, it starts with my nephews and ends with my own. And since one them is celebrating a wonderful noughty (or maybe it is naughty) birthday I am giving up some precious hours of sleep and boarding an early morning flight to Germany.

And although I had to drag myself out of bed just a few hours ago there is something really nice about airports in the morning. While the rest of the world is only slowly waking up the airport is already a hive of activity – it’s a bit like an enchanted universe all of its own.

I treated myself to a double espresso at Butlers and enjoyed the complimentary chocolate too and sat to watch the people around me. Curled up on a few seats were two little boys, still fast asleep beside their parents who were waiting to be called to their gate. Next to me sat a business man in a dark gray suit that matched his complexion, clean shaven but with dark sleep deprived bruises under his eyes, he was shouting into the phone in short busts of a language I  couldn’t understand. A loved up couple cuddled up to each other as they shared a croissant, the rest of the world fading away their rose-tinted eyes.

And then it was time to take off … I left Dublin before the sun rose and as I flew towards Germany the sky was dipped in pink.

 

knitting a scarf

Tags

aran wool, knitting, knitting pattern, scarves, skein of wool, wool, woolen scarf

I own several winter scarves but I have a favourite one that I’ve had for years. It’s a wine red and grey tartan about two meters long and half a meter wide. Technically it’s not even a scarf but a long bit of woolen material with a seam running around it’s edges. And technically it wasn’t even mine but my sisters first – until she gave it to me when I was about 17 and I’ve been wearing it ever since.

However my mother often asks me if I don’t own other scarves since it features so heavily in my winter wardrobe, always wondering if I wouldn’t consider trying something different.

So this year I made the effort to look around the shops and see if I could find one I liked as much as the one I own, but I couldn’t. So instead I decided that maybe I should make one, knit one.

I bought a skein of teal coloured Aran wool and looked for a pattern online. After finding one I really liked I wound the skein into a ball realising I’d probably need more if I wanted the scarf to be nice and long. But not to be deterred I began knitting my new scarf.

13 rows in I had to unravel, I had miscounted and the pattern was way more complicated than I thought. So I tried again and again I had to unravel and I just couldn’t figure out where I was going wrong. I briefly considered an easier pattern but I didn’t want to be defeated by the wool.

Finally I managed to get it right and I now have 18 rows of scarf knitted. However if I keep up this pace I won’t have it finished this winter. Since I want the scarf to be long I have many hours of counting and probably unraveling ahead of me and I just hope that I either can quicken my pace or that next years winter will be cold.

surprise in the post

Tags

friends, German goodies, goodies, parcel, photo, photography, post, surprise, tea

My Mondays are often filled with organizing and preparing but yesterday my usual trudge was interrupted by a knock on the door. Outside stood the postman with  parcel in his arms – a shoe box filled with goodies just for me.

Unable to hold my curiosity I abandoned all of my tasks and unpacked the parcel at once. Inside were boxes of my favourite fruity teas – a must at this time of year. Bags of licorice, some chocolates, those fizzy mineral thingies I love and a fold-up shopping bag quoting Cinderella.

My good Friend C has just come back from a trip to Germany and she was my postal fairy godmother. Not only did I feel much loved and very special that she took the time to pack me a parcel but I am thrilled how well she knows what I like.

And while I know delayed gratification is meant to be good for you I decided to not wait and indulged in a cup of tea and a treat before I went back to my desk. The perfect way to interrupt the day and an even better way to start the week!

German goodies just for me

first fire of the season

Tags

autumn, carbon monoxide alarm, chimney sweep, fire, fire place, home, luck, turf

I love the open fireplace in my living-room, there is just something so relaxing about sitting in front of a blazing fire while enjoying a cup of tea. I love watching the flames dance as warmth and the fragrant smell of turf fills the room.

So on Saturday night the chimney sweep came to make sure it would be safe to light a fire. I was amazed how quick and efficient he was and I was even more amazed how little soot came down and how quickly he had the whole thing tidied up again. He even fastened a carbon monoxide alarm to the wall to keep me safe.

Yesterday evening it was finally time, I made myself a cup of tea, lit a match and ignited a fire. I then spent the evening with my feet up enjoying my first fire of the season, reading, knitting and watching TV.

The only problem was that it was so cozy and lovely that I stayed up well beyond my bedtime hours. Now I hope that the chimney sweep left some of his luck behind and this week will be filled with wonderful surprises.

first fire of the season

making us believe

Tags

believing, cognitive fluency, Oscar Wilde, quote, truth, truth and lies

What is the truth? Something you can prove with fact! But what if there is no book knowledge or facts to support what you believe to be true? And how easily are we swayed to trust in something untruthful?

Studies have shown that advertisers, politicians and even journalist use repetition to make people believe them, and interestingly enough it works. The reason behind this is something called cognitive fluency, basically how easy is it for the brain to think about something. When something is familiar we need less effort to process the information, which means we are more likely to believe it to be true.

This obviously makes it harder for us to believe complex thoughts or ideas. If our brain has to go into overdrive to compute elaborate and manifold thoughts we become distrustful, our minds confusing new with wrong. The only way to bypass this default setting in our brains is to repeat the information, even just once helps, but three to five times is optimal.

However we don’t just blindly believe something we hear again and again if we concentrate, when we actively process the information presented we are less likely to fall into the “I’ve heard it before so it must be true”-trap. This means that advertisement benefits from the fact that we are normally too distracted to really compute what we hear, making it easier for us to just except it to be true, instead of using precious mind power to think about it.

Another trick advertisers use to make us believe that what they have to say is true is imagery.  When we hear words and see a picture of the topic at hand at the same time we are more likely to trust the statement. Somehow our brains associate pictures with proof, turning it into a fact and we believe it.

So maybe if we want that pay-rise or an extra day leave we should just keep telling or boss about it, hold up a picture of a pile of money or a beach while we do so and wait for moments in which  he/she is distracted. Maybe then he will believe it and give in to what you know to be true!

After all as the wonderful Oscar Wilde once said:

The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple

Weekly Photo Challenge: Shine

Tags

Dublin, photography, photos, Shine, urban landscape, Weekly Photo Challenge, Weekly Photo Challenge: Shine

When the autumn sun hangs low in the sky, just before it sinks into night, everything is dipped in a golden hue. For a few brief moments the whole world becomes beautiful, discarding its urban dullness in the setting sun. Even the bollards around the corner take on a golden glow and shine in the reflecting sun.

sunny days in Dublin

Tags

autumn, Autumn in Dublin, Dublin, Dublin roadworks, Ireland, photography, photos, sunny days, walking around Dublin

Dublin has been beautiful this Autumn as we have had our fair share of beautifully sunny days. And since the roads are full of roadworks I’ve often opted to leave my bike at home and walk around town. And while it may take  a little longer I have been enjoying experiencing the city I live in on foot and thought I’d share a few photos I took with my phone this week.

roadworks are everywhere in Dublin

enjoying the sun while walking down the boardwalk

being eyed up by a bird

wisps of clouds

the Custom House is looking its best

the sun painting houses orange

fresh veggie delivery

Tags

beets, cooking, food, food delievery, Green Earth Organics, health, healthy, healthy eating, organic food, organic vegetables, potatoes, vegetables

Recently I decided to try out something new and ordered vegetables online. The whole thing started when Green Earth Organics popped up in a conversation I was part of on a facebook networking page and because I liked what they said I decided to check out their website.

I loved the idea of a box of seasonal, organically grown vegetables delivered straight to my door and their prices were reasonable too. The boxes on offer come in different sizes and different contents: large ones for families, ones picked for juicers, one with purely Irish produce,  and one filled with favourites. They even have bags of fruit and an array of other healthy products.

Since I live on my own I opted for a small box for the test run and this morning a white van pulled up outside my door delivering a box filled with freshly picked vegetables:leeks, beets, broccoli, potatoes, carrots, onions and parsnips. Green Earth Organics even added a handwritten note and recipe to help inspire their customers what to cook.

Now I can’t wait to cook the vegetables and find out if they taste as good as they look. So tonight I’ll be enjoying some fresh beetroot and I see some yummy vegetable soup over the weekend.

I can’t believe how excited I am about this but I have to say I am impressed how easy and efficient my online vegetable shopping experience has been. So I’ll possibly be seeing more of the friendly carrot Green Earth Organics has on their logo as I think I may become a regular customer: fresh vegetables delivered directly to my door is just to good to pass up on.

a box filled with healthy vegetables