kochstetten

Today we visited the weekendhouse my father planned and built in the late 60ies for his uncle Otto, now owned by his daughter and her sons and grandchildren.
My parents still have a key too. I haven't been there since my early childhood, so many memories were coming back, it was such a joy to show lou all the little secrets of the house like the stairs that lead to the hidden bed above the kitchen, the many things/toys O used to make as a crafting genius like the little wooden figures, the little carpets on the bench and, and , and...
I was very surprised how much I memorized because we just went there the first years and so have been my parents, but when I asked my father if he would be willing to plan a similar house for us near berlin if we, perhaps sometimes would be able to afford to build he did not react. He might not have understood how much I appreciated it, then and today.

stripes and big fish

a summer day in the south of germany at my parents, stripes, my dear mother reapairing more stripes, nice neighbour girls, making last week even more heavenly for lou and very big carps in the lake we swam today.

many good things

the pairing of Caspar David Friedrich's the monk at the sea and Marc Rothko's painting at his retrospective


discovering this artist by meeting B in my favorite bookshop with a big pile of books on her lab, this one on top

getting rid of tons of clothes/costumes today

finally getting a picture of the bunnys living on a trafficisland which I drive by every friday evening
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being just with L for 3 days
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travelling to the south of germany on sunday, picking up my beloved daughter at my parents
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reinventing plans of going here for 2 weeks in august, maybe, the three of us and friends

The Lady's House

It is nearly 4 o'clock in the morning, I am sitting in my bed in the hotel in Hamburg, not able to sleep after nearly 20 hours of concentrated and physical work. I have to show you this, we have been shooting this evening/night in the house of that wonderful and stylish lady above. She was just adorable, completely autonomous, her history and taste preserved in that house. She was respectless but very polite with a very good humor and not impressed at all with us ignorant film-and the advertising people. She offered us selfmade sugarcake , a local speciality, homemade potatoesalad and her kindness, she just made my day because it was so good to meet a real person amongst all that superficial crazyness, I wish I would have learned more about her, we just chatted along a little bit.
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other good rooms found via another blog, sorry, too tired to remember, will put in correct address tomorrow

My old house & where the wild things are

When L was working in Hamburg recently he was booked into a hotel that is located in front of my old house. I used to live there before I moved to Berlin to live with him, 10 years ago. The house was abandoned when he took the pictures, it seemed like I just moved out.
I really loved the little house in the backyard, it had a garden on both sides and it was my first proper apartment after a long period. It was a little bit spooky too because it was unblanked from both sides but I liked it so much because I felt such a relief to have my own place.
It was expensive but the only thing I was able to get because the landlord was the only one who trusted me without having a regular income. I used to pay in daily or weekly rates, whenever I was able to I gave him some money.
The last two years before I moved into that little building I lived either in a shitty flat together with people I hardly knew, temporarily even in my very small and humid one room working place (souterrain) or in the tiny tiny room my friends offered me when I was completely broke.
It is strange and mysterious to see a place where I used to live long time ago, my live was completely different then, a lot of memories are coming back seeing the little house.
Sunday I will go to Hamburg for work, just for a couple of days, haven't been there for a long time.
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I am very much looking forward to seeing Spike Jonze movie adaption of where the wild things are by Maurice Sendak. Thank You dear L for the link and compliment, I am very moved.
I wish one of that wonderful wild things would have shown up in my former garden.

neon

I was running and driving around (in a big white BMW !!! the production rented for me) all day for work. Shopping, collecting clothes, getting and doing a lot of unnecessary phone calls, this job feels more and more strange to me...I liked the girls, they somehow suited my day, alien and bright.
In the evening I went back to the carrental and changed it into something dark, decent and practical. Feel much better now.
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This morning I got this from my little sis, the other music obsessed with L. in the family. If You don´t know it already here is Feist at Sesamestreet. Her fragile, dramatic voice and the goofy puppets, what a wonderful composition.

wanderlust

with the official summer vacation starting the day after tomorrow in Berlin, we feel a big wanderlust, used to traveling a lot, the hole family is irritated by the idea of staying at home and at the lake.
Yesterday Lou and I stumbled upon this little asian market in a park in the west of the city. We found it by chance on our way to another fleemarket, our new weekend ritual. We saw all the umbrellas and tents in the small park and we were curious to find out what they were protecting, to our big surprise and her total joy we learned it was the thaifoodmarket which is hold every weekend by thais living here. They are cooking meals in improvised streetkitchens . I heard about it but never found my way, nor did I knew where exactly it takes place.
We called L to join us and had a delicious late lunch, on very pink plastic stools in drissling rain, embedded in the calming chitchat of the thaiwomen, the familiar smell of the wonderful food, comforted by memories to our long and very special stay in asia last winter.
Like always I admired their art of professional improvisation.

headpieces

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today: a paperbaghat and a furcap, found at the fleamarket, Lou insisted to buy it for the winter and saturdaymiddaydiscodancing with shantel & disko partizani

old project

I managed to post some pictures at flickr of clothes for children, another project I did with a friend in 2003/4.
After we set up the whole collection and a small shop with all our enthusiasm, savings and commitment we had to close down our label after a couple of months.
We just wanted to make the clothes like we imagined them, despite of effort or costs, we did not sleep anymore because of being divided into mothers, partners, fashion/fabric designers, shopkeepers, production supervisors, and other work to earn some additional money.
I realized too that the hole process of setting up a collection from A-Z was taking away all my enthusiasm for the subject but the experience made me able to discover again the advantages of my original job.

clearance

Today the three of us at home, Lou a little bit sick, L. still not recovered but much better, so unexpected and nice to spend time together during the week.


A glimpse into my laboratorium, slowly I have a vague idea where it might lead me to...
and finally we were able to fix a schedule for the next weeks, some if's left from my side workwise but a big step into planning and being able to think further then tomorrow again and even if our little vacation and some days off are still ahead I already miss the time without any boundaries and no "work"

weekend

audience and lou at the opening of the last post...everybody and lous friend M at the lake, waterbombs, mani-and pedicure by teenagegirl, trying to calm everybody down with skilled handiwork, a bonus I got in a treasure box I bought at the fleamarket.
So much energy with four children, loud, happy and turbulent, my nerves a little bit at the edge, was hoping to be able to do something, at least I made a very good currant cake and had some vague idea of a concept to bundle all the different approaches to the "things" I am trying to do...
Just poor L. staying in Berlin, very weak due to a heavy tooth/jaw operation, his one cheek swollen to a gigantic bump. He preferred to stay at home to find some quiet time and the possibility to recover, well prepared with painkillers and lots of soup and the magic pürierstab to pulverize everything eatable.
recently he was complaining about my posts being all about Lou and crafting, he may be right, for next week my intent is to change the subject!