Embroidery

back from a 4 day visit to Ulm, the town where i grew up. preparing, supporting and celebrating the big party on the occasion of my parents 70ies birthday. it feels like i have been away for more then a week, met so many members, friends and companions of my family, very turbulent days and the biggest parts of them quite joyful.

in a rare moment on my own, doing some errands in the pedestrian zone i met this turkish men. sitting there, very calm in the middle of a busy road, making this embroideries that are describing his state and needs in a very discrete and beautiful way.
being handicapped and not able to work but in the need to earn some money for his family, asking for donations, either materials or money and offering commissioned embroidery.
he was very friendly, open and not bitter. i really would like to make something with him, unfortunately i did not manage to meet him again and have been too surprised when i talked to him first. I will ask my mother to do it for me, she knew him already.

much more to report but i have to fill the advent calendar for lou, she so wants to believe that it is not me doing it.

have a wonderful week!

Stars

thats what we see through the windows of our apartment at the moment
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found a nearly forgotten big big box with old polaroids this evening, another prove that time goes by so quickly but I liked what i saw and the medium suits that times very well ...i will post some soon

Encounters & Snow

So many encounters last week.
Usually I work until late and nobody expects me to socialize, but I decided to have a break for the rest of this year and my social life starts changing. I really like it but I have to get used to it too.
there have been some dinners with friends at our home, like with my friend G., i haven't seen her for about 7 years despite living in the same city, an invitation to a big one yesterday night, only women, numerous afternoons with lou's girls and one with a dear friend of mine, rehearsals with a childhoodfriend and my sister for the parents event, a rainy but wonderful day with Ola, another turbulent afternoon with her and the children, trying to make advent wreaths at the steiner school bazaar and inbetween a horrible and memorable encounter with an old but not so close friend, obviously homeless (but denying it) and somehow mentally ill.
all of it an social overdose. happiness and being irritated at once.
the last nights snow (unfortunately melted already) and rereading anna karenina, given to me by L. is a good antipode.

The Gang

they read everything, they play and cuddle like kittens, they invent stories in the bus, they sing and dance on the street, they are jealous, very different, they set up a bakery in our flat with a sign at the entrancedoor and i had the best day with all of them.
and my camera drives me crazy, overexposure in the automatic modus, i knew how to deal with it at the beginning, have to reread the mannual.

My Daughter

used to wear exclusively dresses and skirts and i always enjoyed to collect and make them for her. even in the coldest winter she refused to wear a trouser. we always had two pairs of wonderful big woolen leggings to keep her warm.

recently she decided to wear only trousers, enjoys soccer and is very proud to be the only girl in a new kungfu group of eight (older) boys.
this weekend, starting from friday morning, she spent at the countryside at a schoolfriend's house. yesterday i called her friend's mother to find out how she feels after i haven't heard anything for 24 hours, she just told me that she was fine and if she was aloud to pass the telephone back.

now she is back home and i have to learn again that our love doesn't become smaller in any way with her developing independence. We spent the loveliest evening together, feeling as close as we always did.
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tomorrow there is no school and i will spend the day with at least three 6 year old girls in jeans.

My sister

and me, early 80ies and just her today.
We had a lot of fun making objects out of cardboard for a little performance that we are planning to show at our parents 70ies birthdayparty, later this month.

lanterns

at the saint martins day yesterday, late afternoon with the kids and tonight at the opening of our friends exhibition. a street lantern in an aquarium in a snowstorm. Johannes i like your work!