Star quality

I love nail polishes and always see new things on the web, that I want to try. I've recently ordered a variety of stones, striping tape and stickers - which are all waiting to be experimented with.

But today, I will show you my new magnetic nail polish. I've got them in silver and red/purple. So far it hasn't worked very well. Not sure whether my nails are too curved, but the magnet usually only has an effect on half my nail and a lot of the time the effect is minimal, too. I've now bought a separate magnet from essence which leaves a star design on the nail. Again, the effect is certainly not as visible on my nail as it is on the packaging. Maybe I just need to practise more?

it came out best on my middle finger - on the little finger, you can hardly see anything...

And another star-y experiment: little silver star stickers. Which started to fall off after a day...

not a very good photo...  sorry!

Port Lympne

As promised, here are some photos from our day out at Port Lympne. I like animals, and I like going to the zoo. But I also feel bad about the conditions under which the animals have to live. I guess, Port Lympne is a kind of compromise. The wild animal park is spread over 600 acres and most animals have quite a lot of space. Even though it's of course not the same as living in the wild.

Tickets are quite expensive (£23.95 for adults), but you can get a passport for the same price, which grants admission to the park for a whole year. So, if you live close by, it's certainly worth it.

What a view on Kent's countryside

the orang-utans share their home with rabbits (I didn't manage to get a photo with both in it)

apparently they never slide down the helter-skelter, they just climb up and down

all three tigers were having a nap in the sunshine

Just chillin' in the sun

cuddling with baby - but such a sad face...

grooming time - it must be nice to be in the centre of attention

More childhood memories

Every household seemed to have one. It didn't come out very often, and it was always a special treat: the waffle maker! After moving to the UK, I realized that waffles don't seem to be part of a British childhood. Or at least, it was really difficult to find an affordable waffle maker anywhere. In the end, I bought one (an American one) over ebay:

It came in this nice packaging.

I'm usually too lazy to get it out, but today I really fancied some waffles. I tried this apple and cinnamon recipe from the manual that came with the maker:

120g self-raising flour [I only had plain flour, so simply added a little bit of baking powder]

pinch of salt [I always wonder whether this really makes a difference - it's only a pinch after all!]

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 egg

200ml milk [it said whole egg in the recipe... but I interpreted it as milk]

1 medium sized apple, grated

2 tbsp vegetable oil

1 tsp cinnamon

Sift the flour into a bowl. Mix the sugar, salt and cinnamon with the flour and make a well in the centre [again - what's the purpose and will it make a difference?]. Add the egg, milk and oil and whisk together. Finally, add the grated apple. The plates are non-stick, so you don't need any butter or oil.

And then enjoy:

25h

I love staying in hotels. I don't like living out of my suitcase (mainly because I like to be able to choose from all my clothes, every day), and I wouldn't want to have to travel constantly. But once in a while, I love staying in a hotel. A few weeks ago, thanks to my dear little brother, I was staying at the Goldman 25h hotel in Frankfurt.

soooooo cute!

 I love the spiral staircase.

Penguin lamps in the foyer

The receptionist was lovely and we got to pick our room. All hotel rooms have their own designs and each floor has its own colour scheme. I instantly knew that it had to be the sheep room:

Way up high

A little while ago I told you about the Overcome the Fear of Flying CD* I had bought. I listened to it once (and couldn't even finish it...). And that was that. Even though I was fully aware that I was safely lying in my bed, the gentle voice which was telling me to imagine being on a plane and to start believing that even major turbulences would be OK, induced a certain level of panic.

A friend of a work colleague will be attending one of British Airway's Flying with Confidence workshops. Having considered one of those for a while, I looked into this.With £249 (including a flight at the end of it), it is actually less expensive than I expected.

Having had to fly to Germany a couple of times in the past weeks, I just had to do it anyway. And I thought to myself: I believe that such a course would help me. Because I know that my fear is irrational. So, why would I need somebody to explain to me that flying is safe. When I already know.
So, I've been making an effort to 'cure' myself from my fear. And I can see a little progress. Take off is still the worst bit of it all. And the little turbulences when breaking through the clouds, still make me want to take an oath to never set a foot on a plane again, but I managed not give in to the rising panic. On my most recent flight back to London, I even found myself enjoying the views at some point. The whiter than white clouds, the amazing blue sky were simply beautiful.

And here are some impressions:

Don't you just want to get out and touch the clouds?

This is all you get nowadays. I used to love plane-food!!

BTW, anyone who has any advice on how I will become a confident flyer: please do not hesitate to contact me!

* The Deep Sleep CD by the same guy still works wonders for me. So much so, that I wonder whether I have gotten slightly addicted... When I don't listen to it, I am finding it difficult to go to sleep and I never seem to sleep right through the night.

The C word

Expect the unexpected. But I didn't. We didn't. They've found a tumour. And for a couple of days, I made myself believe that surely it must be benign. Then the news that it is malignant. But they can cut it out and then it's gone as there are no metastases. So they thought.

The histology report of the tumour showed that at least seven of the surrounding lymph nodes were affected. They have been removed, but nobody knows whether the cancer has spread elsewhere. There is a chance that my Mum is already cured. But there is also a chance that she isn't. And the doctors are therefore recommending chemo.

I've known for a few weeks now and it still feels unreal. On the one hand there are all the positive stories of recovering patients, of incredible advances, of a chemo that has far less side effects than it used to have. And on the other hand you see your Mum lying in a hospital bed.

Communication with the doctors has been appalling. In a country like Germany. Such a distressing time for the patient as well as the family and there is just silence.

Even when writing this down, it seems as if this is somebody else' story.

'Allo, 'Allo

No, this is not actually about the British sitcom "'Allo, 'Allo". Even after quite a few years in the UK, I haven't yet been tempted to watch an episode. I guess I can't quite see the appeal of a sitcom (!) that is set in France (the bit occupied by Germany) during the second World War...

The other day on BBC6 radio, Gideon Coe played a song by Allo Darlin'. That's how they describe themselves on their website: "Allo Darlin' are a fan's band. They are close friends who found each other and the music they make in London. Elizabeth and Bill are from Australia, Mike and Paul are from Kent." Their second album will be released this month. Still making up my mind about their music.

May Glossybox

I was pleasantly surprised when I received my Glossybox today - given that according to their facebook page, the boxes had only just been dispatched today (last time I waited a week before it arrived). Glossbox is celebrating it's first birthday, and the box had been hyped as the Anniversary box. Well, I didn't think it was anything special. I have one more box to come and at the moment, I don't think I will renew my subscription (unless another substantial discount code will come my way).

Here's what I got this time:

• Noble Isle bath & shower gel: smells really nice. But it's the third shower gel in 6 (?) boxes. Including a large full size gel in the April box.
• Lolita Lempicka: 2 perfume samples: Si Lolita and Lolita Lempicka - nice enough smell and I intend to take it with me on short travels, but too sweet for my liking, so wouldn't buy it
• Apivita Express beauty mask - moisturizing and nourishing face masks with honey: two sachets; happy to try, but not particularly impressed
• Osmo Berber oil hair treatment - another hair oil. Haven't even tried the other one. It smells very nice, but I feel a little uncomfortable about putting oil in my hair - won't it get greasy??
• Eldora false eyelashes - I've always wanted to try fake lashes - so this is great. Even though, I wouldn't wear these outside the house (ok, flat), given the coloured bits and sparkles

As birthday extras, the box also contained a compact mirror and a birthday balloon.
Voila:

XL photo so you can see the glitter on the lashes

Back again

I haven't been writing my daily entries recently, but I am hoping I can get back to my routine a bit. There is certainly lots of stuff going on in my head, that I will try to put down in a blog entry.

Summer in the city

After several weeks of mainly rain and greyness, summer has arrived in London. Unfortunately, 28°C in the city isn't particularly pleasant. My colleagues even put the air con on in the office (with windows open, it didn't really seem like a good idea...). A lot of Londoners seem to be enjoying the summer elsewhere, as the public transport was surprisingly empty during rush hour - I am not complaining!

Now that the sun has come out, my hay fever is also making an appearance. But - touch wood - so far to a bearable extent. The sun is even predicted to last all weekend long - let's hope the forecast is right for a change!

The garden of England

After a couple of very rainy weeks (The hosepipe ban continues anyway. Very hard to believe we are living through a drought...), the sun finally came out again over the weekend. And we made the most of it with a visit at Port Lympne - photos and blog entry to follow - and a walk through Kent - the garden of England.

We must have missed the right turn, and didn't actually find Victoria Woods, but wandering around the fields was just as nice. Everything is green, sheep are peacefully grazing and other people (dog walkers, horse riders) greet you with a smile and a hallo.

I want to have a farmhouse with my own sheep and dogs.

I love 'blue sky'- photos!

And also tree photos :-)

Lots and lots and lots of daisies

And more daisies, more closely

And sheep - they always make me squeal

What a finale!

Last day of the season for the Premier League.

Manchester United and Manchester City on same points, but with ManCity having a better goal difference. ManCity played QPR at home (who were fighting against possible relegation) and ManUnited played away at Sunderland.

If both of them win or loose, ManCity wins the Premier League.
If ManCity loses and ManUnited draws or wins, ManUnited wins - and vice versa.

I was watching ManCity vs QPR - and what a game it was. Joey Barton lashing out and getting sent off. QPR going into the lead (2:1). And ManCity scoring the winning goal in the 94th (!!!!!) minute.
ManUnited won 1:0 and had to wait another 2 minutes after the end of their game to then find out that they had lost out to their local rivals.

So, I am glad after all, that I didn't put money on ManUnited winning.
Happy days!

PS: And as Bolton didn't manage to win against Stoke (even though admittedly, the first goal they conceded, shouldn't have counted and the penalty they got, didn't seem fair either!), QPR is actually staying up after all, despite losing to ManCity.

Emirates Air line

With more than 100 posts, I have lost oversight a little - so if I've written (ranted...) about this before, I apologise.

what a beautiful sky - can you spot the Emirates Air line in the distance?

In 2010, plans were announced that a cable car would be built, which would be ready in time for the 2012 Olympics. The aim seemed to have been to help with the increased number of passengers during the games as well as providing London with  a cable car like in Barcelona or Singapore. Having been on both these cables cars, I think I can safely say, that the London cable car will be nothing like them.

The car operates between Royal Victoria Dock (where I happen to live) and the O2 Arena car park on the Greenwich Peninsula. It will cross about 1km and it will take about 5 minutes to do the crossing. As per usual, the original estimate of costs was far off the mark and have increased from £25 million to currently £60 million. I don't think it's yet clear how much a crossing will cost, but they are planning to enable passengers to use their Oyster card as well as taking their bikes on it.

My main question is this: why would anyone want to use it? Other than for a one off? There is nothing much at either side of the stops. Royal Victoria Dock is close to the Excel Centre, where some of the Games will take place. And there are a few hotels. But that's it. Then there is always the O2 Arena on the other end of it. It takes about 10 minutes to get from Royal Victoria to North Greenwich by DLR and tube. And I am assuming this is cheaper than the cable car.

I am also unclear on what the views will be like. And anyway, will anyone go on it for the views, if the ride is over after 5 minutes already? (admittedly, the Barcelona cable car ride is only 7 minutes, too - but much nicer things will await you at the end of it).

Well, I might be proven all wrong. We shall see.
And I have to admit that it looks quite neat - especially on a sunny day like today:

The cabins on their trial run

Colour shopping

After some very grey and rainy (VERY rainy) days, the sun finally came out today. So, I thought it was rather fitting to do summery-colour shopping:

Something very German: ein Brettchen. Used as a cutting board (for bread) as well as plate. If you look closely, you can see that the sheep is made of bread. AND it's pink! Perfect :-)

My first statement necklace (H&M, £7.99)

I love this year's pastel colours - whether peach or turquoise (H&M, £7.99)

Tool time

This morning on the DLR I saw a little boy with his plastic toy hammer. Nothing else - just a hammer (and his Mum - no worries, he wasn't just by himself!).
He made me smile. And I was thinking of simpler times. When having a toy hammer with you, was all you needed really.

Well, to be honest, I don't think I ever had a hammer... but it's probably the equivalent of my barbie doll.

April Glossybox

With some delay, I finally received my April Glossybox in early May. My voucher had expired and as predicted I signed up again for another three months, when I received a 20% voucher (which didn't even cover the full postage cost... but hey, it was a discount!).

Here's what I got:

• Caudale Vinosource SOS thirst-quenching serum - haven't tried it yet; as my serum has just run out, it comes at a perfect time for trying something new
• Inika Cosmetics certified organic lip liner - I never use lip liners... maybe I should start?
• Ayuuri natural body wash - again, my shower gel is coming to its end, so perfect timing
• Figs&Rouge Lip Balm - I swear by Blistex lip balm, but I'll give it a try
• Yes!Nurse - protect your lovely hands - this will probably last until the next winter - not really a hand cream person

Overall, not the best box I've had so far but OK. And the May box will hopefully come a bit earlier!

The 'natural' themed April box - I prefer the pink boxes...

and the goods

 

Fruity

I discovered this nail polish through the German forum, where I spent quite a lot (too much???) of my time. I had to have it - not least at that price. So, I got my sister to buy it for me, as I was worried this Limited Edition by essence would be sold out by the time I would come to Germany. I've got this pink version as well as a peachy colour. Unfortunately, the photo didn't turn out that great.

Fruity by name, fruity by nature - can you see the little lilac spots?

So simple

Never compare your journey with someone else's.
Your journey is YOUR journey,
not a competition.

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