Ikea addiction

I went to Ikea Saturday. I found everything I need - bar chairs for my kitchen table, a lamp for over the table, a long mirror for the wall, seat cushions for the bench ...

... and a little overpot for The Avocado That Ate Saarbrücken, so it feels like one of my little jungle family.









I thought I might have another plant that could use a pot, so I picked up 1 more
... and I couldn't resist this little grassy plant ... so that's another overpot. And then Manuela found these amazing collapsible vases. I don't like cut flowers, but now here are some underwater plants that would look great in the bathroom!
I almost made it out the door, but Florien led us through a section with ... coconut palms! Back to the sale section for a really big overpot ... and while I was there, these other coconut-shaped pots look so cool.

So I got everything I needed at Ikea, and a couple plants.

I can stop anytime ... really.


Welcome to the Temperate Tropic.

Tea in Tadley

ahhhh ... a proper cup of British tea. It is worth the 11-hour bus-plane-train-tube-train-car ride to Pond Cottage on Old Vyne Lane.

What is more British than a thatched roof estate in an endless maze of country lanes, dogs obediently at your side, lazing in the sun by the pool?
Having a nice lie-in till the sun peaks out ...
... starting the day with fresh-made (Canadian) blueberry muffins and more tea ... ending the day in the hot tub with mango juice.

ahhh - the Good Life

Oh look - llama!

Fastest snail in Saarland

In the blink of an eye, I have been teleported from Old Saarbrucken to Malstatt. Not only did my friends get everything hauled downstairs, packed into 2 cars and hauled up 4 stories in 2 hours flat, I had enough daylight to construct and install everything!

Presenting - Snail Manor 3, The Comfy Bed

For the rest of the layout, check out the album.

Room with a view

Apparently, I can ask for more luck than finding a great new apartment on short notice. My new internet service comes with free cable tv for 6 months and a €200 store credit for Conrad, so I bought a new digital camera, and I've got something left over toward a big-screen tv. So now I can give you something to look at:

The bedroom with tenant, tea and a good book
And as promised, you can see France from my front windows.
Click here for more photos.

Beaming

I can't wish for better luck this week... except maybe if my camera didn't choose the exact moment I walked in my new front door to quit.

This would be the floor.
You'll have to use your imagination for the rest. My new apartment is another loft - this time overlooking the university where I work and France. I have the whole floor to myself in a renovated 1927 apartment. And I'm a story above the last place. It has a full-size built-in kitchen, including dishwasher and oven.

It still has beams, the original wood floors and white stucco walls, so it is very bright. You'll just have to trust me on that.