Very busy because of having my parents around the next days.....

Today I have "nothing to say" - I am very busy as my parents are coming around for 3 days and all I want is that everything is clean and nice when they arrive tomorrow at midday...
Am a little bit stressed because of gaining weight the last week and til now nothing happened - have to be patient I know but .....
Our weekend was nice - did some gardening and hub and I painted our garage - then I did my 10 km run - a new route which I really love and I cannot "shorten" it so I HAVE to run 10 kms to be at home again....
On saturday we were invited by our neighbours - was a funny evening and we went home at 02.00 am on sunday morning - woke up at 8 and prepared breakfast - still too cold to have it outside but in around midday it was very nice - sunshine, blue sky and SILENCE!!!
Hub and I both sat in the sun and read - I had my new book (about photoshop cs 4 ) from Scott Kelby and every now and then I had to laugh out loud - he writes in such a funny way. I love it.

Since my parents are here the next days I won't have time to "play around" with my new photoshop cs 4 - but will do it next week.

Try to give an "update about me" the next days - what happened and what we're gonna doing....

Spring....

just 3 pics right now - I am in a hurry....
maybe more later...

playing around .....

Sitting in my office and doing pics whats going on in my garden - will show the pics tomorrow (we'll get a new garage roof  but right now our garden looks like a bomb has hit

Just played around a little....

14 years ago.....

 ....I was very very unhappy - my ex-friend broke up with me end of 1995 and I had to move and thought to myself: OMG what happened to you: All of my friends in my age are thinking of marriage, building their own house, getting pregnant and you: Moved to a very small flat (just one single room, a small kitchen an bathroom) no pregnancy in sight and now all alone.... My dear friends Sonja and Claudia  helped me through this time and one day we decided to join the "Rock im Park" a music festival with lots of famous bands and singers- I cannot remember all but "googled" amd here we go:

Bryan Adams, Placebo, Rage Against the Machine, Alanis Morissette, Sting, Dave Matthews Band, Bush, Fugees, The Presidents of the United States of America, Sepultura, Rancid, Ash, Die Toten Hosen, Paradise Lost, Mike & The Mechanics, K's Choice, Herbert Grönemeyer, Zucchero, Amanda Marshall, Such a Surge, Thumb, Rödelheim Hartreim Projekt, Rekord, Madonna Hip Hop Massaker und Hereos del Silencio

Okay, Sonja borrowed her parents mobile home and we found a nice place where we "lived" the next three days. Every now and then we joined the Olympia Stadium to watch the singers - when we were not interested we walked around and had fun anyway. I had heard of Bryan Adams and knew his songs so far but wasn't a fan. I liked "Summer of 69" amd "Heaven" very much but had no idea how he looks. Then Sonja said she would love to see him and we went back to the stadium - found nice seats and waited to see him on stage. Then - never had something like that before in my life - he came on stage, snapped his guitar and began with "One night love affair" - I listened and until the refrain I enjoyed and then it was like I was hit from a flash - I wasn't me - I was like going out of my body and soul - I was soooooo captured from the song, the lyrics, the singer - I was like on drugs. I can remember that it took me more than 3 songs to "come back to earth".... I have no idea what happened there but since this time I am "obsessed" of this guy. Don't get me wrong - I am "normal" - I am married - I'm not a stalker (in that way), I don't send flowers or whatever ... I just love his music and his character - if we can speak about that because I don't know him at all. I met him once and talked to him but I am a member of his "board" since 2004 and I found sooo much people in this community who are like me - loving his music, loving his photos, loving his character and most of what he does, he's a great musican and photographer, hes such a grown up and little boy sometimes, sometimes we can meet him in chat and this is what I love also - a musican who "looks for his fans" - who is interested in his fans. And in my eyes you see that when he's on stage - he doesn't "discharge" his program on stage, he interacts with fans, he talks to his friends and you see he has really fun with his fans. And as he is on stage about 2 weeks per month (and this for years now) I am sure its not because of money - this guy can't live without music and his fans. I joined 35 concerts so far - have seen hin in Germany, Switzerland and Italy and the UK so far - not that I am following him wherever he goes - for my 40th birthday I got a ticket for a London gig, for christmas I got a ticket for Switzerland (including skiing there for three days) and if hubby can do it he is with me.Totally new for me was "making friends" via the internet - and some of them I met in person what is great. Not anyone can understand us "BAddies" (like we use to call ourselves) but being a part of ths "family" is awesome.

 Here you can see me with that silly and stupid grin - worse times with my dark hair (soo happy being a blondie again - will never change - maybe one day in  natural way to grey or white  :)

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Photoshootin on monday....

...was a nice one. I went to my girlfriend who has now two children - a girl who is 4 years and a boy who is 4 months. The girl (Isabel) is very proud of being a "grown up sister" now and she takes lovely care of her baby brother. She really loves him to bits and when I came closer to his bed to see him she had her finger on the lips and whispered: "Shhhhhhh - he is sleeping" (I wouldn't have made any noise anyway but isn't that sooo sweet???)

I first did some shots from Isabel to "warm up" - then had two cups of latte macchiato and cake (not the WW snack I should have - lol) - then did some pics of Julius (the baby boy) and then.... take a look.

Isabel watching her brothers sleep

The young man doesn't look pleased but Isabel seems to have fun

aww - how sweet althought you can't see Isabels face

He's looking at me like his face is asking me: What the hell are you doing there - and how long are you going to "talk these stupid: guck guck - hello - Julius- look at me" - Doesn't he?

And after all these shootings which are hard work for such a baby boy he deserved this: yummi!!!!

Munich impressions....

As I am living in Munich for almost 22 years now I thought I show you some "Munich impressions".

Munich is a wonderful city to live although they say it is very expensive but honestly for me it is worth it. We have the mountains close - we have lots of nice seas and lakes around - we have the "English Garden" which is the green lung in the middle of the city - we have short distances to Austria and Italy -we have the BAYARIANS (which are "special people" - you love them or you hate them LOL) and we have the worlds biggest festival - the Octoberfest.

For all who haven't been here - here are some pics

A "bavarian lion"

"Dom" or "Frauenkirche"

view to the Olympic Tower and Stadion

Hofgarten

Oktoberfest

Rollercoaster and Looping

Oktoberfest by night

feeling like a "computer queen"....

There are days who aren't "my days" and there are days that are "my days"...
Since weeks I am very frustrated about my printer - sometime it prints and sometimes not - normal documents like word documents are no prob but for other programs like my accounting program it didn't work. Called the "pc specialists" and they came - looked and tried, called, looked again, tried (the "money is running while the guy was here - that's one thing that makes ME nervous...) - called to Austria for 15 mins (money is running!!!), left and came back (again 20 EUROS) with a new wire (told him thats a wlan printer and normally it needs no wire) tried again - shook his head and said that it MUST BE the printer (2 years old but maybe....) I noticed that - tried to copy and paste almost everyting but sometimes it doesn't work.
Today I again went wild while I had to print out something and nothing happened..... was in tears then stopped crying - de-activated my antivirus program - and what shall I tell you? It prints out every document I wanted - pdf, documents of my accounting program, everything I wanted!!!!
______

Last week my lappy gave up - no access to the internet - didn't found our WLAN - found neighbours WLAN but not ours- Thought the router migth be broken - another 100 euro..... Didn't work with the laptop - on Friday I displayed all connectors and wires - connected everything again - put on my lappy - signal very good - internet is back again.....  And now its your turn :)

Special day for children - the first holy communion

What an exciting day for all those young children - although I am no longer a member of the church I really felt a little excited too.
The german (and not just the german) church is causing sensation right now and if there is just 50 % true about what all came out these days I feel soooooo ashamed!!!!! How can an adult abuse assurance and not just that - how can they do those worse things to others????

I have no words for that - but just another pic I did on sunday....

Saturday in Turkey....

This was our hotel - a big pool where you could have done a lot of swimming meters if it was heated but so it was too cold to swim - for me. It was about 18 degrees...

Liked that "scene" - two people sitting on a wall (the sea behind) and the bird above....

I like this kind of photo - I've learned that it is called "color-key".

 

a short 6 days holiday in Turkey

                                               Beautiful flowers on the beach

Part of the old "amphi theatre" Aspendos

"Bridge over not troubled water"..... (our pool)

Me - trying to play bunker shots...


What really nice and lovely holidays - will show some more photos the next days. Arrived in Antalya late in the afternoon and took the rental car to Belek. Had a description to find the way to the hotel  - it said a more than 1,5 hours drive - after we lost the overview after 5 minutes drive we followed the road we were on and found our hotel after 35 mins!!!!!!
Friday morning we woke up early and went to breakast around 09.00 o clock - lovely sunshine - temperatures around 20 degrees - great. After breakfast we took our golf equipment and went to the golf course - asked for a lesson and had fun on the course (first we didn't had any fun because it was our first golf lesson since last September and it took us more than 50 balls to get one great hit!!!!) There's a song from David Bowie which is called "Absoulute beginner" - and since last friday its still fixed in my brain - I felt exaclty that - absoulute beginner - and hell - its' true!!!
After we've finished the golf course we booked some golf lessons for the following day - went back to our hotel and had a quick look around - there was a SPA and THALASSO - different massages were offered and we had a nice half hour bath in the sea water pool. After that we went back to our room - took a shower and then off to dinner and a bottle of wine. Went to bed at around midnight.
Saturdays review will follow tomorrow....

3 years ago....

my parents "celebrated" their start into retirement - my father worked as a baker for more than 50 years and run his own bakery for more than 30 years and my mum worked in the bakery as a sales woman. Believe me or not - running your own shop is a really hard thing - and working as a baker is a hard job. My father went up every night at 02.30 in the morning - at weekends he went up at midnight or so. And social life - I cannot remember that my parents went away for a lunch or a glass of wine during the week as my father had to be in bed at 07.00 p, - to be awake at 02.30 in the morning. Weekends almost the same as the work in the bakehouse was a lot of more then - for that reasons I adore my parents as they practically never complained their life.  Of course my father didn't jump out of the bed in the middle of the night and thought: thank god night is over and I can go downstairs into my bakehouse - and of course my mum sometimes thought she would love to be in her former job (which was a secretary and  normally is a much more stressless job). But they did their jobs great til the last day and honestly they were a little sentimental when lots of cusomers came on their last day and lot of them brought a present and good wishes and some of them very sensitive words.
We had a great party on that last day and when we closed the doors the last time I think about 80 people sat around the bakery and we talked and chatted  - lots to drink and to eat. We expected the end of the party around 04.00 in the afternoon but it was such a nice company and we sat there til 08.00 o clock in the evening. We had some musicans who played for hours (my dad engaged them for two hours - in the end they stayed for 5 hours). It was such a fun.
I am soooo proud of my parents as they managed really every situation - in the late 70th the night before new years eve our oven exploded - my father had lots of orders for some special breads or rolls - he managed it to get most of the things done.  Years later the main street where our bakery is located was closed due to some road works for many months - my parents coped with that and did special offers - for example bring bread and rolls and danish home to the customers. And then more and more markets opened in our little town and every marked has/had its own bakery. But due to the fact that my father baked "the best bread in town - well known in places around our town" he always could run his bakery. But I think now both are very happy not to stand that competitions and trade rivalry any longer.


so that was my little story about my parents and our bakery...

Ha Ha....

....said the clown as the king lost his crown...

Last year the week before easter Achim and I did a daytrip to Austria and I "found" the wood carving above. Looks funny, doesn't it?
Wow - another weekend over (and I am happy that it is over - way too much eating and drinking).
Friday evening our neighbours came to say goodbye as they were going to have a week off - unfortunately Achim asked them if they would stay for a bottle of south african red wine and they did - we "killed" two bottles :(
Saturday we went to some garden centers and in the evening we were invited by friends for dinner - cheese and red wine (again) but as I had to drive I didn't had that much.
Yesterday we were invited by a friend of mine and she, Achim and I had some glasses of Prosecco - too much alcohol the last three days and I think I won't have something til ..... let's see.

This morning (after some problems of going up) I was very busy - did some accounting (I have a new programm and now I really love to do the accounting - my former programm was such a crap - it doesn't work as it should and if you call the support they don't give you support at all). Now with the new one it's really easy and I am happy with that.
Sometimes I am wondering how people "think". I did a photoshooting a few weeks ago - I took some photos, some of them had to be edited, I burned all images on a dvd and sent them (with my invocie) via mail. Normally the bills are paid within 14 days - I've waited 3 weeks, 4 weeks, 5 weeks and then I sent an email asking if they received their pics. "Yes" was the answer - "thank you very much - great job". I knew exactly that I put the invoice in the envelope - pics arrived but no invoice? After six weeks I sent another invoice - I've waited 2 weeks, 3 weeks and 4 weeks - nothing. I sent a third invoice last week and got an email today which said why I sent three invoices within 8 weeks - they will pay the next days!!!! Erm - the next days? When will that be exactly? Strange!!!!

Sun is out again - love my garden and the first tulips coming out. Will go outside for my "run" - think a 10 km run is the right thing today...... and off I am

Weekend in front of the door....

Another weekend in front of the door - I really hoped that we will have really spring but right now it doesn't look like that - cloudy sky but at least no snwo (lol).
Yesterday I was at the hairdresser and she "worked on me" for more than 3 hours (was bitterly needed). I have to say the result is great - new highlights and a new cut - I feel great!

Tomorrow evening I have to work - that is one thing I call penalty - working on weekends when Achim is "free". But right not I am not in the position to cancel those photoshootings. And honestly thats my job and I love it to bits!
Next week I will start my project "gardening" - this week I went to some garden centers to get some inspirations and ideas and its still working in my brain. And I've decided to work on my "photographers knowledge" and started a "study" - I hope to get some more knowledge, ideas and inspirations. It will last a year - I can work for that from my computer and they say I need 8 hours a week just to "stay in time line" - so I think that should be to put in execution.
Tomorrow I and hub will start the "golf saison" - we haven't been to the golf course since September last year and I think we are a little bit rusted in. We've booked a weeks holiday in April - a week Turkey with golf classes and everything. Another project I will work for is to get a better handicap - I am just at the beginning of -54 and my plan is to finish this year with a handicap of -38! Roll on competitions.

Roll on spring.....

I love this pic - it is taken in London and I totally fell in love with this old woman reading her newspaper - isn't she wearing a funny hat? I had to take a pic from her without letting her know.... I don't know why but this is one of my shots I am very proud of....

This morning I woke up and couldn't believe my eyes - a clear blue sky outside - sunshine - yay- spring is on the way although it is very cold outside right now. It doesn't mind - sunshine and first sign of spring has arrived in Munich... Welcome!

Its funny how the weather depends on your mood or the other way round how your mood depends on the weather - I feel an enormous energy in my body and will take that energy to clean all my windows today - its bitterly needed :/
Right now I am listening to my favourite singer Bryan Adams and that makes my energy come back too - I totally love his music (and this man btw.... - but in a "special way"). Thanks to my hub I was able to meet him in person and this is one of these days in my life I won't forget.

Yesterday me and hub went to see the musical "Mamma Mia" for the third time - for the third time we had a blast and it was absoulutely fantastic. First time we saw it in London, a few years later in Hamburg and now in Munich. Great actors and singers and musicans of course.
Tomorrow I have an appointment with my hairdresser - it's bitterly needed because I havent' t seen her since the week before christmas.

So and now I am off for the "project window cleaning" - later on some phone calls regarding photoshootings at the weekend and then off to the grocery - see I am busy today....

Long time no blogging....

OMG I haven't blogged for more than a month and that came due to the fact that I was (and still am) very busy - I have/had a few photoshootings to do and then a week "abroad" - visited my family and we had a nice family party (sis turned 40 and that is a reason to have a party) then I was ill for a whole week and couldn't leave my bed - fever, running nose, headache and cought  - the whole mixture. After that my parents came to visit us for 3 days which was great - I love having them here in my house.
Then we did a week skiing in the Dolomites - although we thought we had snow and low temperatures enought for this year. But holidays were booked and in the end it was a fantastic and awesome week with lots of snow, lots of fun, low low temperatures and sometimes a real cold wind which blew strong. But we've met a nice couple from Berlin and did 3 days skiing together. They were happy about our knowledge about the slopes there in South Tyrolia and we all had nice evenings with pizza and pasta and good red wine. (Sometimes a little "Willi" - a special "Schnaps").
Back in good old germany I couldn't trust my eyes that there was still snow everywhere - we have had the first sign of spring 10 days ago but it seems winter came back again. Today we were told that it is the very very very last sign of winter and from tomorrow on it should be spring - lets wait and see.

Below there are some nice shots from the beautiful white landscape of the Dolomites and the "Grödnertal"

Snow again :)

 

No - right now outside it doesn't look like the photo above - that was taken weeks ago - but snow is back here in Munich. Not that I don't love winter and snow but we had a lot these days. I do not whine around because in the north and east of Germany there is much more snow and ice.

Since weeks I am really good in leaving my bed in the morning - lol. Especially in the winter time for me its always hard to leave the warm bed and to go up because its dark and cold outside - but I have a new "friend" on my side who cannot do something against the cold outside but agains the darkness: 

For christmas I got an amazing new alarm clock from Achim. The special thing is that it simulates the sunrise - that means if you set your alarm for 07.00 o clock at 06.30 a dimly light appears and with every minute it gets brighter - after half an hour it shines normal. After its final brightness you can decide if you would like to listen to music, to singing birds or to a wind chime. First time decided to listen to singing birds - right now in the morning I am listening to wind chimes. For what ever reasons I found out that my awakening is quite a better one - I don't know why but I feel much more energy in the morning - I am in a better mood and its less hard for me to leave the bed because I feel well-rested and in a kind of "feng shui mood" - lol. But if it makes me feel better - why not???

Before I got that alarm clock I had a normal one and I woke up with the radio - sometimes quite nice music - sometimes I got sooo aggressive when I listen to "aggresive music" . Okay I miss my morning news - normally I was informed what happened during the night or whatever but as I listen to the radio most of the day I will be informed whats going on - although its an hour later.

Today I am going to see a friend of mine - very nice alternative to my normal daily grind. Sometimes I miss my co-workers. It was always nice to enter the office and have a little "chit-chat about whatever..." (Sue - thats for you :) ) and now when I am not out for a photoshooting I am sitting and working all alone in my office. Sometimes its nice because you can do whatever you want - but sometimes I need a tip or an idea...

 

I need the spring - so I checked my pics and found this lovely pic. I did that two years ago when I got my new cam and did some "test shots". Nothing is edited in that pic (except the frame). It was such a great light- sun came though the window and I was very close to the tulip. I love this pic and I think I will print it out as a really big picture. Although it has some black I think has nice colours.

We had a great weekend - had been invited to the "Ball des Sports" in Wiesbaden. It's really interesting there because you meet some famous sportsmen and -women and also some well known people, actors and actress and politicans. 

Bad thing after those weekends is coming home and seeing the weight - even you be very very careful about what you eat and drink you (maybe you can but not me) can't avoid to drink one or two glasses of champagne too much... Imagine the event starts at 16.30 o clock with a "get together" and a glass of champagne - Ball des Sports starts at 18.00 o clock with a glass of champagne - some Mon Cherie and Rocher and a very very special kind of ginger bread - a 4 course meal and later on there's party time with lots of bars all over. And you can't go home at midnight - the last years we went to bed at 04.30 o clock in the morning... Long talk -  short result: 700 gramms more over the weekend and that makes me really upset. That means I have to "work" a whole week to lose that weight again. How can 700 gramms come over night and need a whole week to disappear? That's quite unfair.

Yesterday I was very annoyed. Our dryer gave up its life the week before and we bought a new one - should be delivered yesterday. I had to rearrange two meetings and I was told the dryer should be "arrive" at noon - I waited - and waited - waited and waited again - called to ask what's the problem and when the delivery would be (in the meantime it was 3 o clock in the afternoon.) Got the answer that the dryer should be delivered the next 15 mins... What can I tell you? The dryer isn't delivered yet. Got the answer today between 10 and 12 o clock.... Poor guys - wear warm jackets - you will hear a lot from me.

Today outside it is very cold again - snow is almost gone and its grey and uncomfortable. I have to do some scan work today (around 500 pics need to be scanned and edited). So I am busy and don't care about the weather. Listening to some nice music and checking some blogs and websites and (of course) doing my work. Have a photoshooting late evening and hope to do some great shots.