An old year and a new year

Oh 2010, what a year.

Full of emotions, thinking, decisions, farewells and significant changes. Those of you, who follow me on this blog already for a while know that this is the year in which I moved from Hamburg to Sydney ...

I wanted to say thank you for coming by here, for leaving lovely comments or just for saying a little hello....

2011, hopefully you will be a year of exciting, surprising moments, moments in which we feel well and comfortable and also full of love, luck and just what we want from life

Let's have a wonderful new year ....

Maria

I would like to show you a couple of moments of my last 12 months....

In January I said 'Goodbye' to Will, who moved back to Australia after living with me in Hamburg....we had a sad but wonderful time at the Café Johanna on his last day in Hamburg....

After rearranging the apartment I found my new favourite place. I loved to sit there ....

In February, I discovered my mom's old hand-knitted Norwegian jumpers, which kept me warm during the cold Winter

I cooked a little Valentines meal and sent it to the other side of the world.

Had wonderful Sunday afternoon catch ups with my friends....

In March I flew to Autralia to visit Will for three weeks, it changed my life...

not just because I learnt how to paint my own teapot, but

because of a question I got asked and to which I said yes

I was back from my exciting trip in April...back at work and realising step by step about all the things which will be changing in the next couple of months..

I got more and more excited about everything which was about to happen, I also knew that my move to Australia in August means to move out of my beloved apartment....to leave dear friends and family, who mean so much to me

I also gave things some more colour as Spring was a little late that year

In May I visited my great friends Nanna and Maria in Copenhagen.....

and had visitors from Munich and Berlin staying with me in Hamburg.

I also went on many photo excursions with Frau Sieben :) (who will visit me here soon) It was also a month of change as I quit my job...

In June I loved the colours of a fresh Summer snack....

and the signs in my neighbourhood, after having a wonderful evening eating the best pizza with dear friends in Hamburg

In July Will came by to help me move. It was a sad month of farewells and tears in Hamburg...

but also sad back home at my parents place....

On the 1st of August I landed in Sydney. Welcome new life!

I went out for hours to explore the city....

In September there was still much left to discover and orientate....so many new neighbourhoods

I also got myself a second-hand sewing maching which never stood still ever since...

In October I thought many times of my friends back home, of Hamburg, my family...missed so many things..tried to think positive ....felt how it is to be homesick...

discovered the best café in Sydney....(Single Origin in Surry Hills)

and more beautiful things this city has to give....

In November I started my new job....realised that I will miss Autumn this year...enjoyed the beautiful light of a night in Sydney...

In December I went to the wonderful Finders Keepers market....got excited about my first warm Christmas...

and birthday

.... to be continued.....

In the West

I hope you all had a wonderful time over the last couple of days.

We are in Perth since last Friday and celebrated Christmas with Will's family. It is so relaxing to have some time off and to spend it with all things I would like to do, like reading, sewing or just hanging out or swims in the sea. It is so warm here in Fremantle and I experienced my very first 40°C day yesterday! Oh what a heat it was. It is a little weird for me to imagine that back home everyone seems to be covered in snow.

This was the first year I celebrated Christmas on the 25th and not on the 24th, which is the day on which the Germans usually celebrate Christmas. It is so beautiful here with all all the great bright sunlight and the warm weather, but of course I was also thinking of home, my family and friends and all the traditions, which come to my mind when I think of the Christmas holidays.

Well, here are a few pictures of my last couple of days.....

#1 Our breakfast on Christmas day, getting up early in the morning, giving each other presents

#2/3 and sitting in the garden, reading and hanging out...

#4 Going for a swim early in the morning and

#5 in the evening

#6 This is one of the wonderful books I got and I would love to sew this dress out of it.

#7 Making pizzas in the pizza oven

#8 Having afternoon naps

#9 Wonderful breakfasts (I should one day write a post about the breakfast ritual I have since a year or so)

#10 Enjoying this wonderful tree in the garden, which leaves glow when the sun is shining on them

#11/12 Beautiful light everywhere

Thank you so much for all your lovely wishes for my birthday. It was a really nice and sunny day in Sydney and I enjoyed my first warm birthday...

Maria

28

It is my birthday today. It feels a bit weird as it is the very first birthday at which the temperatures are over 25°C and I will go out and wear a dress and sandals - a Summer birthday. How funny that you can suddenly change that. Well, I will always be a child of Winter though. I feel that. :)

I hope you all have a wonderful 22nd of December....

Maria

Summer-y

It is already Monday morning here and 20°C...and I just had a quick chat to my family, who told me about all the snow back home. It is sometimes weird to realise that I am in the opposite season right now than everyone at home.

A Summer weekend lies behind me. We got up at 7am on Saturday to go for a swim in Bondi. The water was 16°C and when I ran inside it felt like needles all over me. It was quiet refreshing though and nice to get dry from the not-so-hot morning sun while sitting at the beach.

#1 On our way to Elizabeth Bay we passed that house and I just imagined the amazing view they must have from their balcony

#2 my favourite tiles and a hand :)

#3 We had a very little picnic

#4 At the farmers market, I love apricots

#5 Before we leave the flat this is what I see

#6 Some crafting for Christmas

#7 A fresh juice on a Sunday morning

How are you? I realize how much I enjoy swimming lately, either early in the morning or just when the sun is about to go down in the evenings......

Maria

On the weekend

It is a little weird to knit on a scarf when the temperature outside is over 25°C. But somehow knitting is more then getting something ready to be warm it is the process during which I relax, think about things and enjoy that the wool thread is becoming something within my hands....

I got the frankies Spaces magazine the other day. It is a really nice magazine and has many great inspiring pages, but how amazed I was when I saw that one of my favourite cafés from Hamburg is also in it. Oh Café Johanna you are a wonderful place.

Maria

And suddenly it is December

It was the first of December this week and it made me find a nice place for the advent calendar I made last year and which I brought with me from Hamburg...

I was quiet excited the whole week, because the Finders Keepers market took place this weekend. They opened their doors on Friday night and I catched up with a friend to have a look at all the beautiful, handmade stuff, people were selling there. Unlimited craftiness and pure joy for the eyes. I really didn't know where to look first and felt like a kid in a candy shop. The venue, an amazing space housed in the Everleigh Rail Yards was so great decorated with its over 75 artists, many workshops and bands playing.

On Saturday we woke up quiet early to get ready for the Everleigh Farmers' Markets, which happen to be right next to the place where the Finders Keepers markets is, so I had an excuse to go again. :) I was again walking through the stalls and was amazed by all the beautiful creative ideas and products...I could have bought so many things but stopped myself a bit and just got a gorgeous pair of earrings and some pretty handprinted paper cards and prints. They were my two favourite stalls and I kept coming back again and again, looking at their stuff.

The farmers' market was also quiet good and somehow reminded me to the Borough Markets in London, also that it is not really as big as these markets, but the whole feeling was the same. We lined up for the most amazing Chinese pancakes, which were made by Kylie Kwong, a Sydney-based chef. The wait was so worth it, they were so good and reason enough to come back to the markets more often.

After those two markets we made our way to Surry Hills, I was looking for a 50's/60's dress for an upcoming Christmas party. I didn't take any pictures as I was too busy to look at all the dresses at the flea market there and I was very lucky because I found a really nice dress for just 10$.

What a great Saturday.

Maria