PazzaPazza

AND THE WINNER IS...

2012-02-10T02:45:00.000-08:00

That was fun - I liked all the titles you sent - but my absolute favorite is this one:

"RUST IN PEACE" because I think it is the most original. Thank you for playing along!

Happy weekend!

WINNER AT THE TRUCK BEAUTY COMPETITION

2012-02-07T21:50:00.000-08:00

Or "Rhapsody in Pink and Orange" - or "Truck in Retirement" - or - any more suggestions? :-) Come on, play along! I will send I little present to the creator of the best one!

This is what we got so far:

"Non-Ecologically Abandoned"

"Desert Rust"

"Rusty Dream"

"Recycling Art"

"My beautiful Buggy"

"Pot Belly Baby"

"Rusty Lady"
"Golden Age"
"How could they lay off a beauty like me!"

"Forgone Fame"

"I never thought I was going to end up this way!"

"Those were the days my friends!"

"I told you you should not drink!"

"Rust in Peace"
"Pretty in Pink and Orange"
"Her pink days will never be over"

Not bad at all! :-) Hope there will be more!

Photos by Uri Eshkar

WOMEN FRIENDSHIP

2012-02-06T02:47:00.000-08:00

I belong to a group of women, artists and crafters, who meet on a regular basis once a month in turns in our homes. This friendship group was formed some years ago and grew strong. Creative energy flows in all of us, and we love to share its out comings with each other. The core of our group consisted of seven members, it has developed into ten by now. Guests are often invited to our meetings and it is the privilege of the particular hostess to do this. We also like to have a plan each time. So we bring in all kind of teachers who will give us small work shops. Once we learned silhouette cutting (Scherenschnitt), another time we drew Mandalas, we did card work and tried journaling. We are also teaching in between our group, sharing our individual knowledge. We made fabric from fiber, we dyed fabric, we discharged fabric with bleach, we painted fabric, we created colored paper, we made little bead brooches and a beaded pendant. We have the opportunity to get an insight into many different crafts from each other. Patchwork and quilting, bead jewellery, embroidery, mosaic making, knitting, crochet, pottery, glass art, painting, button work, papier mache, lamp bead work, we learned and taught patchwork techniques and embroidery stitches, and more. Once we had a wonderful lecture from one friend, about the painter Hundertwasser, with a lot of information and photos from a trip to Austria.

We invite lecturers on subjects of healing, how to better get along in life, how to overcome difficulties, how to understand ourselves and situations better. We had much joy with a woman who guided us on a gentle path with therapeutic cards. Many feelings surfaced and could be talked about.

We enthusiastically admire each others work and give a lot of positive feedback. We do not criticize. We encourage and comfort and excite each other in times of lows and downs. We talk about gallery visits and art exhibitions and share opinions about them.

We are all above middle age and got used to our wrinkles. We are not thinking about face lifts so much any more. :-) Oh yes, we are a lot more accepting now and searching for deeper meanings of life. We are not busy with competition and gossip, we respect each other completely how we are. We share recipes! Oh Yes! And phone numbers of doctors and therapists! Yes, yes! :-) We are all grandmothers and enjoy that very much! We tell about our grand kids, we are proud of them. We have a network of support, we trust each other and help each other and never peek uninvited in each others privacy.

If you would like to come to one of our meetings, you will have to be here at 11 o.clock, on Thursdays, it is always on a Thursday. You will be greeted with laughter and chatting and hugs. There will be a lot of food, including cakes and dessert. Maybe you will be asked to bring a salad. Coffee or tea you make yourself, every thing you need is on the kitchen counter, you snack on cookies. Then we sit down in a circle or around the table according to what will happen next. We will listen to the lecture of our guest speaker or enjoy the lesson of our work shop. There is never any pressure on anyone. If you don't feel to participate, you do not have too, you will just enjoy the company. About two hours later, we will have lunch together with all the delicatessen the hostess prepared and the guests brought with them. Then there is cake and more coffee - a lot of coffee - and more storytelling and sharing, before saying goodbye an hour or so later.

Our group is very colorful, we are all different, we are turquoise and burgundy, sea blue and olive green, no yellow between us, but a lot of sun golden. We love to give presents. We smile in receiving them. There is something very sweet in true women friendship, and it is even sweeter during advanced age, we are all a bit more discerning and wiser.

At the last time a month ago in my home, our special guest, our guest of honor really, was Ruth Dayan, the widow of former politician Moshe Dayan. She is 95 years old and an idol of wisdom and knowledge and a role model for us all. She has a very kind personality - and look how beautiful she is and how nicely dressed!

She loves arts and crafts. She is full of Israeli history and her stories can fill a day and make it an unforgettable and wonderful experience. She has the most incredible smile and she made our meeting very special!

SPRING BAG :-)

2012-02-03T15:19:00.000-08:00

Click on the pictures to zoom in.
Photos taken in the western Galilee and at the Rosh Hanikra beach by my husband Uri Eshkar and by me.

ANOTHER ONE :-)

2012-02-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

I still had some leather remnants and I made another bag. No, it is not this one, this is only the lining. And I don't know what happened with that pocket color, it is not black, but dark green - oh well...

Tomorrow starts our weekend, we should have nice weather and our plan is to go "flower hunting" - for sure I will find a nice spot to photograph the bag.

Have a lovely evening - and afternoon.

SO EINE FRECHHEIT :-) :-) :-)

2012-01-31T22:28:00.000-08:00

Luna, the most beloved cat in the world! :-)

TU BI'SHVAT - CHAG HA ILANOT

2012-01-30T07:16:00.000-08:00

I planted three trees in my life. One about ten years ago in our current garden, in front of my kitchen window. I love that tree, but it is not the one I want to talk about. I was thinking of the other two, remembering them this morning. I put them deep into soil with my bare hands and many good wishes to grow and to become strong and tall. The first one about thirty years ago, not long after I came to Israel and made it my homeland. I went to Hebrew school for newcomers to learn the language and one day, at the 15th of Shvat, a trip was organized for the class to the Sea of Galilee, the Kinnereth, and all the students, who had immigrated from many places in the world, planted a tree on the slopes at the eastern lake shore, near Kibbutz Ein Gev. I do not remember what kind of tree it was and of course I can never find it and check on it, it has no name tag. I hope it is a big and healthy tree now, thirty years later. My tree, I would like to hug it!

The other one I planted five years later, at an outing with colleagues from my husbands work place, it was a family event and our little son was with us. This one was planted in a nature reserve park on the way to Jerusalem, Ya'ar Ben Shemen. Of course also this tree, which I think was an oak, I can never recognize as mine, but it gives me a good feeling, to know that it is there.

All this I am telling because it is almost Tu BiShvat again, the New Year of the trees, Chag Ha Ilanot, חג האילנות. Tu BiShvat is the 15th of the month Shvat on the Jewish calender, which this year falls on Wednesday next week, the 8th of February. There are two names for tree in Hebrew, Ez and Ilan. The earliest blooming one in the beginning of spring, is the almond tree with its exquisite honey scented flowers. All year around you will not notice that tree, it is very modest, even when bearing its fruit, but now it has its time, exploding so forcefully and marvelously into myriads of delicacies.

Then the other fruit trees will follow closely, pink peach and apricot blooms, plum from white via pink to almost red, apple blossom, the buds pink, flourishing into cream white or pure white or pinkish flowers, all according to the individual species, sometimes brushed with a tiny little red in the middle, white pear with large petals, and the cherries at the Golan Heights with gleaming snow white flowers - all of them with their distinct sweet aroma.

Tu BiShvat is celebrated honoring the trees. All the kindergarten and small school children will get little pots with rooted twigs, to plant them where ever they want to. Older children and youth groups are taken to different locations to plant trees. And a lot of fruit and nuts are eaten. The markets and shops sell an abundance of dried fruit: dates, figs, apricot, plum, apple and pear slices, raisins. And many different nuts, pecans, walnuts, almonds. All those are growing here in the land of Israel.

This is information in a nutshell about the feast of Tu BiShvat, there is plenty more of it on the Internet, if you would like a deeper knowledge.

Here is the recipe of my favorite Tu BiShvat cake, which I bake every year at this time:

Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius

3 eggs, 125 gr sugar, 125 gr self rising flour, 3 tsp cinnamon, 300 gr dried fruit, (dates, apricots, plums, raisins, figs) coarsely cut up, 200 gr different nuts, halved, (almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts).

Sprinkle the fruit with a bit of flour, so it will not stick together. Beat the eggs with the sugar until foamy, add the flour and cinnamon, then the fruit and nuts. Bake in an English cake pan with a sheet of baking paper on top for an hour, take down the paper, reduce the temperature a bit, and bake for another half hour. Slice very thinly.

So easy to do - a piece of cake! :-)

Tu BiShvat sameach!

THE ALMOND TREES STARTED TO BLOOM

2012-01-29T00:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Sunday! :-)

A BLUE SHABATT MORNING

2012-01-23T20:46:00.000-08:00

Last Shabatt we went to a small nature reserve called Hadasim, which is located not far from where we live, near Even Jehuda on the road to Haifa. We were looking for a rather rare shrub called Arabian Globe Cress in English. Its botanical name is Globularian Arabica - Gulanit Arav גולנית ערב in Hebrew. Its preferred habitat is rocky sand and it grows here in Israel mostly near the Dead Sea, in the Judean desert, and in the hills of the southern Negev. But there is one place in the Sharon area where it grows too, in the Hadasim reserve. The reserve actually is recovering from a previous fire and currently should not be visited. But the gate was open and we sneaked in nevertheless.

Wow, the bushes were in full bloom! White little irises (Iris Erez Israel) were scattered between them - it was a wonderful blue sky and blue flowers morning and the world was perfect! See for yourself:

But the fun was not over. When we left the reserve a small herd of goats waited for us to be petted a bit. Some were tied and others jumped around freely. I love goats, they are pretty, lovely, naughty and funny - that is what I think of them - their owners surely will attach even more attributes to their herd!

I felt blue for the rest of the day! :-)

Photos by Uri Eshkar.

TATATAAAAAA... :-)

2012-01-20T06:26:00.000-08:00

My beautiful wooden button, the one I got as a gift, proved to be to big, it did not fit the design of the bag. This lovely square ceramic button, a present from another dear friend perfectly does. The wooden fellow will find its destination too.

Bag made entirely out of leather - it was challenging - but worth it - creating the straps was VERY time consuming - but it looks good - I cherish my first leather bag - and the best thing - it already found a new owner - yes, yes, someone fell immediately in love with it and wanted it. :-)

GREEN TOMATO - VIEW JAPAN

2012-01-13T21:42:00.000-08:00

I found those absolutely wonderful blogs, one of them created by a Japanese woman, called Tomoko, a name with a lovely sound. I was trying to find out what her name means, and at Wikipedia was explained that depending on how the kanji characters are written, the interpretation is different. I do not know how she writes her name, but all of the meanings are very nice.

友子 - "friendly child"
知子 - "knowing child"
智子 - "wise child"
朋子 - "friendly child"
皆子 - "beautiful girl"

In the second blog "View of Japan" you will enjoy masterly taken photos of Japanese nature, landscapes, people, cities and art, all so very beautiful, presented by a variety of photographers.

In her blog "Green Tomato" Tomoko san tells us with words and pictures about her culture and her life, all so very interesting.

http://view-japan-photo.blogspot.com

http://redrose-tomotomowriting2.blogspot.com

Check those blogs and surf around, you will be rewarded with nothing but pleasure, you will smile, you will feel calm and peaceful - I did!

TANOSHINDE KUDASAI!

P.S. - I think, her name means: friendly child, because I saw the matching characters in an e-mail she sent me, giving me permission to use her photos - thank you Tomoko!

NURSERY JOY

2012-01-11T00:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday on my way home I stopped at a nursery to buy some herb plants for the garden. I chose chive, peppermint, parsley and basil. And as you can surely understand from the photos I could not resist the lovely colorful pansies (Stiefmuetterchen) with their sweet faces.

On the road to our little town we have on a stretch of about one kilometer, wait I have to count, two, three, yes five big Arab nurseries. And they have PLENTY of plants, and a lot more of wonderful stuff! Flowers, herbs, trees, shrubs, cacti, house plants, seeds and bulbs! They sell containers for planting, made from ceramic, wood, plastic, even concrete, huge ones and small ones. They have soil, stones, pebbles, fertilizers, fencing, ready to plant grass patches, garden gnomes, watering cans. Whatever you need and want for your garden, your home and your balcony, you can find it there! And you get a smile and a Turkish coffee too! We love to buy from them! Every tree and plant in our garden was brought from those nurseries.

I always wanted to take photos there - this time I finally did it - and I got some funny looks! Oh, never mind! :-)

Photos taken with my humble little camera - not the quality of my husbands pictures of course! :-)

And now I am going to work on that bag! I hear you all! :-)

FIVE MINUTES OF FUN AND ASTONISHMENT

2012-01-10T06:40:00.000-08:00

http://vkontakte.ru/video_ext.php?oid=17289985&id=159542625&hash=7972d49cdaf886fd

Enjoy and have a great time!

Thank you Aiva!

BAG MAKING THOUGHTS

2012-01-09T04:13:00.000-08:00

Hello - how are you all?

In my neck of the woods :-) every thing is fine. The day is cloudy and it is cold - yes for our local conditions it is cold, 10+ for us is chilly! :-) I know some of you will laugh at me!

I was down at my workroom all morning sewing, with the radiator on, warming my hands and feet. Now I went up for a coffee and a little posting. I started another bag yesterday. Some time ago I got leather remnants from a friend - she in turn has an acquaintance who owns a little bag factory and gave her the scraps. The really small pieces I sent to another friend, and the slightly bigger ones I kept. I never made a whole bag from leather, I had used it only for straps and embellishments. I was reluctant to try it out for weeks.

Yesterday I got brave and started to think how I can patch the pieces so they will fit a simple tote bag pattern. I own a leather foot and I have leather sewing needles, without that it is nearly impossible to sew leather on a household sewing machine. Most of the remnants are soft leather (some are not and I still will have to figure out what to do with them) and so far the sewing went good and easy.

Needles to hold the pieces together cannot be inserted in leather, so I glued some of the seams and let them dry before sewing, others I clamped. Mistakes can not be ripped out, because the holes of the sewing stitches will stay in the leather and can be seen after ripping, so accurate planning is necessary.

The front and back pieces are ready and I stabilized the lining and cut it out. After I finish my coffee I'll go back down and start on the handles, I wish to patch them with checkerboard leather squares from the leftovers. I made some design failures, I appliqued too near to the opening of the bag and I have still no idea about the closure, there is no place for even a small flap with a magnetic snap. Okay, think think think! I plan to make a zippered pocket for the lining and of course the bag gets a key swivel and a cell phone pocket. AND it will be embellished with a very pretty wooden button that I got as a gift from a beloved friend! :-)

M a y b e I can finish it today. Sometimes when I try something completely new to me I have to talk to Lady Creativity and meditate with her and myself to get over the fear (will it be good, no it won't, yes it could, naaaa, yes, no, maybe...) and the procrastination. Mostly she listens to me and it works. I hope this time it does too!

BAT CHEN

2012-01-07T21:18:00.000-08:00

Those flowers have a lovely name in Hebrew, they are called "Bat Chen" בת חן, which means "Daughter of Grace".

Bat Chen is also a female name. This little girl surely is a daughter of grace, but her name is Yasmin.

Have a wonderful Sunday!

THE BEAUTY OF HERBS AND THEIR CURING PROPERTIES

2012-01-05T02:05:00.000-08:00

A little while ago my friend Dawn of LaTouchables recommended a herb book in her blog. It appealed to me very much so I bought it, and I did not regret it for a moment. Dawn plans to present us with a post about it some day near. The book is truly wonderful, it describes many herbs and their significance for our health and appetite, as well how and when to pick them, to preserve them, to use them.

The one that struck me immediately is rosemary. Did you know that rosemary is an all cure herb? I did not know that! The treatment includes ailments of the heart, high blood pressure, headaches, gastritis and many more. A brew can be made from it to help with hair loss, and it can be put externally on wounds, sores, stings and insect bites. And rosemary tea is a healthy bedtime drink! I use rosemary only to flavor potatoes, bread and tomatoes. It never dawned on me to make tea from it. A cup of tea, made from a spoonful of rosemary needles, sweetened with honey - that sounds good doesn't it? One cup in the evening! That is so easy and we will benefit from it greatly.

Look what we have in our garden! The big rosemary bush is blooming right now and bustling with bees - it is not only a powerful herb, it is also a very beautiful plant!

We have many herbs in our garden and this morning I picked a bunch of them for the vase. Ahhhh, the smell is wonderful...

There is geranium, lavender, lemon grass, curry plant, sage, rosemary, parsley, thyme - wait a moment - WOW - isn't there a song? Of course! Simon and Garfunkel! That beautiful song

"Are you going to scarborough fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary & thyme
Remember me to one who lives there
She once was a true love of mine"

Here it is, enjoy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bwldn3ET53E

A VISIT TO NAZARETH

2012-01-01T01:19:00.000-08:00

We had a nice Shabatt outing with my daughters family yesterday to the town of Nazareth in the Galilee. About a third of its citizens are Christians. We passed several shops selling Christmas decorations, which can quite compete in quantity and quality with those in Christian countries.

But first we drove up to the Mount of Precipice, the so called "Leaping Mountain". There is a sign explaining the significance of the place in English. Ignoring the spelling mistakes you will get the information.

The hill, about 400 m high, is a beautiful piece of nature with a stunning panorama all around on the Ysreel valley - provided a sunny and clear day. Yesterday is was foggy and wet and it was not possible to take pictures of the view. In a month or so the peak will be covered with cyclamen and we enjoyed their beginnings - the white ones are rare and raindrops made them look even more special. The mountain is a beloved target for family picnics, hiking and biking, but yesterday we had the paths almost for ourselves - it was a bit cold and windy, but we were dressed warm and enjoyed our walk.

The city was bustling with people, open shops, business, traffic and places to eat. We noticed busloads of Christian tourists who came from all over the world to visit the Basilica of Annunciation. This church is beautiful, designed by an Italian architect, the influence of style can be clearly seen.

The bazaar in the vicinity of the church is roofed which protected us from the slight trickle of the rain. It is a typical middle east shuk with all the usual trinkets and things you need and don't need. I NEEDED some little blue ceramic hands against the evil eye, of course! The part of the market near the church sells Christmas ornaments. There I found lovely hearts made from olive tree trunks, polished to a shine to bring out the pretty texture of the wood.

We finished our visit off with taboon bread sprinkled with kezach and za'atar and labane - a real treat!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to everyone! Foremost I wish health to all - and satisfaction and some pink clouds here and there! :-)

Photos by my husband Uri Eshkar.

HANUKA LIGHTS

2011-12-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

SEASON OF LIGHTS

2011-12-23T23:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays to everyone!
May you celebrate in peace and with joy!

THE TRUE SPIRIT OF GIVING

2011-12-19T13:14:00.000-08:00

Christmas is approaching and there is talk about gift giving and the searching for presents everywhere. I was reminded of the true spirit of giving - which is giving from the heart and out of love - by the wonderful story "The gift of the Magi" by O.Henry. I would like to present the whole narration here, but I don't know if I may do this due to copy rights, and it also would be too long for a blog post anyway. But I will retell it in a short version, I think this I may do.

It is about Della and James, a young couple, living in poverty but happily. Della had saved some little money, penny after penny which had been very hard to do. The day before Christmas she counted one dollar and eighty seven cents. Crying and sniffling she realized that amount would not buy a nice present for her Jim as she had planned, something worthy, something special.

Della and James Dillingham Young had two things in their possession which were of great value for them. It was a gold watch Jim inherited from his father, and the other one was Della's beautiful long wavy hair, which fell down over her waist to her knees. Now, looking out the window and seeing her reflection in it, she knew in a wink what to do.

Madame Sofronie from "Hair Goods of all Kinds" gave her twenty dollars for the cut off brown cascade. Oh and Della was clear on what to buy for her Jim, she was so sure of it: A chain for The Watch she wanted - to replace the old leather strap from which it hung.

At seven o'clock sharp, like every evening, she heard him coming up the stairs. Jim stepped inside and closed the door. He froze in his tracks - "You have cut off your hair?" His look was puzzled - shocked...

"Oh it will grow back quick - I sold it - it is Christmas Eve, I wanted to give you a Christmas present - I'm still me without my hair!"

Out of his pocket he brought a package and threw it on the table. With uttermost excitement she opened it - a scream of joy - and then... before her she saw the beautiful tortoise shell combs she had admired for so long at the store window - and what they meant to embellish was gone now! "My hair will grow back fast Jim" - and then she held out her present to him, the pretty chain worthy The Watch. "Isn't it swell Jim? I searched all over town to find it - give me your watch - let's see how it looks!"

"Oh Dell", he said, "I sold the watch to buy you the combs!" He smiled...

(A smile of love, I am sure!) - - - -

This is the "art of giving Christmas presents" invented by the magi, the "wise men, wonderfully wise men"...

(The book: "41 Stories by O. Henry" would be a wonderful present in itself.)

TO MY PRECIOUS GRANDDAUGHTERS

2011-12-18T04:13:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday - I lived for 65 years now. Since you were old enough to read and write I got birthday letters and birthday notes from you, every year! They always had a lot of colorful sweet embellishments with hearts and flowers drawn on them, and contained loving wishes and greetings. I cherish them - I have them all - I save them in a special box.

Today I decided to write YOU a letter. Don't worry it won't be long and I will not preach to you. I just wish to tell you how much I love and enjoy you, how grateful I am to have you, how proud I am of you, how pleasant it was to see you grow up and blossom into the wonderful teenagers you are today. And I wish to give you some thoughts on your way and tiny bits of advice.

You started your life a little bit too early, sixteen years ago, on the same day. I remember seeing you for the first time in the hospitals baby ward, tiny little butterflies tucked into incubators with quite a few tubes sticking out from you. With your own strength and the endless caring love of your parents you got over the difficulties of the first weeks. Once at home you started to thrive and never stopped!

You brought us only joy - and on this day I happily remember it all, every detail of your growing, each sweet moment. The most wonderful thing is to know, that your baskets are not empty, and love and dearness and hugs will come out of it continuously, gifted to whom ever will be open for it, to family - foremost your parents, your brother and your little sister - and to friends - and surely I too will profit from it forever!

So I wish to tell you to please take very good and conscious care of yourself - always. Love your pretty bodies and care for them and their health. Cherish your soul and keep it true and free of clutter. Continue your education and seek out a proper profession, so you will be able to provide for your own needs. That is so important!

It is wise not to let things just happen in your life, plan a little bit, know what you want and in which direction you like to go.

Recognize the presents life has in store, how it provides wonders from nature and treasures from kind people. That will lift you up! Being thankful for each day can give your spirit joy. There are always ups and downs in life - in each life - but I know you can manage - I know! May your good days predominate, with hugs, with smiles and laughter. Yes, remember - a little humor goes a long way! Keep your heads up, strive for the sun!

And remember - my love for you will never cease... :-)

MIS PAPELICOS - alias Senora Sacramento

2011-12-16T11:18:00.000-08:00

Only after I posted my last entry I asked Sacramento from MIS PAPELICOS for permission to use one, or maybe two photos from her blog, featuring her with a special outfit. She responded kindly and allowed me to use "all the photos you want"...

Now I had to choose and this was really difficult for me, because each one of her garb is a collection of color and texture, of the right shoes and the best fitting accessories - earrings, necklaces, brooches, always a belt and of course a smashing handbag. She puts much artistic thought and a lot of creative energy in her attire and she always succeeds in looking very sophisticated and unique - every thing is perfect - she will not agree to less. And she is very daring and fearless in selecting the unexpected and unusual and feels confident with her decisions. She presents herself daily in a costume fit for the play of life! And she never ceases to look beautiful and special!

So why did I choose this particular outfit? Because it resembles everything she loves to accomplish. Finding items which catch her senses and are affordable. Seeking garments and suitable fittings for them, which she knows will make her look adorable. As I already told in my last post, she is very good in discovering real treasures. In this case it was a genuine Karl Lagerfeld Jacket, which she found at a flea market for 3 (!!!) Euro. The pretty skirt (1 Euro) and the shoes are flea market finds too. The shoes had been sold brand new for 2,50 Euro, and they are "Carla Berotti" ankle boots. She does not at all necessarily look for clothes with famous designer labels, she just has an eye for it to seek them out at flea market stalls and vintage shops. But she will buy anything she likes - that's it: she buys what she loves to wear, that sums it all up! And she never even spends much money on it! That is so amazing!

And of course her face is always made up to perfection, her lovely eyes embellished, the haircut cared for, her nails done pretty!

Those photos were taken while she visited her daughter in Berlin and in this case she borrowed the jewellery, the golden colored belt and the hand bag from her. I love how she writes in her post that she "played the whole outfit down with the striped t-shirt".

Here is again the link to her blog. Wander around, it is very pleasant!

http://www.mispapelicos.com

OH ANDALUSIA you beautiful daughter of Spain....

2011-12-13T13:45:00.000-08:00

how I wish I could be embraced by you right now again!

I am happy to have a new blogger friend by the pretty name of Sacramento. She lives in the land of olives, villages with white houses, sun, flamenco and tapas and thousand more things for the eyes and the soul! And so I was reminded of our wonderful trip to Spain three years ago - to its most southern part, to Andalusia.

Senora Sacramento amate Martinez is a wonderful artist of fashion and style, a woman with a big heart and a tender soul, a lady of courtesy and kindness. She says: "Being kind to others is the best present you can give to yourself."

Her outfits are amazing, mostly vintage, created with a great sense of how to mix and not by all means 'to match', they are colorful and - in her own words - quirky. I just fell in love with her looks and appearances and I got so fascinated with her blog, that I scrolled through all her past posts with great pleasure! It is astonishing to realize that she buys most of her clothes and accessories at thrift shops, flea markets and Ebay. She has a perfect eye for treasures!

Her photos are masterly taken and wonderful. She is featured in magazines and blogs with great admiration. She loves earrings! And brooches! She often customizes her skirts and shoes, and she sometimes makes her own jewellery - all with great talent. She does not like trousers, she will never be seen with them, only maybe for comfort in her home and while hiking. She also does not wear hats, because that is not necessarily the practice in Spain, and with her impeccable haircut there is absolutely no need for it!

She is an English and Spanish teacher and an expert on nutrition and diet.

'Mis Papelicos' is the name of her blog - meaning 'little paper pieces' - referring to cut out notes, kept by her in a small book. Her posts are written in English and Spanish and are very delightful. She often gives helpful advice on different topics, always with great tact and charm! Please go to meet her at:

http://www.mispapelicos.com

I certainly will look forward to her future posts and photos to enjoy them!

HOUSE CATS

2011-12-11T03:37:00.000-08:00

Painted on a house wall in the pedestrian zone of a little town on the Carmel Mountain (Sichron Yaakov)

OLD MARKET JERUSALEM

2011-12-07T05:48:00.000-08:00

Photo by my husband Uri Eshkar

IRIS - CROCUS - DAFFODIL

2011-12-04T23:25:00.000-08:00

It started to get green here. It is that time of the year. Mysterious things are going on underneath the surface. There is some stirring in the ground. And then the earth breaks up and beauty emerges and colors spill upward. Sun is always present here. But now the clouds added rain - and then the magic happens again...

Ahhhhhhhhh....

Photographs by Uri Eshkar.

FABRIC BOXES

2011-12-01T00:31:00.000-08:00

Have you seen my handmade fabric boxes in my Holiday Shop? Who would not be happy to receive such a lovely gift? Created from scratch with cardboard and mostly self died fabric, with pretty butterfly and fish appliques on the lid. They are truly beautiful and unique! (11.12.2011 The shop is closed now - till next year!)

Open the above shop link for details and prices.

NICE PRESENTS

2011-11-30T04:19:00.000-08:00

I put some more of those lovely lavender angels and lavender hearts in my holiday shop. Open the above link and have a look! (11.12.2011 The shop is closed now - till next year!)

Sehava

Hedwig

Julie

Olga

Pippa

Frizzy Lizzy

HOLIDAY SHOP

2011-11-19T15:06:00.000-08:00

I decided to open a little shop for the holidays with small sweet items, all under fifty dollars and under forty Euro. Have a look at the above link, maybe you find some presents for yourself or your loved ones. (11.12.2011 The shop is closed now - till next year!)

Ich habe mich entschlossen einen kleinen Laden fuer die Feiertage aufzumachen, mit netten Geschenken, alle unter vierzig Euro. Durch Anklicken des obigen Links wird der Laden geoeffnet.

This is Frilly Lily, the naughty sweet petite angel - and she has some lovely sisters! They have poly fill and a generous handful of lavender in their belly - each time you hug and squeeze them you surely will go Aaaaaaaaaaaahhhh and breathe deeply! :-)

FIRST CYCLAMEN

2011-11-16T12:32:00.000-08:00

My husband brought home today the first photos of cyclamen - shot during a rainy day at the Golan Heights. They are wearing their prettiest dresses!

LAVENDER HEART

2011-11-12T23:08:00.000-08:00

I participated in a short fabric printing workshop two weeks ago, and I took home the cleaning up tissues - wow, never throw them away, little wonders can be created with them!

The beautiful lamp work glass bead at the bottom is from here: www.etsy.com/shop/stringythingy
Have a lovely Sunday!

THE MONKEYS ON GIBRALTAR

2011-11-09T21:56:00.000-08:00

Actually I did not like them. They were filthy and very naughty. They would even jump on people.

But these two pinched my heart!! How lovely!

Photos by Uri Eshkar.

SMART GOLDIE

2011-11-06T00:41:00.000-07:00

You remember Golda, the kitty from the Negev desert?

She turned into a big healthy marvelous cat. She is strong and headstrong, full of energy, always hungry, in addition to her cat food she will eat almost anything! She still plays with me very roughly, but she will never deliberately hurt me. AND she is very smart. There is always the danger of a cat's head get stuck in a container of yoghurt or cottage (never give it to them unsupervised!). They all love to lick it clean. Goldie loves that too, but she has her own ways. If the container is small, she will never stick her head in, but nevertheless she gets the last good morsel out of it!

Have a look!

We had such good laughs yesterday morning sitting in the garden and watching her, about half an hour she was busy licking her paws - she is awesome!
Look she is here too:
http://youtu.be/RMcuokKP1JY

Have a funny Sunday everyone!

QUINCE MARMALADE - ריבת חבושים

2011-11-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

My friend Hilde, the garden fairy from Norway has inspired me to make marmalade. Please browse through her wonderful blog.

http://granheim2.blogspot.com

It is about many issues, but all of them are related to nature. She will take you to spiritual places and let you hear the whisper of ancient times. She will teach you about fruit and vegetables, herb plants and trees and flowers and berries, and she explains to you the healing power of stones. She works her big and beautiful garden mostly by herself and shares photos from it throughout the year. She dyes wool into soft and lovely colors with natural material, like leaves, vegetable and fruit, and then knits and crochets it into wonderful mittens, shawls and blankets. She is just amazing! I already learned so much from her. All the produce from her garden she turns into something, be it a salad, or a stew, or a cake, or cookies. She makes marmalade, juice, chutneys, cider, dried fruit, dried herbs, creams, ointment and healthy alternative medicine like liquid extracts from plants with curing attributes. I visit her blog almost every day and enjoy her stories, her teachings and photos.

So, when some days ago I saw quinces at the market, two things jumped into my head, a childhood memory of how I loved quince marmalade and the spirit of Hilde. I bought six of the pretty big sunny yellow fruit and six nice glass jars. At home I searched via the Internet for the easiest recipe. It said one to one rate fruit and sugar, and lemon juice, that was all. I washed the quince thoroughly, I did not peel it, quartered it, took out the core, cut it up into small cubes, mixed it with the sugar, added a bit of water and cooked it for about an hour and a half on low flame with no lid on the pot, then I strained it, mashed the fruit, put it back into the liquid, stirred and let it boil for another two minutes - and spooned it into the jars.
Here are the three stages, from golden to orange to almost brown - each time a pretty color.

During the process the whole house smelled wonderfully! The marmalade turned out very tasty - Shabatt breakfast will be great!

Have a nice weekend - if you are around our home tomorrow morning, please step inside to join us for coffee and quince marmalade breakfast!

IT IS RAINING - IT IS RAINING

2011-11-03T09:13:00.000-07:00

Wow - we have heavy rain and a big thunderstorm right now! Many of you may not understand this happiness - BUT this is the first rain since the beginning of May!

FERTILE SAND - MARVELOUS PRESENT

2011-11-01T06:19:00.000-07:00

Last Shabatt was a wonderful day, pleasant warm weather, blue sky, lovely sun, light breeze. We drove to the Negev desert to visit the ancient Nabatean city Mamshit - I still want to write about it. But today I show you what we found on our way, just along the road, in the dry brown sand...

The beauty of those flowers is just so MAGNIFICENT!
Thank you Mother Nature!

Those grow in the Judean desert, the Dead Sea valley, and in the Northern Negev desert. They are called in Hebrew Havazelet haNegev, חבצלת הנגב and their botanical name is pancratium sickenbergeri. I could not find how they are called in English, but there is another similar variety, growing at the Mediterranean coast, called Sea daffodil, pancratium maritimum - Havazelet haHof, חבצלת החוף in Hebrew.

Nevermind their exact English name, (maybe they should be called Desert daffodils) - they are just wonderful! White and soft, like many princess brides parading on one stem towards the sun...
And I think my husband captured their beauty splendidly!

Photographs by Uri Eshkar.

AUTUMNFLOWERS

2011-10-28T08:49:00.000-07:00

Found last weekend at the Golan Heights at Mount Hosek. (Sternbergia, Colchicum and Crocus)

Photographs by Uri Eshkar

נרקיסים בהר כרמל

2011-10-26T06:24:00.000-07:00

The first wild daffodils are blooming here...

LITTLE GIRLS DELIGHT

2011-10-24T03:24:00.000-07:00

I was asked to create presents for little girls - and I gladly did - I had some real fun days with it!

And I made some more of those - the little beds are made from tea boxes.

The crochet pattern for the sweet petite fellows is from
http://www.irenestrange.co.uk

PERFECTION

2011-10-22T23:54:00.000-07:00

Have a nice Sunday!

WELCOME HOME GILAD

2011-10-18T04:44:00.000-07:00

WELCOME HOME!

CARMEN Y JOSELITO

2011-10-17T21:23:00.000-07:00

Flamenco performance, Ronda, Andalusia, Spain.

Photos by Uri Eshkar

VIKTUALIENMARKT - MUNICH

2011-10-16T23:17:00.000-07:00

I was in Germany for a week to attend my niece's wedding, and among other places visited the Viktualienmarkt in Munich, a 200 year old market in the inner city, which is very beautiful and rich, ever so colorful, with good smells. It offers a big variety of fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices (and cheese, meat, bread, wine, etc.). Everything was so orderly and pretty displayed. The spotless fruits were arranged in little boxes and baskets, always only a small number of pieces, like they were counted, the stalls looking very artful.

How different from the fruit and vegetable markets here in Israel. Everything is piled in high heaps in huge quantities at the market tables, but in good quality too.

The exotic fruits in Munich were mostly priced a piece each, something that won't be seen here, where it is always per kilogram, and if you would ask for one piece, the vendor would laugh at you and shoo you away or give it to you for free.

And while looking at the prices I realized how lucky I am. Many of those fruits, being so special and very expensive there, I have in my garden, like pomegranate, passion fruit, feijoa, lemons, figs, even olives. And often we have so much of it, that we can give some to our neighbors, and the one on the right presents us in return with kumquats, and the one on the left gives us papaya, guava and mango. I saw in Munich khaki fruit (persimmons) for 3.95 Euro a piece, I can buy more than a kilo here for that money, and cactus figs (prickly pears) grow wild everywhere here in the country, including behind our garden, and we can pick as much as we want, if we don't fear the tiny pricks too much, or we can buy them along the roads from Bedouin boys at very low cost.

Then I could understand why my relatives were so happy and excited about the pomegranates, feijoa and passion fruit I had brought with me to give them, they are a real luxury there.

Photos taken by me.

DURMITOR NATIONAL PARK - MONTENEGRO

2011-10-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

This country presents you with many goods and we had a lot of them: swimming in the ocean, hiking in the mountains, relaxing at the lakes, dressing in short sleeve t-shirts one day, and warm sweaters the next in another region, wearing sandals and boots, bathing in the sun and getting wet in the rain, enjoying mild warm breezes, and brazing ourselves in strong icy winds.

The Durmitor park is a natural wonder of beautiful landscapes and views. It is utterly rich in fauna and flora, with thousands of different species. One could spend a whole vacation only there and not get bored at all. One day we decided to explore a small part of it and drive higher into the mountains. We started in Zabliak, a little town with funny houses in many colors, strewn over a large area.

We soon felt the chill of the altitude and the scenery changed and got very secluded and lonely.

Pretty thistles appeared along the road in the otherwise plain meadows.

Sheep were grazing in the pasture with a friendly shepherd herding them and smiling at us when we stopped to photograph. He knew no other language than his own, which is completely strange to us, but we managed a conversation using hand gestures and facial expressions - it worked perfectly.

The higher we drove, the more ragged and bare the mountains got, displaying no trees but only low bushes and shrubs. And it started to get really cold and windy.

Our aim was to reach lake Valovito. We found it, but it was almost dry now before winter, nevertheless the view was taking our breath away.

And there in the middle of nowhere stood this small solitary hut, a tiny mountain restaurant with an energetic owner, who spoke to us in high speed servo-croatic, but we "understood" his whole speech :-) and told him we don't want soup, but coffee. He made us the best and hottest coffee ever, which we had outside on his terrace near the wood logs for heating the stove, warming our hands on the cups.

Then the clouds broke and rain started heavily pouring down and we slowly headed back to our hotel.

Much more is to experience in Montenegro. There are the monasteries, Dobridovina and the lovely Moradca, and Ostrog being the most spectacular, suddenly appearing after a scary drive on a very narrow road through a wonderful landscape high up the mountain, glued to the rock, clinging to the cliff.

But I will finish the trip with this post, it was a long journey. If you are still hungry for more just visit once this precious place on earth, or enjoy all of my husbands photos at:
www.picasaweb.google.com/uri.eshkar

Photographs by Uri Eshkar.

TARA River and Gorge - MONTENEGRO

2011-10-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

The beauty of this small Balkan country is so diverse and overwhelming that I need two or three more blog posts to describe it fully and thoroughly in order to let you enter into its magic. Today you can visit with me the Tara river, and its gorge, which at some areas seems to be bottomless. As a matter of fact the ravine is more than 1300 meters deep at its lowest part and is about 80 km long. Only the Grand Canyon in the United States is larger.

The Tara canyon is part of the Durmitor National Park and recognized by UNESCO as world heritage.

Sparkling silky blue water shines up from the river to the road, over jagged rocks and cliffs and forested high mountains.

The scenery of this landscape is stunning, magnificent is even a better word. At some places the road descends, and it is possible to climb down to pebbled beaches and see the image of your face mirrored in the crystal clear water.

The vegetation is rich in diversities and so green, wow, so green, many different hues and shades of green!!! And now at this time of the year the autumn colors kick in, adding another wonderful embellishment!

This is the Durdevica Tara bridge, it is 365 m long and has five beautiful arches. This very impressive bridge was built more than 70 years ago and has an interesting history which can be found here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%90ur%C4%91evi%C4%87a_Tara_Bridge

The Tara River and its canyon are one of the many treasures of this incomparably beautiful country, which is so worth a visit and a vacation!

All photos by Uri Eshkar.

LAKE BIOGRADSKO - MONTENEGRO

2011-10-03T11:38:00.000-07:00

Visiting Lake Biogradsko at the Biogradska Gora National Park in the vicinity of Kolasin, and hiking around it through its magnificent forest, was one of the highlights of our vacation.

This is an excerpt from Wikipedia about the Park:

"Although it is the smallest of four National Parks in Montenegro, Biogradska Gora National Park contains great diversity of flora and fauna. There are 26 different habitats of plants with 220 different plants, 150 kinds of birds, and 10 kinds of mammals live in this Park and in its forest, there are 86 kinds of trees and shrubs. In the waters of the park exist three kinds of trout and 350 kinds of insects. One of the unique features of the park is its virgin forest, Biogradska Gora (16 km²) with trees over five hundred years old. In the very heart of Biogradska's virgin forest is Biogradsko Lake, the largest glacier lake in this National park. The most common tree species around the lake are European Beech, Sycamore Maple and European Ash, and on the slopes Beech and Silver Fir."

We walked slowly and it took us twice the time to circumference the lake, almost three hours - it really was like being in paradise. Those marvelous tall, very tall tress, many hundreds of years old! The forest is untouched and undisturbed, the ancient trees are just left to die in peace, crash down and fertilize the soil.

Many small creeks with incredibly rich vegetation along them and lovely pebbles in many sizes and colors crisscross the area.

Apart from an occasional bird call, the croaking of a frog, the splash of a fish in the lake or of a lonely woodpeckers tapping it was very quiet.

We found this patch with leaves as big as umbrellas.

The sun was shining through the trees portraying a beautiful play of light and shadow and the sky was peeking in between in many shades of blue.

A small variety of different wild flowers still showed their full bloom at this late season.

There are only very few virgin forests remaining in Europe and one of the most important is Biogradska Gora.

The lake was shallow in many places, it is waiting for the spring waters the streams will bring from the mountains to fill up again.

Clean and clear water contained many hues of blue, green and turquoise, and where the trees touched the shoreline the color darkened.

Half way around a gentle breeze began to blow which suddenly increased to a strong wind and the dry yellow autumn leaves went sailing down by the thousands - then a minute later the sun was back.

I am thankful for the trees, the sun, the lake, the sky, the plants and the colors, which all have been so good to me and satisfied my senses and made me happy at this day! My dear husband included in the list!
I have saved all this in my memory - for later, when I will need it!

Photos by Uri Eshkar.

THE BLACK LAKE - CRNO JEZERO MONTENEGRO

2011-10-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

The morning of this day was cool and promised rain. It did not stop us from visiting Crno Jezero, the black glacial lake in the Durmitor Park in the midst of forested mountains, not far from the town of Zabljak.

There is a 20 minute walk from the parking spot to the lake, and it was dripping already, so we took our small and fragile umbrellas with us...

The lake really looked black, at least in this weather - but even more magnificent...

And then the rain really started to pour down - it made the water of the lake ripple.

Now the rain drummed upon us... Time to walk back to the car...

The umbrellas got wrecked by the strong wind, we got wet all over - BUT it was a great adventure, we would not have missed it at all!

Photos taken from deep down under the umbrella by my husband Uri Eshkar.

MONTENEGRO

2011-09-30T06:48:00.000-07:00

Montenegro, the small ecological state in the Balkan with Mediterranean climate, is a jewel in the south of the Adriatic sea. Contrasting and unique and of stunning beauty it possesses a great variety of landscapes. Shores of the open dark blue sea, high mostly forested mountains, deep river gorges, sleepy peaceful and clear lakes, a rich flora of wildflowers, the striking Kotor bay enclosed with high rocks, with its pebbled beaches, turquoise water and soft waves - all this makes that country a destination for unforgettable vacation time. Two thirds of the years days are sunny, half of the year is swimming time. The mountains are bedecked with snow in winter, perfect for recreational skiing holiday. Four magnificent national parks show you wonders who take your breath away.

Montenegro is bordered by five countries, its nowadays capital is Podgorica, the old royal capital was Cetinje, the official language is Serbo-Croatioan, it became an independent state in 2006 and has roughly 670 000 citizens. The currency is Euro.

There is a ton of information on Montenegro on the Internet, therefore I am content with short descriptions, but I have to use a lot of superlatives like dreamy, glorious, fantastic, wonderful, mystic, breathtaking, unique, marvelous, gorgeous, striking and so on, to tell the story, together with my husbands meaningful and and masterfully taken photos. In the end you cannot help but falling in love with Montenegro...

Kotor Bay

View of the bay from high up in the Lovcen lime stone mountains.

An artificial tiny island in Boka bay near Perast, with the church "Our Lady of the Rocks" the only structure on it. Unbelievable how the island was built - by sinking old ships and filling them up with rocks! It can be visited by boat - we didn't, which I regret now...

Kotor with the antic city part , the beach,

and the walls and the steps rising up to the fortress Sveti Ivan - 1300 steps.

Kotor attracts many tourists, due to the beauty of its coast and its medieval old city center.

The morning haze over the bay with the sight on Kotor.

Prcanj - features a stunning waterfront with many small pebbled beaches - often with stone jetties, which locally are called "puntas", they form enclosures for small boats and are very useful for sunbathing. It also has the largest church in the Kotor bay, named Zupna. People from all over the world sick with asthma, come to seek healing in Prcanj because of the quality of the fresh clean dry air and mild weather.

Since it was autumn at our visit, the weather was sunny and warm, very pleasant, not hot. The nights cooled off to let us sleep by open windows and balcony doors, no air condition was needed at all during our stay..

Swimming in those soft waters was the greatest pleasure - view on Dobrota.

One of our own small strips of "private" beach - this one is in Kumbor.

2500 years old Budva with Venetian architecture - the beaches are sandy and if one is looking for nightlife of bars and music it can be found there. We had a lovely afternoon at one of Budva's beaches, the Jaz beach, which was quiet and tranquil at this out of season time, we saw almost no tourists but only local families with their children.

A stroll at the beach walk in Perast. Women sold handmade items all along the way. I bought a tablecloth with crochet around linen fabric.

Their handiwork is of great workmanship, perfectly executed - crochet and embroidery of napkins, tablecloth and curtains, and knitting of wool sweaters and jackets.

Where mount Orejo comes down and plunges into the entrance of Kotor bay there the enchanted town of Herceg Novi was built on the steep of the mountain. Therefore this is a city of stairs - flights of stairs have to be walked down to the sea, passing Stari grad, the old town with a heritage way back to the 15th and 16th century, and then up again to the parked car. The city is famous for its abundance of flowers and exotic plants, trees and shrubs lining the streets.

The fortress Kanli Kula above the old town, well preserved and very impressive.

View from the fortress over the town to the sea.

The spire of one of the churches in Herceg Novi- palm trees are everywhere, now in autumn loaded with fruit.

This is a first insight into this unique country full of natural wonders and lovely dwelling places - and there is more to come.

All photos by Uri Eshkar

SHANA TOVA - שנה טובה ומבורכת - HAPPY NEW YEAR

2011-09-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

The pomegranate bushes and trees growing wild in abundance along the coastline of the beautiful Kotor bay in Montenegro are a wonderful symbol for Rosh HaShana!

May you have a good sweet year, blessed with health and joy and peace! Shana tova!

Of course I had to take some of those lovelies home! They are very small and hard like stones - not the variety for eating. BUT - aren't they pretty?

Photographs by Uri Eshkar.

MONTENEGRO - BLACK MOUNTAIN

2011-09-26T09:18:00.000-07:00

Montenegro - Crna Gora - where to begin?

With the high wondrous in rich foliage covered mountains? The turquoise rivers low on water at this season cutting through them? The ever present calm Adriatic sea? The endless beaches? The simple boats? The sky flowing from the mountains into the sea? The deep gorges? The magnificent trees, many hundreds of years old? The delicious well spiced food? The absolute unique and gorgeous Kotor bay? The small cities with their antic centers, and the picturesque little villages? The narrow streets along the sea and the even narrower scary roads clinging to the rocks and winding in tight curves through the mountains? The beautiful bridges with graceful arches spanning the river gorges? The thinly sliced yummy prosciutto from Njegusi?

The colors in hundreds of hues? The textures inviting to be touched? The smells? The fresh air calling for breathing consciously? The lights and shadows? The sound of the sea and the breezes and the wind? The evening sun making the water of the sea glitter and shimmer? The lovely sheep and the naughty goats? The sight of fishermen standing quietly with their rods at dawn at the seaside? The many different wild flowers? The vast natural untouched healthy forests? The autumn colors? The thousands of pomegranate bushes along the sea shore with millions of little stone hard lovely crowned fruits on them? The still and peaceful lakes?

The haze in the mornings? The rose hips surprising with blotches of red thrown into the blue of the sky? The fig trees every where, loaded with fruit? The palms bountiful with dates? The monasteries and churches? The cafes sitting on the pebbled beaches? The soft splashing noise of the gentle waves onto the coast? The music from the bars on the shore? The pure clear clean transparent seawater with its many shades of blue and turquoise? Its salty taste? The swimming in it? The floating on it? The warm sunny days and cool nights? Niksicko, the light and good local beer? The strong heavenly rain we had for an afternoon, pounding on the boats and making the lake ripple? The tiny pretty islands? The big ships passing and causing waves? The lights mirroring and playing and corkscrewing on the water at night in thousand glimmering colors? The people of this land, who are not quick to smile at strangers? The views? - Oh those marvelous views!

Dobrodosli - Welcome!

Slowly I would like to unfold the beauty and splendor and loveliness of this small but great country in the Balkan we enjoyed for the last ten days.

Photographs by Uri Eshkar.

THE STORY OF A BAG

2011-09-26T04:02:00.000-07:00

Some time ago six wool skeins flew over land and sea into my home. They came from Norway as a present from a dear friend. She had masterly dyed them with plant material into beautiful shades of pastel greens and yellows. I was so pleased with it! Since my hands can never be without something creative to do, I took the wool and a crochet hook with me on our vacation to Montenegro with a bag in my mind.

We had hired a room at the beach in Kumbor, a sobe, for the last three days. Since I forgot to bring a button with me I dared to ask the woman of the villa if she might have one. She brought out a very old and tattered sewing basket and rummaged around. Then smiling she presented me with the most beautiful big brown wooden button! Hvala - thank you - Vesna!

Voila - I could finish the bag and I used it happily for the remaining days!

Photographed patiently (most of the time!) :-) by my husband Uri Eshkar.

MONASTERY SAVINA MONTENEGRO

2011-09-25T23:43:00.000-07:00

The cats at the many monasteries in Montenegro are very well cared for. Here we were greeted by three lovely pitch black ones, who of course reminded me of Goldie.

And then this other one - mhmmmm, melting my heart...

Outside the monastery yard I spotted cyclamen - I could not believe my eyes and called my husband. Cyclamen in September? Wow, got he excited - yes there is a variety of cyclamen which grows in autumn, but he never was lucky to see them before!

Cyclamen graecum is their botanical name. They have this typical little knots at the bottom of the pink flower petals, called auricles, they bloom in autumn, they have five petals with distinct thin magenta colored stripes on them, and they are darker at the bottom. What a pleasant special surprise gift of the day!

Photographs by Uri Eshkar.

MOTHERHOOD

2011-09-25T09:27:00.000-07:00

For Sandra and Anna - oh, and of course for Elisa - and anyone else who will explode into Ahhhhhhhhh's and Ohhhhhhhhhh's...

Photographed by ME :-) at the Moraca Monastery garden, Montenegro

LITTLE PEOPLE - JUMOKE

2011-09-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

Jumoke - her name means the beloved one
Last one - I promise!!! (In the meantime!) :-)

African cotton print fabric, African recycled beads, Kauri shells, mother of pearl buttons.

Jumoke and Zuri

LITTLE PEOPLE - SAIDI

2011-09-14T03:11:00.000-07:00

Saidi - he is the helper, that is the meaning of his name

African cotton print fabric, African recycled beads, mother of pearl buttons.

LITTLE PEOPLE - JELANI

2011-09-13T07:52:00.000-07:00

Jelani - his name says he is the mighty one

African cotton print fabric, African recycled beads, Paper bead made by African women, mother of pearl buttons, brass beads from Africa

LITTLE PEOPLE - KESIA

2011-09-12T12:15:00.000-07:00

Kesia - she is the favorite, according to her name.

African cotton prints, African recycled glass beads

LITTLE PEOPLE - ZURI

2011-09-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

Zuri - she is the beautiful

African cotton print fabrics, African recycled beads, Kauri shells, tiny brass bells

Jumoke, Saidi, Zuri

LITTLE PEOPLE - AJANI

2011-09-12T05:08:00.000-07:00

Ajani - his name means he is the victor

Nasha and Ajani

African cotton print fabrics, African recycled beads, Paper beads made by African women

LITTLE PEOPLE - NASHA

2011-09-11T05:58:00.000-07:00

Nasha - she was born during the rainy season - that's the meaning of her name.

African recycled glass beads, African print fabrics, little shells, old white buttons

LITTLE PEOPLE- TABANI

2011-09-11T05:32:00.000-07:00

This is Tabani - he is the one who endures, that is what his name says.

African print fabric, African recycled glass beads, brass beads made in Africa, weaving with embroidery thread, little polymer clay adornments

INGREDIENTS

2011-09-10T22:34:00.000-07:00

Fabric - Beads - Buttons - Embroidery Thread - Pattern - A bit of African State of Mind - :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVk22fjN6AE

AUTUMN GREETINGS

2011-09-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

One hour ago - the street leading up to our village - I LOVE those early autumn messengers, oh how dearly I love them. They come out as straight sticks, no leaves and then they open their sweet fairy flowers, pure white as fresh falling snow - they bloom there by the thousands, near the Bedouins, on the soft hills, pleasing us every day now for a month or so, then the big dark green fleshy leaves will grow into clusters - CHAZAVIM - חצבים - each year a delight from nature!

Sea Squill - Meerzwiebel - Urginea Maritima

Photos by Uri Eshkar.

A FUNNY LITTLE TOTE

2011-09-08T13:15:00.000-07:00

I decoupaged a paper napkin on muslin and made the pocket from it. Heavy decorator fabric is used for the bag.

2011-09-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

I was trying to find words for this photo, a title, but I could not, what ever I thought of was banal - so I just let the image speak for itself...

Any suggestions? :-)

Photographed by my husband Uri Eshkar in France.

HOW WAS THAT? OLD AGE IS NOT FOR SISSIES?

2011-09-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

Getting Married

Jacob, age 92, and Rebecca, age 89, are all excited about their decision to get married. They go for a stroll to discuss the wedding, and on the way they pass a chemist. Jacob suggests they go in.
Jacob addresses the man behind the counter: "Are you the owner?"

The pharmacist answers, "Yes."
Jacob: "We're about to get married. Do you sell heart medication?"

Pharmacist: "Of course we do."
Jacob: "How about medicine for circulation?"

Pharmacist: "All kinds "
Jacob: "Medicine for rheumatism?"

Pharmacist: "Definitely."
Jacob: "How about suppositories?"

Pharmacist: "You bet!"
Jacob: "Medicine for memory problems, arthritis, and Alzheimer's?"

Pharmacist: "Yes, a large variety. The works."
Jacob: "What about vitamins, sleeping pills, Geritol, antidotes for Parkinson's disease?"

Pharmacist: "Absolutely.."

Jacob: "Everything for heartburn and indigestion?"

Pharmacist: "We sure do."
Jacob: "You sell wheelchairs and walkers and canes?"

Pharmacist: "All speeds and sizes."
Jacob: "Adult incontinence pants?"

Pharmacist: "Sure."

Jacob: "We'd like to use this store for our wedding presents list..."

PREVIEW ON A NEW LITTLE PROJECT

2011-09-02T09:49:00.000-07:00

Happy weekend!

PAMUKALE - TURKEY

2011-08-31T20:56:00.000-07:00

When I was a young girl I once saw pictures of a wonderland of turquoise and white formations in a magazine and was overwhelmed by its beauty and magic. Fifty years later I was lucky to visit there with my husband while on vacation in Lykia Turkey.

Pamukale is a word in Turkish and means pamuk for cotton and kale for castle - Cotton Castle. And the place really looks like a beautiful wondrous snow white fairy castle.

This fabulous and unique cotton castle paradise is located near the town Denizli in the southwest of Turkey.

The water of hot springs, rich in carbonate minerals form travertine limestone terraces. The dazzling white petrified cascades contain basins with turquoise colored water and stalactite walls of sheer beauty. It is allowed to wade barefoot in the pools, and it is a pleasure to do so, the water is warm and soft, and as an extra benefit full of healthy minerals.

The Romans knew that already and dwelt there. The impressive ruins of the nearby ancient city Hierapolis provide testimony of it. Hierapolis, with its necropolis, temples, theater and luxurious baths, is by itself a very interesting and astonishing site to visit, maybe I will tell about it in another post.

Photos by Uri Eshkar.

GOSSIP GOSSIP GOSSIP

2011-08-30T22:51:00.000-07:00

Okay this looks funny, I know. But gossip actually is not a funny matter. I try to stay away from it. Gossip over the celebrity world is very common. It is all buisness. The media thrives, the newspapers and gossip magazines live from it, earning a lot of money. I don't know if some of those famous people get hurt from it, or if it is welcomed advertise for them - but we, who live in the normal world will certainly not profit from gossip.

It is very interesting that the Bible speaks about gossiping and condemns it:

“A man who lacks judgment derides his neighbor, but a man of understanding holds his tongue. A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret.” (Proverbs 11:12,13)

I found this at Wikipedia:

"Some see gossip as trivial, hurtful and socially and/or intellectually unproductive

Some people view gossip as a lighthearted way of spreading information

A feminist definition of gossip presents it as "a way of talking between women, intimate in style, personal and domestic in scope and setting, a female cultural event which springs from and perpetuates the restrictions of the female role, but also gives the comfort of validation."

I agree only with the first opinion.

Gossip is always a negative matter - telling something good about a person is never gossip.

So, this is my last funny owl - so far :-)...

I LOST 30 POUNDS BUT I GAINED IT ALL BACK

2011-08-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

The Italian Pasta Diet

You walka pasta da bakery.
You walka pasta da candy store.
You walka pasta da Ice Cream shop.
You walka pasta da table and da fridge.

(After this - one more to go - hihi!) :-

HONEY I SHRUNK THE KIDS

2011-08-28T22:54:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the typo! :-) :-) :-) (shrinkshrankshrunk)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlGuSboxrCw
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honey,_I_Shrunk_the_Kids

GERONIMO

2011-08-26T06:06:00.000-07:00

You might hear the beautiful shout of "Geronimo"
from a lover who has just dove from a
cliff and is heading full speed
into the Ocean -- into the
Beloved.

Hafiz (Daniel Ladinsky)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eum4xW4c4X8&feature=related

DON'T GET ANY IDEAS

2011-08-25T23:57:00.000-07:00

I don't wanna go home
Don't get any ideas
Things are going fine, then they all disappeared
You don't have to make me any promises
I can leave anytime I know
Even though I don't wanna go home
Don't get any ideas...

Elvis Costello

I CAN'T GET NO SATISFACTION

2011-08-25T03:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpZ3dVpE_pY

A VISIT TO THE ETHIOPIAN CHURCH IN JERUSALEM

2011-08-23T04:08:00.000-07:00

We visited the Ethiopian church in West Jerusalem, in the vicinity of the Russian Compound, not for religious reasons, but out of sheer admiration for the beautiful building and surroundings, and because of interest and curiosity in the long history of this institution in Israel. This is the spiritual home of the Ethiopian Coptic clergy.

The Ethiopian-Orthodox church has at least since the Middle Age a community in Jerusalem. Over the next centuries the church had ownership over many important holy sites, which they later lost almost completely during the dominion of the Ottomans.
This church building, called Debre Gannet, which is Amharic and means "Monastery of Paradise" is situated in Ethiopia street, in the middle of beautiful 19th century villas built with Jerusalem stone, sitting inside wonderful gardens with old tall trees. It was erected in 1893 by the Ethiopian emperor Johannes I. He wanted his people to have a presence in modern Jerusalem in addition to their church Deir es-Sultan adjacent to the Holy Sepulchre in the old city, near the Jaffa gate. The complex is circumfenced with a beautiful courtyard, adorned with olive trees and a statue of Haile Selassie. Around the courtyard are living quarters for the monks and some families.

Today, the Ethiopian Church in Israel is a small community, which is headed by an archbishop. It consists essentially of a few dozen monks and nuns who live in the old town and near the Ethiopian Church in West Jerusalem. The congregation of believers and followers is constantly growing.

While visiting there monks were sitting in the courtyard, willing to talk to us and allowing us to photograph them. Most of them are only Amharic speaking and seldom fluent in neither Arabic nor Hebrew and almost never in English or any other language and are dependent on those in the community who do, so they called a younger fellow to translate.

Before entering the church the shoes have to be removed, and there is a separate entrance for men and women.

The lion over the gate is the symbol of the church. When queen Sheba visited Jerusalem, king Solomon gave her a banner depicting a lion of Judah, thus the Ethiopians believe of being descendents of Sheba and Solomon.

The bell tower adorned with a small cupola and a cross.

The church is built as a high domed round structure. The inside is very colorful, with tall pink square columns, the ceiling painted blue with flowers and stars and garlands, the floor covered with flower motive carpets, all in a native and charming way.

Light is flowing in from the big windows. Hanging iron wrought lamps add to the ambient. Many religious paintings, symbols and images decorate the walls.

The holy altar is in the middle, to be seen, but not to be touched. The prayer ceremonies are usually very long and walking sticks with chin rests are distributed in several corners for the monks to help them stand still more comfortably.

Many artifacts can be admired on the windowsills and on shelves, like drums, beautiful vases, many full of artificial flowers, embroidered table cloth and shiny curtains. Candles are everywhere. It is allowed to watch the community pray at the ceremonies. Music made with traditional instruments and dancing play a very large part in the services.

A mother and her sweet child sitting in the courtyard.

On Shabatt morning the court yard bustled with Ethiopian women and children, many in their traditional outfit. A monk sitting on a bench with girls and boys was teaching them Bible in Amharic and it was very lovely to watch. When we asked if we could photograph he smiled and nodded. The girls were attired in pretty white dresses with lovely embroidered hems. The Ethiopian people are very beautiful. The children are just adorable - and they all speak Hebrew very well.

We enjoyed that outing very much and learned a lot about friendly people different in culture and belief from us, but yet so humanly behaving like we all.

Photographs as always by my husband Uri Eshkar.

BEZIRGAN - OWLSLAND - LYKIA - TURKEY

2011-08-21T05:35:00.000-07:00

Bezirgan is a beautiful authentic little farming village, high above Kalkan in Lykia, looking pretty much like a hundred years ago, presenting itself with charming weathered houses, and pretty gardens fenced with wooden sticks, surrounded by fertile fields and views on the mountains.

For quite a while I wanted to write about Owlsland in Bezirgan, where we stayed for some days during a vacation in Turkey. This magical rural place provided us with one of the most romantic and relaxing holiday times we experienced.

Owlsland, created by Erol and his Scottish wife Pauline, who skilfully transformed the 150 year old family farmhouse into a simple, but utterly enjoyable place of escape from rustling and bustling life. We loved our rustic room with the big veranda, where we would relax in the fresh air, after evening walks around the village, with a glass of wine under the stars, smelling the huge fig tree beneath.

A hearty breakfast in their lovely garden full of herbs and flowers was the perfect beginning of the day and in the evenings after we came home from exploring Kalkan, the sea, the mountains and the antique historical sites, we sat down to a marvelous traditional Turkish dinner, cooked masterly by Erol, so delicious it resulted in licking our fingers!

Hospitality is a great issue for the owners of Owlsland, they are warm, friendly and outgoing and always ready for a nice chat and eager to provide information.

Erol's old parents live on the other side of the yard of the guesthouse and they are always present, doing their daily chores of tending to the goats and chickens, always ready to smile.

If you want some quiet tranquil and peaceful days, in midst of lovely unspoilt nature, with good food and dear people around, with memorable hours in the garden, the yard and on the loft, with watching the animals and looking out for owls - then you should try Owlsland - the other Turkish pleasure, different and very lovely, where time stands still!

The old house with our guestroom upstairs.

The loft outside the room for relaxing, snoozing, reading, dreaming and just lazing around.

Erol's mother in the yard.

And his father.

Under the fig tree

The main house

Breakfast place.

The beautiful garden.

Cats and dogs are included!

Photographs by Uri Eshkar.

If you are interested just google Owlsland, Turkey.

TATZELWORM - AND AN ELEGANT BAG

2011-08-19T05:52:00.000-07:00

Oh yes, there are many stories about that mystical beast, the Tatzelworm!

What, you never heard about the creature from Bavaria? It has only two short front legs - or maybe not. Maybe it does not have any legs. Or maybe they are arms and not legs after all? Some say it looks like a lizard, brown in color. Or black? Others settle on greenish gray. Hm! No, not like a lizard, more like a dragon! A snake with two tiny feet? Does it have a cat like head? It has clawed feet! Sure! No hair on it, just naked! Really? It stinks! Is it true, its odor is poisonous? It is two feet long - or three, or much more? It has been spotted in Switzerland and the Austrian Alps too. Any way, it lives in the higher mountain regions, in caves and tunnels, which it digs into the rock.

It has sharp claws! Is it an amphibian or a reptile? Or something in between? Don't be fooled by its shy appearance - if you approach it, it will attack you!!! It can leap a great distance! It has not been seen for a long time! Is it extinct? Or just fed up with human beings and hiding from us? Is its alleged existence due to confusion and imagination? I found it also described as a member of the family of lizards, with a plump torso, broad head, blunt tail and short legs, with its skin covered with rough, wart-like scales and a mouth, bright red inside, equipped with sharp teeth and a forked tongue, with sharp eyes and an angry combative attitude.

Legend has it, that when this fabled dragon of the mountains crawls through sand, the sand will become glass, because the Tatzel emits so much heat.

Maybe one day this mystery of a lizard, a worm, a dragon, will be solved, until then we remain with the stories and fantasies that revolve around that creature. By the way a "Tatze" is German and translates into a paw.

My dear friend Eva-Maria from Germany had her own interpretation of the Tatzelworm. She made several funny drawings about it. I got one from her as a present and printed it on fabric. Now a new bag is decorated with it - a pretty practical and elegant tote style bag.

Velvet fabric from that pack of upholstery swatches I got from my daughter. Tatzel printed on muslin with Bubble Jet and made into a pocket on the front. The strips are couched with black chenille yarn. The black cotton lining features two big pockets with the same Tatzel print on them. Leather handles with brass features.

Size: ca. 10" (26cm) at the bottom, 14" (36cm) at the top, 14" (36cm) high, 4,5" (11,5cm) deep

Handles 25" (54cm) long

Have a look at Eva's beautiful and joyful Tatzel drawings:

http://colourful-research.blogspot.com/2010/10/fabric-in-my-shop.html
http://colourful-research.blogspot.com/2010/10/tatzelquilt.html
http://colourful-research.blogspot.com/2010/10/it-takes-two-tatzelworms.html

http://colourful-research.blogspot.com/2010/09/rahu.html

BLUE SUEDE SHOES

2011-08-17T23:08:00.000-07:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYMfsUgbhN4&feature=fvst Blue Suede Shoes, by Elvis.
Photo by Uri Eshkar (Turkey)

STREET MODEL CAT

2011-08-17T01:08:00.000-07:00

My husband met this street feline in Tel Aviv and she posed for him in such a marvelous way!

What a wonderful creature! Long and high body! Sharp claws! Those eyes!!! What a beauty! And so self confident!

Photos by Uri Eshkar.

BEDOUIN DELIGHT

2011-08-16T04:10:00.000-07:00

You remember this preview? Oh yes, it was posted here already some weeks ago! I wanted black wooden handles for that bag. I had some, but they were too small. I searched all over Tel Aviv, to no avail. Then I placed an order at an on-line store, but those I had asked for still did not fit - the proportion to the bag was not right. So I ordered again - and voila! - now it is perfect! I am very pleased how this bag turned out. The design is special and really compliments the velvety fabrics and the beautiful Bedouin embroidery.

The back and the front of the bag are the same. It is lined with black cotton fabric and has two beautiful inside pockets in black and red patchwork checkerboard made from velvet fabric. I found the silk tassel ribbon some time ago at the market in Yafo - it was exactly the right embellishment, sewn on by hand and looking very pretty!

Size: ca. 14" (36cm) at the base, 12" (30cm) at the top, 11,5" (29cm) high, with a 2" (5cm) wide gusset.

CRAB GONE TO CRAB HEAVEN

2011-08-13T09:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday!

SOME IMPRESSONS FROM CRETE

2011-08-09T05:59:00.000-07:00

Focused on the beautiful blue sea...

Photographs by Uri Eshkar.

WHAT COULD BE THE TITLE OF THIS?

2011-08-06T23:42:00.000-07:00

Currently displayed outside the Mamila Shopping Mall in Jerusalem. Can you guess how it is named? If you do I'll think about a little award! :-)
Have a nice Sunday!