Lineanongrata

My new old book (Advent calendar giveaway, day 14)

My new old book was send by someone whom I've known for a very long time. I could say school friend except that we weren't really friends in High school. But we served our time there together. We have the same name. Julia was the most common name given to girls in 1978, the year of our birth.

After school we went our separate ways.

Our parents knew each other even before we were born so during the last ten years we had knews here and there. 'Julia this' and 'Julia that'. I knew she had done an apprenticeship to become a book seller.

A few months ago we met here, in Berlin. We spend three and a half hours in one of the biggest bookstores in the city and I have to tell you: Never go to a bookstore with Julia. Not unless you're rich, don't like reading or are absolutely resistant to good advice and counseling.

She's very good! I had thought I was a reader but I was sadly mistaken about that.

But not only had she read all the interesting books, she can sell them to a heartless stone, I'm sure.

A couple of days ago I found my new old book (it's out of print apparently and this one has belonged to at least one person before it came to me. I love old books.) in the mailbox and was, of course, delighted to get a thoughtful gift in the real mail, but it's also a book I am delighted to read. A week ago I knew nothing about Helen Keller and in a couple of days, when I have finished this beautifully written book I'll have a very good excuse to enter a bookstore once more. To buy more books. Written by Helen Keller this time. They'll then go on top of the pile of 'books I still have to read' (mingling with Chomsky, Arundhati Roy and Hemingway, to name just a few, and what a pretty party that will make) and maybe, in a year or so, I can build something from all those books. A house maybe. A small one.

What are you reading, friends?

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Sasha, you won yesterday's advent gift. Would you write me an email and tell me your address, please?

For everyone who's new to the Lineanongrata blog: We have an ongoing celebration of Advent going here. Every day one of you readers wins a small gift. If you'd like to participate, just leave a comment on each post until the 24th of December and you'll automatically enter the draw.

about the French Post and organic fertilizer

Yesterday afternoon our puppy Akbar got sick. We watched him degrade from happy idiotic little dog to unmoving heap of misery in half an hour and all the vomiting, slobbering (bubbly shoe laces) and other nondescript things led us to believe that he had found and eaten rat poison. I wouldn't put it past Mister Pea brain to do so one day, yesterday we were lucky though, and he only ate a lot of organic fertilizer. So did Wind, but she stops eating when she's not hungry any more. Aki just keeps going joyfully, as long as there's something smelly to devour.
We're happy to report that he's doing fine, but we had quite a fright for a couple of hours, and I made the trip to the Vet's three times in eighteen hours.
But while my day started with a little nag of worry today, it got better after the third checkup trip to the Vet's, and it got better still just an hour after I got back.

And for once it was the French Post that made me happy (please note the premier).

Well, the French Post and LeeAnn. She sent me this beautiful gift in return for an Advent gift she received.
I left it on the table for an hour, just looking at it every five minutes, because it was so beautifully packed.
But you can't just look at a gift all day. Or I can't. I don't have the mental strength.

And you know what ? It got better still. Because in the beautiful package was another beautiful package.
I got through another ten minutes without unwrapping it, but resolve was fading rapidly.

Isn't this the most thoughtful gift ever ? It's a vintage brooch from Germany. Because I'm German. And LeeAnn, it was such a pleasure. Even more so because I do miss my country badly at the moment.

Now you think that was all, don't you ? But these arrived with the same Post:

They're what I ordered from Citronille, and I have already started making the little dress (really have restrained myself from buying their whole range, too. I am rather proud of myself.).

Remains the question of what good tomorrow may bring, after so much goodness today ?
Well, I'm waiting for Akbar to double in size after eating so much fertilizer. Wouldn't that be nifty ?
Or maybe a lot of giant trees will have sprung from his... well, the things he dumped around the winery. Talk about organic growth...

you made my day

Because my day would have been pretty ordinary.
If there had not been two very special arrivals for me in the mail.

The Soapstore is my source for fantastic handmade soap. The one I'm holding here is Pink Grapefruit. It's arrival warranted an immediate shower and I'd take a second one now, if only I could just find a reason why I should use even more water. Maybe I'll just put a bar of soap beside my bed and enjoy it's scent all night long.

On some days the good things come all at once while on other days you have to really try hard to see anything good. Maybe I've been especially good lately (hm yes. Now that I think about it... I have been especially nice in the kitchen lately. I made myself strawberry ice cream. Oh and there has been much nicety around the house. I painted the walls my choice of color and Vincent didn't even complain. Otherwise I have sent my little sister some gifts but that's pure calculation because I know she'll send a gift back sooner or later (! hint !). You'll understand that's not something I want to talk about in detail.). So all things considered I should have seen it coming.
The Little Green Frog (on a blog) sent me the sweet little rain cloud I ordered from her shop. Only days ago, might I add, and this particular frog lives in Canada. She must have some magical ability for shipping overseas really fast.

The cloud is what I ordered, but in the package I found the most beautiful pincushion I now own and some very special and beautiful buttons. As I said: I should have seen it coming.

One more word about the raincloud: It has been quite a while I have been looking at different clouds in Shirley's shop. Almost a year I think. I was happy to order it but I didn't think I'd be this happy to have it. It's as beautiful as I imagined. Of course. But it's also something I haven't made, something that reminds me of it's maker every time I look at it. A person I don't really know and have never met, but who's blog I read. And it's just sweet and decorative and ... ah gee, get one for yourself, you'll see.

somebody else's pearls

As I have done only uninteresting things today, like cleaning, drying and folding laundry, designing logos, cooking lunch, almost overheating the oven and blowing up the house... the list is endless, I thought I'd share a new discovery with you.
Since these came in Saturday's mail

I'm thinking about giving up being an illustrator. What good trying to exist when there is genius out there ?

I'm joking. Even if I didn't sell a picture, I'd still draw. But Olivia Jeffries is one talented person.

You can also visit her shop at http://restlessthings.etsy.com .

great expectations

That's what you have when a book arrives in the mail. You unwrap it

and this is what it looks like. Soaked is what it feels like, and you say to yourself that after having cleaned the kitchen all morning, this is not what you deserve.
A very nice man at Amazon explained that everything will turn out fine eventually, so all's not lost.
But since I can't gaze at Amy and David Butler's pretty photos, I'm running around the house with my camera, doing my own. Of course they're not one tenth as beautiful, but I'm in stubborn five-year-old mode and am pretending.

The small pouches I made for the Advent calendar had apparently great success with small people. I got at least three emails telling me that one child or the other saw the little bag, found it to be just the right size for rocks, small books, cards or other necessities of life, and took off with it. I think that's great. But the pouches are also good for cellphones, keys, or other big-person-paraphernalia, so I'm making some for the shop. And for my mom.

decorating to soothe

An entire day of continually low blood sugar has had me nervous and agitated. Poor Vincent sneaked up behind me in the kitchen because he just wanted a peek at the secret I was making for lunch, and I jumped at him. A forgotten dinner invitation resurfaced and didn't improve my mood. You know, meeting people for the first time...
On the bright side of things all of this was a good excuse to have my mouth full of chocolate all day, and to decorate my studio (all nicely painted in turquoise) for a bit of comfort and calm.

This came in the mail and started today's occupations. 

If you try something similar with rose hips, I recommend the non-prickly sort. Which would be the kind I didn't have at hand.

A lot of lavendar was diffused today, supposedly to soothe and calm and relax, but much to Vincents dismay. Let's hope that's not what made him sick. Yes, you read right: the poor guy isn't feeling well and somebody will be going to the dinner all on her own. Wish me luck and talkative guests.

real letters

Look what real letters brought me: Real loveliness from real people. Thank you so much, Ana and Carrie. It was really really great to discover these in our mailbox, here at this end of the world.

Carrie sent me lip balm, and I've been tracking big V to give him strawberry kisses. But I guess strawberry kisses can't compete with tractors and wine making. There was also one of the most beautiful 'happy new year' cards I ever got.

From Ana and Portugal came this sweet little tree ornament (waiting patiently for next Christmas) and the other most beautiful card I ever got. It had this photo on it, but I separated the two since they arrived because I want to hang the picture somewhere in my studio.

Thank you both. And yay for the mailman.