26 April 2010

Tulips and Lilies of the Valley



These most beautiful flowers were growing in the hidden garden of a house where nobody lived, visible only to the cats passing by. Well, egoistically enough they are now in our living room.

22 April 2010

every dog has its day


We are doing some reconstructions at home now and the workers do not feel very comfortable having Vihar around. So, this will change my routine, I guess. Today I left earlier for work, and took Vihar with me to the office. I believe he liked it staying on the balcony, having people coming and playing with him, and best of all - feeding him. Then I took him out during lunch break, which was also quite a nice change for me (and I bet also for him). Eating out in the park, instead of going to the same smoky restaurant serving average food. I suppose I will have to stick to this regime for the coming days, maybe weeks.

15 April 2010

Thoughts on Books and Marriage

Did I say that Committed arrived at my hands now? Thanks to Tania, a friend who recently got married and she certainly read it for other reasons than me. My interest in marriage is still rather theoretical, so I read the book from a distance, so to say, and can't really relate to the need of the author to know everything about marriage before committing. But anyway, the book is an enjoyable reading, just as I had expected. Full of curious facts about marriage rituals around the world.
Do you know, for example, that when people in Laos get married they invite everyone they know to the wedding party - often up to 1000 people. Everyone gives money to the young couple and then the two newly married spend the night writing carefully in a notebook the amount of money they got from each of the guests. This notebook is a useful reference when in return the couple gets invited to another wedding. Then they give as a present the same amount they got plus some extra money as interest. So, this is a kind of a loan that society lends to the bride and the groom, which they bit by bit return.
Nice, isn't it?

08 April 2010

How Did You Spend Easter Holidays?

Easter holidays are over and I am back at work trying to steal some time for walking outside. People I meet these days ask how I have spent the holidays. How?


Well, I painted the eggs. I was quite enthused over the lace technique, believing I would get the most beautiful eggs ever. Haha. It didn't work. So, I went back to the old easy tried out ways of painting the eggs.


And then we baked the traditional Easter cookies. OK, in the form of sea creatures this time.


They always seem such a large quantity, and always finish so quickly.


The absolute winners this year were the Easter lambs I saw in a Swiss cooking site, which I can't find right now. However, I still keep the recipe at home. Well, we modified it somehow. We were not supposed to put nuts in the "wool". Why not? Wool and nuts go so well together...

And yesterday's nice walk with the dog. Isn't it worth enduring the winter to enjoy the beauty of spring?