My Teddy

Teddy’s are usually one of the first things to give when a baby is born.

I was reminded of my Teddy through Steffi’s blogpost.

My Steiff Teddy called ‘Zotti’ is as old as me.

He had so much love, he had to be mended.

You can see the straw on his left foot. He wears now crocheted slippers.

He used to growl when I pushed his chest in,

he had lots of fur.

Zotti and me

when I was 1 1/2 years old.

Zotti has lost

lots of fur

through ♥ love ♥

Yet, he has no grey hair. 🙂

♥♥♥

He is always in good spirits and enjoys the younger generation around him.

He is loved by all my stuffed animals and is best friends with

Manny, my travelling bear (a friend of Danny from America)

and STRuppi from the Stuttgarter Airport.

Who knows what they get up to when I am not there.

Bears are for life!

Did or do you have a teddy?

Dancing through the years ♥

We had practised for an exam before Covid happend.

Luckily we could pick up and restart when the Covid restrictions were lifted this year.

We could practice again and we did the exam.

What a wonderful way to end the year, with another trophy.

This Third Goldbar is for Street dance.

My collection is complete:
Third Goldbar in Tap dance. 
Third Goldbar in Street dance.

This means, I have completed
15 exams and 5 performances in my dancing life. 

I am proud of my achievments.

I love dancing, still from now on – no more exams…. let just the fun continue ♥♥♥.

Let’s dream and dance into the new year!

Good Bye Double Bass

It was time to say good bye to my Double Bass adventure.

It has been picked up again to travel back home.

What a great adventure and experience it was!

It is an amazing instrument and not that easy. It made me admire and respect the Bass players who so easily improvise.

I had such a great time learning it

I loved every minute of it.

I can only recommend,
if you want to try something you are passionate about...
go for it....
have fun,
you might love it,
and you will always remember it.

Here are some Blues I learnt with ‘You Tube’ backing tracks:

12 Bar Blues in C

Jazz Blues in F – Improvising

Bags’ Groove 140bpm

To finish off a riff

Hope you enjoyed the odd Blues.

I have recorded more so I can always listen and remember the time with my Double Bass fondly.

A big THANK YOU to my sister who made this adventure possible.

Kew Gardens 20th Smile – Lights by night

Christmas lights in Kew Gardens – a treat for the Pre-Christmas time.

We enjoyed a lovely evening in the big garden with the famous beautiful

Kew’s Christmas Lights!

 

New colours and shapes everywhere.

A small compilation

The Palmhouse changed colours and on the lake in front fountains and stars appeared.

Every display was accompagnied with amazing music,

some classical, choir and modern to make the whole light show a memorable experience.

We had a wonderful evening walking through a light wonderland.

Of course there was mulled wine and hot chocolate too!

Please click on the picture to enlarge them.

All pictures taken by me at Kew Gardens.

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Wishing all a wonderful and peaceful 3rd Advent !

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Kew Gardens 19th Smile – Shapes and Patterns

A cold day at Kew Gardens yet the beauty stays.

I observed so many different patterns and shapes this time.

The ‘Smilex’ with its heart shaped leaves and thorns.

Again I tried to take photos with a bokeh- effect as good as I can with my Phone Camera.

The Banana Tree had fruits.

Look at those amazing patterns of 2 very different plants.

It is wonderful to have been able to share this visit with a wonderful friend.

A sweet friendship
refreshes the soul.
Proverbs 27.9

Magic

Last week I performed some magic 🙂

I transformed this:

into this:

Loved that transformation 🙂

It will be enjoyed!

Whipped Cream, a Cherry on Top and a Statue

We did a short visit to London, I hadn’t been in for about 2 years due to covid.

Even in rain London is always magnificent.

We passed Trafalgar Square to see what is on the 4th plinth. Every so often there is a new sculpture on it.

I loved the this one, whipped cream and a cherry on top – with a fly and a drone which transmits a life feed of Trafalgar Square – here.

Heather Phillipson’s vast physical and digital sculpture tops the Fourth Plinth with a giant swirl of whipped cream, a cherry, a fly and a drone that transmits a live feed of Trafalgar Square. Entitled THE END it suggests both exuberance and unease, responding to Trafalgar Square as a site of celebration and protest, that is shared with other forms of life. The live feed of Trafalgar Square picked up by the drone’s camera is visible on a dedicated website www.theend.today giving a sculpture’s eye perspective. 

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I met Gene Kelly, one of my Tap heroes, in Leicester Square.

Dancing in the Rain.

… and of course I danced with him – what a privilege.

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We walked to the station via Soho with the ever present Chinese cooking smells, I love.

We enjoyed it thoroughly.

A Quick Break

….. a break with no internet …

That is what is on the agenda, after having worked rather hard lately.

Unfortunately I won’t be able to look at all posts, I will try on my phone though. 

I will be back in the cyber world soon  🙂

with a report of how much nothing I have done.

 

 

In the meantime I am hugging you all!

Age

Age is of no importance unless you are a cheese.

Today I am cheesy  – it is an important day – my 60th Birthday.

So I collected some age related words and advice:

“Youth is happy because it has the capacity to see beauty. Anyone who keeps the ability to see beauty never grows old.”
― Franz Kafka

Today is the oldest you’ve been and the youngest you’ll ever be again.

They’re called the golden years for a reason. Getting older has its perks. For one, you’re good at using what you’ve learned. This is called crystalized intelligence, and it keeps getting better, even when you’re 65 or 70.

Older people might control their emotions better, and focus more on how to make the most of life.

You probably know that exercise and diet are important when it comes to aging well. But there is something else you control that can help you along: a positive attitude.Research shows more and more that your approach to life may be just as important in making your “golden years” your best years.

Aging: It’s in Your Mind

The Power of Optimism

It’s difficult to know what comes first — the good health or the positive attitude.

One possible answer is they build on each other: A rosy outlook may help you  exercise more and eat better. And that in turn helps you stay hopeful and happy because you feel better. You may hear that called a “virtuous circle.”

Optimism has been linked to living longer.

Things you can do include:

•  Check yourself. If you’re having negative thoughts, pause and see whether there’s a better way to look at what’s bothering you.

•  Seek out humor and laughter

•  Make time for things that give you joy

•  Find positive people and hang out with them

With this in mind,

help yourself to some cake and Champagne to celebrate with me.

Cheers!

It is getting warmer

After a cold May with rain, hail, storms and the odd ray of sunshine

the weather realises that is is nearly June and needs to be warmer.

For the last 2 days it has been warmer and

flowers, bushes all really start to bloom.

I love it.

Lilac is in full bloom and smelling amazing.

These are my amazing finds during a walk in a park.

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Can you smell that amazing Lilac?

The earth laughs in flowers

to quote Ralph Waldo Emerson