When the sun is setting, between dusk and darkness, there is a moment when the light turns blue. And the world stops for a heartbeat.
I really enjoy high-speed photography. Especially when it comes to water-drops and splashes. So I got an idea to photograph breaking water-balloons. Being as impatient and bad at planning as I am, I got right to it. The fact that I didn’t actually have any water-balloons was of no consequence. Normal balloon would do.
Except that it didn’t. It. Just. Wouldn’t. Break.
You can imagine all the cool splash-effects going on in the inside of the balloon.
Stuart has no sweet-tooth what-so-ever. It sincerely limits my possibilities for baking. I like eating, but there is only so much cake one person can handle. And our freezer can’t take that many chocolate muffins. Therefore, I blame Stuart for the fact that I have never learned to decorate a cake. But I do make good cinnamon buns (thank you Mum!), Karelian Pies (thank you Google!) and an occasional savoury muffin.
About this photo: Stuart doesn’t bake. It is a set-up.
Stuart and I are much more into watching series than watching movies. Sure, we see many of the big blockbusters, and sometimes a movie is rumoured to be so good, it can’t even escape our notice, but generally it is a good series that gets us ticking. Maybe it’s because the series will continue past that single evening. Letting go of a good movie character is just as hard as saying goodbye to a favourite book character in the final chapter. Let’s all be grateful for the season 10.
When I come home after few days away, nothing can pull Merlin away from my side. Nothing but a frisbee or a tennis ball.
My breakfast during the week does not vary much. I’m fond of some Finncrisp (dried rye bread) and fruit (the type of fruit varies tho) – as simple and easy as it gets. However, as I saw these bake-in-a-mug breakfast muffins, I was unable to resist. And I’m glad I didn’t. It was delicious!
About the maximum amount of cooking I can fit to a weekday morning.
I am a highly unorganised person. If you don’t believe me, ask anyone who has ever spent longer intensive periods of time with me. Through years of practise, I have learned to maintain a resemblance of order, especially in public. At work, I have even been complemented as highly organised (shows you how easily people can be fooled…). But inevitably the facade always comes crashing down and I lose the plot. I try to do this when I’m alone and have time to sort out the mess.
The only exception for the rule is cooking. I am an organised cook – I plan the process ahead, get ingredients out and measure things ready. I even make sure I chop everything I will not have time to chop during the cooking process. I often wish I could bring this attitude more into the rest of my life.
Stuart wishes it too.
I’ve moved ~13 times in the last 12 years -to 9 different countries and 4 different continents. The more times I move, the more important for me is that I take the time (and effort) to build a real home. Home makes me feel at home. Even when I’m still unsure where to buy my lightbulbs.
Thus the topic of my new fooling-around-in-Photoshop-project is quite appropriate. My ‘home’ world.
When Stuart and I started to look for a house to buy, there was one deal-breaker: it needed a good kitchen. We had several other criteria too, e.g. reasonably sized, no need for a massive renovation, plenty of light, a fireplace, a garden (big enough, but not too big), pool (Stuart didn’t want one). Those who have visited our house know we got maybe 50% of what we thought we wanted. (To be fair, we fell in love with our house the minute we stepped in – before having time to evaluate it on most criteria in our lists).
But kitchen was non-negotiable. We both just love spending time in there. Maybe my love for kitchen explains why so many of my pictures include kitchen stuff. Or maybe it’s just all so photogenic.
(Btw. Have you noticed that most good house parties also end up with a big gathering in the kitchen? Regardless of where the food is, or where the music is, or where the comfortable chairs are…)
Braai is probably the best ‘South African’ word there is. It just sounds so much better than BBQ. Even my Finnish family has adopted the word to their speech. And luckily, spit braai does not actually require you to spit.
Blue Moment 