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.
Today was a public holiday – Women’s Day – in South Africa. I planned to sleep in late to make up for the busy week with a lot of early wake-ups. Well, that didn’t happen. Merlin and Jozi (who is visiting for a week) decided at 5:30 am that it is time to get up. And so, I had a little nose poking into my hand every few minutes, just to check whether I was already awake. Unable to sleep, I did the only thing I could at that situation. I baked muffins.
In our house, dogs don’t eat human food.
It is quite a cliché that as you get older, the time seems to run faster. The problem with clichés is that they are true.
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.
