Pending.

Again I have a pigeon nesting underneath my balcony. And this time his/her/how does it work with pigeons? cooing sound is driving me insane. It’s day and night and already started to infiltrate my dreams. It drives me up the wall. Other people shake their heads at me, by other people I mean my mother, as this is apparently a soothing sound for some. For me it is worse than a jackhammer and it makes me want to bang my head against a wall. So I started to seek advice and after more head shaking the general consensus seems to be to drown the little pigeon eggs in some sort of acid in hope that mum/dad pigeon will jump off the balcony in sorrow afterwards. Problem with this is a) hitting the eggs correctly while not dissolving my balcony with the acid and b) getting over the fact that I will be destroying two little pigeon eggs. And while I’m not a vegetarian or think pigeons are cute (especially the ones with the evil red eyes!), I can’t get myself to do it.
Call me crazy, but to give the pigeon babies a chance at a happy yet annoying life and my mind a chance at some peace, I made a deal with the universe: they are allowed to live if I get my money back from the travel agent of doom. Since I handed the whole case over to my lawyer, their lives is now in his hand. This is really good news for them since I would literally trust him with my life, so surely two little pigeons will have no reason to complain. They will get a proper knight in shining legal armour to defend their nest.

Anyhow… that is the latest on this issue and I’m now trying my hardest to ignore my crying credit card and snap out of my bad mood in the meanwhile. Today at the office it was easy, because guess who joined the team?

One is called Basti as it was mistakenly thought to be a boy and got stuck with the name. He is napping in the pending tray. Pending cuddles and kisses of course.

The other one, a real boy, still needs a name. I call him Professor in the meanwhile, because he looks like an old professor with tufts of white hair sticking out his ears.

Needless to say productivity was low and shrieking was high around here today. The good news is that they will be back tomorrow – hooray!

Blue, baby blue.

If I ever get myself a kitten (I know a baby giraffe would be cooler, but let’s be real – it is less likely to fit into my little place. By the way what is the proper term for a baby giraffe? Does anyone know?) I will probably end up with a really ugly one. Given the task to pick one from a litter, I will feel so bad for the ugliest one and will be so scared it might be left behind or has to live through a whole being-picked-last-for-the-team-in-gym-class scenario that I will have to take it. I think everything else i.e. being reasonable and picking a cute one would make me feel just awful. I could actually cry just thinking about it. I seem to have a big heart or something after all.
So last week I went to Cape Union to use my upcoming Zambia trip as an excuse to buy myself my very own headlamp. While I was browsing I ended up in the backpack section and took a closer look as I also had one of those on my list. I almost ended up buying every single one of them as the same hormones/insanity kicked in as described above: They were all so ugly, I couldn’t bear the thought for them to probably stay in the store forever and ever, because who would want to buy such ugliness if not me and my big heart?
Luckily I stopped myself in time and realized that a backpack ain’t a kitten and that there are probably many people out there who value functionality above looks and all the little backpacks will find a good home eventually. Thus I didn’t buy a backpack for all the wrong reasons, but decided instead to ask Kim Gray for advice on where to find a backpack that would be more soothing to my eyes. Usually when getting shopping tips from a pro, you (or is it just me?) end up spending way too much money. I know that because I have been the advice giver in this regard many times and still have upset emails from broke customers to show for. This time was no different as she recommended Chapel. After a much exciting hike through a construction site in Woodstock in heels I found the shop and I chose my new baby, which unlike any future kitten of mine is ridiculously good looking:

In case you wonder, I do not know whether it is indigo or electric blue and I don’t care. I simply call it very blue or so bright I can’t get lost in the forest blue. I think a colour this bright is an added feature, sort of like extra pockets or waterproof lining for regular backpacks. Surely worth the intense workout my credit card got and the trail of potentially neglected feeling backpacks at Cape Union I have left to cry.

Office chit chat.

This week has started on a much better note than last which resulted in me being able to actually have a chat conversation with Thekla during office hours like any normal person.
The conversation was started by this picture which I had found on Facebook and reposted on her wall:

As you may know I dig kittens and vampires but my allegiance isn’t to Edward wherefore I could enjoy this one much. Thekla on the other hand would have needed Edward to hold the vampire-kitten-thingy for it to work, as she wrote me.
Yes, this is what two grown up women talk about during work hours to amuse themselves and if you think this is bad, let me tell you the conversation went down hills from here.

 Thekla: Shall we do our date on Thursday?
 Me: Sure, that sounds great. 
Thekla: I need some one on one girly time.

Silence.

 Me: Hehe.
 Thekla: Okay, that came out wrong.
 Me: Why? Considering you are my cousin, no one could misunderstand without having a really twisted mind.
Me: I will put Thursday in my calendar.
Me: My calendar is finished, I still need to get one for the new year.
Thekla: Why don’t you use Google calendar? They send you email reminders too.
Me: Ach, there are some things that I still like to do manually. 

Silence.

Thekla: That also came out wrong.
Me: I know. I realized the moment I typed it, but it was too late. I knew you would notice!

Ach… the little joys and giggles of afternoon office chats.

Sunday Roast.

I must admit, I was laughing when Nicole Kidman named her baby girl Sunday Rose, which was quickly turned into Sunday Roast by some devilish funny media people. I guess she should have seen it coming...

I am probably one of the few people who usually don’t enjoy Sunday roasts or Sundays in general. It may have to do with the fact that in Germany everything is closed on Sundays. No shopping last minute or leisurely, no spa treatments, no nothing. If in desperate need and willing to pay the horrendous price, you go to the gas station and buy microwave fast food there. If you just feel the urge to go shopping for fun, you better live in a big enough city where you can go shopping at the train station mall.
Neither options were available when I was growing up plus I had to sit through Sunday lunch with my parents, which I hate to say it, was just not all that exciting. My Dad would make a roast of some sort and expect eternal gratitude from my mother for taking the cooking off her hands for a day. He didn’t realize that it would have taken my mother less time to cook and clean the kitchen than it took her to just clean the kitchen after my Dad was done cooking. That usually ended in the same argument every week.
Even when I was younger and my brother and Opi would join, the highlight was usually Stephan spitting on Opi’s bold head, telling him it was raining and being delighted when he believed him. I’m not sure if that is a true story or was just passed on in my family to demonstrate my Opi’s general gullibility better. I do know for a fact though that Opi insisted on pre-warmed plates for every meal and would test the temperature by grabbing the side of the plate. One day my mother got so fed up with his high maintenance that she heated the plates till they were scorching hot. We can all imagine how that ended and hopefully understand now, why I’m not a big fan of Sunday lunches.
Another good reason why Saturdays are so much better than Sundays, is the simple fact that they are further away from Mondays. Last weekend though I had decided to turn the usual blue Sunday around and re-introduce Sunday lunch. My way. And so the Beef Wellington project was born. Initially for the reason that I had never eaten one before, owed my uncle a thank you for jump starting my car in the middle of the night and was planning a little video cooking show for my Dad’s birthday blog.

As one can guess, wine more helpful...

...than kittens.



Fillet or duck?

With good help from a few bottles of wine and of course the kittens we prepared on Saturday evening and off it went into the oven on Sunday for lunch. Unless you are a vegetarian, the idea of beef, chicken, and pork in their various best forms i.e. fillet, parfait, and bacon all rolled up in one dish, can’t be anything but heaven. And it was. Even the non-meat-eaters at the table, and there were plenty, had to admit – our little Wellington looked amazing. For us who had a slice, it tasted even better. I, for a change, enjoyed my Sunday since it came with lots of sunshine, family, chocolate for desert, and a Tupperware with leftovers for breakfast.

The Wellington in all it's glory.

Of cat women and kitten guys.

So here is what I also did while hibernating:


http://seedsthoughts.blogspot.com/2011/05/10-things-10-scarves-10-moods-annika.html

I thought it would be a nice opportunity for my scarves to shine. I must admit though that the biography she included was a couple of weeks old (I did not know it would be included in all its’ glory at all to be true). I feel I must make this a point because after this weekend I am at ease with the world in general and the male population in particular for a change. Here is one reason why:

Delivered by a man in suit. For anyone who knows a bit about me – I am a sucker for men in suits and since everyone knows that Cape Town is a desert when it comes to suits this was a special and unexpected treat. Mind you, I like Irises too and thought it was quite endearing that he did not know their name, just that they were pretty and purple. Smiling me.

As I mentioned before the kittens will get one more write up here and then I will stop and hope that they will outgrow their cuteness. As godmother I was happily kitten sitting for the weekend. I probably have not mentioned that I do really want a cat myself and name her MiuMiu. The only reason I haven’t gotten one is that I’m afraid it will make me the old, single lady with the cat. Mind you I don’t consider myself old yet and if I had a cat the being single might not be so dreadful on rainy Sunday afternoons either. But for some reason I haven’t done the step yet – it seems to be seen as a step of desperation especially by guys. I think in this day and age most men like dogs. I also think if they do prefer cats that something is wrong with them. I know this assumption isn’t fair and bares all logic. I may have to blame Josh, a  guy I briefly dated in New York. He lived by himself with his big fluffy white cat called ‘Boo’. First I was delighted to have met a fellow cat lover, but after spending the night I realized there was something too strange about a man carrying a fluffy, white cat around the bedroom naked. With or without cat, it ended when he told he was moving to Houston. Funny enough in true Murphy’s law fashion I ran into him in a store two months later. We both mouthed the words ‘What the fuck?’ at the same time. Then he told me, no really, he was moving to Houston this week. I wasn’t sad to see him go – or not- and do blame him for my men with cats aversion.

I don’t think I need to explain anymore and will just say that for my world I don’t want a man who likes cats, but would like a man who likes me with a cat. That seems to be a bit tricky though. Kitten sitting was a good test run for things to come if I were to get a cat. The result – all is well in the world of cat girls and dog guys. Instead of kittens being kicked out of bed for being too squirmy, I was told off that it was my fault since I brought them into bed to begin with. Neither were the kittens reprimanded for watching R rated things, but me for not realizing what they were watching. The biggest surprise was probably that they had their pictures taken too and not by me.

What did I learn this weekend? I shouldn’t have to worry. Men, even if they love dogs, cannot resist kitten charm. Or me. Either way will work out fine for MiuMiu and me.

Back!

I’m somewhat back. At the office that is. My mind is still a bit clouded and I am not sure if it’s because it can’t actually work itself up to do anything productive or because my pain killers in fact do get me tripping. I haven’t had any today so if it is the latter, then they are really good and I think I should rather keep and sell them to people who appreciate them more and will pay me loads of money.

For anyone who cares, I didn't write much, because I didn't do much and can sum up the last two weeks of my life in a few sentences:

-          Valrhona chocolate eggs are worth every cent and should be available all year round.

-          Reading a book which ends in murder and consequent suicide is not a good idea when in hospital. I do think the girl at the bookstore should have warned me.

-          They do wear fun scrub caps with colours and patterns at the Mediclinic – just like in Grey’s Anatomy. That is unfortunately where all similarities end.

-          Alcohol is vital to any sickness recovery. Well, I knew that much before.

-          Animals also. That I did not know before.

Penny sitting on my sore knee in an attempt to make it all better.

Now I do promise, I will just do one more post with kitten pictures (as I am kitten sitting this weekend and because the ones I took yesterday were just deleted by accident) and then leave everybody alone with the kitten cuteness and instead deal with other ‘stuff’. Pinkie swear – only one more!

Weekend dreaming.

What I did this weekend? Everything and anything one should actually do on any given weekend to make it pure bliss. On Saturday morning I did make an attempt at the yoga adjustments without falling over. It went only so so. No falling over, but while adjusting I was speaking in slow motion, which I imagine to have been quite annoying for the rest of the class and it made me run way over. The rest of the day was somewhat more successful if you can call being spoilt rotten successful. I had my birthday day with Thekla. I’m sure I have mentioned that she always gives her nieces and nephews a day instead of a present for their birthdays. A day when it’s all about them. This year in addition to having an amazing feast cooked for me, I also had the joy to be at the receiving end of such a day. 

Penny, Tara and me cleaning up.

On the agenda: home spa with a bath observed by my new god children Penelope and Tara. 

Cat Massage 101.



They had already learned their lesson of rather staying out and watching after one of them had fallen into the tub the previous day. Afterwards it was on to a four-handed and two-pawed massage followed by family meal http://domesticgoddesses-sa.blogspot.com/2011/03/decadent-mushroom-pasta-for-whole.html

With full pasta bellies we attended to nap time with the little ones, bubbly (which they liked almost as much as the parmesan from lunch) and some DVD choices that Dr. Maths commented with “Mein Gott!”. That coming from someone who had never seen Casablanca or Dirty Dancing as it turned out over tortillas and Corona later, I’m not too worried by my dubious taste in TV series anymore.

Sunday dawned with fresh flowers and the realization that flowers always make life and an untidy flat better. I did however attended to the closet spring cleaning and was only slightly disheartened by the too hot to take out my duvet and sheepskin slippers weather. Also steaming scarves is no fun in 32 degrees. Maybe today...if my balcony isn’t calling me or my little iBook or my bed. Too many sleep disturbances i.e. elephant imitating neighbours left me tired and grumpy this morning. But no time for a nap nor sweet dreams with it being Monday. Tonight I have the pleasure of finishing with my steaming, because weekend or not I will always have scarves...

The moon is half full.

Tuesday after a long weekend, realizing it is almost still dark when I have to get up and it is raining...nice one! Therefore a quick and happy recap on my pre-weekend to do list and what I can now proudly cross of. I did re-do my nails. No picture. The nail polish decided to start chipping immediately again. Does it therefore count as one point on the list mission accomplished? You decide...

I shamelessly admit that I didn’t do anything else from my to-do list neither did I attempt to do anything else from my to-do list. That somehow feels less better attempting, but not managing. Like painting my nails unsuccessfully; it’s just sad.

I did however manage a lot of other things, therefore happy recap...

I managed to forget the contents of my fridge and enjoyed the most divine sea urchin spaghetti and company at Mezzaluna. Also learnt new words in Italian and Swedish in the process so the whole evening had an educational value to it.

I re-arranged my vanity/electricity shelf and spend a good five minutes of visualization of what my closet will look like once I am done with that one. I also spend an hour and half a fortune at Country Road, which results of will look nicely in that soon to be organized closet of mine.

I had lots of fun with a naked Mexican and am now proud owner of two (!) We ♥ Real Beer glasses.

I also had the somewhat profound realization, non drinking related, that the only thing I love more than teaching a yoga class is teaching a yoga class where I can make someone laugh. Laughing and yoga is the perfect combination, I think, but like laughter and sex highly underrated. I vow to do more.

In addition I played with the cutest kittens ever, attended my first stork tea and drank bubbly on the deck in the sun. All in all not bad for a little three day weekend.

For everyone who was as disappointed as me by the moon equinox I will just say - the moon is still half full for the rest of the week and it looked pretty in pink last night- enjoy!