Happy Halloween!

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Happy Halloween!  

Hope you are celebrating in style.  We are watching the Shining for the first time with our pumpkin candle burning and a nice dinner.

Milan!

In my final year at university, I took the time to head over to Milan and visit some Erasmus friends before we headed up through Austria on the train to Munich and Oktoberfest.  Unfortunately, I don't have any photos of Milan itself but a few from a trip we took to a monastery in the country nearby.  It was such a lovely day and the place was so peaceful - I wished we could have stayed longer.

Candle Holders

I first got this idea for a new craft attempt at a party over the Summer.  I finally got around to it last week in the holidays - Autumn candle holders.  I was really pleased with the effect above.  We already had some nice jars that we had been using as drinking glasses so I used those and some craft paper with my craft glue from the box project back in January.

In Idee I also saw some lovely paper that I thought would go really well in our bedroom with the red theme and I was really pleased with those results too - although Pete is less than impressed with the reduced sitting space on the windowsill! 

The Harz - Day Three.

 Our last day in the Harz was the least planned but really good fun.  We headed out early and made the most of our Niedersachsen ticket to squeeze in a visit to Bad Harzburg.  It's smaller than Goslar but more family friendly and not too hilly like Altenau.  There were museums, a fairytale forest and to our surprise - even a castle!  We hadn't planned on hiking much after the two days in Goslar but we found the nearest mountain and headed up it anyway.  We hiked up, visited the castle and drank a beer while eating chips at the cafe on top.  It was amazing.  We then took the cable car back down and headed home to Bremen but it was a brilliant last day to an amazing weekend.  Looking forward to the next trip there.

The Saturday Update

Well it's been a mixed up week here with a little bit of everything but also one of the most relaxing weeks of the year.

We started out in the Harz on Monday with the last day of our trip and the outing to Bad Harzburg - more on that tomorrow - before heading back to Bremen.  We enjoyed our last night with Dad until Christmas with good food, wine, and conversation.

Tuesday was hectic - we had a lovely lunch at the airport with Dad before seeing him through security (only for him to have a two hour delay - Ryanair are not all that!).  Then we headed off across Bremen to pick Pete up.  I always love when he gets straight in his box as it means he wants to come home!!  Next week we will be taking him with us to Nico's parents' for his Mum's birthday so we are all looking forward to that.

Wednesday was our quiet day where we didn't leave the flat.  We got all our washing and cleaning done as well as our usual bits and pieces.  I finally picked up my knitting again and have been making some progress.  I finished one book and started The Unconsoled - not impressed so far but will keep you updated on that one.  

On Thursday I had a fun morning cycling round Huchting to get some chores done - Pete finally got his medication, bills paid, stamps bought, food shopping etc...  I tried a new recipe - chickpea and spinach curry (from Zest magazine).  It was delicious!  I wrote a reply to my newest penpal in New York - a four page essay in the end but I love getting to know new pen friends!  In the evening we watched the second instalment of The Godfather - so long it required two DVDs!  I actually liked it more than the first I think.  I loved the historical side of it in the flashbacks.

Yesterday we headed into Bremen early to get some errands run again and had a lovely lunch together in town.  Afterwards we relaxed, cooked goulash and I started my new crossstitch as well as some more knitting.

So it has been a hectic week but I feel soooo relaxed, no doubt it will last about two minutes when I get back to school but at least we have another week before that!  I didn't get to Weightwatchers this week so no update there - though I have been at the Zumba again at last so hopefully that will make up for some other holiday indulgences.  

Next week we are heading to Schneverdingen for a couple of days over Nico's Mum's birthday.  We have a spooky film night planned for Halloween.  And then it is games night and chance to catch up with some good friends on Saturday!

The Harz - Day Two.

Sunday was our big walk day.  Again, the map was as good as useless but we got where we wanted to get and walked along this beautiful lake.  We also broke our record and set a new one - 10.2 Weightwatchers points on the pedometer.  The weather and views were amazing again.

Autumn Inspiration

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The Harz - Day One.

On Saturday we visited the Kaiserpfalz Museum in the morning.  It was interesting to learn more about the history of the Kaisers and some of the local fairytales.

In the afternoon, we headed up to one of the peaks around Goslar in search of a tower.  The maps certainly weren't the best - we haven't a clue how we got to the tower according to the map but we got there and it was worth it.  We toasted our success with a Schirker Feuerstein each.

It was great training for Sundays walk and I learned what an oak leave looks like!  The views and the seasonal colours were amazing and we were lucky to have the great weather we had - I was hiking in t-shirts or vest tops!

Honey Glazed Salmon Stir Fry

Here's my latest new recipe attempt - honey glazed salmon stir fry from the Weightwatchers Fast and Fabulous book.  It was delicious.  I love how fast and easy stir frying in the wok is anyway and it was nice to include fish in that too.  Lovely.

We're Back!

First time in a long time with no post yesterday.  We arrived back from the Harz in the evening after a lovely long weekend in Goslar and Bad Harzburg.  The latter was a last minute decision and one of the best bits of the trip, visiting the castle on the mountain top with amazing views.

We also set a new pedometer record on Sunday with 10.2 points which is around 24km.  Our legs were sorry but it was a fantastic walk with yet more amazing views.  Pictures will follow soon.

Dance!

Was reminded of this video during the week - I love it!

The Saturday Update

Holidays!!  They couldn't come soon enough.  It's been an incredibly busy and long slog from the Summer but on the whole I am still enjoying it.  I'm looking forward to coming back from the holidays refreshed and ready to tackle my classes again.  This week I had a record four meetings at work - it would have been more if I hadn't said no.  Getting feedback about my own class from the social workers and other teachers was especially important and enlightening.

I lost two kilos this week (well, over nine days as I am switching to Wednesday for a few weeks) so I got my first star and my 5% reward!  Back on track.  I hope it stays that way after this trip to the Harz.  I started knitting again and will get back into it properly in the holidays - I have a project which has long needed finishing.  I'm also looking forward to some other craft ideas too.

Dad is here!  I cycled to the airport on Thursday to meet him and we had a lovely dinner and drinks and a catch up on Thursday evening and now we are in the Harz.  Really looking forward to this weekend - lots of walking and museums hopefully.

Next week will be all about relaxing I think...

Christmas Research

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As I mentioned in my birthday card post this week, I'm now starting to think about Christmas cards and other festive projects.  Here are some of the ideas I like from around the internet this week.

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Rebecca has some fantastic creative ideas and I'm looking forward to seeing more from her Christmas range.

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I love Elise's Autumn wreath - I'm thinking of making my own version in red and green for Christmas.

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I also plan to make my own advent wreath this year with some kit from Idee.  My other materials will mainly be coming from there too.