grief, loss, and christmas (traditions) ⭐️🌲

It’s going to be the first Christmas without my mum this year. I haven’t celebrated at homehome for the past two years, but my mum as well as the rest of my family have nevertheless always been a part of my Christmas. Not as much of the holiday itself, but of the feeling Christmas gives me – beginning in late November all throughout January.

I grew up with very many Christmas traditions – a lot of them I liked, some of them I didn’t or simply grew out of. Not because I grew up necessarily, but because I changed over the years – as we all do.

three berlin book stores – an incomplete list 📖 📚

I’ve been writing this blogpost in my head for months and never got to a point where I felt it was ready to actually type it up. I’ve wanted it to be a “complete” guide to Berlin’s (2nd hand English) book shops, but when you’re researching something and try to compile a comprehensive list, you’ll never be able to get it done.

fruity tea loaf ☕️✨🍂

Am I ever not missing the UK? Maybe when I’m actually in the UK. But since this isn’t the case at the moment, I am baking something that reminds me of our time in Lancaster a few weeks ago. We stayed at a dreamy little one-room-cottage that was attached to out host’s main house and amidst their beautiful English countryside style garden. As a little welcome gesture our host had put out a few slices of fruity ginger tea cake for us (plus tea of course and a pint of milk – btw: we always feel bad when we don’t end up using the milk because we get oat/soy milk instead, sorry.) Anyway, this tea cake. It was so good.

breakfast + museum #datewithmyself 🚲🍂

I’ve never found it particularly difficult to be alone or to spend time with myself. Quite the contrary. It’s more of an effort for me to “be social”. Alone time on the other hand feels natural and revitalising as well as relaxing at the same time. I cherish my alone time, however, when you’re so comfortable with being on your own – staying in and reading all day can become a bit of a pattern. That’s why I’m taking myself out on “dates” on a regular basis. It also allows me to be social without actually being social … if that makes sense. That’s what I’m all about basically. 🐞


Biscuit Week: Ginger Biscuits & Jammy Dodgers #vegan 🍪

Wie ich in diesem Post bereits erzählt habe, bin ich seit Ende August wieder im Great British Bake Off-Rabbit Whole abgetaucht und könnte jeden Tag was Neues backen – oder wahlweise in einer richtig geilen Konditorei die absurdesten Törtchen einkaufen gehen (und essen), weil ich vom GBBO gucken nicht nur Backlust, sondern auch Appetit bekomme. Doch selbst wenn ich bei „Pistazien-Biskuit mit Maracauja-Ganache und Rum-Marzipan-Haube“ nichts lieber als probieren möchte, probiere ich beim selber Backen wiederum selten Neues, Aufwendiges, Ausgefallenes aus, sondern greife meistens auf meine simplen Lieblinge zurück. Tatsächlich ein Erstversuch und dabei super simpel, sind diese Ginger Biscuits. Die Jammy Dodgers waren eine Wiederholungstag, weil Suchtmittel.

recent/current faves ☁️

It’s all about my favourites again and this time I will skip the usual prelude of me explaining that I don’t buy a lot of things and therefore only ever use the same stuff and have the same faves all the time yadda yadda. But in case you do want to catch up on my recent favourites-blogposts, I’ll link them here and here and, oh, here. You’re welcome.