I don't know, what they are - I'm guessing: buckwheat
Beechmast! They're all over in the forest.



You might be able to see the scene in stereo, if you stare
at the image for a while (and crossing your eyes). Fun, no? :)

Happy Easter!

calling for spring

It feels like spring the last days. It's still cold, but the sun
has come out (living near the lake has some bright sides,
but the dark side is certainly the abundance on gray - cloudy
or foggy - days not and those only in winter). So, I guess,
it's the light I have to blame for my action in the kitchen
today.

I was preparing our lunch (turning leftovers from a raclette
day last weekend into spicy, mixed rice vermicelli), when I
suddenly had to interfere my cutting action and play with
the leek slices instead.



The shape of the leek slices (don't they look like tulips?)
and my mood because of the weather was simply calling for
spring.



Hope, you're having a lovely weekend too...

a disaster

Three days ago I was about to finish a post about the
illustration I made for the project One Thousand Wishes
after I saw it listed in the shop. I wanted to write about
my inspiration - the shoots I showed you in my last post.


wrongly titled "nasturtium" - oops!

I was writing, when my thoughts wandered to the seeds
I had in my pots now and also to the plants I grew nine
years ago. Some of the seeds I use are that old and to my
luck most of them grow! I was comparing the shape and
colors of the different shoots, when I suddenly got the
feeling, I might mixed something up.

It was so funny to watch the red roots coming out of the
seed and lifted it in the air. It looked like a little brown
monster with three red legs :) When the empty capsule
was then fell off, there come three lovely shoots. The
leaves look particularly similar to the coriander sprouts
leaves. Only the red stem make the difference (it's been
a long time since I grown my own red chard - I wonder,
if the shoot looks similar..).
[ from my dropped post ]

I quickly looked up in the paper bags, where I keep my seeds,
and double-checked it on Google. Aargh - I indeed made a
mistake! A BIG one, since I only realized it two days after Ali
listed it in the shop :( What a disaster!!



I made a new illustration right on that day - with the right
title this time (not in the shop yet, as far as I knew, so check
the shop often, if you are interested. Well I hope, it will be
listed after this disaster). While I made the first one out of
my memories, the details in the second one was based more
on observation. I'm learning from my mistake...


***


I collected the buds of the chives for cooking this morning
and while the rice was cooking, I couldn't resist to style them
for a photo.

before


after


Didn't took the time to make a photo of the dish (fried wild
rice with carrot, chive buds and scrambled egg), because
we had to hurry with lunch. My son had to catch the bus.


***


Happy Easter, friends!

let me take you..

..to one of my most favorite place in this city.
Just pretend, it was Sunday afternoon (that was
the time as I took these photos :)).



We first have to come to the industrial area, which
lies on the other side of the railway. So we better
take this bridge to avoid long waiting time. Those
tiny houses are the elevator and stairway to the
track.



And after walking through the first industrial area
we have to come to the new main bridge, which
will take us to the south part of Konstanz. Under
the bridge, there are some graffiti and moon like
landscape.





Now, we're almost there.



My fave place in Konstanz is in the middle of this
bridge, when I drive towards Switzerland and
look to the right. No matter what season or time,
I always have a short (since I have to concentrate
myself to the traffic again), but great view, which
always inspires me.
The right side, which I rarely see normally.



And the left side, which I really love. Well, not at
the moment - too much sunlight for photo shooting!
This is part of Lake Constance, which is called
Seerhein - a slim part, which conjunct the bigger
lake (Obersee = upper lake) and the smaller lake
(Untersee = under lake).



It is also part of a nature park, where you can
watch many bird species, e.g. bald coot (fulica atra).



Oh, and I see some big birds coming...



Swans!



They are flying to the side, where I usually spend
more time in this city. Directly on the lake, at the
Obersee, where the pedestrian zone is with most
stores, banks, etc.



Oh, do you see, what I see? No? Let zoom in..
the Alps! Too bad my camera cannot catch it as
clearly as my eyes.



Now you've seen my favorite place in this town :)
Hope you like the small walk. In real I walked
a bit more on Sunday. You can see some photos
in my photo blog. Here I will only show you two
more photos. One of the sunset of that Sunday.



And the other one is my dream. This water tower
is a cultural monument and is 'for sale'. I wish
I had the money to buy and renovate it. I would
turn it into a gallery with a café. And on days
like this it would be a perfect place to watch
the Seerhein. Oh, I'll keep on dreaming...



Oh, I decided to show you one more last photo :)
It is one of the street names in this area - 'sewer
street'. This area used to be an area of textile
industry, thus the name - sewer street, weaver
street, etc.



Thanks for taking this long walk with me :)

a little guest

A sweet, little guest has come to visit me during
a photo session this afternoon :) First she was
shy and didn't move too much, as I start to take
photos of her. After a while she enjoyed it (well
at least I think so ;)), before she had enough of
it though. So, here's the photo story...