Berlin, 20 years on

Today that perennial question came up on the radio and TV: where were you when the Berlin Wall came down? We were living in Sydney with our three teenage children, watching with amazement, along with the rest of the world.

Where were we two months ago? We were in Berlin, and here are some of our memories.

Checkpoint Charlie found us, rather than the other way around.

Just as well I'm not a hat girl!

Nearby we came across this very moving memorial to Berlin citizens shot while attempting to escape to the West.

At the Reichstag, the crowds were obviously distracted by something.

No wonder. This group of young people had the crowds in the palm of their hands (literally) with their superb giant puppet which wooed and teased any passer-by.

Who's afraid of bears? Not these adorable ones, surely.

The museums in Berlin were quite an eye-opener. Of course, there was Nefertiti, every bit as beautiful as Mona Lisa, but without the hordes to keep you at bay.

Nefertiti

Mona Lisa (or is that Where's Wally?) - a dot on the distant wall . Spot the difference?

What really blew us away were these magnificent rooms at the Pergamon Museum. Pictures simply don't do them justice. They take your breath away.

And finally some random images.

Happy anniversary Berlin and thanks for the wonderful memories.

Shadow Shot Sunday # 77

Time for Hey Harriet's Shadow Shot Sunday once again. I really, really tried to find a shadow during the week, but the rain and severe thunder storms put a dampener to that little plan, so I had to dip once more into my collection from sunny Rome.

I found Big Foot on the Palatine Hill in the late afternoon sun. Sadly he is missing a few toes, but I was amazed to discover that this giant foot was sporting that great Aussie icon, the thong. Is nothing sacred? Now, if he had dangled that foot in the waters off one of our beaches, this may be the explanation for the missing digits:

Good Girl is the title of this little piece of artwork by my daughter, Maz Dixon. However, there's a perfectly simple explanation for such a title. She writes:

"My Good Boy/Good Girl series is inspired by an article I read about Great White Sharks. It said that they are intelligent, curious and even playful. Like dogs. Which is all very well, but I still wouldn’t want to pat one."

Well, after that description, who could resist it? It goes straight to the top of my Christmas Wish List. Methinks she inherits her kinky sense of humour from Mr Fudge. If you have a thing about sharks (and who doesn't?), here's a piece a little more soothing to the brow:

You can see more examples of her work for sale here. You never know, you may find just the thing for your Christmas stocking.

A parcel of goodies

THE POSTMAN came knocking yesterday with a big surprise. I had won the giveaway on Nook's blog - how lucky can you get? And what lovely goodies were waiting to be revealed. The parcel was beautifully wrapped - it was a almost shame to destroy it, but I was strong.

Inside I found this delightful collection:

The cat card from Melbourne's Abel and Game is so adorable, as is the sweet little bird card created by Poppies for Grace, also from Melbourne.





This card was created by fellow BrisStyler, Nicole of Hot Toffee. I just love it.

And how about this adorable little gift card, made from eco-friendly sustainably harvested yellow birch by Night Owl Paper Goods.

Last but by no means least are these two sweet little hand knit key cozies from Betty Sonics. Lucky keys!



Now I am faced with a dilemma. The cards are so gorgeous that I don't want to part with them, so maybe I'll send them to myself for my next birthday. And forget handing over the key cozies - those babies are staying right here.

All these goodies can be yours to purchase. Why not visit the Nook blog, or if you live in or are visiting Brisbane, you will be enchanted when you visit Michelle's shop at 19 Browning Street, West End. Thank you Michelle for making my day!

Shadow Shot Sunday # 76

I came across this image of the Colosseum which I took on our recent trip (sorry ... haven't had time to shoot any local shadows since we've arrived home!) and was intrigued by the two shadows coming from different directions. 'Tis a puzzle.




Have you seen the wonderful Shadow Shot Sunday images on Hey Harriet's blog yet? Do yourself a favour and take a look here at what all the fuss is about - you won't be disappointed.

You've got to love them ...

ONE OF THE MOST endearing characteristics we discovered during our recent travels was the true British spirit. When it comes to civil disobedience, none can surpass them. And it has been going on for a long time - witness the World War II Cabinet War Rooms:

Up to the present day, not far from this historic site, the tradition is carried on:

Railway stations appear to be a natural breeding ground:

The disease has even spread to Edinburgh:


But my all-time favourite rests with the grand city of Birmingham:


So if you have British blood coursing through your veins, stand up and be proud. Mind you, in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, such offences would have had these good folk transported en masse to join us here in Oz - probably for the term of their natural lives.

How would you like to win a FABULOUS TOTE BAG from the BrisStyle team? It's really easy - all you have to do is go here and make a comment. The designs are all wonderful, so making a choice will be really difficult for you!

A new shipment of fabrics arrived late last week and I immediately fell in love with them, which is just as well, because I felt the need for some sort of incentive to keep on sewing. So far I completed a couple of knot dresses which will be for sale at the BrisStyle Indie Market on 5 December (see side bar).

And now for some of that British resolve - back to the sewing room.

Shadow Shot Sunday # 75

Where did the week go? Here we are again with Hey Harriet's Shadow Shot Sunday. The first image I have chosen is of a poor lost soul sitting in the fading afternoon sun in St Stephen's Green, Dublin. My heart went out to him and I wondered what hardships he had to face in his life.

The second image is of another lost soul - Mr Fudge consulting a map in Edinburgh - a scene that was to be repeated on more than one occasion over the coming weeks.

There was a gathering today of some of the BrisStyle girls, all very upbeat at the prospect of our coming Christmas market on 5 December.

Star of the day was the super charming Helen of Ruby 2 Go Go who in her other life is an air stewardess. She had been up since 2.30 this morning and had flown from Brisbane to Melbourne and back again - and she managed to arrive at the gathering before me. Well, I had to travel across town!

The other star of the day was young Xavier, the handsome son of committee member, Bel, one half of the of the EmBelISH team. He was keeping a firm eye on Mum while Katie of Kitty Boo Boo did a wonderful job keeping him amused.

There were lots items on show, but I can't reveal them here ... sorry. You will have to come along to our Christmas market to see what all the excitement is about.

But I can show you what I have been working on this week - I really don't want to see another skirt for a while, so next week it's dresses.

A Mystery Unlocked

We were puzzled while strolling through the streets of Florence a few weeks back when we came across these padlocks in various locations.

Could they have been used to lock bicycles? No - far too many to be practical. It wasn't until we returned home and were visiting my brother in Sydney that the mystery was solved. We were flicking through our trip images on his computer when we came to these. He told us that they were left by young lovers as a public display of their affection. Ah, mystery solved ... but how my brother knew is another mystery!

Reality shot home yesterday when I picked up the local news magazine, Brisbane News from the driveway and discovered a two page spread on local markets. There featured among the top Brisbane markets was our own BrisStyle Indie Designers Market. If you go here:

http://www.brisbanenews.com.au/issues/currentwk/index.html

and flick over to pages 18-19, you can read the article. The eye-catching clutch bag featured is the creation of one of our BrisStyle designers, Megan Forsyth, while the cute little vintage dolls are the work of Mel of Retro Bird.

The realisation of how quickly the next few weeks will pass has finally hit me. I am going to have to lock myself in my sewing room and diligently stick to my unrealistic schedule, or I will be seriously under-stocked come 5 December.

I've managed to make a couple of skirts in the last couple of days, sandwiched between meetings with various craft groups, which took place every day this week. They are up in my Etsy shop and I plan to have a large stock of them for sale at the BrisStyle Indie Market. I know I will have to cull my social activities in order to achieve this target, but it's coming up to that busy part of the year ... ooo ... I will have to be so strong!