Hiatus

Hello!

2018 comes with plenty of downtime that I love to spend at home, circling around the kitchen.

One is never enough: Bialetti's iconic Macchinettas

Having explored the facets of Cauliflower, it was time to move on to Brussels sprouts.

I could halt and just admire them as they were. So I did.

Can you tell how much I enjoyed carving trimming the stems? No irony here!

Brussels sprouts are versatile, you can cook them in a pan.

You can also cook them in a casserole.

Experiencing cold times, the casserole was my choice.

A casserole in the oven leaves you with plenty of time. Time to tackle some household chores. The following photos speak for themselves. 

 

Time to check the casserole in the oven ...

Lemon juice is always a good choice.

Barely ready, the meal is already gone. This leads us to the final chapter in the kitchen.

Macchinetta hardly ever soaks in dish detergent, hot water should be enough. 

I made really good use of the hiatus and even managed to finish another photo album. This vacation has been sitting in a box for ages. By ages I mean decades. 2 to be precise. :-o

Sticking and glueing: done. 
Next: journaling.  

Speaking of vacations: In case you plan to visit Vienna next March: You have been warned!

Imagine spring

You know where to look for me:

See you soon!

Paula

Taking Good Care

Hello!

Tonight I was packing a few clothes I had sold on a 2nd hand online platform. When I sell a piece of my wardrobe, I want it to look as nice as possible.  The new owner should be as happy as possible, when he/she opens the bag.

Selling my clothes has taught me a good lesson. Now I treat my clothes with the same diligence I treat those pieces I give away.

Removing a tiny loose thread? Clearing the woolen sweater from pilling? Those steps are standard before I pack a piece of garment.

Reasdy to be handed over to the new owner

The garments in my closet receive the same TLC. The process reminds me of friends of ours. They  had been living in their apartment for a very long time and sold the apartment. They moved into a newer, nicer apartment. Shortly before they moved out, they renovated the old apartment. It was only then, that they realised how pretty their old apartment actually was. They had neglected it far too long. "Now" is always a good time to take good care.

Another thing I've learned, thanks to lifestyle bloggers from the US and AUS,  the difference a hand written note makes.

I might have had the right material for a steep career in merchandising.  ;-)

Happy grooming! November feels like the perfect time for quiet tasks like these.
Paula

Bunch of Keys

Looking at my heavy bunch of keys I thought I'd take a picture. Believe it or not, each and every of these Keys has been used in the last 24 hours.

No! I am not a paranoid lady who fears to be robbed and locks her door with dozens of locks before  going to bed. These keys open doors at four different locations in Vienna, including "accessoires" like mailboxes and lockers and add-ons like cars and my bicycle. From all the keys the car key is by far the one which gets least frequently used. 

Another lovely August week has passed by so quickly. The weather in Vienna has been beyond perfect: warm days, cool nights, no need to hide inside during the day and wait until it geets cooler because it never gets that hot. 

Tonight we experienced the pleasure of arriving at the Schönbrunn Palace gardens by bicycle, 1,5 hour before the gates close – a daytime I highly recommend for any visitor! You won't belive how remote the gardens are later in the day. 

The photo below is just a teaser, I took enough photos to bore Mr Paula more than he deserved, searching for the nicest shots. The shot below was actually a snapshot on our way out.

Leaving Schönbrunn Palace gardens approx 30min before they close the gates

We are enjoying our last days of a splendid staycation before my parents return from their vacation. 

What are your plans for the weekend?

Paula

DIY coffee pot cozy - reinvented design

Hello!

You remember my original DIY coffee pot cozy?

The last year has been successfull in terms of nice minimalism hacks.

Not long ago, I came up with the idea of a reinvented DIY coffee pot cozy design which works without the clothespin.

Those of you who had the pleasure the time to watch a woman get dressed get wrapped with cloth which ends up in a kimono, will easily see, where this comes from: from Japan.

Wrapping a woman with cloth, wrapping a coffee pot with cloth ... it's obvious!

        

A woman who wears a kimono somehow has this humble appearance. I guess that's part of the kimono-idea: wrap her up so she can't move freely.
There was never the risk of a freely wandering coffee pot at the Paula Residence, still I appreciate the humble look. This coffee pot is meant to serve us and it serves us well.

Nothing like a decent list

Hi again!
 
Before I get back to the January Cure, let me entertain you with a photo I shot in Siberia last summer.
I highly doubt everybody is as much into curing his/her apartment as I am. ;-)

The photo below shows the Port Baikal station, a former station of the Transsiberian railway, now a dead end.
At the bottom today's posting you'll find out more about these old, neglected tracks of the world famous railway in Russia.

Department Store in  Port Baikal

Now back to the apartment. 
I am a fan of lists. For those of you who share the love for decent lists, the January Cure's second assignment is made for you. Today you are asked to write a project list.

What is better than a list? A project list! Here you can find assignment #2 at apartmenttherapy.com  
At the end of the article you also find the Cure calendar, you can download it.
In case you want to join, you can register for the daily mails (they end by Jan. 31, no worries!)

Here you can see what the upcoming days have to offer:

 I remember myself cursing while trying to master the kitchen weekend. No way I could do the oven, the fridge and all the cabinets in two days. To my surprise the oven is still very neat. The frdige is not bad. And the one cabinet, next to the oven still contains only goods I need for baking. Perfect order, installed one year ago. 

For those of you, who have not gone through their clutter in various drawers for a long time:  There is always a light at the end of the tunnel! 

Ok, now this was a cheap bridge.

I feel like posting this photo ...  mainly because I think it is beautiful. 

Secondly, because tonight Mr Paula and I finally presented the Transsiberian-slide show (no more than 120 photos) at a friend's house. The tunnel (photo above) was part of the original route of the Transsiberian railway. Due to a hydroelectric power station, built around 1960 in Irkutsk, the original route had to be transferred - the old tracks close to lake Baikal and the river Angara were lower then the new water level. The tunnel above was part of the old route, which was not flooded. Today it serves as a tourist attraction, an attractive attraction. I really like this photo. And yes, it was shot on film. 35mm Fujifilm. :-)

This deal might work out: The January Cure Transsiberian Review. hehe.

Meanwhile, take care, it's slippery out there!
Paula

Curing the Apartment

Hello and a Happy New Year to You!

Last year I joined the Apartment Therapy community for the first time, taking part at the January Cure. 

Every weekday you receive an assignment per Email, telling you, what to do, to make your apartment become a cleaner/less cluttered/more comfortable place to live. 

 

Which in other words is like a mum, telling you what to do, otherwise you won't get anything done. 

In case you want to join, I can sign up anytime, here is the first assignment.
You can enter your emailadress on the bottom on the page in case you want to receive those assignments for during January, too.

The first assignment is dedicated to the floors. 

To get the floors clean, one needs to remove stuff which is usually located on the floor. Well, I do hope that those hundreds of CDs and dozens of book will find their way out of my apartment in 2016. It's about time.  

A few days ago felt the urgent the need for a tub-brush a few days ago. A brush, that would not clonk on the tub everytime I come close to a corner like my old brush does. 

(nothing to embarrassing around here :-))

Lucky me, Walter Weiss, the brush maker in Vienna is still in business and guess what: such a thing like a tub brush actually exists! 

What an excellent unitasker this is. No more clonk clonk clonk is so worth it. 

I traded today's afternoon in the darkroom for clean floors. Now I am sitting on my couch and can hardly keep my eyes off the shiny floor. Rewarding!

Have a nice weekend, maybe we see each other at The January Cure?

Paula

Listening to The January Cure

Hello!

tonight I just send you a short update. The January Cure is coming to and end. I am not sure if this was Janel's plan behind all the assignments, but the deep cleansing in several rooms lead straight to serious decluttering processes. The progress I am making is enormous.

 Sorry Yazz/The Only Way is Up, you have served me well, but now it's time for you to go.

 
Right now, while typing this posting, I am listening to old records. They have been sitting in the shelf for decades, I hardly ever listened to them. I am listening to every single record and it seems as if my taste in music has changed over the decades. This project is fun. It entertains us at home.

Now playing: Talking Heads. Speaking Tongues. 1983 (Burning Down the House, Girlfriend is better etc) genial
It is amazing how genius he Talking Heads were. 
After 20 records, this seems to be the first "modern" record in my collection. It sounds so ...  fresh. I am very happy. I think I like the record 10 times more than I liked it back then. David Byrne sounds comforting, such a kind man. Did you know he loves to ride a bike where ever he stays?

Mr Paula thinks this "going through the records" is the best assignment of the whole "Cure". Even though it was no actual assignment. It just happened. I am surprised how good the sound is, compared to the internet radio and MP3 we usually listen to.

So, enough with the talk, here comes the slideshow and you will see the last days have not only been about records.

 Music, my third love right after drawing and photography. (the photos shows just a tiny, daily dose, several more on stock)

 The rose(s) held up really well! This one is 2 weeks old or even older. (another shot that captures the excellent quality the SIGMA DP2 provides, even in relatively low light)

This apron is tiny and accompanied me during my first years in the kitchen, from 3-9 years. I can't let it go, I am going to keep it together with this trio:

Yes, we actually played Star Trek, which included a lot of beaming. The beaming platform was a box whre you pushed buttons and the crew magically disappeared. Lucky children we were.

MAYA Norway. 

This is how we used cut meat at home. Before the electrical knife boarded the kitchen.

 oh the hard disks ... but I am doing fine. Their status has improved lets say at least by 120% since last saturday.

reliable high fidelity. project record player. and a peculiar anti-dust device. 

discerning @apartmenttherapy.com asked for a portrait of my clothes-rail. it looks like this: is:

a simple but very effective clothes rail

 this shelf has served as our out box for YEARS! I am glad I am finally getting the stuff to move out. :-)

The shelf is going to move out, too.

glasses, mugs and lots of stuff sitting in the "out box" (this is a LOT, the spatula in front is actually a HUGE spatula, twice the normal size)

pillow stuffing (pure wool), a bicycle helmet that gives me headaches (yes, I still am the Princess and the Pea), outdated clothes and the suitcase itself, serving as another out box

I hope this entertains you a little. 

More - or hopefully less - to come! :-)

Paula