The first snow

Since this morning it's coming steady and softly down from the skies...
Perhaps there will be white Christmas after all!


We celebrate St.Nikolaus Day! Santa's helper brings good children candies and bad ones a black stick....
We were all good!

Snowy where you are???

xx Victoria


Picture by V.Zlotkowski

Winter garden

The garden in winter is quiet, yet I hear the rustling of a bird, looking for a morsel, or the squirrels, jumping from branch to branch. There is subtle movement under the bare rose bush, a chipmunk runs for cover.The air has the first icy grip and I hear the last leaves falling.


The small bird almost invisible...




Happy weekend!

xx
Victoria

First fall decorations

This time of year lends itself so much for decorating and I always like to do it with something harvested, flowers from my garden, fruits and vegetables from the farm stand.


Candles make it warm and inviting, to sit and share a cup of tea!



As you can see I have been playing with my photo program on my new Mac! It's much fun!
Also today I found some great new books, fitting to my design philosophy to use things at hand, working with objects found in nature, the garden or around the house.
I will introduce them in the next few days on the Interior Design blog... I'll keep you posted!

Also as a little reminder, if you want separate updates from the design blog, please became a separate follower!

And just speaking of garden, look at this sweet visitor, even in the rain she came and ruffled her feathers, looking for last nectar! Perhaps click on the pictures so you can actually see the small hummingbird!






Much love to you all!

Victoria



Pictures by V.Zlotkowski

Weekends

This week has passed by so fast, having family visiting makes the days go by much quicker...Last Sunday is still in my mind. We spend the afternoon at Wave Hill, a beautiful estate with wonderful gardens, well kept and of Botanical Garden quality.
A late summer concert was the highlight of the afternoon and listening to Mozart, looking outside the windows overlooking Hudson Valley and the Palisades was just what my heart desired.


It was such a lovely way to begin a new week.


A few days ago I had to pick up some paint and soil at a home improvement center, when I came by painter's drop cloth and my mind started working: Hmmm, I could perhaps use it as a table cloth? The investment was small ($ 9.00) and the effect could be quite charming. Certainly a great idea if you need to cover a larger area, let say for a party in the garden or to cover an unsightly piece for a while. I immediately thought of multiple ways to use it. Halloween is coming, you can paint it, print on it or decorate it otherwise! It is washable too...





Last night we came to the city for a night at the ballet, still a gift for my birthday and it has been wonderful. I love the gracefulness and elegance of dancers and the evening was simply unforgettable. Danced to music by Stravinsky, Prokofiev and Moretti.


The latter was the most impressive of the evening for me. A vibrant, cinematic score set the tone for bold movements, moonlike golden discs illuminated the dancers below, transforming them into exotic creatures, oriental and Egyptian influences could be felt.
It was mysterious and and mesmerizing! Standing ovations and many shouts of appreciation rewarded the fabulous cast!


This morning as the the sun comes up over the trees outside my window I am sitting here, writing this and I am still in awe by the impressions of the last night. This week has been framed by gorgeous art: Dance and music! It fills me with happiness and I am so grateful!

Have a wonderful weekend, fill it with beauty and grace!


XX
Victoria



Pictures by V.Zlotkowski, ballet image via google image,The Telegraph,UK not an image from last night.

Sunny mornings - sunny days

At the window this morning.


Being housebound I enjoy the wonders of the sunny mornings, those glorious late summer days with a stillness in the air!

Little salt and pepper pigs from Berlin...

I love the dark blue sky above me as I recline on an easy-on-my-back-chair in the garden.
The children are jumping with much delight on the new trampoline, truly a live saver for my son, who misses his soccer pals and structured exercises. I am amazed how they enjoy literally hours of jumping...

Just one more day and school resumes! Hallelujah!

I have begun to edit the thousands of pictures we have taken over the last 8 weeks and there is so much, so many memories attached, so many things I want to show you still...
But, life goes on and somehow I feel we must go with it and therefore I will only show pictures which fit into the context of the coming blog posts.
While I am still under the last German design impressions I'll show you some rooms from the homes of my friends, all no decorators and true showcases of styles in Germany!

First the newly renovated house of our good friends in Munich:







And here some impressions from my wonderful girlfriend's home in Berlin, where I have enjoyed many happy times of hospitality!
She is a whirlwind of energy and joyfulness, her home a mirror image of her happy attitude to life.









Some images of my parent's lovely little nest, in which they have lived for the last twenty years! When I see their place, warm memories of my childhood years come back to me, since my parents kept many of their original pieces from the years in Dresden and brought all with them after their move to Munich! This always reminds me how wonderful continuity can be. When I visit, it is always like coming back home, even it is neither the location nor the era of my childhood...
The set up of this living/dining room has not much changed since I have been a little girl! I love this room!
The year clock, named for the fact, that it only needs winding once a year, has fascinated me since I was small. Do you love coming back (home) and finding all in it's place? Somewhere else? I feel often like that when I go back to former familiar places, where I feel a little pang, when things have much changed...I love to find what I remembered!






The embroidered linen table cloth and napkins which my sister and I gave my parent's to their beautifully celebrated 50th weddding anniversary in August!


All these places are very different and yet, they all demonstrate quite clearly a certain German way to live. Modern, bohemian, traditional. And there is so much in between!

I hope you liked this little insight into German homes.

XX
Victoria



All pictures taken by me.

Lovely Cortona

A couple's retreat...Just when I thought, after seeing Arezzo, it could not get any better my husband (and I) had the idea to visit Cortona...alone!


This day was a precious gift to us. Isn't there anything sweeter than a few leisurely hours alone for a hardworking couple with children of a certain age and little time for themselves??? We are not blessed with any family back at home and time for just the two of us is very rare indeed.
We spent the day together, leaving everyone behind and took off to a mini road trip to Cortona, the old Etruscan city on the border to Umbria. We started early towards Arezzo, spend a delightful late morning shopping and sightseeing, had lunch in a tiny Osteria, hidden in a courtyard and covered in Wisteria, potted lemon trees - ripe with fruits - all around us.
We felt giddy with delight just to do as we pleased...
We walked hand in hand through a park, found an old, now overgrown Roman amphitheatre, later a fortress from the middle ages and then continued our journey towards Cortona...


Cortona hangs on high up on a steep hill side, but oh, it's a treasure to behold. A winding alpine road leads up to the first piazza, the views are amazing at every turn. The city is a fortified place, it's thick walls onces protected the inhabitants. Now we walked the steep narrow streets and marveled at every door, nook and cranny. The city is build up on top of itself. Houses from earlier centuries became the foundation of later ones. If only these walls could talk...The temperatures were soaring, but the city was shady and we stayed cool within.



The small city is a time capsule, now lively with artisans and craftsman and -woman. Handmade leather goods, handmade shoes, purses, bags and wallets are on display. The leather scent is so enticing...


I met a wonderful artist, she creates artful batics on larges linen strips, paints delightful pattern on linen dresses and her daughter creates colorful knitted coats and jackets. All this and more she sells at a small, but oh so seductively filled store. I could not resist and bought a lovely dress.
Finely woven linen can be found all over Tuscany, table clothes, hand towels and bedding... Thinking of my luggage allowance taking anything home was out of the question...(And the prices stopped me too, it's very expensive.)
We paused in a street cafe, watching the life around us going on....


Old man spending the afternoon over coffee and grappa, moms with two, three children in tow stopping by for ice cream...tourists making hard desicions as what to bring back home. We felt almost like locals.....


It was wonderful to stroll throught the steep lanes and alley ways, incredible vistas down the mountain and romantic corners wherever you turn.


The rooftops are centuries old, covered with the typical red roof bricks of the region.


Pottted plants, gardens and well taken care of old houses give this place a magical flair.





It is also a city of churches and cloisters, we counted at least 5 or 6 monasteries, all lived in and religious live is observed in a sweet and humble way. Many times have we stepped into a small chapel or larger church to discover an organist practicing, or a lovely solemn atmosphare, cool and spiritual.


Smallest chapels are lovingly decorated and fresh flowers and devotional candles burn under many altars.


The lovely terra cotta works of Andrea della Robbia can be found and works by many painters, today unknown.

We ended this glorious day at the terasse of a small hotel, having dinner just to ourselves, the lovely cusine of Tuscany and an incredible view down towards Umbria before us. Ahhhh.....





We returned home, filled with delicious impressions, memories and a glorious day just for the two of us...


This journey in Italy is coming to an end, come Saturday we will pack our bags and leave back to Germany, where the children and I'll stay with the older sons and a good friend in Berlin for a couple of days before returning home. My husband will be back in New York by Sunday night.
I can not put my emotions into words...


Ciao!
Victoria



All pictures taken by us...apart from the lovely work by Andrea della Robbia.(google image)