abandoned

try to imagine this: sneaking into an old abandoned spa, today serving as a military base. the spa could have been built sometime in the 1940’s-50’s, but was probably abandoned straight after. there is a pool house where the roof has fallen in. the pool is filled with hot water from a natural sulfur spring, crystal clear, a strong smell of sulfur, amazingly soothing for the body. to your east you see the hills of jordan, and to the west an old abandoned mosque. peacocks are running wild between the bushes. palm trees and lush plants. broken windows and shutters made of wood. you walk around, discovering each little house, with it’s own piece of history. and then you sit in the warm water, watching the sun set, washing the sky with pink and then the stars rising above your head.

wow.

oh and this link fits.

if europe was 3km away…

…I would jump on my bike and swing by.

I take ‘secret’ snapshots in the bus. I found this woman so beautiful, aging with grace and wisdom in her eyes.

april april

the lilacs are blooming. always about two to three months earlier than in sweden, where it used to happen just around the last days of school, associating it with summer holidays, childhood, swedish folk music…

a friend caught a mini lizard who got lost inside the living room, all turquoise and green, so pretty and ready to defend himself. luckily his tail did not fall off and he was returned back into the wild.

a bit more of desert

I experienced my first sandstorm. it came so suddenly and changed the bright blue sky to yellow and you could not see a meter ahead of you. since we were also traveling with my friends son, (turning one today! still remembering his birth crystal clear) sleeping outside was not an option anymore so we went to a bedouin village and slept in the tent on the last picture. always amazed to be confronted with such different culture and mentality then what I am mostly surrounded by.

real life tamagotchi

I am experimenting with sourdough these days. I have tried it a few times already but could not really get the hang of it, my breads would mostly turn out heavy and dense. now, my starter is ‘vigorously bubbly’ as the pro’s call it, and my breads are so very tasty (if one may say so herself?!)

a real fun challenge, observing, nurturing and caring for the starter and learning more and more on how to understand and treat the dough. almost like an obsession, I think I baked six loaves this week! another tasty, rewarding thing I am into these days is homemade lemon curd. easypeasy and works well on top of the bread or as a dessert.

baking is therapy! but enough of that. wish you all a happy and tasty weekend.

the fine art of sleeping outdoors

I am slowly learning to feel relaxed while sleeping outdoors. no walls protecting. not even a tent. I am a person of fears, and a person of wild imagination and I am terribly afraid of the dark. it ranges between the most unrealistic to the most realistic fears you can imagine. killer pigs or serial killers. while sleeping in the desert I was even afraid of tigers, and add to that that there aren’t many left anymore…

anyhow, so each time I wake up to feel the bliss of nature, the bliss of being alive, I feel a little bit stronger and a little bit more free, having stepped out of my so very comfortable and comforting comfort zone.

(here and here a few more temporary homes)

large

the desert is special, and so are the people living there. I wonder how it would change me if I was to live there.

goodnight! hope you are well.

hello there

lots of conversations about commitment these days. how hard it is to grow when one is not committed. one foot in, one foot out, you know the drill… I feel it counts for this blogging business as well, I am not here and I start feeling guilty for not being here, or rather for not keeping up my blog-world friendships. I seriously do think of you guys a lot! who would have thought???

I am going to the desert for a few days to ruminate on above subject, among others. love and peace to all of you!

spring light, plants and greens, coffee and tea, endless talking

one of the little life adventures lately is drinking camel milk for the first time. slightly sweeter and with a hint of anise in the end. wonderful to make pannacotta with. second adventure is getting to know my sourdough. baking breads I once only could dream of baking! third adventure is the feeling of spring, each time coming with a certain hope and trust that life is fine.

when I am not too tired from dancing, I walk, for hours, with my friend, one of us with her son on our back. climbing hills, inside the forest, down the road, weaving one conversation into the other. feeling truly grateful to be surrounded by people with whom I can communicate, striving for total honesty and openness.

´

light on europe

a few leftover moments from my trip to belgium & the lowlands.

things I love in and about europe: ♥ quiet train rides ♥ the architecture ♥ big windows, lots of light ♥ politeness ♥ friends ♥ memories ♥ abandoned houses ♥ crisp air ♥ the subtle and magical transformation from winter to spring ♥ language ♥ candies & sweets ♥ creativity ♥ biking on biking lanes ♥ markets ♥ speaking with a soft volume ♥ bright and long summer nights ♥

…among many other lovely things…

6/3

the days usually start around 5.30. the only way to manage it is to go to bed around 8.30, I am still like a child, 7 hours of sleep is just not enough. and time just flies and sometimes I seem to loose track of days and order and the things I want to do and all of a sudden, on a monday morning, waiting for the bus at sunrise, it comes back to me, even just like the slightest hint, the faintest fragrance. and then I look at the people around me and I wonder if they manage to keep that slightest hint and faintest fragrance and I wonder if anything I write here makes sense to anyone but myself (already that is doubtful)

I remember to take my vitamins though. both in natural & pill form. I hope it will help.

sunny days, white nights

a festive week behind us. I decided to go for the 20’s look. felt like I needed a drastic change from sweaty dance clothes and muddy work outfits, hence something lady-like with a lot of make up AND high heels (=suffering). I think I was back in the comfy outfit an hour later (one simply can’t groove freely in a narrow dress full of spangles) but my hairdo stayed until the morning, then again I did not go to bed but went to look at the sunrise and taste the frost instead. it might take a few days for me to recover after a white night but once in a while it is definitely worth it.