*Simple jute dish scrubber

Some time ago, I crocheted this simple dish scrubber with jute yarn. I find them very practical and eye-pleasing.

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*Akardy the elephant #2

A few close-ups of the second elephant that I made. Taking these photos is always so much fun!

{click for the pattern}
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*in the peak of summer

Welcome to August! 

We are in the middle of another heatwave. I'm having fresh figs from the garden every morning for breakfast – I can hardly believe it! Even the blackberries are already ripe, and I've made ketchup from our first surplus tomatoes. I'm so grateful that our garden fountain still has enough water, because in many places they've already dried up. The first dahlias started blooming a while ago, and I made my first bouquet for the kitchen table. The earwigs have been nibbling at the edges of the petals, though, so the blooms aren't as big as they should be, but they are still so beautiful!

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*Healing with nature in the warm summer winds

{Music: Is as – Goldmund + Mum – Akira Kosemura + Fields of Daisies – Brian Stiroh + Travelling – Goldmund}

Wandering through the warm summer winds,

a parcel from Olivia,

crocheting another elephant,

garden moments &

visiting my little oak forest.

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*bat lady

On the weekend, I rescued this little bat lady from drowning and cared for her until I found someone with experience caring for bats. I had never been able to observe a living bat so closely before. I gave her lukewarm water with a small brush, and after a while she even started eating fresh moths. The vet gave her an infusion, and for a while it looked as though she was going to make it. But then the vet discovered tiny puncture wounds on her belly from a bird's claws. They had perforated her intestines, so she sadly had to be put to sleep. It seems to be quite common for bats to be attacked by birds while they are drinking.

Rest in peace little friend.

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*Like a dead bumblebee

Wie eine tote Hummel

liege ich auf der heißen Straße.

Meine Augen sind geschlossen,

und ich lausche.

Eine Unendlichkeit an Wolken

zieht an mir vorüber.

Ich blinzle 

und halte mir die Ohren zu.

Auf einmal bin ich zweieinhalb Jahre alt

und am Strand.

Ich sammle Zigarettenstummel.

Manche haben rote Enden.

Ich trenne die Tabakreste von den Filtern,

und ihr Geruch fühlt sich fremd

und zugleich wie Zuhause an.

Die Hände meines Vaters.

Das Kreischen eines Starenschwarmes

holt mich zurück ins Hier und Jetzt.

Ich bewege kurz meine Finger.

Sie schmerzen.

Wenn ich nicht raus ins Leben kann,

wird es zu mir kommen und mich hier finden?

Oder fegt es über mich hinweg,

wie die Stare über mir?

{Claudia Voglhuber}

∼

Like a dead bumblebee,

I lie on the scorching road.

My eyes are closed,

and I listen.

An eternity of clouds

drifts past me.

I blink

and cover my ears.

Suddenly I am two and a half years old,

standing on the beach.

I collect cigarette butts.

Some have red tips.

I separate the tobacco
from the filters,

and their smell feels strange,

yet somehow like home.

My father's hands.

The screeching of a flock of starlings

pulls me back to the here and now.

I briefly move my fingers.

They ache.

If I cannot step out into life,

will it come to me and find me here?

Or will it sweep right over me,

like the starlings above?

{Claudia Voglhuber}

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*Arkady the elephant

Close-ups of the little crochet elephant I made. I've already started making him a friend in a different color. It was really a fun and easy project! I found the pattern here ➔ {click}

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*Letting the soul unwind in the heart of summer & a little crochet project

{Music: Pulme – Matteo de Grandis + Morning Dance – Amine Ayad + Dreamlike Ride – Nicholas Bamberger}

Finally, I managed to turn the dress that had been hanging unused in my closet for the past two years because it was too big for me into a skirt, and I'm really happy with how it turned out.

I also started a new needlework journal to save all my new projects for the coming months.

One project had been on my list for a long time, and it was nice to take up my crochet hook again and crochet along.

I made three tentative attempts to leave the house. The first one was unsuccessful. On the second, I walked a few hundred meters to visit a small sunflower field, and on the third, I went to the swing beneath the large willow tree, where I spent some time just sitting and letting my soul unwind. It may not seem like much, but for me, it was a big thing, and it felt so good.

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*summery paintings

More summery watercolor paintings from the past few months.

I do not feel very communicative these days, but there is always something visual to share from my little world.

Yesterday, after another difficult day with so much pressure in my head and nerve pain, I sat on the terrace with a hedgehog before bed, and for a while we simply shared the quiet.

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*July happy list

Things that made me happy lately:

• your solace & your gentle hands

• finding a zebrina detrita (Märzenschnecke)

• starting a little crochet project

• finding a lovely meadow with a beautiful walnut tree

• eating lots of watermelon

• reading in the warm summer wind

• wonderful news from a dear friend

• loading my camera with a black & white film

(it is two years ago since last time)

• surprise mail

• glowworms

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