*Zenit-B

I don't know if I mentioned it here earlier, but some time ago I was brave enough to use my Zenit-B camera again. It is one of my favorite and oldest analogue camera (1973), but it also gave me a lot of trouble and ate up several films, so I always hesitate to use it. It works without battery and light meter and I love the soft colors it creates in the pictures. I was so happy that it worked this time and I like nearly every picture of the whole film roll which usually does not happen very often. There is a specific mood in Zenit-B pictures that I'm really missing with my "newer" cameras. Before our little camping trip, I oiled it and gave it some love and I hope I can use it more often again. Let's see!

I hope you are doing well! There is a lot to do at this time of the year – preparations for winter also. I nearly finished the crochet bag that I started in August. Always when autumn comes, I feel like taking my needlework out. Hopefully I can show some pictures of it soon! Do you also have some autumn habits?

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*August, a flower dream in a soap bubble

{Music: Amid The Chaos Of The Day – Hans Zimmer}

September is already here and I forgot to post my latest movie here.

August was all about finding back into the beauty of simply being. I made soap, played with dried flowers, observed the insect world, enjoyed all the flowers and ripe veggies, let soap bubbles fly in the warm summer air and started to crochet a bit again. I feel more than ready for autumn now and the last days already brought some fresher air and morning fog!

We just returned from a little vacation with the camper. The travel was super hard for me at the beginning as I got another relapsing fever and absolutely felt like hitting rock bottom and did not know how to manage, but the first days it rained so much that it was not too bad that I laid all day. I was unsure if I should go at all as the bad state started already before leaving, but I did not have any expectations for this holiday anyway and as we did not have anything booked and were completely free I knew we could drive home any time anyway, so I gave it a try and I don't regret it. When I felt a bit better again, I just enjoyed the beautiful forest area and started to read the book that we chose in the book club and even filmed a bit and made some pictures. My dear sister was so kind to look after our garden and home in the meanwhile and it was really nice to have some time with her as well today! I hope you had a good start into September and are enjoying the changes that the new season brings!

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*a sigh of nature

Finally we are having rain and temperatures dropped down to 16 degrees. It feels very relieving after the ongoing heat, it is like a real sigh of nature! I made a huge bottle of fresh spearmint tea and observed the birds jumping around in our garden. I'm very much looking forward to the autumn season and the first misty mornings and all the coziness fall provides. I'm sure I'm not alone with this!

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*Herb & flower corner

I'm so happy how my herb & flower corner developed the last month. When we moved here, there was actually standing a big spruce. Sadly we had to remove it some years ago. It was quite crooked and leaning towards the house and with the extreme storms we are having here in our area, it was too risky to keep it. I remember that day clearly when we had to cut it down, I cried on that day, I loved it very much and did actually not want to let go of it. But after we had the most terrible hail storm last year which caused so much damage, I know we took the right decision. Only last year I started to plant a few herbs in that corner that were taking over the other garden beds. And this year I wanted to really go about it and create a place even fuller with different herbs and flowers. I also planted a willow that was growing from a seed that came with the wind into our garden. I always feel very honored when trees or plants that I did not sow decide to start a life here. 

This corner became really one of my favorite places in the garden and I love that I can see it from the kitchen window and it is close enough to pick the herbs quickly for cooking. In the first weeks a great amount of seedlings got eaten up by little bugs and snails, but I decided to do nothing and just keeping watering and suddenly everything came back and grew even beyond my wildest dreams!

So far there are growing:

▴ sage ▴ thyme ▴ rosemary ▴ lavender ▴ melissa ▴ wine mint ▴ marshmallow ▴ southernwood ▴ wild bergamot ▴ valerian ▴ spearmint ▴ chamomile ▴ chocolate mint ▴ peppermint ▴ basil ▴ nasturtium ▴ calendula ▴ different sorts of cosmea & zinnia ▴ dyer's chamomile ▴ tickseeds ▴ quaking grass ▴ mallow ▴ stevia ▴ giant poppy ▴ love in a mist ▴ curry plant ▴ roman fennel ...

Next year I would like to add some dahlia sorts.

I hope you are doing well! I'm having relapsing fever again since yesterday, but the distances between those episodes are getting longer fortunately. Have a nice Sunday!

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*Endure, bear with

Dulde, trage.

Bessere Tage

werden kommen.

Alles muss frommen

denen, die fest sind.

Herz, altes Kind,

dulde, trage.

{Christian Morgenstern}

I tried to translate it into English:

Endure, bear with.

Better days

will come.

Everything has to be in use

to those who are firm.

Heart, old child,

endure, bear with.

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*August happy list

My black&white film is finally developed and I think it's time for a little happy list to turn the focus into the right direction:

• a bit of very welcome rain

• a big toad in our garden after not seeing one for years

• having a campfire under a starry sky with shooting stars 

• making simple soap with dried lavender from the garden

• receiving mail from caring souls

• harvesting the first zucchini

• time in my herb & flower garden

• crocheting a strap for my camera

• joining Marie's fantasy book club (starting in autumn)

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*Senses & sounds of summer

Since a long time now I wanted to make a movie with just the sounds of nature, but I always hesitated, because of the loud street near our home. Nevertheless I gave it a try!  I wanted to make the movie even longer, but my computer is too old and struggles with exporting bigger movie files.

July was all about resting & healing, enjoying the herbal & flower garden, first little nature walks, summer scents & flavors and lots of silence & solitude.

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*Garden update

Some pictures of our vegetable & flower spot in late July.

The first tomatoes turned red just when August started and the plants are looking so robust and healthy this year. It seems they like the ongoing heat waves! The birds are already picking out the seeds from the sunflowers, but this is ok, I actually mainly grow them for the birds.

Not long ago two redstart babies fell out of their nest and we were not able to put them back, so I made a nest for them and luckily the mother accepted it and fed them further. One of the birds unfortunately died a few days later, maybe the fall gave him internal injuries, I really don't know, but the other bird is doing well and seems very used to my presence, he is always around and sitting in the garden beds and in the greenhouse. He is such a funny little guy! I'm glad to have him around!

Last year I collected many seeds of my favorite cosmos sort "Cupcake Blush", where the outer petals are like a cup and not separated like usually and in the middle they have those little thin, fluffy petals. I had white and light pink ones, but obviously they mixed with another cosmos sort and now I have those deep purple ones. I had not expected this at all, it was a nice surprise!

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*a yarrow year

This year we do not have a lot of wild chamomile in our surrounding like usual, but it's a real yarrow year. I love this plant, especially because its such a resilient plant that it is still to be found when the frost starts in autumn and it looks beautiful with the little ice crystals on it. I don't like to drink the tea so much though, even though it has so many benefits for the female body. But in my opinion it has even a positive effect when only surrounding yourself with a specific plant. Do you have a favorite wild herb?

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*Marshmallow blossom tea

Just wanted to stop by and wishing you a good start into August!

We had thunderstorms and rain on the weekend, but instead of cooling down, it is super humid right now. As mentioned earlier, I planted a marshmallow plant this year and it developed nicely and started to bloom recently. All parts (leaves, blossoms and root) are suitable for tea. 

Are you having wishes for August? I just want to be able to make little nature walks and feeling better overall. I'm still waiting for my black&white film and with every day curiosity rises how it will turn out!

The tea set in the picture is handmade by my dear Daria. I love it so much!

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