Before that: Working (hard) on the camping bus. The challenge: installing a Chinese diesel night heater. Something you can do in 6 hours (according to YouTube ). Our heater, though, must be a little more complicated. Lol.

Ambitious goals for yesterday: finishing up!

And we made it: Diesel heater installed, connected and on the way to the gas station figured out how to prime it and pump diesel. 15min later: on the road for a „ Camper van dinner“ in the Black Forest.

Of course I had a risk mitigation strategy prepared: sleeping bags (tested & verified by Charlie). And 2 fire extinguisher. Lol (you may remember the self-installed battery almost on fire not so long ago…).

Great weather but still freezing temperatures in the night.

And a dinner for 3: a four-course-camper-van-dinner in a vineyard. Covid friendly. The only request: come in something drivable including a table and be on time. Here we go! We made it!

That’s kind of my COVID lockdown.

Thanks for coming up with amazing creative ideas!!! It’s awesome! Great food. Great wine. Great night. Great company.

And the diesel heater worked (sleeping bags still wrapped & fire extinguisher not needed)! We had constant 22C degrees in our private restaurant (outdoor 2C degrees). Well done, hubby! Ready for the next (winter) trip.

Juhu. Hairdresser open. Flower shops open. Book stores (will be) open. Curfew gone (for now). Camping in automobile allowed again. Meeting up to 5 persons from max 2 households. Everything else remains as it is… locked down and extended.

I love the sound of those words: yes, we are open, come in! It’s a start… waiting for more to open up again!

The event of the week: my holly hairdresser appointment (my afternoon in the (work) calendar has been blocked since 2 weeks). Coffee to go, mask, little treat. Check, check, check. 60-minute waiting time but hey, who cares after almost 3 months waiting!

Still spring (kind of low temperatures). Still sunshine. Still blue sky. Why not getting a swing of home office lunch breaks… (sometimes the only simple way to survive rather rough work days) after sausage BBQ (it’s great. Hubby gets a new grill and that gets me lunches & dinners. Win-win!).

Meanwhile in Great Britain: everyone booking summer holidays due to end-of-lockdown-plans. Jealous!!!

Prognosis of vaccine. Not much hope for early vaccination (yet). I like how positively it’s been written, though.

Do we not all have a bit „Tripophobia“?

Challenge accepted: Pimp up my home office. Change is good. After so many months working from home… I needed a different environment. New inspiration. A bit of color. A bit of moving furniture around. Fresh flowers. Feeling “like a boss” in my single office. Hubby is in the neighbor office.

And for the rest of the week working on a plan how and where to escape for the weekend…

Spring arrived and it feels soooo good! The sun is out. Temperatures are up. People are out. Dogs are barking. Seeing (or hearing) neighbors again. Everything and everyone is waking up again! Life feels alive again. I love it.

BBQs are on and it smells wonderful & familiar. So good that hubby purchased a(nother) gas grill. Now working on the outdoor kitchen.

新年快乐! Xīnnián niu kuàilè! Happy (belated) Chinese „niu“ Year!

The year of the ox has begun. The ox is considered powerful and calm – exactly what we need this year to survive the pandemic & other challenges.

The rat had the lead in 2020… it’s known as beast and a carrier of diseases (oh great, I was born in the year of the rat…just saying). Well, that couldn’t be more true for the past year. Bye bye rat, hello ox!

In the beginning of the year of the ox, Chinese hairdressers are not making good business: the Chinese superstition makes them believe that every cut of hair makes them loose their luck (they just got at the beginning of the new year) immediately.

Meanwhile in Germany: queuing for hair cuts & appointments:

7 more times waking up… and it‘s my turn!!! Yes! Cannot wait! It’s the little things making happy these days.

Covid numbers are kind of low. Getting excited about next weeks decision on what will be allowed next. Or is the 3rd wave on its way (hope not)?

Don’t we all prefer a PANDAmic?

My dad: Retired. Creative. Cool. Daddy cool. Loves winter, snow & skiing as long as I can think. Keeps healthy & fit. Sometimes a little bored and that’s when he gets the best ideas. Like a week ago while it was snowing: building equipment in his garage, fix it on his tractor to pull cross-country skiing trails. Start/end: house door. Round way. 10km (+ extra loops if your fitness allows). He goes skiing with his buddy every other day (both 70!). He’s fit and calls it a „relaxing loop“ when I am joining in. Lol.

It’s amazing! So much snow (I don’t remember ever so much snow in my home town). The city turned into a beautiful winter wonderland. Blue sky & sunshine included. Amazing!

Starting cross-country skiing directly from the house… that is something new. And cool.

So cool, that the local newspaper reported about it!

The best idea I had this winter so far: pack up and travel towards the winter wonderland (hello mobile working!). I spent a couple of days there. Lucky me. Perfect days. Getting up early. Breakfast served (spoiling alert daddy). Blue sky. The sun is smiling. Me too. On the slopes. Cross-country skiing. Meeting family. Aunt joining in skiing. Covid is far away at least for some hours. Nature. Fantastic conditions. Feeling alive! Back home. Tired. Hungry. Hot shower. Jogging pants. Delicious dinner. Evening on the sofa. Falling asleep. Dreaming. And repeat. 3x. Fantastic!

I had a wonderful holiday… ehm, I mean a wonderful weekend (which felt like a winter holiday).

So much fun! Even (kind of) enjoyed falling while making a selfie. Daddy, Daddy cool!

People ask how cold is it? Nose hair freezing and teeth hurting while breathing – that kind of cold (nights -18C degrees).

Now back home. Lungs filled with wonderful fresh air. Minds filled with awesome memories and picturesque scenes. Body a little tired & aching (but that’s ok).

The forecast for the next days: plus degrees… skis packed away for now (summer sleep). Hello, spring! Getting the motorbikes ready…

COVID-19 & all started about a year ago… and so did the travel restrictions. And the wanderlust is still here. Our minds are busy thinking of traveling. And that lust increases with the hour. Are you also ready for a real vacation?

Hubbies trick: wearing cool T-Shirts (and I can see them).

What else helps? Memories!

Cooking Thai style chicken wings and remembering our Thai cooking class and how we enjoyed eating them sitting on a floor in a house in Bangkok.

7am & home office: smelling fresh ground Italian coffee… and thinking of our coffee Plantage tour in Bali. And Costa Rica.

Blue sky = memories of riding motorcycles in the beautiful West of the USA. Oh, how much we miss living in the US, Charlies home country.

Snow = memories of skiing in Colorado. Hubbies first experience snowboarding. The powder snow a dream for every skier. A Christmas microwaved dinner in the hotel room included.

Happy Chinese New Year! Remembering all those trips in Asia (escaping crazy China at that crazy time of year). Oh, how much I would love to be in Cambodia again. Or on a business trip to China: meet colleagues & friends & customers. Eating favorite Chinese dishes accompanied by friends & colleagues. A foot massage. A pedicure. A back massage. Fabric market. Oh gosh, I would need 3 suitcases. At least (that’s without hubbies shopping list).

Thinking of the most delicious fresh sashimi in Japan. Plus soy sauce, wasabi and a cold beer. Sitting at the sushi bar watching the chefs preparing our dinner – fantastic memories. Well, instead we have it at home for lunch (imagine we are in Tokyo).

Dreaming of going back to the vineyards around Verona. Wine tasting while eating the most delicious Italian dishes. Blue sky. Smelling summer. Leaving with stomachs filled with best food & wine. Heavy red wine.

On the wish list, too. Maybe even kind of realistic: going back to the south of France. Maybe by motorbikes. Sunshine and plus 12C degrees in the forecast. I’d take it. A bit of baguette, cheese and wine. Ohhhhhhh. Heaven. How wonderful would that be. Well, a lavender bath will do instead. But hopes are up.

We had Sahara dust on Saturday. It’s like a sign: if we cannot travel, the Sahara comes to us. lol.

Pulled pork (US style). Lots of memories of BBQ tours through the south of the US and practicing ourselves in the garden. Just like last weekend.

We may not be able to travel, but… I discovered amazing French cheeses at our local market & lucky us we got plenty of bottles of delicious Italian red wine (from Verona).

And soon (fingers crossed) we will enjoy a beer in a pub again.

I miss planning trips. I love the preparation the most: reading about it, getting ready for leaving. Pure bliss. Meeting wonderful people along the way. Discovering stunning nature. Feeling relieved on a motorbike in the middle of nowhere with just a bag and that feeling when you notice: that’s really all you need. That’s the feeling of freedom. Escaping daily life & routines. Oh, I miss it. We miss it. Cannot wait to go…

But for now…

Hello from lockdown no2 week #8. A pessimistic hope that it was the second last lockdown due to corona… Wednesday is decision day again: time to think what to do when lockdown & COVID-19 are over… even it’s unrealistic dreams are allowed!

Through a party in our garden.

Cross the border and drive to France. And Italy.

Eat every day in a restaurant for a month.

Hug family & friends.

Visit granddad. Hugging included.

Meet as many people as I like. All at the same time.

Stay out after 8pm!

Continue Yoga in the Castle.

Cinema!

Theater!

Pedicure & manicure. And facial.

Massage!

Hairdresser.

Stay in a hotel.

Business trip to China.

Sauna!

Work 2 days / week in the office again.

Visit Berlin. And Hamburg. And Sylt.

Celebrating carnival again.

Christmas market.

Celebrating life & being alive!

Oh, that would be wonderful…

Until then… keep it up! The “Lonely Planet” never earned its title more than these days.

Camping in lockdown:

End of curfew & meeting 1 household & open hair dressers – thats all I need from Febr 15 ☺️

And so the lockdown continues. Time kind of doesn’t exist anymore, only moments. Well, let’s create moments!

Mondays turned into veggie soup days: reducing lunch time cooking stress while (2nd) eating healthy.

Almost done with winter early dark days.

4 weeks to go… (maybe a bit more). Well, batteries are charged. We are ready!

Virtual coffee with the President of the devision I work for. Nice change to the daily work & home office routine. I even dressed properly (a blouse & earrings) with a bit of eye make up (video call was on).

Hubby made his first „after Brexit“ experiences and had to show up at the customs office in Stuttgart to receive a (Christmas) parcel from N.Ireland. Apparently the customs declaration form wasn’t filled in properly.

Shops remaining closed… so where else to get Italian coffee beans (to survive those long home office days)?

Lockdown or not. Creativity has no boundaries. Best proof is hubby: yeast (ingredient for future craft beer) produced from a (dead) bee & (dead) wasp (both found dead in the garden. If they knew what useful after life was awaiting them…).

Sunshine… In the home office. Nice change to white skies filled with snow.

Strong wind delivering blue sky. A wonderful reason for a work break:

If I wouldn’t know better this blue amazing sky reminds me about South Carolina or California. From snow to 2-digit plus degrees. Windy hair.

Some are wearing a hat…

… others are a little bolder… and checking (not existing) talents…

Either case, it’s about time for a visit at a hair dresser! Very much looking forward to it!

I will look upon this winter as so many things. How we were all at home, all the time. How many soups we made, how many legs of lamb. How we would turn on the news, and turn off the news. How many candles we enjoyed. How many roses & tulips making the difference to the long days of home office. How we knew simple and daily routines: making cappuccino, slicing vegetables, brewing beer, stocking up on wine, taking Charlie for walks, being thrilled by weekly grocery shopping (the event of the week. Lol) and making sure to be home by 8pm!

And how much snow we got. All over the country. Maybe a reward? Today I escaped for a day trip: cross-country skiing back home. Loved it. Now thinking of moving my home office for a few days. Yes, that’s a brilliant idea! (Let’s see how the muscle ache will be in the next days…)

Good chances to become the word of the year:

„Today, I dared to let myself dream,

That the world will one day open again.

That the locks will loosen, the walls will fall,

The doors will fly open and reunite us all.

I dared to imagine the warmth of a cuddle,

A group of my friends all locked in a huddle.

I felt all the heartbeats, drumming with mine,

I heard all the laughter, I tasted the wine.

I thought of the feelings I’ve missed for long,

The room full of music, united by song.

The freedom to roam, to plan and to meet

To hold someone’s hand, to meet, to greet.

Just for a moment I dared to dream of,

The flights I would board to the places I love.

The moment those eyes would meet mine at the gate,

The feeling of joy after so long a wait.

Today, I dared to let myself dream,

That the life we once had would happen again.

That we’d no longer fear the danger of air,

That our lives would not depend on such care.

They say that we mustn’t wish time away,

But it’s hard, my friend, when faced with a day,

So long in blank hours and so wiped of laughter,

It’s tempting to drift away to thereafter.

So yes, I dared to dream just a while,

Of life coming back, it brought me a smile.

One day I know, this will be in the past,

And hugs will be free, again, at last.“

-Donna Ashworth-

Image by the wonderful Charlie Mackesy,

Author of ‘The boy, the mole, the fox and the horse’

News of the week: lockdown extended, new end: mid of February. Well, we can’t change the situation so we might just want to make the best out of it.

How about a bit of variety in your lockdown life:

An exciting week is ending: my headset broke (thanks Amazon for next day delivery). I finished a great book (thanks, lockdown nights). Socializing is back on focus and very much needed: neighbor chats, virtual work coffee dates, guests. It feels so good!

Celebrating USA‘s new President (with a bottle of wine on the sofa) while being wowed by Amanda’s poem: „We are striving to forge a union with purpose. To compose a country committed to all cultures, colors, characters and conditions of man.“ …my favorite lines. Representation is what matters!

„Bad ass chef“! That’s hubbies nickname of the week: Beef Brisket & chicken aioli. Nickname definitely deserved (looking forward to next week)!

Weather was also exciting: from snow to spring & return.

Did I mention that the BBQ season 2021 is open?

Posting food in versus chats. Bad ass chefs can do that! And if you cannot invite people why not share what there would have been for dinner. The competition is on. Lol.

Whatever you are doing, at any hour, for any reason, two tiny words, two small ways to bring joy closer: “by candlelight”.

You can drink (because you don’t drive). And you can drink all day. House bar & benefit of lockdown. Cheers!

Who else has upped their gaming this COVID time? For me it’s rummy. I loved this game when I was a kid and thanks to friends we are back on rummy. Always with wine.

Cheese board for ending wonderful dinners & days last week!