Goodbye 2009 Hello 2010!

Just seeing out 2009 and seeing in 2010 with a lovely new Hermes scarf - Brides Rebelles.  I just love the colour on this scarf it really pops!

Pleated Frills with Half Ascot and plain single knot (thank you to my tpf friend you know who you are!) This style really shows off the contrast border and hem to great effect.

Half Bow Knot with Fur Collar

A Berlin Knot - well that's what I like to call it!!

With a scarf ring

A Friendship Knot

Here's to a happy new year CHEERS!!

Happy Christmas!!

Here are some of the lovely handmade lace decorations I bought in Berlin.  They are very pretty and look like snowflakes on the tree!

The candle in the big photo is 2 candles and one has a split in it to allow it slide up the other one to make a 3D effect.

Last year in Frankfurt I bought some beautiful hand carved sheep from a Tirolean wood carver from Austria - I love the design of the sheep and it was hard to pick which ones to buy!  This particular maker really makes lovely things.

Reflecting the travelling I do let's go over the Pond to the USA!!  One of the other things I collect are the White House Christmas Ornaments.  I started collecting in 2004.  It is now an annual puzzle as to how to get them over to the UK because the postage from the White House website is more than the cost of the ornaments!! I am usually lucky to find a friend with relatives who can accept delivery and then post on to me or send with the next visitors!!  Here is the first ornament I bought:-

Happy Christmas!!

Berlin - and a little something from Hermes!!

I just visited one of my favourite cities, Berlin in Germany. I went to see and enjoy the Christmas Markets and I was not disappointed - they had lots of lovely things to buy and lots of lovely Christmas trees and lights brightened up the city:-

Gendarmenmarkt

Unter den Linden

The Opern Palais Cafe Christmas Tree

and we enjoyed wonderful cakes at this cafe -highly recommended - here is my Marc de Champagne Kuchen - yummy!!

A market stall "am Rotten Rathaus"

The gluhwein on sale around the markets was delicious and I found a jelly jam of the same flavour - that is certainly very delicious at breakfast!!

I went to see The Nutcracker performed by my favourite ballet company, Staatsballett Berlin and it was wonderful, especially the dance of The Snowflakes with their Snow Queen it was magical.

The trip ended in a winter wonderland as it snowed!! I visited the gardens at Charlottenburg Palace and revelled in walking through the snow - it was beautiful - the only thing missing was a horse drawn sleigh ride!

 
View of the Palace from the far end of the gardens over the frozen lake!
 
 
 
 
   Finally no trip would be complete without a visit to Hermes - and I was lucky enough to find a new SS10 Twilly in just the colour and design I wanted - Tohu Bohu in blue.  And as a special gift from Hermes I was given a Kelly Bag shaped biscuit cutter as I left the store - you can just see it in my photo so I will have to get baking with the recipe provided by Hermes!!

Fur Fun!!

All the ladies on tpf are having a ball with their fur collars.  Here's my favourite look with my Hermes Dancing Pearls Plisse threaded through the collar and pulled through a scarf ring to give the flower knot effect.