Facts of life

Last week, this post by Lois reminded me of how much I love reading posts where bloggers share a little something about themselves. So, here’s one of my own!

1. For a long time, I thought I didn’t like vanilla, because of one vanilla-flavored dessert I knew. Years later I found out I actually love it.
2. My hair has had all sorts of colors. Blonde, brown, black, red, purple and pink.
3. I’ve had my drivers license for almost nine years, but I’ve never owned a car.
4. I have three brothers, two older, one younger.
5. I’m a very slow adapter of new technology. I thought twitter was a stupid thing until I tried and loved it. I still don’t have a smartphone (though that is a deliberate decision to save my sanity) and just recently signed up for Facebook and Pinterest.
6. My favorite animals have been squirrel, orca and turtle.
7. When I was a teenager, I listened to bands like System of a Down, Deftones and Korn.
8. I’ve always wanted to write a book. Over the years I have written down dozens of ideas on scraps of paper and later in word documents on my computer.
9. I believe in gnomes.
10. I’ve put away the Christmas tree this past Sunday.

That’s it! If you do or have done a similar post, please let me know, I’d love to read it.

xo, Inge

Run away (to the stars)

all photo’s courtesy of their respective owners (see below)

I really thought I’d already had my quarter-life crisis, but I suppose I’ll life to see 108. Maybe it’s just this darn winter that lasts too long, but I haven’t been feeling my best this past week.

Worrying about the future…
…and thinking about the past.

All the while not exactly content with the present.

Whenever that happens, I get this urge to get away from it all, run away to the mountains or, if I could, to the stars. To sit safely in the arms of the moon, seeing it all from a distance.

1. Labyrinth via Angeliska Polacheck on pinterest ~ 2. I’m very much looking forward to visiting this place in May: Deep Cove, as photographed by Room6. ~ 3. Wide open space: Imagine ~ 4. Yes please: Let’s move to the mountains. ~ 5. So in love with this illustration: I dreamt I rose above it to become a constellation… Check out her other work too, it’s amazing. ~ 6. This seems perfect to me now: Cape Lookout, OR by D’art Photographie.

Also, this. Happy weekend.

xo, Inge

High tea

all photo’s by Joop

You can tell Joop made these photo’s, because the only actual cup in this photo is filled with coffee. I on the other hand drank cup after cup of tea. It was the best part of this restaurant high tea, not counting my table companions, since all those cakes and things were just too sweet. I suppose that’s what happens when you always bake your own treats with significantly less sugar. There’s so much more to taste that way, like actual almonds and chocolate instead of just a slightly flavored sugar bomb.

I still had a nice afternoon though, and now I’m inspired to host my own high tea soon.

(I appropriately wore my “Alice’s Allegory” spoon necklace!)

xo, Inge

On magic

Sigur Rós, Rock Werchter, 2008

Yesterday, as I was driving to meditation class, I put on a Sigur Rós’ album in a futile attempt to quiet my mind. It took me back to the time I saw them perform at a festival.

I remember it being one of the most magical shows I’ve ever seen. The songs themselves are quite magical already, but to hear them there, amidst so many people, in a field in Belgium, with the sun going down while the music lifted us up; it was magic. There were balls of light behind the musicians, who were all dressed in the most beautiful garments, with feathers and capes. There was mist around their feet and silver stripes on their faces.

Then I thought, for a brief moment, “that’s not magic, that’s just decor, outfits and smoke”.

There was a time when I felt that way about magic. I’ve always longed for it in this world, and still do. I love unknown and unexplained things. I love the thought of fairies being real, and the thought of real magic, whatever that may be. Whenever there was a new discovery, something mysterious, I was always disappointed to hear the scientific explanation. For some reason, if there was an earthly explanation, I no longer considered it magical.

Maybe I had hopes of living in a world where there was always mist around ones feet, where there were always balls of light and music in the air.

But the thing is, I already do.

In New Zealand, I saw beautiful pools of everlasting mist and was in awe of the light and beauty of fireflies in an underground cave. Right here at home, the air fills with the music of birds. Just because we know what it is and how it works, doesn’t make it any less magical. The fact that we do and can even recreate it in a moment like that Sigur Rós performance, that is magic, indeed.

xo, Inge

Snow after all

all photo’s by Joop (except the one of Joop)

Yesterday afternoon it started snowing ever so softly. Slowly but steadily, a white layer started to appear on the ground. I crawled into the couch with one of those headaches that stop you in whatever you’re doing and demand your full attention. I closed my eyes.

When I opened them some time later (maybe it was an hour, maybe it was two) the trees I could see through the window were covered in snow and the flakes had gotten bigger. I lay there watching them until I felt better. Then I moved about two feet to sit in my favorite chair in front of the fireplace and the window, and marveled at the thick layer of snow that had gathered while I’d been lost in dreamland.

The birds went about their business, one after the other eating from their food. The Robin, king of our garden, was quite content with the cup of duck fat we’d set down for him, guarding it fiercely.

After a while, I put on an extra pair of socks, an extra sweater, put my yoga pants over my jeans and found the warmest hat I have to keep my ears warm. We ventured out.

It was marvelous.

xo, Inge