Hello! This week has been smooth sailing so far. Nothing major happened, thankfully. It is cold in Germany – minus 14 degrees Celsius but I love it. We have been outside in the snow this afternoon playing. We took the sled too and it is…
Hello! Do you know the movie In her Shoes? It is a nice little story but more importantly one of my favorite poems has been mentioned. I Carry Your Heart with Me by E.E. Cummings. E.E. (Edward Estlin) Cummings was born in 1894 in Massachusetts. He…
Hello and Happy Hump-day!
I love How-to-Wednesdays and to share my favorite food with all of you. It like to try new recipes, especially when they are healthy. Even better, I know all the ingredients in it and they taste good! And everybody loves chocolate. I was addicted to Kinderriegel when I was pregnant with my son. I could literally eat an entire box of them in one day. Sick! I searched for better, healthier choices to satisfy my chocolate craving and I found this amazing praline recipe that I would like to share with you today. Enjoy!
20 minPrep Time
20 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
Instructions
Notes
I used real vanilla because the flavor is so much better.
Hello! How do you feel these days? These past couple of days have been a whirlwind of emotions for me. I am indeed an emotional disaster as my husband would say. But most importantly I am okay. I have been better, more in shape let’s…
“Fremd bin ich eingezogen, fremd zieh ich wieder aus.” (I came a stranger – I depart a stranger) Hello! My husband and I were fortunate to get tickets to the première of Schubert’s Winterreise at the Landestheater in Coburg last Saturday. I like classical music but…
“Heute wird die Stille immer seltener. Manchmal denke ich, auch die Stille ist von der Ausrottung bedroht. Das Echo wird uns Menschen jedoch überleben. Auch wenn unsere Stimmen nicht mehr da sind, werden Steine sich lösen und mit einem Dröhnen fallen, das sich durch das Echo fortpflanzt. Wer wird dann noch da sein, um es zu hören?”
Hello!
I love Henning Mankell and read all his books. My favorite crime novels are The fifth Woman and The troubled Man. When I saw Mankell’s last book Treibsand I knew I had to read it. Henning Mankell was born 1948 in Stockholm and was a famous author and a regisseur at theaters. He was very famous for his crime novels Wallander. Mankell passed away on 5th October 2015 – with his death, the literary world lost another legend.
Henning Mankell had been diagnosed with cancer and instantly remembers an old nightmare – to be stuck in quicksand that will lead to his death in the end. The book is very special from the beginning because this is his last book and an autobiography. The author writes about his angst, struggles with cancer and everything else that lays heavy on his chest and soul. The quicksand, or the cancer diagnosis, is constantly on his mind but he tries to not let this get to him constantly. What does it mean to be a human being? Mankell tries to find answers to such questions while he deals with chemotherapy and side effect. While reading Treibsand you will read about different times and places in Mankell’s life and how they shaped his life. I found it fascinating how the author looks at himself and his life and reflects on so many things that were important to him. It makes me realize how quickly everything can change. How small this life is, how temporary, volatile or fragile.
The book is very well written; with short sentences and three main chapters. The entire book is divided into 67 shorter chapters full of knowledge about cave paintings, war, paintings, famous architecture he visited, literature, music and so much more. It is easy to follow Mankell and for me the last sentences of every chapter were very thought-provoking and at points sad which made me read on and could not put this book down. I enjoyed that the main focus of the book was indeed his disease and the chemotherapy; however, it is not constantly mentioned. He focuses on questions like: Where are we coming from? Where are we going with all this? What is the meaning of life? Mankell questions himself and the reader to think about how one wants to spend the rest of the life on this planet. How can you make the most out of life for yourself. The main tone of the book is more matter-of-fact than sad.
Treibsand made me think a lot about my life. How the author just wrote this autobiography parallel to his life with his disease was just fantastic. He tells how he made his life worth living after the diagnosis. How he kept hoping and enjoyed life until the end. The cover of the book is well chosen. All I see is an endless sky and seagulls that fly peaceful little rounds. I picture a quiet beach where the author probably sat and let this thoughts fly like the birds.
In the end, what remains is, the reader. A silent relative, alone but with many thoughts on this beautiful life we are able to appreciate while we can.
Oder your copy here. And in English here. Enjoy!
Have you read anything by Mankell? Do you like his books? I would love to hear from you.
Thank you for reading my blog.
Hello! “Kein Genuss ist vorübergehend, denn der Eindruck den er zurücklässt, ist bleibend.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Do you like good oil? Like really good oil? I posted an article on one of my favorite oils ever – linseed oil. These days you can…
Hello! This week was busy and full of events. Running around, getting things done, meeting people, mediation, Reiki, long conversations, writing, interview, reading and blog maintenance. Now I am sitting in my parent’s kitchen, next to my husband who is also working on his computer…
Hello!
I just wanted to share a quick update on my little “no-alcohol-for-a-week-challenge”. If you are not aware of what “Thirst”-Day is, read my previous article here. One week flew by like nothing but I do have to say that it was not that easy to completely stop drinking alcohol. The first day was a piece of cake but on the second day I did think about drinking again quite a lot. At night I wanted a glass of wine badly when I wrote. I went to bed early. I woke up the next day and felt awesome. Well rested with a sharp mind. My face looked different, too. Not bloated and no dark circles. As I previously said, I did not drink a bottle of vodka at night but 2-3 glasses of wine and I stayed up until 1am-2am. Not every day, but every other day for sure.
It is just amazing how my body got used to alcohol, or used to the feeling of relaxation when I drank. I replaced my glass of wine with a cup of tea and it is okay.
What did I learn after this challenge?
I most certainly don’ t have to drink to relax or wind- down after a long stressful day. A cup of tea did the trick for me at night and it was a-okay. Some of my “friends” told me that they think it is weird to not drink alcohol and encouraged me constantly to just have one drink. It definitely felt strange to not drink when I was at the restaurant/bar. I heard sentences like “but how can you have fun if you don’t have alcohol”. Well, I did have fun, especially observed how people change while they drink. 😉 I already mentioned during the week that my sleep improved immensely. It feels so awesome to wake up rested and without hangover. I did get hangovers sometimes even after 2-3 glasses of wine. Or Campari/Soda 😉 Or both! It feels like a normal sleeping rhythm comes back. I am starting to yawn by 11pm these days. My body just naturally wants to rest at some point. When I wake up, I feel energized and refreshed!
My husband says I am less sad and I think so as well. I am not depressed at all but I did get sad about certain things. Since I think more clearly, I rather try to find the positive in everything than being a negative Nancy. It does feel good I have to say! There are so many new writing projects that popped into my mind and I have this feeling that I get more done because I can think more clearly. I like that. I did lose 2.5 kg this week which is a nice side-effect as well. Yay, to melting winter pounds! I love how my skin feels. Whenever I drank my skin felt like a sponge the next day. Just weird, dehydrated and irritated with redness or sometimes pimples. I read once that usually when something is wrong inside your body it shows on your skin first. To give my liver a nice break is a good thing for sure, too! Whenever I meditate now, my thoughts are clearer and less all over the place. I find it easier to unwind and relax now and I don’t get stressed out that easily.
What will happen next?
I never thought I would say that, but I stick with the not-drinking alcohol for a bit longer. I don’t say I never ever drink again but I see how much better I feel these days. It is fantastic, you guys. I also won’t say my beloved red wine goodbye and I will most certainly enjoy a glass again at some point but I detox a bit more. It is all good.
What do you think about the challenge? Have you tried stop drinking alcohol for a while? Would you try it? I would love to hear from you.
Thank you for reading my blog.
Hello! These days I really pay close attention to how I feel and listen to my body; listen to changes. I think it is important to take a step back once in a while and reflect on my life and on my overall well-being. I…
