Saturday 31 December 2011

31. December - Silvester


"Das Jahr neigt sich zu Ende...."



I like to allow the year to nicely fade away
with a few blues notes....

 

***

Thanks to each and every one of you
for an interesting and lovely blogging-year.

May  2012  be a wonderful and prosperous year
filled with good health and happiness for all.



Bonne Année!

Frohes Neues Jahr!
 

Sunday 25 December 2011

My Music on Christmas Day....


Apart from J.S. Bach's Christmas Oratorio,


 my favorite Christmas Day music...


 ...is Mozart's Coronation Mass


via


  Agnus Dei
with Herbert von Karajan,
the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra,
the Wiener Singverein
and Kathleen Battle
1985 in St. Peter's Basilica, Rome




All my best wishes for a lovely Christmas Day,

 via

May your day be crowned with joy and happiness!


Remark:
3. Image - Tongue in Cheek
4. Image - Alhambra Antiques

Saturday 24 December 2011

Heiligabend - and Christmas Greetings



FRÖHLICHE  WEIHNACHTEN !


Baroque Creche from 1704
in Gutenzell, Oberschwaben, South Germany


***



HAPPY  CHANUKAH
*
HIVÄÄ  JOULUA  to Finland
*
KALA  CHISTOUGENNA  to Greece
*
NOLLAIG  SHONA  to Ireland
*
BOLDOG  KARACSONYT  to Hungary
*
BUON NATALE  to Italy
*
GOD JUL  to Skandinavia
*
WESOLYCH SWIAT BOZEGO NARODZENIA to Poland
*
FELIZ  NATAL  to Portugal
*
S ROZHDESTVOM KHRISTOVYM  to Russia
*
FELIZ  NAVIDAD  to Spain and South America
*
Shèng dàn kuài lè  to China
*
JOYEUX  NOËL

and to the whole world...
MERRY  CHRISTMAS  TO  ALL  OF  YOU !


Karin


Friday 23 December 2011

And tomorrow is Christmas!




Still, still, still,
weil's Kindlein schlafen will.


Die Englein tun schön jubilieren,
Bei dem Kripplein musizieren,

 

 The Concert of Angels - 1534-36
 Gaudenzio Ferrari
Northern Italian painter and sculptor of the Renaissance (c.1471 - 1546)

Fresco in Santa Maria dei Miracoli, Saronno, Italy




Still, still, still,
Weil's Kindlein schlafen will.

*
Schlaf, schlaf, schlaf!
Mein liebes Kindlein schlaf!
Maria tut dich niedersingen
und ihr treues Herz darbringen....


Schlaf, schlaf, schlaf!
Mein liebes Kindlein schlaf!

Sleep - sleep - sleep! Only one more night...



...denn einmal werden wir noch wach, Heissa, dann ist Weihnacht da!



1. Image: Bode-Museum Berlin
last 2 Images: Cote Sud 1997

Wednesday 21 December 2011

Dino and Frankie Boy....



I love 'Evergreens'
'cause...

"Memories are made of this...."

 
And I love these 'Boy's,  they were pretty good!

****





***
* * * *
***



Best wishes for a jolly good week!

Let it snow.....let it snow....let it snow...
...for a white Christmas!

Sunday 18 December 2011

Advent Reflection


 Besinnliche Minuten 
zum 4. Adventssonntag


Take time, slow down, be still
in the very midst of the busy preparations for Christmas,
and enjoy



Frederic Chopin

*

Thank you all so much for your lovely comments
and your best wishes regarding Oskar!



I shall light the candles for you
and wish you a wonderful 4th Advent Sunday!


****

Piano Concerto no. 1 in E minor
Opus 11, Movement 2-Romance (Larghetto)
Alexis Weissenberg (piano)
Conducted by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski

Tuesday 13 December 2011

Dear All.....

As you may have noticed since I'm back from Germany I've slowed down on posting.
For several reasons due to pressure of things from what I've had to look after here at La Pouyette.
So, I've been spending very little time on my desk
and just skimming quickly through the blog world from time to time.
Which means that I'm now far behind with writing comments
to all of your interesting posts with beautiful Christmas themes, decorations and images.
Sorry about that.




And then.....


...last week our Oskar had a serious accident which has involved major surgery
and hospitalisation in Bordeaux. We brought him home 4 days ago
 and we have to give him full attention throughout the day for at least the next 6 to 8 weeks.
The poor chap is not allowed out to roam around the garden and fields,
he feels very deprived and, apart from his pains, is not amused at all being a "prisoner",
neither are we! 



I will try to be back before Christmas.
Meanwhile, warmest wishes to all of you,
Karin

Tuesday 6 December 2011

Some Enchanted Evening.....


The inaugural party....


...in Tina's beautiful new home on December 23rd.


The Enchanted Home


*

My outfit:
...casual elegance...


GIORGIO  ARMANI  -  if I could!



The forecast is for snow - I've been told....
so, I need my large cashmere scarf,


and to stand around for hours....comfortable (!!!)  Italian shoes.
 To complete my outfit...
a mother of pearl bracelet,

 this clutch bag and...
vintage ear clips, designed by Jil Sander in the 1980's

***
  
Knowing that Tina loves "Blue and White"...

...my  'opening present' would be 
this pair of small Japanese dishes from the 1920's

***
A toast to your home, Tina!

CHEERS!


"Jeder sieht ein Stueckchen Welt, gemeinsam sehen wir die ganze"

Each of us sees a part of the world;
together we see all of it.

Let's party!

*
A special thanks to Marsha from   www.splenderosa.blogspot.com
who initiated and organized this event with great effort!

Looking forward to see you all!

Monday 5 December 2011

St. Nicholas Day - Nikolaustag



Creation by Kathy Avakian - PillowBeach


Each year on December 6, German children celebrate 'Nikolaustag'.

Saint Nicholas "Lipensky", 1294 Russian icon


The true story begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara.
At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey.
His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian,
died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young.
Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor",
Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering.
He dedicated his life to serving God and was made
Bishop of Myra while still a young man.  Bishop Nicholas became known
throughout the land for his generosity to the those in need, his love for children,
and his concern for sailors and ships.
He died December 6, AD 343 in Myra and was buried in his cathedral church.


Painting by Utrahec  (wikipedia)


Stories about St. Nicholas were first told while he was living,
as sailors already claimed him as their patron saint.  Sailing to different ports and along rivers,
they carried Nicholas stories throughout Europe.  As stories were told and retold,
imaginative and sometimes miraculous details were added -
details which vary in different accounts of the same episode.
Only a unique and special person inspires such a rich legacy.
These accounts help us understand his extraordinary character
and why he is so beloved and revered as protector and helper of those in need.

*
One story tells of a poor man with three daughters:
In those days a young woman's father had to offer prospective husbands something of value - a dowry.
The larger the dowry, the better the chance that a young woman would find a good husband.
Without a dowry, a woman was unlikely to marry.  This poor man's daughters
were therefore destined to be sold into slavery.  Mysteriously, on three different occasions,
 a bag of gold appeared in their home-providing the needed dowries.
  The bags of gold, tossed through an open window, 
are said to have landed in stockings or shoes left before the fire to dry.....

 The dowry for the three virgins
Gentile da Fabriano, c. 1425, Pinacoteca Vaticana, Rome


....This led to the custom of children hanging stockings or putting out shoes,
eagerly awaiting gifts from Saint Nicholas.
Sometimes the story is told with gold balls instead of bags of gold. That is why three gold balls,
 sometimes represented as oranges, are one of the symbols for St. Nicholas.
And so St. Nicholas - unser guter lieber Nikolaus - is a gift-giver.

St. Nicholas, created by the highly talented  Daryl McMahon
to see more please visit his blog:     here 

Creation by  Daryl McMahon


In Germany, children put a boot called Nikolaus-Stiefel (Nikolaus boot),
or a stocking, outside the front door on the night of 5 December.
St. Nicholas fills the boot with gifts and sweets overnight, and at the same time
 checks up on the children to see if they were good, polite and helpful the last year.
If they were not, they will have a tree branch (Rute) in their boots instead,
though shoes or stockings will suffice for those without boots.

*

Beautiful creations of Christmas stockings....
each one unique and original....

....made of old German grain sacks and French textiles
by  Kathy Avakian - PillowBeach
available at Etsy:      here



So, all you "Girls" and "Boys".....
don't forget to get your shoes or stockings out this evening,
St. Nicholas is waiting for you!