Monday 28 July 2014

A road trip to Luxembourg City

Grund, Luxembourg City · Lisa Stefan


Hello again, how have you been? During my blog break we took a spontaneous road trip to Luxembourg with a short stop in London. As soon as we drove into London, I realised how much I had missed it. By the Marble Arch my heart was beating faster and at Hyde Park Corner I felt a sense of thrill (the area is part of my London comfort zone). The London stop was way too short for my taste but in the evening, as I was standing on a deck of a ferry, breathing in the refreshing sea air and admiring the White Cliffs of Dover, I was feeling more than content.


Why the London-intro to a post on Luxembourg? Compared to my London excitement, arriving in Luxembourg after eight months away took me by surprise. As probably most of my blog readers know, Luxembourg was our home for more than a year and the move to the UK last November was done in a bit of haste. I didn't really have the time to say goodbye to the city. Without dwelling much on such thoughts I sometimes wondered if perhaps I wasn't quite done with Luxembourg, but as I walked its streets again - I could have done so blindfolded and still found my way - I realised that I was indeed done. I loved seeing the city again but there was nothing I was holding on to; if my destiny with Luxembourg was once entwined it had been disentangled.


I hope my tone of voice doesn't come off as negative. My old city, Luxembourg, is a place worth visiting and I would especially recommend it to those who enjoy city life but aren't fond of big and noisy cities. Luxembourg is small and quiet (probably boring for those seeking wild nightlife) and in the city centre, you not only have narrow cobblestone streets but also a beautiful landscape. You can walk down into the Pétrusse Valley and at certain points, you almost have to remind yourself that you are in a city.


My son and I went for a walk in the valley and ended our walk in the old quarter, Grund, where I took these photos before sitting down at a café. (See more photos of Luxembourg.) To me, this part always looks more like a set of a fairy tale than an actual place where people live. From what I have heard it is very expensive and mostly inhabited by foreigners, which I find rather sad. The fact is that Luxembourg has one of the most expensive housing markets in Europe. Even some of the foreigners working there, and some citizens, choose to live on the German, French, or Belgian side of the borders where housing is cheaper. We actually thought about doing that; we thought about moving from Antwerp, where we lived before, to a place in the south of Belgium. I'm glad we didn't and instead got to experience living in Luxembourg.
Grund, Luxembourg City · Lisa Stefan


Monday 16 June 2014

Textiles: The Whole Story by Beverly Gordon


Textiles: The Whole Story by Beverly Gordon · Books & Latte
Peonies · Lisa Stefan


The latest addition to my book selection is Textiles: The Whole Story: Uses, Meanings, Significance by Beverly Gordon (see bio), which came out in a paperback edition last summer (originally published 2011). It's 304 pages long, divided into six chapters with plenty of illustrations. When I opened my copy for the first time I found these words on page 4: 'For everyone everywhere who has fallen under the textile spell.' Loved that.

This post isn't a review, as I just got the book and haven't read it, yet, but after browsing through it to view the images I realised that I had a gem in my hands. I cannot wait to dive into it and get lost in the world of textiles.
Peonies · Lisa Stefan


This vibrantly illustrated book … is an original look at the myriad roles played by textiles in all aspects of human life, from ancient weavings to light-sensitive and other 'futuristic' fabrics of our own era. Beverly Gordon discusses how textiles are an integral part of the human life journey from cradle to grave in a multitude of practical, symbolic and spiritual ways … This book will captivate and inspire anyone who has a passion for textiles and textile arts, whether educational, creative or professional. (Book description on Book Depository)
Textiles: The Whole Story by Beverly Gordon · Books & Latte
Textiles: The Whole Story by Beverly Gordon · Books & Latte
Peonies · Lisa Stefan
Textiles: The Whole Story by Beverly Gordon · Lisa Stefan


images by me | credit: book cover and pages from Textiles: The Whole Story, published by Thames and Hudson via Amazon UK

Thursday 17 April 2014

Cherry tree blossoms on a gorgeous spring day

Cherry tree blossoms lensed by my 8 year-old son · Books & Latte


Today I had another spring post in mind (this will be the last in my 'mini series') but the photo above changed my mind. My son, who is only 8 years old, is the photographer. Yesterday, after a day out in the countryside (the part of Derbyshire we saw was beautiful) he was feeling a bit car sick so our friends dropped us off by his school and we walked home to get some fresh air. He had spent the entire day using his binoculars to watch birds and was telling me that he wanted to own a video camera. Close to our house, there is this gorgeous pink cherry tree in full bloom and I had to stop to take a few photos. When he asked if he could photograph it I said sure. I adjusted the manual settings for him, told him how to keep the exposure 'correct' and handed him the camera. Because of a slight wind, there was some movement in the other photos he took (his composition was great) but this one was just perfect. It was a pure joy watching him with the Nikon in his hand.
Cherry tree blossoms · Lisa Stefan
Cherry tree in full bloom · Lisa Stefan
Cherry trees in spring · Lisa Stefan


Have a wonderful day!

Monday 31 March 2014

Coffee, letters and a delightful novel

Coffee & the cover of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows · Lisa Stefan


Do you ever experience moments when you are going to sleep and are already looking forward to waking up in the morning to enjoy good coffee? Anyone? For me it happens quite frequently but this weekend I was wondering if moments like that are more likely to occur when you are reading something really good. On Friday I entered a bookshop to buy stationery and this book that a dear friend in Iceland had told me about and praised. It's called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer. Lately, I haven't really been reading any novels, only coffee table books and magazines, and it felt so good to return to novels with such a delightful one that I was hardly able to put down. It takes place in 1946 and is mainly about life on the island Guernsey during the German Occupation, described in letters written after the war.

There is a lot of letter writing in the book and I'm glad I bought stationery and airmail envelopes as well on Friday because on Saturday I just wanted to write letters in between reading. I posted them this morning.

Post offices can be extremely charming. The one in my neighbourhood is small and it will never win any design awards but all the customers seem to know the names of the clerks and the clerks greet you with: "How are you, my love?" or "Is everything all right, my love?" Tacky post office for sure, but the most loving I have ever entered.
Coffee, letters and a delightful novel · Lisa Stefan


Tuesday 11 March 2014

West Midlands spring blossoms

West Midlands spring blossoms · Lisa Stefan


I am totally smitten with this spring season that, much to my delight, arrived early this year in the West Midlands. Sunday was spent on the patio / in the garden in 18 degrees (about 65°F) and sunshine. Yesterday, between studying for an exam, I grabbed my camera and went for a walk in the neighbourhood to capture some of the spring blossoms.
West Midlands spring blossoms · Lisa Stefan


There are gorgeous cherry and plum trees all around (I wish I knew the name of all the varieties) and now I'm waiting for the magnolias to start blooming, especially two specific trees that I pass by every day.

I was born and raised in Iceland and these kinds of blossoms hardly exist over there (spring arrives late - it's still snowing there). This is the first time living abroad that I see trees in bloom so early. I already knew I had turned into a spring girl, but now I can say for certain that I'm an early-spring girl.

Has spring arrived in your corner of the world?
West Midlands spring blossoms · Lisa Stefan