Burgenland

This is where we were for the last two weeks. Matthias' parents house in Burgenland, southern Austria. Seriously we couldn't have asked for better weather. Sunny every single day; beautiful, gentle Autumn sun, perfect for soft baby skin and not-as-soft, but just as white, Mama-Bear skin too! While the farmers around us were busy from dawn until well into the night harvesting, we got busy with the art of relaxing - lots of eating, drinking and resting after a busy few months.

Don't believe everything you see - that angelic babe was a bit of a rotter when it came to sleeping in her new (Oma rescued) antique crib and decided, mostly, that it was much more fun to hang out with the adults in her baby-carrier. But amongst the rocking of one little girl to sleep we did find time to enjoy the seasons harvest, eating sun-warmed grapes straight from the vines, searching for the first of the blackberries and picking apples off the side of the road for delicious Apple Strudel and other yummy things.

Yep, it was a pretty good couple of weeks.

Hello September

And just like that August has past us by. I've enjoyed my little August break. Posting a picture a day, no words, has been the welcome change that I've needed while we've been quietly trying to work out how we all fit together now that we are a family of three.  Add to the mix a trip to Vienna, a wedding, two birthdays and a business trip away (for Matthias) and you have one very busy month!

Taking a step back from the blog also let me focus a bit on just taking pictures again. I have a new toy - a big, new fancy camera body - which I'm absolutely loving. I still haven't quite got a handle on all it's features, but every time me and "Bertie" go out on the streets, I learn a few more of her tricks and I fall even more in love with her.  So I've spent a lot of August adjusting to motherhood and taking thousands of pictures of Emilia with my new friend, Bertie. But between times I've also been quietly reading blog posts here and there keeping track of what everyone has been up to.  Having said that, I'm really looking forward to properly catching up on what everyone has been up to over the next week or so. Thank you to everyone who has commented over the month, all your comments were read and appreciated, even if it's been a little quiet around here.

And with August behind us the weather round these parts has definitely turned towards Autumn. There's a crispness in the air in the mornings and a chill at night. This really is one of my favourite times of the year. I find myself happily thinking about scarves and woolie tights and cosy jumpers while still savouring the last of Summers offerings. Warm afternoons spent on the balcony reading or walking in the park. Bare feet. Ice-cream. And with the weather change I've picked up my knitting needles again, but this time I'm knitting something for me.

Happy October!

What does October mean to you?  This year October means that it's officially 6 weeks until I'm back in Australia for a month of holidaying, family catch-up and weddings. October means birthdays, it means goldern coloured foilage, hot chocolate, lots of rain and saying good-bye to daylight saving.

 

Yep, I'm kinda looking forward to October.

Autumn Quotes

What do you think?  Thanks for all the suggestions yesterday - I really liked the Ann Frank quote that Jamie suggested and had a quick play with it this morning before heading off to work.  Sometimes it's easy to get lost in the dark grey days that autumn and winter bring - but there's always something to look forward too.  Warm cozy fires, roasted chestnuts, walking through mountains of leaves and hearing them 'swoosh'...

What does this need?

Day 27: Dogwood

I took this photo yesterday on my way home.  Looks like I'm in the woods, but I was actually taking photos at my favourite florist shop.  I like it, but I think it needs something else to "finish it".  Perhaps a quote?  Something about Autumn?  Leave your suggestions in the comments, I'll choose the one that I like and we'll see how it turns out.

A Weekend in Berlin

We had brunch in a cafe in Prenzlauer Berg

Visted the newly repainted East Side Gallery

- part of the wall that once separated East and West

Discovered Nefertiti and her friends at the Neues Museum on Museum Insel

Ate Curry Wurst and drank beer at a Christmas market

Visited Brandenburg Tor by night (well it was 4.30pm, but it could have been 11pm)

before dancing the night away in one of Berlin's nightclubs

And the next day nursed our sorry heads

walking through the beautiful Autumn colours of Tiergarten.

Beautiful weather, great food, delicious wine and wonderful company - a better weekend couldn't be asked for!

And this week I start German classes...