feeling pretty zen for a monday

my morning started with the first installment of the latest oprah-deepak (shouldn't they have called it oprah-chopra?) meditation challenge. this one focuses on miraculous relationships. who couldn't use more of those? i struggle to quiet my mind enough to meditate, but find these 15-minute-ish sessions to be just about right as a beginning. couple this with my participation in the kylie's fortnight of self-adoration and i'm feeling about as zen as you can get on a monday morning. 

yesterday's spontaneous trip to the beach helped as well. several hours of wind and sun and sand and the north sea pounding in, surprisingly warm (i was actually playing in the waves with husband and sabin for a good hour) quite literally washed all my cares away.  a solitary wander down the beach while they continued to try to surf the waves, i gathered smooth stones. it was a kind of meditation in and of itself. as a result, i had a good night's sleep and have already knocked two big items and several little ones off my to do list. ahh, the tyranny of the list, i both love it and hate it, but am going to be quite zen about this week. 

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i want magical displays of books in my world.

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we need more pop-up design happening in denmark. *sigh*

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interesting, voyeuristic photos taken with homemade cameras.

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realizing zen through running?
i keep seeing articles like this and i fear the universe is trying to tell me something.

the weekend in pictures - or how we actually had an endless summer in denmark at last

possibly our coming papa kitty. we need some orange around here.

a case of chicken envy at the neighbor's house.

cool is a charmer.

do not call husband a social democrat.

summer drinks.

gorgeous vegetarian food at drink & draw

heavenly fennel dish - we might have to rename drink & draw to drink & eat (& laugh)

yum. bacon-wrapped asparagus with a touch of miso.

a spontaneous trip to the beach.

the water and the waves were glorious.

our gorgeous molly.

curious about samba.

a first tree-climbing adventure.

hope your weekend was glorious too.

how to have fun on the beach on what will likely be the only sunny day of the summer

take a bunch of smooth stones in various colors and shapes.

add two creative-thinking fifth graders and a big fat permanent marker.

add a bit of whimsy.

and don't leave out the wit.

or the imagination.

leave behind your mark for future beachgoers to find. 

inner prudish american alive and well

it was a glorious afternoon on the beach. much better than legoland. no one was wearing any shoes at all. and sand feels gloriously wonderful on your feet. the only unpleasantness encountered was my own inner prudish american, who i was surprised to find was still there (after 12 years) and in apparent robust health. she was suitably shocked by the sight of a 60 (possibly 70)-something german woman with more than a slight mustache sunbathing topless on the beach.

i know, i know, i'm in europe, it's not unusual here. and really, after 12 years, shouldn't i stop being shocked by such things? on one hand, i really wanted to admire her and her body confidence and on the other, well, eww.... sometimes, as a member of a civil society, you have to participate in societal norms and being properly clothed in public is frankly one of those. especially if your bits are hanging down to your waist. real life is not an issue of national geographic.

but speaking of that, i do wish i'd dared to sneak a photo, if only to subject all of you to what i was subjected to...but i guess i'll have to leave it to your imagination. and honestly, we should all be thankful for that. the picture in my head is haunting enough.

am i just a prude, or is it a bit ew?

wordless wednesday: detritus on the beach

summer is so fleeting

the weekend started at the beach at sunset and ended by a crackling fire in the garden. in other words, it was perfect. hope yours was too!