At least one more year

So, it is official... I am committed to writing this blog one more year. Last year I didn't blog very much, this year has been even more of a struggle. Somewhere in between I decided if I didn't manage to meet last year's quota of posts or do even better, then I would discontinue writing my blog.

It wasn't something I wanted to do, since somewhere this fall I celebrated my ten years of writing yumyumcafe. Yet, if a blog is not active, it doesn't make sense to keep it alive. So, I felt a little bit of relief today when I managed to exceed last year's quota of blog posts by one .

My new strategy is to share with you some of the creative stuff I do on the side.

Maybe I will even get around to sharing some of the projects I am doing with the immigrants and refugees who have come to Germany on mass in the last years. These activities are really where my heart and mind are these days.

To all a Happy New Year!

What happened here?

It was a cold and grey day winter today. I took this picture of the deserted pumpkin on a terrace table at one of my favourite cafés. How do you think it got there?

1. A wandering Halloween pumpkin left behind a baby
2. Cinderella danced until dawn last night
3. A sulky teenager ran away from its pumpkin patch 

What do you think? Send me your suggestion?

Stack of books

I've been doing a series of creative exercises these last months. The inspiration to do this came from working on Austin Kleon's Steal Like An Artist journal. It's absolutely fabulous way to spend some time in the morning.

I like the idea of doing some creative work every day because I believe creative solutions require creative thinking. And secondly, creative thinking does not necessarily stem from innate talent, but primarily grows from practice.

Thought I would share with you in the next while the results of some of this creative work. These exercises are simple, fun, mind-expanding and heart-felt. They will make me smile, laugh and sometimes wonder at my brilliance. Hope you enjoy.

This exercise from the Steal Like An Artist journal is fun.

I took a stack of books from my bookcase and drew a sketch of them. Then I made up a poem using the words in the titles.

What am I doing here?
On Noah's ark.., a lonely
Anthropologist heading to
Mars, or is it Gaglow?
I sit, on the black hill
Of some foreign land,
Innocent of the tiger
In the grass, seeing only
The angels and insects
All the while writing letters
To a young poet I met
A long country year ago.

(The source of the exercise is referenced to Nina Katchadourian)

Creative listening

In the last year I have been doing a lot of different types of creative stuff. It started out as occupational therapy during my recovery from a bout of pneumonia. Suddenly, there were endless hours of the day to sleep restlessly, sit quietly, and move around our apartment slowly.

I spent most of this time of recuperation listening to audio books and podcasts. I found it difficult to concentrate, which partially had to do with my sorry state of health, but it also had to do with my mind’s endless wandering. It’s surprising how long it has been since I just sat somewhere doing nothing, but listening to someone tell a story.

So what I did was buy myself a coloring book for adults. It didn’t take long before I was hooked. What I discovered about this (pre-)occupation was rather marvelous.

I used to listen to audio books or podcasts to make some mundane task (housecleaning, sorting paper, clearing out cupboards) seem less boring. Now I color books so I have an excuse to listen to something beautiful, fascinating, wondrous, and uplifting. It is a far more pleasurable way of creative listening.

Where am I...

Where am I...
Friend, Mage, asks
And it makes me wonder
If where I am can be
Found, described, shared
With those of you still
Here, the once and a while
Of my writing and
Dabbling in my blog


Part of me is still
So much the same as
When you got to know
Me ten years ago
Still, the nature-loving
Family-focused being
Whose on a journey
I know not where


Then there is the business
Woman doing absolutely
Everything it takes
To keep myself and family
Heads above water

It is all very simple and
Rather unspectacular
It definitely takes up
A lot of time and every
Ounce of energy I can
Give.. That's where I am
So glad you have you here!

Poetry kissing love into our mouths

Embed from Getty Images

I was just listening to OnBeing's interview with the Irish poet PaulMuldoon. Somewhere during this lovely conversation he says, “You are what you eat…” in reference to our soul’s ability to love and appreciate poetry. For some reason this hit me like a stone and inspired me to pronounce my one and only new year’s resolution; listen to one poem a day for the next 365 days. Starting today.

Today’s poem is a gem by Peter Boyle called “Of Poetry”. Do take a listen and read. Every word, every line takes you onto a journey of imagination.