Fall.

Even though many people don't want summer to come to an end, I believe to recognize fall is gently beginning.
It is not hot anymore, but still comfy outside with mild temperatures and a light breeze that reminds you to
enjoy every last summer moment.
With my summer break is almost over I am packing my stuff again, so is the squirrel which crossed my way
today: while it was rushing through the garden to collect nuts for winter, I picked plums and apples for the cake.
How peacefully that time is.

Karma.

I am a strong believer in karma. 
Being not sure about rewarding good actions I do believe that wrongful acts come back to haunt us. It might not happen as 
soon as we'd expect, and we might not be able to see the tantalizer getting his or her revenge, but eventually those who are 
mean-spirited get theirs. 
I think it is no question of who and how to judge what's right and wrong, but there will be the time when reckless people will 
come to their senses all by themselves. They will question their actions and start thinking about people they have hurt. By
then they might realize the impact of such acts and feel sorry. 
But how to get rid of that feeling, when you start blaming your actions? Imagine, always knowing you have been the one 
behaving like you did it will not be easy to stop worrying and just feel good about yourself again. I think that's fair. The only 
thing that makes those guys getting a peaceful mind is to start living on the good side.

Yes, everything does catch up with us. At least that is want I like to believe in. It is not us who have to bother all the judging 
and taking revenge - at the end people will come to their senses. Let's stay on the good side of life!

Gardening.

Is there something more satisfying than growing your own food? Not is it healthy to spend some time outside at every weather, it
also feels great to be able to walk in your garden and get some fresh, healthy food for dinner, especially in times of preservatives 
and genetic engineering being more and more criticized.
When it is sunny and hot I love to pick seasoned berries, some to eat directly and some to make a fresh fruity dessert or cake. 
You can almost hear a "thank you" and a gasp of relief when you remove the heavy weight from the shrub. Happy gardening!

Global warming.

These days I do experience global warming! The weather is just strange. It is either too hot, like it has been 
during spring, or now, in the midst of summer, there is no sun and moderate temperature not at all. Add 80%
humidity and strong winds, and you've created the environments where I am sitting in front of the wooden 
oven at the end of July. 
After living a year close by the equator I am ready to leave to a milder environment, but I did not quite expect 
a cold, wet summer like this. I personally think these are the first signals of the changing climate world wide.
Let's hope I am wrong.

Strawberry picking

Do you like strawberries? I love them. For me they are a symbol that summer finally has arrived and we are
about to start an awesome season with tons of different fruits and vegetables.

There is a strawberry field close by and I definitely want to go there to fill my basket.
It reminds me of my childhood, when I have gone there with my mom. I loved hopping over the rows to
find the best spot and eat as much as I can of the sweet and sour fruit. You only pick the fruits which seems
suitable for you and enjoy the silence and satisfaction of what you are doing. It still feels really good to me. 
If you have the chance to pick some on your own try it, you might like it as well!

No more paper please.

Do you know how much paper we are using every day? 




Small notes, documents, the daily newspaper is just one thing, but how about all the advertisement: leaflets,  
flyer, receipts, packaging and wrapping which directly find its way to the rubbish? Mostly it is more annoying
than necessary. 
As I have spent these past months in South-East Asia I found out more about the problems within the paper 
industry, especially in Indonesia. As a consequence I declared myself to save paper whenever possible. 


A lot of people have traded their cellphone for a smartphone lately. We are checking it regularly anyway, why 
not taking our notes there? Besides is it really necessary to print out every receipt, the monthly statement of
account, or all the other documents when the trend is towards digitizing everything? 

In the garden.

It's getting hot and hotter, and there is nothing else which pleases me more than spending the day out in the 
garden. There are so many things to do: whether it is having a nice picnic and nap afterwards in the shadow, 
listening to the birds songs and the bugs buzzing, watching an ant making its way up a blade of grass, or just
gardening - it all calms the mind in a wonderful way.