A Humane Turtle

Melody Gardot gave a concert in Vienna. I have only recently returned to her music after a long (and necessary) hiatus; her music accompanied 2011′s emotional roller-coaster that introduced me to all the highs and lows that life can throw at you. But.. in the end, it turns out, it all can make you stronger indeed. I was still weary of what Melody in real life would do to me, and so I surprised a dear friend to come with me. He, I thought, would bear with Melody’s emotion-laden tunes and enjoy them with me. When we entered the concert hall, he still didn’t know what to expect, but shrugged it off with “as long as it’s not jazz, it’s fine”. Boy, was he in for a treat…

The German Wikipedia article states that while Melody’s albums are more pop-oriented, her jazz roots are much more obvious in her live concerts. This is very true. And it is brilliant – if you happen to like jazz. Melody tells stories, in words and music, and takes you into a variety of musical wonderlands. She tells you about walking the streets of Paris, she asks you to close your eyes and “see” the streets for yourself. Her lyrical voice strikes a chord  with me, but her playing (piano and guitar) does so, as well.

She was accompanied by talented musicians. The highlight for me was Stephan Braun on the chello (and apparently he plays many more instruments). Check him out in this video:

I’m not the only one to rave about the concert, of course. John Lewis from The Guardian seems to have had a similar experience.

If you are intrigued enough but can’t see her live just yet, here is a recording of Melody Gardot’s concert in Basel:

I went for a super short 30min snowshoe walk today, just to get a little bit of sun. It was a beautiful sunny-and-cloudy day, so I thought I could take a few pictures. I put on the snowshoes right outside of the house (because I can), and walked uphill. Being able to do just that might be the best part about living here.

This is the view from just above the house (you can see its rooftop):

Looking the other way (from about 100m further up) you can see Hohenwerfen Fortress. And if it wasn’t for the clouds, you would probably see the cable car station that gets you the Eisriesenwelt ice caves high up in the mountains.

And then there are some more random pictures that I randomly love:

First post since I moved back in with my mom!

I have been saying to people that nature around here is just gorgeous, and one doesn’t even have to leave the house to see it. Not that I recommend staying inside all day, but hey, I’m trying to make a point here. So: here are pictures that I took from inside the house.

Waking up in the morning, I get to see the little town called Pfarrwerfen:

While having breakfast, I can watch birds munching sunflower seeds (not pictured), and squirrels eating nuts:

… while, at the same time, I can turn my head 90 degrees to see the Tennengebirge. Love those mountains, even half-hidden in clouds.

And just to prove another point (I’m looking at you, D.), you could in fact sled/ski right into the house – if you didn’t care about a rough snow-free ride for the last 2m or so

UPDATE: Here’s a morning shot of cloud-free mountains:

Who wants to hike up to Hochthron, the rightmost top, with me this summer? It’s on my todo list for ages.

If I could get people to watch only one video about the benefits of eating whole plant foods, I’d give them this:

And then I’d link to NutritionFacts and PCRM

Today dad, my two younger brothers Michael and Matthias, and I went for a short walk a little higher up the mountain. We were able to escape the fog and rain and get proper snow instead. Proper snow for snowballs, even.

Notice the hats. Even the bench has one.

(we’re called Hutter – “hat maker”- for a reason)

Performing at Opera’s Christmas party is a good way to reflect on what was and what might be.
Life is … what it is. A book of many chapters. It is time to turn the page.

When managers meet
discussing important stuff
I take meeting notes.

Thank you for kindness, openness, and unbounded love
Thank you for mistakes, the struggles, and heart-breaking desperation

Because without all that

I wouldn’t be
Where I am now

When words would fail me
I better tell through music
What’s dear to my heart

via In C Remixed

I didn’t count how many leaves I made, but there are probably around 130 of them. I made them according to a simple crochet veined leaf pattern that I found on Ravelry. I made a bunch with the original pattern, then made a few with just half of the stem, and then I figured that it was easiest and prettiest just without the stem, so I went with that for most of the leaves.

In other news, the other plant that I took into my care liked – and still likes – it much better here. It even got two beautiful blossoms!