ENCHANTED HUE

I am Viennese by birth. I love the Viennese dialect and its quirkiness. Usually I speak ‘proper’ German. When I fall into strong Hernalser dialect (Hernals is the 17th district of Vienna where I grew up), my family knows to get out of my way because it means I am very angry – or  commenting on the ‘skills’ of other drivers, which is basically the same

My husband is Iranian and we live in the US, so although we speak German at home, our children don’t speak proper Viennese. I tried to teach them, trust me! But somehow their tongues and throats cannot produce certain sounds necessary for the Viennese dialect.

I miss hearing and speaking Viennese here in Boston, so I decided to teach you my favorite ‘language’.

LESSON 1:

Heit hods an fodn (heɪd hods ɑ:n fohdn)

also: Heit hods an zopfn (heɪd hods ɑ:n dsobfn)

High German equivalent: Heute hat es einen Faden – Heute hat es einen Zapfen

(Don’t bother to google translate it, though, it’ll just be weird)

Translation: Heute ist es sehr kalt (it is very cold today)

Seavas und baba!

Posted in Uncategorized, Viennese
Tags: Austria, Austrian, cold, dialect, German, language, translation, Viennese

It’s that time of the year again: new resolutions, good riddance to bad habits, best of intentions, shiny new slates, new gym memberships, clean house and healthy recipes lined up.

Wishing you all the best, and may your strong mind overcome that naughty little temptress who whispers in your ear ‘you’ve been good long enough, be bad now’

Take the Next Small Step. Inspiration Print by moonandlion

Today is a New Day. Printable Poster by MissusDPaperie

Good Luck Kit in a Matchbox by SatyrikonLab

2012 Wall Calendar Printed by psarokokalo

To see the collages of other members of the European Street Team,

please visit Esther and Estella’s blog

Posted in etsy, European Street Team, Monday Mood Board, Uncategorized
Tags: clean slate, fresh start, good intention, good riddance, new resolution, New Year

The hectic part of the Holidays is over. Cards have been sent (or are almost on their way), presents have been wrapped (and already unwrapped), decorations are in place,

special pastries have been baked, and wonderful meals have been prepared and shared with family and friends.

Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa; Winter Solstice, Jinnah Day, or Family Day; or maybe even Festivus: whatever you celebrate, I hope your wishes come true and the New Year will be filled with peaceful happiness and joy as Henry Wadsworth Longfellow describes:

“Holidays” by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Posted in Christmas
Tags: Christmas, happiness, holidays, joy, New Year, peace, wishes

There it was, right in front of my house: the Dead End! I can’t believe this, it was perfectly fine when I left this morning. And now…

I mean, there were signs. All over the neighbourhood, actually:

There is a petition in town to end road work. Do you have any idea what roads have to put up with? They are expected to be open 24/7, no breaks, always smooth for customers.

And then there is the public mocking. Every single little flaw is pointed out on huge reflective signs, for everybody to see:

How humiliating is this? Actually, it is harrassment and discrimination. If a person had to have a sign on his office door warning people of his low shoulder, there would be a huge law suit!

Then there are the bamboozling signs that confuse drivers, who blame the roads for these strange warnings:

But I think what really triggered this tragedy is the following:

The little road leading to our house took all its responsibilities very seriously and was proud to live up to drivers’ expectations. But this particular assignment was impossible for it to fulfill. After all, it was a

and could not possibly watch over the children in a responsible manner.

So the already stressed Blind Driveway saw no other way out than to kill itself.

I will remember it fondly every time I look at the Dead End sign.

Posted in bizarre
Tags: bizarre, dead end, humour, language, mystery, street signs, word play

I love looking at the EST Mood Boards every Monday (well, almost every Monday…). Interesting topics, beautiful artwork and composition, inspiring little stories that go with them – it’s like a weekly trip across borders and cultures and languages.

One of the things I get a kick out of every Monday is the fact that I am commenting on blogs that are written in two languages and prompt me in Greek, Russian, Hungarian, Italian, Spanish, Swedish – you name it!

I also find it interesting how those strange ‘confirmation words’ (or whatever they are called) are like made-up words in the language of the blog owner. You would never find ‘frounged’ on a Lithuanian blog, or ‘hiryimaskz’ on a German one.

Language is art, and there are many different ways to express it:

Sacred text of Sagrada Familia by MariaSiyanko

Love Postcard – Say it in sLOVEnian by avgustvarjanja

Surprise in Dutch – by MagpiesShop

Le Meilleur est Encore a Venir – by dindi

To take a trip through Europe yourself, visit Esther and Estella’s blog, who collect all the entries

Posted in etsy, European Street Team, Monday Mood Board
Tags: art, blog, comment, ETSY, European Street Team, language, Monday Mood Board, words

Temperatures are dropping, it’s time to get out the winter clothes and warm boots – or go shopping for them!

How about rethinking materials this season? It takes a little bit more time to find materials that are not animal-derived, but they keep you warm just the same. Wearing cruelty-free clothes and accessories became easier, and there is a wide array of fabrics: bamboo, linen, cotton, faux suede, faux fur, fleece, and freedom silk (where the silk worms are allowed to finish their life-cycle and are not drowned in their cocoon to make silk harvesting easier) are just a few examples.

Synthetic boots don’t have to be waterproofed, and who cares if a faux suede coat gets wet in rain or snow – there will be no watermarks!

And you don’t have to compromise your style, either!

Black Cotton Coat with Patchwork by IJcreations

Striped Arm Warmers in Bamboo Blend by Morrgan

Linen Scarf/Wrap/Shawl by BVLifeStyle

Black and Green Wrapsroundskirt in Cotton Satin by subrosa123

To see other European Monday Mood Boards, please visit Esther and Estella’s blog!

Posted in etsy, European Street Team, Monday Mood Board
Tags: bamboo, boots, cotton, cruelty free, ETSY, European Street Team, faux fur, faux leather, freedom silk, linen, Monday Mood Board, synthetics, winter clothes

The Witches’ Spell Act IV, Scene 1 from Macbeth (1606) by William Shakespeare   A dark Cave. In the middle, a Caldron boiling. Thunder. Enter the three Witches. 1 WITCH. Thrice the brinded cat hath mew’d. 2 WITCH. Thrice and once, the hedge-pig whin’d. 3 WITCH. Harpier cries:—’tis time! ’tis time! 1 WITCH. Round about the caldron go; In the poison’d entrails throw.— Toad, that under cold stone, Days and nights has thirty-one; Swelter’d venom sleeping got, Boil thou first i’ the charmed pot! ALL. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble. 2 WITCH. Fillet of a fenny snake, In the caldron boil and bake; Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder’s fork, and blind-worm’s sting, Lizard’s leg, and owlet’s wing,— For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth boil and bubble. ALL. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble. 3 WITCH. Scale of dragon; tooth of wolf; Witches’ mummy; maw and gulf Of the ravin’d salt-sea shark; Root of hemlock digg’d i the dark; Liver of blaspheming Jew; Gall of goat, and slips of yew Sliver’d in the moon’s eclipse; Nose of Turk, and Tartar’s lips; Finger of birth-strangled babe Ditch-deliver’d by a drab,— Make the gruel thick and slab: Add thereto a tiger’s chaudron, For the ingrediants of our caldron. ALL. Double, double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and caldron bubble. 2 WITCH. Cool it with a baboon’s blood, Then the charm is firm and good.  HAPPY HALLOWEEN, EVERYONE!!!   Dark Gothic Halloween Venetian Mask by VenitianArtiquity Art Photography Print by Melasha FIne Art Photography Print by AliciaV Halloween Decor Magpie SIlhouette by sunshineartdesign For more European Monday Mood Boards, please visit Esther and Estella’s blog!

Posted in etsy, European Street Team, Monday Mood Board
Tags: black, ETSY, European Street Team, europeanstreetteam, Halloween, Halloween poetry, Macbeth, Monday Mood Board, orange, spooky poem, The Witches' Spell, William Shakespeare, witches

I just came back from a visit to the dog park with my Chow-Chow/Border Collie mix Shadow. There is something about watching dogs running on a field with unbridled joy that immediately lifts the spirits of us humans.

Who can keep a straight face watching those four-legged furballs tumbling and toddling and stumbling over each other?

There is the Golden Retriever who carefully sidles up to me and sits on my foot. Just because he can. The French Bulldog sporting a green knit vest who chews up a tennis ball with utter dedication. Two Labrador Retrievers barreling after a stick, oblivious of the fact that they run over a little Papillon. My friend’s Barbet taking off into the distance because there is a particularly good smelling spot where she needs to roll herself for a good 10 minutes. The regal Doberman Pinscher who doesn’t quite know what to do with all those little fuzzy dogs that try very hard to sniff his behind. The Bulldog who sits obediently, tongue out and neatly rolled up like a strawberry fruit-roll-up. The Goldendoodle puppie who found a friend his age and chases him in nonsensical circles. And my own dog, who daintily jumps over muddy spots because he doesn’t want to get his paws dirty. Meanwhile, a dog of undetermined breed comes running back from the little creek where he apparently had a grand time splashing, covered in mud, but very happy!

Simple joys, immense bliss! I love dogs!

Dog Photography – Nosey – by Grainyman

Puppy Portrait – Gea – by SatyrikonLab

Bright orange leash for joyful dogs – by davir

Fading away – man and dog – by shashamane

Posted in etsy, European Street Team, Monday Mood Board
Tags: bliss, davir, dog, dog park, etsy european street team, grainyman, happy, joy, Monday Mood Board, SatyrikonLab, shashamane

Fall in New England is magical. The leaves seem to be burning with reds, oranges, and yellows. The sky is a bright blue with delicate wisps of clouds (that is, if it is not pouring with rain!). Pumpkins, scarecrows, Halloween decorations, mums in every imaginable shade are in front of every door. The air is crisp and carries a promise of snow in the late evening and early morning. Fog hovers enchantingly over lakes. Wild turkeys come out of the woods into our gardens. There are apple picking and mushroom hunting, pumpkin carving and haunted houses; and the smells of spiced apple cider and pumpkin flavored coffee.

Autumn Nature Photography by Duealberi

Handmade Felted Orange Long Ruffle Scarf by ProninA

Framed by Autumn by MatkirschPhoto

Orange Knitted Wrist Warmers by Deconfetti

To see what mood other members of the European Street Team are in, please visit Estella’s blog star-of-the-east.blogspot.com

Posted in etsy, European Street Team, Monday Mood Board
Tags: autumn fall, ETSY, European Street Team, leaves foliage, Monday Mood Board, New England, yellow orange red