2014

It did take me longer than expected but here is my little review of 2014. I enjoyed going through the posts of the last year (previous years 2010, 2012 & 2013) and to realize how lucky I am for the good life I am able to live. 

January
It was a hot January and I remember going to the amazing Arcade Fire concert right after our trip back home to Germany. We also saw the Exxopolis exhibition right in front of the Opera House with some dear friends who visited us from Germany. It was also one of the first times I took out my new Leica camera to give it a try. It became a little tradition to go down to Tasmania over the long Australia Day weekend, so also last year we went, this time with a bunch of friends. I love this place so much. We didn't do really much apart from going on bush walks, have lots (and lots) of food and wine, long evening chats and play games. I could have spend weeks there and hope to be back soon. 

February
We enjoyed many ocean swims with dear friends after work and also the amazing Summer fruit and veg you get in Australia around this time. Summer is such a special time of the year and everyone wants to hold to it a bit longer when you feel it might slowly get Autumn. A few things which come to my mind - fresh mangos, open windows, sea breezes, swims (before and after work), salty skin, sandy wooden floor boards, drying beach towels, long evenings & late dinners, fish tacos, a little summer tan, the smell of all the plants which blossom in Summer, Will's birthday. I think 2014 was also the year we got the most visitors from Europe. Some more good friends visited us in February and we tried to show them the best bits in and around Sydney.
March
We still spent lots of time at the water in March. The water being warm from the hot Summer sun makes it particularly nice in Autumn to go for ocean or rock pool swims, plus it is actually still quite warm in Sydney to this time of the year. Reading the paper on a Saturday morning by the sea and listening to the waves is really something else. We started having regular lunch dates with our dear friends Mel & Polo. Such a nice way to spend time together by eating good food, having a few good laughs and resting on the couch or going for a walk afterwards. 

April
We went to Perth to visit Will's family over the Easter break which was a really nice change. Western Australia is so different compare to the East coast. The beaches are more wide & long and a lot more empty. We went for a swim every single morning. We would wake up, quickly get into our swimmers, grab a towel and off we were to the beach which is just a 5 minute ride away. Some mornings the water was so calm and beautiful, I could have looked at it for ours. The water itself was beautifully warm and clear.

Back in Sydney I enjoyed the warm Autumn temperatures and went for long walks on the weekends, sometimes alone, sometimes with company like my friend from Denmark who spent a few months in Sydney writing on a kids book and who left in April.


May
My dear sister and friend visited us in May, the weather wasn't that amazing the weekend they stayed with us but it is always wonderful to go to the sea, no matter which weather. So we went and watched some big waves and brave surfers. 
We also went for a weekend to Melbourne to meet friends and to just go to all those wonderful places they have down there. Its just such a great city, full of wonderful bars, restaurants, shops and cafes. 


June
We went to New Zealand the second time in June, this time to the North Island. We drove from Auckland down to Wellington and wanted to walk the Tongariro Crossing but unfortunately the weather was so bad that they had to cancel the tour. Nevertheless we had an amazing time this country is just so beautiful, the North is very different compare to the South island but very magical in its own way. I really would like to go back, which might not happen for a few years but its definitely something I would love to explore a bit more. Apart from the stunning nature and landscape we particularly loved Wellington, you can smell the coffee beans being roasted when you walk down certain streets, everyone is incredibly friendly, the food amazing and the city, also being close to the water is just stunning with its different neighbourhoods.

In June a few of my photos got published in the wonderful Alphabet Journal magazine (a few outtakes here).



July
Winter has been so stunningly beautiful in Sydney last year. I do love Summer but the blue sky and crisp air Winter days are also pretty special. They just invite for long walks and shadow collecting, going to lots of cafes and cooking Winter recipes, like soups or stews. 

August
We came up with the idea to start a food blog on which we share our favourite recipes, stories around the recipes & food in general. It is called 'Mostly Saturdays' and we know we have been bad in the last few months with new updates but we really like to work on it in the new year and update it very soon.

September:
We enjoyed Winter to the fullest, its blue skies and shorter days which invite for more cosy evenings at home and catch ups with friends. 
I also was in Melbourne to take some photos of Elizabeth's (Primoeza) studio for the Weekender. 


October
We went for a wonderful hike to the Royal National Park with our dear friend Mel. It is just a 1,5h drive out of the city and such a peaceful and beautiful place. It was also the month in which we slowly started realizing that we only have a few more weeks left before we had to say goodbye to our life in Sydney and our dear friends.


November
The month we moved back to Germany. The idea of moving back grew in our had since a while and got more and more real mid 2014. We had long conversations about it and finally decided to give it a try. So much effort & time went into this move. I can't tell you how exhausting it is to start your life all over again at the other end of the world. Apart from all the annoying bureaucracy stuff the most challenging part for us was to get emotionally ready for the move, to let go a bit of our roots which were so deeply grown into that place we called home for 4,5 years and to let change happen without too many comparisons & being too sad but to rather look forward to everything which is lining up. Let me tell you that it is not easy to move from Sydney Summer to Hamburg Winter. There are a lot of things we are struggling with at the moment but it is always the people around us (in Australia and Germany) who welcome us with open arms and heart and try to make this all a lot easier for us. We feel so lucky and are so thankful for that and really look forward to an exciting 2015.

In November we tried to spent as much time as possible with our dear friends, we also managed to go for a long weekend up to Byron Bay. The photos are developed and I am go through them so many times. I think I will keep them for a little bit longer but will share them soon. There just so many memories connected to those last weeks in Australia.


December
We are back in Germany. It is so great to spend time with my family and friends, to celebrate my birthday and Christmas. To just call during the day without looking up the time in Germany and to just be closer. There is still a lot to get used to but we are excited for everything ahead. 




I wish you a wonderful 2015. May it be filled with wonderful moments, health and love. 

Thank you for coming by this space, leaving a comment to say hi or letting me know what you think about my photos. I really appreciate it.

I felt really happy that some of my photos got printed in some wonderful publications such as the Weekender, The Plant and the Alphabet Journal in 2014. 

To a great & exciting 2015

Take care,
Maria 

Happy Weekend!

Happy weekend my friends.
Its going to be a gorgeous Winter weekend with crisp cool air, sun & blue skies. Winter is so special here in Sydney and I look forward to meeting friends later on, reading a bit and taking some photos of those long Winter shades we have here :)

I also got my photos back from our trip to New Zealand and I will start posting some of them over the next weeks.

I updated the print shop last week. Have a look if you like and let me know what you think.

Have a great one,
Maria

Days off

The Easter break has been so good and needed. On days off I usually wake up particularly early, as if my body realizes that there are whole days which I can fill with things I like to do and wakes me up to really early hours. After the first cool Autumn days in the last week the warmer weather came back for the long weekend. On Good Friday we drove to Coogee and went to Wylies Baths. I ran out of film (35mm) and thought I had some frames left in the medium format camera I found at the flea market many months ago. I walked around and took photos of people reading & relaxing, those who went for for a swim or had ice cream, of lifeguards looking out to the sea and the pool and just some shades which got created by the sun that day. Later at home I found out that the film must have already been full and all the images I took weren't really captured anywhere but in my head.

Today after work I went for a swim and on my way back home the sun was setting in one of those beautiful ways. The sky appeared in all sorts of red and pink colours. It was beautiful. 

We are off to Melbourne for a few days tomorrow. It's been a long time since I went last and I can't wait to explore parts of the city! Maria

2013

In the last few years (2010 & 2012) I was looking back to the months which have passed and went through posts and photos, which is one of my favourite things to do in the end of the year.  Again, I wanted to look back with a few lines to each month and take you on a little time journey with me. 

January


We had a such a quiet and peaceful start into the new year earlier this year by going to the ocean for a swim and just be at home and read all day. I also made terrariums with friends (which photos later got published in the Weekender magazine), went and saw an amazing Anish Kapoor exhibition and went for a long weekend back to Tasmania. I love this little island and there is always so much to do. We went for lots of bush walks, icy cold swims and had the best cherries of our lives. 

February


I meet Laura Jones through a mutual friend and felt very lucky to be invited to her beautiful studio in Alexandria on Sunday morning in February. I took a few photos just before her exhibition started a few weeks later and she was in the middle of getting everything ready. It was such a lovely afternoon, she was telling lots of stories over tea and some pieces of chocolate. I feel in love with her beautiful floral paintings and could have spend ours in her studio studying each of her artworks.  
Laura's studio visit post

March



Melbourne is always such a great city to visit for a weekend. I booked a trip in March to see a friend and also had some time to stop by Elizabeth's (Primoeza) wonderful new home. She is such a beautiful person (in- and outside) and we had a lovely few hours drinking tea and just chatting along. It made me wish to live closer to Melbourne in order to being able to have such catch ups more often. Her new home/studio is so stunning and tastefully arranged. I was thinking about it a lot after I had left. She is such an inspiring person with a ton of great style. 

We also cooked lots of new dishes from new cookbooks in March. I love to try out new things and we discovered a few new favourites. 

Elizabeth's home post 

April


In April we travelled to the US to spend some time in LA, San Francisco and drove between those two cities along the Big Sur and stopped here and there for a night, like in Ojai. In the last few months after our trip, my thoughts kept on going back to our time there and small moments from our trip popped up in my head and reminded me of what a great few weeks we had there and how much I enjoyed California. 
I would really like to go back as there is so much more to explore and a lot more to do and see. I would have never thought it, but I really fell in love with LA. This city is so diverse, there are so many amazing places, neighbourhoods, architecture, little shops, restaurants, things to do, like hiking in the city. We also had such great food, met wonderful people, saw great art, just drove around with the windows down ......and felt in a way that we would think back  and remember it being a great time.  

This is video from the song Balmorhea // Pyrakantha was shot in LA during twilight and it just stunning and reflects the vibe of the city I got there as well. I really want to go back!    

The Huntington Gardens in Pasadena was one of those magical places we discovered there. 

May


In May we spend a weekend in the Blue Mountains with friends. We rented a little beautiful house, packed great food, board games and had a great time away from the city. We went for hikes (got lost once) and enjoyed the beautiful nature, which is only a 1,5h drive away from Sydney. 

June


We had a lot of rain and work in June and spent most of our time at home, wrapped up in warm clothes, relaxing on the weekends and going out for Autumn walks to catch up with friends for quick coffees. 

July


July on the other hand was golden and full of blue skies and sun. It was such a wonderful Winter this year and I enjoyed it so much to go for cool Winter walks, make fresh vegetable juices in the morning, eat lots of fresh food to keep healthy. The sun and light in Winter is really special in Sydney and on late afternoons I love to walk through our apartment to catch the shades here and there. 

August


We went for more walks and explored new neighbourhoods in our city, always accompanied by a good coffee. I also celebrated being 3 years in Sydney   

September 


September was such a great month as my sister came all the way from Germany to visit us. We went for our first swim in the season in our favourite rock pool at the beach, cooked so much good food with her, showed her all around the city, chatted and just had such a good time with her. I wish we would live closer to each other! 

October


Well, and then there was New Zealand in October. I don't know why it has taken us so long to spend some time there as this place is so close to Australia. It is so beautiful that it's almost hard to describe in words. We went for lots of hikes and spent most of our day outside exploring, adoring the landscape, the colours of the scenery, breathed the fresh air - even though we only had 10 days we saw so much and could clear our minds very well.   

November 


We went to Perth in November to spend some time with Will's family which was wonderful. November was one of these month which we just wanted to have over as soon as quickly. I guess not every month is great and leaves you back with the best memories. But those sometimes make you more wise, re-focused and prioritize on the important things in life. 

December


In the beginning of December you notice the great vibe of Summer and how people are getting ready for their break. I love this feeling. It might be hard for a European to get into the Christmas spirit with 30C and warmer every day but I certainly can feel that this month is special. I started to go for swims before and after work again in my local pool . 
Had lots and lots of catch ups with friends, prepared Christmas lunches and enjoyed the vegetables and fruits of the season. 
Mid month I slowly started packing my bag for our trip back home to Germany. I am so happy to be at home and seeing all my friends and family. I celebrated my 31st birthday on Sunday and felt the love of all my family and friends who came by (until the jetlag kicked in) to share stories, tea & christmas cookies with us. 

And what's next...I look forward to going to Munich for New Years eve and having a great night with dear friends over a cooked meal, after that we will spend time in Berlin in Hamburg before we fly back to Sydney mid January. 

I wanted to say thank you for coming by here, for leaving lovely and encouraging comments or for just stopping in to say hello....THANK YOU! 

To a wonderful 2014. May it be exciting and full of adventures but may there also be enough time to focus on the important things in life and to find enough rest & energy for yourself.

I look forward to the new year, take care!

Maria 

PS. If you haven't seen it yet, I created a little Schorlemaedchen Facebook page