Untamed Waters.

Taking a walk along the pristine beaches in the proximity of my home, I am once again reminded of the incredible power of the North Sea.
Watching the surf, the crushing waves bring to mind the run of wild horses, untamed animals in all their feral beauty.
The arctic wind, the salty aerosol, the incredibly enchanting sights of colours and shapes, the roaring sound - they all are the make up of an awe invoking allure of nature.
Yet walking there, hand in hand with a lover, one can not imagine a warmer and safer place...

(All images here taken this week at the North Sea, during our short, romantic getaway.:) 

Back To The Fire...

The days are getting considerably shorter and even though we have had some gorgeous fall weather so far, full of sunshine and blue skies - today Lady Autumn shows her darker, more menacing side. Her melancholy can be felt in the wind and the low, threatening clouds. Indeed, fierce fall storms will soon be our reality.

This is thus the time when my fireplace becomes once again the center point of my house. In the evenings and in the weekends, the crackling and the scent of the fire creates the most relaxing atmosphere. The dancing warm light creates shadows on the walls and the orange flames makes me pause, having my mind wander in time and space. I relish those moments when everything feels still and tranquil...
And safe. Despite the weather conditions outside.

In those times I can not help but feel a connection with my primitive ancestors, to whom fire was vital; a source of protections as well as unity, sitting around ancient campfires, feeling a sense of familiarity and home...

Serene Summer Evenings.

Summer is my favorite season, without a doubt. The light evenings, the warm days, wind still nights and dewy mornings. The world feels quiet a different place in the middle of the year - it is as if a collective happiness settles all around. Everything seems brighter and lighter, problems and worries are far removed.

As much as I love to sit by my fireplace in the winter time, while dreaming myself away as I gaze into the dancing flames, my favorite place to be every evening during weekdays in the summers is by my large living room window.

As soon as I get home and greet Batcat, I need to remove the troubles of my working day by pouring myself a glass of sparkling white wine and opening my living room windows, revealing breathtaking views of green nature, misty horizon and in time; the setting sun. I take off my shoes and let my hair down, lighting a few incense sticks, I sit back and listen to the classic masterpieces by great composers from the past. The sounds and the scents, together with the cool taste of the wine and the warmth of the setting sun does wonders. Relaxing my body and soul and bringing true serenity to my whole being...

Do you have a favorite spot to relax?

Flashback Friday: "In The Waiting Line".

Initially I thought the compilation below does not qualify for a Flashback just yet, as it still feels so very modern and new to me. However, realizing it is almost ten years since its release made me again so very aware of the relativity of time...

Thus may I present the "youngest" Flashback here to date, with its wonderfully escapist and ethereal feel.
Perhaps the name of the artist and the song might escape you, however, once you listen to it, it might be perceived as somewhat familiar. It is performed by Zero 7 , a duo based in the United Kingdom, known for using guest vocalists in their work. Their sound has a very pleasant, jazzy, downtempo style to it.

"In The Waiting Line", from the 2001 album Simple Things has been used in numerous soundtracks, among others for the Sex And The City and House series. It has that certain meditative sound, that makes us want to close our eyes and relax...

Have a wonderful, relaxing Friday everyone.

Flashback Friday: "Sugar Baby Love".

Today I will share with you my favourite candy music. Or feel good music if you will. Just like we turn to chocolate and comfort food for pleasure from time to time, likewise I do have a few compilations on standby to savour when I feel like something sugar sweet. If I could taste sound, this one would taste as sweet as cotton candy.

And the title of course fits the sentiment very well - "Sugar Baby Love" was the debut single of The Rubettes. Released in 1974, it was the bands one and only number one UK single, spending four weeks at the top of the chart in May 1974.
I was only a baby myself then, still the harmonies sound so very familiar. If it should be bubble gum pop, then this is my pick.
Happy Friday everyone.

Heart On Fire.

It is cold, it is snowing and more snow is on the way. So, I can either decide to be really upset about that or choose to ignore the weather all together.

I am opting for the later, going into a weekend of hibernation with Batcat - this includes good books, relaxing music, feel good movies, comfort food and of course - cosy fire.

The below is what my Saturday fire looks like. Perhaps even if you can not feel the real heat, you can get a virtual joy from it. After I filmed the clip, I noticed that one of the logs looks a lot like a heart - how very appropriate for the occasion.

And to those of you who actually do decide to watch the below, look for Batcat appearance about seven seconds into the clip - at least in sound, showing his approval of the fire.
We are wishing everyone a lovely weekend and a happy Valentines Day tomorrow.

"Golden Nerves".

Those two words make up an expression in my language, meaning something similar to "Nerves of Steel". Basically, this is used to describe someone who can stay calm even during the most trying situations. It can also be used as an exclamation, when things get tough, meaning one would love to have "Golden Nerves" in that moment.

However, it can also apply as a description of someone who knows how to relax.
Like Batcat. The way he can shut out the world is amazing. And highly contagious. The below is taken this weekend as he managed to escape into the dreamworld for hours, while lying in front of the fire.

My Favourite Spot.

My favorite spot in my house, throughout fall and winter is on my favorite chair in front of the fireplace. I can sit there for hours reading, or just leaning back, drinking something warm, looking into the flames, with Batcat sleeping on the warm sheep skin at my feet.

Immediately to my right are my large windows facing west. They offer some sunshine in the early hours of the afternoon, at least until the late fall. Right now, I can gaze at the open space beyond, which is bursting with warm colours against the blue sky.

We have had one of the most beautiful fall weeks on record. Sunny, cool days and clear, very cold nights, bringing the first frost of the season. Of course this is an ideal weather to light the fire in the afternoons and evenings.
My biggest problem is at all times to have enough firewood. I really do not have a large terrace, therefore I can only store limited amount of wood outside. Thus the only way to get firewood is to purchase it in home improvement stores, where it is sold in sacks. It is somewhat pricey, but the wood is of superb quality, pre-cut and already dried and ready to be used. I often wait until the stores offer it on sale and then I buy as much as my little Toyota will carry. I store it in my basement and every time I bring fresh wood home, I take much pleasure in stacking it. There is something infinitely calming, at least to me, in arranging the firewood. Furthermore, it spreads wonderful scent throughout the house. Batcat of course loves to assist me at all times, hiding in the piles and hunting the discarded plastic sacks.

I love when the basement is full of wood. It gives me a certain comfort to know that no matter the weather, I can always keep warm.

Flashback Friday: "Everytime We Touch".

I think everyone my age remembers "Moonlight Shadow", one of the big hits of the 80's, composed and performed by Mike Oldfield. It featured furthermore the unforgettable voice of Maggie Reilly, who performed the vocals of the song in 1983.

Although she is best known for her collaborations with Oldfield between year 1980 and 1984, she was also in the pub-rock group Cado Belle, and made one album with them in 1976.

In 1992, Reilly released her debut solo album Echoes, from which the below compilation entitled "Everytime We Touch" is taken. The sound is very enticing and almost ethereal. Her voice is soothing and full of longing and if I close my eyes, the lyrics and the harmonies can take me anywhere in space and time.
One of my all time favorite compilation to dream myself away to...

Relaxing Autumn Saturday.

Autumn has arrived and there is no way back. It has been a very rainy, windy and cold first week of September. Although the 1st of this month has been written into history as the warmest September day ever, the first week of this month must certainly has a record of its own, but a less flattering one.

In some way, Saturdays like these are also very cosy. Sitting in front of the fire, with a hot cup of coffee, while looking through my old photographs, holds a certain magic, I admit.
Batcat of course enjoys these quiet afternoons. He certainly knows how to relax and it is always highly contagious. As soon as I light the fire, he makes himself comfortable in front of the fireplace, falling asleep on the sheep skin. That is of course after he has hunted enough raindrops on the window pane and observed the world outside for a while. A very exhausting task, if you are a cat.

We are wishing everyone a very relaxing Saturday afternoon.

Flashback Friday: "The Spirit Of The Hawk".

My music taste is very broad. I enjoy sound the way I enjoy life; I love to explore it using all my senses and I will never cease being curious. Therefore, I too will occasionally enjoy the escapist beat of house or techno-style, or even any good old fashioned dance music. In a certain way, it has a relaxing effect on me.

The below video from 2000 is an example of such a musical experience. One of the absolutely most stunning visual clips I have ever seen. I love everything about it; the sentiment, the colours, the setting, the images and of course, I completely love the song it accompanies.

Rednex is a Swedish manufactured techno-country band. To be honest, I am not very interested in much of the stuff they have produced over the years. Most of it sounds like rubbish to me. "The Spirit Of The Hawk" however is indeed an exception and I find it somewhat surreal that it was produced by this obscure musical group.

This piece indeed managed to appeal to all my senses the moment I watched it for the first time. I have just returned from almost a decade of living in the US. It was an unsettling time, as is common when any major changes take place in ones life. I was without a home and felt as if I had lost a part of my identity. Everything about the country I just left was still very vivid in my mind. Therefore, I also payed attention to images and sentiments that connected me to this far away land.

The relativity of time makes it all seem like yesterday, yet in some ways it feels like an eternity ago...

Late August Saturday.

The weather has turned very unstable, making it feel more like April than August. It rains heavily one minute, while the sun shines the next, making the air hot and cold, in a fast, alternate manner.
This is the first Saturday for a while that I am spending entirely inside. I am back to my "Lazy Saturday Afternoon" with a good cup of coffee, Batcat relaxing languidly at my feet and a couple of good magazines, which I have not had time to read yet. As I am reading, once in while I lean back to watch the rain pounding at the window pane, followed by the sun shining through the drops.

I love reading magazines and still today have two subscriptions; one is a fashion magazine and one is an interior decoration/culinary magazine. Both excellent and very inspiring. A perfect company for a rainy day.

My Meditation.

I like certain electronic music. I cannot adequately describe why. Nor can I exactly examine it and point out why some of the modern music has an effect on me. This effect is a combination of feelings that relax my mind and set my thoughts free, disconnecting me from my immediate surroundings, even if for just a fleeting moment. It can be compared to a kind of meditation or a reality escape. Everything becomes crystal clear and vivid. However, the right kind of music, combined with a particular beat inspires me also creatively. It is difficult to term this right; I often call this music "ethereal, escapist or airy". It fills a void in space.

We all have different ways we like to relax. Being very emotional in my personality, I feel everything very strongly. Life makes an imprint on me every day. I am very perceptive, for better or worse. Not to suffer emotional overload, I need an outlet for the emotions that arise from impressions. The way I let go is often through creativity but also through listening to music. Certain beat and the way a melody is composed, helps me to just relax and to daydream - it is amazing the places the mind can take me if I let it. I love and need these few hours of complete solitude, preferably while an incense stick spreads its wonderful aroma through the air.
The below is a perfect example of a musical piece that would qualify as an aid in my meditation.

How do you relax? Do you find it necessary to have a moment just for yourself? And can you find the time to enjoy such solitude regularly, despite the stress of every day life and the demands of family and workplace?