D'ORO

I'am writing this post sipping a cup of a mixed fruit tea called 'Dschungelzauber' which means 'Jungle Magic'. Today (30 Sep) I walked into D'oro a tiny little tea shop in Wiesloch and the lady who runs the place transported me into the world of teas.

I am usually very content with my cup of black tea, but being surrounded by friends who are so 'into' their teas i was bound to be bit by the tea bug. I was impressed with the wide range of teas and also the exotic mixes that were on offer. Also loved the way the entire shop was decked up to lure you into the world of complex tea concoctions.

The sweet seduction

Yes, that's what 'Die süsse Verführung' on this sign board outside this delicious chocolate store meant. And seduction was what they exactly had in mind.

The store had everything you could possibly imagine with chocolate in there. I was all enticed just reading what they had to offer. On display for instance were chocolate tea, sugar laced with chocolate, milk chocolate shaped like cats tongues (sounds gross) called katzenzungen, chocolate liqueur, truffles, pralines and a lot more chocolatie goodies. So next time you are in town and have a sweet tooth let me know and I know the perfect place to take you.

Picnic in a jiffy

Sometimes a picnic can be a perfect way to spend some quality time with friends. Especially on a beautiful sunny day in September like today (Sep 27) I definitely did not want to miss out on the chance of sitting outside. So picnic it was with S and J and the little ones. J proposed that we meet at the playground so the kids could play with each other. S made some yummy pecan cake together with whipped cream and fresh raspberries and blueberries.

We were all thirsty walking the whole day so drank up a lot of the fresh fruit tea which was perfect with the cake.

There was no major planning behind this event but sometimes I think picnics put together in a jiffy are really the best.

The public library

I love this particular place in town. Yes it is the public library, literally.

On a nice sunny day it is perfect to pick up a book, sit down in one of the cafes on the square and enjoy your read. There is a note on the book stand requesting readers to replace books exactly in the same section from where they were taken. Little bunny casually browsed through the two rows of books and looked very pleased.

Benefits of chatting online

Looks like I did catch your attention eh? Yes, there are some benefits of online chatting. Atleast I know of some. For one, you can actually find out what someone is cooking on the other side of the ocean and if you find it interesting then quickly exchange recipes. Well you can debate that with a simple google search you can find almost anything you want these days. But what you miss is the actual expertise and the wisdom that the person on the other side already has. Anyway the other day I was chatting with my sis-in-law and she told me that she was making mutton chilli fry and my taste buds immediately started tingling.

The name itself had a tanginess to it and I asked her for the recipe. She was very quick and sent me a very neatly written out recipe and it was really simple. The recipe called for a lot of fresh cilantro which made it smell so fresh and look so good.
I tried it out and I was definitely happy and I should admit I am convinced about the benefits of online chatting.

Was a treat paired with steaming basmati rice

Love the way that the chillies are fried and used for garnishing at the end

Learning from nature

Growing up can be so much fun! So many new things to learn and explore and understand every day, every hour, every minute, every second. Little bunny enjoyed her nature project with her class so much that these days every time a walk outside with her can result in a mini nature project for me. It also means bringing home a lot of twigs, branches, acorns, chestnuts, stones, dried leaves, flowers etc. Its so much fun enjoying nature and 'really' seeing it through your children's eyes.

Splish splash time

Lets find some earthworms

Lets fill our bags with goodies


Everybody on the hunt

Blowing bubbles

Do you recognize this from today morning children?

Using all the collected raw material for art

Collecting wild flowers

Oh oh there goes the bubbles

Ah ha thats how the snail goes into his shell whenever he wants to

Blissful

Yes that's the adjective I would use for our weekend getaway. A little town called Wolfach in the Blackforest is where we stayed. Hubby dear celebrated his birthday with a nice rich chocolate cake, of course little bunny got to blow out the candle.

Loved my typisch Deutsch (typical German) breakfast with eggs boiled to perfection exactly for 4 minutes.

Took long walks in the woods and little bunny cycled away without tiring a bit. She also got to feed real bunnies and goats.

Tried out some of the seasonal specialities like pumpkin soup flavoured with pumpkin seed oil served with large shrimps.

Hubby loved the neuer (new) wine. The chalet was so charming surrounded by apple orchards ripe with fruit.

It was exciting to spot deer grazing in the wild.

Bunny checked out the water temperature in the pool. Brrr the water was cold so asked Frau Schmieder to switch on the sauna instead.

Like I mentioned it was blissful!