Retired from a long working life as secretary/assistant in UN and EU institutions. Freelance stress counsellor and proofreader/copyeditor. Now living in Berlin.
Yes, really, this all-day event took place in the middle of Gallery Weekend. It did not even occur to me to check before I signed up. Just like one of the previous all-day VHS photography courses I signed up for turned out to take place during the Berlinale. I seem to be the only one who finds that sort of thing really strange.
Anyway, it was an enjoyable day out with about 12 people from Volkshochschule, and fun running into four people from BLENDE2-HAMBURG with whom I had recently been in a zoom session, and will be again soon.
1 large sweet onion (such as Vidalia – the “flat” one), quartered and thinly sliced
1 medium-size yellow onion (what I call the “normal” ones), quartered and thinly sliced
1 medium-size red onion, quartered and thinly sliced
4 medium shallots, halved and thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
6 spring onions, thinly sliced
Approx 225 g cream cheese, softened
Approx 3 dl sour cream
The original recipe says 230 g mayonnaise, but unless I can be bothered to make some vegan mayo, I will skip that since I can’t stand conventional mayo)
2 teaspoons garlic powder (I think I will use fresh garlic – not a fan of garlic powder)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Black pepper, to taste
Heat oil and butter till the butter melts.
Add all the onions, except the spring onions, and salt, simmer, stirring occasionally till they start to soften and turn light brown at the edges, about 12 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized, about 35 minutes.
Add the spring onions towards the end of the cooking time.
If it starts to stick to the bottom or become too brown, add a bit of water.
Transfer mixture to a large bowl and let cool before stirring in the cream cheese until it is incorporated.
Add the rest of the ingredients, season with salt and pepper, chill. Can be made a day ahead.
An early Sunday morning walk at Landwehrkanal and and photos from Monday morning when I was early for a breakfast appointment near the central station.
While I am in the process of getting things off my chest: Here, rules are not rules. Everything is debatable. At least in flat-owners meetings (Eigentümerversammlungen).
The first time I came across this phenomenon was when the people who ran the café in the ground floor of my building asked for permission to install a cash withdrawal machine in the café. For some strange reason still incomprehensible to me, that had to be approved in the annual meeting of owners.
In any case, the way these things go is: Year one: a proposal is made and discussed in the annual meeting. Year two: the issue is put to the vote. Year three: the issue is implemented. That is how long things take.
On to the next issue: BBQ-ing, or grilling, on the balconies. The first spring and summer I lived here I could not believe that that was really happening, and to what extent. Of course that only got worse during Covid, the level of home outdoor cooking increased, as did everybody else’s need for spending time on their balconies. For a couple of hours each day, we have to keep doors and windows closed to avoid that stink, which I have always hated, entering our flats and hanging in clothes and furniture.
When I asked our Hausverwaltung (“admin”) – years ago – whether that is really allowed, the answer was vague and wishy-washy – that as long as nobody complains, then yes. Pathetic. And since I am also an immigrant, I knew what the reply would be if I took it up in the owners meeting, so I did not bother.
In the meantime, after last year’s owners meeting, I decided that the atmosphere and tone there is so confrontational, hostile and toxic that I am not going to attend any further meetings. There is especially one person there who for some reason seems to have a lot of power, and each time I dare to open my mouth, immediately contradicts me, like a metaphorical slap in the face, before I even manage to finish one sentence. Being treated like that is a complete waste of time.
Now to the current issue. I have to have a window replaced, and it turns out that that requires a plate on the outside of the building to be removed in order to install the window, and then put back again. An incredibly stupid way of building buldings. Anyway, there is a rule, or so I thought, that basically, indoor repairs are paid by the owner, and anything facade related is paid by admin. So when I asked them who were to pay the cost of renting one of those ladders needed for this operation (between 2000 and 3000 euro) I was told to pay, and then take up the issue of a refund in the next owners meeting.
Will I bother, forget last year’s promise to myself, and give them the pleasure of interrupting me and refusing before I have even had a chance to make my case? Don’t be ridiculous. Not worth ruining an evening for.
There is an amazing wildlife in and around Berlin, from inner city to outskirts, and I have always thought it was a source of pride and joy to Berlin and berliners.
But perhaps that is just hypocrisy.
About a month ago, I discovered an injured female tufted duck on Landwehrkanal. There is a small mound of earth by the bank just across from Vivantes and the van Loon restaurant ship where a couple of swans, and now also this injured duck, congregate.
As can be seen in the photo, the duck has a badly broken wing.
Because of a concrete wall, the location is not immediately accessible, at least not to me, and I am quite sure that even if someone did manage to climb down, the duck would flee into the water. A net and perhaps a small boat would be needed.
As can be seen in the photo, the duck has a badly broken wing. She normally sits very still but sometimes goes to the edge of the water to drink, and when she is startled, she also goes in and manages to swim for a short while before coming back on dry land.
The first time I saw her, there were people there who said it had been reported to the relevant authorities. I have since been back about once a week, including yesterday morning, and she is still there, getting smaller and smaller and sitting more and more still. Dying a slow and, I imagine, agonising death.
On several occasions, I have reported it to two organisations pretending to concern themselves with wildlife rescue, and their standard reply is – we know – many people are reporting on this – we have been there several times and could not find the duck. We will try again tomorrow. And then nothing happens.
My favourite zoo :-). I went to check out the new “Indonesian enclosure” (which looks nice but I only saw one of the alledgedly at least four different species living there), the amur tiger twins born a couple of weeks ago, and the newborn binturong twins (none of which I saw.
NOTE: One of them is definitely vegan, and the other one can be made vegan by using vegan yoghurt.
Also note that I add spices such as ground cloves, cardamom, and fenugreek seeds – to add flavour and because spices are healthy :-).
Bread number 1 (on the right):
4,5 dl cold water
20 g yeast
20 g yellow flea seed shells (Flohsamen)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp molasses (can be left out – I forgot once and nothing happened)
2 tsp cider vinegar
80 g whole buckwheat
50 g sesame seeds
50 g pumpkin seeds
60 g linseeds
150 g sweet potato
150 g whole-grain rice flour
70 g buckwheat flour
70 g quinoa or teff flour
Dissolve the yeast in the water and add the flea seed shells. Mix well and let sit for about five minutes.
In the meantime, mix all ingredients except rice flour, buckwheat flour and quinoa flour well, and add to the mixture. Mix thoroughly.
Mix the three flours well and add to the dough. Mix thoroughly and at length – up to five minutes.
Let sit for five minutes, then mix thoroughly again, and let sit for another five to ten minutes before adding it to a well-oiled or baking-paper lined form. Add seeds on top, and let sit for 1,5-2 hours.
Place in a 230 C oven and immediately reduce to 200 C. Bake for an hour and 15 minutes to 1,5 hours. Let cool completely before cutting into the bread. Keep refrigerated. Freezes well.
Bread number 2:
20 g yeast
4 dl cold water
20 g yellow flea seed shells
1 heaped tblsp melasse (can be left out – I forgot once and nothing happened)
3,5 dl vegan quark or yoghurt or skyr
150 g whole rye
75 g pumpkin seeds
125 g chia seeds
300 g glutenfree oats
20 g salt
100 g hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast in the water and add yellow flea seed shells. Let sit for a moment till it thickens.
Add melasse and vegan yoghurt or whatever you are using. Mix well.
Add all other ingredients except the hazelnuts, and mix well for several minutes.
Add the hazelnuts and mix well.
Press the dough into a well-oiled or baking-paper lined form and smooth out the surface.
Let sit for an hour at room temperature.
Place in a 230 C oven and immediately reduce to 200. Bake for about an hour and ten minutes.
Let cool completely. Keep refrigerated. Freezes well.
Another enjoyable walk very well organised by Johannes Rigal, again with a series of inspirational assignments. This time, the walk went from S-Bahnhof Frankfurter Allee along Frankfurter Allee and Karl-Marx-Allee to Alexanderplatz.
IN PROGRESS
The photos are currently in chronological order and I will have to select a few and group them later.
