It's gotten really, really cold here yesterday evening (well, mostly compared to how warm it was for most of autumn and early winter), with us being solidly in the minus degrees, and today close to -10°C. Which is wonderful, in my opinion, due to several things: 

It finally feels a bit more like winter, and Xmas coming up. I don't have to worry about the cookies placed in the wintergarden getting too warm and cosy. The bit of snow that we got stays on the ground, making everything look much more wintery (see above).

But, most important, and on top of my hooray list right now: We can finally defrost the freezer, storing its frozen contents outside while the machine thaws and we remove the layers of ice that have built up. They are not horrendously thick yet, but quite noticeable, and I've been waiting for a chance to do this for ages now, but it has never been cold enough for long enough (with a reliable prediction, and preferably at a time when we're actually at home and can do it). The fridge's freezer compartment is already almost done; that's much less to clear out and hoist outside, so it was a spur of the moment job this morning. (In relation to volume, the fridge compartment for freezing had much, much more ice in it as well.) Most curious side effect, and the reason why this action is taking a bit longer than it would have for just clearing the ice out: I discovered that ice had also built up inside the door to the compartment. 

Telltale sign for that was water starting to drip out of the door corner as the defrosting started. Fortunately the door attachment to the fridge itself can be rather easily removed (it's a single screw holding one of the hinge parts), and so the door is now lying in a warm spot to thoroughly thaw and get rid of the water inside.

Once that's done, the fridge will go back into action, and then once it has cooled down the freezer compartment again, contents will go back inside. And then tonight the same thing with the freezer. (Sans the water-in-the-door, though... obviously. At least I hope there won't be secret stashes of ice in spots they are not supposed to be!)

Monday! Let's see what this week will bring - I have a list of stuff to take care of and, if possible, finish. Among these things is more involved stuff as doing a few tablet-woven patterns, then take photos of them (for not just one, but two articles that will appear next year), but also small puny tasks that I've just not gotten around to yet, such as "put away the last pots that still sit outside in the garden so they don't get killed by frost over the winter". It's actually getting cold here now, and there's been some snow falling yesterday and today, so we are finally getting something that feels like winter.

Which is very welcome to me, because it's somehow weird and sad to approach Xmas without it feeling like it's December, and wintry, and having a bit of snow and cold wind now and then. 

Speaking of months... In case you have some German and are looking for something to do tomorrow evening, the Staatsbibliothek Bamberg is doing a presentation about early printed calendars via Zoom tomorrow. Start is 19:00 German time, and you can join in for free via the link on their website.

I don't know about your email inbox, but mine contained today several mails informing me about advent calendars. Most of those are not really interesting to me, as they're telling me to buy things at a discount every day.

There's one advent calendar I'm really looking forward to every year, though, and that is the one made by Maria and Amica from Historical Textiles. The two (self-declaimed) textile nerds show some of their favourite textiles every year, often with links to more pictures on the corresponding museum page. It's a true gem, and every year I admire them for all the time and effort they invest in that count-down.

Here's the link to their December 1 calendar blogpost. Enjoy, and I hope you will enjoy the following posts as well!

It's getting a little bit crazy here, with the Textile Forum coming up plus my gran's birthday right afterwards (which means packing for two things at once). She's turning 101, can you believe it?

There were a few health issues at different So, to prevent things from stressing me out more than they have a right to, I'm going to take a blog break, and leave you with this photo of lavendar flowers with a bee from this summer for a while:

 After all the things that will happen, first the conference and then the family meet-up and celebration of my gran's birthday, I'm going to take a few days off... so I'll be back on the blog on November 28. 

Public holidays tend to slightly throw everything off balance, especially my sense of time - so today somehow feels like Monday, even though it isn't, and I will probably have slight weekday issues for the rest of the week. Good thing that there's calendars and phone alarms to remind me of the really important things that should not be missed, such as a vet appointment coming up, and a doc's appointment for myself for a check-up.

For now, though, as I'm carrying stuff from one part of our living space to other parts to be sorted and organised and stuffed into boxes and crates, have a photo of the Most Patient of All Husbands, dressed in a fluffy cloak:

Good thing that it's so untimely warm for the season, that meant it was no big issue to stand barefoot outside for a bit while taking the photos... 

Well, that week went by quickly. The cat spent a lot of time on my desk, hanging over my arm and purring while I was trying to type. She also has impeccable timing and tends to come for a desk nap and cuddle when I had planned to just finish this two minute task, and then get up and do something else somewhere else. That does lead, in some cases, to a bit of change in schedule and some more computer work first. Because, well. Cuddly warm purring cat on my arm.

There were orders made (for Forum supplies) and orders received (for spinning tools), and there were phone calls in prep of the Textile Forum (and more are still to come, to sort out the catering details). There were appropriate amounts of chocolate consumed. (Though on second thought, they might not have been quite appropriate.)

There's also growing lists and checklists and other lists... and the membrane thread experiment protocol/plan, which still has to get some tender loving care. We have supplies, and a sort-of-plan, but it does need another look at it and some prodding, so we have a workable plan and an idea on what to do in what sequence, and when. 

So... I really, really can't complain about boredom!

Now, though, it's time for the weekend and some relaxing first. Well, and maybe a bit more work on a list or two. Who knows?

Sometimes, there are small changes happening - because of some reason or other. Sometimes, these are just delightful. One of them, which we speculate are due to the pandemic, is the "zu verschenken"-Box. Or, to be more precise, its rise in frequency - the box and the basic concept did exist pre-pandemic, but you can see them much more frequently now.

For those of you not familiar with this (and it might be a German thing, I don't know), "zu verschenken" means "free to a new home". So if you de-clutter your kitchen, or your living room, or whatever, and there are things you'd like to get rid of but that are too good to throw away, and yet not valuable enough that putting them on a portal like ebay would be worth it, and not copious enough to make for a table at a flea market, or or you are just too lazy for all of that.... there's a very quick and easy way to deal with them.

You take a large enough cardboard box and a thick sharpie and write "zu verschenken" on the box. Then you place all the things inside the box and put everything on the curb (preferably to the side, so that there's still space for traffic to pass by) or in a suitable similar place. If there's a lot of stuff, a table and a sign will work as well. If you're living in the end of a little-frequented cul de sac, it might be worth it to carry the box to the next street corner. 

This has been seen occasionally before the pandemic, but since that time period when everyone was cooped up inside and a lot of time was spent going through stuff... they have proliferated. There was a time when you'd see them at about every second street corner, and now they are still much more common a sight than just a few years ago. Much to my delight, because I love the idea of this very low-key exchange, and I enjoy looking at the things offered (even if it's clear from 10 m away that there's nothing for me in the pile), and quite often we've taken off with a thing or two from the box. Our cat litter bin, for instance. Some of our flower pots. A few kitchen items. 

Today we took a little walk and came home with another large flower pot - very timely, as one of the old ones broke just two days ago. And then, just at the street corner at the start of the cul de sac that we live in, there was another box... containing, among more kitchen equipment, glasses and cups.

Those were a very welcome surprise, as the Textile Forum will take place, and we'll be a few more people than the place usually handles (or houses), so glasses were a little scarce. With the glasses and cups donated by my friends and those from the box, though, we'll now be  more than comfortably equipped... and I suspect that if someone wants to take a cup home as a souvenir, that might also be possible.

So hooray for the "zu verschenken"-Box - one of the good things caused by the pandemic.