1512 - in the commercial vortex

sony nex 7 with walimex pro 8mm f2.8 | f8.0 | ISO200 | 1/6

shortly before christmas we are completely caught up in the commercial vortex. in these days the corridors of the shopping malls are usually overcrowded, since everybody seems to guess that the human kind will starve during the holidays and so the people start to build up reserves again.

fortunately there is a brand new shopping mall in our village since a few weeks now. it's a pleasure to go shopping there, the corridors are wide and empty and you can easily breeze through the shelves. at least today.

2710 - plumed visit

setup: sony nex 7 with sel 50 f1.8 | 50mm | f1.8 | ISO200 | 1/160 | lightroom 4.2

tina and i take care of animals in the same way like we respect humans.

this fact finds expression for example in our direct environment: besides our own cat we sometimes look after the kitties and dogs that live in our yard, too. additionally to that tina donates a little sum to an animal welfare organisation.

i for one try to help all the beings in my direct surrounding. for that reason i started to feed the birds in our yard since a few days again. corresponding the first spit of snow fell today and the first soil frost is said to appear in the coming night. i'm pretty sure that the eurasian nuthatch of my today's pic is very pleased with the delicious seeds that we usually serve.

on bad weather days like today the observation of approach and departure of the beautiful european birds is more amusing than watching a movie in the home cinema and a welcome variation to my learning periods.

cu, trshptr

1210 - a la turca

setup: sony nex 7 with sigma 30 f2.8 ex dn | 30mm | f2.8 | ISO1000 | 1/60 | lightroom 4.2

a few days ago i've told you a restaurant that you should avoid please. today i'd like to recommend you one.


the restaurant a la turca in billstedt is the best turkish restaurant i know. you can get wonderful turkish food of all kinds there. the service is attentive and the prices are moderate. obligatory visit!

cu, trshptr

2209 - feeling at home

setup: sony nex 7 with sigma 30 f2.8 ex dn | 30mm | f2.8 | ISO1600 | 1/60 | lightroom 4.1

after a five hour car drive straight to the south tina and i finally arrived at our cottage at half past four. we'd already got a bunch of italian food ingredients in a local grocery store: vegetables, wine and beer, meat, pasta and of course a lot more, also for our breakfast as from tomorrow.

the cottage that we'll live in during the coming seven days is very small, but all the more comfortable. it's furnished in typical italian style, very cosy. we are feeling at home.

cu, trshptr

1408 - firefighting operations

setup: sony nex 7 with sel 50 f1.8 | 50mm | f1.8 | ISO200 | 1/800 | lightroom 4.1

during the last week a very special issue has caused topics for discussions in germany: highly probable germany's biggest poultry company wiesenhof will sponsor the bundesliga football club werder bremen. wiesenhof hit the headlines with information about antibiotics in the animal food, bunions, corroded lungs and absolutely disastrous living conditions for their animals plus killing in childhood.

as a result many club members are threatening werder bremen with their resignation if werder is really going into the contract. in my opinion the current discussion is bringing temporary awareness concerning the products we eat in our daily lives and how they are formed into the light of day again. no more, no less. probably rogue firms like wiesenhof are in the majority. everybody has to decide for himself how he manages the situation. and in a few weeks nobody will talk about this topic anymore.

i for one buy poultry and other meat only at the butcher of trust. if tina had her way we wouldn't eat meat anymore, but for me it's essential. fortunately today i didn't have to be behind the 8-ball: we had rib of beef of very good quality, and anyway the cows are reared completely species-appropriate.

cu, trshptr

1206 - garden-fresh harvest

setup: sony nex 7 with sigma 30 f2.8 ex dn | 30mm | f5.6 | ISO125 | 1/60 | lightroom 4.1

i know what the saying "living from hand to mouth" rather implies: you are so poor that provisioning isn't quite possible because you need simply everything you can find for your daily ration. fortunately this state isn't appropriate for us, actually most of the people of the first world don't have this problem. everything is available almost everywhere.

nevertheless also in the industrial countries some people still carry on a kind of organic farming and grow products that are obtainable in stores and shops, too. vegetables of all kinds are grown, so for many recreational farmers a hobby is associated with a useful thing - your daily bread. regardless the use of the saying of the first paragraph is also suitable for them: provisioning isn't convenient because garden-fresh, natural products are easily perishable.

the topic is present in the first place because this week tina and i care for the kitties and the great many plants and vegetables of our neighbours because they are currently on vacation. since we are assertively allowed to pick their ripe harvest, i think there are worse jobs on this planet.

cu, trshptr

2406 - chimichurri

setup: sony nex 7 with sigma 30 f2.8 ex dn | 30mm | f5.6 | ISO125 | 1/60 | lightroom 4.1

today we had dinner outside in the yard. nothing of note, but all parts of our meal could be prepared on the charcoal grill. for that reason with today's posting i'd like to bring the recipe of our dinner home to you.

asado beefsteak with chimichurri for 2 persons

meat
- 2 entrecóte steaks (250g)
- pepper from the mill
- sea salt

chimichurri
- 1 scallion
- 1/2 bundle parsley
- 2 fresh branches thyme
- 1 handful oregano
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 to 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 tea spoon of sea salt
- 1/2 tea spoon of black pepper
- 1/4 red paprika or tomato
- 1/2 tea spoon of paprika powder, sweet
- 100ml olive oil
- 50ml red wine vinegar
- 50ml water

if you like the taste of beer pickle your meat in beer for 24 hours. at the start of the preparation take the meat out of the fridge minimum half an hour before the preparation, wash it with cold water and dab it dry. cut into the layer of fat at an interval of 2cm. necessarily use a charcoal grill, otherwise the meat wouldn't been flavoured as intended. grill the steaks medium, 3 minutes per side. afterwards wrap it in aluminium foil and let it rest at the edge of the grill for 8 minutes.

for the garnish use mortar and pestle to shred to dry ingredients. afterwards mix it with the liquids and let it rest in the fridge. brush the grilled and flavoured meat with the chimichurri.

enjoy your asado beefsteak for example with a grilled corncob with soy sauce.

cu, trshptr

1905 - the arab

setup: canon eos 400d with efs 18-55mm | 18mm | f5.6 | ISO400 | 1/160 | lightroom 4

some things can't be rolled back.

today we met a very interesting and kind man at the middle ages market near ueberlingen and unfortunately i hadn't asked which country his homeland is. he looked like an arab, maybe he is from morocco or egypt. we are never going to know.

ok, no reason to be at odds, the most important questions were discussed. the seller - he offered different spices from around the world - told us a lot about his different products, spices from india, morocco, tunesia, france and so on, spices like masala, peppers, harissa, cardamom and different other oriental powders. due to his great consultation we finally bought two little bags of different salts.

really an amicable meeting with you, kind arab.

0605 - cool down

setup: canon eos 400d with efs 18-55mm | 27mm | f4.0 | ISO200 | 1/125 | lightroom 4

after our weekend rituals like having a lie-in, a great breakfast and the soccer match at the afternoon tina and i went to a village fair in markdorf, called dixiefest. it is a yearly trade festival, all shops have opened till 6pm although the day of the event is always sunday.

we had a get-together with nice people, above all the coffee specialist who explained us everything about coffee roasting won our hearts. after the roasting process in the cylinder the beans have to cool down in the catch tank. at that the beans are stirred vigorously. it's too bad that pics don't smell.

cu, trshptr

2503 - opium of the people

setup: canon eos 400d with efs 18-55mm | 34mm | f5.0 | ISO100 | 1/320 | aperture priority | jpg out of camera

the people of manchester are simply wonderful. communication and helpfulness especially characterize them. furthermore the whole circumstances are really enjoyable because contrary to london you find a healthy proportion between locals and tourists.

if i ought to describe the mindset of manchester´s citizens with a few strong words i would choose confident, freaky and consuming. the first two aspects speak for itself and consumption is omnipresent all over the city [information, warmth, presence, products, fashion, party! ...].

so we also consumed a lot of different - legal - stuff during the last three days, in terms of [non air safety relevant] fluids i focused on coffee that is my special highlight in holiday times apart from some alcoholic drinks.

the portrait above outlines my wife tina while consuming a ... tea. pfff, healthmaniac.

cu in regular interval, trshptr