Today, I met with Catherine and her mother again and spent a very enjoyable couple of hours with them.

Catherine has an incredibly wide range of different facial expressions.
But potentially, there is just one thing on her mind.

Breasts?

Breasts!

BREASTS!

Ahhhh...

Weather is very "novembery" here.

I got completely soaking wet twice yesterday.
First, riding to work by bike (10km).
It took more than three hours for my jeans to dry. Yuck!
Later that day it stopped raining...
... only to pour down really heavily, when I had to ride back - against the wind.

It was a good barometer to see, how far I am with stoicism.
I did rather well.

Wet hair

Wet AND cold

Literally everybody around me is sneezing and coughing.
I'm fine.

Today, I had a quick lunch with my friend in the beautiful ball gown (well, she wasn't wearing it, today. Even though she should have, because it would make everybody smile!).

Apparently, she spent an absolutely wonderful time at Erfurt and met interesting and nice people. It must have been impressive to have almost a whole city participating in the event. Like travelling in time.
They even had an American actor, who very convincingly played Napoleon's role during the whole event.

But most importantly: ;-)
She was complimented so, so often for her beautiful appearance!
Even Napoleon "himself" complimented her - in French, though, so she couldn't understand all of it.

Of course I was watching yesterday's TV coverage. She was in a lovely close up, right in the first seconds of the show, looking down at the dancers from her loge with her lorgnette. I tried to take a photo from the screen.

Mademoiselle T.

Unfortunately, she didn't appear later in the show, because she only started dancing, when the camera teams had left. But the press took photos of her and a young lady, she met there, all the time. If I find some of those pics, I will post them, of course.

The whole thing still didn't make me a history fan. I'm afraid, that bug will never bite me.
But I found it really impressive, how many people are willing to participate and put months of hard work in such an event. And of course I am most happy for my friend, who has had one of her big dreams fulfilled!

Like Augusta, I was saddened by the death of Paul Newman.

Paul Newman

Having worked in the media business, I found most of my prejudices towards actors confirmed. Narcistic, exhausting to be around ... Of course, I am generalizing.
Paul Newman seemed completely free of those vanities. He came across as somebody standing above all of that and being down to earth, simultaneously.

I remember an anecdote, a Hollywood script guru told during a seminar I attended. Maybe it is made up. Maybe it circulates with different superstars. But it could as well be true.

A female friend of the author realized, Paul Newman was coming in and standing right next to her at a Hollywood ice cream parlor. She was in shock.
But working in film business herself, she tried to keep her cool. She payed for her ice cream and left, as if it was the most ordinary situation.
Outside of the parlor she realized, she had forgotten to take the cup of ice cream with her. She found it quite embarassing, but she returned.
The vendor was sorry, but her ice cream could not to be found. Even with Paul Newman next to her, she got upset. After all, she had payed for her ice cream and it couldn't have vanished into thin air.
She insisted on having her cup of ice cream.
Paul Newman bent over, looked her in the eyes and, pointing with his finger, said:
"It's in your purse."

Okay, it probably is made up. He was a real good writer.
But I still can see Paul Newman reacting that way.

So I went over from the zoo to the botanic garden.

Red

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Autumn is here.

Garden spider

Rockery

There is a little exhibition in one of the green houses about the South of China

Colourful banners

Wisdom

I spent a while reading on a park bench. But soon, the sun was going down.


People were leaving.

Three Ladies

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Maybe it's because I was raised by my grandmother, I have a very soft spot for elderly ladies.
Those three made me melt. They seemed so close and so alike. As if they had been friends for ever.

"Coffee or tea?"

I was driving back, a bit sad it might be the last occasion for long to wear my favourite summer skirt.

Head wind

I had some bitter melon then, with very red grains (thinking of lostdwarf, of course, who gave me the tip).

Bitter melon

We had few real summer days this year. Today may have been one of the last ones. I got out, trying to soak up as much sun as I could. I went to the zoo and to the neighbouring botanic garden.

My orang utan friend Lotti just came over for a short hello, but returned immediately to the big male Bornie. They have been separated by a window pane, for a long time. During the last weeks, Lotti found that frustrating. She is "in the mood for love".
Keepers decided, she is too old to have another baby, now, and too old for an operation to sterilize her, too. Poor girl!

You wouldn't think from reading my blog, but they have other animals in the Cologne zoo, too.

Curious penguins, for example.

Hi

They were mesmerized by a cup of icecream a little boy had put there.

"What...?"

"I scream Icecream!"

Yawn

"I'm a prima ballerina in my dreams"

Yesterday evening, an autopsy of Knut's late keeper Thomas Dörflein revealed he died from a heart attack.
He had suffered from cancer of the bladder earlier this year, but had recovered and had returned working at the zoo.

There is an obituary about him on Spiegel online.

I just learned some hours ago, the event my friend is going to in the dress we made is a huge thing.
It will be covered in a two hour telecast on sunday.
It's the 200th anniversery of the Congress of Erfurt in 1808.
I really suck when it comes to history...
Gosh, I'll freak out when I see her in that dress on tv!
I'm starting to get really excited.

The news of the death of ice bear Knut's keeper Thomas Dörflein made me sad this morning. He seemed a modest man, embarrassed by the media hype and genuinly loving his work with animals. Some of you may remember the story about Knut, the icebear, from the Berlin  Zoo.

KNUT'S KEEPER

Thomas Dörflein Found Dead

When Knut the polar bear became a world-wide celebrity, the media spotlight also fell on Thomas Dörflein the keeper who reared him. Now that story has ended tragically. Police on Monday confirmed that the 44-year-old had been found dead in his apartment.

The man who reared Knut the polar bear has died. Berlin police confirmed on Monday that Thomas Dörflein had been found dead in his apartment. The man who acted as the tiny bear's surrogate parent when he was rejected by his own mother became something of a star in his own right as the world was gripped by Knut-mania last year.

Dörflein took over the care of Knut, who was born on Dec. 6, 2006, after the tiny cub's mother Tosca had rejected him. Dörflein spent several weeks with the baby bear at the zoo and even spent Christmas in the cage with Knut.

In March of 2007 he accompanied Knut on his first public appearance at Berlin Zoo, when he was photographed by the world's media. The ensuing global interest made both the polar bear and his keeper media stars. The two had a special rapport, with Knut following his keeper around like a puppy. But then as the bear grew he became too dangerous to frolick with his adored minder, and last November the zoo decided it was best if all contact was cut off.

Last October the bearded, long-haired zookeeper was awarded Berlin's Medal of Merit in honor of his round-the-clock care of Knut.

Dörflein is survived by his partner, two grown-up children and a six-year-old son.

smd -- with wire reports

Source

Last weekend I finally managed to see the little baby girl, I was talking about.
Her mother is fine with me posting a photo.
 
Catherine is adorable and so, so tiny. I'm really not used to newborns, anymore. When she was born, she only weighed 2575 g.

(Oh - that's about the weight I lost since I started my diet change. Weird, somehow.)

Everybody liked the dress I made her :D

Catherine, 8 hours old

(Dear A., hope, you don't mind, I used your "official photo". Those I took when we met are all blurred and are showing a quite unhappy, angry young lady.)

I also met with a friend with whom I just finished sewing a dress for a historical Empire ball. I think, she looks gorgeous in it!
She's an extremely talented writer. I'll let you all know, when her brilliant historical novel comes out.
I have to admit, I am very picky with literature and historical novels are the genre I'd usually be least attracted to. Believe me, if she can wow me, it has to be good.
But agents said, female readers wouldn't accept a male hero, also, it was too "complex" and they called the language "anachronstic". Ehm, "anachronistic"? - isn't that a main idea of a historical novel?
Well, I'd like to fill her language and metaphors in a tub and take a bath in it!

Belle of the ball