What does one do in East Friesland when it rains? Drink tea and wait for the rain to stop. So I dug out the Advent Wreath, dusted it off and readjusted the ornaments. Following the tradition closely, I stuck three white candles and a burgundy-coloured one in the holders. Each candle is lighted on each succeeding Advent Sunday. The coloured candle is lighted on the last, the 4. Advent.
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It was a bleak and rather foggy morning on a Saturday, a week before the 1. Advent, and way past 9:30, when I walked through the pedestrian zone, hardly encountering a soul.
This walking up and down the pedestrian zone made me feel peckish. Since I couldn’t hang around till Advent for the pizza or sausage, I hurried home to whip up another of my cranberry concoctions.
Click here for the ALMOND-CRANBERRY SWIRL CINNAMON-STAR CAKE recipe
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The First Advent this year falls on the 29th of November, a Sunday. I have to hurry and start baking some cookies. OK, so I have enough German cookies, but they are store-bought. And besides, those cranberries look so festive and delicious. Ever had any Cranberry Christmas Cookies before?
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WHAT has cold, grey, drizzly November to offer in the way of festivities for children?
Answer: MARTINMAS.
The highlight of November in Germany is “Martini”. “Martini”, which has nothing to do with James Bond’s martini, shaken or stirred, falls on the 11th of November, and is also known as “Martinstag” or St. Martin’s Day. It is a feast day in the Catholic regions of Germany commemorating St. Martin, Bishop of Tours (316 – 397 AD) who was buried on the 11th of November. Legend has it that Martin, as a young Roman soldier, cut his cloak in two and gave one half to a beggar he saw freezing in the depth of Winter. This charitable act earned him his Sainthood. St. Martin’s Day is celebrated with a lantern procession and singing, followed by a feast of “Martinsgans” or Martin’s goose.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Beamtengans, Catholic, Christmas, German, Germany, goose, holiday, lantern, November, pork, recipe, rib, roast, Sankt Martin, song, St. Martin | Leave a Comment »
ANOTHER plant that makes its appearance together with the Poinsettia during the Holiday Season is the Amaryllis, also known as the Belladonna Lily. Flower shops carry them as a bulb with a stem just emerging, and by Christmas, the plant should be in full bloom, with a flower, or two, even three if you’re lucky. You can also get Amaryllis bouquets, bound with Christmas greens. Red is the most popular, as it is the colour of Christmas. I prefer the pink ones.
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I wrote DOROTHY’S SONG for a short fiction competition that was later cancelled, much to my disappointment. Instead of letting it gather electronic dust in the folder on my desktop, I’m posting it for all of you who might be interested.
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In Germany, the shops and supermarkets have been gently hinting, since the beginning of October, that Christmas is just around the corner. The shelves are stocked with the traditional Christmas cakes and cookies – the most popular being the Butter Stollen, a loaf-shaped, heavy, sweet yeast cake-bread made with clarified butter, raisins and candied fruits; and Zimt Sterne,a cinnamon-spiced cookie shaped like a star with a chocolate or white sugar icing.
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Very often I long for the taste of home. Living where I am, in a little town in Northwest Germany, it’s near to impossible to find authentic Malaysian food. But I am a creative person. With a few basic ingredients, I have turned out a simple dish with a truly Malaysian (or Thai or Singaporean) flavour.
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You can now read my first children’s book “Payah” in the Reading Corner. It’s a test for now and you might be able to read my other books there in the future.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged adventure, books, Borneo, children's, Malaysia, online, payah, read, Sarawak, story | Leave a Comment »
Welcome to my Blog! My aim is to please and to enchant. I plan to make some of my children’s books available to the public as well as some other writings, whenever and whatever pops into my mind. You will also find some interesting links on the right, links to other literary or writers’ blogs and relevant websites.
Bookmark my Blog and check frequently for new things.
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