May 7th, 2019, Nordfriedhof Düsseldorf
Gallery
Garden and Park Schloss Berge, Gelsenkirchen
8 May
An epic English landscape garden, a herb garden to drive the witch crazy and a romantic French garden – all in one place. Who thought Gelsenkirchen was so beautiful?
The park and gardens at Schloss Berge (Gelsenkirchen) offer interesting perspectives. Portals formed by trees frame and reveal new scenes. High beechwood hedges flank the way into a labyrinth. Staggered arrangements emphasize distances. The area around the former castle is divided into three sections: the French garden with its geometrical flower borders and allegorical sculptures was created during the late baroque period, whereas the widespread English landscape garden was added during the 18th century. Between the two lies a labyrinth, which encloses a lavishly laid out herb garden with espalier fruit trees and plenty of healing herbs.
Fellow photographer Anna Krajewski guided me through this wonderful park, while walking her English bulldog. Mist veiled the nature and buildings and provided a chill and relaxed atmosphere. And so the three of us enjoyed the cool day, after an eventful Walpurgis night…
French Garden
The first garden at Schloss Berge…
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Walpurgisnacht 2019
3 May
Having spent past Walpurgis nights in relative solitude for over a decade, the stars aligned now in such way, that this year I was invited to spend it together with fellow photographer and occultista Anna Krajewski. Above are a few impressions of our little sabbath, as we explored a chapel built in follow to the execution of the region’s last witch, and ventured on through the forest, as the blue hour began. Finally we came to sit among tree roots descending towards a lake, in the company of myriads of bats and various waterfowl, a swan and last but not least a grey heron, sliding elegantly across the water’s mirroring surface…
Early Bird
5 Apr
This ring-necked parakeet is enjoying an early morning lunch by eating the flowers of the cherry tree in our yard. Ring-necked parakeets are spreading in German cities, especially in North-Rhine Westphalia and are getting into conflict with humans. E.g. Cologne began in 2018 to actively expel the birds from its city center. Meanwhile ornithologists suggest beneficial effects of the parakeets, since their breeding burrows are being reused by other birds, e.g. stock doves, which are listed as threatened. The parakeets breed earlier than our native birds. During autumn there about 3000 parakeets, crows and jackdaws gathering at Düsseldorf’s Kö, a famous strolling promenade.
Kamelienblüte Schloss Pillnitz, Frühlingsanfang 2019
22 Mar
The camellia in Pillnitz is around 230 years old, almost 9 m high and 11 m in diameter. From February to April it is covered in carmine red flowers. During the cold season, the tree, which was planted in 1801 by court gardener Terscheck, is protected by a large glass house with stairs. During this time visitors can enter and view the tree from two levels.
In the mid 19th century Dresden became a European hot spot for the culture and breeding of camellias, and exported them to Russia as well as Italy and Spain. The camellia was viewed as a status symbol among European aristocrats, and Russians in particular, had a high demand for camellia flowers, which were exported in thousands to St. Petersburg and Moscow.
With growing popularity among Westerners, and contrary to its Far Eastern symbolism, the meaning of the flower changed. Thanks to popular literature, most prominently La dame aux camélias by Alexandre Dumas from 1848, as well as real life personae, such as the “Wiener Cameliendame”, a dancer named Fanny Elßler, the camellia became erotizised!
On the other hand the longevity of the flowers, and particularly white camellia flowers, became associated with death and mourning and were woven into funeral wreaths.
The seeds of all known (about 200) camellia seeds yield a valuable oil, which smoothes the hair and juvenates the skin. The oil is rich in linolenic acid, and is also used in cooking and reduces cholesterine. Samurai rubbed camellia oil unto their sword blades to protect them from rust. The oil is also used as a natural surface finish for wood, as lube in watches and precision engineering and more.
Camellia wood is hard and durable and was used in the manufacture of weapons, different tools as well as kokeshi dolls. Up to the Edo period, a camellia rod was used in Buddhist ceremony to punish and drive out malign spirits. The wood also yielded a spark-free and, hence sought after charcoal.
Camellias are highly resistant against diseases and may contain different antibacterial and fungicidal agents.
Besides, the first Westerner to portrait a camellia flower was likely a Saxon gardener by the name George Meister. His book “Der Orientalisch-Indianische Kunst- und Lust-Gärtner” was published in 1692 in Dresden. In it he describes both the camellia as well as its crop plant, Camellia sinensis var. sinensis – the tea shrub!
Further Reading:
https://kamelienschloss.de/botanische-sammlung/kamelien/geschichte-verwendung-von-kamelien/
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pillnitzer_Kamelie
https://www.schlosspillnitz.de/de/schloss-park-pillnitz/kamelie/
Selling on Etsy — The Long, Rattling Death March
3 MarI used to sell on Etsy, but stopped, when they began to force sellers to provide their personal bank info (which I did not want to give to them). I also felt they were starting to charge more and more fees. I too experienced automatic renewals even though I had turned them off. But all of this was small compared to the experiences shared here. I am hence sharing this.
Copyright © 2019 SYDNEY SCHUSTER — All Rights Reserved
My last post was a screed about selling on Etsy and why your inventory there never moves. This used to be part of it. I moved it here because veteran sellers already know how Etsy rips them off. Newbies, this one’s for you.
Worst eCommerce Nightmare Ever
On February 15, 2019, Etsy hoovered millions of unowed dollars from sellers’ bank accounts and credit cards. The first 87 sellers reporting to Etsy’s forum cited individual amounts ranging from $265 to $144,000. They collectively lost a half million dollars.
Said one seller: “I went from owing no Etsy bill to owing $1,200 in the blink of an eye. Even though billing said I owed nothing, I couldn’t print any shipping labels because it said I had to pay at least half of a $1,200 bill I didn’t owe.”
Below is a screencap…
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