Tagged by Richard at CatskillCottageSeed.

I was tagged by Richard Reeve @CatskillCottageSeed.com to reveal 6 random things about myself, so here we go.

• Started blogging 12 months ago, and my eco-gardening blog in Polish hit 34.000 visitors in first 6 months - to my big surprise! 10.000 visitors/monthly in season months!

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• One day, abt 5 years ago, I got so much annoyed with living in the city, that during morning jogging I decided, to move. Where to? In extreme version it could have been middle of the forest, but luckily turned out to be suburbs of Warsaw - so we keep an access to city treasures, but can fully enjoy living close to nature.

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• I found my way to Twitter via Joe Vitale book 'Hypnotic Marketing' - amazing book, that changes the energy flow - can't explain why - and changes the approach to marketing. This book is real fire and burns hands and mind while reading!

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• In Malmoe/Sweden they have such a unique place called Ribban (cold bath house), where for the first and so far the last time in my life, I jumped straight from the sauna to the Baltic Sea - it was beginnng of December, temp. of air and water was close to 0C. OOOHHH - I thought I will die on the spot, but no... it was just very refreshing :)

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• In my last regular job I got stucked lil much too long doing things I didn't really like. It was not like this from the beginning - just developed in different direction than I did. My mistake was to not cut it at the proper time. It ended 18 months ago, not funny at all (depression, burn out etc.) Never going to make this mistake again! As Gary Vaynerchuk says 'there is no reason in 2008 to do s**t you hate' - if you haven't yet, u need to see this one! (attn: it contains some adult language)
  
  

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• My first big love was music. I was also very keen to know everything about bands I loved. One day universe dropped - so called - possibility in front of me, which I never, ever in my life had dremt of! From that day I had the chance to meet world's biggest names i.e. Miles Davis, Chick Corea, even had the chance to organise the tour of 12 concerts in Bulgaria of my kid's years fav band Uriah Heep. I thought at that time -it was the lucky coincidence, but later I understood something that Paulo Coelho wrote 'if you really want something, world and universe will do everything to give it to you'.

This were 6 random things YOU didn't know.

So, now I would love to know more about:

Lynda at Food, Farm & Farm Life in East Africa

Katarina at Roses and Stuff

Valorie at Visual Vamp

Shawn at Country French Antique

Vicki at FrenchEssence

Millie at The Laurel Hedge

Rules are following:

1. You mention in your blogpost two links of this meme http://ewainthegarden.blogspot.com - this will help us check how far this particular meme reached - I will report it after seeing hits in my stats. And also you need to link the blog who invited you to play.

2. You post 6 random things about yourself we didn't know.

3. You choose 6 people you would like to know better and you invite them to play.

I am REALLY looking forward to know more about Lynda, Katarina, Valorie, Shawn, Vicki and Millie!

Ghosting...

I have been tagged for a game of “Ghost It Forward” by Victoria at Teachings of the Horse, that is appearing on my blog usually when I need spiritual uplifting..

Here are the rules of this fun new blog-tivity:

1) Have a Ghostly Image to pass along.

2) Tag three people on your blog, with links to their blogs. Tell about what great folks they are, or offer to send them a Ghostly Treat.

3) Include a link to Ghosting It Forward in your blog.

This is a true story and happened to me many years ago...

My father had been passed away for about a year...
and I always had a very strong regret, that I have not been close enough to him before he died...
and I missed him a lot...
One day I decided to write a letter to him - just to get things out of my thoughts, have a closer look at it and either throw it away or cherish it deep in
my heart.
My days were busy, I was working full time and was a single mom.
My son was 7 years old, so I didn't have much time for myself until he went to bed.
That day he fell asleep before 10 p.m. It was dark outside. I felt like that was the day to do something about it.
I took my notebook, sat at the table, turned off everything....
I started to think... how my dad was in his best days... how he died... and what I would like to tell him... but I couldn't manage to do so when he was among
us...
I took a pen and started to write all. Without following any path or planning the sentences. Whithout thinking whether it is right or wrong... whether I make
any mistakes... it was flowing straight from my heart and spirit to that blank piece of paper in front of me.
It was dark outside and silent in the house...
... then suddendly the CD player got turned on by itself and started to play my favourite album. It was from Seal. The CD was in the player before, because I
listened to it in the weekend.
You have to believe me, CD player got turned on by itself.
For some reasons I was not surprised. While writing, I must have been put myself into such an intense mood that I wasn't scared. Even if the event was so
unexpected.
I looked at what I wrote, I listened to the music and shortly after went to bed. I knew I was not done with writing, but it was already late. I decided to
continue the next evening.
Next day, after my son fell asleep, I took the notebook again, sat at the same table and started to concentrate...... after some time I started to write...
... and again...
CD player got turned on by itself. The same album of Seal started to play...
This time I got scared. I turned it off and went to bed, covering myself fully, including my head...

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ufff... that felt good to write it! I had goose bumps for some time...

OK... so, I pass this Ghostly meme to Viooltje at Lady Greenthumb's Garden - with her talent to tell stories I am sure we have a nice piece to read , Cielo at House in the Roses - whos spirit is in constant dance and Barbara at Abenteuer Garden - that for some reasons made me believe many times before, that her garden has special inhabitants.

Tagged twice lately - Psst! - I am a bad girl.

I know there is somebody in the blogosphere wondering why I promised to play and I don't. Actually it is even worse. I forgot who tagged me - which I am very sorry for - and it is not a comfortable feeling.
I am not going to list now my excuses.
There is only one - I got very involved in my private project of learning video production software :) This dragged me away from gardening and garden blogging.
What shall I do now?
Participate, even if already over one month have passed?
I will search the comments - probably I will find who tagged me.

Second tagging was made by Violet at Lady Greethumb's Garden. Violet you reminded me about the previous tagging :)

Six things you didn't know about absent-minded gardener from Poland:

1. I got glued to my laptop - soon I will see some special signs of organic adaptation on my hands and laps. Is it already addiction? Hard to admit.

2. I rediscovered biking - after many years of break, I got on bike again and I love it. My speed gets faster and faster.

3. After we moved to Komorów, I decided to not install any satelite TV - in order to encourage my family to spend time outdoor. I was successful - it got installed just 2 weeks ago and it is watched just very rarely.

4. My gardening interest was hiding deep for my entire life - it woke up just like enlightment comes - suddenly and unexpectedly.

5. I love black as my cloth color. I know different colors and I decide sometimes to buy different clothes, but while shopping the only clothes I like or I think are worth to buy, or fits me, at the end are usually black. I haven't made clothes shopping for some time, because I decided to consume what I have in my wardrobe first before getting anything new. At the end how many black skirts you need? I have in minority some other colors, and that's enough for now.

6. I discovered I am romantic, which I was denying for many years, or not denying, but something has change. I don't know. What do you think? Could it be just 'discovered'? or you just change while being in the journey of developing your talents and growing your spirit?

I will tag people, that find very interesting and would like to learn more about them.
My tagged friends are:
1. Kathryn at Plant Whatever Brings You Joy
2. Victoria at Teachings of the Horse
3. Billy at Garden Wise Guy
4. Pam at Digging
5. Lynda at Garden Girl

Please feel free to participate.

The guidelines are as follows:
1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules on the blog.
3. Write six random things about yourself.
4. Tag six people at the end of your post.
5. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
6. Let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Greetings,

Ewa

I've been tagged...

.. by Cabs of Terra Nova Design and I am in...

The rules are following:
1. Link to the person that tagged you.
2. Post the rules on your blog.
3. Share 4 things in these themes.
4. Tag 4 random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5. Let each random person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their website.

Four jobs I’ve had:
- Music artists guide during festivals
- Music band's tour organiser
- Brand manager at Swiss corporation
- Account director at American advertising agency

Four movies I can watch over and over:
Matrix 1, 2 and 3 - that makes three, but no fourth one currently

Four places I have lived:
Germany
Sweden
Warsaw (Poland)
Komorow (Poland)

Four TV shows I love:
I rarely watch TV, so naturally no favourite TV shows. If as favourite could count 'most watched' is would be 'News' and 'Weather Forecast'.

Four places I have been on holiday:
Istanbul, Turkey
New York, US
Corfu, Greece
Hammamet, Tunisia

Four of my favourite dishes:
spaghetti al'oglio
spaghetti al'oglio
spaghetti al'oglio
spaghetti al'oglio
:)

Four Web sites you visit daily:
Bliss
Bloomingwriter
Garden Rant
gazeta.pl

Four places I would rather be now:
South od France
Greece
Italy
California

Four bloggers I am tagging:
Minerva at Retirement Merry Go Round - very interesting blog of a friend traveling around (in a way)
Lisa at Greenbow - sweet gardening blog of a lovely garden
Billy at Garden Wise Guy - gardening blog with very interesting gardening tips on compositions and not only
Kylee at Our Little Acre - sweet gardening blog, that doesn't miss any important gardening/natural issue

Happy Christmas and my Christmas Meme

I would like to wish Happy Christmas to all fellow gardeners from all over the world, which I met in the last months and thank for sharing the passion!!

The picture - that's the Christmas Card we have received from my mom this year for Christmas.

I found this meme on Karen's blog and I decided to do mine. I will point my choices at the end of it and you are kindly invited to do it at the time of your most convenient choice - either during or after :) It would be nice to know better your Christmas habits :)

However if you are too busy to make this meme, please just send your mental blessing :)

• Eggnog or hot chocolate?

Traditionally no alcohol allowed during Christmas Eve, however lifted by church 2 years ago.

For 25th and 26th there was no such limitation.

I love home made coffeenogg. Which is very easy to make.

Proportions are following: 1/2 ltr condensed milk (without sugar), 1 spoon vanilla sugar, 2 spoons instant coffee, 100g sugar and either 1/2 ltr of vodka (abt 40%) or 100 ml of alcohol (90%).

First you cook milk mixed with vanilla sugar, coffee and sugar for about 10 minutes and mix it constantly - please beware - it has strong tendency to boil over, so you need to make the flame small. After it cools down (important) it may need using mixer, cos there might me some bigger particles caused by milk and it is not nice to get surprised by it while you drink :) So when it is cooled down and smooth you add slowly alcohol and mix well.

At this moment it is ready to drink, however tastes litlle bit better next day :)

• Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?

Santa is still coming to our house - that's a great time to give presents to people you love. Santa wraps presents in his headquarter, where everything is planned logistically and labelled properly:)

• Colored lights on the tree/house, or white?

White white white.

• Do you hang mistletoe?

Not every year, rather not - more often nope.

• When do you put your decorations up?

I try to put them in December as soon as possible - I like the house to have that extra decoration and lights, when outside is sooooo gray. It cheers up a bit.

Usually in Poland we decorate the Christmas tree and the house in the morning of The Day - which is Christmas Eve 24.12. This year it looks that we will be following the common habit, or do it just one day before - which is today.

• What is your favorite Christmas dish (excluding dessert)?

In many jokes we divide Poland in 2 parts - both of them follow little different culinary habits: one is doing traditional wild mushrooms soup, the second one is cooking betroot soup with tiny ravioli called 'uszka' (ooshka) stuffed with special sour cabbage with wild mushrooms.

Because our family is not tight with any special part of Poland (due to long family story rooted in second world war 2) we switch the traditions. However I prefer mushrooms :)

And my really favourite dish is the fish that we eat only on Christmas Eve - it is fried carp. It special taste is in my head strongly related to Christmas.

• Favorite Christmas memory as a child?

Many blurred pictures - no favourite one. Why?

• Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?

Santa always arrives before That Most Important Special Dinner on Christmas Eve and puts his presents under the tree. All presents have to be opened just after dinner :)

• How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?

The main 'tree' - it is difficult to call it 'tree', cos it is a small ready decoration on form of small tree. Many years ago I decided to not have real tree for Christmas - which is wide tradition here - just symbolic decoration. Since years I use same decoration - boring, ha? Nope... just symbol of one stable thing around me.

Aditionally, since moment that my araucarias became big enough, I decorate them too :)

• Snow! Love it or dread it?

I love it - to walk on it, to look at its sparky lights and most of all I love the sound it makes while you walk on it, when the temperature is below 10 centigrades.

• Can you ice skate?

No.

• Do you remember your favorite gift?

No.

• What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?

To gather as much family members around one table as possible - maybe because it was not happening often when I was a kid, so for me Christmas was unique time of having all important people around. This time it will be different and I try to not think about it, however I am aware that Christmas Eve will be tough.

• What is your favorite Christmas dessert?

Poppy-seed cake.... mniam... mniam... its is great and gives a lot of energy :) There is a kind of magic connected with it. Maybe because of.... hmmm....

• What is your favorite holiday tradition?

Sharing the christmas wafer (poppadum) at Christmas Eve dinner.

• What tops your tree?

Nothing :)

• Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?

Giving definately - I hope to make 'them' happy.

• What is your favourite Christmas song?

Bing Crosby "White Christmas"

As promised at the beginning, that I will ask 3 of you to make your Christmas meme, however if you are too busy, please just send your mental blessings to me :)

So it will be:

Yolanda Elizabet at Bliss

Ida at Surfida

Hannele at Hannele's Paradis

Important: If you make your Christmas meme, please point another 3 persons, however at the beginning you need to refer firstly to the person that pointed you and secondly to origin of this meme, which is Sharkey Malarkey

Have fun during Christmas and don't get stressed!

If you didn't do something it means it was not ment to be done!!

November-itis - meme tag

I was honoured by jodi and tagged as 'meme-victim'. I do it with pleasure. Little late, but I had to find out few new things...
First - of course - I had to learn what 'meme tag' is. Wikipedia is very helpful - how have we lived without internet in the past?
Second I had to learn how to insert a hyperlink in the text :)

Meme tag is great in a way, because you learn more about fellow bloggers and also especially at this season this idea works wonders. Why? You start to think about things you like in your life :) November can make us bit depressed or sad, but if you concentrate on things you like it may have healing effect: life looks always better after.

Rules are following:
When tagged, you must link to the person who tagged you. Then post the rules before your list, and list 8 random things about yourself. At the end of your list, you must tag and link 8 other people.

Easy-wizzy it was not to make list of 8 things I like.

So... here it is:

1. I do bike and its my grand return to biking. It gives great contact with nature. You see more in shorter time and also faster you can reach places which are nice. I discovered biking in the summer, after I decided to quit driving car for some time. Burn out syndrome was my case in July after working long years for corporation. Have you ever felt like empty egg shell? No positive energy? no ability to write one single sentence that comes from your heart or is an effect of your creativity? hmmm..... sounds stupid to me today, but at that time it was rather tragic. I had to completely change my living style in order to get to normal again. So, I changed diet, got more physical and more contact with real life and real people. I quit driving car and bought bicycle and I love it. I explored places in the neighbourhood that I never saw before. Will I ever reach Warsaw by bike?

2. I get up early in the morning. When I do it at 5 am - it is great!. Others are still sleeping and is sooo quite around.

3. Right after I open my eyes I eat banana and drink cup of coffee - I do it exactly same way since 20 years.

4. I often eat pasta al oglio. It is my favourite and very easy to make. Just spaghetti with olive oil, garlic and parmesan. If you didn't try it, you had to do it and you will love it till the end of your life!

5. I allow myself to have 'lazy days' - sometimes I make one day fully 'lazy' - just hanging around in the house, reading a book or magazine (usually gardening magazine, that I have read already 5 times, but there is always something new I spot).

6. I like digging and planting in the garden most. Also planning the plant's combinations - it unleash my creativity - I feel like painting with plants.

7. I try to make stretching gymnastics at least 2 times a week.

8. I seldom read dailies - I feel like escaping far away from politics and start to live in the forest.

So I made it. There is no plants on the list, cos I can not make up my mind which one to choose :)

And now - according to the rules - I should point my meme tag victims!
It will be again very international - I love it! here we go...

Barbara - blogging wonderfully from Switzerland
Tyra - gardening in Sweden
Britt-Arnhild - gardening in Norway
Silke garden and cat fan from Germany
a wildlife gardener from Scotland
aloe garden from South Africa
meems describing her approach to garden in Florida
karen Canada

I am loking forward to your 8 random things :)