My Top Ten Favorite Activities

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Ten activities which are important parts of my daily life

Well, there are activities in my daily life which are important because without them I would not be able to live: eat, drink, fetch food, sleep. I don't mean those.
What I will tell you about in this lens are activities which I need in order to be happy, to feel good.
Two years ago my husband died suddenly, and I had to reinvent myself, to think about the things which are important to me, and not only think about them, but put them into practice. The reinvention process is still going on, and in this lens I am describing the stage I am standing on just now.

1. No life without books! 

Where's the next public library?

How fascinating it was to enter the impressive halls of the young people's library! In Germany we have separated adult and young people's libraries. You had to be 12 to be admitted to the young people's library. I loved to read at a much earlier state, and could not w ait to be admitted. And then: the number of books! The possibilities!
I used to walk home holding a book in my hands, reading. I devoured books.
I have been devouring them ever since. All kinds of books - fiction, thrillers, fantasy books, history novels, horror books, German books and English books.

Diana Gabaldon - the Outlander Series 

Mixture between fantasy and historical novel

Outlander

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History is one of my favorite subjects. In her Outlander series Diana Gabaldon describes the Jacobite Rising in the 18th century in Scotland against the British. Her heroes are a woman somehow suddenly transplanted from the 20th century into the time of the rising and a young Scotsman, James Fraser. Certain circumstances force them to marry, but soon they are deeply in love with each other.
But it is not only the usual coat-and-dagger-story. While being entertained we learn a lot about society at that time, about the relationship between man and woman, about medicine.
I could not stop reading till I had reached the end.

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2. I love to take Photos 

Taking photos teaches you to see

The digital camera I am using at the moment is quite some years old. But in order to take good photographs you have to be able to see, and then you can do wonders even with an old piece (I am not saying that I am doing wonders--others do that with their old cameras).
Whenever I go for a walk and have my camera with me I notice things I would not have noticed without it. I discovered the advantage of a 8GB memory card. I discovered the advantage of a Flickr pro account (you can upload as many photos as you like). Taking photos is now a part of my life.

Take your time and smell the roses 

curated content from Flickr

3. I love to blog 

Ulla Hennig's photos and Musings

I have been blogging since July 2008. In the beginning I used my blog to present my photos; in the meantime my photos are sometimes only the starting points for words which go with it.
Blogging opened the world for me. Of course it meant reading other people's blogs and writing comments, and day by day, week by week and month by month a small but very dear community came into existence around my blog, of which I am very proud of.

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4. I love to paint and draw animals and landscapes 

Drawing an animal helps you to understand it

Cats
I painted those cats with pastel colors, and while I was doing it, I tried to find out what makes a cat a cat--the fur, the elegant movements, their pretty heads.

5. I love to drink tea! 

I know quite a lot of people who--after making mistakes with brewing their cup of tea--declared they would never, never drink tea again.
Well, this video shows you how to do it!
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6. I love to play around with Photoshop 

With photoshop you can change reality

Of all the picture-processing programs photoshop is the mightiest. You've got a gray sky and you want a blue one - take photoshop. The photo is too dark - take photoshop. You want a nice animated banner for your website - take photoshop and Imageready and you'll have it.
I am still exploring the possibilities and not yet done with them. I have to do this for my job and I do it off work when I work on my photos.

7. I love to write Squidoo lenses! 

I registered with Squidoo at the end of June 2009. I played around a bit, but I got hooked on Squidoo when I was invited to participate in the RocketMoms class #3, where I had to write a lens according to an assignment each week. I wrote lenses on themes I'd never thought I would and could write a lens about.

8. I love to enjoy nature 

Nature - that's water, parks, forests, lakes!

Forest in the Mark Brandenburg
Walking through a forest is a pleasure in all seasons: in the summer, when it offers shelter from the blazing sun; in winter, when you walk over frozen snow; in spring, when you can watch the light green foliage growing on the trees; in fall, when the leaves are changing into red and yellow.

9. I love to listen to Mozart! 

Whenever I am feeling down, listening to Mozart helps me to feel better.
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10. I love to pass my knowledge on to other people 

There's no stupid question, there are only bad answers

I work at the Berlin University of the Arts as a webeditor. I also responsible for teaching people to put their content online. I once was trained as a teacher, and all the computer knowledge I have today I had to learn myself, either by trial and error or with a handbook or a tutorial on my desk. I love to learn, and I love to pass on my passion for learning to other people. I hate it when they tell me that so-and-so had told them how they had to cope with a certain problem and they had not understood a single thing.

What are your favorite activities? 

Let's talk!

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  • Reply
    WordCustard WordCustard Nov 16, 2009 @ 1:49 pm
    I don't know how I've missed this wonderful lens. I love your top 10 favourite things, and the way you have emerged from your tragic loss and found meaning in creative activities and the world around you. I am lensrolling this to my 'Happiness in Everyday Things' lens - this is such a perfect example of finding happiness in the small things! :-)
  • Reply
    ulla_hennig ulla_hennig Nov 17, 2009 @ 11:32 am
    Thank you for your wonderful words!
  • Reply
    MeltedRachel MeltedRachel Nov 10, 2009 @ 6:54 am
    This is a beautiful lens and wonderful that you found some great things to do - what a great way to give us an insight into who you are :)
  • Reply
    Ramkitten Ramkitten Oct 26, 2009 @ 5:47 pm
    I'm sorry to hear about your husband ... but I'm glad you've found things that make you happy. I love the cat pastel, by the way. I hope to see more of your art. And I'm also a big fan of Diana Gabaldon books. I got my mom hooked on them shortly after my father died, and they really helped her "escape" into another world for hours at a time. I just knew she'd have a crush on Jaime, too!
  • Reply
    bethd821 bethd821 Oct 18, 2009 @ 12:04 pm
    A real great lens. Glad to learn more about you. 5* Lensroll to my lensography.
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by ulla_hennig

I have been living in Berlin since 1981. I work at the University of the Arts as web editor, and in my free time I take photographs and write blog pos... (more)

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