Andrea's Blog 12.12.08

Hi Guys,

I’m back to the good old-fashioned written blog now that the tour is over – no more live dance demonstrations or shots of catering or brandy glasses! As is always the case after you come back from being ‘on the road’, I was a little lost for about a week. I love the structure of being on tour and being constantly in motion. Once again you have organise your days yourself and sleep in a static bed and readjust to your own boring cooking (which can, at times, be as uninspired as a piece of vegemite toast!).

It has been a good opportunity to do some writing though and I have had another ‘project’ which has been quite consuming. This project in a word is ‘Berlin’. It has for some time been my second home but it has now officially become my first home, which is scary and exhilarating all at the same time. I know the city quite well already as I have spent a fair amount of time here in the past, but I have never before considered myself a permanent resident. We are experiencing a true German winter at the moment which perfectly suits the festive season. There is no better city to be in at Christmas than Berlin – there are those famous Christmas markets, trees being sold on every corner, lantern-lit streets and endless arrays of buttery treats (I just realised that that rhymes – sorry). I have been the proper German Frau and have taken up baking as my new hobby. There is nothing better for the soul that filling your house with the smell of freshly baked stolen and liebkuchen! When I am not baking I am playing the guitar (the Neighbour luckily plays the piano accordion so has no real grounds for complaint), running around Tiergarten (the big stadt park here – Rufus Wainwright actually wrote a song about it on his last album – Release The Stars), or hiding out in the second hand record stores around Nollendorf Platz. I have decided that records are the way forward. Reflecting on the current ‘downloading climate’, I realised that I actually missed holding an album in my hands and appreciating it as a piece of art (some album art work is exquisite). The other day I found an old Dylan album, Blood on the Tracks and bought The Very Best of The Lovin’ Spoonful (a great record to dance barefoot to).

Anyway, better go. Please keep the messages and feedback coming and enjoy the ‘silly season’.

Andrea x