About Geli

My Food and Wine Heritage

I’m a proud mother, curious about the natural supernatural life, eager to learn, and positively impact my world around me.

What other attributes can I think of about myself? Hhmmm …. well, I’m: Passionate Spiritual Real Creative Sensual Curious Reflective Imaginative Adventurous Gracious Emotional Tactile Intuitive Inspirational Nurturing Celebrating the Best in People Maximising their Strengths ….. looking and searching for reasons to smile even in the worst situations …. I’m also a ferverent beauty and glory seeker, attracted to harmony, light, love and intimacy …. and I’m crazy about Siamese cats, currently own two beautiful Chocolate Points.

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Some 16 Random Tid-Bits About Me

1. I am German (born, raised and went to University there), currently live in London, UK. Lived for 7 years in Hong Kong (my daughter was born there). I am ready to live elsewhere, again. Like my son who lives in Australia, I am a traveller, sojourner, and a bit of a ‘nomad’ on this globe.

2. I can’t stand cold climates and cold grey weather (God help me, I live in the UK!). I love warm sunny, bright and humid (yes!!) climates. Anywhere where tropical orchids thrive, there I thrive, too.

3. Even though I am German, I have by far more Spanish relatives. I have an amazing amount of cousins, aunts and uncles living in Spain …. but to their consternation, I do not speak Spanish.

4. I am an outgoing, extrovert, gregarious people person, but at the same time can be very private and hermit like. A nice comfy hut at the edge of beach of a tropical island with just God, my Bible and some favourite books, will be just fine.

5. I am crazy about Siamese cats. I currently own two beautiful Chocolate Points, which I adopted from a Siamese rescue shelter. Previously I had two Blue Points from an excellent breeder. YAY! For good home breeders, it does make a big difference!

6. I also like dogs. I used to own two Cocker Spaniels, one Belgium Shepherd (coat colouring is different to German Shepherds), a little mongrel, and a Boxer. My problem with dogs is that I do not like taking them for walks on a must-do, day-to-day, regular bases. When I lived in The Hague, Holland, I did enjoy hours of walk on the long stretches of beach with my Shepherd.

7. I used to play the flute, loved jamming with jazz cats some 30+ years ago. I know I need to get back to playing, and taking singing lessons, but it takes too much time right now I don’t have. I just trust the Lord for that part of the assignment.

8. I used to be a dancer, enjoyed jazz ballet, ballroom, and dancing on stage as a solo dancer with rock bands (yes, had a wild past LOL). I am working on getting out of the ‘used-to’ mind-set, lose weight and start dancing again. I’d love to learn Tango Argentine properly.

9. I’d love to learn to paint with oils and pastels. (I have done pastels work before). Oh YAY! For tranquil time to let my artistic juices flow! Yes, Lord, please!

10. I am passionate about strong culinary flavours, fresh herbs, quality exotic spices, freshly caught fish, just picked vegetables and exotic fruit that were allowed to ripen on location and not on airplanes and packing halls.

11. I’m big time into essential oils and also perfumes. My all time favourite is Jean Patou ‘Joy’.

12. My ultimate dream car comes out of the Aston Martin stable. Every time I pass by or drive behind a DB 9 … I just droooool!

13. I grew up in a wine area with vineyards literally surrounding the house and the River Rhein (Rhine) below one of the vineyards. I have come to enjoy fine wines from all over the world. In my opinion, fine wines should not be drunk as a beverage, but sipped the connoisseur way as a delectable delicacy.

14. I love hot, passionate summer nights with good food, wine, music, dance, laughter … somewhere at a lively place at a shore in a hot climate with good company.

15. I love quality chocolate, especially high % cocoa dark hand-made chocolate. I can’t stand Cadbury’s – it must be one of the nastiest chocolates around.

16. I love conversing and hanging out with people who are well travelled, educated, passionate, curious and fascinated about life and different cultures; people who are attracted to beauty and joy, sensuality, warmth and inner strength; people who are essentially optimists; explorers of intimate spirituality – loving intimacy with God as their number one in life; dreamers and visionaries; people who have a sense of fun, playfulness; people who find reasons to smile even in the worst situations.

In a different Blog Request describing 6 things about me that you might not know, it grew to a rather lengthy:

6 Areas about me

(1) A little photo bio I was born in Hannover, Germany a long, long, long time ago. (no pictures here LOL). Then grew up both at the River Rhein (or Rhine in English .... that part which features in most tourist brochures), and in Wiesbaden.

Here's a small pic from the River Rhine (by the way, click on the pics to enlarge them to their original size, although, this particular one is tiny). Anyway, there are vinayards everywhere, some of them on really steep slopes.

The small boats cruising along, such a fun thins to do on a nice warm summer day.

This is the street side of the house I grew up in.

.... and that's the same house from the river view. Yes, it was surrounded by vinyards and then the river Rhine. An incredible view, especially in the summer, not so great during the colder murky months, as it was situated right between two villages, and one really neded a car to get to Wiesbaden where our family house was, and where we moved in later.

This is the "Kochbrunnen" in Wiesbaden. (Koch=boiling, Brunnen=Fountain) . Wiesbaden is a spa town and international heart and internal medicine congress centre.

There is also a magnificent Theatre and opera house, plus a casino.

Our family house in Wiesbaden ....

..... and this is my mother on the far left entertaining guests in the garden.

Here's a little photo of the University in Mainz (Johannes Gutenberg

Universität) Where I studied English .....

.... but my passion, even then, was psychology. So, I have to add a pic of the psych department where I unofficially spent a lot of time there studying (well I was enroled in an English literature course, after all .....)

This is the University of Westminster in London, England, where I much later at around 50 (!!) completed two degrees (including a masters degree) in psychology ... this time officially

Well, to continue my little picture bio, here is a place in this world I totally fell in love with: Hong Kong

It was home to us for seven beautiful years. My lovely daughter was born there, and I also 'happened' to pioneer and pastor a small multi-national church there, plus had the awesome privilege to befriend the dynamic Jackie Pullinger who did some extraordinary work with the homeless and drug addicts there, especially in the 'Walled City', which does not exist any more.

There are many warm memories (literally LOL) of the countless times I used to cross the harbour on the 'Star Ferry'

and here is my daughter, C, then, waiting in front of the building ready to go to her Nursery school. Here she is with her brother, T, ready to leave for school, the German Swiss International School.

Yes, I miss Hong Kong. Some amazing memories keep me smiling!

Well, then we went back to the UK, extremely reluctantly and with great sadness.

Still, I thank God, because He has been good to us here, too.

here's an unusual view from the river Thames in London,

and another one ....

followed by a splendid walk along the river. Yes, you guesed right, I love water, be it the rivers in the world, lakes, harbours, or sea shores and beaches.

Where do I go from here? I am planning, hoping, and believing God to relocate to Sydney, Australia. A big move again, a step of faith, as I have absolutely no clue how on earth it will work out for me to get there, but God knows and He is in control. YAY!

(2) My special Kids So far, I have three awesome and amazing 'kids' who are crazily loved!! My son, T, and my two daughters. Daughter, C, and new daughter, R, which my son gave me when he married this gorgeous young lady.

Here's daughter C not feeling particularly warm borrowing boyfriend's jacket.

What I love about her, life is never boring, she's always ready for some fun and playfulness with theatricals

This is a 'borrowed' baby of a friend, she was rather eager to hand 'it' back a few minutes after the picture was taken LOL!!!!

Then, there is son, T

here as a proud new husband. They wed this year in Malaysia

and this is his gorgeous new wife, my new daughter, R. Beach, beach, here she comes!

Funny self portrait during their week away for the engagement. Clearly the sun was strong :-))

Those two live in Sydney, Australia. My reason to move there?? Absolutely!! Especially when they tempt me with granchildren ... apparently I have to wait for them for about a year, I was told ....

(3) Beloved Fur Kids the home zoo. Well, considering all the pets we've had over the years, you'd call it a zoo, form various hamsters, a variety of guinea pigs, rabbits, numerous terrapins, lizards, canaries, dogs and of course the cats. So here are just a few pics of those fur kids still with us and those who have 'crossed the rainbow bridge'.

T with a parrot, and, No! we did not own the parrot, although T would have liked to have had.

Let's start of with those pets in loving memory (and just the dogs and cats, else this section might become a bit silly). Here is T's first little dog in Hong Kong.

then, in the UK we had our first two Siamese cats, blue points.

here's T with Phuket, the blue point Siamese boy.

The by then elderly Chiang Mai, Phuket's sister

The blue point Siamese, Chiang Mai with Tehillah, Abyssinian Blue. What characters they were with huge personalities!

Tosca, the boxer, must not be forgotten!!!

Now to the ones which are currently gracing our lives. Here is Jack, an amazingly beautiful chocolate Tonkinese, and C's baby. Oh yes he gets spoilt!!!

Then, here are Truffle and Praline, my two Chocolate Point Siamese, which I adopted from a Siamese rescue shelter.

We're meditating, ya know!

Finally, there is Krumpet. He lives with his owners in Sydney and I am looking forward to cuddling him!

Krumpet being taken for a walk by T & R ... or is he taking them for a walk??

(4) What I really enjoy ... well some of the many things LOL

I have run out of time and will complete the remainder soon ;-)

Having grown up in a wine growing country, I really appreciate a good fine glass. I believe good wine needs to be savoured sip by sip as a delicacy and never guzzled down!