It's about time to give the family some more space here - something I am immensely proud of and which plays a massive part in my life. Merlin (top photo), my godson threw his confirmation party a couple of weeks ago, for which I flew over to Germany for the weekend. Though only a brief outing, it was a fantastic trip and this was mainly down to seeing the whole family. I used to take these things for granted, being blessed with a large bunch of close people, parents, siblings, cousins, the lot. Occasionally, in the past, such gatherings would even turn into a bit of a drag. Expectations in appearance, manners and respect for the odd over-conservative elders could kill any hint of developing fun. But as much as I learned to turn those rare aristocratic self-celebrations into diving pools of irony and interesting - even entertaining - observations of "interesting the other side", I am embracing the big bunch of excellent chunks of my family who are just such a pleasure to hang out and spend time with. Both over here in the UK as well as back in Germany.

There's a great deal to be learned from developing relationships with family. Yes, you don't pick them, like friends. And it's hard to get rid of them if you don't like them. But you shape each other, you spend more effort listening to them, than to anyone else. And you are likely to get more chances and are allowed many more mistakes that with most other people you will ever meet. That's my experience. And I value all this - and them - like true gems.

Anyway, back to Merlin. He's a cool dude of 14 years, long overgrown me and keen to become a Bank Manager (well, don't we all?). He bought himself a water bed recently and has become a fab Rock drummer over the past 4 years. He will be popping over to visit here in London some time later this year to get dragged to Snowdonia by me for some hefty rock climbing and white water rafting. Gonna be fun and I'm already looking forward to hearing him scream for mummy (only kidding of course).

Oh, that's Merlin's older brother Robin on the other photo btw, which I picked, because he was so nice to crouch down a little. Stupid tall kids everywhere. What's wrong with short people, Randy? Robin is the oldest of three, which I can relate to very much. We have a lot in common and it's spooky in a comforting way seeing certain vibes repeating themselves in other (younger) people. As somebody who always felt slightly different and out-of-the-norm, this has always been a great experience.

Thank you for a fab weekend: Mutti, Vati, Freya, Jesco, Afra, Michi, Leonie, Ronja, Robin and of course Merlin!

I cannot remember what gave me the idea, but about a month ago, I started spending 10 minutes every day on a new miniature painting - simple, postcard-size, water-based, spontaneous. Without a concept or a pre-planned theme, I get my head down and "fool around" with the brush, suppressing all rational, hidden meaning. Just letting thoughts take shape and maybe experimenting with techniques. But no more than that. Because it is important not to spend more than 10 minutes on each artwork. The final thing to be done is to name the painting! The title doesn't have to reflect the image and can be rather incoherent. But it should carry a message, either to a person, or to myself.

Now the clue is, not to hang on to these postcard sized paintings for too long. I've been sending them around - not even protecting them in an envelope - by scribbling the address on the back and sticking a stamp on. They leave my house within 24hrs of drying. Each one is an important snapshot of the mind in one particular moment - every day. And sharing those visualised thoughts with good people means a lot to me right now.
View all cards here

I paid a visit to my nearest TESCO Superstore yesterday for some grocery. Bits and pieces. Apples were on my list. The sheer size of this shop made me confident to be able to find a decent selection of home (UK) grown fruit - knowing that buzz words such as "carbon footprint", "local produce", "environmentally friendly living", "reduction of C02 emissions" must have reached the large supermarkets who are always eager to present themselves in the most progressive and politically correct way.

That's why I couldn't believe my eyes, when I realised, that out of 28+ types of apple, 1 (one, ONE!) had actually grown in Britain. My disbelieve, anger and blatant frustration found an unfortunate victim in form of a shelf-packing shop assistant, who I subsequently dragged along 25metres of stacked fruit boxes, to show me some locally grown fruit. He was lost and embarrassed. And I felt sorry, for he is not the one signing contracts with New Zealand, Chile or South Africa. Yet the anger stayed.

I ended up not buying any in the end - I don't like the Cox. And I didn't want to bite into an apple feeling bad about the C02 that was released into the atmosphere for it to reach my mouth. *cough*

Cover your tracks

Design is largely an exercise in creating or suggesting contrasts in an effort to convey meaning.

If you’re a designer, you work to communicate and convey meaning. So it’s important that you understand the mechanisms by which things and ideas acquire meaning; more than any other factor, your grasp of these fundamentals determines your ability to communicate effectively. Without fundamentals, you will flounder when faced with complex design challenges or constraints.

Read the full article by Andy Rutledge

Richard Dawkins - Sam Harris - Antonio Damasio. Three authors who's books I have been reading and drinking and enthusiastically recommending since the beginning of this year -- Just like what I feel in music every so often when I "discover" an artist, who is creating exactly the kind of sound I have always been waiting and longing for. Thankful and happy and excited and creatively charged. So have I recently - for myself - discovered these bright, inspired, fascinating and philosophically plausible works by a British, an American and a Portuguese author from similar backgrounds, ticking all the right boxes, putting into words what has been on my mind for a long time. A scientific approach to the world - now there's something new...

Richard Dawkins has been teaching in Oxford as the Charles Simonyi Professor of the Public Understanding of Science since 1995. The Wall Street Journal said his "passion is supported by an awe-inspiring literary craftsmanship." The New York Times Book Review has hailed him as a writer who "understands the issues so clearly that he forces the reader to understand them too."

Sam Harris is a Stanford educated Philosopher and Author who is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in neuroscience. Natalie Angier in the The New York Times about Harris' bestseller: " 'The End of Faith' articulates the dangers and absurdities of organized religion so fiercely and so fearlessly that I felt relieved as I read it, vindicated, almost personally understood…" (I can very much relate to this experience)

Antonio Damasio is David Dornsife Professor of Neuroscience at the University of Southern California, where he heads USC's Brain & Creativity Institute (BCI). "Feelings of pain or pleasure or some quality in between are the bedrock of our minds. We often fail to notice this simple reality because the mental images of the objects and events that surround us, along with the images of the words and sentences that describe them, use up so much of our overburdened attention." (from "Looking for Spinoza" Vintage 2004).

I am at a very good point in my life right now. A very reflected, open and emotionally happy point. I have had the chance - yes, the luxury - in recent weeks and months, to allow myself to go a fundamentally important way, a journey of mind, which I felt I had potentially been on for a long time. Yet, I sat on the train, waiting for its departure, while it was stationary by the platform, not moving. It has left the station now and I am excited and looking forward to the future. I have many fellow travellers, equally clear about why this trip is essential. But it is my own spirituality which will experience the biggest and most exciting change. And I am lucky and thankful for dear friends, who I can share my thoughts with, who listen, understand and feel where we are going.

When I liberated myself from belief in a supernatural being, in God, in something that was made-up, I gained an enormous amount of strength and freedom. Love felt so much more real. My spirituality became my own again. The responsibility for everything I do and the subsequent reaction I am receiving from the world, is something I embrace. It's me. The clarity and the emotional realisation come as a deep breath, a sigh of relieve, which gives me more space, more courage and a better understanding about myself, relationships, love and its needs. Nothing is reached by emotional bullying, pressure, demands, manipulation and man-made moral rules, sold as a supernatural doctrine.

Spirituality and human goodness don't need religion - in fact I am only beginning to find my true spirituality as I am free of all religious faith.

Love needs freedom.

Love is not exclusive and can never be forced. Love sometimes means, letting go. And while some people refuse to accept this essential truth and seek the way of manipulation, fear, mistrust and emotional blackmail, risking to destroy the souls of others, I am glad to find that the people who matter to me are starting to see what is happening to them. Love is not exclusive and only a free soul can truly love.