Giving money - Euro chess

Sooner or later it happens to everyone that one is asked to give money as a present. I really don't feel like giving just an envelope with money in it - it has to be something slightly different. That's why I/we made a Euro chess!

You know, different Euro coins for different chess pieces.


Our pieces were:


king: Belgian 2 € - with King Albert II
queen: Dutch 2 € - Queen Beatrix
rook: German 2 € - an eagle
bishop: French 2 € - a tree with Liberté, égalité, fraternité
knight: Slovenian 2 € - France Prešeren
pawn: German 1 € - an eagle


king: Spanish 2 € - with King Juan Carlos I
queen: A commemorative coin 2 € - Treaty of Rome
rook: Greek 2 € - Europa and a bull
bishop: Italian 2 € - Dante Alighieri
knight: Austrian 2 € - Bertha von Suttner
pawn: Austrian 1 € - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The board is simply a piece of cardboard with black self-adhesive paper squares on top.

Now, I don't know if the recipient ever played a game, but it was great fun going through all the pockets, backpacks, drawers, bags looking for different coins.

By-product

For the past few months I've been working on something remotely work-related... My colleagues and I wrote a text book on natural science and now it's basically finished. 118 pages of a wonderful book! The reviewers are doing their job and we're hoping they won't be too harsh on us. Since the book has been consuming all my time lately there are no sewing updates. I do have plenty of new photographs as a by-product of the book though. Enjoy!

My absence, again, is excused!

Either you have a wonderful view of the castle and the mountains - or you have shadow all day long. We opted for shadow. I have to make five steps to actually see the castle!

A title and a plot

45. THE LISTERDALE MYSTERY
Another collection of short stories by Agatha. Stories that include murder, theft, fraud, kidnap, good deed and even James Bond. Yes, James Bond. He does not drive an Austin Martin or drink Martinis, but there he is. The stories are very versatile but they have one thing in common: surprising ending.

Memorable quotes:
-"Just like one of those books that keep you up all night. The heroine always says „I can't explain“ in the first chapter. She explains in the last, of course, and there's never any real reason why she shouldn't have done so in the beginning – except that it would spoil the story."
-"...I'm intelligent and good-looking and well educated. What more does anyone want?"
-"That was the worst of taking girls out, They always wanted everything they saw."
-"The two essentials for a story were a title and a plot - the rest was mere spade-work..."

Favourite Guest Character: Sir Edward Palliser
Favourite Stories: Philomel Cottage and Mr Eastwood's Adventure
Mystery: **
Final Solution: ****
Entertainment: ***
9/15


44. THE MYSTERIOUS AFFAIR AT STYLES (Poirot)
A perfect start to a perfect carrier! Agatha's first published novel in which Hercule Poirot, Hastings and Japp are introduced. Hastings is invited to Styles by his friend John, who would inherit the country manor if his stepmom hadn't married a much younger and suspicious looking chap. One night, she is found dead behind locked doors and it seems that all the leads point to one person. Or do they? Maybe... Luckily Poirot is there to solve the mystery.

Memorable quotes:
-"Never trust a man, Dorcas, they're not worth it!"
-"Two is enough for a secret."
-"With precision of the fingers goes precision of the brain."
-"A man in love is a sorry spectacle."
-"We may hunt together again, who knows?"

Favourite Guest Character: Hm. Cynthia
Mystery: ****
Final Solution: *****
Entertainment: ***
12/15


43. CAT AMONG THE PIGEONS (a bit of Poirot)
A good looking gardener in a School for girls! A prince with jewels from the Middle East. A body in the new Sports Pavilion. A very effective headmistress. And a little bit of Poirot.

Memorable quotes:
-"To know when to go - that was one of the great necessities of life."
-"The awful thing is that one can't go by other people's experience, can one?"
-"Miss Bulstrode had another faculty which demonstrated her superiority over most other women. She could listen."
-"Life would be very dull if we agreed with each other on every subject."
-"A certain amount of tradition is good but never too much."

Favourite Guest Character: Miss Bulstrode
Mystery: **
Final Solution: ***
Entertainment: ****
9/15