Around The House This Morning

The Advent calendar has been, if not a success, than at least appreciated. And I loved it, so that's that.


Unfortunately the nativity seem to have been struck by some kind of disaster. Or is that Melchior some sort of vicious conqueror? He looks a little scary to me


Flowers trying their best to bloom in time for Christmas. They have 24 hours to go.


"In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone..."


The tree is already dying (I blame the cold), but it smells just right. Happy they didn't buy into my idea of a plastic one.


Gloria in the kitchen window and in excelsis Deo.


See the swing? No? See my point? Yes.

In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning

It's funny with good bye's.
Never quite like you picture them.
But then again, most things never are.
So you take the leap and the world is not the same and still it's never changed.
The uncertainty of it all fizzing inside me,
making me girly, turning me bubbly.
The finality like a soft pillow under my head.
Comfort. A place to rest.
How strange to find comfort in not knowing what lies ahead.
Yes, it's funny with good bye's.
Never quite like you picture them.
But still, this one.
So good. So exciting.
Ok.
Fingers crossed.
Here I go.

Prep

Office Christmas party tonight and things are looking good. You might not be able to tell from this photo, but they really are. 'Tis definitely the season to be jolly! Time for dinner and dancing! For high heels and oysters and indecent proposals (yeah, I should be so lucky). Will now run out to the dry cleaners to pick up my dress. Let the festivities commence!

Happy Lucia

Wishing you all kinds of light today. Me and Carl Larsson both, since the photos from this morning are too hard on the eye to share. You'll just have to take my word for it: Blanka made a very appetizing gingerbread man. Complete with overalls and fur hat. Baby, it IS cold outside.

Sunday Night

My father and I had dinner at my grandmother's tonight. My cousins were there and it was good to see them, so very good. Grandma is getting old and the young'ns are becoming all grown up. We laughed a lot, and teased each other and laughed some more. It was good. It made me miss our cousins in Switzerland, who are also all grown up, getting married, finishing school. I'm older than all of them, but somehow it doesn't seem to matter.

My dad is spending the night here, Saint Lucia celebration at kindergarten tomorrow. I can hear him and Jesper talking about Julian Assange, dad watching the news, Jesper ironing tomorrow's shirt. I hear them enjoy each other's company. I feel lucky.

For Meredith

And home to potato pancakes we go!

Love,
Laura Ingalls

What I Did

So, about the job.

Yes, I quit. I resigned, handed in my notice, said thank you and au revoir. It's been a great four years. A wonderful place to work, with colleagues that have become friends and clients that have been fun, generous and challenging. It's been very good. But for a number of reasons it's time to do something else. To do something I haven't done before.

So come January I will start my own business (website coming soon!). I will do what I do today, but no longer as part of the team I'm used to. No safety net. No paid vacation. No boss. Just me and my computer and hopefully more work than I can handle. I'm very excited and a little terrified.

How I will do noone knows. I hope excellent, but will settle for good. I just know that this is something I have to do. I have to try. I have to see if I can do this on my own. And that feeling, that feeling of not knowing what lies ahead and being thrilled and scared and happy and jumpy and full of joy? Oh, I want to feel like that again and again and again.

Thanks for reading, thanks for listening. Thanks for worrying about me and wishing me well. Thank you.

'Tis The Season To Be Cold

The iPhone isn't made for love in a cold climate, as you can see. But I carry it with me, as opposed to the camera, so it will have to do. Yesterday was warmer, around 0°c (30°F), but today it's back to cold again. Cold and pretty. No sun, but snow falling outside my window. Last winter was the same and I feel we're getting used to the extremes. The change of seasons is suddenly as big as in a children's picture book. It's like living on a film set. "More snow over here, please! No, more!" Everything covered in heavy white, every branch glistening with frost. The director's motto seem to be Over The Top. That's my kind of production.

This Weeks Eats

My mother came to town on a surprise visit. My best kind of surprise. I surprised her right back with making gingerbread cookies as she walked through the door, the children white with flour, jumping up and down and rubbing it off on her coat. Everybody happy. And the house smells like Christmas.

Jesper made us fried cod for dinner. So fresh it fell to pieces, we emptied the plates in minutes. (Jennie, it was supposedly fished where it's not extinct. Yes, I can hear myself, sorry. But oh, how good it was.)

Everything is still covered in snow. It's so pretty and the iPhone really doesn't do it justice. But I will post you a whole bunch of photos tomorrow, anyway, because it's like living in a fairytale right now. Weatherwise, that is.

We decorated the gingerbread skyscraper my father and the children made a week ago. A lion, a camel and a parrot moved in. And we dusted it and ourselves with sugar and made little clouds of snow out of cotton.

And I quit my job.

Monday
Fried cod, dipped in French mustard, eggs and breadcrumbs. Peas and potatoes. Gingerbread.
Tuesday
Ratatouille, rice, sausages: lamb with rosemary, veal with truffles, crunchy winter salad.
Wednesday
Chickpea and leek soup, grilled sandwiches.
Thursday
Swedish potato pancakes with lingonberries, salad as before.
Friday
Homemade burgers (lamb?) with all the trimmings.

I'm Giving You A Hug Just Like This

Today it's -12°C, -18°C when I left home this morning. (Fahrenheit readers: This is very cold.)
I pull the children home from school on a sleigh. On a sleigh. Positively Laura Ingalls.
The advent calendar I've been bragging about is a triumph (more brag). Will take pictures today.
Yes, the reason for the bad photos lately is the lack of light.
You really can't blame me for that.
To please my mother (ha! good one!) I have made a wishlist on amazon.co.uk. A Christmas drenched in books is a good Christmas to me.
We are going to Egypt.
To Egypt!
Unfortunately there's been a shark incident this week and now I'm hiding all newspapers from Wilhelm. Someone was apparently eaten.
So now Egypt spells fear to me in three different ways:
Bankruptcy. Food poisoning. Shark attack.
This should be an exciting trip.

Dear You

I started blogging because I needed a place to put my words.
I write for a living. Some days it's all I do, for hours on end. But I had things to say and words to use and sentences to spell out that noone in the world was willing to pay for (rightly so).
So I started a blog. A place for unwanted words (and dolls who pretend to be bears).
I hoped that a friend or two would stop by for updates on the kids.
I thought that maybe one day I could use these words, some way or other.
I never dreamed of You.
You who come here and read my words and wonder if I'm ok.
You who come here and say that I wrote what you felt and that you're crying now and it's all my fault.
You who come here and never say anything, but are here just the same.
Dear Miranda and Kathleen. Dear RW. Dear All of You.
I come here and see you and I can't believe my luck.
Thank You.