Merry Christmas 2016

Merry Christmas everybody!!

I am sitting in the train on my way to my brothers house where I will spend Christmas Eve (THE Christmas event in Denmark - where we get our presents) and stay over until tomorrow where I go to a friend's house to have a Canadian Christmas.

Cards are delayed this year - at least I managed to get them done, but a recent MS attack combined with the slow-mo Danish postal services who are really taking their time distributing old fashioned mail. So far I have only received one (1) Christmas card in my mail box, I know several have sent me one, but they are late.... well it is the thought that counts, and the lazy service is not the senders' fault. Design paper: Merry Christmas - Decorate the Tree from Panduro Hobby.

I learned to master the fold of a new star thanks to this tutorial - must find some nice paper and make some to hang as ornaments next year, but need to find some nice paper - wonder if I can get some more of this design paper Christmas Eve - Seasons Greetings from Panduro Hobby) at the store after Christmas.

 

Maybe the card seems simple, but I happen to like the Nordic style colors red and white, and I have this thing for folded paper stars - so in fact they are just like me :o)    Design paper: Merry Christmas - Christmas Ornaments from Panduro Hobby.

Ugly Christmas Sweater

Saw these cards in a Flying Tiger Copenhagen store and could not resist them - flash back to the movie where Bridget Jones and Mr. Darcy appear in their ugly Christmas Sweaters, thought alone makes me smile

 

Then turning to my company's CEO who was wearing his Christmas sweater his last workday before his Christmas holiday, but when he walked around and said "Merry Christmas" to every employee he was not wearing his sweater. People asked why he wan not wearing it as it was a nicely knit Christmas sweater?

 

 

There you have it in print, there are actually some Christmas sweaters that I think look nice, or maybe they have more a winter's theme than a christmassy one. Saw these adds online from the British clothing brand  FATFACE, a brand that I really like and actually saw some cool looking Christmas Sweaters.



 

 

Makes me want to re-read The Great Christmas Knit Off by Alexandra Brown and Sybil's wacky Christmas jumpers.

 

 

Rudolph's Red Nose

We all know Rudolph as Santa's 9th reindeer - But how did he get his red nose?

Sometimes you find an answer to in question to be right in front of you in the company of merry friends and beer.

 

Dancer or Prancer or Comet or Cupid or.....??? He had no time to reveal which one he is, but was busy taking a closer look on Rudolph's Christmas beer from the Danish Brewery, Nibe Bryghus.

Rudolph (in Danish: Rudolph) is the center of attention albeit a little shy.

Great detail - surely the bottle cap had to be red.... So is the answer really that he had a little of his own beer making him merry and his nose red?

Espresso House Christmas 2016

Espresso House are expanding all over Denmark - or rather the Baresso coffee house chain has the same owners as Espresso House, and they have decided  to focus on the Espresso House brand so signs are being replaced.                     

It is cold outside, so decided to stop by for a holiday flavored hot beverage. The cup sleeve seemed to be hiding joyful holiday cup decoration, so almost like opening a present when removing the sleeve after the last sip of the beverage was enjoyed.

The warmly dressed animals on the cup made me smile. Apparently not sold a ceramic cup which I think they could sell a lot of.

Upcycled Gift Wrap

 

OK I will admit it. I am one of those persons salvaging potential gift wrap items, old Christmas cards etc.  when people are just about to throw them out. "Can I have it if you are throwing it out anyway?"

But if the item could get a second purpose - why not as it will also save ressources. Wonder if they think I am a horder, with a department just filled up with old stuff? Well there is a big box in my basement storage room with items to be re-used.

In this case it was the red bag, that used to hold a bottle of red wine - used only once without a scratch.

Fröbel stars - love them - almost like a signature - friends know that these folded stars are amongst my favorites.

  

The bottle was a present at a housewarming I went to today - For odd reason I did not think about adding miniature foldet stars to the red bottle bag, but focused on adding the stars to the bottle - should have done that. Yes it is a see-through wine bag, but should have added stars on the outside too. But maybe next time, as have one more salvaged red paper wine bag.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Here in Copenhagen

Starbucks Christmas 2016

It is just like opening a Christmas present, when you see the red cup under the sleeve after you have ordered a hot holiday flavored beverage to-go

If this does not ooze / look / taste like Christmas, I do not know what will

Just look at the snow... Love it

I asked if you could buy this a porcelain cup like you used to - sadly the answer was "No" :o) But hey, I still like the design.







 

Ho! Ho! Ho! The Holidays Are Coming

The holidays are coming...........

 

 

Theres a new Coca-Cola Santa in town representing 2016.......... 

 

 

He learned from his colleagues and is ready to serve Coca-Cola

 

 

Gathering with the Danish family...... 

 

  

....for this year's family photo

 

 

 

 

For me Coca-Cola is part of my Christmas traditions - I have always enjoyed the merry Santas in the commercials and on the bottle. The catchy worlds from one of their commercials "The Holidays Are Coming" are spot on - when you spot the Santa on the bottle you just know Christmas is around the corner.

 

 

 

 

 This blogpost is NOT sponsored - photos and thoughts are mine.

'Tis the Season

Love the colors the sky brings at sunset in November - makes it a bit easier to cope with the fact that it is pitch dark outside when I leave the office after the workday.

Yesterday was exactly one month to Christmas - we celebrate on the 24th at night - and the first time this year, that I spotted Coca-Cola's yearly Santa labels on the bottles.... one of the signs that Christmas is coming.

Christmas tree is up at the office building

After work, a time for a little walk in the city, and the smal bright lights are in lots of shapes this time of year.

A Christmas tree like this makes it less boring waiting at the bus stop for the next bus to come.

The Color Purple

It sounds like the title of a book or a movie, but it is the color of a skein of yarn I recently used when knitting.

Pattern for the baby hats can be found here

Somehow various charity requests for knitted hats catches my attentin so when a colleague had a Facebook post for knitted purple baby hats I wondered if my yarn stash had something purple at all - I am trying not to buy more yarn until I have used a lot of my stash so my contribution depended on past purchases. I had one skein and no idea why it was purchased in the first place.

 

The London Health Science Centre in Canada are asking for newborn baby hats (since 2011), and my colleague wanted to bring some with her to Canada when she went home for a visit - she is a knitter too but did not know if she herself could make some hats before the departure. "The period of PURPLE is something that many babies experience and is characterized often by periods of inconsolable crying".

 

I use knitting as exercise for my MS that is impacting the use of my right hand and it feels good that my personal training can contribute to charity projects, where knitting is needed. It takes to the level beyond exercise into something that others can benefit from too.

If you live in Canada, you will know that a lot of people might be needing warm hats etc. as they can not afford to buy some. I therefore encourage you to go over to Karen's blog, where she launches the TAKE IT IF YOU NEED IT to get people to knit and leave knitted items such as hats, mittens  scarves in public for a needing person to pick it up - and if you can not knit perhaps get some from the Dollar Store etc. and leave it in public.

 

 

Yes, it is the same magnet and ..... No, I did not shrink the baby hats. I had some leftover yarn, not quite enough for a fourth baby hat but enough for two mini-hats. They are knitted for a Danish charity collection - but that is a completely different blogpost.... next year,

 

Tourist

OK I assigned the label "me-time" - not the truth and yet.....

 

Went to the Viking Museum at Roskilde today as part of an event at work - was shooting some photos for work while visiting... and it gave me the possibility to take photos that I find interesting and not for work purposes. Realized how much I missed taking photos, blogging and visiting new places.

 

Well the museum is not new - I just had not been there before....

Copenhagen Crime

When you love reading crime stories and you live 10 minutes away from the venue, one simply had to go to Copenhagen Crime today - pure heaven for a mystery fan. First of it's kind here in Copenhagen, not going to be the last and since it was the event's premiere it was not too crowded.

Got a few freebie books, good deals on mystery books written by two Danish authors who both signed my new purchases - and they had time to small talk with us readers after they both talked about their latest books. Both seemed happy to talk to some of their readers and both just had the nice easy going, down to earth attitude which added positively to their presence at the crime festival.

Their names are Anna Grue and Julie Hastrup, and have become a fan of their series both by coincidence. One of Anna's book had been left behind by another holiday guest at my US vacation spot and I read it within two days after opening it. I have got two freebie books from Danish magazines handed to me, but took some time before they were on top of my to-be-read pile and turned out to be a nice surprise.

When I wandered around the boots at the festival I realized that I am well up to date with crime writers and books - still books to be read, but I know they exist.

I will surely be a guest again in 2017

Library Event

One of the local libraries in Copenhagen hosted a talk with the Danish journalist Frank Esmann last month - he covered news from the US in end 80s and begining of the 90s on tv and have a vast knowledge about American politics - and his way of presenting it is anything but boring, two hours fly by as was it only 5 minutes.

When you enter the library it feels a little cold and boring despite books being present. Then you walk down a flight of stairs and enter the basement which holds the library's lecture hall. You walk into this cozy room, books everywhere, old fashioned lamp posts - the true atmosphere of a library - pity the upstairs areas does not look like this.

13 years ago I bought his book about American presidents, which I have browsed/read many times and I got it signed - you could sense a bit of pride when I presented an "older" book and asked if he would mind signing it. But if you present a book filled with bookmarks does it not tell somebody that a book is well used?

February, March, April, May and June 2016 In Books

Time flies - still reading books - that will never change. One re-read before seeing a movie adaption, one re-read doing my duties as a Red Cross book friend and one re-read when joining a read-along. Some read on a e-reader, since they were only published as e-books. Discovering two Danish and one Swedish crime writer and started reading all their books - still a few in the to-be-read pile. To-be-read book pile has grown as has acquired 26 new books the past 1½ months - some have been passed on from friends. Attending talks by authors and a crime book festival. Then there was the book about the sailing adventure, that I took part in - making me put all other books aside to read it: I was even quoted in the book, and there is a photo of me :o)

Books are a refuge to me - good therapy when going through roller coaster times with good and bad things happening non-stop.

The Girl in the Spiders Web by David Lagercrantz
(Original Title: Det som inte dödar oss)
Sweden
Library Book

A Christmas in Disguise by Katie Fforde
England
e-Book

Halloween Scare by Maggie Sefton
USA
e-Book

Dogdays* by Einar Mar Gudmundsson
(Original title: Hundadaga)
Iceland
February BookFriend Book
Library Book

Rest in Peace* by Sofie Saranbrant
(Original title: Vila i frid)
Sweden
Library Book

Second Breath* by Sofie Saranbrant
(Original title: Andre andningen)
Sweden
Library Book

Killer Deal by Sofie Saranbrant
(Original title: Visning pågår))
Sweden
Library Book

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

England

Lovebooks Read-Along

The White Elf* by Mette Tine Bruun

(Original title: Den hvide alf)

Denmark

A New Time* by Ida Jessen

(Original title: En ny tid)

Denmark

March  BookFriend Book 

Redemption by Jussi Adler-Olsen

(Orginal title: Flaskepost fra P) 

Denmark

Did You Ever Have a Family by Bill Clegg

USA

Library Book 

Darling Jim by Christian Mørk

Denmark

Library Book

Journey of Change: Women Pushing Boundaries by Corinna Halloran

Sweden

Eyewitnesses* by Maria Helleberg  

(Original title:: Øjenvidnerne)

Denmark

The Art of Dying* by Anna Grue

(Original title: Kunsten at dø)

Denmark

Austenland by Shannon Hale

USA

The Bomber by Liza Marklund

(Original title: Sprängaren)

Sweden

A Place Nobody Sees* by Marianne Gade

(Original title: Et sted som ingen ser)

Denmark

May BookFriend Book
Library Book

The Accidental Book Club by Jennifer Scott
USA

See You Tomorrow* by Eva Jørgensen
(Original title: Vi ses i morgen)
Denmark

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
USA
June BookFriend Book

Honeymoon in Paris by Jojo Moyes
United Kingdom

Oceans of Hope: Around the World and Back to Life* by Mikkel Anthonisen
Denmark

The Blind Spot* by Julie Hastrup
(Original title: Det blinde punkt)
Denmark

Hitman Anders and the Meaning of It All by Jonas Jonasson
(Original title: Mördar-Anders och hans vänner)
Sweden
Library Book

The Further You Fall* by Anna Grue
(Original title: Dybt at Falde)
Denmark

*Literal title: the book has not been published in English version, so title is not an official title of the book

New York Smiles

Well it is about the city making me smile - first up is the elevator sign. First I dismissed it as silly, only later to realize that the hotel elevators were extremely busy at times.

Looking out of the hotel room window for the first time ... WHOA!!! They sure do have big reptiles in New York City.

Until you have the full picture: simply a wall decoration at the Iguana restaurant/bar - I like that "little" detail ;o)