Alphabet Wednesday - P is for...

P is for...

Passport

One of my most important belongings - luckily it can be replaced - but couldn't do the travelling without it

Patchwork

Previously it was a recycling of used fabrics to help make blankets etc. at a time where money and material were not plentiful - now it has become more of an artform.

Pattern

Something to follow or just a suggestion

Perogative

Respect from others is supposed to be one

Photography

Memories: It can help you remember something/somebody or assist in telling a story

Poetry

Until I encountered the writings of Robert Frost, I didn't really appreciate poety

Poinsettia

Especially the red version is bringing Christmas spirit and cheer my way when spotting one

Possibility
Should be a perogative for everybody in some cases... Other times you have to work hard to get one...

Thinking Place

Do you ever take a walk and suddenly realise, that it is the same place that you always seek out, when your head is full of thoughts, that needs to be processed?

I went for a walk yesterday, since the sun was there and bringing summer to the tourists in the city - I live minutes from some of my city's tourist attractions - close to the harbour and parks.

While walking I suddenly realised, that it is the same place that I unconsciously choose when ever a boy/man is messing with my head and feelings. I have fallen for someone, who is sending me mixed signals and even though I have confronted him with this, I am still as baffled as before. He's single - and yet off limits. Tells me, that he's not worth the while, and yet a man who have my deepest respect in a lot of ways.

I am telling myself to forget all about him - but it is hard when our paths crosses a lot of times each week...

Rubber Duck

When I grew up, we had a bath tub - only used the tub once a week, rest of the weekdays I hit the shower instead, as I was always getting out of bed very late and always just made it to school as the bell rang. These days I "only" have a shower, so when I get a hotel room with a tub I smile - I always take a bath the night I arrive and I have company: a yellow miniature rubber duck while reading a couple of chapters in a good book and enjoying a glass of wine.

My parents never allowed me to have a yellow rubber duck as a child; and it wasn't because that it was expensive or unavailable at the nearest toy store... They just thought it was a stupid toy.... When I moved to my first place away from home, the first thing I bought was my miniature rubber duck that got a good spot beneath the mirror in my bathroom - which only had a shower.

I just remembered that the movie "Convoy" with Kris Kristoffersen - he's the Rubber Duck in the convoy of trucks, and it blew me away when I found this quote:

Melissa: Why do they call you the Duck?

Rubber Duck: Because it rhymes with "luck." See, my daddy always told me to be just like a duck. Stay smooth on the surface and paddle like the devil underneath!

Yikes!! A lot of people around me always think of me as one of the stongest and bravest persons that they know - but they don't see the paddling beneath the surface where I struggle with thoughts just going in all directions at the same time. Now my little yellow rubber duck will have a new meaning for me - a kind of kindred spirit, who will just be there for me and listening - my comfort since I don't have a significant other in my life.

"If it looks like a duck....

.... swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck."

Ever read "Make Way for Ducklings" by Robert McCloskey? The opening quote in this blog, is not from this book - but it just popped into my head.

The book's story takes place in Boston, where you will also find about statue(s) in Boston Common. When I first saw this, I asked the owner of the bed-n-breakfast, where I stayed, what the inspiration was - and they told me: "the childrens' book". I bought a copy the following day.

During my stay, I contacted one of my friends and asked her to go to my appartment and take a picture of a poster, that is hangin on the wall, which looks like this:

If you know the book, it could have been the inspiration behind this 1959 poster from Wonderful Copenhagen - but it isn't. This poster is based on a true story near the lakes in the middle of Copenhagen, where the police stopped the traffic to save this little duck family.... and incidents like that still occur once in a while...

Imagine the surprise at the bed-n-breakfast when I showed them the photo :o)

This underlines the face, that you will be able to find stories around the world, that might match a story from another part of the world - in some cases the similarity turns into kinda like "Which came first: the hen or the egg?" It shows both the diversity and similarity of different countries... Love to find those examples.

Alphabet Wednesday - O is for...

O is for...

Orange

A warm colour, also the sign of autumn - I love seeing leaves in that colour, 'cause it really tells us just how colourfull the Mother Nature really is.Just see the colour's of a leaf during it's life time: light green - deep green - yellow - orange - brown

Not forgetting the oranges - the taste of them especially

Organic Food

Was brought up with it, as my parents like the taste better - and the overwhelming argument: saved a lot of money on the food budget. Would love to have my own lil' garden someday, but with my current job - not possible :o( Pity that it is soo expensive to buy organic food and thus preventing a lot of people from buying it.

Origami

Sadly I can "only" make a frog in origami - would like some day to expand the skills

Original

The best of them are copied and only a few of them are refining the original....

The shape of the letter O, has actually been inspiration to two of my favourite movies - if you don't know them already, just see them, and you will know what I mean:

The Hudsucker Proxy

Mars Attacks

Saint Hans Evening

When you see above witches on their brooms - you might be thinking: Halloween. Why aren't those witches black?

Well, if you happen to be in Denmark tomorrow night (June 23rd) you will see a lot of bonfires all over the country celebrating the evening of Saint Hans (I believe that the English name for this saint is John), and witch dolls are being burned on the bonfire and thus sent off to Bloksbjerg (the witches sacred place in Germany).

The tradition with bonfires dates back to Viking time celebrating summer solstice (longest day of the year). It was not until approx. 100 years ago, the tradition with the burning of witches started: symbol of  the church's burning of witches in the Middle Ages. Interesting how traditions evolves.

Well I happen to be in Denmark tomorrow, so I am going to see one of those bonfires.

Blogpost Number 100

This is weird - me having written 100 blogposts about all kinds of random thoughts in my head...

I get a lot of inspiration of other people's blogposts - but they also fuel some of the thoughts occurring every day... and seeing some things in a new perspective.... I am however not good at leaving comments at other peoples' blogposts, but I try to do it - hence I don't expect many comments on my blog, but appreciate the few that have found it's way to my blog

Putting my thoughts out in cyberspace as actually helped me take some difficult decisions, created good ideas etc. - seing my words in print is therapeutic....and it's for free...

If you have stopped by this blog and read it - thanks from the bottom of my heart...

And yes I am still as confused as when I started this blog - is my job really me.....?? Yes, and yet I am missing something.... but what ??

XOXO

Alphabet Wednesday - N is for...

 Katakana     -     Japanese letter N      -      Hiragana

N is for...

Network

Someday you might need a favour from one in your network - so help people in your network whenever you are able to, 'cause it might be returned tenfolds

New York

ArtDeco, Metropolitan Museum of Art (the MET), Central Park.... ok ok my favourite city in the US

Noise

Depriving you of sleep, noise can cause stress

Novelty

When things are no longer novelties, a lot of them is forgotten just as fast as they were introduced...... Whereas others cling on.

World Wide Knit in Public

Saturday, I am going to participate to a local World Wide Knit in Public Day.

I started knitting when I was about 10 years old and frequently for 2-3 years - even made some of my own sweaters.... then I stopped... it wasn't cool to knit... Silly really - but that's group pressure for you when you a teenager eagerly trying to fit in.

I rediscovered knitting 6 years ago - a colleague of mine was an avid knitter always talking about knitting in an interesting way... then I read one of my mum's magazines and saw a sweater that I would loooove to own... Problem was - could only get it, if someone knitted it. That someone turned out to be me so while in MS attack-treatment I decided that knitting that particular sweater was going to be a project helping me not to think too much about my situation (recovering after an MS attack)... Called a helpline when there was one detail in the knitting patterm, that I couldn't quite understand... One week later it was finished :o)

Didn't tell anybody about the accomplishment but people complimented my new sweater as really looking good on me... The first one to ask me, where I had bought the sweater, was my mother. My answer was nowhere... Then who gave it to me? The answer was nobody. Then she was really confused - "But you must have gotten it from somewhere?!" Still remember the look on her face when I told her: "I knitted it myself"... All the people at the dinner table stopped talking and looked at me.... what??!! Later on people have started taking it for granted, that I might have made certain things myself... and they love that side of me. 10 years ago - nobody would have believed it.

This knitting in public is all new to me - even knitting with other people is new to me.. But sometimes you just have to try something new - if I don't enjoy it: then I have at least tried it..  I only have to bring myself and a certain size of knitting needles. Yarn and design will be provided for us. The project is going to be hats for a neonatal intensive care unit at a local hospital.

Look here if you want to see if there is a local Knit in Public day near you :o)

Alphabet Wednesday - M is for...

M is for...

 

Marathon

Came really close ot completing one.... but at least I have a lot of half marathon finisher's medals

Memory

Good, bad, fun, sad...

MET

as in Metropolitan Museum of Art.... Temple of Dendur... the Egyptian collection.....

MINI (BMW)

If you have ever seen the movie "The Italian Job", you understand my fascination of this littl' car - my dream car

Miss Marple

Agatha Christie's clever old English lady....timeless

Mohito

Slurp!!

Moon

Just look at tidal water and you will see how much it influences life on Earth

Mosaic

Walk the street of Lisbon (or other cities in southern Europe) and you will be overwhelmed of the beauty

Movies

The darkness of a movie theatre...and let the story absorp you

MS

Part of my life - whether I like it or not - but I choose to see it as a gift, as it has woken me up and I live in the present

Music

Sitting on a bench in a nearby park, watching people passing and just listen to the music in my IPOD

Mutts

..as in the cartoon by Patrick McDonnell

Sunday I'm Gonna Walk the World

I usually go for a walk on Sundays - try to fit it into my calendar the rest of the week as well, but especially Sunday the walk are a returning event - have been ever since I was 2 years old.... some habits dies hard I guess.... but good habits are definately worth it...

On Sunday, it's the yearly event, where people around the world are encouraged to participate in Walk the World - the entry fee (20$ in my area) will go to a country, where hunger is unfotunately is part of a lot of people's daily life.

Want to join me in the walk - go to this website and you can find the nearest event to your hometown... :o)

Alphabet Wednesday - L is for...

Sign language: letter L

L is for...

Legacy

One way or the other....we all leave one behind us

Letter

Ohh...getting a handwritten one from a good friend :o) Not so common anymore due to email, text messages etc.. Which is really sad... I actually try keeping this old fashioned habit alive... It is actually easy, you might read an article in a magazine or newspaper that you would like to share with a friend, send it to your friend with a not attached - it such a small but very personal gesture....

Life

Carpe Diem!! You are living this life - so try to make the best of it, even if it means taking some chances that might seem a bit uncertain but turns out not to be...

Light

Candles... Costing me a fortune:o) But they are soo cosy and fascinating,

London

My second home according to my friends... and they are right: home away from home.... I know my way around this city and can still be amazed by buildings that I have not noticed before.....

I Am Going to Share Something I Bought....

In a January blogpost, I wrote about a purchase from The Dreamy Giraffe - and today I just received the latest purchase:

I just love Kathy's pictures - and I bought two identical pictures this time -There is a local knitting/yarn shop that I have started using frequently since I discovered how much I relax while knitting - all my worries etc. dissapear when the needles start doing their magic.

The owner of the shop is a lady with a great passion and she always likes to teach her customers small tricks and is really happy when she sees the results. Off course that is actually good salesman ship but we (her customers) neverfeels like she's pushing us to buy some more.... she is also doing a lot of charity work that is really significant... She's is getting one of these pictures in a frame as appreciation of her time spent teaching us customers valuable tricks.....

I recently found out, that Kathy is also making stamps, so I have to figure out which ones to buy and start using them when I create my cards :o) Her webpage is definately worth a visit - and you never know, you might find the perfect gift for someone special.....

The copyrights of today's picture belongs to The Dreamy Giraffe - don't copy the picture from this blog - but go over to the website and buy the art print instead. This is not a promotion arranged by Kathy but simply a gesture of my appreciation for her art work, that we can purchase.