what can i say...

is there anything better than beginning the day like this?

the morning started crazy with the kids grumpy and sour. it got to be a (bad) habit to start the day with television in denmark. you know, vacation. usually there's no such thing as morning tv here. not so much because of principles as plain practicality. it just doesn't work. it always ends up in fights about what to see and how much to see and not being able to finish what was started. no good way to start a day. so morning tv is only happening once a week. if the kids remember, that is.

so, the kids went on a cold turkey as we got back home. no television - at least not until the heat gets so bad in the afternoon that we need to chill and relax inside the house. and now, after a week we still have mornings where they get pretty grumpy about that. in the whining and unbearable way. like this morning.

D escaped for work, and my mom - who came back with me and the kids - and i just looked at each other, packed the breakfast down in bags and headed for the beach. that, i tell you, is the best way to start the day.

oh, it's good to be back.

getting settled

we're home. didn't take any photos since returning, so instead i'll share some from those last days with sun, rain and lots of green. the end of the danish summer.

here we're boiling. i have been told it is to be considered cold and refreshing compared to what has been. but it's plenty hot for me. i do enjoy being back, though. yesterday we went to the beach by sunset. the kids went inside. it was quite amazing to sit there in the hot evening air and watch their silhouettes in the water against the red sunset.

i will return to getting settled. have a wonderful weekend.

denmark - those last weeks

we're going home early tomorrow morning. i'm packing all the stuff seem to have accumulated while being here. where did it all come from?

it's rainy and windy outside, and tomorrow around this time i'll be back in the heat and the humidity. looking forward that and feeling sad at the same time. saying goodbye, missing someone, somewhere. always leaving home and going home at the same time.

old style drama

we went to the state museum of art. the kids loved that old, classic art. the drama, the emotions, the stories to be told. especially the warrior defending himself from an angry panther. quite interesting to see how their view point changed. first they felt anxious for the man, but as we looked closer and dicovered that he'd taken the panther cub, the sympathy moved towards the animals. much to talk about there. the sleeping guy was fascinating too, despite the lack of action. what had he been looking at, and was he really sleeping?

lucky three

my third turned three the other day. i always loved the number three, so how could this not be the most perfect day?

oh, by the way, those layer cakes were heaven. fresh berries, whipped cream, nougat cream and chocolate. mmmm.

we'll get to it

D flew back home today. i feel ready too, and then on the other hand there are so many things i didn't get around to yet. probably won't even if i do have one more week here. one child sick and the weather is not the best. it's ok though. just staying at home for now. we'll get to it next time, next year.

rain and sea

i like this weather. so dramatic, so heavy and full.

we were visiting friends by the sea, the clouds ca,m with rain, cleared for the sun, changed again and so it went all day. dark, light, dark. we went crab fishing using the heads from the fish we had caught the day before as bait. it was fun. afterwards we released them and saw how they crawled back into the water, digged themselves into the sand.

D will be going back home soon, and little D's birthday is coming up, so i will be busy in the coming days. have a wonderful weekend.

drawing feathers

back to the feathers, now on stones too. there's something very calming and peaceful about drawing feathers. and there's something fascinating and magic about feathers themselves.

the boys know i like feathers. whenever they find one they give it to me, like a flower. so i have quite a collection going on here in denmark by now. will have to set them free soon.

we're going to tivoli now. i equally look forward to it and dread it. but hey, we're in copenhagen, my kiddos are half danish, and we cannot put it off any longer, so here we go. and hey, i can always go home and draw a few feathers afterward to restore the inner peace.

sunny days

we went on a fishing trip yesterday. just D and i. it was a gorgeous day. we have been lucky with the weather, it's been beautiful sun when we needed it. like this saturday when we went camping in the woods with family. it was amazing. hardly saw all the kids all day. just heard their laughs and shouts while they were playing. and we sat around the fire with all the family. cooking, eating, talking. perfection.

yesterday we brought home mackerel, cod and a long fish with blue bones called horn fish in danish, but i believe that's something entirely different in english. anyway, it's very tasty. so last night for dinner we had mackerel on the grill, cod baked on the grill with butter, onions and carrots. and the blue boned fish fried on the pan. because that is the traditional way. served with new potatoes, a salad and creme fraiche dressing with garlic, red onions and salt and pepper. and white wine, of course. what a meal.

thank you so much for your sweet, thoughtful and encouraging comments to my previous post. it means a lot to me. i don't have time to do much blog reading nor commenting these days, but i will visit your blogs as soon as everyday life returns. believe it or not, i actually am looking forward to that. everyday life.

have a beautiful day. we're once again off to the countryside to meet friends.

the two of us

yesterday we'd been married for seven years. sometimes it feels like we just met, other days it's like a world ago. i feel like the same, but then, when i look at photos i see me, but also someone else. sometimes i miss the one i left behind.

i don't walk around feeling older, but i can see we were younger. the skin around the eyes, the smiles on the lips. as much as i love what we have today, i feel a little bit sad when i look at us back then. the time that was, the no return.

to live is a constant goodbye to what was. most of the time i don't think about it like that, because i am busy saying hello, or preparing for new arrivals. that's what makes dates so special. they make us remember, grieve, and appreciate.

so, here's to seven more of both famine and great plenty, for better and for worse. together.

seeing places

just popping by, quite busy these days, getting around, seeing places and people, from the city center to the woods.

wishing you a wonderful weekend. we're going camping.

changing perspective

seing so much and so many these days. feels good. and exhausting. D came yesterday, it was good, but the kids were so hyper as in really difficult to focus and behave normal, and he completely tired from travelling all night. not the best combination. at least not for me because i took upon myself to be the one to try and make things work out the best. instead i got irritated on everyone. what a day of mixed emotions. isn't it strange how family life can sometimes turn everything around, everyone having their own expectations and plans. the ones you love the most, you know. plus the fact that children just pick up on emotions and multiply them over and over. i went to bed thinking "tomorrow, we'll try it again". to reunite.

and so today was much better. we went for a trip to the city, took a tour with the canal boat. saw copenhagen from another angle. sometimes it's good to see things in a different perspective, and sometimes that takes a good night's sleep.

those photos above doesn't have anything to do with copenhagen canal tours, though. just random, from museums, friends' houses and gardens. i never made it for jane's "me" cornerview, but the last one up there is a self portrait, framed by my friend's beautiful mirror. wishing you a happy day.

denmark - second week

our second week in denmark, before the rain. we visited friends and spent most days outdoors. lovely.

a few days ago we had rain, but the sun returned. D will arrive tomorrow, and that is about time: the boys are asking for him all the time. we are planning to go visit friends. let's see.