The name Liselotte has not yet captured USA.
In Denmark, there were 3.917 people in 2007 bearing my name.
A good thing I don't live in the US - I would have to explain and spell my name all the time... :-)
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
VACATION!!!
Kristian has gone with his father to their summer house.
Bodil has been up there too, and is now visiting her grandparents.
Andreas is in Gråsten, looking out for Daisy & Co.
WE ARE ON VACATION!!!!
....every day from 4 in the afternoon until 8 in the morning...
It's not that we don't love the kids and don't enjoy their company.
Sometimes it's just great not to have them around.
:-)
Bodil has been up there too, and is now visiting her grandparents.
Andreas is in Gråsten, looking out for Daisy & Co.
WE ARE ON VACATION!!!!
....every day from 4 in the afternoon until 8 in the morning...
It's not that we don't love the kids and don't enjoy their company.
Sometimes it's just great not to have them around.
:-)
Sunday, July 29, 2007
And now to something completely different!
With these undying word from the icons of british humour (the Monty Python gang), I abruptly divert attention from my motherly adoration by turning my attention to a travelling bonus child.
Brunos daughter, Christina, is at the moment spending 4½ weeks in China (!!!) with her friend, Cathrine.
Cathrine and Christina has known each other since they at an early age met in school here in Fredericia. They have shared thick and thin, and even been roommates for a while - in Odense, while Cathrine went to high school (which she finish with honors and 3 high level subjects AND good grades) and Christina took HF - a condenced high school degree (also quite successfully).
Now the two tough cookies have gone off to China. The fact that they are REALLY on their own - even if they are just in their mid-twenties and deaf to boot - is no obstacle. Oh well. They understand chinese just as well as I do. andre gør.
On Christinas blog it's possible to follow their journey - they do travel a lot. Sadly, the blog is in danish, so I am not linking to it...
At home their girl/boyfriends are waiting eagerly to have them back :-)
Personally, I look forwards to seeing the pictures and hearing stories from their trip "live".
Brunos daughter, Christina, is at the moment spending 4½ weeks in China (!!!) with her friend, Cathrine.
Cathrine and Christina has known each other since they at an early age met in school here in Fredericia. They have shared thick and thin, and even been roommates for a while - in Odense, while Cathrine went to high school (which she finish with honors and 3 high level subjects AND good grades) and Christina took HF - a condenced high school degree (also quite successfully).
Now the two tough cookies have gone off to China. The fact that they are REALLY on their own - even if they are just in their mid-twenties and deaf to boot - is no obstacle. Oh well. They understand chinese just as well as I do. andre gør.
On Christinas blog it's possible to follow their journey - they do travel a lot. Sadly, the blog is in danish, so I am not linking to it...
At home their girl/boyfriends are waiting eagerly to have them back :-)
Personally, I look forwards to seeing the pictures and hearing stories from their trip "live".
Fans of Andreas...
...absolutely have to see this video. In the picture you see Andreas by looking at the middle two rows, furthest away. He is the one closest to the camera, in the row closest to the guard house - and they march away at the end...
Driving south
We nearly always plan our summer vacation as a car-vacation - and we usually go to the south of Europe - primarily the south of France.
It's a long drive. A really long one. But we try to make the trip part of the vacation - try to make it a tradition, a cozy one, with the charm of repetition and recognizability.
Our alarm clock always go off at 3 in the morning. That is when we get up, brush our teeth, maybe we take a quick shower, and then we leave. We can do that - because everything is allready packed in the car, and the things we want inside the cabin is ready to grab. The kids bring their pillows and duvets in the car, so they can sleep on for a while.
This year Bruno and I had chosen to pack our duvet, so we slept with our sleeping bags in our bed. Everything went smooth, and at 3.29 the Opel rolled out of our driveway, followed by our tentwagon (also know as "Pletten" - meaning "Spot" in danish, but really just being short for "Campletten" - Camplet being the brand of our tentwagon).
The reason for this early departure is easily told. Actually, it is best illustrated by this picture, that shows how the north german freeway looks a bit before 5 in the morning:
Our normal setup is making it south of Hannover before we make our breakfast stop. We usually drive off the freeway, find a baker, and preferably a cozy and idyllic place to relax and enjoy our food and our break before we roll on.
This year we drove into a small german village, found a baker, and right next to the baker, a small river, where we could get comfy on a bench and chat with the ducks, while we ate.
Another great thing there was a public washroom - so we could all pee, before we went on.
On the road the kids are usually a pattern example of good spirits, patience and sibling-love. No nagging or pouting is seen, and they make up crazy things and fun games, that make time go a little easier on the freeway. Here Kristian found a creative way to set the sun screen, so it ALWAYS shelters for the sun...
For some reason Bodil had brought electricians tape in red and blue - don't ask why!
It came to good use, though, as Bodil and Kristian invented these li'l critters by name of Pip-hans and Gøj....
Time passed, like it usually does. We got a spot of lunch on the way, and late in the afternoon we arrived at a campingsite by the French town Dôle. We just had pletten up, when it started to rain! A really good feature, the tent being hollow - we were comfortable and dry inside and ate dinner with candles - nice spaghetti bolognaise!
The next morning the sun was shining - it was lovely, even if pletten didn't have time to dry entirely, before we packed it up. And it was a nice thought to start on, that we had gone far enough south, that we only had 500 km to drive on day 2. So we were actually in Cevennes by 4 in the afternoon - and the camping site was just as nice as it appeared to be on the internet.
Our trip south was done - and yet again it had gone without major obstacles like traffic jams, marital crisis or mechanical problems.
It's a long drive. A really long one. But we try to make the trip part of the vacation - try to make it a tradition, a cozy one, with the charm of repetition and recognizability.
Our alarm clock always go off at 3 in the morning. That is when we get up, brush our teeth, maybe we take a quick shower, and then we leave. We can do that - because everything is allready packed in the car, and the things we want inside the cabin is ready to grab. The kids bring their pillows and duvets in the car, so they can sleep on for a while.
This year Bruno and I had chosen to pack our duvet, so we slept with our sleeping bags in our bed. Everything went smooth, and at 3.29 the Opel rolled out of our driveway, followed by our tentwagon (also know as "Pletten" - meaning "Spot" in danish, but really just being short for "Campletten" - Camplet being the brand of our tentwagon).
The reason for this early departure is easily told. Actually, it is best illustrated by this picture, that shows how the north german freeway looks a bit before 5 in the morning:
Our normal setup is making it south of Hannover before we make our breakfast stop. We usually drive off the freeway, find a baker, and preferably a cozy and idyllic place to relax and enjoy our food and our break before we roll on.
This year we drove into a small german village, found a baker, and right next to the baker, a small river, where we could get comfy on a bench and chat with the ducks, while we ate.
Another great thing there was a public washroom - so we could all pee, before we went on.
On the road the kids are usually a pattern example of good spirits, patience and sibling-love. No nagging or pouting is seen, and they make up crazy things and fun games, that make time go a little easier on the freeway. Here Kristian found a creative way to set the sun screen, so it ALWAYS shelters for the sun...
For some reason Bodil had brought electricians tape in red and blue - don't ask why!
It came to good use, though, as Bodil and Kristian invented these li'l critters by name of Pip-hans and Gøj....
Time passed, like it usually does. We got a spot of lunch on the way, and late in the afternoon we arrived at a campingsite by the French town Dôle. We just had pletten up, when it started to rain! A really good feature, the tent being hollow - we were comfortable and dry inside and ate dinner with candles - nice spaghetti bolognaise!
The next morning the sun was shining - it was lovely, even if pletten didn't have time to dry entirely, before we packed it up. And it was a nice thought to start on, that we had gone far enough south, that we only had 500 km to drive on day 2. So we were actually in Cevennes by 4 in the afternoon - and the camping site was just as nice as it appeared to be on the internet.
Our trip south was done - and yet again it had gone without major obstacles like traffic jams, marital crisis or mechanical problems.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Boy meets bear
We managed to get on to Gråsten today - Bruno, Kristina and myself - to see Andreas do the changing of the guards at Gråsten Castle.
When we got there, we went down near the castle premises. Normally they are open to the public, so you can go and see the gardens, but at the moment the royal family is residing there, and so it is closed.
There was a colleague of Andreas standing guard there - and there was a white sign saying that there was no access. Hrmf. No posters telling when the guard was to change, and whether it was possible to see it. No help at all.
Well, anyway, we knew it was at 12 noon, but not exactly where. Rumour spread, though, that it was right where we were standing.
So we waited patiently, and finally, at 12, things started to happen. By then, an ageing gentleman clad in green had assured us, that this was the place to be :-)
I was great to see my handsome son walk in, looking sharp in his blue uniform and bearskin hat! Bruno is still laughing at me, because I am so terribly proud!
Here is a shot at him, as they march away from the castle - he is the one under the pink arrow.
Ain't he the greatest??
Right now he called and said that he is coming home in about an hour - and he is not going back until tomorrow evening. That is just great! He has been craving a day off - it's been a hard week, and persistant rumours have gone around that you don't get to go home for the first month... good thing that it was just a rumour!
When we got there, we went down near the castle premises. Normally they are open to the public, so you can go and see the gardens, but at the moment the royal family is residing there, and so it is closed.
There was a colleague of Andreas standing guard there - and there was a white sign saying that there was no access. Hrmf. No posters telling when the guard was to change, and whether it was possible to see it. No help at all.
Well, anyway, we knew it was at 12 noon, but not exactly where. Rumour spread, though, that it was right where we were standing.
So we waited patiently, and finally, at 12, things started to happen. By then, an ageing gentleman clad in green had assured us, that this was the place to be :-)
I was great to see my handsome son walk in, looking sharp in his blue uniform and bearskin hat! Bruno is still laughing at me, because I am so terribly proud!
Here is a shot at him, as they march away from the castle - he is the one under the pink arrow.
Ain't he the greatest??
Right now he called and said that he is coming home in about an hour - and he is not going back until tomorrow evening. That is just great! He has been craving a day off - it's been a hard week, and persistant rumours have gone around that you don't get to go home for the first month... good thing that it was just a rumour!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Hello again, world!
So I've been quiet for a few days.
Well, I have an excuse - I have been sick. Really split-brain-headache, puke-my-guts-out-sick.
Yuck!
Spent all day in bed, unable to read or watch telly, just moaning, sleeping and occationally stumbling into the bathroom to be sick. For the scientifically curious: what comes out of an empty stomach is green.
Today I am better. Not great, but the headache and the nausea is gone, and has left me feeble, but definately better.
I nearly forgot how great it is NOT to be sick!
Well, I have an excuse - I have been sick. Really split-brain-headache, puke-my-guts-out-sick.
Yuck!
Spent all day in bed, unable to read or watch telly, just moaning, sleeping and occationally stumbling into the bathroom to be sick. For the scientifically curious: what comes out of an empty stomach is green.
Today I am better. Not great, but the headache and the nausea is gone, and has left me feeble, but definately better.
I nearly forgot how great it is NOT to be sick!
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Blue party
WARNING: This post is purely motherly bragging and show-off... ;-)
While we were in Cevennes, Andreas had a big incident - Blue party.
I have never heard about it before Andreas started in the Queens Guard - we don't have a tradition of Guards in my family, but I guess it is the big occation. It is a party for those active in the Queens Guard - Galla dresses for the ladies and the blue parade uniform for the gents.
Of course Kristina and Andreas attended. I have been hearing about blue party all spring - and Kristina had a big project going with a dress in several layers, one of them being the modern version of a fish bone skirt.
In the afternoon the Guards paraded through Kolding city, stopping at Koldinghus, an old fort, where a member of the royal family, Count Ingolf, said a few words.
Andreas had been busy shining buttons and ironing folds in his pants (WITHOUT his mother around) - and the result was really good:
They got new white gloves for the parade - the ones, they have been practicing with, are quite worn out and covered in blood and dirt (sounds like hard work!):
Come evening, the party was on. First in formal galla and blue uniform, later they slipped into more casual, normal party clothes.
Here is Kristina and Andreas dressed to the nines:
Andreas' best buddy on his team is a guy from northern Jutland - here they are, hanging out at the bar and looking quite comfy:
I talked to Andreas sunday after the party via texting, and even through there he sounded really pleased with the party. I was glad to hear all went well - after all, there was a lot of anticipation built up over the spring.
While we were in Cevennes, Andreas had a big incident - Blue party.
I have never heard about it before Andreas started in the Queens Guard - we don't have a tradition of Guards in my family, but I guess it is the big occation. It is a party for those active in the Queens Guard - Galla dresses for the ladies and the blue parade uniform for the gents.
Of course Kristina and Andreas attended. I have been hearing about blue party all spring - and Kristina had a big project going with a dress in several layers, one of them being the modern version of a fish bone skirt.
In the afternoon the Guards paraded through Kolding city, stopping at Koldinghus, an old fort, where a member of the royal family, Count Ingolf, said a few words.
Andreas had been busy shining buttons and ironing folds in his pants (WITHOUT his mother around) - and the result was really good:
They got new white gloves for the parade - the ones, they have been practicing with, are quite worn out and covered in blood and dirt (sounds like hard work!):
Come evening, the party was on. First in formal galla and blue uniform, later they slipped into more casual, normal party clothes.
Here is Kristina and Andreas dressed to the nines:
Andreas' best buddy on his team is a guy from northern Jutland - here they are, hanging out at the bar and looking quite comfy:
I talked to Andreas sunday after the party via texting, and even through there he sounded really pleased with the party. I was glad to hear all went well - after all, there was a lot of anticipation built up over the spring.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Climbing mountains
Now I am back from my vacation, but I am still climbing mountains ... of laundry, that is!
But shortly I will upload pictures from our lovely vacation - and share!
But shortly I will upload pictures from our lovely vacation - and share!
Saturday, July 7, 2007
I LOVE COFFEE....
So I couldn't resist taking the coffee test...
So I couldn't resist taking the coffee test...
You Are a Plain Ole Cup of Joe |
 But don't think plain - instead think, uncomplicated You're a low maintenance kind of girl... who can hang with the guys Down to earth, easy going, and fun! Yup, that's you: the friend everyone invites. And your dependable too. Both for a laugh and a sympathetic ear. |
In just about 11 hours my alarm clock will wake me up.
I will rise, and Bruno and I will brush our teeth, put a bit of water in our hair and wake up my drowsy kids.
We will gather the last few things, and enter our car. ½ hour after getting up, we will be on our way south. Destination: This campingsite in Cevennes.
By 9 tomorrow morning we will be south of Hannover, and we will turn off the freeway to find a breadstand. We'll get some rolls, and find a pretty spot to eat our breakfast by the side of the road.
Then, southward again, to stop for the night in Alsace.
This is how our vacation always start. And we love it :-)
Friday, July 6, 2007
A strange scent
She may be the queen of the elves, but she sure smelled more like an orc when we picked her up after 5 days at camp without a shower.... phew!
Anyway, she had a great time and had gotten a slight Zealand accent due to the fact that she had befriended a group of role playes from Roskilde.
After a shower, she went straight to bed - and I am currently trying to pry her out of sleeps arms... she is not coming willingly.....
Anyway, she had a great time and had gotten a slight Zealand accent due to the fact that she had befriended a group of role playes from Roskilde.
After a shower, she went straight to bed - and I am currently trying to pry her out of sleeps arms... she is not coming willingly.....
A small testrun
We just grabbed a couple of days on Djursland. The tentwagon was tested properly before we go on our "real" vacation to Cevennes in the south of France.
We stayed on a small camping site, Elsegårde Camping - near Ebeltoft. It was to be recommended, as it was cozy, neat and well equipped for its size, with both a small store, a miniature golf course and a pool. Strangely the weather behaved rather well.
We tested out the miniature golf course, and of course, Bruno won :-/
Actually Kristian was the stylish one - golf is his game, as he plays once a week with his father. But Bruno won anyway - he is just too lucky!!
The area is just so beautiful. Green and hilly and lovely - it drove us quite bonkers...
We found a viewing point, where you could see far. I find the view in this picture absolutely wonderful :-)
The sun kept on peeking out from behind the clouds, and the fields were peppered with poppies and corn flowers and daisies - I think it must have been a biodynamic farm, because normally you don't see many flowers deep in the fields.
Poppies are so pretty, and Kristian picked one for me. Thus he learned how short-lived a poppy is, once you break the stem. So from now on I think he'll leave them standing prettily where they grow.
We took a trip to Ebeltoft, and actually I have never been there before. The town is so picturesque, it is almost a kliché. Small, cobbled alleys with low houses, where the hollyhocks are trying their best to take over.
Neatly kept houses exist harmonically side by side with idyllic decay - I hope they leave this door just the way it is.
All over there was loveliness and beauty, and when our eyes were filled up, we topped off our tummies with a great big belgian waffle with ice cream and drove on. We had a plan - namely of visiting Skandinavisk Dyrepark - and we didn't regret that. But more of that later!
We stayed on a small camping site, Elsegårde Camping - near Ebeltoft. It was to be recommended, as it was cozy, neat and well equipped for its size, with both a small store, a miniature golf course and a pool. Strangely the weather behaved rather well.
We tested out the miniature golf course, and of course, Bruno won :-/
Actually Kristian was the stylish one - golf is his game, as he plays once a week with his father. But Bruno won anyway - he is just too lucky!!
The area is just so beautiful. Green and hilly and lovely - it drove us quite bonkers...
We found a viewing point, where you could see far. I find the view in this picture absolutely wonderful :-)
The sun kept on peeking out from behind the clouds, and the fields were peppered with poppies and corn flowers and daisies - I think it must have been a biodynamic farm, because normally you don't see many flowers deep in the fields.
Poppies are so pretty, and Kristian picked one for me. Thus he learned how short-lived a poppy is, once you break the stem. So from now on I think he'll leave them standing prettily where they grow.
We took a trip to Ebeltoft, and actually I have never been there before. The town is so picturesque, it is almost a kliché. Small, cobbled alleys with low houses, where the hollyhocks are trying their best to take over.
Neatly kept houses exist harmonically side by side with idyllic decay - I hope they leave this door just the way it is.
All over there was loveliness and beauty, and when our eyes were filled up, we topped off our tummies with a great big belgian waffle with ice cream and drove on. We had a plan - namely of visiting Skandinavisk Dyrepark - and we didn't regret that. But more of that later!
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
Nivea DNAge
Maybe its just me. I must be the wrong skin type or something.
But whenever I decide to do something good for my facial skin, and I buy a cream meant to make my wrinkles disappear miraculously, I have a problem.
My face shines like a lamp. It looks like I have dipped my face in grease, and it is not pretty.
Nivea DNAge is no exception to that rule. I like the scent and the texture - but I am not a big foundation or concealer-fan, and I don't like being all shiny.
Maybe my skin isn't oldish enough. It simply can't eat up all the goodness in those creams.
So I gave the day cream to my mom (she's 73 so she probably IS old enough) and kept the night cream - coz Bruno doesn't mind a bit of shinyness at night before we turn the light out, and I do like the night cream.
The eye cream ... well, its okay, but I never really saw the point in those eye creams. I do just fine with face cream - on my eyes as well....
My wrinkles?? Well, they are just fine. The only effective way of making them disappear that I found so far, is taking off my contacts ... ;-)
But whenever I decide to do something good for my facial skin, and I buy a cream meant to make my wrinkles disappear miraculously, I have a problem.
My face shines like a lamp. It looks like I have dipped my face in grease, and it is not pretty.
Nivea DNAge is no exception to that rule. I like the scent and the texture - but I am not a big foundation or concealer-fan, and I don't like being all shiny.
Maybe my skin isn't oldish enough. It simply can't eat up all the goodness in those creams.
So I gave the day cream to my mom (she's 73 so she probably IS old enough) and kept the night cream - coz Bruno doesn't mind a bit of shinyness at night before we turn the light out, and I do like the night cream.
The eye cream ... well, its okay, but I never really saw the point in those eye creams. I do just fine with face cream - on my eyes as well....
My wrinkles?? Well, they are just fine. The only effective way of making them disappear that I found so far, is taking off my contacts ... ;-)
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