Monthly Quote: December

I'm late I'm late I'm late, and so sorry. Better late than never, though!

I now work in a place where I'm on the computer for a lot of the day, and that limits my need for computer based activites to checking Ravelry and Netflixing... sorry! But I really want to carry on with the monthly quotes, they've  helped shape the way I approach each month, and it sets the tone nicely. This month I've decided that listening to my body is the most important, and to not let the things I can't do anything about upset me so much. I'm a queen of worrying and being upset about things that are really out of my hands. So - forwards and onwards on the path of letting that stuff go is a motto this month.

  Alasdair and I are still painting, still working hard to get the house liveable. The next room after the dining room/library, is the kitchen! It's probably the room I'm most excited about of all the rooms in the house. The ceiling in this room was also just wood like the walls you see in the photo, but it had been treated with some sort of varnish which made it look really blotchy, dirty and not nice at all. There's patina, and then there's patina...The top photo is of the ceiling mostly unpainted, but it doesn't actually show how bad it looked in real life. Anyway, we decided fairly early on that this room needs a total paint-job, from top to bottom, and now that the base coat and first coat of paint is on the ceiling, we don't regret this decision at all. It's so motivating to work on now that we see how nice it's getting in there.The ceiling seems to be breathing again, and the room's atmosphere has been transformed - from a dungeon-like room, to an airy space which feels inviting. It really helped putting in a large window, too, the previous window was very small. 

I'm not really painting that much, or at all yet, but I'm tidying, cleaning and hoovering in between, to keep things neat around us while we work. I also have the task of reading to Alasdair while he paints. I'm the entertainer - and right now we're reading Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. It keeps him entertained while doing the hard work, and I feel useful for it. Win-win situation! 

This weekend I'm planning on doing my first little bit of painting in over a month - I'm both excited and nervous about how my arms will cope, but I've decided to really check how I feel on Saturday, and if I'm in doubt about whether it'll hurt or not, I'll wait a bit longer. There's no rush. My arms are doing a lot better, and I can knit and embroider a bit these days, but I'm not sure how painting'll be, but time will show. 

Enough about this, and on to the quote of the month, if you've stuck with me so far... 

"I have never seen a greater monster or miracle in the world than myself."

- Michel de Montaigne 

 

As always, go visit Vibeke and Ruth for more inspirational quotes, they were the ones who inspired me to join in! 

 

Have a good December everyone! 

- Elise

Breakfast

imagine hearing those tiny feet across the table as you sip your tea

and this is what i am knitting

have a lovely morning

Katie Melua – When You Taught Me How To Dance

Jeg liker PopCo, den er flott! Jeg leser hvert ledige minutt, hvilket ikke er så mange, men til sammen utgjør de jo en del. Som jo er veldig fint.

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I like PopCo, it is magnifique. I read every spare minute, which isn't that many, but together they make out quite some time. Which is very nice, indeed.

me and lise discussing the whereabouts of pigeon's babies.

Potato Peel Pie

Dagene har for det meste gått med til dette:

og dette

også fortalte Didrik om at da han var liten fant han ut at det går an å lage slott av såpebobler

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We've been playing games, making skirts and blowing bubbles these past few days.

09.09.09

I dag har vi kost oss sikkelig her på folkehøgskolen:

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Today has been okey here at school. :)

Moby Dick

Nå skal jeg prøve å beskrive noe av det aller beste som finns! Nemlig det å kunne sette av litt tid i hverdagen, og helst hver dag, til å bare være deg selv, og ikke bekymre deg over unødvendig småfjas. Jeg mener det er helt nødvendig for meg (og deg) å ta en pause i livet. En liten pause for å trekke pusten dypt inn, kjenne at skuldrene senker seg og at du kan bare ta det med ro for en stund, helst to. Og en lur måte å gjøre dette på trenger ikke nødvendigvis å innebære at man setter seg rett ned og ikke gjør noenting som helst. Det beste man gjør er å gjøre noe man blir glad av, noe som får en i bedre humør - stelle i hagen, lese i en god bok (og ikke nødvendigvis fra perm til perm, men de delene du liker aller best), bake en kake, se på en koselig film, gå en tur i skogen, dra på trening, spille gitar, spille data, strikke, hekle, ta oppvasken for hånd for en gangs skyld - ja, du finner det ut selv! Noen mener at eneste måten å slappe av på er å stikke føttene i et glovarmt fotbad og drikke urte-te, men for andre er dette mer stress, for hvordan kan man finne tid til sånt? Andre mener at det å jogge en times tid er god avkobling.

De dagene jeg kan bake en kake, sette på en film (for eksempel Poirot!) og hekle/strikke er de beste for meg. Andre ganger syns jeg de beste dagene for meg er når jeg får noen timer sammen med mine godeste venner, eller min kjære, eller bare mamma eller pappa. Andre dager igjen liker jeg det aller best om jeg kan gå en tur i hagen, sette meg ned på benken å lese i en bok, eller spille på datamaskinen uten innblanding av noe slag. Det jeg vil fram til er at det er så viktig for meg, og egentlig for alle sammen, at jeg tar meg tid til dette. Litt tid til å bare tenke på meg og det jeg vil. Det er herlig når jeg kjenner at jeg henger med, at jeg legger merke til at blomstene i hagen springer ut, eller at gresset gror. Mamma har gitt meg et av de aller beste rådene jeg har tatt med meg i livet, og nå får dere det også:

Av og til må man bare sette seg ned å se at gresset gror!

(The photo of my mom reading is taken by me, and the one of me was taken by Alexander, my BF.)
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I am very determined to take the time to relax, be myself and do things that I enjoy doing. It is so important to take care of ones free time and fill the days with good things to do and remember. Everyone's got their own image on what relaxing is - reading, baking a cake, going for a walk in the woods, working out, taking a foot bath, knit or crochet - you name it. The important thing is to take the time actually do it. I love baking a good cake, especially the ones with apples, put on a Poirot-movie and just knit and watch, and drink the occasional cup of good tea. Sometimes the best kind of relaxation is when I can spend time with my bestest friends (is bestest a word?) or my BF. Sometimes it is best to follow one of my mom's best advices, to just sit and watch the grass grow.