Summertime - and the living is easy!!

What a weather! Yesterday we went to Taastrup on Sealand, because my sister in law and nephew celebrated their birthdays. Happy birthday to you both!!

As you can see everybody was enjoying the sun. This is my oldest daughter - almost 14. She was in the sun most of the day, and in the end I had to tell her to put on some cloth. Otherwise she would end up looking like totally grilled.

One of the birthday children having a small pause.

My mothers husband had found himself a nice place in the shadow. Without a hat and with not so much hair left it can be quite awful sitting in the boiling heat.

One of my brothers and his youngest, who had just put a lot of wax in the hair. You have to look good when mom and brother are celebrating their birthdays.

My mother and my youngest daughter. Nice to sit with grandmom after a dip in the pool and drink lemonade.

The other birthday child likes the water very much and it took a while before he was dressed.

My boyfriend also enjoyed a lemonade. Some of the time in the shadow, but he had also brought a cap, so he wasn't totally fried.

I like the sun, and I had a great day with the family.

This is where we sat most of the day. By the pool! I envy them their pool when it's as warm as it was yesterday.

But we also had time to eat.

And talk and laugh and cook - and just be a family.

Tried to catch a bumblebee in our butterfly lavender. Difficult - but also very much a piece of the summer.

During the week the weather was just as beautiful as yesterday. Kasper and I drove to Egeskov Slot to take a trip to the treetop.

It is an amazing walk aprox. 15 meters up the trees. Even though we tried it was impossible to take pictures to show how fantastic an experience it was.

And then we have been riding many kilometers on our bikes during the week. Anne polished her bike and the first day we rode 10 kilometers and the next day we rode another 16. Sofie was not a part of it, but she will be during the summer. Hopefully she will be able to keep up with her younger sister.

In need of a job!!

I can't remember the last time I felt so much in need of a job - well, that's not excactly true, because two years ago when we moved here I had the same feeling. I'm not quite sure what it is that makes it so difficult to get a job as a teacher here on Funen.We all read that there is a lack of teachers, but where??? I'm beginning to think that it's false. Today I visited two schools - just to present myself. No luck!!

Maybe I should just become a bird. Like this bird that took a little nab beside one of our flowers.

Okay, perhaps I should just be happy. At least I'm alive, healthy and have a lovely family. All of a sudden something will pop up!

Tomorrow my book is calling for me. It's time to write some more. And then I'll have to stop feeling sorry for myself.

Art - losts of it!!!

For the second saturday in a row Kasper and I have been to Odense to see a lot of art. Last week we visited "Brandts Klædefabrik" (Website: www.brandts.dk) that is situated in the middle of Odense. A fantastic place that we can only recommend, if you visit Funen and Odense. They change their excibitions many times a year and we saw a mexican photografer, Graciela Iturbide, artwork from graduates and a lot of originals made by the danish artist/painter Arne Ungermann, who has made drawings to school books and a lot of (in DK) well-known posters. There was also a very big excibition with paintings of Olav Christopher Jenssen, an internationally acclaimed Norwegian artist.

But it isn't only the excibitions that are impressing. Brants Klædefabrik is in itself a special place. And there is the most amazing view from the second floor. Above you can see a big stage (underneeth the steel skeleton) build just outside the entrance.

This picture is also showing the steel skeleton. I was impressed by the light on the buildings on the other side.

This saturday we went to "Fyns Kunstmuseum", because we saw they had an excibition called "Nuet" ("The Now") that looked interesting. It was installations, sculptures, drawings and paintings by Thorbjørn Lausten. My God he was difficult to understand. Still not sure I got an accurate picture of what he means, but he is one of the leading ligth artists in and outside Denmark. They also had a collection of female artists - the permanent excibition is only men!! Outside the museum we met this lovely lady.

The museum is a very beautiful building like many buildings in Odense.

We also visited a little boutique with different art. One of the owners made a lot of the paintings herself (www.annemuff.dk). I think they are very good. Nice colours and funny motives. Check it out.

One of our orkids is blooming. Beautiful! It is the first time we see it bloom.

And then there are ours chilies. They are huge. The "Early jalapeno" has two fruits - or rather had, because we ate one today. It still isn't strong enough, but it will be. Both plants have lots of flowers, which means lots of fruits. We are looking for different receipies all the time to be ready, when we start swimming in them.

And then we have a new recident - a blackbird! So shortly there will be even more bird talk in our garden (pip pip)!!

Nye udfordringer!! - New challenges!!

Maybe I should start writing in english?? Perhaps I would get more readers? Who knows... Would be one more advantage, I would practise my english. Nobody knows when I will need to use it.

I'm so ready to do something else. But nothing will happen all by itself, so I'll have to make it happen. And I'm in the proces of doing just that. Today we had a visit and I hope that the meeting will be the beginning of a new and exiting career. Not that I'm ready to throw everything I ever did overboard, but I just have to have a job and being a teacher - working with the youngest pupils - well, that's not an easy job to get here on Funen. Unfortunately!!

So... now I 'm in the proces of describing why I want this new job, what I'm interested in investing in it (time and so on), and what my dreams are. Do you know how difficult that can be? Maybe not the part about the dreams, 'cause it's all about the big dreams, but it is always difficult finding out how much you want to invest in something you do not know anything about.

And then there are all my other dreams. I would like to make different teaching materiel. I have a lot of ideas, and it would be very nice if I could make a living out of it. Considering different learning styles when teaching are becoming well-known in Denmark, and I would very much like to contribute any way I can - a good beginning in school is crucial for any kid.

But, but, but - I'll return with more info later. If anyone would like to know more about my ideas please write.

Et nyt liv begynder...?!

Så er kampen sat ind. Kampen for en ny tilværelse - som selvstændig. Det kræver, at der bliver gjort op med en opfattelse hos mig om, at regnskaber er noget, jeg aldrig vil kunne finde ud af!! Og i dag har jeg så støvsuget Ringe Bibliotek for at finde noget, som jeg ville kunne få glæde af i min kamp op ad bakken. Og måske er det ikke så slemt endda! Jeg er da stadig positiv.

Måske ser det ret overvældende ud. Der er trods alt 6 bøger - og de er ikke tynde, men når der nu er et dybere behov hos mig for at finde ud af, hvordan de forbandede (undskyld!!) tal fungerer i et regnskab, så er det nok nødvendigt med tunge budskaber...

Men det skal jo ikke være nyt alt sammen. Jeg har nu lavet to forskellige holdere (beskyttere) til vores nye Casagent-krus, der desværre ikke er termokrus, og som derfor bliver rigtig, rigtig varme, når man hælder noget varmt i dem. De er lavet af filt, og jeg har broderet på dem, så man også kan kende forskel på, hvis kop der er hvis. Smart, ikk'! De virker forrygende. På billederne kan man se, hvordan holderen ser ud, før og efter den er syet sammen til det endelige produkt.

Det er min vej at gå - det kreative! Jeg skal bare have fuldstændig styr på, hvordan jeg kan gøre mine evner til min levevej. Det er ikke nemt, men hvem har sagt, det skulle være det. Nu har jeg i første omgang oprettet min egen hjemmeside, og jeg er begyndt at lave tryk på nogle bluser, så jeg også kan fungere som omvandrende reklamesøjle... - ud over det sponsorerede link på Googles side.

Mens jeg sidder her og grubler, så leger blyanten. Og det er ALTID nøgne kvinder, jeg tegner. De er smukke og har fantastiske, bløde former.

Legende, siddende, løbende, liggende, forfra, bagfra, sammenbukkede eller udstrakte - men ALTID nøgne.

Hvem ved - måske ender de med at være en større del af mit nye liv, end jeg lige nu kan drømme om? De nøgne kvinder, malerier og bøger.

Årets første sommerdag

Så kunne vi endelig glæde os over grill-mad. Det har holdt hårdt, og det er faktisk temmelig lang tid siden, at vi sidst har grillet. Det smagte vidunderligt.

Og det var velfortjent! Vi startede i går med at rydde rigtig, rigtig meget grønt væk. Der kørte adskillige fyldte trillebører ned i baghaven, foruden det vi bar væk såsom store grene og halve træer.

Men så blev der da også plads til, at vi kunne sprede den kæmpe grusbunke, der i lange tider har ligget op ad huset. Det var hårdt! Bunken var dels grus og dels byggematerialer - brokker og den slags, men den blev fordelt og planeret efter bedste evne.

Midt i gruset lod vi en busk stå, som vi satte nogle sten rundt om. Ja, det kan godt være lidt svært at se, at det er en busk - og især at det var en busk, som for to dage siden var 2½ meter høj og bred, men vi håber, at den kommer igen for fuld kraft, så der kommer til at være en lille, grøn plet midt i det hele.

I dag lagde vi så fliser - og fliserester. I bedste Hundertwasser-stil har vi mixet alle de rester, vi havde liggende og havde arvet. Selvfølgelig har vi forsøgt at få tingene til at se så naturlige ud i forhold til hinanden.

Og jeg synes faktisk, at det er lykkedes meget godt. Vi mangler kun at sætte to hegn op. Det ene er sat lidt interemistisk op bare for at få en idé om, hvordan det kommer til at se ud. Det bliver rigtig godt, at der bliver lukket ud mod traileren.

Men ellers er der vel kun et at sige: En fed terrasse.