Turning Norwegian

When I go on holiday, this little boy needs sitting.

So for my recent trip to Sussex I welcomed Norway 🇳🇴 into my home. 

This lovely couple took good amazing care of Bertie, despite the challenges he threw at them!

They sent me reassuring daily pictures and videos of my boy whilst I was away.

But it wasn't plain sailing.  Bertie had plans of his own and his reoccurring cystitis flared up on the day of my departure.  So I didn’t depart.  I waited until vet, TLC and time had done their jobs. 

Meantime, I soon slipped easily into Norwegian life.   Scandinavian style breakfasts with my guests. 

Beautiful home-baked bread each morning.

Watching my guests quickly settle in, here spying a cat climb up the olive tree.

Conversation slipped seamlessly between Norwegian/Danish and English, sometimes mid-sentence.  It was a fantastic opportunity for me to indulge in my passion for Scandinavian languages and a great refresher.

And so the breakfasts continued.  Cheeses, smoked trout, fruit.

Each day the breakfast plates were decorated with whatever freshness was to hand ... basil, chives, a little fruit, tomatoes.

 

J's bread really was something else and I’ll post on that shortly.  You WILL want to read that post!

R 's  Breakfast included a Gammel Dansk (Old Danish) each day.  It's a sort of fortified spirit.  I remembered it being a traditional tipple to start the day off when I lived in Denmark and the Danes swore a daily shot kept them fit and healthy.  It's nice to see the tradition lives on.  

Skaal!

My guest tells me he always packs a bottle or two when travelling and he's never suffered from any tummy upsets, despite sometimes travelling to pretty dodgy areas of the globe that are known to be tummy-challenging.  Maybe there is something in this Old Danish tradition, after all ...

So I took my trip three days later than planned, and returned back home three days earlier than planned.  There's a certain symmetry in that eh?

Yes, Bertie had further episodes whilst I was away and after the second episode I decided I'd better get back to my boy, despite Son and catsitters handling each event perfectly.  It felt unfair to impose on "the crisis team" any longer

So I decided to turn this pig's ear into a silk purse.

Turn a crisis into a pleasant experience.

I drove the Norwegians to various spots around my pretty island, some being places they wouldn't have otherwise visited.

I had more Scandi breakfasts.

I took them out for fish and chips.

We took time out to watch a slug crawl up a wall on a rainy day.

And I learned how to make tasty bread in a totally revolutionary way!  You REALLY DO need to pop back to read that post!

But mostly I decided to view these unexpected home days as a gift, an opportunity to get to know these special people that little bit better.  And we had a blast!

My Norwegian guests friends have had an impact on me during my unexpected time spent with them.  It's like I've been reminded of my "roots" - yup, more on that in another post too!

 I think I may be giving my life a few welcoming tweaks ...

Life, you're welcome!

Do you find yourself turning a crisis into something pleasant?

Turning a negative experience into something positive?  

Finding that silver lining in the grey cloud hovering overhead?

A la perchoine,

Mary x.

Coming up: bread baking that will blow your mind!

I Love Scandiland - The Homes, The Country, The People

Here's the concluding part of my 2-parter on Scandinavia.  Enjoy!


I love Scandinavia and I've realised that, over time, so many aspects of life there has been imbued into my everyday.

I admire Scandinavian design, architecture, their cosy houses and house décor.
I hope you enjoy my associated series I Love Scandiland, which started here.

We furnished this room with a mix of Ikea and upcycled furniture.

And don't get me started on Ikea! My Big Treat is to wander around Ikea.
Anywhere. Any country.
I drift through the room settings, observe how they function, try out the furniture, take mental note of the designs, the moods created.

Like here in Denmark. 

Left: I love this Strandmon chair. It will be mine! 

Right: I enjoy its café food.  Does this face look happy?!

 Please don't think all this Ikea stuff is sad.  Because it's not.
'Spect Ikea is like Marmite, you either love or you hate it.


I visit Scandinavia whenever I can.

And most importantly, I love being there with my two special friends.

Have you travelled or maybe lived in a country, a city, a region, that you've loved so much that it stays alive in your every day? That becomes a new way of life?


Knus og kram
A la perchoine.

I Love Scandiland - Its Hygge, Food and Language

I have to admit I got rather carried away with this post.  It became more than just a Dive Post (a longer than average post).   It became the Mariana Trench of Dive Posts.  Now I know you all lead busy and full lives, so I've split it into two bite-sized pieces.
So, go get a coffee, settle down in your fave armchair and enjoy the shorter Dive that is Part I!

My post was inspired by the lovely Leslie of Hostess of the Humble Bungalow.  Leslie wrote a beautiful piece recently about bringing memories of her holiday in Paris into her everyday life, here.  Do read it if you have the chance, it's inspiring and peaceful.

Leslie got me thinking.  I love visiting Scandinavia. Over the years, without realising it, I have brought little bits of it into my day-to-day life. 

I love Scandinavia,
or Scandiland as I like to call it.

My Danish friends say that I am a born-again Viking!

I love the food.

My breakfast is usually ostemad - a cheese slice (Havarti or Jarlsberg) on bread.

For special coffee times, fika, I serve fresh wienerbroed, Danish pastries. 

I make Scandinavian food, like kartoffelmad above, recipe here 

I make the food My Way, usually from my memories, not recipes!
I've already shared a few of my recipes with you in recent weeks, e.g. here.  I hope you try some out.

I love the spirit of cosiness, the "hygge" approach to everyday life.

I light candles, for special occasions, or for no particular occasion, to create hygge, mys (cosiness). 

I bring the outside in,

with flowers - holding on to summer with these dried hydrangeas;

with pinecones (which make lovely holiday momentoes), seen decorating this table set for drinks with friends;

with shells, like these seen on the right of my cluttered desk),

and with stones - my stone collection started years ago on beautiful Manapouri Beach, NZ.


I love the languages.

I am a voracious reader of Scandinavian womens' and housey magazines
for example, Danish mags Alt for Damerne and Bolig Liv

I especially love when piles of them are left around in peoples' houses for me to read :-)

I enjoy watching Scandinavian films and dramas.  So many are easily accessible these days.

I sometimes sing and dance in the language, like to this one here -  Granny, that's so embarressing!

I follow Swedish bloggers; as a result I'm slowly learning their language and more of their culture.



Do you ever re-live a holiday in your own home?
Maybe re-create a dish you enjoyed on holiday?
Perhaps making an aspect of a country's lifestyle or tradition a regular fixture in your life back home?
Is there a language you love that led you to visit or stay in its country?
Or a country that led you to learn its language?
I'd love to hear.




Knus og kram
A la perchoine.