Jackdaws build their nests in chimneys so we always need to have netting over the opening.
Fog again today but it varied in thickness, not so thick in the morning but better later in the day. Still it was good enough to have walks in 🙂 The horse guy was cutting down trees somewhere along the creek, mostly thinning out smaller ones by the sound of it, so I was a bit worried that Alma would go insane with all that noise but she stayed far more calm than I ever thought I could hope for.
So to stay away as much as possible from the noise we walked along the creek up streams. WE didn’t pass the creek where we usually do but continued towards the bog. If we would have continued to the little lake in the bog it would have been better to walk on the other side of the creek but I had the wrong boots on, one can continue on the side we were walking on too but it’s a bit more tricky with swampy areas and small spruces.
Lots of animals must have been there just until the horse guy started because both Alma and Malkolm were very excited following tracks everywhere. Well mostly Malkolm followed them and Alma joined him when he stopped to examine some tracks some extra 🙂 🙂 She really can’t concentrate on anything for longer than 15 seconds, I’ve actually timed her 🙂 🙂 🙂
The horse guy and the horses had a break when we passed that place again so I could get a nice photo of them. I think it is time for that last cup of tea for the day and then fall asleep in front of the tv 🙂
We had sunshine most parts of the day yesterday and were supposed to have some today as well so of course we hadn’t 🙂 🙂 🙂 Instead we had my second favorite weather today, fog and at times really thick fog. Tomorrow we’re supposed to have fog all day so perhaps the sun will show itself then instead 🙂
But we didn’t just have fog, tiny, tiny snow flakes fell all day as well but since they were so small and few it isn’t noticeable anywhere on the ground, I can accept snowfall like that 🙂 🙂 It was a nice morning walk despite it being below 0C (32 F) because there was no wind what so ever blowing. Also both Malkolm and Alma behaved pretty well after the first couple of hundred meters (much the same in yards) of the walk.
I still, to my own surprise, have christmas feeling. I normally have them late October to some time in the middle of November and then they die out 🙂 🙂 🙂 I guess it can be because I don’t have to go out to scrape the windows of the car, feel well rested and actually just because the snow is falling even though it can’t be seen 🙂 I haven’t felt this well rested in years to be honest but I still can’t promote unemployment unless one is rather wealthy 🙂 🙂 🙂 I’m not so I better keep on looking for a job or win the lottery 🙂 🙂
They have removed the blockage in the creek so now the water level is much lower again.
It is time for a cup of tea but nothing more, the dogs and I have just eaten some pancakes and that’s enough for me but they and the cat will have their dinners just after this, even though they all had pancakes as well 🙂
It has been a boring day, hunters were out in the forest all day so no walks, I don’t want to walk there with Alma yet since she finally seems to calm down a lot when walking in the forest. I think we’ll walk there when most people have their Christmas vacations, very little that can stress her moving around then.
It looks like the cattle has moved to their winter pastures as well so we’ll have walks there too during christmas vacation, almost no cars will drive on the big road besides that area. Most likely lots of wild hogs if we go out just before the sun starts to rise but with that much open space they’ll not care about us at all.
The weather has been grey and dark with misty rain all day as well so none of the dogs were especially happy to be in the garden either. So instead we’ve been napping a lot 🙂 I should have done the laundry but never came around to do it. I won’t get a job next week either I’m afraid so I’ll have plenty of time to do it, at least until I’ve run out of clean clothes 🙂 🙂 🙂
We might get some sunshine both tomorrow and on Tuesday so I hope I’ll catch some of that but it will stay warmer here, especially at nights just because of the clouds so I’m not complaining too much 🙂 It is time for that last cup of tea for the day and I think I’ll also have an egg sandwich with blue cheese and some normal hard cheese or perhaps cheese and apricot jam 🙂
I only brought in one of the Camellias and the ones outside look really healthy despite -13 C (8,6 F).
I went to the mail box and checked if I had gotten any mail, we only get it every second day and I never remember what days they are 🙂 Anyway I took this photo on my way back. The left one is my neighbors and the right one is mine.
Been to the supermarket in the early morning and followed the note I’d written and instead of buying more things I don’t need I actually removed some since I really don’t need them and probably want to have other things next time I’ll go to the grocery store 🙂
We were supposed to have rain today but I don’t think we’ve had any, we did get some sunshine instead and that was a good swap I think 🙂 Above 0 C (32 F) temperatures today so the snow and frost is slowly melting away, very slowly it still stays in places where the sun can’t reach. I don’t think Alma has behaved so well ever before as she did today!! I only wish I knew what was different this time 🙂 🙂
Every time my or my neighbors cars aren’t working as they should we borrow each others cars. Last year just before Christmas my old Peugeot broke down totally I could borrow their VW, this time they have their Volvo at the garage so now they borrow my Renault 🙂 I might have a rather shit life in some ways this autumn/ winter but I do have the best neighbors one can have 🙂 Also they like when my dogs jump over the fence and plays with their children and that’s a huge relief 🙂 🙂 🙂 So at the moment it’s a good thing I’m at home most of the time 🙂 🙂
It is time for that last cup of tea for the day. I baked some french rolls today and they sort of sank and are a bit flat but texture wise they actually are really close to the “real” ones but they taste absolutely nothing at all 🙂 🙂 🙂 So I’ve been sitting here wondering how all taste just have vanished when I remember that I forgot to put in salt 🙂 🙂 🙂 I tend to bake on a hip as we say here but I think I can remember how much of each product I used so I can do them again and put salt in too 🙂 🙂 🙂
Well if Alma is cleaning her up she of course does the same to her 🙂
I wonder what the Yule Gnome is trying to defend himself from? People who’d rather have Julmust? the biggest of all sodas during this time of year 🙂
The temperature dropped down to -10 C (14 F) again last night and it has stayed a bit chilly all day but we did get lots of sunshine instead so that made it all feel so much nicer. I always feel that even if one really doesn’t have any bigger problems during winter anything always feel so much worse than when it is sunny and at least above freezing when it comes to temperatures. Like if the car behaves odd I can take it with a smile during a nice spring to a nice autumn day but if something happens during winter everything just feels like life’s about to end in a miserable way 🙂 🙂 🙂
Last evening when I just had gone to bed a big lorry drove by my cottage. I was a bit surprised but it happens when they’ve cut down trees but I hadn’t seen any bigger logs lying by the road. Today I realized that it had been a lorry full with gravel, they had poured it out on the road down to the creek. Unfortunately they had used bigger stones than what one usually do and these stones are too big to settle on the ground, they will continue to move while walking on them and either one stumbles on them, fall and get nasty cuts in the hands when having fallen or one sprains ones ankles. If we’re lucky one will be able to walk without injuring oneself after three or four years. Plus the layer is so thin that I can’t see the use with it.
New gravel and it looks nice but is hellish to walk on.
Anyway we had to walk on them since we walked don to the creek and the older forest and I almost sprained my left ankle 🙂 🙂 🙂 Since it was a but troublesome to cross the creek yesterday we also had to walk back home on the same gravel road 🙂 The dogs dislike it as well and our mood while walking there wasn’t helped by Almas’ constant whining 🙂 🙂 🙂 I so wish I knew why she continues to keep on doing that.
I brought in three big branches from what I pruned off the apple tree yesterday. I wanted to bring in more but I have no idea what so ever where I’ve placed my big old urn, something in the back of my head says one of my old cats broke it but I do hope that’s a false memory. I can’t say it was beautiful in any way but it was practical to have during easter when we bring in lots of branches for easter and dress them more or less like our christmas trees but with other things like colored feathers and chocolate eggs filled with creamy nougat and chickens and I can go on forever 🙂
When we Swedes first started to have christmas trees they used to be put at the top of flagpoles, so only rich people could do that. Then they brought the tree inside and they hanged it from the ceilings so the trees were of course smaller. It took some time until they placed them on the floor and if they dressed it they often used apples ( and if it was a rich family perhaps oranges, by the way do You know that the Swedish name for orange (apelsin) means apple from china) which they could eat on Christmas, not the oranges they would most likely have started to mold by then but the apples.
It is time for that last cup of tea and then fall asleep in front of the tv 🙂
-10 C (14 F) when we went out for our morning walk, the sun was supposed to shine from early morning until it set so naturally we only had sunshine for an hour. The wind wasn’t strong but had a nasty bite to it so it was a relief when we could walk in to the forest.
We walked down to the creek but the opposite way than usual so that we only had to walk in the cold wind at the beginning of our walk. I could see how the clouds above our head stopped just before the mountain so those living on the other side of it or at the top had sunshine all the time during our walk 🙂 🙂 🙂 I noticed that the water level is really high now and when we reached the little bridge that allows us to continue with our walk along the creek it was almost totally covered in ice.
So we walked up the field to see if there was any place we could pass and then walk down to the creek again. I unfortunately thought I had found such a place but the brink of that ditch broke and my left foot sunk down into it 🙂 🙂 🙂 It looks like I had taken very good care of the boots because I didn’t get wet inside the shoe at all. Still my boot smells s bit of bog and so does my trousers 🙂 🙂 🙂 On the way back home we passed some working horses, the forest owner almost always hires a guy who works with horses in the forest to make as little damage as possible. Alma wanted to become hysterical but lots of treats made her manage it well 🙂
I’ve read in a couple of places that before we started to have christmas trees in our homes people tended to bring in smaller crab apple trees instead. If they planned it right the little apple tree would start to flower at christmas. So today I went outside and started to prune my seed sown apple tree. I’ve shaped it in a fan shape so it doesn’t grow too wide into the cow pasture beside. The cows will chew away those branches growing there anyway.
When You prune fruit trees like apples and pears only take a third of what is needed. If You take more the tree will do anything to get back all those leafs that it has lost and do it in autumn because that’s when the tree prepares to slow down before winter and won’t realize that it has lost all those leafs. Then next year take half of what You want to remove and the third year the rest, after that just check every now and again if something needs to be removed. Anyway I’ll take in some of those branches I cut of and put in a big vase and see if I can manage to make it flower till christmas 🙂
The ice cream lorry is on the way so I’ll go outside to buy some to have on christmas eve morning 🙂
We woke up to a village covered in white, well covered is a bit much but it is at least more snow on the ground than last time. It made my neighbor happy because it’s her birthday today and she wanted snow at least today and around Christmas 🙂
Even I must admit that it looks beautiful outside now and if the weather sites are somewhat right it might stay like this for a week or longer. I often hear that the snow at least makes it less dark but that’s only true if there is some light reflecting on it, I learned that when I moved to the countryside, if it is cloudy it’s just as dark as it is without snow 🙂 🙂 A clear sky and full moon is the best but since a clear sky usually also means nasty cold I prefer to have it cloudy at nights 🙂 🙂
I went to the super market this morning, Tuesday mornings are perfect to go there because there’s so little customers there that one can take time to just walk around looking for what one wants to buy and still not be in the way for others 🙂 That’s a dangerous strategy though because it is too easy to find other things to buy 🙂 I made it through without buying anything that wasn’t on the list though 🙂
I’ve started to put seeds in the feeder that is hanging in the huge lilacs and the birds of course loves it and I hope it will stop them from eating all the window putty from my windows. I have no idea what it is that makes them love eating it and it is so annoying! Anyway the small birds are happy and so is the Sparrowhawk. The first thing that happened was a Sparrowhawk catching a house sparrow in front of me. I really can’t be angry because they need food too but I do think it could have been polite enough to wait until I had walked in again 🙂
It is time for that last cup of tea for the day, I’ve just made a couple of scones and they are good but I don’t like how they smell for some reason. So the faster I eat these the quicker I can make other ones that doesn’t smell like these 🙂 🙂
Time just flew away yesterday and I blame that on the only sport I watch on tv, Biathlon. For those of You who don’t know what that is it is cross country skiing combined with shooting with a rifle on targets. To be honest it is strange that I am so fascinated in this sport because I’m a Conscientious objector and really dislikes cross country skiing 🙂 🙂 🙂 I never sleep as well as I do in front of cross country ski competition 🙂 🙂 🙂
They normally have these competitions in the mornings but for some reason they had them in in the afternoon this time, so I forgot to check the clock and when I finally did it was too late to start writing anything. Well nothing much had happened anyway and it was much the same today. The weather isn’t anything but fun. So dark and gloomy today that I had to use ISO 5000 to be able to take any descent photos. If You don’t know what ISO one usually use it’s normally around 200 on a bright day.
My hardy Rosemary. So far it has managed to survive down to almost -13 C (8,6 F).
It took some time before we could have our morning walk today, it rained around the time the sun is supposed to show itself and the clouds were so thick that very little light managed to reach us here on the ground. They did thin out some thankfully, otherwise I would have stayed at home 🙂
I saw a picture of a Werewolf earlier today and came to think of how our folklore describes them. I can’t find anything that if someone was bitten by a werewolf they too became one. There were some other ways that I’ll describe later on but mostly it was because someone had cursed a person to become one or if one knew ones way with magic one could transform to one by oneself. Usually they did that if they by looking like an animal would kill an enemy but it wasn’t only a wolf they could transform too, a bear was also something they could become. When someone had become a werewolf or (were) bear they usually had a lighter color than normal bears or wolves.
We walked in on one of all the small side roads to the gravel road down to the creek and found this small piece of bog.
There were a few different ways to get free from this and the easiest one would be if someone saw You and thought they knew this wolf they just screamed out his name three times. One could also be killed by a silver bullet or the worst one they had to kill a pregnant woman and eat the child, must have been a nasty way for someone who had been cursed to become a werewolf. Life wasn’t easier back in the days 🙂 🙂 🙂
I hope Your First of Advent was a good day and now we’re looking forward to the second 🙂
Very windy here again but we had sunshine for quite some time and the temperature was at least above freezing. We walked down to the creek because I wanted to see if I could find where they had cut down trees. We walked up-stream and they had thinned out the smaller trees that grew along the creek but they must have been elsewhere too because the sound they make while working kept on for much longer than what these few trees could demand.
Still some time before I can see it.
In one way I don’t like it when they do like this along the creeks here but then again it is most likely some rule/law they follow by doing it. Also now it’s much easier to take photos of the creek up there too 🙂 A while ago they put up a caravan, well that’s not the right name for it, it’s green and looks like one of those green barracks they have by construction sites. There’s three holes on one side of it and three hunters can sit in it at the same time. They have also put up a feeding station around 20 meters (much the same in yards) away from it, I guess it’s for when they hunt wild hogs. It doesn’t seem especially sporty having it that close but we do have lots of hogs here now.
Alma behaved rather well today, Just a little whining and the occasional husky talk, that’s odd because there’s no husky in her 🙂 🙂 She did pull the leash too much but I’ll take one battle at the time, to fight both her loud whining/shouting and pulling the leash is a bit to much 🙂 🙂 🙂 Unfortunately when she pulls the leash Malkolm starts to do the same but he’s easier to communicate to. He follows every track he can and gets a bit exited so he forgets that he actually can follow tracks even if he walks calmly 🙂 🙂 🙂
The dogs and the little monster has been playing all over the cottage today, they’ve been running up and down the stairs, having fights in my bed (I still haven’t checked how it looks there now 🙂 🙂 ) and Sara the monster cat has followed me down to the cool cellar and always refused to come back up to the kitchen at the same time I me. Normally it takes two minutes before she starts to scream behind the door but sometimes up to half an hour 🙂 I forgot about it when we had our morning walk so she must have been sitting there for one and a half hour 🙂 🙂
Back in the days when the dogs living with me and were quiet dogs on our walks 🙂 We sometimes surprised deer sleeping here in the sunshine. They all knew these dogs so they rarely bothered to move when they noticed us 🙂
It is time for that last cup of tea for the day. Nothing to watch on tv I’m afraid but I do have lots of dvd’s I haven’t looked at yet. I always buy a few just to have when we have days there isn’t anything to watch on tv (and no I don’t stream), the problem is that I always forget about them 🙂 Good thing to have at Christmas though 🙂
So I went with my neighbor to get my car this morning and thankfully those working in the reception start half an hour early because it was a bit too chilly to have to stand and wait outside until I could get my car 🙂 I would have survived but it wouldn’t have been nice 🙂
Lots of lichens on the trees says we have a very clean air here.
I was going to the store as well today but it was too early for that as well, so I drove to my old work place and made a visit to my old work friends. Times are hard now so they didn’t have much to do. I may not like the leadership of that place but I don’t want my old friends to lose their jobs. The leadership made a huge miscalculation to how much we would have to do when they started the evening/night shift so people have had to go. Well that happens when one believes one is a god but quite frankly is dumb as a doorknob 🙂 🙂 🙂
After that I went to the grocery store in that village, I’ve done most of my grocery shopping there since I moved to this county and that’s over 27 years now, so I won’t stop now just because I don’t live nearby. I don’t go there as often though but since I know them all it’s worth the trip every now and again 🙂 I didn’t have any shopping list today but surprisingly I managed to get everything I wanted but for a cheese. I remember that I turned towards the cheese but something caught my eye and I never got one with me home 🙂 🙂 So it’s a good thing that I have a neighbor working at a supermarket 🙂 So now I have what I need for almost a week I think 🙂
I think someone is out cutting down trees somewhere close to the creek. To be honest I can’t hear anything sounding like those huge saws they have but something big that makes a lots of noise works down there anyway. I don’t think anyone will work there tomorrow so I think I’ll have our morning walk there tomorrow. If they work we won’t come anywhere near before Alma freaks out, she is very sensitive to noise and it doesn’t have to be especially loud, she was so stressed on our walk today and we walked far away. Next time we’ll go to the vet I’ll ask him if there’s anything I can give her so she doesn’t work herself up like she does. It has gone worse again after Nova had to leave.
It is time for that last cup of tea for the day and I might make myself a couple of sandwiches, perhaps have some christmas ham, beetroot salad(I’ve understood that our beetroot salad isn’t the same You have on the other side of the ocean, we have vinegar and mayo as the base in ours) and I might even have a couple of slices of strong cheese 🙂
Not many photos from the wild life camera lately. So here’s one of the cats from the farm uphill 🙂
It’s a mix of photos taken both today and yesterday. This was the only time we could see some sun yesterday 🙂
So my car didn’t pass the annual vehicle inspection a month ago, the lamda emission was a tiny, tiny bit too high most likely due to the exhaust pipe wasn’t put together properly so it leaked slightly. I thought I would just go to the garage and order an appointment but forgot it, so on Monday I suddenly remembered it and as always they have so many customers that I really couldn’t have an appointment this wee but the car would have to been fixed at latest on Friday, otherwise I wouldn’t been allowed top drive it.
Not many christmas decoration in Falköping but then again I didn’t walk close to the town square where most decorations are.
For me this looks like an old Cinema entrance but it’s actually the entrance to the sports center.
They were really kind at the garage so if I left it there today they would try and fix it before Friday. If I’m lucky it’s just to fix the exhaust pipe but when is one really lucky when it comes to cars and repairs? 🙂 🙂 🙂 So when I had left it there I walked down to the bus station and took the bus home. Well it’s a 45 minute long walk before I’m home from the bus stop 🙂 I had brought a camera with me but it was way too dark to get especially many photos in Falköping but the walk home from the bus stop was better when it came to light.
The church and old school in Bjurum.
Walking towards Bjurum Castle.
I had around 3 km (around 1,9 mile) left to walk when a car suddenly stopped by my side, it was my neighbor so she picked me up and guess if I was happy 🙂 🙂 🙂 If the car is done late in the day tomorrow I’ll follow her fiance when he drives to work on Friday, if it is ready tomorrow morning I’ll have to walk to the bus stop. The bus comes once every hour so if I miss it I’ll have to wait and I do hope it isn’t raining or a hard wind blowing or both 🙂 🙂 🙂
Just as I arrived here my neighbor picked me up 🙂
There’s something out there that disturbs the dogs, They do go out into the garden but just for a short while but a bit longer if I’m with them. Today Malkolm even growled just after we had come back in again. Could be a wolf or two but usually when they are around they refuse to leave the entrance at all, we do have loads of wild hogs hanging around now though so it could be the reason. They do have pigs in the farm just up the slope and they might attract wild hogs, Alma tends to stare over the pasture in to the forest every day now and doesn’t look happy at all.
I think it is time for that last cup of tea for the day and after that fall asleep in front of the tv 🙂
Less than one month to christmas or Jul (Yule) as we call it and it is even less left until it stops getting darker and turns toward longer days again. Even though December is just as grey and dreary as any winter month it still feels better just because Christmas really starts at December first. People put up the electric Advent stars and electric Advent candlestick in the windows, some decorate with lights in their gardens, most just a few light chains but at some go all american as we say and decorate with so much strains and figures that most of us say: Yeah their electrical bill will cost a fortune 🙂 🙂 🙂
Mixed photos today because the weather has been nasty with strong winds and rain. Warm though with over 10 C (50 F) temperature. This is from a film camera called Agfa Ambi Silette.
Most outside decorations are pure white but some do get multi colored ones and I really like that. Back in the days people who used colored lights in any christmas decorations were seen as a bit odd, perhaps even tasteless 🙂 🙂 🙂 I’m so glad we aren’t that hysterical now days 🙂 🙂 🙂 A lot of people have already started with the decorations of course and it seems as the younger they are the earlier they start which of course more conservative people think destroys the joy and believe that people will get tired of it too early, too bad that those making christmas tv commercials are more conservative because those adds are already tiresome I think since they started in late October 🙂 🙂 🙂
These photos were taken with a camera called Agfa Ambiflex.
However the advent candlestick with live candles must be prepared before Sunday. I usually have one but I never light the candles, I have this phobia when it comes to live candles and living in a wood cottage built 1911 🙂 🙂 🙂 I would have to blow out the candles and then place the whole thing outdoors, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to sleep before I had put it outside 🙂 🙂 🙂 It doesn’t help having a kitten, now also named the monster, walking around burning candles 🙂 🙂
These were taken with a camera called Nikon F75. If You ever want to start with film photography this is the camera I would recommend.
The tradition on when to bring the Yule spruce as the christmas tree is called here and when to dress it varies a lot. Some bring it in already around Advent,dress it as soon as possible and happily throws it out as soon as they can after christmas (usually around the 27th) Others wait to bring it in until the day before christmas which is at the 23d here since our big day is christmas eve and will dress it either late the 23d or more unusual at christmas eve morning. My family brought it in the 13th, the day we celebrate Saint Lucia, for some reason we celebrate a catholic saint in this once strictly Lutheran country 🙂 . WE dressed the tree as soon as it had settled and since we never were able to make it survive for more than a few days and then the needles started to drop we too tossed it outside around the 27th 🙂 🙂 🙂
These were taken with a Voightländer Bessamatic.
The old traditions about celebrating christmas were of course very different than they are now, for some reason we now have a big, fat and jolly Santa (we call him the Yule Gnome) giving out presents, yes the kids meet the Yule Gnome on the 24th here. Also he arrives in a sled pulled by reindeers. Back in the days he came to rich people who could afford presents. Usually a small Yule gnome dressed in green and perhaps a red cap came to the homes followed by either a horse pulling a sled or the same small gnome followed by a goat pulling a smaller sled, I guess he came to those with a good economy but never especially rich people 🙂 🙂 🙂 But to be honest he wasn’t the first one to deliver presents, we had the Yule goat before him. One believes that he either was one of Thor’s goat from the old Norse gods but I’ve also heard from one of the old people when I was a kid, back in the stone age that is 🙂 that he was the devil forced to do good one day every year 🙂 🙂
I’ll tell You all about this the closer we get to Christmas 🙂 It will be rose hip soup again today and not too late because I wake up in the middle of night if I have too much 🙂 🙂
The Cottage by the crane lake. 