ADVENT

Advent means arrival.
We are waiting for the celebration of the arrival of Christ.
European Christians began lightening their advent wreaths made of eternal green plants about year 1000. The wreaths symbolizing eternity, and also the wheel of time.
Each Sunday a new light is lit.
We are waiting for the Prince of Light.
The nearer we come the day of Christ's birth, the more lights are shining.
The liturgical color of advent is lilac. The color of fight, sorrow and preparation.
Most Norwegian homes are decorated with an
advent wreath and an electric advent-stick in one or more windows.
Hubby Gunnar and I take a great pleasure driving around admiring these modest advent-sticks.
They are lit in the poorest of homes, in hospitals, court of justice, at the fishmonger's, at the Salvation Army,-and of course in our home.
It is a time of beauty and expectation.

I was 6 when a started school. We learned lots of new songs, but this is the one I remember best from my first Christmas at school.
The text is about this; "There's a shining in silent villages, sparkling lights held by thousand children's hands.
Wandering towards the stable while singing, they are holding the candles towards the sky..."

RUBY WEEK 2

Originated by MaryT, check hers for today.

November has been full of ruby joys. Second Sunday of the eleventh month is Father's day in Norway.
Gunnar here celebrating with Italian rosé wine and a chocolate heart.
Darling daughter Serina also came to salute her dad.
November 16th Gunnar's MG TF had a jubilee
55 years ago it was born in the Morris Garage, Abingdon, England, just to be shipped over the Atlantic to a buyer in Vancouver, Canada. Gunnar is her third owner. She has stayed wit him for 37 golden years.
Serina caught that jubilee too. Stunning us all with her new reddish hairdo.


Father and daughter making some of their special monkey business show. Ruby in the back.
This week we went to Sauda to see my mom. On the café was this rose painted cupboard. See Mrs. Mac, traditional painting originating from the baroque acanthus ranks.
New American fire post. Why? The three main streets in my hometown are getting warmed up by water used to cool down the factory's melting pots.

The tea-room still is the meeting place for young and old. The quality of the home made confectionery, cookies and cream cakes is sublime.

Hubby G enjoying sandwiches in what was my first place of work. At 16 I had a summer job here.
In the evening we put a wreathe made of 4 different needle trees, conifers and died ruby heather on my father's grave. The writing on the stone; "Fulfilled the race, kept the faith."
Back to town; diamonds and rust. A small path down to the fjord from the waterfall.
Icicles and more rust.
Guess one has to have lived among the mountains above the fjord to fully appreciate the relatively new built tunnels. Puh, no fun to zig zag on the slippery road outside the tunnel.. I have finished my share of doing so.