The crib is installed. People from the ends of the earth are coming to Bethlehem. To worship the King born in a stable. I wonder if the herds ever forgot that glorious night. Or if their wives believed them when they came home. Faith is believing what cannot be seen. "I just have a small faith, but it's my faith," a man said in a TV interview some years ago. Guess I'm about there now.
Mitt hjerte alltid vanker My heart will always wanderin the birthroom of Jesus", this hymn says.
Advent is time for workshops. At schools, the scouts, kindergartens, retirements homes anyone who can hold a tube of glue and a piece of paper will be engaged. My Mom used to invite the neighbor kids for Advent workshops, making paper baskets and long multicolored chains. I always had a wonderful time at work in December, setting out the oddest projects. With Serina and her friends I have had the best Advent workshops ever. Now the also seems to be past tense. The hiker ladies are on the same wavelength also when it comes to playing. Last Tuesday we made a rather quick walk, no stops, and then back to Liv's home for some snacks. Afterward time for the real thing; transforming birch branches to outdoor nisses. Needless to say we went home uplifted and proud with our pair of nisse.
Song about the Church bells calling out the good news about the birth of Christ
Today I've read about Hanukkah and the light feast with the nine grained Menorah. There are also a seven grained Menorah, more common among us.I've come to think that our Advent stick, also with seven lights might be a descendant of the Menorah. All this philosophizing just because Amrita asked about the origin of the Advent stick. Just now I wish I could take you all for a tour around town. Almost very house in almost every room there is an Advent stick burning day and night. Even in our Chinese Restaurant. I like to imagine that God and His Son are smiling. Despite depression, war, terrorism and other cruelties the average man is letting his Advent-sticks burn a whole month. Lights of hope, lights of peace.
Wow, our home is more like a bomb site at the moment. To decorate for Christmas one first has to remove the previous show pieces. In our hallway 12 boxes of season garnityre are colliding with ditto fixed exhibition. My Mom years ago painted full Christmas porcelain service, breakfast & dinner. Actually not only for us, but for my three best friends and my sister-in-law and brother-in-law as well. Mamma says she'll rather give away than sell. Handicraft does not pay. For now I have found mine and hubby's coffee mugs. They'll be used until New Year's Eve. See what a real Norwegian youlenisse looks like!
First day of December also means a special Advent series in Children's TV. For a good many years Norway only had one TV-channel. Six o'clock is children time. I always used to watch TV together with my daughter. Honestly I watched the Christmas series long before she was born.
I have two favorites; Christmas in Shoemaker Street and Christmas in Blue Mountain. Both are straightforward about Jesus being the reason for the Season. Lots of good songs and a variety of nice people and nisses. In Norway there are no Santa Claus, but the Youle nisse. He's as old as the trolls and goes a thousand years back. The nisse most often lives in the barns on farms, but in Bluemountain the Bluenisses live. They are a rather new invetion, but have captured the minds of young and old. I am so looking forwards to meeting them again this afternoon.
The first Sunday of Advent I still think I've got plenty of time..
Yesterday Gunnar was in the attic, bumping down 12 boxes of old and worn Christmas decorations. The calendar made by my Mom, my brother and me back in 1956, it's so fragile, I don't dare to iron it. Mom let us choose patterns from an old embroidery book. The lilac rabbit was my brother's idea. He loved all kinds of animals with a rare passion. It was added to the calendar with x stitches under my wild protests. Now I have an especial weak spot for exact that little rabbit. In the small pockets little bits of fudge or chocolate were carefully wrapped and stuck in. We were to open one every other day. I always got the even numbers, since my birthday is an even number in December. Serina had the calender all to her self for 19 years. Now she's got the replica my Mom made for me in 1969, my first advent away from home. I made her 12 parcels and 12 words of wisdom to go in the first 12 pockets. Then, if God will, she'll be home for Christmas vacation. It is a good thing for young and old to return to their birthplaces, "their city of David".
This song about The Star of Bethlehem was about the first song I tried to teach my class, as a teacher's substitute, age 18.
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..."
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.
LIKE DUCKS IN THE WIND: DEEP VALLEY Originated by MaryT, check hers for today. The Deep Valley is where most of the inhabitants of Haugesund like to go for a walk, a hike, a bath, to pick mushrooms, watch birds or just sit on a beach to relax. The wilderness with a touch of park. Young parents will bring their children, it's also made available for wheelchairs. New this year is the ramp leading straight into the water..
Tuesdays, that's when the gang of hikers set out to explore islands, mountains peaks, forests, historical sites,beaches,- you name it, we've done it. Due to my many broken, unhealed bones, we cannot go far or fast. We are all ladies around our best sixties, and therefor carry some luggage from a rich, but turbulent, in the best meaning of the word, life. Stroke, artificial hip, cancer, hmm, that's just one of us. We share laughter and tears, defeats and sieges. You can spot the ruby drops in the sunlight?? We sing while we walk, we stop bend down to fetch stones, cones, driftwood, berries, seashells, moss, flowers to bring home like curious and overwhelmed kids. "You are my favorite break pad,"Tilly smiled the other day. "You make us stop and wonder." These are pictures from last Tuesday's hike. Elbjoerg reading about ants. How they always build their tuft towards the south, and like the bear go to sleep in the winter. Liv talking foliage, while the only surviving plants from the age of the dinosaurs, the ferns, still are green. We ended up at Tilly's for cocoa and sandwiches. Liv and Elbjoerg stretched out at the children's playground while Tilly prepared the meal. Even the swing had red strings. Who cares if the sky is gray as long as children's toys color our day? Relaxing outsideTilly's entrance door. Ruby once more! Before we left Tilly brought us all a gift; striped socks. "Some are known as the ladies who always walk to Crooked Lake. I thought we might be known as the Ladys with the socks," she laughed. A splendid idea.
Familycannot be bought, it's a free gift. Memories attached to the past help us treasure our roots and bring the history to new generations. This chest comes from Astrid, sister of my Dad's mother. It's probably elder than 1819, the lack of rosepaint shows that. My Dad's parents married in 1910. The red chair was bought then with a short sofa and one more chair. When it was time to share inheritance, the four brothers made five heaps. (one also for aunt Elly, then a missionary in Kenya.) One of the brothers was placed with his back to the heaps and the others asked who shall have this heap? Until all the belongings of my grandparents were righteously shared. This chair stood in our fireplace room. My dad used to sit there, listening to his old records. Original fabric, plush, on the backside. There used to be a row of small tassels dangling from the armrests and also under the seat of the chair. I loved playing with them, crawling around on the floor while the adults were drinking coffee. Best heritage; living, caring cousins. Vivian came over from Chicago as my Dad and my uncle gradually sickened. She was the treasure of their hearts, being the first niece, daughter of their only sister. Cousin Reidar has really taken care of family heritage. Here in the loft over his garage.
Cars and car accessories are Reidar's passion. He literally grew up in the garages of his dad and uncle. Memorabilia from the old buses of my granddad. Red?? Adults ticket. Cousin Reidar and his wife are passionate veteran car enthusiasts. At this occasion Gunnar and I were allowed to sit back in the master's seats, while my cousin drove his Buick to a number one position. Red? Cars in the background, Berit's dress and my shoes. Double click to enlarge.
Advent is time for workshops. At schools, the scouts, kindergartens, retirements homes anyone who can hold a tube of glue and a piece of paper will be engaged.
Needless to say we went home uplifted and proud with our pair of nisse.
Today I've read about Hanukkah and the light feast with the nine grained Menorah.
Originated by MaryT, check hers for today.
Ruby peace
The first Sunday of Advent I still think I've got plenty of time..
Darling daughter Serina also came to salute her dad.
November 16th Gunnar's MG TF had a jubilee
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.
LIKE DUCKS IN THE WIND: DEEP VALLEY
You can spot the ruby drops in the sunlight??
Elbjoerg reading about ants. How they always build their tuft towards the south, and like the bear go to sleep in the winter.
Liv talking foliage, while the only surviving plants from the age of the dinosaurs, the ferns, still are green.
Even the swing had red strings. Who cares if the sky is gray as long as children's toys color our day?
Relaxing outside Tilly's entrance door. Ruby once more!
Family cannot be bought, it's a free gift.
My Dad's parents married in 1910. The red chair was bought then with a short sofa and one more chair.
Best heritage; living, caring cousins. Vivian came over from Chicago as my Dad and my uncle gradually sickened. She was the treasure of their hearts, being the first niece, daughter of their only sister.
Cars and car accessories are Reidar's passion.
Memorabilia from the old buses of my granddad.
Cousin Reidar and his wife are passionate veteran car enthusiasts. At this occasion Gunnar and I were allowed to sit back in the master's seats, while my cousin drove his Buick to a number one position. Red? Cars in the background, Berit's dress and my shoes.
