Post summer

Marianne:

The Fall in Denmark has been amazingly beautiful. Today it´s September 22nd and the temperature has (again) climbed above 72 degrees. And we´ve had a lot of those days. Wonderful, since the summer wasn´t very warm. We´ve spent a lot of time on our wonderful roof terrasse. We´ve also spent many hour at the golf course, where I made the photos.

After the summer, I´ve started to sing in a gospel choir together with Lone. The leader of the choir, Manuela, is very skilled and charismatic. And she´s extremely disorganized, which can be a bit challenging... Singing in the choir is fun and life-affirming. The first time we met, we couldn´t get access to the room, where we were supposed to sing. Well, then we just sang outside in the sun. When we were almost done for the day, a group of children 9-10 years of age, joined us. They actually came to play ball, but decided to join us. So much fun! We will give two concerts before Christmas. The picture is from a concert last year, before I joined. Lone is there (with sun glasses).

Our friend Dan celebrated his 60th birthday in August. Michael and I left for Aalborg early Saturday morning. We drove the car to Copenhagen and parked in a parking garage with no public access. We walked to the Central Station, where we took the train. After arriving in Aalborg, we were picked up by Søren and went to the party.

It was a nice event together with Dans family and friends. The scuba diving fraternity simply had to entertain. They sang a song spiced up with anecdotes. Among other things. it was revealed that Dan always gets himself dirty. That´s why the guys are wearing dirty t-shirts. Michael messed his t-shirt up the night before, when we celebrated our nephew Søren´s 15th birthday at a steakhouse in Roskilde. I did however protest, when he considered to wear the shirt and wipe his hands in it during dinner. That would be such bad behavior.

We flew back home in the afternoon on Sunday and when we arrived in Copenhagen to pick up the car, we had to realize that it was locked up. The reason was a huge Ironman event taking place in the city center and the street, where the parking garage has its exit, was closed all day. So we had to go home by train, since we were expecting visitors (Linette and Jan) later in the afternoon. Well, well, well...






Monday evening we were invited to a reception at the American ambassador´s. It took place in his private home, Rydhave, north of Copenhagen. The reason was that Denmark signed a contract with Lockheed-Martin for buying F-35 fighters. Everybody who were involved in the process where invited. SO good to meet with friends and acquaintances. The house is (of course) decorated in American style, and it was very nice to see that the couple had chosen a lot of Danish artwork for decorating the walls. Rufus Gilford told me that it was his husband who chose most of it, as he´s the one who´s more into that. (Yes, they are a gay couple who actually got married here in Denmark).

Here in Farum we have a very nice shop/café that sells French specialties such as patés, sausages and cheese, wine, soap etc. One Friday night, we went down there and ha a wonderful charcuteri plate with duck rillette, sausages and cheese with nice condiments and a wonderful glass of wine. It was extremely delicious. We enjoyed the nice weather outside and ended up visiting with the couple at the next table. Just as you would do in Southern Europe. A very nice experience and definitely something to repeat.

On September 8th -11th we were in the southern  part of Jutland. We played golf at a very nice golf course, Brundtland. We attended a tournament (Ryder Cup), where two teams (green and red) were competing in different formats. It was good fun. Michael and I were both on the red team - something that is not common, since couples are supposed to be on different teams. After the event was finished, we therefore had to draw for who was going to the green team - and that ended up being Michael. A relief to me, since I don´t feel that I look very good in green ;-)


Apart from the golfing, we also enjoyed socializing with nice people. On Friday night they had arranged for a rum tasting. It was very delicious rum, Skotlander, produced here in Denmark. Actually the production plant is very close to our summer house, so we´ll definitely go there for a visit. Saturday night was gala evening. It was pretty fun to see all these people dressed up. Very different from the golf clothes we usually wear when we meet. This was a very nice, long weekend.

Unfortunately, the red team was beaten at the finish line. It was the very last of Sunday's 27 games that decided it all. Very disappointing, since we had put our faith in the can of Anti Slice "medicine" that was handed out to everybody on the red team.

Summer vacation vol. 2

Marianne:
Ingrid og Dominique arrived on Sunday July 31st, which was a beautiful summer day. Unfortunately this was the last of the kind during their stay in Denmark. But we had some wonderful days anyway, where we went sighseeing in Northern Jutland, played games and just had a nice time together. It was absolutely wonderful to have them visit!

Monday we went to Loenstrup - a nice town on the coast pretyyy close by. It was quite windy and we had some showers, but we were still able to stroll around the town - and we sat outside the Blue Café for a coffee. Afterwards we visited some of the many nice galleries in the town. 

After that it was time for another type of culture. We drove to the close by Rubjerg Knude fyr. As previously mentioned on this blog, it has been renovated and is worth a visit. This day it was stormy, so when we left, we had sand all over: Ears, eyes etc.  So a shower was needed.

On Tuesday we wen to Eagle World. It was an amazing experience to watch the beautiful birds of prey close up. Kind of crazy that the skilled falconers are able to train these wild birds and achieve mutual trust. Another place worth visiting!

We cooked dinner on the bon fire. It was chili con carne. IT was SO good! This is such a wonderful way to cook. And the boys were very responsible in watching the fire!

We introduced Ingrid and Dominique to the game of bob. They never played it before, but were very fast learners. The evening was VERY competitive!











Wednesday Michael and I played golf at Sindal Golf Club with Birgitte and Jesper, who we know from the golf club in Farum, where we usually play. We had planned for weeks to meet and play, since they were also vacationing in Northern Jutland. We played 17 1/2 dry holes - and THEY the rain started. It´s a very nice course and we had fun playing a different place with some nice people. Ingrid and Dominique spent the day geocaching so they also had a nice day.

In the evening we went down to the local bar, Fisherman´s Rest, where they were having an Irish Festival. It was a couple, who played, Denis and Pia - and they were good! There was a full house and great spirits. Mom and dad stopped by. It was a wonderful evening with nice music, singalong and great company.

On Thursday, we went to the town Loekken. First thing we did, was to park Michael and Dominique at the local brewery, Løkken Bryghus. They were able to sit and relax, while the girls went shopping. They tested quite a few of the nice beer that they make there. I´m sure they enjoyed themselves.

Before dinner, Ingrid and I were on a mission: We had to go bathing. So far we hadn´t made it, while they were visiting, so now was the time! As always it was absolutely wonderful, when we got out there. But it took some convincing to get that far. 


Dinner was crab claws. We were a bit nervous about whether they liked it. Fortunately the loved it! To Michael and I, this dish is associated with summer in Denmark.



Friday we had to part with our Belgian friends. (Not good bye, but se you soon!) On their way back to Belgium, they were going to make a sopt in the Netherlands, visiting our mutual friends, Lia and Wouter, who were vacationing in Holland. Normally they live in Washington DC.

Micael and I got up early in Saturday and drove to Frederikshavn, where we parked the car. We then took the ferry to Laesoe, where we were going to visit my cousin Brita and her husband Jens. Their daughter Anita and grandson Philip were there as well.



We had breakfast together and then Anita, Michael and I biked to the harbor close by where a langoustine festival took plade. There were plenty of stalls, which featured various servings of lobster. There was a big cooking competition where the four contestants had to do dishes containing only ingredients from Læsø. We didn´t stay for very long.

Michael and I continued to the next small town, Byrum, where we stopped at the og jeg fortsatte mod Byrum, where we first made a stop at the saltworks. It is quite interesting to see (and hear) how they have resumed a really old Læsø tradition of making salt.










In Byrum we visited the Red Tower, and I had obviously had to get up to enjoy the view. We bought a so-called scrub-out sausage (a local delicacy). A must have when visiting Læsø.




It´s very nice on Laesoe right now. Lots of mirabels, which I simply love. And then they have a lot of rowans. Right now they look so beautiful. 

 On the same road as my cousin´s house (Kukkelure) is, you can also find a very beautiful old house, where the roof is made of seaweed. This is something very special for Laesoe. The house was newly renovated and looks amazing.

We went back to Kukkelure. Anita and Philip were about to leave and after they left, the rest of us eat tons of langoustines for dinner. It was SO good!











Sunday morning Jens, Michael and I wen to Laesoe Seaside Golf Club, where we played a round. We started out with beautiful weather, but later it became cloudy and we also got some light showers. But not so much that it ruined the experience. It's a really beautiful course - particularly now that the heather blooms, it looks absolutely gorgeous. We went back to the mainland on Sunday night.

Well, all of a sudden it felt like autumn ... We made a fire in the stove and the wind picked up. Cozy, but just not quite what you imagine in the summer holidays. On the beach, the water almost reached the dunes - not something which bodes well for the houses, which are dangerously close to the edge.

Tuesday morning (9 August), we awoke by the furniture was thrown around on the patio. When we came out, our parasol had disappeared. We had packed it into a cover and tied a rope around, so the wind would not be able to catch it. But it was still gone! After an inspection around the lot, where it did not show up, I happened to look up on the roof - and there it was. Well, well, well.




Tuesday night some of the boys from the scuba diving club were visiting. They were going to prepare for Dan's 60th birthday, which was to take place on August 20th.
The rest of the week passed by quickly and we had to return to Zealand after a wonderful holiday. It was hard to say goodbye, but we are aiming to come back before too long.

The last weekend of the holidays, we celebrated Birgitte's 50th birthday on Saturday - here in Farum, where Birgitte and Nicolai also lives. I went there in the morning, and Birgitte and I enjoyed ourselves laying and decorating the tables etc.

Later, I came back - together with Michael. It was a great party which took place in two tents in the garden. It was nice to meet a few of Birgitte's old friends (Tove and Steen), who I knew from the past. The family was represented with both mother Inge, Erik and father Ivan and brother Morten with family. It was nice to see them all again!




We've probably looked fresher than we did on Sunday, when we showed up at the local golf club to play a couple´s match against Lilly and Allan. But it was no problem. We beat them - and could go home to take a nap :-)

Summer vacation vol. 1

Marianne:
Vacation time! And it´s well deserved. We have both been very busy during the spring and we needed to reload the batteries. We had weeks in Northern Jutland ahead of us. We left on Friday the 22nd after we had made arrangements that our neighbor Hanne, would water the flowers and mowing the lawn. We feel very privileged that we have some very nice new neighbors in Farum.

On Saturday we went to Blokhus, where the very traditional bob tournament was taking place. (Bob is a board game very similar to Carrom - a game of Eastern origin.) As usual, the venue was my uncle Fleming and aunt Annes´s nice summer house (Camp Friis). Actually it had been 3 years since the last tournament and most of the participants had not played since then. For good reasons, Michael and I hadn´t participated for many years, so we decided that now was the time for one of us to get his/her name on the trophee.. Tobias made a nice plan for the tournament - and to make a very long story short, Michael met Tobias in the semi finals. I met Kathrine (Tobias´s wife and my cousin). Both matches were exciting a close - resulting in me meeting Tobias in the finals. Kathrine and I agreed that it was about time for a female winner - that hadn´t happend since the first year of the tournament. Well, unfortunately I was up against a better competitor, resulting in me having to make a speech in favor of the winner.

Fleming elegantly opened the winner bubbles with a sabel. After that we were ready to go to the beach for a bath.

Unfortunately I forgot by bathing suit back home in Farum, so I didn´t get into the water. After that situation I decided to go buy another one, and since then even I have opened the bathing season. Michael - not at all. He´s not into bathing if the water is less than 25 degrees - so it doesn´t happen very often around here...

We walked back to Camp Friis, where dinner was home made burgers and hotdogs. Fleming was the grill master - and he really deserves some respect, since he defied the weather and made certain that we could eat some well made hamburgers and sausages.






Monday and Tuesday mom and dad were visiting here. They invited themselves for a work camp - and we gratefully accepted. We washed the house, since it was almost covered in algae - or what ever it was that made the house look a bit worn. As you can se from the before- and after pictures below, it made the world of difference. The weather was perfect for doing something like that and we actually finished the project that same day. We all enjoyed doing this together - and it definitely paid of!

After a well deserved shower, we served some snacks and red wine on the patio, while Michael was grilling the dinner.

Tuesday we polished the windows - something that we don´t do very often... So it was needed. The men did the outside and mom and I the inside (here you had to be more careful not to waste the water...) We also cleaned a bit. Michael and dad changed some planks in the patio and the out door furniture was oiled. Prior to that, I´d cleaned them with a flusher. They all now look great.

On Saturday we too the bikes on the beach to Løkken. On the way we saw a lot of hang gliders. There was quite a bit of wind and they seemed to like that.

By the pier in Løkken there was a great gathering. It turned out to be some so-called Beach Games. A competition reminding of some sort of cross-fit. It was fun to watch the girls fighting the waves. 

We went to the town square and found a great table outside the Café Frandsen, where we had a very nice brunch. After that we drove back home - this time by the road. I had to stop on several occasions, since it all looks so beautiful right now.

It´s actually pretty fun to be here in high season. There are so many people here - something we rarely experience. We have had been stuck in traffic jams several times. That´s pretty crazy for this part of the country.

Back at the house, we mowed the lawn and generally made ready for the visit from Ingrid and Dominique the following day. We are looking so much forward to it!