Dipping my toes in again

Milky coffee and a good autumnal day by the fire

Hello my friends, it's been a while, hasn't it?  I dare not even think how long.  How have you been? Well, I hope and sorry for not being around to check in on you, read your blogs or pop in to say hello.  I've been hibernating, taking stock, trying to rest my short stumpy legs from all the running around that this crazy wonderful world we live in demands and try to walk at a slower pace.

Grab a coffee or maybe something stronger, I confess to sitting here with a milky coffee today and a slab of chocolate to keep me company.  I've been crying on and off for the past hour pondering, wondering if I dare dip my toes back into blogging.  I've missed you and all that you bring but am not sure how ready I am to be back.

However, we are fast approaching one of my favourite times of year and the reason that this blog began (Why I blog) and so I have this uncontrollable urge to come back but I am not sure that as in previous years I would be able to do the blog justice and blog every day in December.  I do not promise but if I can and it feels right then I will.  Can you forgive me my indecisiveness?

Taking a selfie is really not natural, is it?

2017 has been a mixture of just being, observing, happiness and successes, sadness, illness and even several funerals have taken place.

An odd year; one that saw my daughter turn into an adult and revisit Kenya, having raised yet another astonishing amount of money with her peers and tried to give back to those that are not as fortunate as she. (Ella's Kenyan thank you)  Only days later, on returning home, she left home, albeit in a gentle controlled manner, to that of university.  I am so immensely proud of her but grateful that I do not suffer the feeling of empty nest syndrome; my mother always taught me, that we only 'borrow' our children and if we have been lucky they will return of their own accord.  So I wait and see, but I think we'll be ok.

This year too saw the passing of close friends and family and made me take stock of how we live our lives.  The celebration of life and memories are so very important.

This year too saw me stop crafting for several months, something that I do not think has ever happened and I am still not back to being the avid photographer and record keeper of images.  Again though, all these things are creeping slowly back into my life like a breath of fresh air and I think I will be the better and stronger designer for it, or so I hope!

And lastly this year has seen a reoccurring knock to my health which now in reflection has had a detrimental effect on my feeling of self-worth and self-esteem, but being able to commit this now to paper, or should I say the world wide web, I feel as if I am coming out of this forced break and better for it.  I do believe I have always been a glass half full gal and these past months I think I could have slipped into the depths of something deep, but I did not, I just needed good old fashioned rest from the demands, albeit self-inflicted of
the social media world we now live in.

Christmas cookies are a
huge tradition in Norway

Phew... are you still here... if you are then take a big sip of something and congratulate yourself on making it here.  Let's be more cheery, shall we?


I have begun to dip my toes back into crafting and I hope to share with you some of my successes in the coming days and now that I am finally sitting here at the keyboard, I'm excited to share with you my passion for the Christmas season, will you pop along and join me?  there will be recipes for sure, what Norwegian home would not have freshly made cookies to share, so I promise you that if nothing else, images from past years may give you an idea of what to expect...

The most popular cookie at Christmas in Norway are 'pepperkake'

Pepperkake are the Scandinavian's version of ginger cookies

Melt in the mouth cookies are a big hit at Christmas

Some cookies work well with a smear of butter too!

Revisiting these photographs has definitely spurred me on!  Bring on December 1st, I say, not that I am wishing my life away you understand...

Until next time my friends, I have an inkling it may only

be a day or two away, yes, I think I am BACK!       ♥