October Moods & Ouija Boards

Yesterday evening was spent digging around in the garden, tending to my flowers and planting an other rose, before the ground gets too cold. At sundown it's really no use, doing anything more this time of the year. The dark comes really fast, after the sun goes hiding in the west. It's almost pointless being outside, when you can't see a thing. At least if you wanna do garden work, like me.. So it's inside and make some dinner, before winding down for sleepy time.

All while our cat prefers being out, lurking and hunting mice, or some other poor, little animal.. Me and hubby curled up in the sofa together, with our dog Bessy, blankets and a scary movie yesterday. All three of us twined up together, as the cool october air surrounded the house. Just like any other October, it's time to set the mood for Halloween. And scary movie it is! Throughout October, I try to watch one scary movie every day. It's one of my Halloween rituals. While summer is light and bright and we don't have much night at all. October is just perfect for this type of movies. Dark, cool and mysterious..

We started off the October scary movie marathon, with the movie Ouija Board! A movie about a group of teenagers, that get in contact with an evil spirit thorugh the oujia board. Believing they are comunicating with their dead friend. I liked it, just enough creepy and with some jumpy, scary moments. Though people are just as stupid, as they always are in scary movies. Constantly doing the opposite, of what any normal person would do.. To start with, I would never, ever touch a ouija board in the first place. Not even bring it home, because I think it's a cool object.. Nope. I believe there's certain things, that's better left alone. Ouija boards go straight into that category. A little superspecious maybe? Better to be accused of that, than unleashing some mean spirit in the house.

So where does it origin and where did it all start? I had to look it up.. According to an article at Wikipedia, one of the first mentions of automatic writing, that's the method used in ouija boards, is found in China 1100 AD. But then we have an other article, at museumoftalkingboards.com. Saying that there's no evidence for it.. Most likely, it's something that was invented by some seance sisters, back in 1848 in the US. It was easier than having a medium, or answering a bunch of "yes" and "no" questions.

They might be right, but I think there's more to the eye, than we can see. And who knows, maybe they did practice automatic writing in China.. And maybe, just maybe we open up a door to something we don't understand. Do you really want to risk that? I think I'll keep my cool and stick with monopoly for now.

What about you, do you believe in the powers of the ouija board?

Fire in the Sky

Yesterdays amazing, gorgeous 1. of October skies.. It looked like it was on fire, bathing everything in a pink light. Almost like nature was celebrating, 31 days till Halloween too...

Hope we get more days and evenings like that, before the sun says farewell for the cold season. Going to need it when the winter, pulls it's dark veil down over us.

Wakie wakie, skulls and cakie...

My dear friends! Finally it's that time of the year again, when the trees are changing color and the north wind is howling around the house corners. Whisking autumn leaves up in the air, tumbling, playfully around and away. Bringing promises with it, promises of change and something else. A feeling inside.. Making me wanna huddle up inside, with my blanket and scary movies. Content and excited.. Waiting.

I woke up today, with what felt like hundreds of small, midnight moths, moving around in my tummy.. My inner ghoul is turning around, restless, stretching her limbs and moaning, as she's slowly waking up.. Thank Godzilla, time goes fast. One year already. We're here again; my favourite time of the year! Halloween!!

Let the countdown begin..

Happy New Years, New and Old Friends!!

Happy New Year, everyone!! Wish you all a wonderful 2015, with some of your dreams come true! If not all of them.. But it's good to have some to still wish for, I've heard it can get pretty boring otherwise.

Hope you all had a lovely time, with friends, family and close ones. That it turned out the way you dreamed of and you survived the intense, festive, fun, food oriented holiday season.. Both me and hubby, have almost had two weeks vacation. It's been such a relief to both mind and body, to spend some time at home. Focusing on other things than work and the daily chores. Best thing of all we only spent 3-4 days of our vacation days, since most of the days were bank holidays here. Hurray! Looking back, I'm not even sure what we spent all these days doing. In between family gatherings and parties that is. But maybe that's what a real vacation is about. Being able to reset your mind and take it slow for a while. What I do know, is that I feel ready for new challenges and the new year to come!

On the way to the New Year's party, with our good friends. Hubby started talking about his New Year's resolutions.. Guess I'm a bit of a party pooper there. I never really believed in those. I always seems that people make them, just to break them a few weeks later. I think that real change can come at any time of the year, it doesn't have to be new years to change up your life. But maybe one trick, is to make some that you actually can keep.. After telling me his, he turned to me and asked me what mine was. Honestly I hadn't thought about it. But as a spur of the moment resolution. Was not to open a bottle of wine/beer, I don't intend to finish lol.. Hubby of course thought it was a terrible one, as he thought my intensions was to become a vino lol. A nasty, stinky, crazy vino. I can see that. Not in my gameplan for this year. Just think I can do without, that last glass of wine at the party sometimes.

Giving it some further thougt, I can come up with at least one more. Not a very original one, but a good one. To keep loosing some weight. I put on some extra weight a few years ago, the happy relationship kg's (pounds). I managed to loose some this summer. Lets keep it that way and hope that my daily garden chores, will bring me down even more this spring. We're talking hard labour here, not some cute housewife flower shuffling, with a pink, flowery mini shuffle. It's wheelbarrowing, running with wheelbarrow, stone carrying, digging in the heavy ground, carrying and mixing soil, spreading soil that I dug up, digging up and getting rid of weed, planting bushes etc.. It's sweaty, heavy, muscle building and a real fat killer.

An other thing, is my party smoking.. Since hubby quit smoking this winter and is doing really well at it. (I'm so proud!) My party smoking seems a bit unfear, disloyal and very unneccessary, all the sudden. And not to mention unhealthy, even if it's not too often. Maybe it's time to fase it out and get rid of my nasty party habit...

 

What about you? Any New Year's resolutions, or are you like me, a non believer?

 

Timber

We have a small forest area behind our barn, with some very tall, thin and old pine trees.. I love this little forest area. It's not only nice to look at and give you that living-close-to-nature-on the-country-side-feel, but also give us a bit protection from the autumn- and winter storms.

That's till the old trees started to fall over, in the very same storms. We had a number of trees falling last year, including a massive, tall and healthy one, tearing down a couple of thinner ones. We started out this year, with two trees falling. Like tiny tooth picks in the wind. It was just pure luck, that prevented any of them from hitting our 73' Oldsmobile Toronado, or our veteran camper for that matter.. We've been talking about chopping a few of the weaker trees, for some time now. But never got around to it. After severeal nights of poor sleep, with the storm howling around the corner. Watching the trees getting thrown forth and back, in the strong wind. Even having one more falling over. My love decided to take matters, in his own hands. As soon as we got home from work that day, he ran out there with the chainsaw and started chopping like a mad man on a mission. 

I could hear the noise from the chainsaw running, in our small forest. It went on for a while, before it suddenly got quiet. Soon after my love standing in the kitchen, with wild eyes and a pitch voice. "Didn't you hear me?" "I need help"... Oh-Oooooh. I wasn't sure what to expect, but from the look on his face I knew it wasn't good. As I walked out in the dark, winter evening, my suspiscions got confirmed. This huge pine tree, was leaning slightly to one side. But of course the wrong side. Towards our car tent and our winter car. Which just to make matters worse, we couldn't get started at the moment. No way we would be able to move the car. And no way the tree was going to fall any other way, than where it already was heading.. Total disaster waiting to happend! Tree was going down. And it did. With a bang. A load bang, may I add. On top of the car tent and the winter car.. And over the road that pass by our house! Oh my.. I probably looked like the lady in the Scream painting, by Munch as I was standing there with my mouth open. Forced to watch, as a useless bistander. As I ran over, I got a quick look at the damages. The tent got a bad dent and was flat like a pancake on one side. Our winter car miracelously survived, only with a tiny mark in the roof (Volvo 240. Solid cars. Not for no reason we call them tractors here). But that wasn't all. A big part of the tree, was blocking half of the road. I ran up the steep hill, towards the road. Had a quick look on both sides. Before I leaned over and like a female Hulk, grabbed the big tree top and pulled it over the fence to safety.

Later my love admitted, it was the first time he chopped a tree. Ya well, there's always a first. At least three of them went in the right direction..

Just an other day on the countryside, gotta love country living. What joy. What a thrill!

The winter sun, seen through our little land of forest..

Winter Moods

Winter moods at the mansion.. Frost clouds gathering at the bottom of the valley, over the big lake. Reaching snakelike arms, through the trees and the old forest, surrounding it. The ususal happy bird trills, that can be heard has now vanished. Just an occational magpie piercing the air, with a hoarse cry.. It's something very beautiful and peaceful, about a white, crispy, winter landscape. So quiet and serene. A time for everything to hybernate, rest and sleep this cold time of the year away...

From a morning I was out with Bessy.. Over the night a crispy, white frost layer, had been created and covered the landscape...

White winter berries, with a thin layer of frost crystals..

The sun fighting through the thick winter fog.. Since we live close to a big lake, we get a bit of fog here in the cold part of the year.

One of my autumn plants, sleeping the winter away..

Leftovers from Halloween.. The wooden crosses from our tiny church yard, resting in peace.

Remedy for The Cold

Finally feeling better again! *Yay* Hard to explain, but I went on the annual Christmas party at work and seems that it made wonders, to my sick, cold ridden body. Not sure if it was all the yummi food, the alcohol (plenty of wine and beer), or the fact that I had silly good time, that made wonders for the system. Neither do I care. It worked. I expected to feel worse then ever, when I woke up the next morning. Instead my cough was almost gone and on Sunday I felt even better. It feel like I went from 0-100 in a night. Hurray!! So long you bitch of a cold, hope to stay well for a while now.

You been to any fun Christmas parties yet, or maybe have some coming up soon?

Wish you all a wonderful Tuesday!

Christmas Coming Up

What to say? Time flies.. It's exactly 3 weeks till Christmas. Last weekend, as 1. December was closing in. I eagerly carried up the boxes, filled with Christmas decoration, from the basement. I'm a bit like a kid when it comes to this and it's just as exciting every year! It's like rediscovering a forgotten treasure, as I pull my old friends out of the boxes. I always start out with a few things, then gradually add on as Christmas is closing in. Wrapped in several warm layers of clothes, I totally ignored my flu and stumbled out into the cold, to get our lightchains up. All in the traditional norwegian warm white color, that I prefer. I try to go for a vintage Christmas style. So no ding dong, crazy colors going on at the mansion..

It's insane what a difference a few lightchains, in trees and bushes can make! Suddenly the outdoors space seems so much warmer and inviting. Something that is much needed! By this time of the year, it feels like we are surrounded by darkness 24/7. It's dark when we leave for work and dark by the time we get home..

We also had a light snowfall, over the last couple of days. Coming down like a light drizzle, of powdered sugar. Covering the garden and landscape, in a thin, white coat of beautiful snow crystals..

It definitely starts to look a bit like Christmas..

Beautiful snow capture, found online..

Sick again..

Just spent a few more days and a weekend being sick. Not sure if it was a strong cold, or the flu. Either way, I spent most of the time stretching on the sofa, under my blankie. With a soar throat and runny nose, hugging my tea mug.. This time it was bad enough to keep me home from work. Not too often I get that sick, but if I do it's usually around this time of the year, or early spring. Seem like "everyone" has a soar throat, runny nose and headache nowadays.. Hope that was the last round of evil germs, for the year.

Wish you all a wonderful day!

Sweet Friday

It's way too early and I just sat down behind my desk at work, with my first cup of coffee. But honestly can't wait to fly out of here, to weekend and freedom at the end of the day. I'm probably not the only one feeling the same. At least not judging from my facebook- and instagram timeline.. Lots of happy faces. It's something about the expectations that weekend always bring.. Anything and everything can happend. Right? Or nothing, if you prefer that. A couple of days rest, can be just as sweet.

Gotta run out and find a fun, little gift today. After a couple of laidback weekends, I'll be visiting my cousin, for a family gathering/her son's birthday. I'm fortunate enough to have a really lovely family, so it will be a treat to see them all again. Not that we are "perfect", or a role model family or anything. But they are perfect to me. Love them all, with their little quirks and everything..

What is your plans, if you have any?

Wish you all a wonderful weekend!!

TGIF.... Yaaaaaay!!!