Monday, December 21, 2015

Let's go shopping

Yesterday was quite busy for you, wasn't it? And here we are, very, very close to the real thing and I know many of you, like me, are doing your last shopping before the celebration, if not today, then maybe tomorrow. I was fortified with strong coffee and a good breakfast and with a good, thorough list and had one of the girls with me, which was a great help. Over the breakfast I said that I still need to figure out what to blog about today and she said, let's document your shopping trip. So here you are, maybe there is too much information (and pictures of me) but we are all in this together, all over the world, doing similar things, for the family and friends, the surroundings are different but the purpose is the same.

The weather was quite dreary today, misty and the temperature little bit above zero. It is supposed to get cold again, so no worries, the snow most likely will stay up until... April!!! Had it been colder, the pictures would look so much better, but you cannot choose the weather...
Are you coming? We are little bit late already!
Darn door! It is frozen and stuck...
All set? Do we have everything we need?
The mailman has not been here yet... (I had advice to stop for a sec so that not every single picture would be blurred...) Need to remember to check on the way back.
While we are at it, we might as well take the garbage (this spot serves half the village).
The car won't run with thin air.
Getting close... Airport to the right, but we won't go there until tonight again, we are off to the little shopping center to the north of the town.
And we are very welcome here!
 Please wait, I need to collect the shopping bags. (I try to avoid plastic as much as I can.)
We had two trolleys, this was mine and my girl had another one. Very quick and effective!
I think we got everything, all is looking good, the place was quiet and not crowded, this was excellent!
On the way back, crossing the Arctic Circle again... blurry picture, like most, but there he lives, Mr Santa, and is having the busiest time of his year, meeting hundreds of children from all over the world every single day.
Meanwhile, at the ranch... They were settled for lunch but apparently we came and interrupted them...
And back home!
(It feels silly to post this, and I am this close to erasing it all, but I am going to hit the publish button and stop fretting over it.)
Wool with you,
Lene


44 comments:

  1. I enjoyed going shopping with you, and am glad you hit the publish button. You are right. All the world over we are doing the same thing. Today I will be shopping for food, and again tomorrow (we have 15 people staying here over the holidays!). I have been enjoying your daily posts this month. They have been like opening a virtual advent calendar each day. Merry Christmas to you and your family!

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  2. Amber16:55

    No - I am glad you posted this. It is always interesting to see ordinary everyday things in other countries. I like to see what kinds of tea you can get everywhere else! We already did most of our food shopping, but we always need more milk, have run out of oil, and I have to find a last-minute gift, so I will be heading out today too. Happy Solstice to you and thank you for the daily posts.

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  3. I really enjoyed this post and agree its fun to see how others do the same thing we do even down to using recycled bags! Enjoy your holiday with your family.

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  4. Nancy17:33

    Thank you, Lene! It was wonderful shopping with you in your part of the world. Blessings and wishes for a peaceful solstice to you and your family!

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  5. Oh, Lene, I'm so glad you posted this and did not erase! It's quite interesting to see how the everyday kinds of things are done around the world; managing frozen garage doors, driving, shopping, etc. are much the same for us in the US, but I don't live close to Santa nor come home to reindeer. Thanks for this lovely glimpse into your world!

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  6. Krista17:37

    Lene, these are my favorite kinds of posts! Thank you for publishing this. Your knitting is always beautiful but it is so fun to see little pieces of your life too. Happy solstice to you!

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  7. I love a wee insight into other people’s lives - it feels like I get to know you a bit more.

    What a great chore to score off the list.

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  8. Anonymous17:56

    One of your best posts ever! Can understand your reluctance, but am so happy you just took the chance and posted all the pictures. Your daughter's idea was a very good one. It is fun to think of us all over the world, doing the same insane preparations. Thank you. Renée (backwoods of Wisconsin)

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  9. Thanks for posting this one. It was a lovely window into your world. It was a modern equivalent of the old "armchair travel". All your snow is quite pretty, and since our last snowstorm was two years ago, it makes me jealous. Wool with you on this longest night.

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  10. Anonymous18:14

    Thank you for posting. It waseems a great post. How many of us get to see reindeer in our back yard and cross the Artic Circle to go shopping! OK, I do have deer in my yard in the city, but it's not the same. Happy preparations!

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  11. Anonymous18:14

    Thank you for posting. It waseems a great post. How many of us get to see reindeer in our back yard and cross the Artic Circle to go shopping! OK, I do have deer in my yard in the city, but it's not the same. Happy preparations!

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  12. Erase??? I would have been crushed. What may seem mundane to you is fascinating to your readers.

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  13. Thank you for sharing this glimpse into ordinary life! I think the little details are the kind we only experience if we travel to a place and spend real time there...where to shop, checking mail, what the road signs looks like, etc....and since most of us probably won't ever be able to travel to your part of the world, experiencing the details through your blog is quite a treasure. Thank you! :)

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  14. Anonymous19:04

    I loved this post! Thank you for sharing :)

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  15. Anonymous19:19

    I loved this post, too. Thank you. I now live in a mild climate (Pacific Northwest) but grew up in snow country, and your pictures remind me of those days.

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  16. My experience this holiday season is different. My husband and I spent a month touring South East Asia - getting home in late November. Since then I've had a cold, the microwave died - highlighting the quirky electrical in our 1950's bungalow, and since it's been raining for 24 hours now (Northern California, so Hurrah!) I've discovered a leak right over and into my computer printer. So my dear husband, who was trying to catch up with consulting for his former company (everyone is on Xmas vacation, except him, right?) and trudging up and down the ladder re-wiring the kitchen (although the microwave is already up and running again) - well, now he's learning how to get the water out of a printer!!

    So, it was thoroughly wonderful, a mini vacation, to see snapshots of someone's normal, non-emergency Christmas preparations. Thank you for sharing.

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  17. this was fun!

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  18. Thank you so much for posting this. I have been reading your blog for years but this is the first time I have commented. It is so interesting to get a glimpse of daily life in a different part of the world.
    It is unseasonably mild here in the UK this year so I will get my fix of snow by looking at your photographs.

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  19. Anonymous19:51

    Please do stop fretting, this is lovely!! Our garage door gets stuck sometimes too, from the wet snow freezing into ice.
    Things so much the same, all the world over. A very happy holiday to you and yours.
    chez, from Minnesota, USA

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  20. How fun to follow along on your errands. We had most of the kids home for this past weekend, so we had an early Christmas celebration. It feels very much like the day after Christmas, relaxing after all the work of yesterday and the days of getting ready. I got my gift knitting all done, despite the early holiday so I'm feeling quite pleased with myself. Now a pair of mittens and a birthday sweater to go, and I think I'll get to indulge in some knitting for myself!

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  21. I think seeing how other people live, and where they live is so interesting.
    Im in New Zealand and we are currently having 28-29 deg celcius temperatures. So seeing all that beautiful snow is just lovely.

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  22. Oh thank you for not deleting this post! I loved every single part of it.

    I hope you have a wonderful, cozy Christmas!

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  23. Thank you, it was really nice to go shopping with you! Here, in Switzerland at the German- Austrian boareder we still have no snow... Merry Christmas and all the best from this part of Europe....Christa

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  24. A fabulous post thank you

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  25. I enjoyed it and am glad you didn't delete this post. Just goes to show that, no matter how many differences there may be in our lives, we still have much in common. Thank you for your blog posts this month and always!

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  26. Dear Lene:

    We are a class of second grade students in New Britain, CT in the US. That means we are 7 and 8 years old.

    Mrs. Goodwin, our teacher, who reads your blog, shared your post with us today…

    Alexia: Do you see Santa? Do your kids see Santa?
    Jamie: Are you cold, we haven’t had snow yet.
    Julia: Your post was interesting. Do you like it when the reindeer are around your house?
    Gerald: Did you pick the person up yet from the airport? Do the reindeer play with you?
    Haylee: That was exciting! If you see Santa, can you take a picture and post? At Christmas, if you stay up late, do you ever see Santa’s reindeer fly?
    Joseph: Do those reindeer belong to you? Do you feed the reindeer?
    Julian: How cold is it over there? How many children do you have?
    Nyzaiah: Do you see reindeer moss or lichen?
    Monica: Do you like the reindeer coming around your house? Do you like living in the Arctic Circle?
    Jezirah: What do you children look like and ages? Is it pretty there?
    Ciara: Do you like the reindeer in your backyard?
    Hajar: Can you tell us the name of your children?
    Yeishka: How many reindeer are there?
    Jonathan: Did you name the reindeer in your yard?

    We have been studying reindeer this week. We are in school until Wednesday. What country do you actually live in? Mrs. Goodwin went to Norway this summer.

    There didn't seem to be an email addy that I could send this through....I hope you don't mind all of the questions...they were very excited about the snow...the reindeer...and especially Santa...

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  27. Anonymous02:03

    I love this post! And the glimpse into running errands in Finland. Just wonderful. Happy Holidays to you and your family!
    Madeline

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  28. I know it seems "everyday" to you, but, to us it is romantic and magical to live at the Arctic Circle. Thank you for sharing a bit of everyday with us.

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  29. Jeannie04:12

    So fun!! Thanks for not erasing it!

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  30. Anonymous04:22

    Hi, Lene. I have always enjoyed your posts and this one is no exception! And I so agree with the others that I'm glad you did not hit the delete button. Merry Christmas, Lene, to you and your family!

    Melody

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  31. sandra06:00

    Thanks for taking us shopping with you! It is very cool to see how things look outside your yard. Happy Christmas :)

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  32. I agree - thanks for posting! You are lucky not to be doing the insane flying yourself.

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  33. I loved this post! I live in the sub-tropics in Australia, so it's so interesting to see how similar yet very very different your Christmas preparations are to ours. Our kids are on their long summer holidays, and we are swimming most days with temperatures in the 30s. We will have Christmas day around the pool and in the airconditioning. I find it so interesting seeing where you live!

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  34. I loved this post! I live in the sub-tropics in Australia, so it's so interesting to see how similar yet very very different your Christmas preparations are to ours. Our kids are on their long summer holidays, and we are swimming most days with temperatures in the 30s. We will have Christmas day around the pool and in the airconditioning. I find it so interesting seeing where you live!

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  35. I'm so happy you did not erase your post -- it was so much fun to share in your shopping trip!

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  36. Lene, Thank you for this, and for sharing yourself with us all month. Delightful! Merry Christmas and Happiest of New Years. -- Marsha, knitting at creekside.

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  37. I'll chime in and agree..I loved this post. It's nice to see what a normal (okay, it's Christmas...so semi-normal) day-in-the-life-of-Lene is like.

    Thank you for sharing your day with us!

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  38. I love this post, thanks so much for sharing it with us! It was great seeing photos of you, so I now know what you look like and the photos of where you live were great to see. I may never be able to travel to your part of the world, but it's great to see photos of it :-) Merry Christmas to you and your family. Best wishes on a wonderful and healthy 2016.

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  39. I love this post! Thank you for sharing. It is so fun to see everyday outings in different parts of the world. And always love to see the reindeer...

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  40. moiraeknittoo04:03

    I love seeing 'day in the life' posts, especially in a country not my own. This was GREAT! :D

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  41. Not silly! It was wonderful. Happy Christmas and may it be overflowing with love and peace for you and your family.

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  42. Thank you so much, Lene, and happy new year!

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