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Happy New Year

I hope the year to come, and new year's eve, will be as glorious as this picture taken from the Moomins Cookbook (ISBN 978-1906838-16-4) - the source of all our wonderful desserts, some interesting soups and ideas for what to do with leftovers. I haven't tried all the recipes yet, so good surprises to come, it seems.

Ola the guinea pig is sleeping on my stomach. We never had a guinea pig before. It has been the most wonderful experience. Ola makes his cute "I'm content" sounds and likes to sleep on my stomach for hours. It is scary though, Kipling said something about the risk of giving one's heart to an animal. Ola has my heart now.

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Rainy, dark day, but I love living in this part of town. It is fairly "un-posh", quiet, green in summer, close to the woods and the air quality is much better than in the center of Oslo. There is also a good mix of people - couples with children, the elderly, working class, artists, professionals, easy access to town and just not a very pretentious atmosphere. A good place to live.

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Exam time - it is kind of enjoyable, I get to have cookies with my scribbling, rantings and make a very intellectual looking mess

Obi

A wonderful obi available at Ichiroya (link), I would have loved to get it myself, but impossible when studying.

Pictures from here (ink)

This fukuro obi is made by The First Icchiku Kubota.
It is very rare and incredibly valuable item for the kimono lovers.

We don't have enough words to describe this art work - - - you must already know that tsujigahana dyeing was phantasmal dyeing, before HE revived it.

We can know that this piece was made by the first, from the signature.

This piece is not brand new one, but it is not used and in excellent condition.
It is in the original wooden box.

(*The price tag remains in the #209017(very similar one), which reads 4300,000Yen - approx 55,800.00USD. Unbelievable!)

*Approx background color - HTML code ( 3D695F)

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New Year's Resolutions

Here in Norway we have what we call our New Year Resolutions. I'm not sure, if this is an international thing, but these are mine:

Enjoy myself with my studies and friends

Exercise even better

Get enough vitamin D, A, iron and calcium - yes, I took blood tests, I know I need my cod liver oil (there are vegan options, I'm a bit in doubt, but have decided on cod liver oil for now after an excellent doctor gave a strong recommendation), more carrots, Ca2+ and iron - one must take blood tests, it is absolutely possible to overdose on fat soluble vitamins and also on minerals, one doesn't take supplements unless one actually needs them, and possibly test myself for celiac disease, as blood levels for vitamins are low

Be happy, take a lot of photographs and play the piano

And last, but not least, let the people I love - and Ola the guinea pig - know that I love them -- getting the message through on a regular basis :D

Santa Baby

Happy & Merry

Old Fashioned Christmas Cakes - Sand Nuts

185 grams of lightly salted gourmet butter
160 grams of sugar
2 tea spoons of vanilla sugar or vanilla seeds from a pod
0.5 tea spoon of hearts horn salt (ammonium carbonate)
250-290 grams of organic, fine wheat flour

Run the butter, vanilla and sugar in a food processor until it is almost white in colour. add hearts horn salt and flour. Mix. Make small balls (should make around 70) and flatten them slightly with a fingertip. Low heat - 150-175C until a very light golden. This is an old family favourite. Enjoy!

A little about hearts horn from Wiki:

Hartshorn salt (ammonium carbonate), also known simply as hartshorn, and baker's ammonia, was used as a leavening agent, in the baking of cookies and other edible treats. It was used mainly in the 17th and 18th centuries as a forerunner of baking powder.^[7] ½ teaspoon of hartshorn can substitute for 1 teaspoon of baking powder. It is called for in old German and Scandinavian recipes and, though rarely used in modern times, may still be purchased as a baking ingredient.^[8] Hartshorn helps molded cookies such as Springerle to retain their intricate designs during baking. Cookies make with hartshorn can be kept for a long time without hardening. Use of hartshorn may turn some ingredients, such as sunflower seeds, green.

The Christmas Tree

I have heard rumors about a wide angle lens this Christmas - O happiness

Christmas E-mail from My Boss - she is splendid!

Ikke glemme at juleferien er en tid for å slappe av, gjøre andre ting og samle krefter til ny giv på nyåret!!!! J Må bare minne deg på at du må ta hensyn til deg selv i fall du selv skulle glemme det! ;-)

TJ

Do not forget that the holidays are a time for relaxation, to do other tings than work and to find new energy!!!! I just Have to remind you to take care of yourself, in case you forget! ;-)

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If that's not the best Christmas e-mail ever ...

Ola

Kate Bush Weekend - dinner and dancing

It has been the best weekend ever - my partner and my mother coming for dinner - pinnekjøtt - a western Norwegian specialty of smoked and dried lamb ribs that are watered over night and then steam boiled. Not really my thing, but once a year for the benefit of the meat eaters in the family. The meat is served with mashed beetroots and what we call almond potatoes. Almond potatoes are simply almond shaped, very delicately tasting gourmet potatoes. It is a traditional Christmas fare.

The guinea pig seems more comfortable now as he gets used to our scents. And then - Kate Bush, my partner's favorite singer/songwriter. The guinea pig got a little guinea pig twirl. Sitting on my arm while I was  gently dancing to Kate Bush, Julie London and some other music. He did make his cute "I'm content" sounds, so I guess we twirled slowly enough.

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Privacy

I'm working on setting up my blog page with a more professional e-mail that is more easily accessible for me - no extra log on among other things. My here, there&everywhere and the extra log on tend to make me a little slow from time to time.

My real dilemma though, is the usage of my full name. It has figured in one of the postings, but I don't want my pupils, school mates or employers to find the blog too easily. This is a quite private me, and I'm not ready in a way. I also try to shelter the people I sometimes write about a little extra that way, even if I try to be very careful when it comes to using names. Any input? What are your experiences when it comes to using your name?

From the Nutcracker with Baryshnikov and Kirkland

Thank you, Laurent

Thank you very much for awarding me A City of Coffee Mug. I am deeply touched.

Picture

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Fly Me to the Moon

Just Fine!! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas card, artwork by R. Briggs from Victoria & Albert Museum's webshop

And then my mother called from the hospital, telling that she is just fine, the doctor not sure why she was sent for additional examinations in the first place. It may be a very good Christmas:)))))))))

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Christmas Window Decorations at Oslo's Perhaps Best Bookshop