Friday, June 29, 2018

Slap af og træk vejret - Relax and Breathe

I dag skal der ikke være noget om, hvad man kan gøre, eller hvad man bør gøre. Det er varmt, det er sommer. Hvad med bare at VÆRE!

Lad være med at lægge planer. Grib det, der kommer hen ad vejen, og hvis der ikke kommer noget, så nyd det!

Det skal være tilladt at være tilstede i det nære, selv om verden er et turbulent sted, hvor der ikke er fred mange steder.

Nyd sommeren med dine kære og tillad dig at slappe af og trække vejret - dybt.

Rigtig god weekend.

Man kunne jo starte med en god kop kaffe - You could start with a good cup of coffee.

Today I am not writing about, what you could do, or what you should do. The weather is hot, and it is summer. So how about just to BE!

Don't make any plans. Take, what ever comes, and if nothing comes along, then enjoy that!

It is allowed to be present in your own life, even though the world is a turbulent place, where peace isn't a common thing.

Enjoy summer (or the season you are in now) with your loved ones and allow yourself to relax and breathe - take a deep breath.

Have a great weekend.

Thursday, June 28, 2018

Besked om genhusning - Information about Rehoursing

Så har jeg fået at vide, hvornår jeg skal genhuses, og hvor jeg skal flytte hen.

Jeg er mere end godt tilfreds. Jeg er faktisk ret glad. Når man bliver 'tvunget' ud af sit hjem for en tid - selv om grunden er, at ens hjem bliver bedre at bo i - er det spændende, hvor man bliver anbragt.

Det er et kæmpe puslespil, der skal gå op, når der er 525 lejemål i spil. Det er nemlig ikke alle, der ønsker at komme tilbage til deres lejligheder, fordi deres levevilkår har ændret sig, så de enten ønsker sig større eller mindre lejligheder. Så der er meget at tage højde for.

Men jeg skal bo et rart sted, indtil min lejlighed er sat i stand, og det giver god ro. Tidspunktet for selve udflytningen bliver 1. uge i december, så jeg kan sagtens nå at komme i orden inden jul.

Jeg glæder mig af flere grunde. Jeg får nøje gennemgået alt, hvad jeg ejer. Jeg føler selv, at jeg har styr på tingene, men jeg er alligevel ret sikker på, at jeg nok skal få pakket en kasse eller to, som jeg ikke får åbnet, mens jeg er genhuset - og så må indholdet af de kasser tages op til overvejelse.

Også selve udfordringen af at være et sted, man ikke selv har valgt, er yderligere en erfaring. Jeg kan forestille mig, at mine vaner vil blive anderledes. At jeg indretter mig anderledes - det er helt klart. Måske giver det nye input eller viser, at der er ting, man gør, som er værdifulde at bevare, og at der er noget, der trænger til en ændring.

Jeg glæder mig.



Now I have had my notice about, when I am going to be rehoused, and where I am going to live.

I am quite pleased. No, I am actually quite happy. When you are 'forced' out of your home for some time - even though  the reason is, that your home gets totally updated - it is exciting to see, where you end up.

It is a gigantic puzzle, which have to be fixed, when 525 tenants are in play. Not everybody wants to go back to their flats, as their living conditions have changed, so they either want a smaller or a bigger flat. So there is a lot of planning going on.

But I am going to live in a nice place, until my flat has been renovated, and that gives peace. The time for the move will be during the first week of December, so I can easily get in place before Christmas.

I am looking forward for several reasons. I will get the chance to go through my possessions very thoroughly. I feel, that I am in control of my stuff, but I am almost sure, that I will pack a box or two, which I don't get to open, while I am rehoused - and then the contents of these boxes will have to be taken in consideration.

Also the challenge of being in a place, you haven't chosen yourself, is an experience. I can imagine, that my habits change. I will arrange things differently - obviously. And maybe that will give new inputs or show, that some of the thing I do are good enough to survive, and something need changing.

I am looking forward.

Monday, June 25, 2018

Lad være med at lægge ting i kasser! - Don't Put Anything in Boxes!

Rigtig mange mennesker ved godt, at de har alt for mange ting. Der roder her, og der roder der, og så går man ud og køber nogle kasser, så man kan holde bedre orden.

Det er det absolut værste, man kan gøre. For man putter rodet i kasser, så har man intet opnået - ud over at få minimeret pladsen i sit hjem, fordi der nu er flere kasser!

At minimere sine ejendele, at få mere luft i sit hjem, kræver, at man fjerner ting. Unødvendige ting. Ting, der ikke er i funktion. Ting, man flytter fra sted til sted. Ting, som ikke giver nogen glæde.

Så der skal ikke købes flere kasser. I stedet skal man se på, hvad man har i de kasser, man allerede ligger inde med. Find ud af hvor lang tid kasserne har været lukket. Er det over et år - så har man ikke brug for noget i dem. INTET! Heller ikke selv om man kan sige, at man måske en gang med tiden muligvis nok kan få brug for hvad-det-nu-kan-være. Men det kommer ikke til at ske. Man har ikke brug for noget, der har ligget i kasser i årevis.

I forbindelse med den renovering, som foregår i det kvarter, jeg bor i, er folk begyndt at blive genhuset, og vi kan se på kontainerpladsen, at der kommer flere ting. Intet er noget værd. Det er glemte og gemte ting. Alt i dårlig stand efter år i kasser og kældre.

Det bliver et kæmpe arbejde at håndtere, hvis man har fyldt en eller måske flere kældre op med ting, som man 'måske en dag får brug for'. Så der er mange, der har sved på panden og gruer for den kommende genhusning. Med god grund.

Gem ikke noget i kasser. Når der er noget, du ikke bruger, så sælg det eller giv det væk. Så er der nogen, der får glæde af det og selv om du ikke skal genhuses, så ryd kasserne væk. Du får ekstra frihed og plads.

Mit hjem er mit slot - My home is my castle

A lot of people know that they have too much stuff. There is a mess here, and a mess there, and then you go and buy some boxes, so you home can look nice and decluttered.

That is the ultimate worst thing, you can do. Because all you do is putting your clutter in boxes, and then you have gained nothing - except less space in your home from all the new boxes.

To minimize your stuff, to get a more airy home, demands that you remove things. Unnecessary things. Things with no function. Things, you move from one place to another. Things, which doesn't give you any pleasure.

So don't buy more boxes. Instead take a look at the boxes you already have. Find out how long time it is, since you last used any of their contents. Is it more that a year? - then you don't need it. NONE of it! Not even if you can say, that maybe some day in the future you might need what-ever-it-can-be. But it is not going to happen. You don't need anything, which has been stored away in a box for years.

In connection with the renovation which is ongoing in my neighborhood, the rehousing has started, and we can see that on the container place. More things are piling up. None of it of any value. It is all forgotten and hidden things. All in a bad condition after years in boxes and basements.

And now it is a gigantic task to handle, especially if you have filled a basement or even two basements with stuff, you 'might need some day'. So many tenants have sweat on their foreheads and are desparate for the upcoming move. With good reason.

Don't hide anything in boxes. When something is lying around, sell it og give it away. Then there is somebody, who will appreciate it, and even if you aren't going to be rehoused, let the boxes go. You gain extra space and freedom.

Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Begræsning af livet på de sociale medier - Limiting the Life on Social Media

Min formiddag forsvandt! Jeg havde så mange gode planer, men de blev ikke rigtig til noget. Det vil sige, at da jeg endelig kom i gang, måtte jeg skynde mig for at nå det hele. Og det ærgrede mig.

Min formiddag forsvandt nemlig på de sociale medier.

Det er simpelthen for tåbeligt, så nu har jeg besluttet, at jeg vil være på nettet max en halv time om morgenen og et kvarter om aftenen. Nyheder, FB, Instagram og diverse links, som det medfører. Max. 45 minutter om dagen!

Jeg tror, at det bliver svært, men alt det skærm-kiggeri er jo som at leve alle andre menneskers liv i stedet for ens eget! Jeg bliver så let afledt af et link, der sender mig videre til et andet link, og så forsvinder tiden.

Men det skal være min tid! Jeg vil bestemme, hvordan jeg bruger den, og det gør jeg ikke gennem at læse, hvad andre bruger deres tid til.

Det er selvfølgelig lidt at skyde sig selv i foden, for jeg håber selvfølgelig, at der er mange, der læser min blog, men jeg håber og ønsker alligevel, at I bruger tiden til at leve jeres eget liv - og så kigger her ind en gang i mellem og får lidt inspiration til at leve lidt enklere.

Det lidt enklere liv begynder for mig nu!


My morning disappeared! I had so many good plans, but they didn't really get into play. When I finally got going, I went from having enough time to be really busy. And that annoyed me.

You see, my morning disappeared on the social media.

It is just too brainless, so now I have decided, that I will be on the net max ½ an hour in the morning and 15 minutes at night. News, FB, Instagram and the links, which comes with that. Max 45 minutes a day.

I think, that it is going to be difficult, but it is a bit like living other people's lives and not your own! I get distracted so easily by a link, which links me to a new link, and then time is flying.

But I want it to be my time! I will be in control about, how I use it, and I don't do that by following, what others spend their time on.

It is a bit like shooting myself in the food, because of course I hope, that many people will read my blog, and yet I hope, that you would spend the time living your own lives - and then pop in her on my blog once in a while to get a bit of inspiration to live a little simpler.

The little simpler life is starting for me now!

Monday, June 18, 2018

At blive væk og finde noget - To Get Lost and Find Something

For et par uger siden skulle jeg finde en adresse inde i København og gik forkert. Men somme tider må jeg erkende, at jeg egentlig ikke går forkert, selv om jeg måske ikke havner, hvor jeg skal. For så kommer jeg steder hen, hvor jeg ikke har været før, og denne gang på den meget lange omvej fandt jeg det firma, som skal ombetrække mine stole.

I sidste århundrede (!) købte jeg nogle konferencestole af mit gamle firma, da de anskaffede nye. Jeg har altid siddet godt i dem, og det gør mine gæster også. Min sofa bliver stort set ikke brugt. Alle bliver siddende ved bordet.

Nu trænger de stole til en ombetrækning.

Jeg har selv ombetrukket dem for mange år siden, men der er en grund til, at der er nogle, der kan kalde sig fagfolk og andre, der må kalde sig amatører. Ombetrækningen blev sådan set ret godt, men nu synes jeg, at de fortjener at få den helt rigtige behandling, for der er ingen tvivl om, at det kan gøres bedre.

Somme tider er det helt rigtigt at gå forkert.




A couple of weeks ago I was trying to find an address in Copenhagen, and I took the wrong direction. But sometimes I have to acknowledge, that I don't really take the wrong way, even though I don't end up in the place intended. Because then I go places, where I never have been before, and on this (long) detour I found the company, which is going to upholster my chairs.

In the last century (!) I bought some conference chairs from my old company, when they replaced them with new ones. I have always loved sitting in them, and so do my guests. My sofa is almost never in use. Everybody stays at the table.

But now my chairs need maintenance.

I have done it myself before many years ago, but there is a reason, why some people can call themselves experts and others, who are amateurs. My work became quite good actually, but now I think, that they need the right treatment, because there are no doubts, that it can be done better.

Sometimes it is right to take the wrong direction.

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

At få sat ord på - To Put into Words

Kender I det, når man endelig får sagt noget, som man ikke før har kunnet sætte ord på før?

Pludselig er der en forklaring, som har ligget og ulment i hovedet, men som man ikke har kunnet formulere, når nogen har spurgt uden at komme til at kaste sig ud en lang forklaring, som folk ikke gider høre.

Men pludselig kommer ordene helt ubesværet. Forklaringen på, hvorfor jeg gør mit bedste for at være en bevidst forbruger, og hvorfor jeg vælger at leve med så få ting som muligt.

Fordi jeg vil leve småt, ubekymret og ubelastet. Ikke stort, bekymret og belastet.

Småt og ubekymret dækker over, at jeg hellere vil bo et lille sted, som jeg kan betale, uanset hvad der sker, end jeg vil leve et stort sted, der kræver, at jeg forpligter til at tjene mange penge hver måned. Derfor småt og ubekymret.

Belastet dækker over, at jo mere jeg ejer, jo mere skal jeg passe. Jeg er ikke belastet af en masse rengøring, pligter og vedligeholdelse. Man kan selvfølgelig have rengøringshjælp, og man kan betale sig fra vedligeholdelse, men det er så bare en udgift yderligere, som jeg skal tjene flere penge til.

Så når jeg næste gang bliver spurgt, hvorfor jeg lever, som jeg gør, så har jeg svaret:

Fordi jeg vil leve småt, ubekymret og ubelastet.


Have you ever experienced, when you finally say something, which you haven't been able to put into words before?

All of a sudden the explanation, which has been simmering in your head, comes out. The explanation which you haven't been able to express, when somebody has asked without giving a long speech, which nobody cares to listen to.

But right there the words came totally effortless. The explanation about why I do my best to become a conscious consumer, and why I choose to live with as little stuff as possible.

I want to live small, carefree and without being weighed down. I don't want to live big, worried and being weighed down.

Small and carefree cover, that I will rather live in a small place, which I can pay, no matter what happens, than I will live in a big place, which demands, that I am obliged to earn a lot of money every month. Therefore small and carefree.

Being weighed down covers,  that the more I own, the more I have to take care of. I don't want to be weighed down with a lot of cleaning, duties, and maintenance.  Of course you can buy help for both things, but this just leads to more expenses and another kind of obligation, which I have to earn money for.

So the next time I am asked, why I live the way I do, I will answer:

 Because I want to live small, carefree, and without being weighed down.

Monday, June 11, 2018

Dukkevugge færdig - Doll Cradle done

Så er den færdig, og jeg synes selv, at den er yndig! Den er totalt 60 - 65 år gammelt genbrug, så den har ikke kostet noget - ud over en vaskemaskine-reparation, men det er historie :-).

Jeg glæder mig til, at Favorit Baby skal have den, men hendes forældre bestemmer hvornår. Selv om hun ikke er ret gammel, er hun meget nænsom og forsigtig, og hendes dukker bliver pakket ind i alt muligt blødt og pink - som skal ligge helt fladt og ordentligt. Hun rydder også ting på plads af sig selv.

Der ikke er noget legetøj, der venter i kælderen til Favorit Storebror. De ting, jeg havde, er leveret til Legetøjsmuseet på grund af historien bag dem. Det var en kran, en bil og en sporvogn af træ, ret groft bygget på Helsingør Skibsværft under 2. verdenskrig, og ingen drenge ville finde på at lege med dem i dag.

Efter nogen overvejelse gav jeg dem videre for nogle år siden, og det er jeg glad for. De er bevaret og kan blive set af andre. De ligger ikke bare i en kælder, der altid er truet af vandskade. De ligger ikke i en kasse, som bliver flyttet rundt i en uendelighed uden glæde for nogen, og de bliver heller ikke ballast for nogen, der ikke har tilknytning til dem en gang i fremtiden. Hverken fysisk eller psykisk.

Men selvfølgelig skal Favorit Storebror også have noget, når Favorit Søster får gaver uden speciel anledning, når det er noget så stort.

Det finder jeg ud af med Favorit-forældrene.







Now it is done, and I think, that is has become quite lovely! It is totally reuse of 60-65 years old material, so it hasn't cost anything - apart from a washing machine repair, but that is all history :-)

I am looking forward to giving it Favorite Baby, but her parents decide when. Even though she isn't very old, she is very careful and gentle, and her dolls get wrapped in anything soft and pink - which has to lay totally straight and orderly. She also puts things back in place by herself. 

Unfortunately, there aren't any old toys in the basement for Favorite Big Brother. The things, I had, have been given to the Danish Toy Museum because of the story behind them. It was a crane, a car and a tram made very simple out of wood at Elsinore Ship Yard during the 2nd World War, and no boys of today would play with them.

After some consideration I passed them on some years ago, and I am happy about that. They are preserved and can be seen by others. They are not just lying in a basement, which always is a target for water damage. They are not put away in a box, which will be moved around endlessly without being of any value to anyone, and they will not be a heavy load mentally or physically for somebody in the future, who hasn't any connection to them. 

But of course Favorite Big Brother is going to have a gift, when Favorite Sister has one without any special occasion, when it is something this big.

The Favorite Parents and I will figure something out.

Thursday, June 7, 2018

En dag uden planer - A Day without Plans

Hvad gør man i denne hede?

Ja, hvad kan man gøre? Man kan bestemme sig til at tage det helt roligt og lade dagen komme af sig selv! Ingen specifikke planer.

Og hvad er der så sket? Jeg har
  • været i bad, ordnet hår, spist morgenmad og læst nyhederne
  • ryddet op i hele huset og ordnet køkkenet
  • sorteret alt skrald til containerpladsen
  • bestilt varer over nettet
  • printet billet til musicalen De Tre Musketerer til i aften - ikke fordi det er noget særligt at printe, med mindre man skal hente sin gamle, meget tunge printer ud af et skab
  • vasket sengetøj
  • moppet mit gulv over hele huset - renoveringsarbejdet støver så meget, at det knasede mellem mine tænder, da jeg vågnede i morges!
  • vasket dukkevuggen, så den nu er klar til montering
  • klargjort nogle billeder, jeg skal bruge i mit arbejde
  • skrevet indkøbsliste over de ting, jeg er nødt til at købe selv
Alt sammen uden at få sved på panden! Hvad sker der dog? Kl. er kun 10!

Måske skulle jeg tage nogle flere dage uden planer. Det er værd at tænke over.








 What to do in this Heat? 

Yes, what can you do? You can decide to take it easy and just let the day come to you! Totally calm! No specific plans.

And what happened? I have
  • taken a shower, done my hair, eaten breakfast and read the news
  • gone through the entire flat for clutter and cleaned the kitchen
  • sorted the trash for the container place
  • ordered groceries over the internet
  • printed out the ticket for the musical The Three Musketeers for tonight - not because printing is something special, unless you have to take your really heavy printer of the closet
  • washed some bedlinen
  • mopped my floor all over the house - the renovation work is creating so much dust, that I could feel the gravel dust between my teeth, when I woke up this morning!
  • washed the doll cradle again, so now it it ready for next step
  • made photos ready for some work I have going on
  • written a grocery list for the things I have to pick up myself
Everything without breaking a sweat! What is happening? And it is only 10 o'clock!

Maybe I should make some more days without plans. That is worth thinking about.

Monday, June 4, 2018

Køber du pynt? - Do You Buy Knickknacks?

Jeg har en veninde, der klager over manglende plads i skabe og skuffer. Hun siger selv, at hun ikke køber ret meget og aldrig store ting . Hun køber bare lidt 'hygge'. "Det er jo dejligt at pynte op og forny. Ellers bliver det hele så trist."

Det kan hun jo have ret i. Hun vil typisk købe lidt stearinlys, nogle nye lunch servietter eller en lille dug, et par søde lysestager, et par potteplanter i nogle søde zink urtepotteskjulere, og hendes borddækning er altid ny og spændende. Hun er så god til det.

Men uden at tænke på det akkumulerer hun ting, for når man ser på hendes indkøb, er det kun stearinlysene og potteplanterne, der er forgængelige. Bagefter skal der findes plads til lunch servietterne, lysestagerne og urtepotteskjulerne. Sammen med alle de foregående hygge-indkøb.

Tænk over det, når du køber lidt nyt til at friske op med. Tænk på at købe noget, der er forgængeligt. Pynt et frugtfad. Køb stearinlys i en ny farve. Sæt en potteplante i en urtepotteskjuler, som du allerede har. Køb blomster til den vase, der står inderst i skabet allerede.

Brug det, du har. Så sparer du både plads og penge.



I have a girlfriend, who always complains about not having enough space in her closets and cabinets. She claims, that she doesn't buy very much, and she never buys big things. She is just buying a bit of  'hygge'. "It is nice to decorate and get something new. Otherwise everything becomes so boring."

And that is true. She will typically buy some candles, new place mats or a small table cloth, a pair of pretty candle holders, and couple of plants in decorative zinc pots, and her lunch table decorations are always new and beautiful. She is definitely very good at it.

But without thinking about it she is accumulating stuff, because when you look at her purchases, it is only the candles and the plants, which are going to disappear. She will have to find space for the table mats, the candle holders and the pots. On top of all the previous 'hygge'-purchases.

Think about it, when you want to buy something to brighten you home.. Buy something, which will not take space up after use. Make a fruit platter. Buy candles in a new color. Put a new plant in a pot, which you have. Buy flowers for the vase, which is standing in the back of the kitchen cabinet already.

Use what you have. You will save space and money.