Thinking, Challenges, Keeping it up?

As usual, as I look back on my blogging year, I also look at the Challenges I have participated in or set myself

I can repeat much of what I said two years ago:

The turning of the year as always have me thinking ~ Challenges? Why? How many? Which ones? And so on.

For the last many years, challenges have come and gone on this blog and in my life in general. Some I liked, some not so much. Some were fun, some were not.

This past year has been an ungentle year ... I once heard the saying "waiting for the other shoe to drop", well for me 2023 was a centipede. Much - among those my family, this blog, all kinds of fun challenges, my garden, oh so many things - have been suffering from my lack of energy and joy in anything ...

Like 2023 and 2024 12025 has been an ungentle year of the millipede variety. Deaths in real life and in in blogland, sad stories everywhere ... the less said the better. But as for the blog challenges this day at the close of the year is a fine day to reflect a bit. Which ones are keepers, which ones are not?

Keepers
Words for Wednesday  - hosted by Elephant's Child until her demise in October, it's a perfectly enjoyable writing Challenge, which I so much hope will continue.

Poetry Monday - Normally hosted by Diane. Mimi and I have taken over while Diane enjoys some family time and travels the world. Link to Mimi - Poetic fun where for some time now the clues have been taken from from 365 Days of Drawing Prompts and other Arts group. This is a Facebook group with a prompt for each day of the year, but no worries, the prompts will still be here and at Mimi's blog.

IWSG (Insecure Writer's Support Group) - Link - A question to answer every first Wednesday - can do!

Sunday Selections - Link - good photo fun. I will continue participating in the coming year, but maybe not every Sunday - and I'd like to combine it with

Colour of the Month - Link -  It did not work out as intended, but it has grown into something different. It's a keeper.

365 days of drawing prompts - Link - Yes the same one we use for Poetry Monday. It has a Facebook group, that's neither very supportive, nor very talkative, but on the other hand quite active. The prompts are different enough to be mostly inspiring, and not too woke. And it is not streak-oriented, which is a huge positive for me. You won' see much of this on this blog, but I draw almost every day and on my dedicated drawing blog, something happens sporadically.

Birthdays - of people known and not so known, mostly poets and writers. I like to cite and celebrate.

Sleepers
Fredagsfrustrationer / Friday Frustrations - A way to vent my grumpy so that it does not pervade the whole blog. This too has been suffering - and the grumpiness is spreading as a result -  but it's going to stay.

Tirsdagstips / Tuesday Tips - Suffering, but not totally abandoned.

Duolingo* - Link - studying Japanese, Italian, and a couple of other languages this way is good fun. I'll return, as this has been suffering, and try to keep it up.

Wørdle* - the Danish edition of Wordle. I  like this kind of games. They have also been suffering. Only recently I started again, now also regularly solving Minute Cryptic, a tough nut, and Lingule, where I almost never hit upon the exact language, but often enought the correct sub-family of languages to keep me interested.

Maybe-keepers
 A to Z Challenge* - very stressing but also very fun. For the first year ever, I finished the challenge in 2924. I suppose. I might do a light version without signing up in 2025. I bit off a great deal more than intended with Susan's co-apprentices, but it was fun.


Not keepers
Wordle, Spelling Bee, Strands, Connections, and Tiles* - I have enjoyed solving these four for the past three and a half years, I even based this year's A-Z Challenge on Wordle, but now it's over. Tiles, The Mini Crossword and Letter Boxed are only for subscribers as of September 1st. I know that Wordle, Strands and Connections are still free to play, but for how long? For me making Tiles pay to play was the last straw.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

* Many of these Challenges are centered around maintaining a streak (participating on a consecutive series of days) the longer, the better.

For such Challenges I regularly skip a day on purpose so as not to accumulate long streaks. I do this because keeping a streak in any streak-oriented activity is a big stress-factor for me. I  know I'm strange this way and that this streak-business keeps many people focussed, but I really, really hate it and wish that I could opt out of it being counted.

Godt nytår ~ Happy New Year

Igen er Uglemor hverken senil eller tosset. I dag er det det kinesiske nytår.
Glædeligt SLANGENS år

No, MotherOwl has still grown neither crazy nor senile.
Today is the Chinese New Year.
Happy year of the
SNAKE

All the colours of 2024

All the colours of 2024. What did I do with them?

January - Clay brown: Frosty leaves, mostly beech

February: Our Graphite Black earth is bringing forth colour - and is a terrific backdrop.

The colour of March, Olive green, is found in these catkins.

I'm sure you can find loads of April's Water blue in GardenOwl if you look close.

And a Bright orange flower for the Colour of the month, May. Growing on my Moon Hill, a survivor from last summer's sowing of all my flower seeds I have no idea what it is, and orange is probably the colour it is hardest to find in the Owlery.

The very best mint is Signal green for June.

Look! some of the nasturtium I picked for jellies and herbal salts have just the right colour for July's Pale ivory.

August is in need of two photos: 

August is THE summer month of Denmark, but ususally it looked like this - lots of Mouse grey around.

But it is not a bad colour when others come along to brighten up things.

In September we ate the very first bite of the very first ripe jalapeño.
It was the deep Orient red of September

In October I was lucky. The camera was in my bag and the cormorant had returned to the pond in town. The stone, which is the base for the water-spouting frog, is naturally Pebble grey.

November saw a lot of plant dyeing, eco printing, contact printing or what ever it is called.
And the colour of the month, Pearl opal green, was eaily found here.

In December this mug turned out just the right Light blue.

With this colourful cavalcade through 2024, MotherOwl is ready to jump into 2025.

The first colour of 2025
the year of the
snake

is:

Godt nytår ~ Hapy New Year

Jeg kan endog genbruge min
billedtekst  selvom billedet er nyt.
Edderkoppen er en af vore "overlevere"
En ting, der hænger fra år til år,
selv om det ikke er dens årstid.

I can even re-use the caption,
but the photo is new.
The spider is one of our "survivors".
A thing that keeps on hanging
year after year
even when thy're out of season.

I dag kan jeg bare gentage, hvad jeg skrev for 11 år siden:

Nej Uglemor er ikke blevet senil og roder rundt i år og måneder. Men i dag er det jo 1. søndag i advent - Kirkens nytår. Vi starter på et helt nyt kirkeår. I dag skulle vi flytte alle markørerne. Vi startede på en ny måned, en ny uge, en ny årstid og et nyt kirkeår alt sammen
At så vejret også skulle flyttes fra regn til solskin, gjorde det jo ikke ringere.

-- 🕯 -- 🕯 -- 🕯 -- 🕯 --

Today I repeat myself from 11 years ago:

No, MotherOwl has not yet turned senile and is mixing up days, months and years. But today was really an extraordinary day in the calendar. As can be seen, today we began a new liturgical year, a new month, a new season, and a new week all in one day.
That the marker for weather also had to be moved from rain to sunshine did not lessen the joy.

Godt nytår -- Happy New Year

Med dette indlæg der tilfældigvis er nummer 2023, siger Uglemor godt nytår til alle.
I år begynder kaninens år.

-- 🎇 --

With this post, curiously it is post number 2023, MotherOwl wishes everybody a happy and prosperous New Year.
This year will be the year of the rabbit.

Nok engang har jeg forlystet mig med Jennifer Fulwilers helgengenerator. Den gode Jennifer har også lavet en årets ord-generator. Den måtte jeg også prøve. Resultatet ses herover.

-- 🎇 --

As most years I choose a saint, or rather two via the Saints' Names Generator made by Jennifer Fulwiler.
Jennifer has also made a word of the year generator. I just had to try it. The results can be seen above.

Godt nytår ~ 1. søndag i advent

Same post as the previous, only this time in Danish.
 

 - -🕯- -

     I går gjorde Elephant's Child mig opmærksom på at jeg havde glemt en udfordring i mine opremsninger, nemlig  Sunday Selections. Jeps, den glemte jeg. Og selv om jeg kun deltager af og til, havde jeg faktisk tænkt mig at deltage i dag. Det er nemlig en særlig dag.
     Men lad os først kaste et blik tilbage på ugen der gik:

Mandag - Sneuglejubel og så i solskin. Uglemor var i Hillerød og fik det 4. coronastik og nød turen gennem den sneklædte Gribskov. Men allerede her om eftermiddagen kom tågen rullende, smuk, men varslende om tø. Sneen var da også næsten helt væk næste morgen.

Tirsdag - Denne her fugl sad på en træstamme. Uglemor troede at der var en høg, en falk eller må¨ske en musvåge. Men det var altså en virkelig stor, gammel krage som her det ses.

Fredag - Uglemor på indkøb i Helsinge. Jule"pynten" i byen er tændt, men endnu ikke juletræet.
Klokken er fem minutter over fem fredag eftermiddag.

Søndag (i dag) - Et nypudset vindue. Klokken er halv tolv, og vi har stadig lyset tændt indenfor, man kan se lamperne reflekteret i vinduet. Det er vådt, dunkelt med lavthængende skyer, netop den slag vejr, der er en udfordring for Uglemors humør.
     Ja, Uglemor, du har pusset vinduer. Det er altså en del af dit job, så ingen ekstra point her. Men Uglemor plejer jo heller ikke at fremvise billeder af sine nypudsede vinduer, hun plejer at glæde sig over at der er overstået, og at der nu er et stykke tid til næste gang.
     Men i dag var der altså en særlig grund til at pudse vinduer.

Det er første søndag i advent. I dag starter et nyt kirkeår, og vi begynder på vores advents-vindues-kalender.

Godt nytår allesammen!

Og så vil jeg da lige gøre reklame for Jessetræet.
Jeg har som sædvanligt opdateret min BLOG om denne bibelske vandring gennem adventstiden.
Der er også et link i billedet øverst til højre.

Sunday Selections ~ New Year's edition

Dette indlæg vil som noget nyt blive udgivet på dansk lidt senere i dag.
 

 - - 📷 - -

YesterdayElephant's Child kindly told me that I had forgotten one of the recurring challenges: Sunday Selections. Yes I forgot. Now to remedy this:

Monday - Sunlit SnowOwlHappyness - but as seen from this photo the fog comes rolling in, and this means thaw. Tuesday the snow had already melted again.

Tuesday - This big crow sat on the old stump making me think it was a buzzard or a hawk, but it was - as seen here - an old crow.

Friday - MotherOwl went shopping, and the Christmas garlands in town were lit - but still not the Christmas tree. Photo taken five minutes past five in the afternoon.

Sunday (today) - A newly cleaned living room window. Half past eleven, outside are drizzle and low cloud, which I always find to be a challenge. You can see the lights burning as a reflection in the newly cleaned window.
Yes MotherOwl, you cleaned the window, but if you want praise for cleaning windows, which is rightly your job, expect to be disappointed. Nether is it normal for MotherOwl to take photos of newly cleaned living room windows. They are cleaned from time to time, as is everybody else's, MotherOwl is moderately proud of the results, but more happy to have it behind her.
Today there's more reason behind the cleaning.

It is the first Sunday of Advent and the beginning of a new liturgical year.

Happy New Year everyone!

Godt Nytår -- Happy New Year

Feliz año nuevo -- 明けましておめでとう
Frohes neues Jahr -- Gleðilegt nýtt ár
Szczęśliwego nowego roku

2022 er tigerens år -- 2022 is the year of the tiger

Nok engang har jeg forlystet mig med Jennifer Fulwilers helgengenerator. I år er årets helgener:

As most years I choose a saint, or rather two via the Saints' Names Generator made by Jennifer Fulwiler. My saints of the years are:

Den gode Jennifer har også lavet en årets ord-generator. Den måtte jeg prøve.

Jennifer has also made a word of the year generator. I just had to try it.

New Year, New Things :: Nytår, nye ting

Nok engang har jeg forlystet mig med Jennifer Fulwilers helgengenerator. I år er årets helgener:

As most years I choose a saint, or rather two via the Saints' Names Generator made by Jennifer Fulwiler. My saints of the years are:

Den gode Jennifer har også lavet en årets ord-generator. Den måtte jeg prøve - og fik ordene: Modig og Nyd. Det lyder da godt :)

Jennifer has also made a word of the year generator. I just had to try and got: Bold and Enjoy. Well, that sounds great to me.

   Her har jeg skrevet ordene i Pantones Årets farver for 2021. De hedder Ultimate Grey og Illuminate. Jeg ved ikke rigtig, hvad jeg synes om den. men derfor skal de da vises frem alligevel.
(Farvekoder: 147 - 149 - 161 og 246 - 223 - 77).

Here the words are written in the colours of the year from Pantone's homepage. They are Ultimate Grey and Illuminate. I'm not totally sure how I like them as yet, but anyway I wanted to show them. (Colourcodes: 147 - 149 - 161 and 246 - 223 - 77).

Årets Helgener -- Saints of the Year

     Nok engang har jeg forlystet mig med Jennifer Fulwilers helgengenerator.
 I år er årets helgener:
Aloysius Gonzaga, festdag 21. juni. Skytshelgen for: trætte øjne, AIDS, omsorgspersoner, jesuit-studerendem unge mennesker.
     Jeg er ikke hverken jesuit eller ung, men det med trætte øjne, det er lige mig.

 Once again I used Jennifer Fulwiler's  Saints' Names Generator.My saints of the years are:
 St. Aloysius Gonzaga, Feast: June 21, Patronage: Sore Eyes; AIDS; Care-Givers; Jesuit Students; Young People     Jesuits, young people? no, not me, but sore eyes , that's the relevant part here.

-- 😇 --

     Og nummer to: Agnes af Rom, festdag 21. januar, skytshelgen for: kyskhed, forlovede par, gartnere, jomfruer og voldtægtsofre. Jeg husker også noget med lam. Det må vist være det med gartnere, der er relelvant her.

 And the second one: St. Agnes of Rome, Feast day: January 21, Patronage: Chastity; Engaged Couples; Gardeners; Girls; Rape Victims; Virgins
  It must be the Gardeners part that's relevant here.

-- 🎊 --

Den gode Jennifer har også lavet en årets ord-generator. Den måtte jeg prøve - og fik ordene: Hjem og Blomstre/trives. Det lyder da godt :)

-- 🎊 --

Jennifer has also made a word of the year generator. I just had to try and got: Home and Flourish. Well, that sounds great to me.

Årets helgener -- 2019 -- Saints of the year

     Nok engang har jeg forlystet mig med Jennifer Fulwilers helgengenerator. Første helgen var Sankt Ludvig IX af Frankrig (Ludvig den hellige). Han er blandt andet helgen for forældre med store børneflokke - han fik 11 børn. Blandt hans andre patronater er: Mod børns død, knapmagere, korsfarere, bygningsarbejdere, besværlige ægteskaber, frisører og lignende, konger, billedhuggere, fanger, syge, bogbindere og fransiscanertertiarer.
 OK, ham vil jeg gerne lære mere om og af.

-- 😇 --

Once again I used Jennifer Fulwiler's  Saints' Names Generator. My first saint was Louis IX of France. He's a saint for a lot of things, among those parents of many children. Although, he had 11 children and I only 6 he sounds like a good man. His other patronages includes:   against the death of children, builders, button makers, construction workers, Crusaders, difficult marriages, distillers, embroiderers, hairdressers, kings, masons, needle workers, parenthood, prisoners, sculptors, sick people, bookbinders, Fransiscan tertiaries, and trimming makers.
He sounds like a saint I'd like to learn more about, and more from.

25. august

      Som nummer to fik jeg den hellige Afra af Augsburg, en af de mange martyrer, man ikke rigtig ved noget om. Hun blev efter sigende omvendt af en biskop, som hun og hendes mor skjulte for Diokletians forfølgelser. Hun blev afsløret og brændt på bålet, da hun nægtede af ofre til guderne.
     Jeg var utilfreds og prøvede igen, det førte til en tom side, hvor der bare stod "prøv igen", og dette nye forsøg førte selvfølgelig igen til Sankt Afra.
     Hun er sammen med Ulrik Augsburgs skytshelgen. Derudover er hun skytshelgen for konvertitter, faldne kvinder og martyrer. 

-- 😇 --

 As the second saint I was given Saint Afra of Augsburg. One of those ... according to legend ...
Dissatisfied, I tried again. My second try led to an error page with only the possibility to try again. This led of course to Saint Afra!
She was allegedly converted by a bishop, she and her mother was hiding from Diocletian during the persecutions. After being discovered to be a Christian, and refusing to sacrifice to the gods, she was burned alive.
Her patronage is:  Augsburg in Germany (with Saint Ulrich), converts, martyrs, and penitent women.
I got to live and learn with her in the coming year. 

7. august

TUSAL Ekstra - opdateret

     Alle stumperne fra 2017s TUSAL er nu endt i to temari. Inden i den mindste er der en lille bjælde. Den får et asanoha-mønster i lilla og ender nok som en forsinket nytårsgave - jeg begyndte i det mindste på den nytårsdag.  Den store er jeg ikke helt klar over endnu.

  - o 🌕 o -

All the ORTs from the TUSALs of 2017 has ended up in two temari. The smallest one has a bell inside. It will eventually get a asanoha pattern in purple and be given as a belatde newyears gift. It was begun on the first of January.

Heldigvis fortsætter Daffycat også næste år  med --  TUSAL -- is to contimne at Daffycat's next year as well!

I dag er  det fuldmåne. Den er der to af i januar i år.
Today is the full moon, one of two in January.

Fyrværkeri - Fireworks

     Nattens første, og flotteste, fyrværkeri. --- The first and most impressing of the nigth's fireworks.

Godt nytår -- Happy New Year

Himen kunne være så smuk -- The sky could have been pretty

🌌

med masser af stjerner -- with lots and lots of stars 

 ✤ ✮ ✣ ✢ ✼ ❇ 

✽ ✳ ✲ ✼ ❆ 

❉ ❊ ❋ ⭐ ❈

 ✾ ✴ ✵ ✡ ✢ ✣ 

✥ ✤ 

Men det regner, --  But it is raining

☂  ☔ 

Så vi bliver indenfor, lytter til musik -- We will stay inside, 

🎼  ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♬ ♫ ♬ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♬  

Holder fest og har det sjovt.  -- listening to music, eating well and having fun.

🎆 🎉 🎊 

🍡 🍬

GODT NYTÅR

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Nymåner 2017 New Moons

28. januar
26. februar
28 marts
26. april
25. maj
24. juni
23. juli
21. august
20. september
19. oktober
18. novemmber
18. december

Et helt normalt år med 12 nymåner. Uglemor fortsætter med at samle sine stumper og håber på at Daffycat fortsætter sin TUSAL også i 2017

* * *

A normal year with 12 new moons. MotherOwl intends to keep on collecting her ORTs and hopes that Daffycat is going to host a TUSAL in 2017 as well.

1. januar 2017

I dag fejrer vi festen for Maria, Guds moder.

Dagens bøn:
Gud, da den salige jomfru Maria undfangede din Søn i sit moderskød,
skænkede du den evige frelses løn til alle mennesker.
Giv, at vi må erfare hendes forbøn,
ved hvem vi har fået lov til at modtage din Søn som livets ophav.
Han, som lever og råder med dig i Helligåndens enhed,
Gud, fra evighed til evighed.
Amen

Godt Nytår  --  Happy New Year

Abens år -- Year of the Monkey

February 8th marks the beginning of the year of the monkey.
It is also the Festival of Broken Needles.
It is a memorial to all the needles broken in service
during the past year, and as an opportunity to pray for
improved skills.

     Uglemor vil nok ikke indfinde sig i det nærmeste tempel (eller kirke) medbringende årets knækkede nåle og et stykke tofu eller blød kage.
     Men vi vil nyde en flaske børnechampagne og en kage i Uglebo, skåle for aberne og de knækkede nåle og gøre et eller andet ved dem. Uglemor har nemlig gemt alle ødelagte nåle og bøjede knappenåle og en enkelt nåletræder, der vel også passer i kategorien, siden hun lærte om Harikuyo.

 - o 0 o -

MotherOwl is not going to bring the broken needles and pins to the nearest temple (or church) to lay them to rest in soft tofu or cake. 
But we'll drink some kiddo-champagne (peach flavoured), bring a toast to the monkeys and the broken needles, and then do something about them. MotherOwl has been sawing broken needles and bent pins ever since learning of Harikujo.

Årets første fuldmåne -- First Full Moon

I dag er det den første fuldmåne efter vintersolhverv, ifølge nogle traditioner er det afslutningen på nytårsfestlighederne. 

Ifølge den japanske kalender er det fårets år i år. 

Disse herlige får er perfekte til at ønske os alle et velsignet og fiber-fyldt fårets år i 2015.

Today is the first full moon after winter solstice. 

According to some traditions this marks the conclusion of the new year's celebrations. 

According to the Japanese calendar 2015 is the year of the sheep. 

This picture is perfect for wishing us all a blessed and fibre filled year of the sheep 2015.

Juleugen -- Christmas Week

Torsdagh 25/12 Juledag:  Solopgang/solnedgang: 8:45/15:36, dagens længde 6:51, tiltaget 0:01

• På vej hjem fra julemessen. Det havde sneet i København, men ikke ude ved os. 
• On our way home from Christmass mass. Snow had fallen in Copenhagen, bu not at our place.  

• Julekrybben i kirken. Billedet er utydeligt på grund af røgelse i luften. Spirillen og Piraten var ministranter. 
• The nativity scene in our church, th picture is not shaken, it's the incense causing it. Marsupilami and The Pirate served mass.

Fredag 26/12: 2. juledag Solopgang/solnedgang: 8:45/15:37, dagens længde 6:52, tiltaget 0:02

• Uglemors snefnugbusk med perler og reflekser. 
• MotherOwl's snowflake bush with bead snowflakes and reflector snowflakes

• Hurra det fryser. Der er en tyk rimpels på alting. 
• Hooray! It is freezing. There's a frosty fur on everything. 

Lørdag 27/12: Solopgang/solnedgang: 8:46/15:38, dagens længde 6:52, tiltaget 0:02

• Og så kom sneen. I aftes dryssede det stille ned. 
• And then the snow came. This evening the world turned white.
  
  
Søndag 28/12: Solopgang/solnedgang: 8:46/15:39, dagens længde 6:53, tiltaget 0:03





• Efter kirke nød vi snevejret og samlede et honningkagehus medens det mørknedes udenfor
• After mass we looked at the snow in the waning dayligth and assembled a gingerbread house
  
  
Mandag 29/12:Solopgang/solnedgang: 8:46/15:40, dagens længde 6:54, tiltaget 0:04



• I dag var det rigtigt vintervejr, koldt, kalrt og sne. Vi kælkede, rullede i sneen, 
• Today it was really winter, snow, cold and clear. We played in the snow,  



• lavede ahornsukkerfigurer og fik snevafler. 
• made maple syrup candy and had snow wafers



• Vi får snevafler, når jorden er helt dækket af sne. Det kan godt ske flere gange på en vinter. De smager vældig godt.
• When the ground is totally covered in snow, we make waffles. They are delicious, and sometimes we eat this treat several times in one winter
  
  
Tirsdag 30/12: Solopgang/solnedgang: 8:46/15:41, dagens længde 6:55, tiltaget 0:05



• I dag var det tøvejr, og vi lavede snemænd. Her er de tre første. Snebarn, snemor med ugle og snefar med hat.
• Today the thaw sat in, we made snowmen. Snowchild, snowmama with owl, and snowdad with hat



• Og her er sidste skud på stammen - den venlige snetrold. Han må støtte sig til bordet, for nu tør det for alvor.
• And the last one. The friendly Snowtroll. He had to prop himself up at the table. It's melting hot outside, at least for snowmen.





• I går begyndte hønsene at lægge æg igen - underlige dyr. 
• Yesterday the hens started laying again; strange birds they are. 
 

Onsdag 31/12: Solopgang/solnedgang: 8:45/15:42, dagens længde 6:57, tiltaget 0:06

• Sådan så snemændene ud i formiddags, de er skrumpet lige siden. 
• This is how out snowmen looked this morning. They have been melting ever since.

GODT NYTÅR
HAPPY NEW YEAR