Poetry Monday :: Portals Updated!

Delores of Mumblings and Jenny of Procrastinating Donkey are taking turns hosting Poetry Monday.
Today's theme is Portals (courtesy of Delores).

Portals had me baffled. The long walk did not help me any. But a soak in my tub after mowing the lawn set my mind right.
Of course for me there can be only one portal. 

Portal

The portal - my portal - led to Unicorn Isle
Oh I'd love to go through it and stay for a while.
To meet Heidi and Knud, even Percy again
To run through those fields in the bright morning sun.
To wield my old wand, and to do magical spells.
But I'm old now and grey, and so are they all,
The teachers are greyer, if they are not dead.
I just can't return now. So I hang my head.

The wands are all broken, the magic is lost.
In Midsummer's heat I feel touched by the frost.
My portal is shattered, and where once it lay
Stands a kindergarten where small children play.
The walnut is chopped down, the meadow is gone,
The people who live there have fenced in their lawn.
Though my mind tells me no, as long as I live
In my unruly heart shards of hope will thrive.

Mærkelig vævning -- Strange Weaving

     Medens vi var i sommerhuset, var vi på besøg i kælderen i Torup brugs. Der har de en skiftende kunstudstilling.
     Der i kælderen hang der nogle vævede stykker, hvor der var små lommer med fiskeformede ting i. Uglemor blev helt vild. Sådan måtte man jo kunne udstille sit drivglas!

- 🔖 -

While we were in the summerhouse, we visited a local arts exhibition. A male weaver had made a triptych with lots of small pockets containing fish shaped pieces of something. MotherOwl found this to be the ideal way to showcase years' worth of sea glass!

Kunstner Paul Jensen.

 
     Uglemor havde jo købt en firskaftet trissevæv i januar, og det måtte kunne lade sig gøre havde Uglemor regnet ud. Men hvordan? Væven var sat op til at væve lærredsvæv, med kun to af de fire tramper sat i. Uglemor kunne sagtens montere de to sidste, og så gik hun i stå. Diverse vævebøger blev konsulteret. De var meget grundige ... trend 5-15 sider, sølning ... osv og så BUM, når man kom til det der med opbinding, stod der bare sådan noget som: "Bind op efter diagrammet, se ill. på side 51" hvor der var et forvirrende sorthvidt billede med tråde i alle retninger - oftest med en anden vævetype. Uglemor tænkte at det bare måtte være så super-enkelt, men det faldt ikke på plads inden i hovedet.
     Heldigvis er Uglemor jo medlem af en væverforening, hvor der er nogle utroligt søde vævere. Der var en, der svarede på Uglemors råb omhjælp og kom og viste, hvad der var op og ned på en sådan væv.
     Og så vævede Uglemor ... Og se, det lykkedes. Ja, det er ikke drivglas, men små skiver fra juletræer. Men ideen, metoden, den virker bare.

- 🔖 -

MotherOwl accidentally bought a counterbalance loom this January, and it should be able to do this. MotherOwl just did not understand how. And all the books were no help at all; they told in details how warp was measured, tied put on the loom etc. But tie up ... "Tie up according to the diagram, see ill. on page 111 for further help." Page 111 showing a photo in black and white with an unintelligible mass of threads going in all directions, normally on a countermarch loom.
This must be so very simple, MotherOwl thought. She put in place the two extra treadles and then she stopped. No way was this meaningful.
But wait. MotherOwl is a member of a weavers' guild. Her call for help send an angel showing MotherOwl how to tie up the treadles and Voila. Double weave. Later that day, MotherOwl played with the loom, and found out how to do something like what she had seen.

Mere forklaring følger

More to follow.

Sommerdage -- Summer Days

     Lige som de forrige år har alle Ugleboets beboere været i sommerhus. Og lige som de forrige år kunne Uglemor bare skrive den samme tekst. Bortset fra en ting. I år skinnede solen, vandet var varmt, og vi svømmede alle sammen.

- 🌞 -

As the previous years all the habitants of the Owlery have been to "our" summerhouse. MotherOwl could copy-paste the texts from previous years with one exception: The sun has been shining, the water was  ... tepid (?) ... not warm but good enough for swimming, and we swam every day.

Uglemors nye sommerhus-dagbogsformat - Stranden i aftenlys - Træmonsteret vækker Uglemor - En varde til sort humør*)
MotherOwl's new diary for the summerhouse  - The beach in evening sunlight - The tree-monster waking up MotherOwl - A cairn for bad temper*)

   I baggrunden årets drivglasfund. På trods af et rigtigt stormvejr fandt Uglemor ikke noget rav i år.

- 🌞 -

As a background this years sea glass. In spite of a storm, we found no amber at all this year.

Uglemor ved det befriede skilt - En kæmpekrabbe - Et søuhyre - årets bedste is.
MotherOwl at the now freed roadsign - A giant crab - A sea monster - The best icecream.

*) Varden er der fordi vi har dette gruk hængende på en skabslåge:
Man skal stable sit sorte humør i en varde
Det er altid bekvemt at man ved, hvor man har det.
Det er den slags humør som man senere hen
kan få brug for at undgå at finde igen.


*) The cairn because we have this grook on a visible place at home:
Please build a cairn with your black moods,
It is always good to know where they lay.
It's the kind of mood that later you may
Feel a need to avoid to be finding again.

Gruk - Piet Hein - 1956 (Uglemors oversættelse - Translated by MotherOwl)

Rag Rug 5 ... og mere ... and more

     Uglemor har lavet ting og sager, først og fremmest er kludetæppet blevet syet færdigt. Nu trænger det til at blive vasket og strukket.

MotherOwl has been making things. The rag rug has been finished. Now it's in need of a washing.

     Så har Uglemor også foldet massevis af teposer. 144 poser for at være præcis. Vi diskuterede, hvilken side, der skulle vende opad.
     Denne her - som godt halvdelen (4 ud af 7) holdt på ...

MotherOwl has been folding some tea bag wrappers 144 wrappers to be precise. We discussed which side was the right one. This one which a small majority voted for (4 out of 7)  ...

     eller denne her, som resten holdt på?
or this one, which the rest voted for?

Nu får vi se -- Time will tell. 

     Og hvordan kan det så være, at Uglemor nåede så meget? Jo vi var i sommerhus - langt væk fra internet og computere, derimod var der et fjernsyn, og Uglemor så Tour de France og syede og foldede, når det var kedeligt. 

     Men vi blev ikke inde i sommerhuset og så TV hele dagen. 

How come MotherOwl suddenly had so much time for making? We were in a sommerhouse, far from the Internet and our computers. But we had a TV. MotherOwl watched Tour de France, folding or sewing whenever it was boring. 

But we did not stay in the house, watching TV all day.

     Vi var på stranden og så på skaldyr
We were at the beach, watching - and catching - crustaceans.

Pirat fangede en reje - Krabber der slås - Hajæg - Levende hummere i fiskebutikken
Pirate caught a shrimp - Fighting crabs - Shark eggs - Live lobsters at the fih monger

     Uglemor fandt drivglas igen - og et enkelt stykke rav
MotherOwl looked for sea glass, found some and a small piece of amber.

     Vi foretog os mere eller mindre fjollede ting.

We partook in more or less silly endeavours

Uglemor befrier vejskiltet - Ugleungerne ser fjernsyn med lille Løve - Skribenten blev lidt mindre - Skygger over sandkunsten.
MotherOwl freeing the road sign - Owlets and the little Lion watching TV - The Writer growing smaller - Shadows over sand art.

     Vi lavede og så på sandkunst
We made and watched sand art.

Ugleungernes sandkunst og en ældre herre fra sandskulpturerne i Hundested.
Owlets' sand art, and an older gentleman from the Sand sculptures in Hundested.

 

Bare et nærbillede af Uglemors lille ravstykke

Just a close up of the little piece of amber:

Sommerferie -- Summer Holidays

     I virkeligheden kunne jeg bare linke til sidste års sommerhusindlæg, men der skal vist et par friske billeder til.
     Vi var nemlig i sommerhus igen. Ikke det samme sommerhus, men lige i nærheden, så vi gjorde de samme ting som sidste år: Vi var ved stranden, men det var koldt. Piraten testede sin nye hajfinne, dog mest ved at lege haj på de store sten.


Really I could just say: Go read what I wrote last year, but at the very least we need some new photos.
We rented a summer house, not the same as the last years, but near by. We did much of the same as every year.
We were at the beach, but the water was cold, even Marsupilami did not get in. They tried out Pirate's new swim fin by playing Shark at the boulders. 

Uglemor bare kigger på - Vandet skal være en del varmere før jeg hopper i.

MotherOwl watching. The water needs to get a lot warmer before I jump in. 

     Vi fangede krabber. Her holder Trolli et pragteksemplar. Se den store højreklo.

We caught crabs. Here Trolli has caught the alpha crab. Notice the big right claw.

Vi så fjernsyn. Det har vi ikke derhjemme, så Ugleungerne var meget opslugte.

We watched television. We do not have this in the Owlery. The Owlets found it very absorbing.

     Uglemor jagtede rav og drivglas. Det bliver stadig sværere, her er hele ugens høst - noget af det er plastik, og et stykke er faktisk rav.

MotherOwl hunted for sea glass. It gets always harder to find. Some of it is plastic, and one is actually amber.

     Så måtte Uglemor nøjes med stykker af smadret porcelæn. Måske bliver der til en mosaik en dag.

MotherOwl found pieces of old plates. Maybe one day I'll have enough for a mosaic.

     Nu er vi hjemme igen. Ugleungerne tager på sommerlejre de næste par uger, og Trolli skal på verdensungdomsdagene i Polen. Ellers skal vi nyde sommeren og lave spændende ting sammen.

Now we're home again, the smaller Owlets are going to summer camps in the coming weeks, and Trolli will be participating in the World Youth Day in Poland. But apart from this we're going to have fun and enjoy the hopefully soon coming sunshine.

Ugens ugle -- 10 -- Owl of the Week

     Ugens Ugle er en gave fra den mindste i Ugleboet, Piraten. Ind i mellem forlægger Ugleboets indbyggere residensen til et sommerhus ikke ret langt væk, men det er skønt at være væk fra hverdagen. Det er ikke vores sommerhus, men et, vi lejer en uge om året, så der er altid morsomt at se, hvad vi finder i skabe og skuffer som andre har glemt. For et par år siden fandt Piraten denne lille ugle i en skuffe. og gav den til Uglemor. Nu står den under min computerskærm og minder om sol, sommer, store is og drivglas hver gang jeg kigger på den.

- o 0 o -

The Owl of the Week is a gift from the Pirate, the youngest inhabitant in the Owlery. One week a year all the inhabitants of the Owlery goes to a summerhouse not that far away, but it is relaxing to be away, toteally away from phones, internet, visitors, in short away from everyday life.
As we only "own" this summerhouse one week a year, it's always exiting to see what was left behind in drawers and under beds or dropped through the boards of the deck. A couple of years ago the Pirate found this little owl in a drawer and promptly gave it to MotherOwl. It has its place under my monitor, where it reminds me of summer, sunshine, big ice cream, seafood, and sea glass whenever I look at it.

Sidste uge -- Last Week

     Sidste uges "Vejen hjem" var snyd. Uglemor var slet ikke på vej hjem, og Ugleungerne var ikke i skole. Alle Ugleboets indbyggere var i sommerhus, hvor vi havde travlt med at nyde sommeren der endelig dukkede op!

- o O o -  

Last week's On my Way Home was cheating. MotherOwl was not on her way home, the Owlets were not of to school. We were all in a summer house having fun and enjoying the summer that finally showed up!

Sidste års sandskred på grund af stormvejrets rasen var smukt bevokset med valmuer. Piraten demonstrerede at han var Minimax' bror og kravlede på hegnet.

- o O o -

The cliffs damaged by the storms last year were overgrown with wild poppies. Pirate demonstrated he is the brother of Minimax by climbing the big bulwark.

     Uglemor fandt ikke så meget drivglas i år. Der er ved at blive mindre af det, folk smider ikke længere flasker i havet, og vind og vejr nedbryder de stykker der stadig ligger der. Men alligevel fandt Uglemor nogle søde stumper. Også et par blå. 

- o O o -

Sea glass is getting scarce. People do not throw their bottles overboard any longer, and wind, sand, and water is slowly breaking down the existing pieces. But nonetheless MotherOwl found some pretty pieces, including some blue ones. 

     Tirsdag blev det vejr til at lege på stranden. Ugleungerne elsker at grave store huller. 

- o O o -

Tuesday the summer came, and we played on the beach. The Owlets love digging big holes!

     Når vejret var køligt, kunne man altid male stenmalerier. Det er en sommerhusspecialitet og -tradition. 

- o O o -

When the weather was cool, it was time for stone paintings. It is a thing we always do in the summerhouse. 

     En anden tradition er et besøg hos sandskulpturene i Hundested. Her er det "The Dragon & the George" 

- o O o -

Another tradition is a visit to the sand sculptures in Hundested. This one we named The Dragon and the George

Her har vi så Uglemor. Vandet var koldt! men det var dejligt lunt i solen. 

- o O o -

Here's MotherOwl trying to persuade herself to go for a swim. The water was cold! but the sun was hot. 

Sommerhusskydeøvelser. 

- o O o -

Shooting practise - the summerhouse way. 

En vidunderlig valmue fra vores aftenture. Den sidste dag snuppede Uglemor en frøkapsel fra den. 

- o O o -

A poppy from our evening walks. MotherOwl just had to pick a seed pod, let's hope it'll mature. 

Uglemor fik oven i købet lavet sommerhussæbe. 

- o O o -

MotherOwl even took time for some summerhouse soaping. 

Mere drivglas - og et lille stykke rav. Årets eneste.
- o O o -
More sea glass and a little piece of amber. The only one this year. 

Det er sjovt at blive begravet i sand, men den efterfølgende sand over det hele-følelse er ikke rar.

- o O o -

Being buried in sand is fun, getting the sand off not so much.

Spiril er vores vandhund, han var i vandet mindst en gang om dagen. 

- o O o -

Marsupilami loves water. He went for a swim every day. Sometimes twice. 

Vi spiste også is, legede med krabber, så fjernsyn - en luksus vi ikke har derhjemme -  spiste fisk og nye kartofler, fangede brandmænd, så en mår på svømmetur, svaler, blå sommerfugle og meget mere. 

- o O o -

We had lots of ice cream, fresh potatoes and fish, we caught Lion's mane jellyfish, saw a beech marten swimming, blue butterflies, schools of small fish, swallows living in holes and much much more.

Sommerhus 2014 Summerhouse

      I den sidste uges tid har Uglemor ikke været til stede i den digitale verden. Ingen kommentarer, ingen e-breve, ingen opdateringer på FB, og kun præfabrikerede blogindlæg.
     I stedet har Uglemor, Skribenten og Ugleungerne foretaget sig en masse andre spændende ting:

 - - - - - 

For the last week MotherOwl has not been at home. That's why she has not commented on any blogs, not updated facebook with the least little chirp, and only posted pre-made picture filled blogposts.
Instead MotherOwl, the Writer and the Owlets have been busy doing many other things.

• Vi har løbet op og ned af trapperne
• We've been running up and down stairs

• Vi har set på underlige væsener. 
• We've been looking at strange creatures.

• Vi har spist masser af fisk - ikke den her altså
• We've been eating lots of fish - but not this one

• Vi har spist masser af store is - ok, nok ikke så store. 
• We've been eating big ice creams, maybe not quite this big.

• Ugleungerne har været i vandet. 
• The Owlets have been swimming. 

• Uglemor samlede drivglas i strandkanten. 
• MotherOwl has been collecting more sea glass

• Vi har spillet kort, læst og lege - og set fjernsyn
• We've been playing card games, read and played - and watched television.

• Dette træmonster har vækket Uglemor hver morgen.
• MotherOwl has been greeted by this treemonster every morning.

• Men tiden fløj lige så hurtigt som Piraten kunne ride på en reje. 
• The time flew as quickly as the Pirate can ride a shrimp. 

Drivglas -- Sea Glass

     Så har Pia fra Colour Cottage inspireret mig igen. Sea glass hedder de på engelsk, de smukke slebne glasskår, man finder på stranden. Jeg ved godt, det nok ikke hedder drivglas, men er det ike et godt ord?
Jeg har samlet i mange år. Vi lejer et sommerhus i en uge ved en skøn strand, og hver aften tager vi billeder af vore fund. Billedet er en mosaik af en dags fund fra de sidste 4 år.

Once again inspired by Pia of Colour Cottage heres a picture of Sae glass. I've been collecting this for many years, and did not know it had such a cool name. Every year we hire a sommerhouse by an exciting beach for one week. This is a mosaic of one day's find from each of the four last years.