The print shop and the wild sea.

Hello Hello.

I have probably always been weak for small, small Christmas trees. Maybe it's something I got in the genes from my childhood up in Christinehof's deep forests.

At least now it seems like it's trendier than ever with small spruces. Spruces of all kinds. Both rooted and cut like small Christmas trees. Indoor variants and mini varieties.

My Stefan and I stopped at Gärsnäs' own "flower box" to buy a birthday flower for mother-in-law, when I fell head over heels for a small, ugly silver-colored spruce in a pot. It was like love at first sight.

Yes, it was as if that little spruce whispered to me "Buy me, buy me". Almost as if I needed to save the little spruce from all the evil of the world.

Of course, there were a lot of other nice things in Sussie's flower corner, as always.

Do you also want to buy yourself a small cute spruce in a pot, then I saw that there were some more in stock… and especially one that needed to be saved really much extra

My little spruce will now stand by our porch and welcome you to us, and over time I thought to plant it in a well-chosen place in the garden.

-they are roaring the deer to eat po, Stefan said with a nasty laugh…

-They would just dare, I thought to myself.

Quote of the day:

What is it that makes certain fir trees actually decide to become Christmas trees and others are just ugly?

// Ernst Kirchsteiger

Have a lovely day.

Annika

hejsan

On my memory card in my camera there are so many lovely pictures from last week's frost days. Pictures that I want to share with you. Photo from lovely mornings when it was beautiful white of all hoarfrost.

Such days when it is a trifle to be a dog owner, at least if you think about how much dung that can otherwise get stuck in furry paws and dog furs.

At the bottom of one corner of Gyllebosjön, a bunch of swans lay still. Perhaps they loaded to fly to warmer latitudes, or even they had discovered the small lake's unique beauty.

In any case, they contributed to the beautiful view, as they slowly lowered their long, narrow necks down to the water to eat.

From some houses in the summer village smoke rose from the chimneys. I could not help but with a small smile remember back to some wise words I heard from the "male world"…

-if the smoke goes against the wind, then the girl is not good to bring, then wait to go home ...

What I could judge, all the smoke went off this morning in Gyllebo.

It's so nice with that first frost.

Quote of the day:

Remember that every person you meet has a story to tell, a lesson to learn and a dream to fulfill.

Have a nice day and hug from me.

Annika

hejsan

A tradition we have in my family, it is to set up a "garden" just before the first advent. Of course you can put electric lights in bushes and other trees at their house as well. Though I love the special feeling it gets with a real Christmas tree.

Of course, we favored our local spruce dealer, Jeppsson's spruces in Gärsnäs.

The day I and my Stefan gave us out on a fir-tree tour was a particularly gray and foggy day. A pretty typical day to be at Österlen at this time.

Satisfied with our spruce find for us back to Gyllebo again.

Now it is only a matter of keeping your fingers crossed that the weather gods want to give us additional Christmas mood in the form of a white Christmas. Then it can be this nice and cozy.

Quote of the day:

Thoughts doubt while the heart knows.

I hope you all had a nice Advent weekend and are tagged to kick off a new week.

Hug on you.

Annika

Hello.

Oh oh what fantastic mornings we had this week.

That first bright hour in the morning, which you usually call the "blue hour", it has instead been red some days.

When I arrived on my morning walk I could see how the frost lay white over the meadow and cows and horses looked like they were hitting where they went in the woods edge.

The moon, which was still on its night shift, was visible in the sky.

At Gyllebo Castle, the gates were open and welcoming. Away at the end of the gravel road, I could glimpse the lake and the illuminated forest in the background.

Every Sunday between 10 and 12 you are welcome to stroll in and take a look at the ruins that are there inside the castle. Do them if you like. It really is a beautiful place.

Would you like to read more about Gyllebo or about the villages in Österlen you will find some facts Österlen.se

Down by the bathing place, a little girl had run away from her little tight shoes. Now they stood there in the gravel and looked so very sad. It almost hit my heart for a little while…

Quote of the day:

Being to - is the finest sentence of all.

Have a really nice Sunday. Enjoy the day.

Hug Annika

hejsan

Since I recently moved my blog and also started a nice collaboration with the best Österlensidan, Österlen.se, it is probably in its place that I present myself a little short.

So I called Annika, and I was born and raised here at Österlen.

I was born and raised a stone's throw from Christinehof's castle. There I had nature as the most wonderful playground imaginable.

For twenty-five years I worked as a construction salesman at "Rosenguistas" in Simrishamn, or XL Hans Anders as it is actually called nowadays. It was a workplace that I really enjoyed, and that was also where I met my present husband, Stefan. A Kivikspåg that many know as Hantverkarn, or as Sniff (if you are from the Stone Age and also interested in football would say)

I have been working for eight years with my and my husband's construction company, where I handle paper and finance.

In my spare time I am almost always out in nature with the family's three dogs. Together with my big dog Johnny, I am war-placed in an intervention bond in the home guard. Photography is another interest that I really love.

I love my Gyllebo, where I have lived for twenty years.

Many of you have probably visited Gyllebosjön and know how beautiful there is. The season does not matter as well.

It was four or five years ago that I started blogging a bit in secret. The biggest reason was probably that I wanted to create a fixed point for my three daughters, who then traveled and lived abroad in different parts of the world. I simply wanted to create a place so they would not risk forgetting our wonderful Österlen, our hometown and the place where they have their roots.

The most important thing about the blog is having fun. Taking pictures and writing out of heart's desire.

So welcome to me!

Quote of the day:

It was on the way down to Österlen,

a mile from Kivik's harbor…

Have a nice day and hug from me.

Annika

Good morning.

My week has been filled with a lot of jobs. Both fantastic fun things that I am passionate about and things that are called "must have" and which are included in the goals of the salary. Yes, you all know how it can be. Sometimes things are piling up and the heart is beating at a slightly faster pace that does not feel quite comfortable.

One evening when I was off on a case, I was drawn like a magnet to one of my favorite places. Knäbäck! Here you can retrieve power from the sea and set your thoughts for a while.

As I snuck down the familiar sandy stairs to the sea, I was amazed at all the boulders that suddenly ended up at the edge of the little kneeling tree. I wondered a bit if it was Ejlertslunds Grus & Betong who had been on the move. But no… of course I understood that it was Mother Nature herself who refurnished a bit.

For a while I sat there on one of the rock pits and let the salt water splash up in my face.

Sitting and looking out over this place gives such a strange feeling of freedom. Small problems appear damp and life itself feels so very big.

When I turned my back towards the sea and walked up the sand stairs again, I licked away a salt drop from my upper lip. Maybe a drop from the sea, or a tear from my soul, it didn't matter which one.

Quote of the day:

Every morning we have the opportunity to start over and repair yesterday's mistakes - the tide sweeps the beach clean every day.

Have a good time and have a nice Friday.

Hug Annika

Hello.

This weekend we were at the sweetest little Christmas market you can only imagine.

We were in Dungen in Östra Vemmerlöv - that charming little party place where probably every single Österlening at my age has been dancing and swinging their furry legs. Maybe a little on the pickalurve too, at least I have a faint memory that it may have been so.

But this lovely November afternoon was the Christmas mood so it sprinkled about it.

It was empty, it was mulled wine and it was Christmas tree sales.

Good old men met and inside the stalls stood excited salesmen offering their charming little crafts from the countryside.

Ohhh, what I would like a little Simrishamn house, or two.

While I walked and longed for everything nice to buy, my Stefan limped around the most and talked to all the people he knew. Because that's how it is when you go to the Christmas market here in our home area, most of the time is spent talking to friends and acquaintances. And that's actually what's the cozy thing, I think. That we all crawl out of our cabins and meet a little in the autumn darkness.

With a new door wreath on my arm, I walked happily towards the exit, I could not help but remember back to the youth's dances there in Dungen. Warm summer evenings with sandals on gravelly feet. The money was wasted on chocolate wheels and lottery tickets, and out of the corner of their eyes they kept track of some nice youngster… Lovely memories!

You who missed this little cute Christmas market, you must keep your eyes open next year.

Quote of the day:

Stop pondering to try

Understand others, start with

trying to understand yourself.

Have a nice day and hug

Annika

Hello Hello
At this time of year, Lake Gyllebos is almost always full of geese. When me and the dogs sneak there in the morning, it becomes a gentleman's life for all of them. They splash with their wings so the water splashes around. They scream and cackle for full throat.
Away at the bathing place is the sauna ready for comfortable winter baths.
On the weekends, the bridge is lit up with a lot of cozy marshals and all the geese are then accompanied by pale, naked human bodies.
I myself have not come to the shot to test it there. Although it looks very nice and relaxing, I know I don't really get air when I sit in the hot wood-fired sauna.

Gone in the stables it shines from all the windows. I always think it looks so inviting there, that I am almost always on the tilt to look in and see how they have it and maybe get the chance to stroke some soft mule.

Soon it is Advent and then a little more is lit up in our summer village. I really like that.

But at the same time it becomes so obvious which cottages are permanent homes and which ones are empty over the winter.

A few weeks ago I was told that there were thieves on the move in our fine area. I get very mad as angry as I get.

This to distinguish between yours and mine ...

Many have acquired better locks, higher fences and thief alarms, all to protect themselves against uninvited guests.

I myself believe that the best protection is a good relationship with the neighbors. Keeping track of each other and daring to settle in, play curious and dare to ask if you see that someone is unauthorized in the neighboring property.

At home with me, I also live a whole little army of howling alarms. With three angry barking dogs, I suppose it would not be easy to sneak in here unnoticed.

Still, it's sad always that you have to worry about burglary and thieves, though I always think that together in our small village we can make life very difficult for this professional category.

Through neighborly cooperation.

Quote of the day:

Life doesn't have to be perfect

to be wonderful

Have a nice day

Annika

If you have a tradition, then it must be kept…
It was a few weeks ago, perhaps the coloriest day in all of November, that my fine friend and I met to go and have lunch together.

Tradition and tradition - last year when we met at Brösarps Gästis, we agreed to make it all a tradition.
To stay up in everyday life around Advent time and be seen over a lunch somewhere in Österlen.

Both Tina and I have had a year that has rolled on at a high pace for both of us. Things we could not influence. Ups and downs that belong to life for all of us.

Planning a relaxing lunch with lots of nice liberating laughs, it was therefore worth its weight in gold.
To laugh, the two of us are pretty good at it, I have to say it all.
This day our trip to the small charming village, Östra Ingelstad.

You know that cute little village that is located between Smedstorp and Hannas. The village with the picturesque BP macken, the small church and the large Ingelstag farm in the middle of the village.

Here I myself have lots of youthful memories from… but all that - yes it is a completely different story…
On this day we would have lunch at the village's popular B&B, Smedjan.

Some days it feels almost as if the day goes directly from morning to evening and as if forgetting to be day at all. It is as if the light does not seem to reach all the way down to the globe. Not even in the middle of the day.
This gray and dark, it's so typical of November I think.
That is probably why we the Norwegians long so much after the advent time and the light. Another thing that is so typical of this season is all the beets that are busy.

In large piles, they lie here on the Austrian fields and are waiting to be delivered to the socks. Presumably, the farmers keep their thumbs hard right now, for frost-free weeks up to the deliveries. Yes it can be anyone who understands that it is not the most fun work to cover the big piles so the beets do not become flabby jellies.

Enough is the desire to brighten up the world a little extra now!

Although I want frost and snow, I understand that it is not everyone's desire directly. Tonight's quote: Every shadow tells you that
somewhere there is a light.

Have good and light the evening as best you can.
Hug Annika (behind the tree)