When I woke up after 8 hours of sleep in my own bed here at home, I was ready to write to you— to write this letter to you, and in my mind it was the exact thing that I wanted to share with you….but it was 3:38 am local time and I decided no- don’t get up and write it down- because you must try to get back to sleep – you will remember what you wanted to tell her….
I was wrong.
I don’t remember exactly what I wanted to tell you– there was so much that I have experienced in the last two weeks in 🇫🇷 and 🇩🇰 — so many times that I stood in a square, or a courtyard, under a star-filled sky, in a room with important people to me, next to a river or inside a magnificent building, on a train platform marvelling at a cathedral, and thought: just be present… take it all in, listen, feel the energy around here you’ll want to remember this.
I sat in a busy cafe where my mom went as a little girl with her mom – no doubt for hot chocolate with “clouds” ( dollops of whipped cream), I imagine this as I don’t actually know what they had- just that all those years ago they were there- my Danish mormor I only met when I was three weeks old and my mom who could not have loved me more.
When I think about some of the moments that I delighted in, here is one: riding the S train in Copenhagen late on a Friday afternoon with all the people heading home and in the middle where the doors open to let in and out the passengers- some with bicycles, some with baby strollers, I was standing holding on right next to some of my very favourite people – a group of three year olds—all in their muddy buddies, boots, and backpacks and as the train started to leave the station it jerked suddenly and like ducklings all huddled together they lost their balance and started to giggle and laugh uproariously – I was the only one who smiled taking great delight in their joy- their caregivers trying to keep their energy contained for just a couple more stops.
I got to travel both with my sweetheart and also on my own.
I got to see the people whom I love deeply- and my heart is happier because it got to be close to their heart for embraces, conversation and making new memories together.
I got to see wonderful GEMs members who came to our monthly meeting which is 6pm on the last Wednesday of the month pacific time – they were in Texas, Victoria, Calgary and Naramata BC while I was in an apartment in Copenhagen sharing the books I just bought from a wonderful independent bookshop – with suggestions from the owner when I said that I was looking for perspectives around creativity I had never heard before. It was 2 am and the GEMs said- you don’t have to stay up for us- go to bed and I said I wanted to be with them. I look forward to our calls, to learning what they are making, creating, observing and thinking.
I have collected so many ideas and inspiration that I know will be woven into the months to come for GEMs. There is so much that I want to share with them.
I have arrived back to a garden that has settled– after all the pruning, moving of large pots, widening of paths, moving of plants, weeding, trimming of branches two weeks ago — and now it realizes there is something coming…leaves are falling giving a widening of borrowed views and the sunlight- when there is sunlight- shines into small corners which have felt hidden over the summer. The air is noticeably cooler and wetter and so makes the greenhouse and other covered areas feel even more cosy.
In my small suitcase I brought home “supplies” for our Juletide Market and the things that will add to the feeling of hygge, the making of things that everyone is invited to make and some things that I will be making to sell at my table along with my cyanotype.
Things like these paper stars that I have made every year since I was a child.
They start with four pieces of paper- and as you can see here, I have added the thread so that they can hang on the tree or wherever…
The most famous broken window with as the tour guide on the river tour said: it looks like they’ve put up some cardboard where the thieves got in. You can see the people standing to the right taking pictures.
It was cool to take this boat trip along the Seine because the tour guide pointed out various places that we would recognize from the Opening Ceremonies for the Olympics. Because it was a school holiday there were lots of French families on board so he also included references to a fancy, expensive restaurant which made the punchline even funnier to me: Ratatouille!
I must say that I loved all the Halloween costumes it inspired and the memes I saw on Instagram ( I’m going to the Louvre, do you need anything?), and the ad campaign of the German ladder company: “When you need to move fast, the Böcker Agilo transports your treasures weighing up to 400kg at 42m/min — quiet as a whisper.”
I texted my friend in North Vancouver to wish her Happy Birthday and told her I was in Paris. She texted back: Was it you? To which I replied: Anyone who knows me knows I’m afraid of heights and don’t do ladders, so no.
I wish you peace on your path,
Lise-Lotte
I am collaborating with my friend Charlotte to create this very special hygge experience in the garden- with 10 wonderful creatives joining us….more on that in the next post
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