It's been kind of a crazy week. After two weeks of lots of snow and cold weather, it all turned to rain and slush. I didn't go out much until the snow and ice was properly gone and streets and pavements bare again...
On Thursday I was able to go out and post my Swedish Christmas cards and parcels, though. I preferred to go to the main post office for that, in case the more local letterbox might be too full to want to swallow my three big 'parcel' envelopes.
Cards and parcels have also been delivered to my own postbox this week. As can be seen in the collage at the top, I've put up my usual red ribbons to display card on, by the door between my living room and study - and some cards that can stand for themselves have found their place on various bookshelves.
Yesterday, temperatures were back below zero (freezing point) and frost, and also a glimpse of the sun again. I took advantage of that to walk into town for a couple of minor errands.
Today, I found myself once again back in a grey and foggy world, hesitating between frost and thaw. I went for a walk to the recycling containers - a rather depressing sight. (I took the photo to send a "report" email when I got back home. They encourage that on that sign.)
(No, that red letterbox is not for Christmas cards... It's for used batteries!)
This afternoon, I've been waking gnomes and Santa figurines from their 11-months-a-year sleep. Photos may appear some other day; they're still feeling a bit dazed and sleepy, being woken up on such a grey and dismal day with almost no natural daylight - and no snow!
Those living in the bathroom said they agreed to a photo, though. There's never any daylight in there anyway, and they seemed eager to get the celebrations started:
They are magic plastic ones that can be reused over and over on tiles. They belonged to my mum. She used to have them running all around her kitchen at Christmas.
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Besides contemporary Christmas stuff, I've also kept myself busy with interpreting postcards sent by my great-aunt Gerda from France in mid December 1914, to her brother in Sweden. Have you ever received Christmas greetings with cannons or soldiers on them?? I'm linking two posts (and three cards) this week to Sepia Saturday 601 from my blog Greetings from the Past: (1) La Guerre (2) Winning or Losing
...Wishing us all a Peaceful Christmas...
10 comments:
Great to see your bathroom tiles even have elves dancing about. Those war photos are certainly sobering.
I love your cute reusable decals! They look brand new, as well. You are right, the recycling center is depressing. A lot could be done to make it a bit more cheerful looking,especially at Chrstmas time.
Nice to spot one or two cards that I have also received (I think you can guess which one it is)!
I like the photo of the wet street and the reflection of the street lamp.
After one sunny day on Friday, we are back to a solid grey lid over our heads. No snow or rain, though, so we still go for walks.
Ginny, the problem with this household waste recycling place is that people keep dumping things there that don't belong (or fit) in those containers but should be taken to a bigger recycling center. I don't expect the place to be cheerful, I'd happily settle for reasonably clean and accessible! ;)
Yes Meike, I think I can guess! :)
i too like the wet street photo, it is haunting in a way. No, i have not seen a Christmas card with soldiers or anything like this one. the elves are really cute, i don't remember seeing them before. we have our recycle picked up. there are rules for the giganic blue container. one being the list on the top that says what goes in and what does not and that the lid must be allowed to close. people over stuff, put things they shouldnint and when the arm comes off the truck stuff flies every where when they try to dump it. alos people put many things in that are not allowed. i fear they may stop picking up if people don't abide by the rules.
Sandra, as for recycling, I suspect that sadly the problems are probably rather similar all over the globe, when it comes to people not being very good at sorting their waste correctly... :(
Barbara, had I received a Christmas card like that from a family member stuck in a country at war, I think I'd have felt rather worried!
You are so well organised!
I haven't sent many Christmas cards for years. The money I'd spend goes to local Animal Charities and the local Red Cross, who do an excellent job. I send animated ecards instead, which, not to sound mean, cost very little - especially now that postage here is sky high. I just send cards to those who don't have a computer.
We have three recycling bins - about the same size as the average family car, and they are clearly labelled - Household waste, Plastics, and Cardboard/paper. There are several places, at the side of the road, on every urbanisation for these, so there's really no excuse to just randomly dump rubbish - which people still do, especially in the holiday season. Beside the bins there is also space to leave garden refuse, which should be neatly bagged, but rarely ever is! Everything else - such as used cooking oil, hazardous liquids, spray cans, old TV's etc., are supposed to be taken to the main recycling point in the centre of town. So many people can't be bothered to do this and often before the start of the holiday season there are the entire contents of a villa abandoned beside the bins. It's amazing what people throw out - and how quickly some of it disappears before the refuse truck has had time to collect it!
CG, postage has gone up a lot here too in later years, and I totally understand if some people prefer to just send digital greetings. For my own part, not having much family, I buy (and receive) few presents, but have kept up the habit of sending physical cards to a number of friends.
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