Advent Calendar - December 22

 

It is only the modern that ever becomes old-fashioned.
- Oscar Wilde -

Advent Calendar - December 21

 

"Santa Claus has the right idea -
visit people only once a year."

- Victor Borge -

(Danish humorist and musician)

Commenting Issues

The other day I suddenly ran into a tech issue that has never happened before during my nearly 16 years of blogging: I was not able to comment on my own blog (like replying to other people's comments).

Super frustrating, and I couldn't even figure out what they meant by it... I've been using  Firefox (browser) with this blog for years, and this message has never come up before. I also have Microsoft Edge on the laptop, but the thing is, I have my family history blog (Greetings from the Past) on a separate Blogger account; and to avoid the trouble of logging in and out every time, I find it most practical to use different browsers for the two. Which worked fine - until now... So I've had a couple of days scratching my head over this. Just following the message's "Learn more..." instructions did not help. I then downloaded a third browser (Chrome) - but that in turn brought some other irritations. However, I found that I was still able to reply to comments as usual on the Firefox app on my tablet - so I have not been totally locked out from two-way communication.

But then today it hit me to check the Blogger settings... And found their comment settings (which I don't think I've ever changed since I first set up the blog):

As the word "embedded" was involved in the Google/Firefox error message, I changed my Blogger settings from Embedded to Popup - and that seems to have solved the problem.

I'm writing this down chiefly as a reminder for myself, but I thought I might as well publish it on the blog as well - in case anyone else has come across similar issues, or perhaps just happens to notice my shift to popup for comments here. (Hopefully the popup will work for others as well as for myself.)

Weekend Reflections / Skywatch Friday

After a very grey and rainy Wednesday, the rain ceased after lunch on Thursday, and I was able to go for a walk. The wind had died down too, and the river was still like a mirror. So of course I could not resist snapping some reflection photos... 

In spite of the rain, the water level in the river is unusually low just now. This is because of "human intervention" though - to do with reconstruction of a bridge further upstream. 

Advent Calendar - December 20

 

Every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.
- James 1:17 -

Gnome Invasion

Yesterday was grey and wet, and I did not get out at all. While I was busy with doing laundry, Barbie and Skipper were allowed to decorate their Christmas tree at last...

This is where they live (a book shelf next to my TV). A new neighbour also moved in upstairs from them yesterday. Or rather, a regular seasonal guest... ;-)

Other corners of my flat were also invaded by gnomes yesterday:

This family occupies their usual space on a picture shelf above my sofa. (Knitted by my mum, once upon a time. She made lots of similar dolls for annual Christmas markets held by the local history society in the village where my parents lived in their senior years. But these were part of her own Christmas decorations at home.) 

1,2,3,4,5 little ones have also taken their usual places on the corner shelf in my kitchen. (The other items sit there all year round.)

Some prefer the top of my cooker hood.

Some are still hiding and won't come out until even closer to Christmas. How many do you think this tiny house may contain? (The answer will be revealed in a few days or so. Some  observant reader with extremely good memory might even remember - so I'm not making a competition of it...)

Advent Calendar - December 19

 

♫ Deck the halls with boughs of holly ... 'tis the season to be jolly... ♫

Advent Calendar - December 18

 

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness."
- Eleanor Roosevelt -

The Twilight Zone

 

The weather has been rather grey lately, but on a couple of occasions I've managed to catch the sunset. The photos above were taken on 14th December; the ones below today (17th).

 

While I was walking through the town park on my way back home from the town centre this afternoon, a man caught up with me and asked me where to find the bus stop from where he could catch a bus to the Maxi supermarket. I tried to explain, but it was not really visible from that distance (while another one was, which only confused things...) However, the stop that he needed was pretty much in the same direction that I was walking myself (only, I was not going to take a bus), so we continued to walk on together for a while. I could well understand his frustration, because some of the changes in the bus lines they've made here in later years are frankly ridiculous. Changing bus lines used to be fairly easy in the past, with nearly all the local buses meeting in one and the same square. However, this was eventually deemed too crowded from traffic safety point of view; so some bus stops were moved - which means that changing between some lines now involves quite long walks. (For my own part, it saves me no time any more to take the bus for the short part of the way into town that it can take me these days. So I usually walk the whole distance.)

From the man's comments I gathered that for one thing he did not live here, and did not know the town all that well; and for another he had a bad leg and some difficulties walking (he was limping a bit). That came up when I said that actually, from the bus stop to which I was directing him, it really wasn't all that far to just continue walking the rest of the way to the supermarket as well... Our ways parted just about where he could clearly see the bus stop ahead of him. I can only hope he found it worth while to get on a bus for 2-3 minutes  before having to get off it again!

Myself I walked on (~ 15 minutes) along the river and across the old cemetery to get home - in my head writing yet another "letter to the editor" (of the local newspaper) about the buses, on behalf of the stranger. (I did write one nearly two years ago, and numerous other people have kept doing the same since then - but so far without result.) If it's difficult enough in plain daylight and for people having lived half our lives here - for a temporary visitor and in winter twilight, it must be downright impossible...

Advent Calendar - December 17

 

On your feet, wear the Good News of peace to help you stand strong.
- Ephesians 6:15 -

Advent Calendar - December 16

 

A friend is someone who understands your past,
believes in your future,
and accepts you just the way you are.

Barbieland vs Real World

 

My Barbie and Skipper dolls somehow found out that the movie Barbie is now shown on Netflix, and managed to persuade me to watch it with them this afternoon...

I was a bit sceptical, but have to confess I got hooked along the way, and quite enjoyed it.

Barbieland is a matriarchal society populated chiefly by different versions of Barbie and Ken  (plus a few other dolls made by the same company, but they are pretty much ignored by the dominant Barbies and Kens). The Kens all spend their days playing on the beach, while all top jobs are held by Barbies. 

Alan (Ken's buddy) tries to make his voice heard
now and then but no one really listens to him...

 

One day "Stereotypical Barbie" starts to feel some worrying changes - like, when she steps out of her shoes, she suddenly (oh horror!) finds her feet turning flat...

She seeks advice from "Weird Barbie" - a doll severely disfigured from having been played with too violently by her human. She tells Barbie that to get cured, she has to find the child playing with her in the Real World. Barbie then sets off on a journey to the Real World - and finds herself joined by Ken, who hid in her car to follow her. 

In the Real World they meet with various adventures, and get split up. They both end up returning to Barbieland, but separately - and with rather different ideas in their heads about what needs to be changed back there.

I'll refrain from revealing more, I think - in case you want to watch it yourself...

 Happy Third Advent Sunday :)

Adevent Calendar - December 15

 

Better three hours too soon
than one minute too late.
- William Shakespeare -

The Angels Are Singing Again

 

As usual I'm putting up my Christmas decorations gradually. For this weekend (3rd Advent), I have added my angels and my Nativity scene. The glass angels with the electric candles in the living room; the rest in my study. The angels all came as gifts from friends on different occasions; the nativity set I bought myself many years ago. (Originally it was just the stable, the family and the three wise men. I've added the other pieces from different sources...)

See the little red wooden horse on the left? It is typical of the Swedish province Dalarna (and nowadays a well-known Swedish souvenir found in almost any tourist shop all over the country). This little one lives on that shelf in my study all year round, but gets to stay for Christmas as well. Partly because of its size; but also as a reminder that its province of origin is also famous for old illustrations of Biblical stories painted in a very special style. Like the one below, of "the three wise men on their way to Bethlehem", by Back Olof Andersson (1797). He and others who made paintings like these knew the Biblical stories from listening to them in church, but had never been to those far-away places themselves, and pictured things very differently in their head...

...Which may in turn serve as a reminder that how we in our time picture things from the past may perhaps not always be all correct either... ;-) 

Advent Calendar - December 14

 

"I'm so clever that sometimes I don't understand a single word of what I'm saying."
- Oscar Wilde -