The Big Vacation Post

You may have noticed I've been absent from the blogging world for quite some time now. The main reason is vacation - lots of it.

"So, where did you go?" you probably ask.

Well, I'm glad you're asking.

I went to LONDON! For a week! And me and my friend had a great many adventures.

Off course we did the obligatory things: spent a lot of time sightseeing and shopping and using the Underground (which in itself was quite entertaining because I just read Neverwhere).

                                           

But the highlight of the tour was when we went to the theatre and watched Phantom of the Opera!!! 

That was just brilliant!! Firstly the actors were fantastic! Georònimo Rauch, who played the Phantom was just amazing, and even though I couldn't help comparing him to my favourite Phantom (Ramin Karimloo) he certainly held up his own, and it was quite interesting to watch how he interpreted the character differently in some of the key scenes.

I wasn't so sure about Harriet Jones, who played Christine, in the first act, but after her stunning delievery of "Wishing you were somoehow here again", I promised myself never to think a bad thought of her portrayal again. 

I think the highlight of the entire play was that scene where Christine and the Phantom sails across the lake. Just imagine the stage full of smoke and lights, and on top of all it is happening 20 meters from where you sit! It was almost unbelievable.

(Sorry for my long rant - sometimes a little fangirling is neccesary)

On to other subjects - books! One day we found the largest bookstore I have ever seen. Just imagine 5 floors filled with books of all subjects, and a whole depatment just dedicated to classics. We spent some blissfull hours there.

Surely you can't go to London without visiting at least one park, so off course we did that too. My favourite was St. James Park, which had a big lake filled with all kinds of ducks and birds, some of which I have never seen outside my ornithology books. And it had squirrels too!

Another highlight of the tour was when we visited British Museum. The collection is so big that it is quite overwhelming for a history lover as myself.

To make it even more excited we had a guided tour with a Bible theme, so we spent a lot of time hearing of the old Assyria and Babylon, watching all those inscriptions and prisms that I have read so much about and hearing how the archaeology fitted with the Bible's story of events. Really exciting!

We did a great lot of other things that I honestly don't remember (too many adventures in a short time apparently affects the memory).

The rest of my vacation was a lot more laid back, and mostly spent in my family's summer house, but I will save that for another post.

Have you had any vacation this summer?

The Great Book Giveaway Bonanza

It is here at last! 

Hamlette is hosting a collection of book giveaways on her blog, and there are some fine titles to choose between this far.

So if you love books (and even better free books) check out the giveaways at all the blogs. 

Inkling Explorations and Violets

There is a new literary link up starting at Heidi's author blog for lovers of good stories, and especially for those who love finding funny little details in stories.

This month's theme is violets! 

It took me quite some time to think of a book where violets were mentioned (and I may have had to rely on Heidi's hints to possible stories), but I went with an excerpt from " By The Shores of Silver Lake" by Laura Ingalls Wilder:

"There was Grace! There in a great pool of blue sat Grace! the sun shone on her golden hair blowing in the wind. She looked up at Laura with big eyes as blue as violets. Her hands were full of violets. She held them up to Laura and said: "Sweet, sweet". 

 Laura sank down and took Grace in her arms. She held Grace carefully and panted for breath. Grace leaned over her arms to reach for more violets. They were surrounded by masses of violets blossoming above low spreading leaves. Violets covered the flat bottom of the large round hollow. All around this lake of violets, grassy banks rose almost straight up to the prarie level. there and around the low place the wind hardly disturbed the fragance of the violets. 

The sun was warm there the sky was overhead the green walls of grass curved all around and butterflies fluttered over the crowding violet faces"

I always loved this chapter of the book with the wonderful description of a dreamy hollow of violets in the middle of the prarie.

For more scenes of violets check out the link-up at Heidi's blog.

These Are A Few Of My Favourite Things

As I have probably mentioned before spring is my favourite season and has quite a peculiar effect on me. Something about it just makes me think about all the little things I love about life.

So I decided I would share some of them, but be warned - just like Maria I have quite a few favourite things.

Favourite flowers

Well roses of course




Also Peonies




Ranunculus




And dahlias





Favourite smells

The smell of freshly mowed lawn, is there anything better? Maybe the smell of freshly dried hay.




Also, that special smell when it has just rained.



Ooh..and not to forget the smell of freshly baked bread




Favourite view

Close to my family's summer house is this gorgeous view point called Vejrhøj. It's a great little hike up the hill, so I persuade them to go there every year.

Favourite nature phenomena

A sunset, no doubt



Maybe if I get to see Northern Light someday that would take first place, but that hasn't happened yet.


Favourite outdoors activities

Walking in nature of course, it sets the imagination free.




Reading in the sunshine - a combination of two of my favourite things.




Favourite words

I really love words! Not just the meaning of the words but the words in themselves. There are so many pretty words, and I especially love the old fashioned and seldom used ones.
Most of my favourite words are in English (I think that is because it isn't my first language).

Felicity - a pretty name, and a lovely meaning.

Petrichor - means the smell of dirt after rain.

Bouncy - such a funny word, and it immediately places an image in my mind.

And not to forget the German word Frühling (means spring), it's just such a cute word.




That was only a few of all the things I love.

What are some of your favourite things?

Random Questions Tag

Naomi had created a wonderful random tag, and I have been tagged by both Olivia and Heidi, so prepare for a long post.

The rules for the tag are:

~ Paste the button onto your blog post.

~ Leave a new list of questions (or just pass on the question list you answered) and tag a few people of your random choice (and say why you tagged them, if you have time!) (Be original and nonsensical in your question-creativity - make the blogging world a cheerful place :-) And be disastrously random.)

Now for the fun...

~Write down three facts about you - one of them is WRONG. Let your commenters guess in the comments which one is wrong (and tell them in the comments after a while)
~Answer the questions of the person who tagged you - make it all super random and interesting
:-D

Firstly 3 facts about me (well actually only 2 of them true, but which ones?)

1. My favourite colour is green

2. I wear glasses

3. I am not a morning person

And now onwards to the questions!

Olivia's Questions:

~ Animated movies - what's your opinion?

I love animated movies dearly. I grew up with them and have many happy memories involving them. 

~ Do you prefer earbuds or headphones?

Earbuds.

~ What is one thing it seems like everybody loves but you (could be a book, song, movie, author, actor, 

food, whatevs)?

Almost all my friends are crazy about Downton Abbey, but it just never caught on with me.

~ Do you have flowers in your room (yes, yes, I'm stealing this question from ya, Naomi)?

Not in my bedroom, but in my living room I always have flowers in the spring. Right now I have 2 small roses and some cherry branches.

~ Do you like the sound of keys on a keyboard clicking?

I love that sound. To me it means I am on a writing spree and makes me feel very productive.

~ Who is one fictional character whom you absolutely loathe with a burning passion? *evil grin*

That is actually a really hard question! I had to go through my reading log just to remember which characters I dislike. 

I really hate Milady De Winter from The Three Musketeers. She's just evil!

~ Are you a procrastinator?

Oh, yes! I even procrastinated writing this post for several days.

~ Shoes or no?

Well, they are a requirement most of the time, but I don't wear shoes if I can avoid it.

~ What are three movies that take you back to the dear old days gone forever (look, I quoted Little Dorrit!  Oh, and meaning your childhood)?

Lady and the Tramp - I was crazy about that story when I was little. (Even gave up several months' allowance just to get a Lady plushie)

The Ugly Duckling - an animated movie I could watch on repeat. 

I simply cannot think of a third. Most of the movies from my childhood are old Danish movies which I'm sure no one of you have ever heard of.

~ Pens or pencils?

Pens.

Heidi's questions:

~ Do you love the color pink?

Yes!! 

~ Your favorite book set in ancient times?

I just realise I haven't read that  many books set earlier than the Middle Ages.
One book I love, is The Edge On The Sword by Rebecca Tingle. I takes place in England in the 800s and follows a young noblewoman - it is really exciting.

~ What color is your bedroom?

White. I know, kind of boring but it fits with anything.

~ Do you like traveling?

Yes, very much. To travel is to live (I didn't make it up H.C. Andersen did). Exploring new cities and countries, it is just wonderful.

~ Your favorite animated film?

Frozen.

~ The shortest you’ve ever cut your hair?

When I was very little my hair was as short as a boy's. But that was my parents' choice.

The shortest I have cut it myself is just below the ear.

~ Your thoughts on butterflies?

So pretty!

~ Do you enjoy putting together puzzles?

Funny you should ask that question. It is one of my favourite pastimes. I spend most of my summer vacation doing them, and buy new ones each year.

~ Do you get excited when the daily mail arrives?

Not particularly. Only if I see an envelope that isn't a bill.

~ A favorite spring-ish period drama dress?

This is the part where I'm supposed to tag people but seeing that all the ones I want to tag have already done posts of their own, I'll just leave the questions and you can answer them in a comment if you like (or make a post if you'd rather do that)

~ What is something you love about spring?
~ Favourite colour?
~ Favourite ice cream flavour?
~ A song that makes you happy?
~ Favourite author when you were a child?
~ Do you like fairytales?
~ Favourite flower(s)?
~ Something that makes you nostalgic?

I'm looking forward to your answers!

My Reading Projects

Last year was not a good year for my classic reading, so when 2015 came around nice and fresh, I decided this would be a year for reading a big chunk of my To Read List and for rereading a lot of my old favourites.

Let's just say I got a rough start, and couldn't concentrate on reading anything the entire winter. But with spring comes motivation, and when I am motivated to do something I start making lists. 

Books on my To Read List that I'm actually gonna read this year

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell (it's been on my shelf for almost a year now)

Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle

The Code of the Woosters by P.G. Wodehouse

Romeo & Juliet by William Shakespeare


It's not that long yet, but I should actually have a chance of finishing it. And when I do I can always pick more from the other (quite ambitious) lists I made. (One is never enough) 

New books added to my To Read List

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (so much Dickens, so little time)

Middlemarch by George Elliot

Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stove

Lorna Doone by Richard Doddridge Blackmore

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (just for laughs, and background for
                                                                                      Northanger Abbey)
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells

The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

More Works of William Shakespeare

Books I want to reread

Ivanhoe by Walter Scott

Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Persuasion by Jane Austen

Emma by Jane Austen

Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (I know I just read it, but who says you                                                                                can't reread a book on a regular basis)
North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo (the unabridged version this time)

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

Watership Down by Richard Adams

Rebecca by Daphne De Maurier


And suddenly my innocent little project evolved into 3 monster lists, with more than enough reading projects for this year. (And probably the next few years too)

(By the way, I do also read modern books but I only blog about the classics)

Couples and Musicals- The Answers

1. Maria and Captain von Trapp

2. Millie and Adam from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers

3. Maria and Tony from West Side Story

4. Annie Oakley and Frank Butler from Annie Get Your Gun

5. Marius and Cosette from Les Miserables

6. Penny and Lucky from Swing Time

7. Sandy and Danny from Grease

8. Kathy Selden and Don Lockwood from Singin' In The Rain

Well, I hoped you had fun! Here are the scores:

Olivia                   110 points

Amanda               80 points

Naomi                  80 points

Thank you so much for participating! 

I'm planning on having a lot more games and I just want to hear your opinion. 

Would you like me to continue the musical themed games, or would you rather I mix it up with some literary games?