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kareinaSince last I checked in...
I flew to Stockholm a week ago Friday to meet my mother, who flew in from Seattle. My flight arrived in good time--after walking from terminal 4 to terminal 5 I reached the door outside of the arrivals gate about 10 minutes before her plane was due to land (about 15 min earlier than scheduled, according to the computer display on the wall). So I sat down on floor at the base of a pillar and got out my nålbinding to wait for her to come through the door. After 25 or 30 minutes or so I was feeling restless, so I stood up to wait, but still no sign of her walking through that door. After around an hour of waiting I was even more restless, and thinking that it was time to go find a loo, but still no sign of her. How long does it takes to fetch luggage and clear customs, anyway? Soon thereafter my phone rang--it was the airlines, they had my mother at the gate for our next flight, waiting for me (still three hours before that flight was due to depart, mind you). How did she manage to get past me? Sneaky mom.
So I dumped my water, made my way back up stairs and through security and to the gate, and sure enough, there was mom, happily sitting back waiting for me, with an empty wheel chair at her side. She has had issues with her ankles and feet swelling up whenever she flies for her entire life (something I am grateful she didn't pass on to me!), and it has gotten worse as she has gotten older, so these days she orders wheelchair support at the airport. Therefore she had been met at her incoming gate and whisked through the crowds at full speed ahead, bypassing lines, fetching her luggage, slowing down only long enough for someone to take a quick glance at her passport, straight to the gate for her next flight. Either I missed seeing her because I wasn't looking for a wheel chair, or (and I think more likely), they didn't even bring her out through the main arrivals door at all, but just took her on a secret back door path.
So we had a good laugh, and settled in to visit until our flight to Copenhagen, to visit her cousin, and his son, the son's wife and their 9 year old boy. She had met them all before, and of course knew the cousin when they were kids in Michigan, before his dad took him to Europe to live. It was a delightful weekend visit. I enjoyed their company very much. My second cousin has many interests in common with me, and he has done larp and historical reenactment back before his son was born, and we got along well. His wife comes from Poland and is a delight to visit with.
On Saturday we young folk went to a History Park , leaving mom and her cousin to hang out at home and visit. It was a fun trip, and we didn't have time to see it all. Our first stop was the pottery house, where they had buckets of clay and told us that we were free to make something, and take it home with us later. None of us four could resist the chance to play, so we sat down. I made a small bowl, similar to my memory of one I used when living at the history park in the Netherlands for the first European Textile Forum.
From there we went to the textile house, where I enjoyed looking at the looms, fabric, and yarn they had on display. No one was on duty there, so I couldn't ask if the beautiful hand woven diamond twill fabric was on sale, which may have been a good thing--if it was it wouldn't have been cheap. From there we walked past the stone age farms and over to the Viking settlements, where they had a variety of stones set up to let people grind their own grain, so we did, we then mixed it with water "baked" it on an iron plate over a fire. That was just enough of a snack to whet our appetites (since we didn't grind much each), so we bought some bread dough, which we wrapped on sticks and toasted over the fire (and they also bought sausages to toast).
After that we checked out one of the dug-out boats and went for a quick paddle, then on to the Iron Age settlement, where the kid went down into the clay pit and dug out a good sized handful of clay to take home and make more stuff. By that point it was getting kind of lateish, so we went back to the pottery building, collected the things we had made, and they also bought a to-go kit of more clay and a nice polished stone for smoothing the items when they are slightly dry. They also provided instructions on how to fire them in an oxygen poor environment, by putting them into a metal box (like for cookies) with some newspaper, putting a small hole in the lid, and then putting the box into a fire. Apparently this will give a nice black finish to the items, but if you prefer red do it without putting a lid on the box.
On Sunday mom and I and her cousin went to the museum in town and saw the section that goes from the early stone age through to viking times. It was cool to see Egtved girl's clothes in person after reading about them so many times over the years.
On Monday morning we flew back to Sweden, and rather than going in to work that afternoon I devoted the rest of the day to washing everything I had taken with me (save for the clay bowl, which needs to dry for a week before we try to fire it). Sadly (and unbeknownst to mom and I before we went), my cousins smoke. While they were kind and didn't do it in the house while we where there, it is clear that they normally do, and everything reeked after a long weekend in their home. Sigh. And they are such delightfully good company otherwise, too.
The work week flew by, with lots to do at work, choir Tuesday evening (mom came along and enjoyed it), Wednesday evening I made a Shepard's pie for dinner (and a second one to have available for road food this weekend), Thursday we went to armouring night, and Friday mom and I participated in a gaming convention![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
lord_kjar went to an obligatory work social event).
My mother has never done anything in the role-playing category of games before, but she is a very talented public speaker and an avid reader, so I thought she would have fun, and she did. The game we played was The Daughter's of Verona, where the players are all actors in a Shakespearean comedy. We make up the story as we go, keeping to a formula of what broad categories of things have to happen in each act.
Because there were two people who are brand new to role playing games in our group we started with warm up exercises: first we each in turn made a statement of something which isn't true (e.g. the sky is green), then we each made a statement about ourselves that isn't true (e.g. I am 6'3" tall). Then our host explained how the turns of the game work, with each of us taking turns to set a scene (e.g. Act 1 scene 1, A Message Arrives, setting: an Inn). Whomever sets the scene announces who enters the stage, then speaks the first line, and the rest of the players respond. He then gave an example, wherein in entered one of his own characters, and then one of my mother's, and he spoke a line to her. She then replied, in character, with a voice filled with stage presence and good projection, and I could see him visibly relax, as he discovered what I already knew--my mother is a natural for such games!
As with every other time I have played this game it was much fun, there was much laughter as weird plot twists kept presenting themselves. I strongly recommend this game, it is so entertaining.
On Saturday we went on tourist adventures, taking mom on the same look we tookaelfgyfu on when she was here this spring--to Storeforsen to see Europe's largest rapids, then on past the Arctic Circle to the town of Jokkmok, where mom did some shopping at the tourist shop there, and finally home. This morning we caught up on some much needed housework, and soon we will head to Gammelstad, where we will have a little time to look at the church town before we take mom to the first session of Folk music for the season, followed by folk dance.
I flew to Stockholm a week ago Friday to meet my mother, who flew in from Seattle. My flight arrived in good time--after walking from terminal 4 to terminal 5 I reached the door outside of the arrivals gate about 10 minutes before her plane was due to land (about 15 min earlier than scheduled, according to the computer display on the wall). So I sat down on floor at the base of a pillar and got out my nålbinding to wait for her to come through the door. After 25 or 30 minutes or so I was feeling restless, so I stood up to wait, but still no sign of her walking through that door. After around an hour of waiting I was even more restless, and thinking that it was time to go find a loo, but still no sign of her. How long does it takes to fetch luggage and clear customs, anyway? Soon thereafter my phone rang--it was the airlines, they had my mother at the gate for our next flight, waiting for me (still three hours before that flight was due to depart, mind you). How did she manage to get past me? Sneaky mom.
So I dumped my water, made my way back up stairs and through security and to the gate, and sure enough, there was mom, happily sitting back waiting for me, with an empty wheel chair at her side. She has had issues with her ankles and feet swelling up whenever she flies for her entire life (something I am grateful she didn't pass on to me!), and it has gotten worse as she has gotten older, so these days she orders wheelchair support at the airport. Therefore she had been met at her incoming gate and whisked through the crowds at full speed ahead, bypassing lines, fetching her luggage, slowing down only long enough for someone to take a quick glance at her passport, straight to the gate for her next flight. Either I missed seeing her because I wasn't looking for a wheel chair, or (and I think more likely), they didn't even bring her out through the main arrivals door at all, but just took her on a secret back door path.
So we had a good laugh, and settled in to visit until our flight to Copenhagen, to visit her cousin, and his son, the son's wife and their 9 year old boy. She had met them all before, and of course knew the cousin when they were kids in Michigan, before his dad took him to Europe to live. It was a delightful weekend visit. I enjoyed their company very much. My second cousin has many interests in common with me, and he has done larp and historical reenactment back before his son was born, and we got along well. His wife comes from Poland and is a delight to visit with.
On Saturday we young folk went to a History Park , leaving mom and her cousin to hang out at home and visit. It was a fun trip, and we didn't have time to see it all. Our first stop was the pottery house, where they had buckets of clay and told us that we were free to make something, and take it home with us later. None of us four could resist the chance to play, so we sat down. I made a small bowl, similar to my memory of one I used when living at the history park in the Netherlands for the first European Textile Forum.
From there we went to the textile house, where I enjoyed looking at the looms, fabric, and yarn they had on display. No one was on duty there, so I couldn't ask if the beautiful hand woven diamond twill fabric was on sale, which may have been a good thing--if it was it wouldn't have been cheap. From there we walked past the stone age farms and over to the Viking settlements, where they had a variety of stones set up to let people grind their own grain, so we did, we then mixed it with water "baked" it on an iron plate over a fire. That was just enough of a snack to whet our appetites (since we didn't grind much each), so we bought some bread dough, which we wrapped on sticks and toasted over the fire (and they also bought sausages to toast).
After that we checked out one of the dug-out boats and went for a quick paddle, then on to the Iron Age settlement, where the kid went down into the clay pit and dug out a good sized handful of clay to take home and make more stuff. By that point it was getting kind of lateish, so we went back to the pottery building, collected the things we had made, and they also bought a to-go kit of more clay and a nice polished stone for smoothing the items when they are slightly dry. They also provided instructions on how to fire them in an oxygen poor environment, by putting them into a metal box (like for cookies) with some newspaper, putting a small hole in the lid, and then putting the box into a fire. Apparently this will give a nice black finish to the items, but if you prefer red do it without putting a lid on the box.
On Sunday mom and I and her cousin went to the museum in town and saw the section that goes from the early stone age through to viking times. It was cool to see Egtved girl's clothes in person after reading about them so many times over the years.
On Monday morning we flew back to Sweden, and rather than going in to work that afternoon I devoted the rest of the day to washing everything I had taken with me (save for the clay bowl, which needs to dry for a week before we try to fire it). Sadly (and unbeknownst to mom and I before we went), my cousins smoke. While they were kind and didn't do it in the house while we where there, it is clear that they normally do, and everything reeked after a long weekend in their home. Sigh. And they are such delightfully good company otherwise, too.
The work week flew by, with lots to do at work, choir Tuesday evening (mom came along and enjoyed it), Wednesday evening I made a Shepard's pie for dinner (and a second one to have available for road food this weekend), Thursday we went to armouring night, and Friday mom and I participated in a gaming convention
lord_kjar went to an obligatory work social event).My mother has never done anything in the role-playing category of games before, but she is a very talented public speaker and an avid reader, so I thought she would have fun, and she did. The game we played was The Daughter's of Verona, where the players are all actors in a Shakespearean comedy. We make up the story as we go, keeping to a formula of what broad categories of things have to happen in each act.
Because there were two people who are brand new to role playing games in our group we started with warm up exercises: first we each in turn made a statement of something which isn't true (e.g. the sky is green), then we each made a statement about ourselves that isn't true (e.g. I am 6'3" tall). Then our host explained how the turns of the game work, with each of us taking turns to set a scene (e.g. Act 1 scene 1, A Message Arrives, setting: an Inn). Whomever sets the scene announces who enters the stage, then speaks the first line, and the rest of the players respond. He then gave an example, wherein in entered one of his own characters, and then one of my mother's, and he spoke a line to her. She then replied, in character, with a voice filled with stage presence and good projection, and I could see him visibly relax, as he discovered what I already knew--my mother is a natural for such games!
As with every other time I have played this game it was much fun, there was much laughter as weird plot twists kept presenting themselves. I strongly recommend this game, it is so entertaining.
On Saturday we went on tourist adventures, taking mom on the same look we took
aelfgyfu on when she was here this spring--to Storeforsen to see Europe's largest rapids, then on past the Arctic Circle to the town of Jokkmok, where mom did some shopping at the tourist shop there, and finally home. This morning we caught up on some much needed housework, and soon we will head to Gammelstad, where we will have a little time to look at the church town before we take mom to the first session of Folk music for the season, followed by folk dance.