The day started when I reached into the bag beside the bed, took out my tablets, two for reading and two for swallowing, to save confusion. Having retrieved one pair of, far too many, cats eye, reading spex one proceeded to clean them with the ‘oh-so-posh-faux-chamois’ cloth. To my complete lack of amusement a comparable ‘oh-so-posh lipstick’ i.e. the absolute-must-have- lippy aux-season (that’s last years f’aux-season) lipstick. Liquified mouth glue! It was indeed a lovely colour, though further gifting a gluey/tacky impediment. I became fluent in ‘sticky lip language’ or effluent more likely!  Its leaky visceral oils has seeped all over m’-posh-faux-cleaning-faux-chamois, f f fauwful. Well oh-faux-pity-sake or similar. With that the Tea boy turned up as if on cue, so naturally I slipped on the spex.

Morning dear, Oh blimey whats happened to you? You’ve got terribly blood-shot eyes?

Which to my amusement was almost worth the ‘icky-mess.

Once showered, fluffed and puffed, one donned fresh ‘unter‘ garments, then re-swathed in yesterdays top layers of between season cashmere. These had been ceremoniously lobbed over the bath ‘to air’ over night. It was time for the brown-paper-bag -surprise-du-jour more commonly known as Muesli-gate .  Nuts, oats, gritty, seedy, all frightfully rural and rustic looking. Presented in a locally fabricated brown bag of cereal-esque builders-aggregate and fresh milk, from a proper bottle, retrieved from the door step, from where the proper milk man had delivered from a proper local dairy. Please note: always locally loyal where possible.

 

   

 

Hence one grabs a hand thrown bowl, chooses late Mums funky old spoon, then places all on a grey tile, natural linen napery… coffee…. (yes, yes, all right, all right, most of that straight out of the dishwasher from last night. Keep your hair on I’ll get there in a minute-maybe 2!)  I commence the weeding of muesli since after the first mouthful, I’m slugging back coffee to try to dissolve the taste of artificial tasting strawberry bits, which would work splendidly in someone else breakfast bowl. Umm maybe an ice cream ( hence you will find I’ve wheedled them out to use for same).   Oh say you – she’s remembered it’s a blog about ice cream and not just her waffle!  (Actually I’m quite partial to a waffle I’ll also have you know).

 

  

  

 

Golden raspberry Madeleines swiftly made for the troops, who duly turn up. I pour them coffee and proceed to remove the red bits from the bowl of concrete mix, as if panning for rose-gold. After preening and tweezing out the obvious with plating tweezers. (Oh you don’t use plating tweezers? … ohh you haven’t lived!)

 

  

 

You’re a 100% Hygge says a voice. I peer dubiously over the of top of ‘allure’ smeared glasses, which remained uncleaned for what I considered at the time to be schadenfreude amusement purposes. Oh it’s just lipstick and then over qualified the fact that I didn’t miss my mouth!

“I’m what”?

“Hygge”! said the chorus. Suitably regaled. “Everything here’s so Hygge.”  I’m thinking pest control or worse, gulp, where do I buy an ointment for that?

In conclusion: if feng shui is pronounced phone shh-chewy. Hygge is pronounced “hoi-gah or hue-gah” well-ish. Please note: we live in Devon, hence annunciation’s varies quite considerably. However enjoying life’s simple pleasures seemingly straddles Devonians and the Danish.

Hygge loaded iPads do however proffer pinkish twinkling lights in a candle lit gardening and are thrust afore the redding muesli. Ahh took off the spex. (lipstick/fail!)

 

  

 

Better quality of life? Yep! (yesterdays woolies all comfy and broken in, double yay)

The difference between wealth and well-being? Oh deffo, but a considered and balanced approach takes that biscuit .

 

  

 

Pursuits of every day happiness? Yes absolutely…. “Anyone seen any of my other glasses please”?

 

  

 

Pastries? Oh I’m definitely in for warm buttery pastries.

Hot chocolate….   A quick rendition of Errol Brown? “I believe in miracles where you from you sexy thing”.  To a chorus on “Nooooo”.

Minimalism is key? Umm not so sure about that but… but Snuggly? Oh yes, wearing models own too.

Faux fur, well mostly I guess, just don’t mention that to the earl grey who is on wind fall duty. Our senior correspondent in charge of falling apples, sundry fruits and contemporary basking.

 

  

 

Many Danes preferring to boast an understated image with neutral colored apparel. Yup that’s definitely me, unless I’m going somewhere a bit la la, in which case I’m prepared to test the breaking strain of lycra, launch the not-so-little-black dress and inclination toward the Estee Lauder embalming kit.

Just one small issue. I’m English, not Danish? I might look it, loosely live it and even more loosely act it… but red hair and freckles (now ‘pigment free’  at the front – can I say that? That’s the hair not freckles which are inclined to hibernate during the cooler winter months, I trained them so jolly well?

 

  

 

A relaxed approach,  a contemporary … ok, ok hold on to said hat again.  Why does normal have to be so overly considered? Have so many trite labels and descriptives? Proportion! Hence typing whilst wearing hand knitted mittens, bright copper kettle handbag with raindrop dressed roses notwithstanding and poetically correct? Sigh….

Winter considered a chance to recharge – reconnecting with old friends. Creating light in the darkness? Poetry. Err so not flying around sorting the festivities, broken boilers and counselling then?  I saw Thee Thor, knitting up a chain saw, some think its folklore but do to explore the pour and thaw! (Affogato to thee and me)  Oh and another thing! That flapping-viking-esque-cape business…(discuss)… like thats going to keep your appropriate ‘areas’ warm and snuggly? Demi-rant ends.

 

  

 

Only one thing for it, a Pud! The Risa-lamande / Rice-with-almonds / Riz a L’amande / Almond Rice pudd’n can simply be your own take on rice pudding, just made with almond milk and or infused with almonds.

Festively and scandi-speaking a whole almond is secreted – maybe I’ll change that word (?). Festively and scandi-speaking, a whole almond is hidden (better) in the pudding as a secret surprise.

Coo, living it large in Scandinavia eh?

 

  

 

My trial and error (utterly corrupted and abridged) version uses, by proportion.  A half cup of short grain pudding rice, 4 cups of almond milk, and a vanilla pod, a couple of tablespoons of a fine caster sugar or maple syrup, just modify to suit your taste or needs. Stir, gently to the  boil, simmer for about half an hour. Then add a scant cup of ground almonds to thicken if required.  Leave to cool to room temperature. btw: Include a few drops of almond essence if you prefer but it completely over almond’d it for me.

Gently fold 2-3 cups of whipped, whipping cream. This jollies the whole nordic nicety along most deliciously if you wish to freeze it and make ice cream! (see managed to get there in the end).

Coz that’s wot I did and however hygge your hopes, I’m not prepared to share.

 

  

 

Not everyone is going to be able to tremble a few fresh cherries in a pan with some sugar and water to make the compote, so my go to is the use of a quality black cherry jam ‘let down’ with a little drop of water, heated gently to thin. BUT then the addition of cherry brandy takes this simple-enough-to-do-pud completely stratospheric!

 

 

Creating light in the darkness, ha! … so I attempt photography as the light rapidly fades .

Sings to self “There is nothing like a DANE”, whilst considering the above.

 

Toot toot x.

 

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