I dag..., We are family! (Mostly kids´ stuff)

THE CUTEST MINI MODEL

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Læs under billedet for dansk version. Ægte dansk! Ikke google translate 😉

EN: Well, we all think that our own kids are the cutest in the world, don´t we?

When my youngest (Bella) was 4, she attended her first photoshoot. I was in charge of the making  of the SS15 campaign for supercool shoebrand ANGULUS and when the young model fell ill just before arriving, it was easy to find a substitute: my own little cub.

She did brilliant and it was great fun. Last year my son was cast to be in a First Choice advert – and Bella and her dad went with him on the set (I was away working in Denmark – damn, I´m missing out on good fun here!). The person in charge of the casting was on the set as well and saw Bella there. He then asked me last week if they could use her as a “reserve-model” for the shooting of a catalogue for a major german clothes brand here on Tenerife. To be used as a model if the “real” model failed that was. Oki doki – and today Bella and her dad went to the photoshoot (me working again – story of my life).

With her charm and long blonde hair Bella amazed the whole crew (yes, I am aloud to say that, it´s not bragging, I am the mum) – and ended up being used as a model as well. I´m not allowed to publizise the name of the brand just yet – but don´t worry, I´ll share the pics once they can be seen in the catalogue (I´m eager as well to see them!).

Mum´s proud 🙂

An ad_2 girls

DA: Vi syntes vist alle, at vores børn er de kæreste, gør vi ikke?

Da min yngste (Bella – til venstre på billedet) var 4 år, deltog hun i sit første photoshoot. Jeg var ansvarlig for tilblivelsen af SS15 kampagnen for supercool skomærke ANGULUS, og da den unge model blev syg lige før ankomsten, var det nemt at finde en erstatning: min datter.

Hun var rigtig dygtig og det var en sjov dag. Sidste år skulle min søn så være med i en reklame for den britiske rejsearrangør First Choice – og Bella og hendes far var med på settet (jeg var i Danmark og arbejde – damn, jeg år glip af alt det sjove!). Den casting-ansvarlige var også på settet og fik øje på Bella der. Sidste uge blev jeg så kontaktet og spurgt om Bella mon havde lyst til at deltage i et photoshoot her på Tenerife til kataloget for en tysk tøj-gigant som “reserve-model”. Hun ville altså kun blive brugt som model, hvis den “rigtige” model fejlede. Oki doki, og i dag har Bella og hendes far så været på photoshoot (og jeg er som sædvanligt på arbejde – story of my life).

Med sin charme og lange lyse hår fik Bella tryllebundet hele crewet (ja, det må jeg godt sige, det er ikke blær; jeg er hendes mor) – og hun endte med at blive brugt som model sammen med de øvrige. Jeg må ikke afsløre brandets navn endnu – men bare rolig, jeg skal nok dele billederne fra kataloget, når de bliver offentliggjort (jeg er også ivrig efter at se dem!).

Mor er stolt 🙂

Tenerife

WORKING WITH DOLPHINS

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Læs under billedet for dansk version.

EN: I work by the sea. In a tiny office on a pier in a small harbour. I spend most days in the office but once a week I go out to sea to join these beautiful creatures.  We do whale safaris and try to find pilot whales and dolphins (without disturbing them!) in their natural habitat – and when we do, this is what we get: Playful animals who are eager to show us their skills!

A dolphin living in the ocean lives normally up to 25-30 years. A dolphin in captivity has a lifespan of some 12 years. More or less….

This documentary is excellent if you want to know more about sea animals in captivity: (here I was going to post link to the documentary “Blackfish” on youtube, but as it is a highly controversial documnetary it gets removed every so often. If you can find it I recommend you spend the time (83 mins) to learn more. I will never visit Loro Parque or Sea World after watching it!).

Dolphin 2

DA: Jeg arbejder ved havet. I at lillebitte kontor på molen i en lille havn. Jeg tilbringer de fleste dage på kontoret, men én gang om ugen tager jeg en tur ud på havet for at tilbringe tiden med disse skønne væsner. Vi udbyder hval-safari ture og forsøger at finde hvaler og delfiner i deres naturlige miljø (uden at forstyrre dem!) – og når vi finder dem, er dette hvad vi får: Legesyge dyr, der er ivrige efter at vise os deres færdigheder!

En delfin, der lever i havet, bliver normalt 25 – 30 år gammel. En delfin, der lever i fangenskab, bliver op til 12 år. Mere eller mindre….

Denne dokumenter er excellent, hvis du vil vide mere om havets dyr i fangenskab: (her ville jeg sætte et link ind til dokumentar-filmen “Blackfish” på youtube, men da det er en temmelig kontroversiel film, bliver den fjernet derfra ret ofte. Hvis du kan finde filmen, kan jeg klart anbefale at du bruger de 83 minutter den tager, til at lære mere. Jeg vil aldrig besøge Loro Parque eller Sea World efter at have set den!

En fri delfin er en glad delfin. Bum.

I dag..., We are family! (Mostly kids´ stuff)

WORK VS SUPER MOM

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The Kids
Spending time with these two is worth more than gold. But it´s no secret that I sometimes miss my old job, my colleagues and wearing high heels.

I´d be lying if I claimed that the past six months hadn´t been busy. Last summer the kids and I said goodbye to our Copenhagen apartment (after practically giving away the interior of a complete home) to move back to Tenerife. Since then it´s been work, family and getting our feet firmly back on spanish ground.
I´ve lost a dear family member and seen another battle (and win!) the same disease. Cancer is a bitch.
Since I stopped working last month it seems I´ve had more between my hands than ever. More to do that is – not more to spend. When people asked me what I would do with my free time after I´d stop working, I said ”Read a book or three before looking for a new job”. I also wanted to get really fit, learn how to play the piano, start my own thing on the web and redecorate our house (to fit in our family of four in a 2–bedroom, 72 square meters house in the mountains, spending nothing or very little on it).
So far I´ve read one book, learned how to play Mike Oldfields ”The top of the morning” on piano, learned a lot about how to start your own web (and bought a domain. I feel like a pro!), worked out every other day and… well, the redecoration must wait… And, of course, still looking after the cat, the hens, the garden and picking up the kids every day from school at 1.30 pm to share a hot meal for lunch before taking them to sport, music etc.. But hey, it´s nice to be busy!

We have decided that I shouln´t go back to work straight away. How can I? The time we have gained is too precious to exchange for an extra salary. Jeezuz, how do other families manage? Well, I do remember how it was to be working full time, seeing the kids only for a few hours after work before they had to go to sleep. And then being super-mom at the weekends. Now I´m super-mom every day. Plus I have time to run my own little projects. And it feels really good (even knowing that it will take some time before we can travel again)!

(Pssst: I´m not trying to say that it´s either “working mom” or “super mom”. I know you can be both at the same time! And sweet lord, I´m not trying to say it´s the right choice to be a stay-at-home mom, choosing time with the kids over money. That is my choice for the moment and may change in the future. Dot.)

(Dear Pomp de Lux, please make that sweater in a bigger size – it´s really nice!)

 

I dag...

AUTUMN IN COPENHAGEN

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IMG_3505

I´m in Denmark for a week. Back in my hometown Copenhagen to be with my family. I´m saying goodbye to a dear family-member who has always been there for me. It´s so hard. But it´s also time…

The weather reflects my mood. Some heavy rain, then blue sky followed by drizzle, some sunshine, wind, chilly air and so on. Incalculably. But all in all I´m happy to be here.

I have so fast gotten used to being back living in Spain that it was almost like landing on another planet when I reached the airport in Billund. That´s in Jylland – far from Copenhagen. That´s also where you can fly to very cheap from Tenerife when you really need to go to Denmark and are low on cash. A 30 minute bus ride and a 2,5 hour train ride (that cost more than the flight ticket!) will then get you to Copenhagen. Plus the waiting for the bus plus the obligatory delay at the train – The Danish State Railway always gets surprised by rain. Rain! Jeezuz, it´s raining like 400 days a year in Denmark! Well, rain was the excuse of the day… And I got up at 2.30 a.m. to reach my destination at 5 p.m.. Not too bad.

Well, back to “the other planet”: When I left Denmark 5 weeks ago to go to Spain it was still summer. People were still wearing shorts or skirts and short sleeves and the sun was still shining most of the time. 5 weeks later I landed in the Ice Age. Cold. Misty. Rainy. Grey. 10 seconds after leaving the plane I dearly wished I had brought my wooly gloves; 1 minute later I cought a cold. So this very moment I´m sitting in Grannys sofa with a big quilt and extra socks. And a glass of red wine (of course) – as this is the best medicine to get rid of a cold.

DA:

Jeg er i Danmark i en uge. Tilbage i min hjemby København for at være sammen med min familie. Jeg er her for at sige farvel til et kært familie–medlem, som altid har været der for mig. Det er så hårdt. Men det er også tid …

Vejret afspejler mit humør. Noget kraftig regn, så lidt blå himmel efterfulgt af støvregn, sol, vind, kulde og så videre. Uberegneligt. Men alt i alt jeg er glad for at være her.

Jeg har så hurtigt vænnet mig til at være tilbage og bo i Spanien, at det næsten var som at lande på en anden planet, da jeg landede i lufthavnen i Billund. Det er i Jylland – langt fra København. Det er også der hvor du kan flyve til meget billigt fra Tenerife, når du virkelig har brug for at rejse til Danmark og er low on cash. En 30 minutters bustur og en 2,5 timers togtur (som koster mere end flybilletten!) får dig herefter til København. Plus venten på bussen plus den obligatoriske forsinkelse på toget – DSB bliver altid overrasket af regn. Regn! Jeezuz, det regner sådan cirka 400 dage om året i Danmark! Nå, men regn var altså dagens undskyldning… Jeg stod op kl 2:30 om morgenen for at nå mit bestemmelsessted kl. 5 om eftermiddagen. Ikke så dårligt endda.

Nå, tilbage til “den anden planet”: Da jeg forlod Danmark for 5 uger siden for at bosætte mig i Spanien, var det stadig sommer. Folk gik stadig i shorts eller nederdele og korte ærmer og solen skinnede det meste af tiden. 5 uger senere landede jeg i istiden. Koldt. Tåget. Regnfuldt. Gråt. 10 sekunder efter jeg forlod flyet, ønskede jeg inderligt at jeg havde medbragt mine uldne vanter; 1 minut senere blev jeg forkølet. Så i dette øjeblik sidder jeg i mormors sofa med en stor dyne og ekstra sokker. Og et glas rødvin (selvfølgelig) – da dette er den bedste medicin til at slippe af med en forkølelse.

I dag...

WE ARE FAMILY

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Processed with VSCOcam with s2 preset
Nerel: Decathlon (t-shirt), Pomp de Lux (shorts), ANGULUS (sandals) – Isabella: H&M (dress), ANGULUS (sandals) – Line Karen: Asos (dress), Clarks (sandals), El Caballo (sunglasses) – Juan: Decathlon (t-shirt), RipCurl (bag), Arnette (sunglasses), I haven´t got a clue (shorts ands shoes)

The primary reason for our return to Tenerife is family. Our small family. We are “just” the 4 of us as the closest family-member live 2000 km away on the Spanish north coast of Asturias. The last 3 years in Denmark has been wonderful. And tough. I’ve been close to my own family and friends, and it has really been great – but being alone with two kids (and a study and a full-time job) is really exhausting. Daily life sums up to getting up early, preparing lunchboxes, cooking, setting the table, washing the dishes, grocery-shopping, helping with homework, filling the bath, washing the kids´ hair (easy), combing the kids´ hair (impossible), bills, work, study, vacuuming …. And sometimes a quick family visit. But I felt that there was almost no time to see family or friends. Close to impossible because when you are at home at 17 p.m. and the kids go to bed before 21 p.m. it gives you just 4 hours to fit in 90% of the above mentioned AND leave time to just be together. Quality time. The economy was not something to boast about –  there is not much profit from one income when an apartment in expensive Copenhagen, car insurances, mobiles, internet, clothing, food etc. has been paid. I needed a vacation. Mentally and physically.

Now the tune has changed. I´m working less hours and although my working hours are much more intensive than in the office I enjoy being able to immerse myself in what I do and know that when I´ve finished I can (in good conscience) be with the kids and their father. There is actually another person who also cook, wash up – and pours me a glass of red wine. Their father (or google) steps in when I have forgotten how it to divide 17.734.972,42 with 364,50. There is time for a dip in the pool or the sea. Every day. And then we just round it off with a walk into the sunset or a trip to the skate-park (Juan and I are ok, Nerel ,10, has eagerly started to learn – and little sister Isabella is just waiting for us to get her a pink skateboard before she will join us) – followed by a cold beer on a cliff edge to the sound of ocean waves and the warmth of the last sunrays. And I am sleeping next to the man I love. Every night. And we enjoy our children. Together.  Does that sound romantic? Yep, it is. I´m becomming completely balanced – mentally and physically.

DA:

Den primære årsag til vores tilbagevenden til Tenerife er familien. Den lille familie. For vi er “bare” os 4. Nærmeste familie bor 2000 km væk på den spanske nordkyst i Asturien. De sidste 3 år i Danmark har været skønne. Og hårde. Jeg har været tæt på min egen familie og venner, og det har virkelig været fantastisk – men at være alene med 2 børn (og et studie og et fuldtidsjob) er virkelig udmattende. Hverdagen går op i vækkeure, der ringer for tidligt, madpakker, lave mad, dække bord, vaske op, købe ind, hjælpe med lektier, fylde badekarret, vaske hår på ungerne (nemt), rede hår på ungerne (umuligt), regninger, arbejde, studere, støvsuge…. Og ind imellem et lille familie- eller venne-besøg. Men jeg følte nærmest ikke, at der var tid til at se andre. I hverdagen nærmest umuligt, for når man er hjemme kl 17 og ungerne skal i seng inden 21, giver det bare 4 timer, hvor 90% af ovenstående skal klemmes ind. Økonomien var ikke noget at råbe hurra for –  der er ikke meget overskud fra 1 indkomst, når lejlighed i dyre København, bil, forsikringerne, mobil, licens, internet, mad, tøj mm. er betalt. Jeg trængte til ferie. Mentalt og fysisk.

Nu er der andre boller på suppen. Jeg er gået ned i tid, og selv om arbejdstimerne er meget mere intensive end på kontoret, nyder jeg at kunne fordybe mig og vide, at når jeg har fri kan jeg med god samvittighed være sammen med ungerne og deres far. Der er rent faktisk en anden person, der også laver mad, vasker op – og skænker mig et godt glas rødvin ind imellem. Far (eller google)træder til, når mor har glemt hvordan det lige er man dividerer syttenmillionertrehundresyvogtredivetusindfemhundredesyvogfyrre-komma-fireogtredive med toogfyrreogenhalv. Der er tid til en dukkert i poolen eller havet. Hver dag. Og så runder vi lige af med en gåtur i solnedgangen eller en tur ud og skate (både far og mor er ganske habile, Nerel på 10 år er ivrigt i gang med at lære – og lillesøster Isabella venter lige på at vi får købt et pink skateboard inden hun vil i gang) – efterfulgt af en kold øl på en klippekant til lyden af havets brusen og varmen fra dagens sidste solstråler. Og jeg sover ved siden af manden jeg elsker. Hver nat. Og vi nyder vores børn. Sammen. Lyder det romantisk? Jeps, det er det også. Jeg er godt i gang med at blive fuldstændig afbalanceret – mentalt og fysisk.

I dag...

HELLO!

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Hello

This is kind of strange…. I´ve been working with so many pro bloggers in my job that I got to a point where I thought it would be best to just leave it up to them to fill the internet with their stories. They know how to do it well and the web is already full of blogs. I have posted 7 blogposts this year. Seven. Not even one every month. That´s not really what you can call a dedicated blogger. But here I am anyway. Maybe you wonder why?

First of all: Believe it or not, but people have actually called for it. Like in “asked me to please start blogging again”. Wauw, that totally warms my little heart. Thanks!

Second: This is a really easy way to share everyday stories and pics with friends and family back home. And it might even be interesting to other people. Who knows? I´m not gonna look at the stats to see how many of you are reading this (oh well, we know I will anyway) – as the purpose to this blog is to share our everyday adventure. Why:

3 weeks ago my kids and I moved from Copenhagen (Denmark) to Tenerife, a spanish volcanic island in the Atlantic Ocean some 400 kilometers off the coast of Africa. I have been living here before (moved here for the first time in 2002) but this time I think we´ll stay for good. My boyfriend (also the childrens father) is spanish, we have a lovely house in a mountain village and I even got to keep my old job! Lucky me, I am honestly blessed. I think there will be plenty of stories to tell.

So there you go. Let this be the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

 

DA:

Det er lidt mærkeligt …. Jeg har arbejdet med så mange pro bloggere i mit job, at jeg kom til et punkt, hvor jeg mente at det ville være bedst at lade det være op til dem, at fylde internettet med deres historier. De ved hvordan man gør det godt, og internettet er allerede fuld af blogs. Jeg har lavet 7 blogindlæg år. Syv. Ikke engang et hver måned i snit. Det er vist ikke rigtig, hvad man kan kalde en dedikeret blogger. Men her er jeg alligevel. “Hvorfor?” tænker du måske…?

Først og fremmest: Tro det eller ej, men folk har faktisk opfordret til det. Som I: “Du burde begynde at blogge igen”. Wauw, det varmer mit lille hjerte. Tak!

For det andet: Det er en rigtig nem måde at dele hverdagens historier og billeder med venner og familie derhjemme. Og det kan endda være interessant for andre mennesker. Hvem ved? Jeg vil ikke se på statistikker for at se, hvor mange der læser med (Åh well, det ved vi, at jeg gør alligevel) – da formålet med denne blog er at dele vores daglige eventyr.

For 3 uger siden flyttede mine børn og jeg fra København til Tenerife, en spansk vulkansk ø i Atlanterhavet omkring 400 kilometer ud for Afrikas kyst. Jeg har boet her før (flyttede hertil for første gang i 2002), men denne gang jeg tror at det bliver “for good”. Min kæreste (og børnenes far) er spansk, vi har et dejligt hus i en lille bjerglandsby, og jeg har endda kunne beholde mit gamle job! Heldige mig! Jeg tror, ​​der vil være masser af historier at fortælle.

Så there you go. Lad dette være begyndelsen på et smukt venskab.

– og ganske uperfekt.