Travel Well

Ozzy has left this world recently. Sad that more and more old cultural "icons" go away.
Travel well Ozzy. 
Thank you for the music.

From my visit in Birmingham, years ago.

More about the photo and Black Sabbath - in "My Music ABC".

🎕

Today I have found out - totally by chance - about another passing. The lady was not a famous one, but of importance as well - to the ones who knew and loved her. 

Ola lived with her nuclear family in Germany. I met her virtually in a Polish Ladies Abroad Club. We exchanged letters for quite a good time. No, we never met personally, but I thought about her as a friend. I always enjoyed Ola's letters and learning about her world and her family. She had mentioned a few times she was struggling dealing with health problems, but never mentioned how serious the matter was. Despite it all, the lady enjoyed doing walks to a German Camino-type place and travelling to exotic countries. 

When I read in her last letter how active she had been in that past year, and about more trips and travels she planned, I was hoping she was improving and her health condition got better.

Today, her funeral service took place in Poland.

Travel well friend.

I am glad to have met you.

Good Tidings To You

During the year, while doing all the research dedicated to the dear departed ones, I often had a thought, "Perhaps, I should spend more time with the living". 

The season came to do so (which brings less of my online activity here).

The holiday period has been very busy in a nice way - with cooking, baking, season's meetings, visiting, tasting delicatessens made in somebody else's kitchen, and Christmas caroling. I do enjoy it all even when it makes me a bit tired.

In 2025, I am planning to reactivate my corners of the Internet and create some more posts, regarding our direct ancestors and non-relations as well. My plan is also to continue my two Alphabet and "They Lived in Texas" series, among others. How I will manage, the time will show.

⭐

Wishing all our close and distant relations, friends and acquaintances, and last but not least, the followers of my Internet pages, who kindly spare their time to read my posts - a blessed holiday season and a prosperous New Year, with good days only.

Good tidings to you all!

 

Danish Family Story

 This is a family ancestry story shared by late Ms. Karna Ch., a dear Friend of Denmark.

"Ready for a true (or almost true) story ??????????

Find Vejle on the map. The mansion Tirsbæk is situated near that city. This mansion was once owned by a gentleman named Niels de Linde (1678 - 1746).

Map of Denmark - Vejle marked in red

"Lind" is the Danish word for the tree Linden.

There were many people in the household, of course. One of them was a girl named Maren, who took care of the hens and milked the cows. She was the daughter of a very poor shoemaker.

Maren was very beautiful, which was soon noted by Sir Niels. He promoted her to a position inside the mansion.
(If you now have naughty thoughts – it's YOUR problem!!!!! I never even whispered anything!!!!)
Christen de Linde was the son and heir to wealthy Tirsbæk. He saw Maren's beauty too and fell so much in love that he wanted to marry her.

Tirsbæk Gods manor house, situated in Egnum Parish, Hattum Herdeg, Vejle Municipality. The farm is mentioned in the document written in 1410, however, the main mansion building was built in 1550. Seven years later a park (12 hectares) was created around the house. The entire estate covers 414 hectares.
In the 1770s Niels de Linde modernized and beautified the building structure. He also built a big barn around the mansion and turned the hill around Tirsbæk into an impressive, Italian-style garden.

The entire family and nobility opposed the idea – even hinted that Maren had had an affair with Christen's father – it turned into a major scandal, but they were married in 1752.

 The Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen, DK -Christen and Maren were married there.

The property had a riding bailiff of course. His name was Jørgen Hvas, and he was a handsome guy.
We'll never know the true story about the events that now happened, but:
Somehow a big spike went through Christen's scull.

Somehow Maren and Jørgen were married about a year later.

Jørgen got a new name more fit for nobility and bought new titles. He was ennobled in 1761 and was from then on 'Chancellery Council and Council of Justice Sir Jørgen Hvas de Lindenpalm'.

They donated lots of valuables to the local church and other charities, BUT Maren may – just MAY – be the one who hammered the spike into the skull, and that's why she to this day can be seen at Tirsbæk as a ghost called 'The Grey Lady'.

 

Jørgen turned out to be a poor businessman and managed to lose all his money and properties before he died."

 

Dear Karna, thanks for sharing the story! 

The additional info (in green and below) added by myself to complete the family tale shared by my Friend.

-----
More about the people mentioned above:

Christen de Linde was the son of Niels de Linde (b. 1678/d. 12 August 1746, Engum, Hatting, Vejle, Denmark), nobleman and his wife Karen Andersdatter Rosenkrantz (b. 1694/d. 6 May 1736 - Tirsbæk Gods, Engum, Hatting, Vejle, Denmark).

 

 Niels de Linde's parents: Christen de Linde (1626/1706) and his wife Dorothea Nielsdatter Solgaard (1639/1685) - the epitaph in Holstebro church, Hjerm, Ringkøbing, Denmark

Church in Engum

Christen de Linde was born  in 1725, in Kærgårdsholm, Håsum, Rødding, Viborg, Denmark. When he was 27, on 5 January 1752, Christen married Maren Jørgensdatter Loss (b. 1721/d. 1778, Horsens Købstad, Nim, Skanderborg, Denmark). The marriage took place in the Church of Our Lady (the cathedral) in Copenhagen (1). Christen was 31 when he died. The man was buried on 10 May 1756 in the Engum church, Hatting, Vejle, Denmark.

Sir Jørgen Hvas de Lindenpalm and Maren had a daughter Christine Linde Hvas de Lindenpalm (born on 9 September 1758). On 23 January 1774, Christine married William Halling, a landowner who was known to be "a peasant tormentor". Halling bought the Tirsbæk and Bryskesborg mansions from Christen's father when the latter was in financial distress. Tirsbæk was named Williamsborg then.

de Linde family tomb in Holsterbro church

Additional Source:

Geneanet.org,
Wikipedia
1. "Denmark Marriages, 1635-1916", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FKS9-6W1: 20 February 2020), Maren Jorgensdr Lohs in the entry for Christen Linde, 1752.
: 20 February 2020), Maren Jorgensdr Lohs in entry for Christen Linde, 1752.

Photos:

• Map of Denmark: Hubertus, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons,
• Tirsbæk Gods manor house: JEK, CC BY-SA 4.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons ,
• The Church of Our lady, Copenhagen: Photo: by Yalcin, CC BY 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons,
• Niels de Linde's parents: Jürgen Howaldt, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons,
• Engum church: Photo: Bococo, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons,
• de Linde family tomb in Holsterbro church: Jürgen Howaldt, CC BY-SA 3.0 DE <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en>, via Wikimedia Commons.

About Happiness

A documentary about the search for Shangri-La made me think of the poem "A Bird is Sitting on A Tree" by Adam Asnyk (1838/1897), a Polish poet.

"Siedzi ptaszek na drzewie
I ludziom się dziwuje,
Że najmędrszy z nich nie wie,
Gdzie się szczęście znajduje. (...)
Trwonią życia dzień jasny
Na zabiegi i żale,
Tylko w piersi swej własnej
Nie szukają go wcale. (...)"

🐦

My free translation:

"A bird is sitting on a tree
And is surprised
That the wisest one of all people
Does not know where happiness is. (...)
They are wasting their time,
exerting themselves and complaining,
But in their own heart
They do not look for it (meaning happiness) at all.

The original words of the poem are "(...) But in their own chest...".

There are people who constantly need to go here and there, be part of a crowd to fill out the emptiness in themselves, or quiet down their thoughts. Wherever they go, they carry their problems as well, and wherever they are, it always seems to them the grass is always greener somewhere else. 

Even the above mentioned poet, who lived so long ago, realized that to find happiness we simply need to look into our inside.

Check out the video by Mr. Craig.

How Many St. Patrick's Day T-Shirts Do You Have?

Krystyna, my friend, has gone on her life trip to China. I am very happy for her but I am also hoping, she will share her experiences on this blog when she comes back.

St. Patrick's Day has come again. At this time of the year, almost every store sells some Ireland related items. I like the idea of getting a special green T-shirt every year. Yet, I have had only three so far. How many St. Patty's Day Tees do you have?

A very interesting online store which offers all kind of goodies connected with, and made on the Emerald Island is ShopIrish.com. Looking through the things they have in stock, one can find gifts for everyone (from little babies to grandparents), including food and kitchen items, clothing and accessories, jewellery, home and garden pieces. Besides, they also sell special Celtic Christmas ornaments and gift cards. The prices at the store are quite reasonable, what is more, budget buyers can choose products under $25 also.
Another, but very different (including prices), place which offers genuine Irish products is National Geographic Store. I especially like the Irish sweaters and cardigans they have. Made of thick wool, most of them would not be very useful where we are, but it is nice to watch them and admire their textures and patterns.

One day, when I was doing a regular shopping, to my surprise, I came across quite an impressing St. Patrick's Day hat. It was made of a soft plush-like fabric with a gold, shiny clover pattern all over the hat. And that fluffy, feathery rim! Not only the quality of the hat surprised me so much. It was October, not the time of the year when you expect to find St. Patrick's Day items on the shelves. And the hat (the only one in that store) was simply lying there, like a green gem among the grayish winter hats. It really made my shopping time! Finally, even though I found a matching pair of green leather gloves, I did not buy the hat. I was simply not ready for that special green-and-gold treat. But trying it on was fun!

Find out more more about Ireland and St. Patrick's Day:

• Ireland Guide by National Geographic,
• St. Patrick and his life - this website (seems to be extremely busy today) is all about Ireland, with not only history facts but also Irish recipes, songs lyrics, games for kids, pen-pal's section and many more,
• St. Patrick's Day traditions - if there is too much 'traffic' on the web-page and it does not open today, try to see the website later, it is really worth it.

 Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Perfumes And Travels: Casmir by Chopard

I got this bottle of perfume when I was traveling with Ania - a friend of mine. Together we visited quite a few countries, and even more airport duty free stores. In one of them Ania bought herself some nice scent - perfume or eau de toilette (cannot recall what it was), I chose Casmir. When I smelled its sample at the store, I knew at once I loved the beautiful and elegant fragrance.

Casmir was created in 1992 by Michel Almairac:

• top notes: peach, apricot, blackcurrant, raspberry;
• middle notes: mandarin, carnation, cinnamon;
• base notes: vanilla, benzoin, tonka bean, opoponax ('sweet myrrh' - an oil plant native to the deserts of middle East).

It all makes quite a special composition, different to other perfumes which I have had. The fragrance - a rich and intense bouquet - is long lasting and certainly good to be worn during special evening/night outings.

Travelling with Ania - in Cyprus

Instead of New Year's Resolutions And How To Stay Active

There was no tradition of making New Year's resolutions where I grew up. We did celebrate New Year's Eve and had parties of course but since at that time everyday life was  quite difficult and unpredictable, maybe that was why planning such things like eg: 'I am going to get more sporty' would have been quite irrelevant. Everybody was exercising themselves being busy with adjusting to current circumstances and trying to make the most of every coming day.
I guess it all made me more flexible. Maybe that is also a reason why I see no point in making resolutions. When I want to change or work on something, I do not wait till the next year comes. I try to do it whenever it is possible, on a constant basis.
One of these things is all which I call 'move yourself' - from moving around the home while doing all the housework, up to different forms of exercising. It may be, for example: gardening (if you have a garden), walking your dog (if you have a dog), dancing (if you like it), going to a gym (if you are a gym kind of person) or any other sports activity which requires moving yourself from a sofa or getting out of the car.

I like walking. Unfortunately, most of us (including myself)  tend to sit too often and too long, so it is good for our bodies if we can do something to be fitter.

Nice walking area in Fredericksburg.

When it is too hot or too cold to walk outside, a mall can be a good place to practice walking. It can be fun if you have someone to walk with - you can chat, watch nice things and look for bargains at the same time. However, if it is to be a sporting activity, done frequently, it is better to do window shopping only, instead of exercising our wallet again and again.

With Krystyna - a very best friend of mine -  we did thousands kms together, walking here and there...

I enjoyed our walks a lot

If walking is not possible for you, you can join a group of your interest or take part in social activities organized by your church. My mum took up computer classes and started learning a foreign language when she was in her late seventies. It is never too late to broaden our horizons! And quit saying - it is not for me. You do not have to be a professional painter to start painting or drawing. The point is, you can try creating positive things, be among/with other people (or on your own if you prefer it) and enjoy it.
I have always liked being creative and making something nice and useful. It is quite a different way of ' moving myself' though. Anyway, so far I have tried creating things doing:

• embroidery - ages ago;
• crocheting - I tried it and made a few things but I did not like it, so my crocheting career did not last long;
• knitting - while making sweaters: the more patterns or colors - the more fun I had doing it;
  

  

  One of my sweater creations - actually this long sweater is more like a dress

• sewing - making clothes and hats for myself was real fun (if I still had my sewing machine, probably I would post more on clothing);

  

  A blouse made by myself

• DIY home redecorating - the results were always very enjoyable;
• 'computing' - computer and Internet projects;
• baking and cooking.
  
   

Some people tend to complain that life is boring. There are so many interesting things to do (also when you are at home) and so many places worth visiting - museums, art galleries, botanic gardens and more!

Wishing you all a very best year!

Christmas walk