CHRISTMAS TIME

   This year I started to decorate my house with Christmas ornaments during the first weekend of December. I hung lights on a curtain pole in our living room. I put a glass bauble with a lit house on a bookshelf. I even ordered two children's books about Christmas to read them to my kids. The books haven't arrived yet but their reviews sound very promising. The first book "12 miesiący ze Świętym Mikołajem, czyli trawnik pełen reniferów" (Eng. 12 months with Santa Claus with a lawn full of reindeer) by Friedbert Stohner. It is about Santa Claus who appears unexpectedly in the house of an ordinary Finnish family to spend the whole year with them. From that moment on, nothing is the same, and the life of the family turns upside down: the reindeer graze in their garden, big sleds are hidden in the garage and Santa's helpers are organizing rowdy meetings in the living room at night.

   The second book "Niezwykły Święty Mikołaj" (Eng. Extraordinary Santa Claus) by Sven Nordqvist is about Pettson, a calm old man, and his extraordinary cat Findus who are experiencing many adventures. Pettson promises Findus that Santa Claus will visit them on Christmas Eve. But where to find the real Santa Claus? Or maybe you can ... build him? Pettson being busy with constructing Santa Claus does not notice that Findus feels abandoned. Will Findus finally get his Santa Claus? And what will really happen on Christmas Eve? The author answers all these questions with a great sense of humor.

   This year I'm going to bake gingerbread for the first time. I've already prepared the dough which I have left it in the fridge for three weeks. I used the following recipe: 

500g plain flour

100g butter

100g brown sugar

250g honey

65ml milk

1 gingerbread spice

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 egg

Heat butter, brown sugar and honey in a pot until the mixture melts down. Leave it for 15 minutes to cool down. 

Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda and gingerbread spice and pour it into the bowl of a food processor. Add an egg and milk and blend until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the cooled mixture of butter, sugar and honey.

Pour the dough into a glass bowl and leave in the fridge for 3 weeks.
Preheat the oven to 180C. Line two baking trays with grease-proof paper.
Roll the dough out to a 0,5cm thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using cutters, cut out different shapes and place them on the baking trays, leaving a gap between them.
Bake for 10–12 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown. Leave on the trays for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. When cooled pipe icing and put cake decorations.

   I'm going to bake gingerbread just before Christmas Eve and hang some of them on the Christmas tree.  I'm also going to make Christmas ornaments from the pine cones that we collected during our last walk in the forest. I enjoy Christmas time because of the decorations that I spread around my house, Christmas songs and carols, the smell of pine and Christmas dishes but mostly because I can spend some nice moments with my family.

Gingerbread house

Gingerbread tree

VELVETEEN RABBIT

   "Aksaminy Królik, czyli jak zabawki stają się prawidziwe" (Eng. The Velveteen Rabbit or How Toys Become Real) is a British children's book written by Margery Williams and illustrated by William Nicholson. The book was published in 1922 and has been republished many times since. Sentences from the book have been cited in other books and films and the story of the stuffed rabbit has been filmed several times. 

   Before I received the book I found a family film from 2009 about the Velveteen Rabbit. I watched it with my kids as it was not age-limited. The film was not an exact adaptation of the book but was following the main theme. My daughter was strongly touched by the moment when a sack with the rabbit inside was thrown into a fire. She kept trembling and crying even after the movie ended. It was pointless to explain that the rabbit became real and escaped from the fire. When I received the book I hid it from my kids as I didn't want the bad emotions to resurface. I read the book in one evening when my kids were sleeping and I was enchanted by the history of the velveteen rabbit. There was no violence, no throwing into a fire but a touching story about a boy's love for a soft toy.

   The stuffed rabbit was given to a small boy as a Christmas present . At first the boy preferred to play with his modern and mechanical toys instead of the old-fashioned velveteen rabbit. The rabbit felt lonely but in the boy's room he met Skin Horse, who was the wisest and oldest toy. He told the rabbit about toys magically becoming real due to love from children. "Real isn't how you are made (...). It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." 

   One night, the boy's nanny gave the rabbit to the boy to sleep with, in place of a lost toy. The rabbit became the boy's favorite toy. Time passed, and the rabbit became shabbier but happy. When the boy came down with scarlet fever, the rabbit was sitting with him as he recovered. The doctor ordered that the boy should be taken to the seaside and that his room should be disinfected - all his books and toys burnt, including the velveteen rabbit. The rabbit was bundled into a sack and left out in the garden overnight, where he reflected on his life with his boy. The toy rabbit started to cry, a real tear dropped on the ground, and a marvelous flower appeared. A fairy stepped out of the flower and comforted the velveteen rabbit. She said that, because he had become Real to the boy who truly loved him, she would take him away with her and make him into Real to everyone. The fairy took the rabbit to the forest, where they met other rabbits. She gave the velveteen rabbit a kiss and he changed into a real rabbit. 

"The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams

GOLDEN POLISH AUTUMN

   The weather forecast was pretty good for the long November weekend and I decided that we should spend the last warm days in nature. On Sunday we took our kids to the forest near Wrocław. We were looking for different autumn treasures such as mushrooms, pine cones or acorns. We didn't find any edible mushrooms but we saw many toadstools and poly-pores. My kids collected some pine cones that we are going to use to create Christmas decorations. 

   For Monday I had organized a trip to the nearby mountain Ślęża. We ate breakfast early in the morning. I prepared sandwiches with cheese and ham and a thermos with hot tea. I put our stuff (including a bar of dark chocolate) to a backpack and we got into our car. It took us about 40 minutes to get to Przełęcz Tąpadła that is the mountain pass that separates Ślęża (718 m) from Radunia (573 m). It was a Monday in the middle of November so I expected hardy no-one to be there. However to my surprise I saw the car-park full of cars and crowds of people on the trail. 

   The weather was wonderful for this time of year. It was warm, the sun was shining, there were orange and yellow leaves rustling on trees. My kids were happy to be there and did not complain during the way up. At the assent we found a place at a table and had grilled sausages with our sandwiches and tea from the thermos. The summit has a PTTK Tourist House, a TV and radio mast, a church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, ruins of the Piast castle from the XII century and an observation tower. You can also find there an ancient (probably Celtic) cult sculpture of a bear.
   During the way back I wanted to rest but my kids were singing loudly. They were full of energy till the late evening when they finally fell asleep. The mountain trip was very nice and relaxing. We spent a few hours in nature, exerted ourselves and found a real treasure - a small moon stone.

The legend of Ślęża

Poly-pores on a trunk of a birch

Fungi

MADELINE IN PARIS

   Recently my friend asked me to recommend a book about school children to him. The first book that came to my mind was "A Little Princess" by F.H. Burnett. It is one of my favourite books but may not be suitable for a seven year-old girl who is just learning to read. Then I started to search on the Internet and found "Madeline w Paryżu" (Eng. Madeline in Paris) written and illustrated by Ludwig Bemelmans, an Austrian-American children' author.

   The action of the book takes place in a Catholic boarding school in Paris, France. Madeline is the smallest of the girls. She is seven years old, and the only redhead. She is the most daring and often gives Miss Clavel a headache as she gets into a lot of trouble.

   "Madeline w Paryżu" is a collection of all six stories written by Ludwig Bemelmans:

• Madeline, 1939: in which Madeline has her appendix removed.
• Madeline's Rescue, 1953: in which Madeline is rescued from drowning by a dog - later taken by the girls and named Genevieve. 
• Madeline and the Bad Hat, 1956: in which the "bad hat" is Pepito, the Spanish ambassador's son, who is a very naughty boy.
• Madeline and the Gypsies, 1959: in which Madeline and Pepito have an adventure at a circus.
• Madeline in London, 1961: in which Pepito moves to London, and Madeline and the girls go to visit him.
• Madeline's Christmas, 1965: in which everyone in the house catches cold, except Madeline. 

Each story begins with the same rhyme:

In an old house in Paris

That was covered in vines

Lived twelve little girls

In two straight lines.

The last chapter is dedicated to the origins of Madeline. It also contains a selection of original sketches from the author's notebooks.

Madeline w Paryżu by Ludwig Bemelmans

THE MAGIC FARAWAY TREE

   "The Magic Faraway Tree" is the second story in the Faraway Tree series by Enid Blyton, the children's author. The book was published in 1943 and had many later editions. When I started to look for the book on the Internet and saw pictures of early editions illustrated by Dorothy M. Wheeler and I understood that I had to buy one of them. I was really lucky to find the edition from 1968 on Allegro. The book is in quite good condition except for the dust jacket that is torn at the edges.

   The story begins when Dick (renamed Rick in later editions) comes to stay with his cousins Jo, Bessie and Fanny (renamed Joe, Beth and Frannie in later editions). The children share their secret about the Faraway Tree and its extraordinary occupants with Dick. Soon the whole party visits Moon-Face, Silky and Saucepan Man to find out which new land is at the top of the Faraway Tree. The first land they enter is the Topsy-Turvy land. It is a peculiar place where everybody walks on their hands and everything is upside down. After Jo makes a policeman angry, he is forced to stand on his hands due to a spell the policeman puts on him. His companions search for help in the Land of Spells. There they meet many witches and wizards who are selling their spells and ask a friendly old witch to put Jo the right way up again.
   The children visit many other lands such as the Land of Dreams where everything that happens is  dream-like and unreal. They get stuck in this land for some time because the Sandman scatters sand in their eyes to make them sleep. In the Land of Do-What-You-Please anybody can do what they want and the children have great fun. Jo gets to drive a train, and all of them get to paddle in the sea. In the Land of Toys, Saucepan Man gets imprisoned for stealing sweets because he mistook this land with the Land of Goodies. Happily Jo and the others rescue him from jail.
   Enid Blyton created a magic world full of peculiar creatures with funny names such as Dame Washalot or Mister Watzisname and unusual places that the children visited. It is a world of children's imagination where anything can happen and where the usual things become the most unusual.
   I enjoyed the book very much. I laughed a lot and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen next. I wish I could be there with Jo, Bessie, Fanny and Dick to climb the Faraway Tree and have the extraordinary adventures with them.

The magic faraway tree by Enid Blyton

DUSZAN

   "Duszan" written by Antonina Todorović is a book that caught my attention when I was looking at the list of "10 books that are worth taking on holiday with a child" published by Newsweek. The mysterious title and the amazing cover with an old house and a bear encircling the top of it convinced me to buy that book. Soon it was in my hands. The hard cover, the yellowed pages and many beautiful illustrations by Dorota Wojciechowska confirmed that I made the right choice.

   Duszan and Janek are brothers who live in the city. Their parents work a lot and they rarely spend time with them. Right at the beginning of the summer, the boys go to their grandmother, who lives in the countryside. Zalesie turns out to be a magical place that allows them to have extraordinary adventures. They meet Mr Śmiejko, who is a good friend of their grandmother. He lives deep in the wood and is taking care of sick animals. He helps the boys to build a small wooden house. Janek learns how to ride a donkey and Duszan becomes friends with a grey wolf. They find the lake from Duszan's dream where the time passes very slowly and also meet the Silver Bear who makes the time go faster. 

   When I reached to the end of the book I felt slight degree of disappointment. The story had everything to make it special but I felt that something was missing. The characters were as they should be, the adventures were interesting but somehow they didn't move my heart the way I expected. Despite my negative feelings I believe the book is worth reading as it touches on important subjects such as raising children. Parents should spend more time with their children, support them in their interests and talk about their feelings.

"Duszan" by Antonina Todorović

MARIA KONOPNICKA

   Maria Konopnicka was a Polish poet, children's writer and activist for women's rights and for Polish independence. She used many pseudonyms, including Jan Sawa. She made her debut as a writer in 1870 with the poem "W zimowy poranek" (Eng. On a Winter's Morning). Her most famous pieces of children's literature include "O krasonoludkach i sierotce Marysi" (Eng. Little Orphan Mary and the Gnomes), "Co słonko widziało" (Eng. What the sun has seen) or "O Janku wędrowniczku" (Eng. About Janek the wanderer).

   When I was a child my mum bought me the poem "Na jagody" (Eng. For blueberries). The book became one of my favorites but unfortunately it did not survive my great interest. Some time ago I decided to look  in antique shops for the edition I had with illustrations by Anna Stylo-Ginter. It took me a while but finally I found the book in quite a good condition. The poem is about a little boy, who wanted to gather some blueberries in the forest for his mum. He couldn't find any fruits and decided to rest on a tree-trunk. He then saw the Blueberry King who invited him to his house. Janek met there seven blueberry brothers who helped him to gather a basket full of blueberries. Then they visited Mrs. Governess and her five bilberry maids. The girls helped Janek to gather a basket full of red bilberries. After this he woke up on the tree-trunk and noticed that both his baskets were full of berries. He wasn't sure if his extraordinary adventure was real or just a dream.

"Na jagody" by Maria Konopnicka

     The other book that I have with poems by Maria Konopnicka is "Moja Książeczka" (Eng. My book). It is a reprint of the first edition from 1891. The book has wonderful illustrations by Harriet Bennett. It is a collection of short poems about little children.

"Moja książeczka" by Maria Konopnicka

TASHA TUDOR

   I discovered Tasha Tudor while looking for garden inspiration on Pinterest. I found many pictures with Tasha taking care of her wonderful garden. She was almost always alone and she didn't look at the camera. I started to look for some more information about this intriguing person. I discovered that she had four children and it was her choice to live alone, but what's even more interesting is that she was an illustrator and writer of children's books ;) She resided in New England from her birth on August 28, 1915 in Boston, Massachusetts to her death in Marlboro, Vermont on June 18, 2008.

   I started to look for Tasha's books but quickly discovered that none of them have been translated to Polish. Fortunately many online stores offer free delivery worldwide. One of the cons is the waiting time, which can take up to several weeks but this a sacrifice that a true book-lover will bear with dignity.

   The book I bought "A Time to Keep" was published in 1977. The story starts with a question "Granny, what was it like when Mummy was me?" asked by a little girl to her grandma. The answer is a journey through memories of holidays past. There were homemade valentines and Easter eggs, Fourth of July picnics and family birthdays. Thanksgiving brought visits from relatives so numerous, the children had to sleep in the barn. And finally there was Christmas, the best of all "times to keep" with handmade presents, Advent calendars, and a "beautiful tree in a shine of candles". The book is gorgeously illustrated with watercolor paintings. 

   The world created by Tasha is idyllic, both in her illustrations and in the way she lived in her house with the garden. This greatly conflicts with the fact that she disinherited three of her children in her last will and now they fight over her estate. The sad truth is that Tasha lived in a fantasy world and didn't face real life issues. Some of the last words Tasha said to her daughter Bethany Tudor were: "Oh, will there ever be a cat and dogfight when I die. But I don't care. I won't be here to see it." I suppose a loving mother wouldn't let that happen but I don't know the circumstances to judge Tasha.

Tasha Tudor

A Time to Keep by Tasha Tudor

ZERO WASTE

   The "Zero waste" movement has become a popular trend in the past few years. It is a philosophy that encourages people to redesign their way of managing resources according to the Five R’s, in the following order:

• Refuse what you do not need.
• Reduce what you need.
• Reuse by using reusables.
• Recycle what you cannot refuse, reduce, or reuse.
• Rot (compost) the rest.

  

"Pokochaj swój dom" by Bea Johnson

   Bea Johnson, who is a practitioner of a zero waste lifestyle, transformed her family's health, finances, and relationships for the better by reducing their waste to a half liter per year. Her book "Pokochaj swój dom" (Eng. Zero Waste Home) shows how the five key principles can be applied to every area of our house from a kitchen to a kids' room. It delivers easy tips for all of us: from buying in bulk and clever meal planning to simply refusing unwanted freebies and using our plants as air fresheners. Bea Johnson shows, by inspiring example, what green living looks like and offers a practical, step-by-step guide to diminishing our environmental footprint and improving our lives.
   The idea of zero waste sounds like a perfect plan for managing items that we use everyday. It can help to gain control over the things that we keep in our houses but also to improve our health, save money and time. It is no surprise then that I wanted to apply some of Bea's advise to my life. The first thing that I  tried was the recipe for liquid soap. I had many small bars of soap which were free samples. I grated 120 grams of them and poured into 1,2 liters of warm water. I left the mixture in a bowl for the whole night and in the morning I found that it turned into white jelly. I added some additional water, mixed it and poured it into a soap dispenser. Unfortunately the soap is sticky and unpleasant to use... and I produced at least a three-month supply... :(

Three jars of home-made liquid soap

   The unsuccessful experiment with liquid soap did not discouraged me from further implementation of zero waste rules. When I noticed aphids on a plant I bought two weeks earlier I already knew that I will try some ecological methods to get rid of them. I found a recipe for an onion and garlic extract on a website of organic gardening. I took one onion and two cloves of garlic and cut them into pieces. Then I threw them into a pot and poured in one glass of water. I boiled the onion and garlic for half an hour while the wonderful smell spread all over my flat :) When the mixture cooled down, I poured the liquid into the spray bottle and sprayed the plant twice with a 2-day break. Unfortunately it didn't work and even made things worse as more aphids appeared on my plant :( Then I tried another domestic method and prepared a mixture of 50 ml vinegar, 100 ml water and a few drops of dish soap. I sprayed my plant with the new cure and it worked partially. The population of aphids has been reduced but the mixture hurt the plant as its leaves turned brown :( I can still try some other natural methods like tobacco or nettle extracts but I'm afraid that the results will not be any better. I decided to leave my plant alone for a few days and when its condition improves I will go to a garden store and buy a professional pest remedy.

The aphids

The plant after the treatment

   I'm a little bit disappointed with the implementation of zero waste to my life. The domestic methods were not efficient and in fact I wasted more - time, money and energy on trying solutions that did not work. It does not mean that zero waste cannot succeed but we need to invest a lot of effort (time and money) to get the first benefits.

SHINRIN-YOKU

   Shinrin-yoku is a term that means "taking in the forest atmosphere" or "forest bathing." It was developed in Japan during the 1980s and has become a popular method of preventative health care and healing in Japanese medicine. The idea of shinrin-yoku is about walks in a natural area to relax, calm down and revitalize. Dr Qing Li who is one of the world's top experts in shinrin-yoku shares his experience and results of scientific studies in his book "Shinrin-Yoku: The Art and Science of Forest Bathing". The scientifically-proven benefits of shinrin-yoku include:

• Boosted immune system functioning, with an increase in the count of the body's Natural Killer (NK) cells.
• Reduced blood pressure
• Reduced stress
• Improved mood
• Increased ability to focus
• Accelerated recovery from surgery or illness
• Increased energy level
• Improved sleep

   The results of shinrin-yoku are impressive and we can easily apply some of the rules to our regular practice even when we live in the city:

• Every day spend time (30 minutes at least) around trees in the nearby park
• During the walk try to calm your mind by listening to trees rustling and birds singing 
• Decorate your balcony or terrace with plants
• Fill your home with house plants 
• Vaporise essential tree oils

   I like to visit Park Tarnogajski in my neighborhood. A lot of old trees grow there that create a nice atmosphere. The park was created with funds from the Wrocław Citizens' Budget and opened officially in May 2018. I often visit the park with my kids during the weekends. They ride their bikes and I sit on a bench with a book in my hands ;) In regards to my apartment I have many plants already and I use tree oils (especially pine oil) during hot baths in the winter. The main rules of shining-yoku have already been present in my life for a long time but now I discovered how important they are and what a great impact they have on my health.

Shinrin-yoku by Dr Qing Lee

Park Tarnogajski in Wrocław