Farum, Dec. 2003.
Dear
The major event this year was to buy a new cottage near the sea. After some search efforts we found a cottage of the right size and with a nice workshop for Helle. Christian had completed the old one, so there was no more repair work to do, and to keep him occupied during week-ends and to let Helle have a workshop in the summerhouse, we bought a new house. A lot of work had to be done in the new house - so this year past so quickly. The next couple of years will also be used to renovate the cottage, as we plan to add more facilities. We stayed there for around four months in a wonderful Danish summer and moved back to our central heated house in the beginning of October. Christian still goes swimming now and then, being a real Viking. The sea is around 7 C. now. We were lucky to sell the old house within 4 month of it being put up for sale.
Another pair of events, which took much attention, was that both Helle and Christian went to each their 40 years reunion for junior high school. It was very nice to see old friends and spend a day with them.
Helle was lucky to exhibit at a museum, an old monastery in North Sealand, which held an exhibition over the theme 'water-colours and gouaches'. Two of Helle's handmade paper pictures were selected. Only 200 works of art were exhibited in the end out of 1200 entries.
In August Helle took part in an exhibition with North Sealands' Ceramists at 'Gjethuset' in Frederiksværk. It is a beautiful old hall, where they used to make cannons. The exhibition was very good, but due to too hot weather, not so many people visited the exhibition. Helle sold well.
At a Country Fayre the day before the opening of the exhibition in Frederiksværk Helle sold some Ikebana vases and got new contacts to the Danish Horticultural Society. It resulted in giving a lecture on Ikebana, vases, its use and the philosophy behind.
Besides that Helle made a lot of vases, bird baths etc over summer. In spring Helle had two students. The Danish student went back to work full time as a Kindergarten teacher, where she would be in charge of the hand built pottery group. So now only a Japanese student comes once a week for three hours. It is too much with more students every week, because it leaves no time for Helle's own works and creativity.
Two times Helle went to Funen, Kerteminde. In Sep. she made a lot of handmade paper out of natural fibres, rhubarb, nettles, hay, daikon etc. That was great fun. Later Helle took a course from Nordic Paper Makers Society in colography, e.g. a printing technique. You cut in shining cardboard, coat it on both sides with shellac flakes, dissolved in alcohol. It is not so bad for the lungs as other printing techniques.
Christian has been very busy this year too. He has got a new job at Maersk Data. Now he is responsible for all deliveries to the public sector. For a period he has had two jobs, the old one for Maersk Air, and the new one, where some hectic activities had to take place to rescue a project. There has also been time for more pleasant activities, as he participated in a conference in Cannes in November. During his stay there, he went in a rented car to the mountains, where there was snow and slippery roads. Via 'Col de Vence' he tried to go to Vence, a fascinating old Provence village. However, close to Vence he was stopped and redirected back to the mountains, as a motor-rally on the roads near the village was being conducted. On the way back some misguided jubilant spectators were clapping and shouting of Christian being in front of a couple of rally cars, that would make sure no unrelated cars were on the road. Strange feeling.