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Blanchland, hygge, Killhope, natural Christmas decorations, Nordmann Christmas tree, north pennines, Seasonal Affective Disorder
I’ve always had a thing for Scandinavia. I’m not sure where this comes from but ever since I can remember it’s held a deep fascination for me. Our honeymoon was spent in Norway. Neither Wellyman nor I have complexions suited to tropical climes so we chose fjords and mountains rather than desert island beaches. If you gloss over the eye-watering prices and the fact that we spent a night in bunk beds in a youth hostel Scandinavia was everything we thought it would be.
My love of all things Scandi hasn’t abated. I can highly recommend the book The Almost Nearly Perfect People, The Truth About The Nordic Miracle by Michael Booth which is an intriguing look into why the inhabitants of the Nordic nations regularly top the tables of the happiest people on the planet. It’s also at this time of year I wonder how our friends across the North Sea cope with the long winters. For me it’s a tricky time of year. My body and brain crave a break from the garden to recharge my batteries. I even like the changing seasons. I’m not sure what it would be like to live somewhere where it was sunny all the time and there was no autumn or spring as we know it, but I do know I’d miss the first leaves unfurling, snowdrops poking through, the autumnal harvest and leaf colour. Oh, but the long dark nights and the gloomy days make everything so much more of an effort. Perhaps if I lived somewhere where snow glistened under sparklingly clear winter skies I wouldn’t mind winter so much. Instead Welsh winters tend to deliver damp and grey. Farrow and Ball might have done much for the colour grey’s reputation, rebranding it from dour to trendy with names like ‘Skylight and ‘Mole’s Breath’, but so far no one has managed to convince me of the merits of dampness. And whose bright idea was it to come up with the name Seasonal Affective Disorder? Yes, I know it sums it up rather neatly and produces the acronym SAD but no one who approaches the lack of light with trepidation wants to refer to the lamp which is a pretty poor substitute for the sun as their ‘SAD lamp’. Even the act of calling it that makes me long for spring sunshine.
Embracing the Danish idea of hygge is one way to deal with winter. After much consultation online I was still none the wiser as to how it’s pronounced – Søren (Flaneur Gardening) can you help? It can’t be translated directly into English but it roughly means cosiness, taking pleasure in the simple things in life such as gathering around a roaring fire, enjoying a steaming bowl of soup, lighting candles, snuggling under a blanket. This is all right up my street. It might be why I love Christmas so much. I know it’s not the done thing to put decorations up too early. Obviously there are the practicalities of keeping a Christmas tree alive for a long period of time in a centrally-heated home. But there’s most definitely a judgemental attitude to when it is deemed acceptable to adorn your home. I’m certainly not opposed to anything – candles, twinkly lights, a sparkly bauble or two – which adds a bit a glam to the house as the nights draw in. Our ritual has always been to restrain ourselves in terms of the tree and full on decorations until the 1st of December. I know for some Christmas Eve is too early!

Spotted this on the wall of an old school at the weekend. A woman could apparently be a headmistress but not run a gardening club.
So imagine how I felt when I was asked to make some Christmas decorations for a magazine and that they’d need a tree, lights, the works. Eek! So Christmas came to the Welly household on the 12th of November this year. We collected a tree from a nearby farm – it was the earliest tree he had ever sold in twenty years of business. There were slightly startled looks and ‘we thought we were early’ comments from other visitors to the farm. They were choosing their tree for collection later on, as we walked off clutching a sawn-off tree and huge branches of noble fir for the wreath making. I’ll admit it was a tad disorientating to have a fully dressed Christmas tree, mince pies and mistletoe in the house in the second week of November. I did have to pinch myself as I was making the decorations. I was an avid Blue Peter viewer as a child and would make the Christmas decorations they featured every year. To be able to come up with ideas and make them for magazines myself is a dream come true.
It was a short-lived burst of festive spirit. Even though we picked a Nordmann non-drop tree we didn’t want it to look forlorn by Christmas Day so it’s having a break from the central heating and it’s in the garden at the moment, tucked away in a corner, where it has so far survived the battering of the Atlantic storms passing through. I didn’t want to take everything down though so we still have lights, baubles and candles dotted about adding sparkle to the house.
We had a surprisingly early taste of winter last weekend. We were visiting family in the north-east when an icy blast of weather from Iceland was forecast. There was the lightest of dustings of snow in the garden on the Saturday morning but I knew that the higher parts of the North Pennines would certainly have more, so we set out to hunt for snow a bit like those storm chasers in America. We headed north to the fascinating village of Blanchland, built from the remains of the 12th century abbey. There was a good inch of snow and the paths were lethally icy under foot and it all looked enchanting under the blue skies. It was apparently -11°C with the windchill and the kind of cold that makes you feel like the air has been sucked from your lungs. It was quite a shock after such a mild autumn to go straight to winter like this. After lunch in front of a roaring fire we drove north to the pretty market town of Corbridge on the banks of the Tyne. From here there’s a road which takes you south over the very tops of the North Pennines, the spine of northern England. Sparsely populated with small villages of sturdy stone cottages and farmhouses, it’s a stunningly beautiful but little visited part of the country. It’s hard to imagine now but this was once a hub of industry. Mining for lead and other minerals was the main employer. Every now and then you’ll spot a cluster of buildings, remnants of the area’s industrial past and at Killhope there’s a restored 19th century lead mine, working water wheel and museum. It was on this stretch that the snow was at its deepest. It was a magical scene from the warmth of the car but a reminder that it must have been an incredibly hard place to live before central heating and electric lights.
It was a short-lived blast of winter and now we’re back home we’ve returned to the grey and damp, but it’s December in a few days and I can’t wait to indulge in some hygge.
Like you I love all things Scandinavian, we too went to Norway for our honeymoon and our Ruby Wedding, it’s our Golden next year, will we go back again, at the moment we haven’t decided yet!
In the winter, nothing beats a real fire, curling up with hot chocolate, a good book and beautiful music in the background.
Will you let us know which magazine you were writing for, it would be good to read all about your decorations.
We’d love to go back again. We went to Bergen but I’d like to go further up next time. I’ve just made a lamb stew and I’m about to light the fire. Plenty of hygge here.
It’s for Gardeners’ World Magazine but it won’t be out until this time next year. There’s such a long lead time in magazines you end up doing everything a year in advance. Have a lovely weekend
Hygge sounds like German Gemutlichkeit. After nearly being knocked sideways by our latest high winds episode over here in the wild Atlantic west I am off to have a hot chocolate by the fire and look at pictures of dahlias on Pinterest.
Keep cosy
Yes, it is like gemutlichkeit and the Dutch gezelligheid. Ooo the hot chocolate sounds good, as do those dahlia pics. It’s tipping it down here. I’ve just put a lamb stew in the oven and I’m about to light the fire. Stay warm. 🙂
I love Christmas and what a great excuse you had to start some of the decorations early and I would have kept them up too. I’m suffering withdrawal from gardening since I was either working on the allotment or gardening here for a couple of hours at least three times a week. It’s now too wet and cold so I’ve decided to cook something new at least once a week.
It’s a bit odd for me because on one hand I need a break from gardening and on the other I miss being outdoors. I’m swimming 3 times a week to compensate. I like that idea of cooking something new every week. We just bought the Rick Stein Mediterranean book after loving the TV series and it’s brilliant. Lots of amazing but simple recipes. Have a good weekend. Lou
Well, considering that I have never yet managed to teach a foreigner to pronounce even my own name, I suspect I’m not the best for explaining Danish pronunciations…
You can hear a few Danish people pronounce it and describe it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mk-oOXmMl0 – anything from cake to watching episodes of CSI in bed!
But hygge is wonderful, and definitely key to Danish Christmas celebrations. We celebrate on Christmas Eve in the evening with a big meal and candles on the tree. (Nothing says Christmas like a dead, dry tree with paper ornaments and live candles… Gotta live life on the edge, right?)
This year I plan to spend Christmas on my own in my new house, and perhaps a friend might stop over for dinner but otherwise it’ll just be me and a roast bird. Hygge can also be a solitary pursuit as long as you are comfortable with a spot of solitude and have enough logs for the fire, cookies and candles.
Thanks for the link. I think I’ve got an idea now. My dad, a long time ago, tried to learn Danish. I’m now wondering how you pronounce your name.
I’m not so sure CSI in bed counts. 😉 But then I’ve never seen an episode of it. I’m not into crime programmes, not even the Scandi ones. Mmmm, naked flames and Christmas trees always worries me. I read somewhere that fir trees because of the oils in the needles are quite combustable so shouldn’t be placed near a fire. Ours is positioned at a safe distance. The Michael Booth book is fascinating. He’s British but married to a Dane and he’s lived there for a while now. He does mention the love for a bit of solitude. 😉
As I work from home I get a bit too much solitude to be honest. At the moment I’m thinking of new ways of work in the new year or perhaps getting a dog! Hope you have a hygge-filled weekend.
Curling up under the duvet with bad television can definitely count as hygge; it’s more a state of mind than anything else.
And I just can’t imagine a Christmas without real candles on the tree; some traditions are well worth a little fire hazard / potential death trap… You just have to place the candles thoughtfully so there are no branches or paper ornaments directly above any of the candles. 😉
Having just this week returned from a break in Norway this post is so timely! We went up to the far north, to Tromsø and beyond. Hygge up there is alive and well and so welcome given the temperatures and the snow piling up outside the door. But in the few days that I’ve been away from home Barney has ripped the leaves off the trees, frost has blackened a lot of what’s left and the sky has turned a miserable grey. I want to go back! Roaring fires, candles and twinkly lights most definitely the answer.
Ooo! I’d love to go there. I’m not surprised you want to go back, particularly if you’ve had any of the weather we’ve had. This weekend has been a bit of a washout. Hopefully we’ll get some sparkling winter days soon rather than all this wet.
🙂
I live about 20 minutes from Corbridge and feel lucky to live in such a beautiful, unspoilt part of the world. So glad you enjoyed your visit. Loving the whole hygge thing, I could happily spend the rest of my days under a cosy throw with a pile of books x
We love Corbridge. I love that part of the world, stunning scenery on the doorstep and yet Newcastle isn’t far away. After an hour or so battling the weather at the allotment to mulch the dahlias I’m ready to snuggle up on the sofa. 🙂 x
Fancy a hygge?
A most interesting post, Louise, and you must thrilled at being increasingly in demand for articles and features – I read your one in the Sunday Times recently. Lovely photos in the post too, and good to read about your trip to the NE. When family members collected for my Mum’s birthday lunch we heard several reports of seeing snow en route from the various corners people had come from.
Thanks Cathy. Yes, I’m really pleased to be getting the work. It’s a slog pitching ideas and hoping even just a small number of them make it to publication but I love writing. I never thought I’d go back to the north-east and the weather would be an improvement on where we’re living but it was good to ditch the wet and grey for blue skies and snow.
So you have to put your ideas to magazines and papers and ‘tout for business’ so to speak…?
It depends. Some will only commission ideas from you, occasionally some will ask you to do work for them that they’ve come up with, but only if you’ve worked with them before and they know you’ll deliver what they want.
Love it! Scandinavia has been on my mind the last few weeks as it is where Forest school learning originates. I, half jokingly, asked our head teacher if we could go there to learn from the masters …He said YES.
Your recent Nordic blog is definitely a sign 😉
Hi Jacqui, thank you! Wow! I hope you’re going to take him up on that positive response. That would be fantastic. I didn’t know that was where forest school originated. I’m fascinated by it and need to learn more about it. I hope it is a sign. 😉
I keep an on line journal, it’s actually part of my coursework, feel free to take a sneaky peek
Oops accidentally sent half a message! Was intending to invite you to have a sneaky peek at my on line Forest school journal. It’s actually part of my homework but will give you an insight into Forest school http://www.forestschooljournal.wordpress.com
It is fascinating and, what I love about it is that it gets kids outdoors in nature and they have fun, different to getting kids outside and making them learn 😉
Just read through your blog. How fabulous! You sound so happy, like you’ve found your calling. 😉 It’s funny how life can take us, isn’t it? Just a simple conversation can change our lives. What a fab way to earn a living, and to inspire children at the same time. 🙂
You need hygge (or hugged as spellchecker wanted me to write) when we are overwhelmed with dreich (such a brilliant word for much of our weather at this time of year).
I know. It’s been a total washout this weekend. We’ve just spent a few hours trying to get some jobs on the allotment and in the garden done. It was blowign ahoolie and lashing with rain. Still the dahlias are all tucked up under a mulch of bark and compost. Not sure it’ll stop them rotting though if this weather continues. I think I’m going to bury myself in seed catalogues and crochet for the next few months.
Well, at the moment, here in Australia we are not too overwhelmed with the weather, but I’ve very much enjoyed your post, thank you for painting a Scandinavia picture for me….
Enjoy all that sunshine. Send some our way please. 😉
What a lovely and timely post, Louise, the F&B ‘Mole’s Breath’ made me smile. Did you see the Waitrose Blustery Day TV advert, timing was out by a month but full of indoor hygge while their suppliers battled the storms. Wonderful!
Hi Kate, Thank you! I didn’t catch that advert which is a pity. Having just spent a few hours in the wind and rain at the allotment mulching dahlias and cutting back raspberries I have a huge amount of respect for all those farmers and pickers out at the moment supplying us with food. I’m guessing they have better waterproofs though than me. Leaky clothing isn’t fun 😉
Another enjoyable post, and I like that bleak looking picture.
I’m much prefer cold, sunny winter days to hot, humid summer ones. When we get what I call ‘tea and biscuits’ days, that is damp dull and windy, I spend much of them armchair gardening or sofa flying with a good book.
I don’t really celebrate Christmas nowadays,and sadly feel that it’s become far too commercial and over-hyped in many respects. xx
Hi Flighty, thank you. I’ve taken up crochet again and have a stack of seed catalogues to wade through, so plenty to keep me amused. Could do with a bit of sunlight though. 😉
I agree Christmas is too commercial, it’s why I like the Scandinavian approach to the period. Natural decorations, candles, simple stuff. Whatever that brightens up the gloomy months. xx
I love Scandinavian design, we have Iittala tableware and ofcourse lots of Ikea furniture ;-). Denmark is a wonderful country, but maybe a bit too much like the Netherlands. Wishing you a hygge Christmas!
We used to live near the Dutch border in Germany and used to spend quite a bit of time visiting places like Maastricht, Venlo, Roermond and Amsterdam. We really liked the Netherlands. I guess it is pretty similar to Denmark. Hoping there’s plenty of hygge there too. 🙂
Gosh that was a surprise seeing the word “hygge” on your blog. As a Dane I find it very difficult trying to explain to Anglo-Saxons how to pronounce the word, you don’t have the “y” sound. As far as trying to describe what hygge is, I find it’s been a bit “mystified” in the last years, it really is nothing more than having a good time often with candles, they are a big thing in Denmark, a cup of coffee or tea in a nice cosy room and sitting together with other people having a good time where ever you are.
Traditionally, we’d never take the Christmas tree into the house until the 23rd, also called Little Christmas Eve, when it would be decorated, and it would be thrown out again a couple of days into the new year, so it wouldn’t have time to get really dry. I always have real candles on the tree and we always have a bucket of water close by 🙂
Mmmm… Our tree has been up now since the 29th of November. 😉 Waiting to the 23rd of December is one tradition I’d struggle to keep. I’ve just ordered more candles although they’ll be in tea light holders. We have too many baubles for there to be space now for any candles on the tree. 😉
Hi, I tried writing a comment here the other day, has it been nixed or did it just never show up?
It was just waiting for me to approve it. I get so much spam and dodgy comments I have to have comment approval set up. But then I’ve been away for a couple of days so I didn’t get a chance to approve it, sorry! 😉 Things a bit crazy with work at the moment so I’m not getting much chance to blog but I’ve set aside some time tomorrow to get back to everyone’s comments. 🙂
Sorry, didn’t want to hassle you. It’s just that normally after one clicks “send comment” a notice saying “your comment is waiting for approval” or something along those lines, this one sort of just disappeared, so I wondered whether it had disappeared into the great void 🙂
I know what you mean. WordPress and Blogger don’t like each other so I have that problem every time I comment on a Blogger blog. Technology is fabulous but sometimes it’s incredibly frustrating. 😉 I’m looking forward to a few technology-free days over Christmas. 😉
I have been trying to practice hygge as I find these northern damp grey winters rather repressive. It has helped as has loving all things scandi – although my house is far from the perfect Stockholm or Copenhagen ideal! I can still aspire 🙂 These last few weeks of rain hasn’t helped but the thought of getting out the fairy lights and tree has certainly helped!
Yes, I agree I find the dark quite claustrophobic especially if the weather has been dark and grey during the day as well. We can all dream of those beautiful Scandinavian houses. 😉 I hope the tree and fairy lights are cheering you the dark. 🙂