Monday 2 December 2013

Advent: Week One.

I was extremely busy last week: organising and overseeing the school book fair.  I always think that those two days are going to be easy but they never are.  Even though I am not involved in the buying and selling I seem to spend my entire day in advising book buyers, having chats about books with parents and children, and generally hobnobbing.

Time is passing:


The leaves are almost gone from the trees and suddenly we are in to the first week of Advent.  It is also, officially, the first week of Winter which seems like a good reason to have some non seasonal roses on display in our sitting-room:

I spent part of Saturday preparing our Advent Wreath:

This year I decided to use pine cones (instead of pine branches), autumn leaves, some gilt vine leaves and other bits and bobs to make my arrangement.  I placed it all in an antique brass tray which I think have given it a very nice look.
Here it is (the night before) with the first candle lit:

Over the next week or two I will gradually decorate the apartment for Christmas.  At this stage I decided to bring out our Candle Houses.  We have four here with us. They are made in Germany and while there are many types that can be bought, a major manufacturer is the firm 'Leyk'.  Here is one of their pieces:

And here are two more:

The fourth one that we have kept here in Germany is a different make.  It is modeled on a house in the medieval town of Quedlinburg, which we have visited a few times:

And here it is when lit with a candle:

One side of each house always contains a large opening in to which the tea light candle can be inserted. Candle houses always look so cosy and inviting...

* * * * *

Today I was fortunate to have a day off from school.  I decided to go for a short walk around the town and take some photographs for you.  Not all trees have lost their autumn splendour:

Although these ones in the old town square are completely bare now:

St Suitbertus' Basilica has recently had it's Christmas Tree installed. It was lit when I went to Mass the other night but it was also raining so no photos:

Here is an 'after' and 'before' photo of the basilica interior:
It was a lot more decorated before being hit by a stray bomb during WWII.  I like the way it looked back then, but I also like the way it looks now.
And here is the Advent Wreath, suspended above the Crossing:


They have also begun to set up the Nativity scene:
This represents the Old Testament Prophets who foresaw the Birth of Jesus.  
As the weeks of Advent progress, the Nativity scene will become more and more decorated and developed, continuing right up to Christmas and then beyond that, until the Feast of Epiphany in early February.

I hope you enjoyed this post about my first week of Advent.

39 comments:

  1. Hi Kirk .. New follower here and so glad that I did . I love your blog and this post. Thanks for taking us for a stroll during your walk, I loved the pics and felt like i was there for a visit. I love the candle houses at your place as well. Hope that your Holiday Season is blessed. Sherry @ The Rusty Pearl

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    1. Hi Sherry and welcome to my blog.
      Thank you for your kind comments. Those candle houses immediately add an air of cosiness to the room. We have some at our Melbourne house too and one day they will come together and form a sort of candle house village. I wish you a happy week! Kirk

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  2. I have learned about Advent some years ago, as we have no this tradition here, in Orthodox church. I liked this tradition of candles lit in every Sunday in December. Also I love your candles houses! Great, they are very cozy and pretty, Kirk!

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    1. Dear Nadezda,
      You are learning about Advent and I am learning about the Christmas celebrations in Russia through your own blog. That is one of the nice things about blogging: the sharing of ideas and interesting information. Still no snow here but it is freezing! Bye for now, Kirk

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  3. Hello Kirk, Your candle houses look like the old Staffordshire pastille burners, although perhaps they have a little more detail, especially those modeled after real buildings. It looks like you had some nice weather for early winter strolls. Enjoy the season.
    --Jim

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    1. Dear Jim,
      What's the weather like in your part of the world? Here it is freezing cold but no snow yet.
      I know those pastille burners. I don't own any but I have seen them for sale. They are very ethereal Regency looking aren't they. Our candle houses are solid, German burger houses and buildings and all are in fact modeled on real houses which is something I like about them.
      I am hoping to go to the Christmas markets this coming weekend and if the weather is nice I might be able to 'blog' about it!
      Bye for now
      Kirk

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    2. Hi again, Taipei is not really tropical. Although it doesn't snow, it gets quite damp and chilly in the winter, sometimes even dipping under 10C/40F, which is kind of uncomfortable considering that most buildings and apartments have no heat.

      I hope the weather cooperates for your shopping expedition.
      --Jim

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    3. That's interesting. I don't really know that much about Taipei (I guess I did think it was almost tropical) although funnily enough I was having a chat with a (Mainland) Chinese mother about the difference in the forms of Chinese used and how Taiwan use the old Chinese style of writing. I hope the German weather cooperates too! Bye for now. Kirk

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  4. Dear Kirk - I do love those little German houses and can imagine how you would want to collect a few of them. Do you ever put them in the window - I can picture looking up from outside and seeing a little street of them along the cill all lit up at night.

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    1. Dear Rosemary,
      Yes do we of put them in the window. They look very nice, especially if it has been snowing and there is some on the window ledge. They also look rather nice as a decoration during the day.

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    2. Dear Rosemary,
      AGA has just pointed out that I typed the wrong name for the manufacturers of these candle houses. The name is Leyk. I have fixed it in my post.

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  5. Hello dear Kirk , your decoration is so cozy and lovely ! I admire your little candle houses ,I like them ,I have some . It was wonderful that you had a day off school and you had this interesting walk ! Thank you for sharing this !Have a happy month !

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    1. Dear Olympia,
      Thank you for your kind comments. It was indeed wonderful to have the day off but it made it harder to go to work today.

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  6. Hello Kirk
    I love your first week of Advent post. I would love to have attended evening mass in the basilica too. To gradually decorate seems to bring more meaning to Christmas.
    Continued joy
    Helen xx

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    1. Dear Helen,
      I thought about gradually decorating the house in the same way that we gradually light the Advent candles. Having it evolve means that we are always involved in the process of 'getting ready.'
      I love going to Mass in the Basilica. We have the most wonderful organist and I think that music is an intricate part of the whole Celebration.
      I hope you are enjoying your week,
      Kirk
      xx

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  7. Dear Kirk,

    Thanks for taking the town photos to share with us. I have to admit, though, that my favorite photographs are of the interiors of your apartment, which reveal the essence of charm, coziness and interesting detail. Throughout your blog, I've really enjoyed your dedication to tradition and those everyday pleasures that make for a life well-lived.

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    1. Why thank you Mark, that's very kind of you. I do like the way we have set up our home. It is fortunate that AGA and I have the same taste otherwise there could be a riot!

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  8. Kirk! Your photos are all so inviting and lush. That first one with the golden leaves and clock is stunning, as it has a golden tone that has a sort of patina to it. And then there are your little lit up cottages....OH MY! YES! Advent is here, a time to reflect, celebrate and allow heaven and earth to meet. May you and your beloved ones experience all the tastes and perfumes of the season, and make MEMORIES! Love your posts, Anita

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    1. Dear Anita,
      Thank you for your kind comments. I'm glad that you like that photograph of the clock and the leaves because I was inspired by you! I had been reading your posts which I so enjoy, and the accompanying photographs and suddenly the light hit those leaves so I quickly took a photo. Then I thought about our kitchen clock. It is a comtoise and very handsome so I thought it well suited being in a small montage. When Heaven and Earth meet - a very nice way to put it, my friend!
      Kirk

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  9. Dear Kirk,
    you certainly know how to do Christmas! My own efforts are very pale in comparison. I've always thought a wintry Christmas must be so much more exciting than the wilting season we get here.
    I wonder what that beautiful building with the arch over the pavement is, in front of the church?
    Your roses are superb!
    Happy Advent!

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    1. Dear Faisal,
      I put that down to my late Father who was a big fan of the Christmas Season. He always celebrated the feast in style. I remember him at night sneaking out to the artillery range down at Broadmeadows (we were living in the nearby migrant camp while our house was being built) and cutting down a smallish pine tree so that we could have a real tree for Christmas…
      That building is the one remaining part of the inner town wall that enclosed to market square/Church/Castle complex. That arch was the doorway into the inner town.
      I do like roses!
      A Happy Advent to you!

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  10. A really charming post! Love the little houses, the Advent wreath. I like every detail. thanks for sharing it.

    Marina

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    1. Thank you Marina,
      That's very kind of you. I am glad you enjoyed this post!
      Kirk

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  11. I loved every bit of this post. So looking forward to seeing how you continue to decorate for Christmas. The advent wreath is charming and elegant and I want ALL the Candle Houses. The town (and your photos) are postcard beautiful.

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    1. Thank you Mitchell. I do so enjoy this time of Advent/Christmas!
      If you want ALL the candle houses you'd better start saving! There are many many of them. I wonder if they have that sort of thing in Spain?

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  12. Hello hello Kirk!
    I'm so glad to be able to visit today-- this post was such a treat for the eyes... You've inspired me to get busy preparing the house for Christmas. Your Advent wreath and candle houses are so beautiful and festive. I can just imagine how lovely it must be to sit and read or chat in your beautiful home, glowing with candles & surely the scent of something special in the oven... The joys of the season!
    Warm regards,
    Erika

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    1. Dear Erika,
      Thank you for your kind comments. Yes, get a move on!! Christmas is not that far away now. I have started playing some Christmas music the moment I get home from work which creates a nice atmosphere too. I think that I will begin to decorate the tree this coming weekend and I am experimenting with an orange studded with cloves and placed on the heater to see if it scents the room - not much luck thus far though…
      I hope your week is going well
      Bye for now
      Kirk

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  13. I will restrain myself and won't start collecting candle houses! But I do love them. I'm going to start looking around for them here, just out of curiosity. Nativity scenes are HUGE here, unlike anything I had ever seen. I know I've scene those candle houses but not as beautiful as yours.

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    1. Restrain? No - rather you should give in and indulge...

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    2. Oh, no, Kirk. We down-sized three years ago. Ten giant tubs of Christmas decorations were reduced to two. No more indulging! I'll just indulge vicariously... through you.

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  14. Wonderful images. I like your wreath!
    Markus

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    1. Thank you Markus,
      I enjoy creating Advent Wreaths and this year I was inspired by you in your blog to try other things instead of always greenery.

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  15. I remember your wreath post last year, which was when I first discovered your lovely blog. I like the church wreath, I have not seen one suspended like that before! Yes, time is passing very quickly. I got a shock when I received an advent calendar from my mother-in-law, as I had forgotten we were in the season! Keep warm and cosy. David.

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    1. Until I came here I had never seen a suspended Advent wreath either - but I like the idea of it. We are indeed keeping warm and cosy as it is freezing outside. Meanwhile, stay cool up over there in Dubbo! Bye for now, Kirk

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  16. Hi Kirk!! I must say these decorations are absolutely amazing. Beauty everywhere!!

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    1. Thanks Keith,
      That's very kind of you. I do like getting things ready for Christmas! And I haven't eve finished yet...
      Kirk

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  17. Your first Advent week sounds busy but fulfilling Kirk! It must be such a happy and exciting period at school. I can still remember mine vividly. I always loved this time of year at school, the beautiful things we made, the Christmas breakfast.....:-)

    Your home already looks festive Kirk. Wishing you lots of fun with the decorating!

    Happy weekend ahead!

    Madelief x

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  18. I love the traditional rythms of Christmas and it warms my heart to see you following them. I leave my decorations up until Jan 6 which is considered odd by Canadians. Here the season is over on the 1st. Much has been lost methinks.

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  19. Indeed I have enjoyed this post, Kirk! Thanks for sharing. Your German candle houses are so lovely and cozy. They are such a charming way to brighten up these dark wintery days. I hope you and AGA have a wonderful weekend. Happy December, friends!!
    xo
    Loi

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