Til Tops

One of the great things about the children growing up is that the scope for family friendly activity increases. We are nappy free, nap free and for the time being, puppy free and no longer are we confined to the local soft play centre when we need an opportunity to let off some organised steam. When my husband's birthday arrived a couple of weeks ago I took a leap of faith and booked an adventurous day out for the whole family to enjoy together.

Til Tops had been recommended to me by two dear friends who both thought it brilliant and we really could not have had a better time.  Built upon an unused golf course, Til Tops is home to four adventure trails that take visitors through the tree canopies on various activities. The yellow course is entirely suitable for little ones, our three year old couldn't wait to have a turn and would have happily been entertained all day had we not been the support party for the taller and more adventurous members of our group. They focused on the green and blue trails which are higher and higher still through the trees. Unfortunately my ten year old wasn't tall enough by just a couple of centimetres for the red trail so we didn't get to try the 150 metre zip line that lies across the vast lawn. He is now hoping for a growth spurt by the end of the summer.

Before starting, one of the instructors help's you climb into your harness and lead's you through the practise course so that you feel comfortable with the equipment. They are very friendly and English is absolutely not a problem. This is invaluable, especially for impatient boys and they will not let you on the high climbs without knowing you can work the harness correctly. Once comfortable we set off on the green trail which is set between two and four metres above the ground. No two activities are the same on the trail aside from the zip lines because a zip line is a zip line and they could never get boring!

It was high and before booking you should check that your child meets the age and height requirements. Things look very different when you're up high and the confidence that seems so great on the ground can feel very different six metres up.

Booking is done online and is a straight forward process. I booked the day before but I am sure that during the summer months they will be a lot busier so it's probably best to book ahead.

There is a cafe on site that serves tea, coffee and cold refreshments. It is great and very nicely run. Situated just outside Hornbeck it only took us half an hour to drive there from where we live just north of Copenhagen. 

We got incredibly lucky with the weather and spent four very content hours climbing and supporting each other in the beautiful sunshine. The boys loved their day out with Pappa and Pappa overcame his fear of heights, thankfully. We will return, I just hope dogs are welcome...

When life gives you lemons

I just want to say a very big THANK YOU for giving me the space to write the last post 'Jeg bor i Danmark'. It was not an easy article to write. I hear it was not an easy article to read. I suspect that if you are a regular reader you may have been somewhat surprised by the baring of the soul confessional so soon after how to make sea salt and chocolate popcorn!

Perhaps you could take a moment to read an article written by a friend of mine at Wine and Cheese Doodles. She has put into words all I was trying to say, only better.

Thank you for sharing your own thoughts on the subject of life as an expat spouse, especially those of you who have been in the same place for a while. It was so worth writing the piece in order to hear the hidden wisdom of others. Your words will be my bedrock as I step into a new and very exciting era of self employment in Denmark so thank you for taking the time to get in touch.

The sun has returned from it's hibernation and the children are laughing in the garden. Life continues and what a privileged life it is....I still have an unhealthy obsession with sea salt chocolate popcorn but it was good to mix in a little sour too, for now the chocolate will taste all the sweeter.

Jeg bor i Danmark

I thought I would have departed by now from these chilly Danish soils. I thought when I said "okay, it's your career, it's for three years, lets have an adventure", that I had signed up for a three year stint in Denmark. I thought there would be regular trips home and an end game in sight. I thought after two and a half years the conversations would start to be about where to go next. Like they are for nearly everybody else whom I have seen come and go.

Those conversations did start, in actual fact they have never finished.

If not every week but most definitely every month my husband and I have spoken about where in the world we have/want/wish/need to live. We are after all, two years beyond our original agreement. It can be a conversation fraught with emotion as we both have differing opinions on what's best for our family or our career(s). We came close last month, very close indeed.

The conversation that started as a 'maybe, what if' turned into discussions with teachers about moving strategies for the children. It turned into appointments with our doctor about treatments ending in time and her disapproval at uprooting the boys from all they know. The children were asked how they would feel about trying someplace new, where we could live a different life. They resisted and then came to love the idea. We all looked forward to a change. I felt lighter just knowing my time in Denmark would soon be at its end. There would literally be sun light at the end of the tunnel.

Please don't misunderstand my sentiments, Denmark is a remarkable place to bring up a family. It is very hard to decide to leave such a fantastic country. One that has been the backdrop of five years at home with my boys. We live next door to two large forests, in which we go biking, cross country skiing, fruit foraging and sword fighting. Drive ten minutes and we are at the seaside. We love the days after school where we pack up our mini grill and some hotdogs and we can just simply play in the water and eat our supper on the beach. I love too that there isn't an over abundance of goods here, we cook everything from scratch and on a seasonal basis. It feels very in touch. But it is not 'home' and the longer we stay, the harder it gets to leave. Yet leave we must at some point, that is the rule.

It gets harder and harder to be the one that always stay's. Just ask my children that. Last summer when they had waved off their best friends of three years to begin a new adventure in a new country the dam burst on their tears and the sobs broke my heart.

For now the conversation has ended, I accept that stay we must. I am no longer waiting to go home in order to resume my career. I will learn to speak Danish fluently. I will make every effort to live as full a life as I can. I will enjoy the friends that are here and I will take trips around the world to see the friends that have left, I will try not to feel lonely in their absence. I will be happy. I am not waiting to leave anymore. I will live in the moment. This is not my husband's job, it is my life and I am in charge.


(By request this post has been edited from it's original version)

Dark Chocolate and Sea Salt Popcorn

I don't normally post recipes on iScandineighbour but this dark chocolate and sea salt popcorn was so delicious and so incredibly easy I had to share it with you. 

Heat three table spoons of neutral oil in a deep based pan.

Pour in a large handful of un popped corn kernels, put the lid on, a have a shake.

I like to keep the corn fairly mobile when it cooks to avoid burning any on the bottom of the pain as the heat starts to build so I shake the pan frequently to loosen the bottom.

Meanwhile melt some 70% dark chocolate, gently, in which ever way suits you best. I do mine in a small pan on a very low heat.

Turn out the now popped corn onto a baking tray lined with non-stick baking paper. Pour over the melted chocolate in as even as distribution as possible.

Finally sprinkle just crushed flakes of pure sea salt over the popcorn and leave to set.

I challenge you not to eat it all in one sitting.