Let's talk about the darker days before Christmas

A village near the sea, grey and rainy days, an old renovated fishing cottage, ancestral furniture, dogs, candles. All topped with a fluffy mist....
This is my well being in the darker days before Christmas.

Of course I love light and sunshine, it makes the world so much brighter and we need it, but these darker days...... Every year again I am looking forward to them. I can't wait to lit my candles. To embrace the soft glowing light creating comfortable shadows and giving a warm glow to my furniture, maintained and loved by many generations before me. To listen to Bach, to read a book. To drink hot chocolate or Winter tea.

No, I do not live with ghosts from the pasts. Maybe it has to do with not always feeling comfortable in this modern world although I benefit from technology and improved health care too!
Often I crave for a more quiet world, less distractions, more simple. With more simple I mean more quiet, alone with your thoughts, less white noise. There is so much noise: traffic, plains, machines, radios.....  Living in a quiet village near the sea, is a blessing.

My former house, a renovated small farmhouse, was far more isolated although situated near a drive trough country road. At the back and the front no neighbours, just country views. I loved the house, it was comfortable and cosy. Still... in my new house I feel even more comfortable. More at home.
Last week I talked to my lovely neighbour about our mutual feelings for this village and the beautiful Wadden Sea. She and her husband moved here 35 years ago, she originates from Germany.
Even now she can get emotional talking about how wonderful it is to live here, which caused me 'wet eyes' when I agreed.

One of my ancestors owned a plot of land in a nearby fishing village. With my huge amount of Scandinavian DNA (the Vikings did not only ravaged the Friesian coast but also 'mingled' with members of the local population) it is not surprising that I feel so rooted here.
The current exhibition 'We Vikings' in the Friesian Musem in Leeuwarden is a 'must see' and on top of my list.

My DNA is used to long dark winters full of fires and stories to pass the time. I can imagine myself listening in front of a fire. My fantasy at work about elves, trolls, giant birds...... I love standing in the middle of nature, inhaling the cold air, watching the many stars we still see here, my feet guided by the night when walking the wet lands.
Genetic memories and reality.

Soon the Christmas tree will be up again. I respect our Dutch Sinterklaas but the very first Saturday after this wonderful festivity for children, the tree goes up. And already I am planning which changes I have to make to my sitting room to give it a prominent place. It will stay there for at least 4 weeks, spreading it's soft light. Adding to my home feeling.

Photo: Ike Roelfsema

I am also looking forward to the Christmas illumination of the village. There are so many old and beautiful cottages here. Often built close to the next one to shelter each other for the fierce cold wind from sea.
To hear the church bells in the 800 year old tower, wishing it could speak. Wishing it tells stories about all those Christmases it witnessed. In mostly hard times where people struggled to survive, but also happy times of new marriages, new born children.

The darker days before Christmas: simplicity and soft glows.....

Love,

Helen

Let's talk about my Ancestry DNA test

(For the story in Dutch please click here)

When you browse YouTube for 'Ancestry DNA' you find hundreds of videos of which I viewed quite a lot by now. It is Hot Topic and several large ancestry sites take advantage of it.

Family background and family tree research have always had my interest. Beautiful stories go round in the family, as well as from my father's as my mother's side. I have family trees from both sides that date back to even before 1500. Graves from ancestors from the 17th century still exists and can be visited. De coat of arms at the stones appeal to ones imagination, as does the history of this generation.

To return to the here and now, sometimes someone joked: "I do not know where you got that characteristic from, probably an obscure ancestor".
By now we know that genes are passed on. You can have some of the features of a grandparent a few generations before. You too inherit habits with your genes. Of course you can not compare them with an ancestor from the 17th century (unless his or her character is thoroughly described) but when I look at myself, I use my hands in the same way my mother's mother did. When my grandfather was suffering from dementia in the last year of his long life, he often talked to me about me, as if I was his once so very beloved wife. Which was very touching.

And nowadays, we are able to trace our roots with an ancestry DNA test, even thousands of years back.
The world population is travelling since its existence and as long as there is trading. There are beautiful examples of this on the Internet. One of my favourites is de excavation of by mother nature mummified people with long red hair and kilted clothes, near the Silk Road from China to Europe. But yes, I have always had a strong fascination for Celts. And Vikings.
During all those travels, romances will have developed between different nations. But migrations also spread people all over the world.
If you think that travelling or backpacking is of this century, you are very wrong.

And what about all the wars and conquerors? Vikings, Romans, Germans, to name a few!
There is not something like a pure breed, even if there are fanatics who think or even dare to say there is. Even though DNA tests have now proven there isn't.

My famil trees are published on geni.com and myheritage.com, the latter offered a DNA kit for a very affordable price within my budget with a huge thank to a cousin!
As long as these tests exist, I longed to do one! I received the kit 2 days after the purchase, on August 28. I read the guidelines, collected a cheek swab on both sides and posted it the same evening to Texas, knowing I had to wait 6 weeks for the result to arrive.

One week later there was an e-mail that the Lab received the sample. Again one week later another e-mail with the confirmation they started analysing and a link to a video of their Lab, very interesting. And that it was going to take another 4 weeks.
But to my ashotishment, on Friday September 21, I received the mail that my results were ready to view at their site!!

Because I know quite a lot about my ancestors, I thought I wouldn't be nervous but this was not true! From the moment I received this e-mail, I had a serious attack of goose bumps....
I needed all my patience reserves to first feed my animals, eat my breakfast and do the necessary office duties.
Meanwhile I thought it would (purely for my own use) be nice to record my reactions, particularly because I made a list of what I thought my DNA would be.
I truly dislike being in front of any camera but this was such a special moment in my life!
After I arranged the camera set-up, I sat down and opened the results..........

When everything finally sank in, there were no major difference compared to my predictions but still I found a few very pleasant surprises!! I still walk around with a huge smile! How can I describe my feelings the best way?

It feels like coming home. My character, feelings, the way I experience and look at things, my preferences and antipathies, my taste for food and lots and lots more, everting got confirmed with one test. Everything, and again everything, fell into place.

For how long already do I call myself 'Child of the North'? My whole life I love rain, mist, dark evenings, Autumn and Winter, temperatures below 22 Celsius, woods but also endless views, Celtic music, stories, reading..... My introversion and pugnacity....... or stubbornness.

And did I write the story 'The Sitter' or 'Wind of Seasons' accidentally about my own ancestors?

I am still the same person I was before the DNA test and I am not going to be all of a sudden someone else but it confirmed who I am and why. And this my very dear readers, is in all it senses, a true gift of God.

The result of the test and my spontaneous reactions can be viewed in my video "My Ancestry DNA results and very happy!!!"

All my love,

Helen / Ike