O Tannenbaum, Mon Beau Sapin!
Second post for the day. This one was supposed to have been posted after I finished baking yesterday but I got too tired so I went to bed instead.
Yesterday when my mother was out on some morning errands, I decided to search the internet for a gift of hers that I haven't been able to find in stores. I'm almost done with all the gifts, and Bly me(!) a lot of them are for my mom. This year she actually told me what she wished for and I intend on finding each and every thing she mentioned! When I get the
chance, I spoil my mother as much as I can and that often happens to be at around Christmas (hence the fact that her birthday is actually three days after Christmas Eve - a qualified reason why to spoil her).
My mother and I put up our Christmas tree. I don't know the real traditions about when you should really put up trees and etc. but in Sweden (apparently) you put up your tree the night before Christmas eve. Well, my mom and I aren't that traditional so we put ours up yesterday to feel the Christmas spirit. Indeed it was successful; a little bit of good old Christmas songs, gingerbread cookies and oranges (we didn't have any must and glögg is nothing I fancy), and the past years christmas memories. It was cosy and nice! And the fact that there was a lot of snow outside made it all feel extra "christmassy" than it has for years. Besides, now when it's a cold and grey-period outside, the snow makes everything 10 times prettier than usual.
I decided to take a picture of our christmas tree and started snapping away with our camera.
That camera was a present for my 16th Birthday, and three years later I actually figured out
how to work in the best way. For three years I thought that we had bought a crappy camera which was known to have real good functions. Yesterday I finally understood how to work them and tried out a lot of them. Although I have to admit that I barely saw the difference in the many different shoot modes. But some did show a difference and turned out better than they would've without the special functions.
Somewhere in between I managed to fit in some practicing for tonight's Christmas recital: Bach's Prelude and Fuge no.6 in d minor. I really don't want to perform it, I'm so unsure about it. I feel like backing out and just sitting there listening to others play. Thing is, sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn't. Yesterday I found that the slower and more relaxed I play it - the more I mess it up. The faster and the more thoughtless way I play it - it's flawless BUT without giving much
thought about dynamics. How on earth am I supposed to pull this off? I have like 6 hours until rehearsal. I bet I'll disappoint my piano teacher...
After the stressful practicing, I took out the gingerbread dough and started baking. If there is one thing I can't bake its gingerbread cookies! They always turn out a failure, they're thick, burnt on the sides and the glazing never works the way I want it to. This year I was going to get it right - but no... Failure again! It was quite a job too and to get that perfect thin crispy cookie you really had to beat the dough thin on the counter. And that would result to it sticking on the counter meaning that when you would lift the cookie dough on to the baking tray, you practically decapitate/amputate your poor gingerbread friends.
Also I was supposed to have my christmas forms but they were nowhere to be found so I ended up using forms with a Farm-theme from when I was little... It worked as well and just like when I was little, the cat's bloody tail keeps getting amputated when you're moving it from the counter to the baking tray. That's why there's an excess of rabbits and sheep in the cookie jar instead!
The glazing was a nightmare though, I don't know how hard I was squeezing that tube and nothing would come out. Half way through all the gingerbread cookies my hands started cramping so I ended up doing silly glazings on them instead. A lot of hearts since I couldn't find the heart forms either. By the way, on this picture - the cats at the top of each corner were supposed to have beards - failure!
Hopefully I can play it this lightly and freely tonight...
(Hahaha!) I think the guy beneath is increasing speed on the prelude, it seems to go faster and faster - at least at some places. I tend to increase speed at the exact same places too, but the metronome set me right. Perhaps a metronome for him as a Christmas present???
