Saying thank you!

One of the first things I learned about Denmark is that in the Danish language there is no word for 'please'! Not that the Danish are rude, its just that they don't ask permission for things in the same way. Apparently, when asking, they will say, 'might I?'.

There is a Danish word for 'thank you' and it is tak. When said confidently and quickly, it sounds like 'tag'. This is my first word of Danish and like a child I have been trying it out over and over again, rolling it around on my tongue and then showing off when I get a reaction!

Likewise, the Danes on whom I am practising, giggle in recognition of my effort (and likely mispronunciation) and like long suffering parents encouragingly smile with only a hint of mockery. Can't blame them really - its comical! I now start most conversations with, 'Do you speak English?' and end them with 'tak'.

Linguistic nuances to one side, what I really wanted to post about was these cards that have been my first creative endeavour for a while. There were a couple of thank yous that were outstanding from the move - so many friends helped out in so many ways - that I wanted something personal to send back home.

A couple of years ago, my new year resolution was to make all my greeting cards for a year and it was lots of fun. When time permits, its still something I love to do. As soon as my stationery and craft boxes were unpacked, I set about one morning stamping and glueing.

The papers are origami folding paper from Muji and the prints are so delicate, I love them. Of course, the colour choice is maybe a bit obvious. Red and white feature so regularly these days being the colours of Denmark's national flag. Still, I enjoyed being creative.

In hindsight, the cards should have been in Danish. Maybe next time...