“I used to believe in forever but forever is too good to be true”
Animals know better than most that the best things in life really are free and Scooby or Scoobs (I loved to call him by that name) was no different.
Today Scoobs was put to sleep. He was very old and had been suffering from a malignant brain tumour for quite sometime now. Given his old age it was inoperable and hence incurable.
The last time we went to India, we could see how sick he was with the tumour growing by the day resulting in a complete shut down of his left eye. As the devil grew it slowly took control of the other eye too.
Today our Scooby was relieved of all the pain that he had to endure. He was put to sleep. Baba said he was calm, didn’t budge a bit as the needle pierced into him. He passed away in his sleep, contended.
He is buried in the back garden. A lovely red rose plant planted on top of him.
If you own a dog or any pet, for that matter, you have to accept that you will outlive them. It hurts, but you have to let them go.
We will miss you Scoobs everyday of our lives. Yet in spite of the void that has been left behind, we are glad that you are no more in pain.
I’m gonna soak up the sun
Gonna tell everyone
To lighten up
I’m gonna tell ’em that
I’ve got no one to blame
For every time I feel lame
I’m looking up
I’m gonna soak up the sun
I’m gonna soak up the sun
The words blurted out of my mouth as soon as Sudeep told me about the luggage restrictions on our international flight from Delhi to Billund. Disappointment had already started settling in as my mind was busy making various permutation and combination of what to take and what not to take; what was important and what not was important.
‘You have to prioritize dear.’
Up came the prompt reply from him. What does he mean by prioritize! We are not going for a vacation that I have to do priority packing; we will be relocating to a distant place for an uncertain period of time. For me everything is important; everything was on my priority list!
So with the initial setback of ‘priority packing’ and relocating to another country very different from the place where we had been living previously, I wasn’t very enthusiastic about our moving to Denmark, and certainly not Billund. Adding to my woes was travelling alone with all the ‘priority packed luggages’ and a 4 year old demanding kid. ‘Life can be brutal at times!’
The family reunited; The smiles tells it all….
As I pulled the blinds to greet the day I was instead greeted by this spectacular view outside my window. The grey sky with a slight tinge of colour in the big semicircular rainbow. Wow! The view took my breath away and as my apprehension about the place and the new life waded away, I slowly started to fall in love with this quiet place.
The gusty cold winds with an overcast sky could not stop us from visiting the heart of the town, ‘Legoland’
What a smile!
With the onset of summers the first outdoor event that had the sleepy little town going and something different from ‘Legoland’, the Vorbasse Annual Fair.
I do not like it in here……I am SCARED!!!Creepy crawlies are more fun than sitting inside a ball!Hey Horsie!!!Hello Kitty! Happy Parijas!!
A Simple Hello can lead to Million Things so ‘Hello New School’
And Hello New Friends..
The days moved on and the little one and her parents settled in to the slow moving and peaceful life of Billund. The pace reminded me of my childhood days when I grew up in a small industrial town similar to Billund. The town had mushroomed around the steel plant which was the principal employment provider for the town and its inhabitants.
We made some great friends and visited some great picturesque locations around the country.
Aarhus is the second-largest city in Denmark. It is a city with a vibrant mix of youthful energy and a blast from the past.
Arhus City CentreThe 360 degrees view point
The first Vikings Settlement
And they had some horse driven carriages service too
Someone’s stylish!
Givskud Zoo is a zoo and a safari park about 20 Km from Vejle in Denmark. Whether it is the wide variety of wild animals, or the different species of birds, or just feeding the goats, visiting Givskud Zoo is a great one day visit spot in Denmark.
The hurdles brought out the kid in Sudeep as the kid looked on….
Skagen is Denmark’s main fishing port which also has a thriving tourist industry, attracting some 2 million people annually.
Jelling Monument, a world heritage site since 1994. It is Denmark’s first certificate of Baptism. Two Rune stones stand outside the church door. On the minor stone the first mention of the land of Denmark is inscribed. It was erected by King Gorm in memory of his wife Thyra. The white poles which are in the shape of a ship and marked the boundary walls of the Viking village were originally made of wood which wore off with time. As a symbolic gesture, concrete poles were erected in their place and which still give the visitors an abstract idea of ancient times.
The Rune StonesJelling Church
The Men at Sea is a 9 metre (30 feet) tall white monument of four seated males, located west of Esbjerg next to Sædding Beach on the southwest coast of Denmark. Located opposite to the Fisheries and Maritime Museum, it is one of the area’s major tourist attractions, and is a famous landmark of Esbjerg
Four Men at Sea
Flensborg The trading town of Flensburg (or Flensborg in Danish) was founded by Danish settlers and is the northern most German city about 7 Kms from Denmark.
Vandel Vandel is another quiet town about 7 Kms from Billund and 22 Kms from Vejle in Denmark.
The view of the Vandel Church
Vejle It is the ninth largest city in Denmark with great communication facilities to all the major towns and cities in the country. It has got a great shopping district especially when you are coming from a small town of Billund. For me it is the nearest shopping heaven. Vejle is most known for its forested hills, fjord, harbour, shopping, pedestrian mall, and iconic windmill. It has even a protected forest area where a wide variety of deers can be found.
8.5-meter granite sculpture featuring biblical relief motifs created by Danish artist Bjørn Nørgaard near the central bus and train station
Denmark was a pleasant surprise for us and certainly Billund in itself is a unique place to live in. Surrounded by ‘Lego’ buildings and ‘Lego People’ we got to see more of Billund than just ‘Lego’.
Christmas in DenmarkSanta has got a new ride!!And we have our own ride!!!
Winter giveth the fields, and the trees so old,
Their beards of icicles and snow…
—Charles duc d’Orleans
Welcome the new beginnings–Its Spring time
Life has come full circle in Denmark now. My stay has completed a whole new year with a whole new experience. From new friends to new traditions, the move to Denmark has added some entirely new perspectives into our lives and we are for sure enjoying them.These little spring blooms mark the beginning of another year with another set of experiences in my year old new home!!
Jyotishree Mohanty 