Rúna and her dreams. A natural fiber art doll ready to play.
Wake up Rúna! It's time to greet the day. We have a long list of chores and errands to run, Christmas is coming!.
Before I took a look at the sleepy head glued to the pillow, I am opening curtains, and shaking off extra blankets. Last night's thunder really did a number on my nerves! I thought the whole sky was breaking apart and going to fall hard on us.
I could hear Rúna's anxious breathing too, in the darkness, and I wondered what she thought of the heavy rain. So welcomed in this part of the world, but so scary when it's late at night and all you can do is hear the thunder and see bright flashes of lightning outside.
Eventually the rain stopped. We were all sound asleep by then. Lulled by murderous clouds, and woken up to a bright and shiny world, full of promise, wet leaves and unending muddy puddles. Mental note: must bring the wellies back out again.
One look at her and I screamed: "But Rúna, what will the neighbors say! No underwear!!".
This cheeky girl just laughed at me. With her sing-song voice that sounds a bit like bells. She gave me one of her brightest, most gorgeous smiles and without moving much from the bed, she starting doing her morning stretching routine. Mental note: children copy everything they see so it seems.
Our day's activities included a close encounter with a Christmas pageant, being subjected to early children's singing (both in age and in the day), and a bit of shopping to do.
Good heavens, how can it possibly be just a few short days before Christmas? We don't even have a Christmas pudding soaking away all manner of deliciousness, nor we have all the presents wrapped and ready under the tree.
We are running late. Definitely late.
Her royal highness was still neck deep in blankets, with the rosy cheeks to prove she was going nowhere.
After last night's concerto, the day seemed perfectly fine to her to be spent in bed. Not that I could argue the logic, but the groceries had to be hauled home and the Christmas pageant endured…I mean, witnessed.
Tried reasoning with her. Something or other about propriety and duties. Didn't stick one bit. So we resorted to bribery. I promised her a big red ribbon.
When things get tough and Rúna is concerned, a red 'something' seems to do the trick. While I couldn't fathom giving her red underwear (prude catholic feelings of ancestors past), I did manage to bribe her once and produced a fetching set of bum flap pyjamas. That's all she ever wanted she said to me.
Now, I didn't then, and still don't know, what they big deal is about the bum flap, other than it lets snoopy winds get in. Not the most practical sleeping affair if you ask me, but Rúna has her own ideas about garments, and I just obey.
Now, we had to go out to get the red ribbon I said. She agreed. She sprung up and woke up to life.
She started asking for breakfast and the list of baking to do. Oh but Rúna! we haven't even started yet! We still have to make sugar cookies, and mountains of gingerbread. Yes, yes. The dried oranges are ready, and so is the popcorn to string around the tree. But no biscotti, no pecan sandies, no chocolate bark or lussekater. And I don't even know where we are going to find lingonberry jam my dear, but we shall try.
I know she really wanted to bake speculaas this year, she has been talking about them for ages. But lack of proper moulds has kept us away from sampling this delicious and spicy treat. To enliven the spirits I suggested a Büche de Noël, and the twinkle in her eye was back again. Who could have anything against fat rolls of buttercream and genoise?
She said she needed her thinking cap to produce more arresting recipes. Agreed. Every time she puts on that cap the most fetching ideas seem to come to mind. Mental note: sew thinking cap for oneself.
She sat for what seemed ages, and we were already running late for the pastorela extravaganza; after nodding a few times, she seemed in complete harmony and satisfaction with her plans.
She would go to the Christmas pageant, she said, and then offered to clean the stove and get all the flours measured and the butters creamed.
An angel. That's what I got with her.
A bona fide angel.
Walking through the sleepy village, with no more children attending school, felt a bit odd. We wondered where were all the construction workers that seem to have put our lives on edge for the past four weeks? or the unending street vendors? Rúna seemed to believe they all had better sense than to get out of bed today, no Christas pageant for them. I had to agree.
We got there just in time. We sneaked in our chairs, trying not to make ourselves too visible. The lights dimmed and the show started. I snuck a glance here and there and looked at Rúna who was quite mystified by the whole affair. I just hoped she was wearing underwear!.
After the pageant ended, and everybody picked their kid up, we went back home to get our shopping basket. Rúna doesn't like plastic shopping bags so we always have to be the weird ones picking tomatoes and zucchinis and putting them in our basket. Small price to pay she says, for a better world. I agree.
We bought all the one hundred kilos of butter she wanted, and the sacks of sugar. The biggest bag of almond flour, and the largest package of cinnamon. Mace, saffron, ginger, molasses, honey, cardamom, clove, hazelnuts, cranberries, anise, pecans, eggnog, oranges, peppermint, pistachios, you name it. We broke the bank.
When we got home, scale and measuring cups at the ready. She got busy. I stood in the middle of the kitchen, watching her covered in flour, creaming sugar and butter, zesting oranges, dosing spices like nobody's business. And I got thinking, maybe Rúna is a natural-born-baker. Is there such a thing?
She seems to be always writing up recipes, and trying new ones, much to the merriment of our stomachs and enlargement of our waists. Although a few mistakes were made early on, getting a bit confused with litres and quarts, or the dreadful day when she confused a quarter teaspoon for a quarter of a cup…(no comment)...I must say she is fairly competent. Perhaps I won't have to do any baking this Christmas, and hand over the baton to my trusty Rúna.
Perhaps.
As you can tell, Rúna is a lovely doll, in love with the colour red, with comfy beds and baking recipes. She adores cats, but feels a pang of sadness because she feels so close to birds as well. Shouldn't pick favourites she says.
She loves going out for walks, in dry heat, in wet weather, under foggy blanket, or raging storm. She likes to match her clothes and takes great pride in dressing herself to her own peculiar sense of style.
Rúna adores children, stories and puppet shows. She loves to tell stories, and loves to watch stories unfold. She earns a decent living babysitting the neighbours pets, as well as a few well-behaved kids in the family. She is saving to buy herself a bolt of red velvet, she confessed.
Rúna would love to find a family this year. She isn't very particular about the weather, or the geography of the place, as long as there are long walks involved, fat books waiting in heavy shelves, and pots of tea at the ready. She promises to do all the baking in the family, with new and improved recipes (I can certainly vouch for the this last part).
She hopes she is taken to at least one puppet show, and that you allow her to sleep in when there is thunder at night. She also hopes you forever indulge her love of red. The colour of lingonberries she says. They are her favourite.
If you would like to welcome Rúna into your home, you are in good luck. We are accepting offers today under her name. Rúna is being sold as a "Make an Offer" listing and her base price $1375 USD. Shipping to the US and Canada is $45/International needs a revised quote based on country of residence and shipment method.
Little Rúna has found a home, one where there are a few sisters waiting with open arms for her. Thank you kindly for all your lovely comments, and all the love you've bestowed on this little girl.
She is very happy to be traveling home soon.
Rúna comes with all clothes pictured. She is an 18" Petite Fig, made with cotton interlock and stuffed with sweet wool. Her face has been sculpted with needle-felting and her eyes embroidered. Her hair is made with natural suri alpaca locks, hand-wefted by me and sewn by hand to a wool cap.
Rúna comes wearing a fabulous patchwork dress made of dreamy ruffles. The bodice is made with 100% cotton by Westfalenstoffe and lined. Turtle neck is made of braid and sleeves of repurposed merino. The first ruffle is a pretty red cotton with tiny stars, the second ruffle is made of antique fabric, a linen plaid from the 1880s given to me by a very generous soul, and trimmed with burlap ricrac; the third ruffle is made of linen with pretty white dots and same bodice fabric, and the last ruffle is made of cotton gingham.
She complements this outfit with a matching set of boots and bonnet in red knitted fabric with a pretty fair isle design. Bonnet is lined, boots aren't. But all seams are serged for durability.
Although not wearing her underwear in the first photo, she does have some! As well as stripy socks and a beautiful set of red sleeper pyjamas with bum flap, snaps and buttons. her thinking cap is made of cotton french terry, and has a wooden bead as accent.
We hope that Rúna finds the place where she belongs, that all her dreams come true, and that she is always lavished with lingonberry jam. Thank you for coming to read about this little girl, the last doll of 2017. What a year!.
If you are entering for Rúna I sure hope your dreams come true as well. We will come back tomorrow to see where fate is taking this little hopeful child. See you all soon!.
