A North East Angle

December 23rd 2011

2012-01-07T20:58:00.002+01:00

Stopped in Stockholm for breakfast, Christmas window displays and a 21-gun salute, not for us but for Queen Sylvia's birthday.

Autumn 2011

2012-01-05T07:56:00.007+01:00

Living this far North, I often get asked about the light. How many hours of daylight do we get? Well, we're not so far North that it's dark the whole time. These were all taken at the end of November in the middle of the day.

Sweet Strawberry

2011-10-02T19:46:00.002+02:00

... taken 4 weeks ago. I've got some catching up to do.

Vi är så glada...

2011-09-25T18:46:00.001+02:00

Happy 26th Birthday Pa!

2011-09-25T18:19:00.002+02:00

Rain dears?

2011-09-11T23:09:00.001+02:00

The Fells

2011-09-10T22:02:00.004+02:00

Just spent three days in the mountains with 70 teenagers and survived, in spite of storm winds, heavy rainfall, near sub-zero temperatures and lemmings everywhere, even in the tents.

I think all the teenagers made it too, but I kept losing count.

More pictures soon.

Putting the chicken on...

2011-08-30T21:53:00.000+02:00

for Granny

Ghostly Class Trip

2011-08-24T18:19:00.006+02:00

Back at the end of May, Strawberry went on a class trip, spending the night in a supposedly haunted old children's home.

At the last minute I went along too as they needed an extra car. This was the view from my bedroom window.

I slept very well there, but one rather odd thing happened. When I first entered my room it was very warm, so I opened the window to let in some fresh air, before I went back to the car for my overnight bag. When I came back the window was closed. I'd left my door locked and the window was shut and fastened down when I came back.

Nipa's Dog Blog

2011-08-11T12:40:00.005+02:00

Nipa now has her own blog, see under links on right...►

No need to comment, it's just her showing off her photogenic genius, computer skills and other doggy tricks.

Back home

2011-08-09T11:27:00.002+02:00

These were taken back in May from the top of the hill on Frey's Island looking west to the mountains, south over the lake and east over our home town.

The Jump

2011-08-04T21:38:00.009+02:00

Inspired by Ted Gardestad's "I'm going to jump from the Eiffel Tower", Strawbs puts in some practice, showing her big sister how to do it.

It's a very long way up to the top, and the queue is just silly,

so we do it the quick way...

The Fashion Crime!

2011-07-26T13:35:00.002+02:00

Lots of French food...

2011-07-26T13:18:00.003+02:00

We stopped at regular intervals to fill up on pain au chocolat and fresh peaches washed down with coffee, hot chocolate, Orangina, Bella Lula etc ...

we also found an enormous lollipop...

a Norwegian salad (?)

steak and tagliatelle (? I had mine with pommes frites!)

...sorbet

... and crepes of course!

Paris!

2011-07-26T11:59:00.001+02:00

Last week we took a last minute trip to Paris for 2 days. I haven't been for 30 years and the girls, although they have traveled a lot, have only been to and from England, plus the odd day trip to Norway. I thought it was time to widen their horizons. The flights were cheap leaving late in the evening and early in the morning. I thought we'd find some comfy seats at the airport in France and just rest rather than booking hotels. Unfortunately this cunning plan to save a few Euros failed miserably. The airport closed at midnight and armed soldiers, fingers on their triggers marched through.

Fortunately some very kind people took pity on us and found us a cheap hotel for the night in spite of the late hour. The hotel was so good, and cheap :) we booked the same one for the trip home.

The first day in Paris, it rained so hard all day long, I didn't dare take my camera from its plastic bag. The second day looked like rain again, but we managed to stay dry and complete are goals for the trip:

Eat lots of French food (me)
Jump from the Eiffel Tower (Miss T)
Commit a crime of fashion (Strawberry)

The last of Stockholm

2011-07-24T13:46:00.004+02:00

Just a few last pictures of Stockholm from our return trip to London at Easter.

Dancing and singing in the Spring at Skansen in Stockholm Saturday April 30th.

And finally the night train home...

Arriving home Sunday 1st May 2011 6.50am...
More tomorrow. Having done London and Stockholm, how about Paris?

To and from Skansen

2011-07-22T15:02:00.002+02:00

Still Saturday 30th April!

Saturday April 30th

2011-07-22T13:45:00.005+02:00

Back in Stockholm we celebrated Carl XVI Gustaf's birthday with some delicious Italian food in a restaurant next to the King's Garden,

not far from the palace

with the daffodils in flower.

The sun was shining, but the wind was cold.

So cold that we didn't stay for the lighting of the traditional bonfire at Skansen, but when the choir had finished "singing in the Spring", we made our way back to the station for the night train home.

The Day of the Wedding, Friday April 29th

2011-07-15T16:36:00.004+02:00

All dressed up for his Majesty's not so secret service?

Miss T towers over her little sister, but then she is in her mum's little sister's stilettos.

Strawberry and Miss T posing with Camilla for a portrait, she and Charles followed behind in the car on to the ...

... garden party, causing quite a stir and several hoots as they both waved regally through the back windows.

Party games, putting the ring on the right finger

and lots of royal grub, including a chocolate fountain

proved to be a complete knockout.

Thank you little sister and everyone else there, we had a blast.

Strawberry's choice

2011-07-09T10:10:00.002+02:00

Miss T chose the Tower and for our second day in London Strawberry chose the British Museum

and the mummies, which I didn't take phorographs of, but Strawberry did, so they might appear on her blog one day. My favourite was Cleopatra's daddy's mummy.

After the museum we walked through London. It was the day before the royal wedding, so there was a party atmosphere on the streets, silly hats and flags everywhere.

The Tower of London

2011-07-05T11:41:00.004+02:00

As we only had three days in London, thank you little sis for putting us up yet again, the girls got to choose one thing each they'd like to do. Miss T. chose the Tower and all its treasures which the kind grandparents treated us to, along with a personal guided tour from one of the country's top experts on arms and armour. While the guide refuelled on tea, the girls and I took a butchers at the crown jewels. As there were very few people there, we went round twice, before a guard took pity on us and let the girls try on the last item on show, the crown of India. It suited them both perfectly, but we were travelling with handluggage only and it looked rather heavy.

Another kind guard allowed us and our guides to escape from the White Tower by way of a secret passage, a lift and a heavily studded door.

Our visit to the Tower was a great pleasure that the girls and I will remember for a long time to come, thank you Granny and Pa!

Bottled Up.

2011-06-30T10:31:00.003+02:00

Passing a shop-window in the Old Town in Stockholm I noticed the largest "ship in a bottle" I had ever seen, except it was a weaving loom on 3 different levels with china-headed dolls on each level.

Two days later in Trafalgar Square my record was broken by several yards.

Only two months behind!

2011-06-29T17:56:00.004+02:00

Two months ago during the Easter break, we took the night train to Stockholm. Strawbs took the top bunk while Miss T tried hard not to stick her head out of the window.

(See below: Stockholm townhall across the water and primeminister's official residence behind Strawbs. on our arrival at 7am)

We had a picnic breakfast next to the palace and watched the changing of the guards in the early morning sun,

before heading for London...

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T23:26:00.005+02:00

This Easter weekend has been hot, almost 20 C in the shade. The bears are up and about, so I made lots of noise walking the dog through the forest this afternoon.

Yesterday in town the Great Lake was still frozen and there's still lots of snow in the mountains, and yet it's so warm.

We put the trampoline up today keeping the girls busy.

Nipa nibbled the old dry grass, holding it daintily between her front paws.

We got our bikes out this week. Strawberry thinks she's big enough to ride mine. I think she should wait another summer.

The ski slope, see behind Strawbs, is still covered in snow, but Spring is definitely here.

Passing on.

2011-04-22T22:27:00.013+02:00

Sorry, I have not been a very active blogger recently.

I have given precedence to other dear ones for some time now, but I haven't forgotten any of you.

My in-laws have been close neighbours ever since I married and moved to Sweden 23 years ago and I have always felt welcomed and loved by them. Saturday March 19th, after several months of illness, my father-in-law passed on. The funeral was held last Friday.

My mother-in-law says that he was the best husband she could have had. I know he was the best father-in-law I could have had.

Mad March Days

2011-03-05T19:26:00.002+01:00

Taken today on a long walk with the dog. We stopped for a drink from a spring. The water was a little cold.

Trying to capture the hound in the same image didn't work this time. She's so fast and my phone camera is so slow, but here's her nose and Miss T decorating the background.

The two pictures above were taken last weekend on the ice, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. The days are starting to get lighter.

This is Strawberry about to eat the moon, she's still convinced it's made from cheese thanks to Wallace and Gromit.

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T00:02:00.001+01:00

Dogged but slow...

2011-01-25T22:19:00.004+01:00

..that's me, unlike the dog who is nippy and quick to learn. We can now clip claws, with Miss T's help, I can't do the left side because I can't work out how to hold her paws left handed, but I can do the right side (?). This is mostly due to a very kind and patient nurse at the animal hospital who took her time to win the dog's confidence and to show me how to do it.
The weather is weird... it poured with rain all Sunday night here, so walking to school on Monday morning was almost impossible. Every other step and Strawbs or I would slide down the very slippery slope, fortunately Miss T (or her boots) was made of sterner stuff and she just pulled us back up. Now the temperature is back down to minus 16 C and the ice isn't quite so lethal.

The Last Day of Christmas!

2011-01-13T23:34:00.004+01:00

Thanks to good old King Canute we still have 20 days of Christmas here, so I'm not too late in wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year :)
We spent the holidays quietly, but happily with a beautifully decorated tree ...

and wooden angels watching over us...

eating oranges...

watching an eerie 80% eclipse of the sun...

Cross-country skiing with the dog, she was never still long enough to get her in a shot...

Playing in the snow in spite of the extreme cold, at one stage it dropped to minus 36C (-32.8F)...

and sometimes managing to land face first :(

playing board games...
downhill skiing in town :)...

and avoiding Rudolph and friends on the roads.
I'll try and stay up to date from now on, after my long rest.

Staying safe

2010-12-12T21:45:00.002+01:00

Please don't worry about the Granny. We're trying to take good care of her: boiling all her water (apparently we have the parasite, cryptosporidium in Europe's cleanest water) and only letting her out with a bodyguard and in the protection of one of Santa's elves. She has to spend a few hours in Stockholm on Tuesday, but we'll wrap her up in some of the cotton wool in the background first.
xxx

Jamtli jul marknad

2010-12-04T19:20:00.002+01:00

I 'm here.

2010-12-03T07:45:00.001+01:00

Half term

2010-11-13T23:31:00.002+01:00

Last week was half-term, holiday here. The girls got the whole week off, and I was able to work from home Thursday and Friday, so we went out to the cottage for a few days. It was great to be able to let the dog off her lead. She loved the freedom. The only problem is she moves so fast it's difficult getting shots of her. Miss T. got the dog to stand still for a second on this shot, then she was off again, flying over stones, snow and ice, while we slipped and skidded. I even lost a welly at one stage, it got stuck between stones under the snow.

The hole in the ants nest in the background of this picture was probably made by a bear. There weren't many blue berries this year, so hopefully the local bears have filled up on ants instead.

Hamlet in a box!

2010-10-31T21:40:00.007+01:00

For my birthday Miss T. has made me an amazing present. It's Hamlet in a box. When teaching Shakespeare I normally borrow the girls toys, Barbie dolls, Playmobil, Action Men etc and put on a small production of Hamlet. Now I don't have to hunt around any more for an appropriate toy to play Queen Gertrude or Polonius, I've got them all in a shoe box, each figure carefully crafted and placed in it's own labelled and lined box. The shoe box itself turns into a stage where the pieces can be moved around to create different scenes. She has even included details such as swords, a horse, a throne and a cup of poison. No wonder I haven't been allowed into her room for the last few weeks!

Thank you Toots! I love it and you!

From Four to Five

2010-09-27T22:52:00.004+02:00

This is Nipa our new family member. She is 6 years old and comes from the far North. We had to travel several hundred miles north of the Arctic Circle to find her. She is a Nordic Spitz and the most easy going, gentle creature we could have wished for.

After our thousand mile long trek North in search of Nipa, we are catching up with life here at home and preparing for our trip back to the old country to say farewell to our Great Gran.

Back to school... a month ago!

2010-09-26T22:06:00.003+02:00

Sorry everyone, there has been a lot going on here, but I'll keep trying to stay on top of it all and whatever happens I shall follow the advise of my Grand mama and keep smiling :):):) too.
And it's not all bad news either, we have a new family member. Introductions tomorrow, if I can fit it in. P.S. Happy Belated Birthday Pa! 26 again!!!

No ghosts allowed!

2010-08-29T21:57:00.002+02:00

Travelling on a train a few years ago my youngest daughter asked me why ghosts were not allowed to use the toilet on the train. It took me a while to work it out, but as you can see she's quite right. According to the signs pasted to each toilet lid, ghosts are not allowed to relieve themselves on Swedish trains.

Haunted House?

2010-08-23T22:04:00.009+02:00

As ghosts have been a favourite topic of discussion amongst our almost teenagers this summer we took them to visit a local haunted vicarage.

I am glad we didn't stay the night, I don't think we would have got a lot of sleep, it was the sort of house where every floorboard creaked before you even thought of putting a foot on it.

This young man hung from one of the bedroom walls and it is said he haunts the dreams of those who sleep there, or so I have heard from someone who has.

Waffle? Definitely, as the ones served with cloud berry jam and cream in this haunted house were delicious.

From the Stone Age into the 21st century

2010-08-08T20:19:00.002+02:00

Holidaying at home we are finding there are plenty of places to keep us all entertained. These photos were taken at a new museum in town where the military history of the area is represented. There was lots of stuff to keep the kids happy and the MOTH took a trip down memory lane.

Touring: rock carvings and horses

2010-08-05T10:30:00.008+02:00

Last week we went to see the 5 000 year old rock carvings beside the waterfall at Glosa. It's a place where you can well imagine the people of the Stone Age celebrating a successful hunt and taking their time to leave their mark.

We stopped on the way home for ice creams at Wangen ("a national center for education and development in Swedish trotting" :) We didn't see many horses, I think they must have been, like us, on their summer holidays.

Experimental Day Out

2010-07-27T17:35:00.003+02:00

Going down south to pick up a nice niece, we made the most of it by spending half a day at the National Museum of Art, my treat, and a whole day at Tom Tits Experiment, the girls treat, see pictures above. All very satisfying, thank you Granny! And thank you Pa for the gobstoppers, the long journey down was very quiet, even if their tongues and teeth turned black and yellow!

Wild Strawberries!

2010-07-23T21:25:00.005+02:00

She doesn't like spiders, but catching frogs is easy!

Summer snaps

2010-07-20T10:12:00.005+02:00

Just a couple of images of summer here in the north of Europe. I want to try and get some fishing done today, so I'm only dropping in for a quick look. Back soon with more.

While I'm gone, see if you can guess what this is?

Miss T.

2010-07-04T11:04:00.004+02:00

Miss T has been poorly this week. Her temperature has been 39 C (102 F) for nearly a week. When she's is sick or in pain she becomes the politest person you could ever wish to meet, apologizing for not being able to eat or drink more, and thanking me for small things like puffing up her pillow. I knew she was on the road to recovery this morning when I thought I heard her say something rather rude to me as I tried to convince her to take a second egg. When I questioned her about it, she said "No, I didn't say that, I just thought it!"

A sign of love...

2010-06-20T21:43:00.002+02:00

...for the Swedish newly weds, made by two very wet and tired Scouts, who have survived bugs and slugs in their sleeping bags for the last three nights. With many thanks to Aunty M. for cleaning them up and letting them watch the historic event on her big screen.

Lord of the Rings Party

2010-06-18T20:20:00.001+02:00

This was taken last weekend. Going to watch the football now :)

Thawing up

2010-05-13T11:00:00.002+02:00

We've got four days off, so I have time for some much needed catching up. It's getting lighter and the dust is starting to show so I'm going to start with Spring cleaning. Back in a bit.

Happy Birthday Tom!

2010-04-08T19:39:00.005+02:00

We took these pictures on the way home from England in January. It was so windy on the deck of the boat that even our wooly hats blew off if we didn't hold on to them. The picture below was taken on Malmö's version of the London Eye. Both the boat and the pod ride gave me butterflies, but I think you would enjoy them, Tom, as did your cousins.

Happy Birthday baby!

2010-04-07T08:51:00.003+02:00

Little sister's flumpty somethingth birthday today! Strawberry says Happy 21st Birthday again Aunty Lizzy:) Still no flowers to take pretty pictures of, but the snow is melting and leaving lots of puddles to play with. Easter Holidays all this week, but the girls have decided to be sick! Very nasty coughs and high temperatures, so I have to go and play in the puddles on my own :(

Happy Easter!

2010-04-02T11:13:00.003+02:00

Easter holidays start today so we're off to the woods to look for the Easter Bunny, well Hare actually, we don't have bunnies here. Back in a few days.

Not Happy Birthday Again!

2010-04-02T11:06:00.004+02:00

The Man Of The House celebrated his 60th birthday this week, except he didn't, because he didn't want to, so we won't.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

2010-03-25T20:31:00.004+01:00

Granny is 70 today, hip,hip hurray!
Enjoy the balloon ride.
Wish we could be there with you.

All Alone

2010-03-20T21:39:00.008+01:00

This is not Sweden, but East Anglia, taken in January from the car window as Granny whizzed us on our way. But it will do to illustrate how we are feeling this weekend, cold and lonely. The children have left us and gone with the Scouts to ski in the mountains. The youngest rang this morning at 6.10 am just to let us know she had woken up. She rang again at 6.20 am to tell us that she had a tummy ache and that she loved us both very much. She called again at 6.30 am to say that the tummy ache might be due to hunger and once again at 6.40 am informing us that big sister had woken up. Since then things have been very quiet, so I guess they're having a good time. We have kept ourselves busy, shopping this morning and visiting art exhibitions this afternoon, well one of us did, the other slept. Paintings don't normally move me to tears, but this afternoon one by the artist Berta Hansson (1910-1994) did, together with these words next to it:

The Last Bird

This evening yet another bird landed
On my out stretched canvas.
One big and white.
The last one of all.
How do I know it is my last?
Well, these things cannot be mistaken.
These things are felt in the heart and in the marrow of the bones.
I fought long with the paint,
Conquered the black
With the white.
When the bells of Mary Magdalene
Rang dully twelve times
Then I left my easel for good.
Ending my life as a painter.
Without, I believe, self-pity.
But with, of course, trepidation.
Now all that remains is to wait.

Berta Hansson 1991

Happy Mothering Sunday

2010-03-14T19:00:00.004+01:00

The weather wasn't perfect, wind and hail, but we still managed to skate a few miles this afternoon. Coming home with the wind behind us felt like we were sailing.

Too sick to ski :(

2010-03-12T20:41:00.004+01:00

Last weekend I should have been skiing 30 km, instead I slept off a queasy tum and a blinding head ache and opted for more gentle means of transport in the crisp cold, minus 20 C.

Saturday skiing

2010-02-07T23:25:00.004+01:00

We spent Saturday skiing. I spent a couple of hours cross-country skiing in the morning. I'm in training for "Tjejvasan" a 30 km skiing competition in 3 weeks time. I managed 12 km without too many problems.

In the afternoon I took the girls downhill skiing, which they much prefer to cross-country. I suppose the views and the speed are exhilerating, but I think I'd rather have the quiet calmness of cross-country.

Musts

2010-01-31T10:39:00.004+01:00

These were taken on January 11th when we arrived back home from our trip to England. It was warmer here than in England, only 2 degrees below freezing.

This is what I should be doing right now, out skiing, but it's cold and I'm tired and I've got loads of work to catch up on. Maybe this afternoon.

A cold start

2010-01-24T21:56:00.004+01:00

Leaving England, we saw most snow at the port of Harwich, but at least the sea wasn't frozen...

unlike it was at the port of Esbjerg in Denmark. Not that it hindered us, we just kept heading further North.

Happy New Year!

2010-01-18T21:40:00.005+01:00

Love and joy come to you,

And to you your wassail too;

And God bless you and send you

a Happy New Year!

See, I've almost caught up. Twelth Night was yesterday, if anyone is still using the old calender?
Spent New Year's Day in London with baby sister taking good care of us. We took the bus down instead of the train. Normally I prefer the train as you can move around more. But the bus was fine and much cheaper, not a double decker, but we caught one of these at Victoria. This one was in the New Year's day Parade heading towards a Happy New Year, as can be seen if enlarged.

Happy Boxing Day!

2010-01-17T11:14:00.003+01:00

In Swedish they call it "sucking the toffee" (att suga pa karamellen), making something good last as long as possible. Christmas Day was spent at mum's and dad's, together with my gran and my baby sister and her 3 children. On Boxing Day we all went out to watch the Hunt.

Merry Christmas!

2010-01-16T20:05:00.003+01:00

At least, I hope you all had one, we did.
Thanks to my family. I love you.

Happy Halloween!

2009-10-29T14:32:00.003+01:00

Sorry! I don't seem to be able to keep up, but we're all fine. It's half-term and we're heading off into the wilderness. I've done the cleaning and almost finished packing, but the cars still have to be fixed. One needs a dose of something sweet to stop it from freezing up, the other one is having its battery re-charged. Once we have done that, then we're off for a few days to re-charge our batteries. I'll come round and see you all when we get back.

Winter's here

2009-10-11T19:50:00.004+02:00

It snowed last Sunday, but it didn't settle. Then on Tuesday evening it snowed again. The snow in town stayed until Wednesday morning, then the sun came out.

But out at the cottage the snow was still waiting for us. And the ice was several inches thick.

We left the Man in town to take care of himself, and the girls and I had a wintery weekend all to ourselves: baked potatoes, hot chocolate, skiing and Cluedo. Perfect.

Purring...

2009-10-01T19:29:00.003+02:00

Thanks to Crowbard, I read an article a few weeks back about cats and their ability to heal themselves which was contributed to the vibrations their purring made. Don't know if it works on humans, but, just in case, Miss T has cuddled every available cat during the last few weeks. Today she had a final operation to remove the pins in her arm and the x-rays showed that her arm was mending well. No complaints this time about the care she was given, treatment on every level was very good and we were kept well-informed.

The waiting room I sat in still wasn't very clean, and the communication between different departments at the hospital is still poor. The worst thing that happened wasn't to us. As we were leaving an elderly man was not quite quick enough for the revolving exit doors. He got knocked sideways and lay trapped and alone, stuck between the doors. I ran for help, while a lady the farside of the doors tried to force her way in to help him. Eventually he was rescued, but what a stupid place to have revolving doors.

Taking it slow

2009-09-29T19:22:00.003+02:00

Spot the cat?

And shadow games.

Fractured in Sweden

2009-09-05T11:23:00.006+02:00

For six days Miss T had the top of her right arm like this. She didn't cry or complain and only took pain relief during the first two days. The emergency unit sent us home the first day saying that they thought the break would start to mend on it's own and to come back in five days for more x-rays. We weren't shown the first x-rays, had we seen them we would no doubt have questioned their analysis. On our return visit the x-ray department hadn't been informed of our appointment, the emergency unit had forgotten to send on our referral (?) and we spent several hours in waiting rooms. This time an orthopedic doctor looked at the x-rays and came to the conclusion that this break wasn't going to mend on it's own.
The next day Miss T was booked in for an operation. The anesthetist mixed Miss T up with another patient, fortunately I was there to correct him , but he took some convincing. He also put in a needle that was too small so the poor nurse who was administering the anesthetic had to struggle. The operating table was the wrong one and had to be changed after Miss T had already lain on it for about 10 minutes, and in the room next to the operating theater where I was gowned up there was a 4 inch hole in the wall that had been filled in with scrunched up paper.

By now the broken ends of bone had penetrated muscle so the surgeon, who had calculated on a 30 - 60 minute operation, spent two hours repairing the damage and pinning her together. During these two hours I was left in a small waiting room and given no information. I spent my time observing a mosquito flying around and reading posters on the importance of hygien.

In spite of everything the surgeon was brilliant. He talked to Miss T before the operation and explained very carefully what he was going to do, and he came to the recovery room directly after the operation and apologised for taking so long, but he had wanted to keep the cuts as small as possible and taken his time, for which we are very grateful. Most of the nurses were fantastic too, considering the conditions they have to work under, and yes, we are in Sweden.

Operation Arm

2009-09-04T06:13:00.002+02:00

Back home after two days in hospital and two hour long operation on Miss T's arm.
Just wanted you to know she's OK. More details later.

Bad Break

2009-08-28T22:17:00.004+02:00

The camping trip went very well. The rain we were promised never came and everyone was tucked in by 11 and quiet at 11.30 pm, which meant I got a solid 6 hours sleep before a solitary raven woke me with his call as he circled the camp.

Everybody in my charge made it home safe and sound, I just wish I could say the same for Miss T's teachers, who called me, as I was on the march home, to say she had fallen from the top of a see-saw whilst on a school outing.

Poor baby has bust the top of her right humerus on her first week at her new school. She's still amazing, no tears until today, 24 hours after the incident, as she starts to realize how handicapped she will be for the next few weeks. More x-rays on Tuesday will tell us more. Until then she is trying to keep as still as possible as there is no plaster holding the bone in place. The break was too high up.

She's not ready for photos yet so here's another sort of break.

And here's her little sister taking her own pictures.

Waves

2009-08-22T08:21:00.002+02:00

Miss T has taken to riding. She used to come to the stables just to be with the cats, but now she wants to ride and Maya Pirya is her favourite. This was taken yesterday afternoon.

I can't tell you what they're giggling about, but I can say that the first shot here was not for publication. We are scouting out a location for camping next week when school starts. I'll be spending a night with 70 thirteen year olds not far from here, and Miss T and Strawberry will be at home keeping the man of the house in order.

We don't get waves very often in the small lake where the girls like to swim, but last weekend was an exception. They had great fun jumping them and being lifted by them once they were in a bit deeper. I was very tempted to join them, but the temperature put me off.

I haven't been posting very often this summer and now work has started I doubt I will have time to post more than I have, so I am setting myself a new goal. From now on I'll post once a week. If I get the time it might be more, but it won't be less.

Scouting out

2009-08-11T20:16:00.004+02:00

We've been testing our sails and picking wild strawberries while Miss T has been down south in Dalarna with the Scouts. Here she is eating one of the camp's specialities, a coconut toffee apple. She doesn't look very happy, but she claims that the only bad thing about her camping trip was that it came to an end!

Damp Disadvantages?

2009-08-05T10:46:00.006+02:00

Worst of the wet weather is the increase in mosquitoes; there are two on the brim of Strawberry's hat.

As soon as there's a clear spell we try and get out, but the water level in the lakes is much higher than usual. The jetty the girls swim from is partially immersed and not only did we have to do a lot of bailing from the boat, but we also had to wade out to get to it. Still the fishing's good and three fine perch have been caught and eaten.

So I won't complain, just hand me the mosquito repellent!

Rain, rain go away...

2009-07-22T10:52:00.002+02:00

This was taken on Saturday, when it was still warm and sunny, on our way home from a visit to the other side of the lake. Since then all it has done is rain. But the strawberries don't seem to mind.

Before and after

2009-07-16T19:48:00.004+02:00

Now we are back we have to provide for ourselves. Fortunately Miss T caught a fine perch on Tuesday which fed us all. Before we left Strawberry and I attended a cowboy and Indian party, but I didn't have time to blog it, so here we are:

Back in Sweden!

2009-07-11T10:27:00.002+02:00

The MoTH, couldn't come and pick us up in Stockholm, but he booked us beds on the night train home and we had a few hours in the capital to kill. We spent them at "Gröna Lund", something we have never done before. Miss T. loved it and queued happily for hours to ride "Insane" and "Jet Pack", not pictured, as the sight of them makes me feel a bit wobbly. Strawberry, who turned into an orange in the rain, preferred the candy floss and the merry-go-round.
Now we are home safe and sound and preparing to head for the wilderness. The grass there will be in dire need, as I have yet to cut it this year.

Not The Last of Norway

2009-06-14T22:46:00.002+02:00

Is it just me or can you also see the face of a Norwegian troll?

Plenty of cod and pollock, but we put them back for later and caught some bubbles instead.

It's alright she's got a matress with her to land on if she falls.

Between the strands of flying hair there is a sea eagle.

Sorry I haven't been around much lately. We have had a lot on at work. Term time is now officially over, but I still have some stuff to clear up and then the girls and I are heading over to England for a couple of weeks. I 'll come by when I can.

Fair weather and kind friends

2009-05-29T21:29:00.003+02:00

The only rain we had was on the way there. One minute it would be pouring down and the next it was bright sunshine again.

This was our first sight of the Atlantic.

The friends we stayed with came and met us half way and then led us to our final destination on the island of Froya, in the far west of Norway. We had walkie talkies with us, one in each car and were given a running commentary on the sights, depth of tunnels, where to watch out for speed cameras and where to look out for deer etc. It was a good trip.

The Border Line

2009-05-27T21:35:00.003+02:00

Miss T is still in Sweden and Strawberry is in Norway. The white circle in the road and the gap through the trees show the border line between the two countries.

Our first stop in Norway for Norwegian "soft is"

and home made sandwiches.
We took plenty of food with us as food prices in Norway tend to be a lot higher than in Sweden.

More Norway

2009-05-25T21:51:00.004+02:00

Still in Sweden heading towards the border on Thursday morning.
As we climbed higher Spring receded.

No way

2009-05-24T23:10:00.004+02:00

Getting to the farside of Norway we had to pass through 17 road tunnels, the longest of which was 5 610 metres long and 264 metres below sea level, that's enough to make your ears pop!

We're home safe and sound now, after 4 fanatstic days full of fishy fun. More pictures soon.

Catching the fish was easy, landing them wasn't.

Taken at 11 pm last night, the view from the front door.

Spring showers

2009-05-19T23:08:00.004+02:00

After a short shower the sun comes out again, and Miss T, on her way home from Scouts isn't too old for splashing in puddles.

This battered sign says: Drive carefully, children at play.
Let's hope it was the playful children that caused it's crumpled condition and not the careful drivers.
We will be driving carefully during the next few days as we head over the mountains into Norway for a short break. Back soon.

Fun in the sun

2009-05-17T20:15:00.003+02:00

Spring 's sprung

2009-05-13T21:52:00.003+02:00

Here in town the tulips are out...

and the trees are bursting with...
beer bottles.

Two weeks behind!

2009-05-12T19:18:00.002+02:00

I took these the weekend before last. There was still some snow on the ground but it was sunny and 25C so the summer clothes came out and the girls had races bare foot in the snow. Miss T's summer skirt was my favourite one, when I was the same age, some 30 odd years ago.

Summer's on its way!

2009-04-30T16:26:00.003+02:00

Sorry, haven't been around much since Easter. The Sun has returned and we're making the most of it...even if there is still some snow about. Back soon.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-10T21:16:00.004+02:00

Guess who won 3.5 kilos of chocolate for Easter?

Taken last Sunday...

2009-04-05T20:31:00.003+02:00

...this Sunday it rained, so there's not as much snow now. Lots on at work so not so much time to spend here, but will be back before long as it's soon the Eater holidays (typo...but it's not so far wrong:)

Strawberry...

2009-03-28T20:17:00.003+01:00

...the birthday present, this is Bubble Gum, aka Gummy, the guppy... he came with two lady guppies and now there are three baby guppies too...

...and she's back in the saddle.

Happy Mothering Sunday!

2009-03-22T20:56:00.003+01:00

Miss T spent the weekend with the Scouts up in the mountains avoiding avalanches, whilst Strawberry and I tried to avoid the puddles on the lake.

Mummy - I've cut my hair!

2009-03-22T08:20:00.004+01:00

Strawberry called this out from the hall. The scissors are never where they should be in the kitchen and always turn up somewhere in Strawberry's bedroom, so I wasn't too surprised to hear her call out that she had cut her hair. But when she made her appearance in the kitchen I wasn't prepared for this:

Strawberry's onion chopping tip

2009-03-16T21:33:00.003+01:00

To save tears follow Strawberry's onion chopping method and wear skiing goggles. She swears it works.

Ice scream

2009-03-08T09:16:00.003+01:00

You'd think that with all this snow and ice they wouldn't want more, but that's what they chose instead of Saturday sweets, and then complained that their ice pops were cold!
Half term holidays are now over. Back to school tomorrow.

Snow monster!

2009-03-03T11:45:00.002+01:00

Can you see the snow monster's hands coming over the fence?
It's half term here, so we'll be spending some time shoveling snow.

Contrasts

2009-02-19T23:41:00.004+01:00

In July we can go swimming in the lake at midnight...

...in February we're lucky enough if we can find the car!

Tearing down the house

2009-02-15T19:43:00.004+01:00

I thought they would at least save the roof tiles and windows, but they are just ripping the lot down. The tree is still standing though.

Cold and still

2009-02-08T11:44:00.004+01:00

Could the sky be any bluer? Temperatures drop to minus 20 C.

The view from my window this week, could look totally different next week as the buildings are to be pulled down... the tree will probably go to, but the company who own the land said this would all happen last Setember. So we'll just wait and see.

She's back...

2009-01-27T21:09:00.002+01:00

Strawberry has returned. Here she is leading Ammelie back to her stall.
She came back and said she has become a Muslim and can now only eat muesli...

Ski slope

2009-01-17T22:00:00.002+01:00

We are very lucky to have a ski slope just a few minutes away, but some of us don't want to stop skiing to have our photograph taken!

Strawberry has left us for the night, again. She left yesterday evening and then rang this afternoon to ask if she could stay away another night because she was having so much fun.

Papa pepparkaka!

2009-01-10T08:14:00.004+01:00

The last of the Swedish Christmas ginger biscuits got made and eaten last weekend, this one was made by Strawberry and represents her grandfather, and he was, of course, delicious, according to her.

Here is Strawberry with her horse, this is for you Lori. Its white head is just poking out of the pocket on the rucksack. Strawberry wishes it was bigger and real, but she does get to ride every Friday, so I don't feel too sorry for her. We are on our way to visit Aunty M.

We went last Saturday by train leaving at 11 am and returning at 7.30 pm . It was a bright cold day with temperatures of minus 20 C. Perfect for a brisk walk to the railway station.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-02T19:26:00.003+01:00

In between unpacking boxes we try and get out for some sunshine in the middle of each day. I f we're lucky then the sun pops up just above the horizon between 11am and 2pm.

Strawberry's New Year's resolution, she called it her "New Year's revolution",

was not to do any washing up during 2009.

At least I'll be saving on the amount of washing up liquid that's used!

God jul, Merry Christmas...

2008-12-23T07:04:00.006+01:00

I prefer this year's tree to last year's, which was blue, but in daylight it looks rather strange. I have no idea why, but it has been decorated, appart from the red and white lights, with houses, large flat ones.

This was taken at the Christmas market a few weeks ago, but the ski slope, lit up in the background, reminds me that I have promised to take the girls skiing just as soon as we have moved all our stuff over into the new appartment, hopefully in a couple of days.

I am going to have to move the computer next, so I thought I'd leave you with a few more shots of winter here in the dark north. This is Strawbs with her sledge. In Swedish it's called a "spark" which means "kick", because you stand on the runners at the back and kick it along...

...like this.
Back soon, provided I can reconnect everything correctly.