Gggrrr - self control...

Do you remember? A very sweet daughter, whom I love very very much and would do anything to see smile, dropped my camera in a lake one sunny summer day 2008 and it affected my blogging severly. Last Friday bad luck struck again - the camera is broken in the same pair of hands. Unintentially, I know, but still...broken.

Therefore, an old picture. Isn't it amazing what a tan and a new set of eyes can do??

Go Norway!

Congratulations Norway! Not only your National Day but also the day after your victory in the Eurovison Songcontest!

Yes, this is mostly for you, Eleanor. But also for my darling daughters who actually are half Norwegians - but not so very impressed by the artist.

An enchanted evening in Ystad.

Moa and I got in the car. Our destination was Ystad, a small town 60 km from Malmö. If you've read the crime novels about, or seen chief inspector Wallander in the film by Kenneth Branagh, you're quite familiar with the place.

Driving safely through rush-hour Malmö and still smiling! A good thing about driving with a teenager in the car is that no one can get out or rush off to do something else. If the timing is right you can get a loong chat about things that go on in each other's lives. We had that kind of ride.

Passing through a quiet village as the sun slowly set.

We arrived just in time to pick up our tickets to the baroque opera "King Arthur" by Henry Purcell. Siri's school was performing and we were the proud supporting team of the most talented cellist - and the only cello player!

We also took the time to pose in front of the mirror. The theatre is from 1894 and everything is kept in original style. (I knew that dress was showing a little too much...)

Baroque opera is a bit different from opera in general, I dare say. They repeat everything a hundred times - which is a good thing if it's a catchy tune. Otherwise it can be percieved as slightly sedating.

A harvesting party. Waiting for King Arthur. (He never turns up, not in this setting anyway.)

In the end Britannia turns up, calls for St George and blesses the most bountiful island in the world. Or something like that.

All students were amazing. Some, no doubt, are looking at professional careers as singers. And cello players, perhaps? Siri to the right, about to take a bow.

It was a magic night outdoors too, sweet scents from the gardens, soft pink skies, pleasant temperature (a cardigan was enough), old pretty houses and a pale moon crescent, vaguely visible in the early summer night.

Spring - actually means "run" in Swedish

Spring feelings, or rather summer feelings. It's unusually warm and summer like here. Siri made a paper cut some time ago. I put on a thread over the dining table.

Another kind of spring feeling. Lingering outdoors in the evening, all kids in one group regardless of age. They wrote "All the kids on the streets" and then all the names. More names than kids on this photo.

And then one mum had made so much apple pie, they all got a piece!

Me. Waiting for my very compulsary cup of evening rooibos tea to get ready. Of course, it's not really tea, it's weed from Africa to the puritan mind.

Speaking of nothing else, I'm reading a book about WW1, by Swedish author and historian Peter Englund. I'm stuck somewhere between here and then. All I do is compared to what I read. I guess it means it's a great book but I'm not sure I can finish it. Too ugly and horrid. But yet impossible to put away.

How're your photos with crazy head stuff coming along??

Two successful projects

Olle's definition of sudoku "you fill in the numbers real fast and it's super easy". He has heard members of the family swear over sudokus several times. If you didn't know, there are 81 squares in one sudoku. Not 82. Strange thing, he cracked the reading code (honestly, there was a popping sound) a couple of weeks ago. The day after he started counting. Everything. So now he counts the number of words he reads in one page.

Second project. My slippers. In the mossy olive green I love. Sooo easy to make, took me two days - and 45 minutes in the washing machine. They look as if they turned out in different shapes but that's just a mirage/trompe l'oeil/coincidence/not true. Seriously.

Pyssel - pottering

Pyssla [pi'sslah] is the word for doing all sorts of nice things without immediate usefulness. Often, if you're a working mum, it makes you feel strongly that you don't have time for a career. So much pyssel to do, so little time... Above my very pretty pair of circular needles - from Stockholm. I'm making a shawl.

A nice very Helylle kind of green...

... is my last project, slippers; first knit and then felt in the washing machine.

This is not to pyssla. I asked them, doing homework doesn't at all feel like you never wanna quit.

In case you're wondering; it's customary to bring twigs in during Lent.

Ordinary day - special day

With a constant smile I work in the kitchen...

..I mop..

...and do the laundry...

...all things ready before the magic moment of turning 16!

Happy birthday Ylva!

P.S: In case you noticed the up-side-down bottle in front of the washing machine - it's there to prevent people from stumbling over an old pipe in the middle of the floor. Get rid of the pipe? Guess so. Someday.

Update

Sleepy, happy, pretty 18

At Christmas I always intend to work on parcels - but they are always too many. Birthdays are perfect that way - one person, not so many packages.

Yes, I did it.

Car still not running but since this pic was taken it's been moved to a workshop. Transportation still a question of muscle labour.

Today is a mix of cheched in different browns. And a yellow top.

About the green little fabric basket from previous post, Paige, yes, I made it from old fabrics, torn or cut in pieces. Crochet needle used is the biggest there is, I think. Fast and fun!

Saturday outdoors

It was a good thing that the random photo Maria challenged me to show was taken outdoors, since I promised to post a couple of outdoors shots. (I was also immensly proud to receive the same challenge as the übercool underbara clara, one of my first blog acquaintances (but anonymously from my part, I didn't know how to comment...))

Today is Saturday and that meant city wandering for me and one of the Helylle girls. Up and down the both empty and crowded streets

We were on a special mission - The oldest Helylle girl, Siri, turns 18 next Sunday! We were going to buy gifts and it had to be special too.Getting ideas for the party from the shop window.

A pretty depressing picture, isn't it? Christmas is over - get rid of the tree! But the square is a nice place.


Our quest continued -

...but we had to pause. It took some explaining before Miss Helylle accepted to eat outdoors. We had spectators. I was prepared to give these cute dogs my sausage - and by them a new one- but I know that you can't do that. Ylva then decided that I could by her a cup of tea indoors instead of feeding other people's dogs. OK.Didn't look much happier, though, did she?I did. And we really had a good time.We finished our business successfully and split, me going home on my bike, passing this old mansion in the middle of Malmö, as always daydreaming about living there.

I did some good buying on sale at Gudrun Sjödén shop, too. All in all a very pleasant Saturday - and it's not over yet. Have an enjoyable evening! (Quite a performance to shoot a photo of yourself mounted ona bike - in speed. I challenge anyone to try and post a photo of it!!)

Arms forbidden - Olle's contribution to world peace

The wisdom of a child. The sign says "arms forbidden". Fascinated as he is by guns and superheroes he decided to make this sign "because some people don't understand that it must be make-believe if you fire a gun".

Let there be light!

Days are getting longer and longer, more and more light. Growing things bring hope and promises. Even old orchids that refuse to die no matter what treatment they get. My granny had an orchid when I was small. I was always told what a rare thing it was and how difficult it was to have it bloom. This one in my bedroom is nine years old as has been in bloom pretty much since day 1. Question: Was my granny totally without green fingers or are orchids nowadays tougher?

Olle has been walking around the house with the new camera (you remember that it was another child who dropped the old camera in the lake last summer? I figure it's safe in the house...) and I'm thrilled with his perspective of things. This is the lamp in the living room - from beneath.

The sense of light that a weak winter sun brings calls for funky tights!


Turn your back to darkness! Spring can be a state of mind!!

Low ground, high roof

This is a classical foot shoot. Now a combo with mother&son.

We were at the library when we saw the owl overlooking the park from the roof top. Very exciting! Unfortunately it turned out to be a plastic owl they put there to prevent the small birds from flying into the panorama windows. Disappointment! But great for the small birds, though.