I've had a couple of weeks off. Wonderful days with the kids in a country house has given me so much joy and love, I feel absolutely recharged.
No, dear people, I'm not loosing it. Just relaxing. Or truthfully, competing over the extra giving of whipped cream to go with the strawberries... Ugliest face won. Wasn't me!
Can you feel the weather? Very warm, no wind, thunder clouds over the horizon and a kind of sticky feeling in the air? Soap bubbles saved that afternoon when we didn't go to the beach and didn't have the energy to play badminton or croquet or card.

Very Scandinavian evenings. Magical stillness and dancing fairies in the meadows...

Never in my life have I seen - and picked - so many wild strawberries as I did one fine day in June. I can't imagine feeling richer than this. Eating something that money just can't buy.

20th of June

Strawberries and sweet cherry wine is the ultimate taste of summer.

I had a great time last night. In Sweden Midsummer's Eve is a big thing (although since 1954 celebrated on the last Friday before 24th of June and not on the actual day) and your success can be measured in how fancy, genuine and elaborate parties you're invited to.
We stayed at home. Barbecue, wine and a game of card. Oldest and youngest children took part, the rest on their own events.

My very modest project, the remaking of an old quilt. A lot of seams have ripped open and it's too heavy to use. So washing, sewing, mending and lining is required and then, hopefully a cosy, snuggly quilt will make it's way back to the (ugly) sofa in the "library".

For many years, a mature, adult and responsible person, to me was someone who didn't have some old fabric wrapped over their sofa in the living room. This being a result, of course, of the fact that I never wanted to spend (or didn't have) money to purchase a decent sofa.

Creative process

Isn't this beautiful?? Thanks to peasoup, found it at her blog.

Take a look at this too. Beautiful, too. Nature's nursery, in this case a blåmes at home. (Sorry , look it up in a preferred language!) Tack till Anna Stilla, du skrev om detta för en tid sen.

Wishing you a happy midsummer's weekend!

Knitting? No. Sewing? No. Blogging? No. Reading your blogs? Yes. Commenting? Not much. In need of a vacation? Yeah.
I have been in a better mood - but also I think in worse. I just don't seem to see any colours, or something like that.
My companion is the trilogy (quadruple?) about Edward and Bella, you know the Twilight series. Don't you wish you had super natural powers too?
If I'm scarce at this sight, it doesn't mean I don't looove your comments and enjoy your company!

A good time

Här har jag varit. Hos min bror och hans familj på västkusten. Skönt att komma från stan ett tag.

This is where I've been. At my brother's up further north by the coast. Great to get out of town for a while.

Listening is an act of love

Some time ago (in March, actually..ahem) I won a give away at A common place life. The gift was the book Listening is an act of love from the Storycorps project. It's a wonderful book. I have deliberately read it as slow as possible, wanting it to last but also to let the stories sink in. The concept is to bring someone you love, is curious about, admire, is related to or work with - whatever - into a recording booth and listen as they tell their story. It can be about anything, really, answering a question or just remembering childhood or the the day you met your spouse (as in one story; 60 years ago in another world entirely). The honesty and openness of these stories is amazing.

Storycorps makes a recording, copy it, you get one and they keep the other one as part of a great American collection for the future. Imagine people two hundred years from now listening to stories about ordinary life! Or imagine how it would feel like to be able to listen to somebody from 1809 describing the meaning of life...

I loved the book and it made me feel deeply for the human race, how we struggle in our lives, trying to make sense of the world we live in. And humble, too. Thank you so much, Amy!

A study in rain protection - and the colouring of females

Saturday started out on a planter's market. For me - the least plant interested person in this marriage- it became an interesting hour or so of observing women's outfits an ordinary rainy day in May. Most of the men seemed to wear jackets without concerns of the weather. Is that typical? As you can see raincoats come in all colours and patterns - which I imagine women kinda lova. Men more often seem to think colours are for sissies, at least for the last couple of hundred years.

But if you're insecure you can always team up with your wife.

Hang your herbs ouside the window! Or close to the kitchen door.

Me and the doggie. Below some of the brave and water resistent ladies at the plant market.

One of the plants that came home with us, getrams in Swedish.