Cottage life

Dear readers,

We are enjoying nice sunny days over here right now and doing the most of it. For example today we are going to Fjällbacka which is the Swedish version of Midsomer Murders in the UK. There are a lot of murders and other crime taking place there, and we are hoping to spot something.

But first we are doing an extensive visit to the tip. As you might have read before, Sweden is famous for dealing with their garbage and sorting your rubbish is taken very seriously. Last year I was told off for putting something that looked like plastic in with paper. I am sure the lady in question would have reported me to the police if they had been near by.

Yesterday my sister in law and me went into Gothenburg for a spot of shopping. She loves this very flamboyant Swedish designer Gudrun Sjödén and they had great summer sales on. Then it was time for a little visit with my mother. She is still a bit sore from the fall she had when she visited us over midsummer. It will maybe not be possible to have her here at the cottage for extended periods any more but rather just bring her here over the day.

Today might be spent doing chores around here with just a quick trip to get supplies.

So far we have been seven people in the cottage and it does require a bit of planning and shopping but everybody has been on best behavior so it has gone great.

We have had fun evening with board games, charades and limerick competitions and a lot of singing. That's what you do when you don't have proper internet.

We have also had our 38-year wedding anniversary celebrated with a seafood meal in a French restaurant in Skärhamn on Tjörn.

Time to get this day started, I hear people stirring. Unfortunately, with mature age comes early waking so I have already been up for hours trying to do quiet things but now I think I can go and do kitchen noises. 

 

Cheerio!

Fika

Yes, finally! This is a Swedish concept which really just means having a coffee and maybe a bisquit or a cinnamon roll or something else sweet at any time of the day. Swedes love it. It is such a simple way to invite people, without worrying about cooking and what wine to have with different dishes. Just put on some coffee and maybe bake something or get something from the many bakeries or just open a package of bisquits. Even Wikipedia has cottoned on to it and here you can read more.

The reason I am writing about is that yesterday I took my mother, who is staying with me, for a little drive, and we ended up in Fjällbacka . As soon as we had parked the car and started walking around my mother expressed a desire to have a "fika" and we ended up doing just that on one of the piers.

The place was packed and Fjällbacka is not very big, so it was noticeable. We got a good spot for people watching though. I think some people there were famous judging by other people whispering and taking pictures with their phones, but not really famous for me, since I have not properly lived in Sweden for 30 years.

It might not be visible in this photo but most of the boats sailed under Norwegian flag or maybe some under German flag but not many Swedish boats. I don't really know the reason but I am guessing that the neighbouring countries might have stronger economies than Sweden maybe. Or maybe Swedish boat owners find Fjällbacka too crowded and know of other places hidden away.

The reason I was keen to see Fjällbacka was because I have read all the books written by Camilla Lackberg. They are murder stories based in Fjällbacka and now they are being made into films, called the Fjällbacka Murders (hum, where have I heard something similar?).

We have had a whole week of warm, sunny weather, I could almost contemplate having a dip, even though the water temperatures are not up to 20+C, if it wasn't for these little monsters.

It is time to go out and enjoy the sun while it lasts and I suggest you do the same, maybe with a suitable beverage in your hand or maybe with a "fika".