A late June Ascension

I can’t recall Ascension ever being so late as this year, 2nd June, which also means that Pentecost is unusually late – this coming weekend. However, the lateness of the holiday meant that we had lovely weather, especially compared to last year when we sat shivering under blankets outdoors having a BBQ at the summerhouse. Probably a very typical Swedish spring / summer phenomenon, to have meals outside even if it is cold and miserable  😉

The windscreen is usually not very clean after a 10-hour drive in the summer… but this is the sun rise over Skåne last Thursday morning

We drove from Brussels last Wednesday evening, and arrived approximately 10 hours later, at 5 o’clock in the morning to my parents’ place. We had a nap until 9 o’clock,had breakfast in the garden with my sister who came from Lund and then went to sort out the last (?) things in my grandmother’s apartment that has now been sold. It is sad to leave the place but we have made sure to keep a lot of furniture and objects (kitchen stuff, paintings, books, photos, textiles etc) and I am certain that my grandmother’s memory will live on for a very long time with all those mementos.

Wise after our first drive to Sweden in July 2006, O hoped to cross the Öresund bridge before the sun rose as the direction is East… and we were lucky this time – not too much sunshine straight in our eyes

After a few hours in my grandmother’s apartment, we headed to the summerhouse where my brother and his fiancée* joined us for the long weekend. It was an extra long weekend for the Swedes (for those who didn’t have to work on Friday) as the National day, 6th June fell on the Monday after Ascension.

The new [unfinished] bike / firewood shed had to be inspected of course

While a “Welcome drink” was improvised by my siblings – my sister was not entirely happy with the result but my non-alcoholic drink tasted fine

And after the BBQ, my parents proudly introduced us to the local wine from Åhus – they are members of the wine-growing association!

The next day my mother, sister, brother, fiancée, O and I headed to Kristianstad, the best shopping town according to my family (except maybe my father who doesn’t like shopping at all!). I liked the very clever hooks in the Lindex fitting rooms, where you can hang the clothes that you try on, according to if you want to buy them, need to think about them, need another size or don’t want them.

As I am supposed to take it easy according to doctor’s orders, I decided to have a one-woman fika at ICA Kvantum in Åhus while the rest of the family did the grocery shopping. A vanilla heart is a must when I am in Sweden!

No, I don’t think that people are too afraid to buy veggies in the supermarket despite the E.coli / EHEC scare from Germany, so the photo is a bit misleading…

As usual O impressed the family with his culinary skills – this time making profiteroles! He and our Greek friend / landlord took a baking class a few weeks ago when I was in Sevilla with my French girlfriends

My sister assisted the baker before taking him out for a run – and left him behind in the forest! My French friend S was a bit worried that the wolves and bears (?)would get to him but he came back in one piece (but with a few big mosquito bites), eventually (S read about it on my sister’s facebook status)

Profiteroles and Swedish strawberries – yummy!

We are usually not wearing shoes in the summerhouse or on the deck… However I was teasing my brother for wearing socks in the sunshine! My mother actually read an article in the newspaper that stated that children should walk barefoot in the summer, it gives them better balance (I think that’s what she told me)

My aunt used to have a dog called Lukas, and we have kept his bowl even if it nowadays serves another purpose…

The rest of the long weekend was spent lazing around on the deck and taking a slow beach stroll – where I managed to step on a bee in the water (my toe still itches!). You might remember when I was stung by a bee a few years ago – the first time ever, so this was only the second time!

*) I was corrected by my brother when I called her his girlfriend 😉