Yes, I've found yet another must have knitted item for my collection. It's a Vegan Fox Scarf, that I think will go rather nicely with the Chicken Viking Hat I posted about before. For some reason, Lars-Göran does not share my unbridled enthusiasm for my new discovery, but once I have it here and give it a name, I'm sure we'll all get on famously.

In Australia, I used to have a shoe fetish. I loved to buy shoes and owned an almost Imelda Marcos number of them - mostly strappy, heeled sandals in a dizzying array of colours to match any outfit and any mood. Sadly, these are a total waste in Sweden where it is never warm enough to wear them and where you'd break your neck on the poorly paved footpaths if you dared to try. So I think I've replaced it with a hat and scarf fetish.

I like the idea of a vegan fox scarf. It has horrified me to see the sheer number of vain people here willing to wear dead animals. Okay, I understand about the old ladies. It was more of the done thing when they were growing up and many of their coats look as old as they do. However, it's now a trend among the young, when these days there are so many good manmade fibres and warm fabrics that I wonder why people still wear the full length animal furs (it's never THAT cold!). What horrifies me even more is the young, trendy "beautiful people" who wear these animal fur scarves, complete with the legs and tiny faces still attached. I saw a couple at a voguish café in Stockholm and nearly threw up my lunch. How insensetive can you be?

So next winter, I should cut quite a figure in my Chicken Viking Hat and my Vegan Fox Scarf.

It's Easter soon and for me that means making Hot Cross Buns! Swedes eat a cream bun called semlor at this time of the year and while they are nice, I still long for freshly baked hot cross buns. In Adelaide, I was totally spoiled by having the wonderful Perryman's bakery close by and their buns were out of this world. I never liked the Tip Top ones at the supermarket, only Perryman's. Not all of the ingredients are readily available, but I bought mixed spice and sultanas at British grocery shop in Stockholm so I'm all ready to bake. I'm trying to hang on a week until the beginning of Holy Week, but I suspect I'll weaken and bake them this weekend.

For those on of you living in Melbourne or Sydney, it will be Swedish Style Australia festival time in March. It will be held in Melbourne from March 10th through to March 14th and then in Sydney from March 16th to March 20th. It's quite a big event, including a visit from the Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson (I wonder how much that is going to cost us? He likes to travel in style, apparently) and Crown Princess Victoria and is all aimed at building an even stronger relationship between the cultures and people of Australia and Sweden. That is if we have room after the adoption of Mary of Denmark by the Australians. She and the crown prince have been visiting Australia and according to Aussie bloggers, they are being greeted by thousands of people as though they are pop stars. I bet most of the crowd would be hard pushed to find Denmark on a map!

And I thought the Swedish speakers might get a giggle from the picture I was sent by a friend in Söderköping this morning. I'm actually seriously considering getting one for Lars Göran before we go out on the weekend!