Well, I've finally recovered after a day of eating, drinking and laughing on Saturday. I was decidedly seedy on Sunday, but I think it is less due to old age and overindulgence than to some local bug I picked up from somewhere or other. I slept for a good part of the afternoon and last night, which is most unusual, but am feeling a lot better today.

On Saturday, we spent the afternoon out enjoying coffee and buns in the sunshine by the pier, soaking up those life giving rays. It's always so relaxed when we are with Bosse and Ann - the talk flows and the laughter is non-stop.




We retired home as the sun sank below the treeline and continued our gab fest there. They had come to visit fully laden with treats - a bunch of beautiful, deep red tulips, some wine and a special CD. It often surprises me to read that some expats in Sweden complain bitterly about how cold and unfriendly Swedes are when I find the opposite to be true. For example, not only had Bosse gone to the trouble of selecting Australian wines (and believe me, Aussie wines are in a real minority in a European bottle shop), but he also ensured by careful reading of the labels that those wines he chose even came from my home state (South Australia). There are five significant wine regions in S.A. - Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley, Clare, Fleurieu Peninsula and the SouthEast and I got to enjoy wines from two of those areas on Saturday, thanks to Bosse caring enough to go to some effort to find them.

And the C.D. was a special compilation album that they ordered from a friend, containing the hits from the marvellous 1960's Australian band The Easybeats. I feel very spoiled and played the CD LOUDLY all Sunday - including the megahit Friday on My Mind. See what I mean? These people rock - always thoughtful, always open and so easy to talk to that I feel like I've known them all of my life.

I had made Asian style food for dinner and a really easy Swedish dessert called Glasstårta (literally ice-cream cake, but it's more like a frozen cheesecake). I thought I'd share the recipe as it was really simple and delicious and something that can be made well in advance, so you can spend time with your guests instead of being in the kitchen.

Glasstårta

4 eggs, separated
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla essence)
200g cream cheese, warmed to room temperature
300ml thickened cream
3-4 digestive biscuits

To serve: fruit, whipped cream

Grease a springform cake tin with butter. Crush a couple of digestive biscuits and sprinkle over the bottom.

Now, I found it easiest to beat the ingredients in separate bowls, then combine them in the order the recipe stated. In the largest bowl, mix together the egg yolks, vanilla and sugar and beat them well until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is pale and creamy. Beat in the cream cheese (that has already been beaten smooth). Beat cream until thick and soft peaks form, then mix into the egg, sugar, cream cheese mix. Finally, whip the egg whites until stiff and carefully fold into the mixture.

Spoon into the prepared cake tin. At this stage you can sprinkle a couple of crushed digestive biscuits over the top, but I didn't do that. Pop into the freezer for several hours (or several days). Take the cake out of the freezer about 30 minutes before you want to serve it. Many people here eat it as it is, but I garnished it with whipped cream, kiwi fruit and fresh sliced strawberries. It's yummy!

The days here are lighter now, but the weather itself is very changeable as you would expect as spring approaches. When I went to look outside yesterday afternoon, it was utterly calm and as I turned my head to the left, the sun was so bright I had to wear sunglasses. There was the unmistakable noise of drip, drip as the ice rapidly melted into fast flowing little rivulets and enormous puddles.




It felt like finally spring was definitely coming our way. I daydreamed that soon the flowers would be peeking at me through the ground, the bees would be heading back to the meadows. But then I turned my head to the right. The sky was black against the bright light. It was as though someone had turned off the sun and was just waiting for it to die out in one last flash. The houses looked like flickering mirrors against the barrage of weather torrents. I sat and watched as my shadow raced home to sleep. It began snowing again, fluffy flakes dusting the streets, the cars and the older snow, creating a pristine environment once more. I know that it won’t last much longer – we are turning a slow corner in the seasons.




Today, it is bright and sunny again - beautiful, piercingly bright clear blue skies, sunshine glittering off the water and the snow and everything looking so clean and pretty once again. However, it is bitterly cold - minus 10C this morning and the promise of minus 15C tomorrow. Still too early to abandon my thermals and Lambi definitely needed her coat outside in the crisp, frosty air this morning. But I can't feel sad - the days are light, there is still daylight at 5pm and every day new birds return to Sweden.




I hope a few of them are taking a precaution like this - we don't want to see an outbreak of bird flu here. Perhaps I better get some woolly wear for my two little birds...

And can I take this opportunity to wish you all a happy International Polar Bear Day. No really, it isn't a joke. Who dreams up these bizarre days anyway? I couldn't resist googling it and would you believe that I came up with literally dozens of e-card sites that seriously have cards for this occasion. Is everyone quite mad? Why didn't I get an e-card yesterday from any of you guys? Hmm......

And anyway, what about the Bipolar bears? Where's their day, I wonder.....