While it is still early evening of December 31st in Sweden, hours and hours ago, fireworks showered over Sydney's iconic Harbor Bridge as a million onlookers cheered the dawning of New Year 2007.




As the clock strikes twelve tonight, people all over the world will cheer and wish each other a very Happy New Year. For some this event is no more than a change of a calendar. For others the New Year symbolises the beginning of a better tomorrow, so with that thought here's wishing everyone a Very Happy and Prosperous New Year.

This question flashed across my mind as I logged in to read the online Australian newspapers this morning and saw the heartbreaking struggle of the crew of the famous Aussie vintage yacht Koomooloo. You have one guy bailing for his life, another frantically calling for help on the VHF and a third man desperately fighting with the tiller - all in the name of a yacht race.




It was with a sense of deja vu that I read about fearsome seas along Australia's east coast forcing nine boats out of this year's Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race classic and putting six rescued yachtsmen in hospital. At least there have been no fatalities as happened in the 1998 event. Still, some of the big, expensive carbon-fibre racing monsters were dismasted and I think that nobody will sleep easily until all of the boats are in Hobart - safely.

I don't normally give two figs for yacht racing, but then, to many Australians Boxing Day means the fourth Cricket Test Match in Melbourne (where we'll wallop the Poms again) and the start of this epic Sydney-Hobart Yacht Race. It's just a funny part of Christmas Down-Under and it seems a natural thing for me to follow the fleet out of Sydney and wish it well as it heads down the coast, even if I live at the other end of the earth. I admit that I did shed a quiet tear for Koomooloo as she reminded me so much of our own boat, Fiona and I know how devastated we'd be if we had to abandon ship.




Taking Lambi out for a walk this afternoon, shows you just how dark it can be here at four in the afternoon, with the moon making an eerie effect on the wall of our apartment building. At least it will gradually start getting lighter as the year comes to an end.

You will notice that I have had trouble publishing with Blogger (again!) and so there are several backdated entries today. And no ability to comment on other blogs, for which I apologise, but I guess that glitch won't be fixed until the New Year either. All part of Blogger's teething problems, especially with those of us using FTP publishing.

We have to drive down to Malmö, so this may be my last post until the New Year. I hope everyone has a happy and safe entry into 2007. I leave you with this wonderful little video of a dear old lady showing the brash young man in his börsmoppe the power of us oldies! Look out Nynäshamn - I am SO going to be that old lady.

I wrote a post late last night. I think it was heartwarming. But it was late, I was tired, so maybe not. In any case, about three quarters of the way through writing it, my computer did some sort of wierd 60's thing and went all psychedelic and fuzzy and then it passed out completely. I wasn't sure if it had just had too much holiday glögg, or if it was something more serious. I went to bed wondering if I would still have a laptop in the morning.

Fortunately, I did. I think it just overheated and turned itself off. Unfortunately, it appears I've lost all of my bookmarks, which annoys me no end because I had saved a list of really cool blog addresses. Alas, I'll probably never find them all again. But maybe I'll go hunting and find some new ones.

I hate computers!

Sheila, our female cockatiel, has been feeling quite peeved lately as her mate, Bruce got to grace the opening pages of Australians Abroad, albeit as Bruce the Budgie (the temptation of alliteration winning out over fact). So just to show you that she, too, is a star, I said she could have her picture on this blog, wearing a tomte hat. Anything for peace.





So Christmas is done and dusted for another year. Just think, all of those weeks of preparation and then gone in the blink of an eye. As yesterday was Christmas Eve, we were allowed to put up the Christmas tree. And of course, Bruce and Sheila have their own minature tree on the desk near their cage. If you peer carefully at this photo, you can see them wandering over on a "chew and destroy" mission. I like the way Bruce is checking over his shoulder to see if we are looking.




You may think that this photo was taken in the middle of the night, but it was actually just before eight in the morning. Dawn does not appear until around 8.45am at the moment, so I can literally say that I'm up before the crack of dawn. There are a few weeks straddling December and January where it is dark when you leave for work and dark when you get out of work and it feels like you are living in a cave. That is one of the reasons we love lights and candles for advent and Christmas.

Our Christmas with the family was lovely. As the trains have proved to be less than reliable this year, we rented a car from the local service station and drove to Stockholm. I think we'll do this every year from now onwards as it was fast, easy, we could load up with food, wine, gifts and could bring the dog's basket. We arrived at my brother-in-law's home just after lunch, to find him still in the throes of setting up the tree. He makes me laugh every year with his last minute running around looking for cables, light globes, wrapping gifts literally as tomte is about to walk in the door. My sister-in-law though was well organised and ready for the day, with the table set up in their beautiful glassed-in atrium.




Mille and I set about in the kitchen for a short time and we sat down with the family to watch Kalle Anka at exactly 3pm along with almost every other family in Sweden. It's simply amazing how eeerily quiet Sweden becomes at 3pm on julafton (Christmas Eve).




This always brings on quite a bit of nostalgic feelings for me, as it is essentially the same program that I watched many times when I was growing up and tv was still something new and exciting in Australia. Walt Disney was a weekly event in our household and this reminds me of those cosy family Sunday evenings shared in front of the telly, except that now it is in a foreign language.

As you have no doubt guessed, Kalle Anka is Donald Duck in Swedish and what this julafton program contains is the Disney From All of Us to All of You film, first aired in 1958 and little changed since that time. This Swedish version is considered absolutely sacred and the only change tolerated is that something from the latest Disney cartoon is featured briefly towards the end of the one hour program. No other change is permitted or there would be a public outcry.

It kicks off with Santa’s Workshop, a cartoon made in the early 1930's. Then it proceeds with other favourite excerpts from carttons like Mickey, Goofy and Donald on a caravan holiday, Snow White, The Lady and The Tramp, The Jungle Book, Chip'n Dale "sharing" Mickey’s Christmas tree and my favourite, the 1938 cartoon Ferdinand the bull, who just wants to be left alone to quietly smell the flowers. I'm so with you, Ferdinand!

It was also so nice to see Jiminy Cricket again wishing everyone a Merry Christmas and singing the timeless classic 'When you wish upon a star'. *wipes a tear from my eye*




It was four in the afternoon by now and quite dark, so we headed over to the local cemetery to lay a wreath and candle on Lars-Göran's dad's grave. It is always a quiet, moving experience to be here at Christmas time with the graves arranged in a natural woodland setting and lights glittering over the whole forest. Nearly every grave had a visitor and I think it's touching that absent family can be included in this day.




We then returned to my brother-in-law's home and started to set out the food, which looked fabulous and so inviting arrayed on the serving table. I think that two thirds of the selection was vegetarian which reflects the changing tastes of the younger generation. In addition to the food I brought, Mille had made a vegetarian pie and there were also potatoes, salad vegetables, beetroot salad, boiled eggs etc to keep them all happy. For those who like traditional foods, she also served several varities of herring, thinly sliced smoked salmon, caviar, julskinka (Swedish baked Christmas ham with a mustard crust), Swedish meatballs, prinskorv (tiny cocktail sausages), paper thin slices of tjälknöl (like the chilblain beef my gran used to make), Janssons frestelse (a potato gratin with anchovies). Wow - what to choose?




We loaded up our plates and retired to the dining table in the atrium where we toasted Christmas with chilled snaps (and the inevitable drinking songs) and feasted on this marvellous food until we all resembled that giant python which swallowed a sheep whole earlier this year. Trust me, you don't want to see the picture.

Our jaws were not only being exercised by eating, but also there was a lot of laughter, chatting and joy around the Christmas table. I have to say that I love spending Christmas with the family as there is always a relaxed, unhurried atmosphere. We have all of the Christmas trimmings, but it isn't a stressful attempt to have "the perfect Christmas", but simply a time to enjoy being together.

Not long after the meal was cleared away, tomte came to visit. Again looking uncannily like my brother-in-law, who just a few minutes before had to duck out for a litre of milk from the all-night service station.....




This idea of Santa arriving in person was something wholly new for me when I first came to Sweden. In Australia, Santa comes sometime in the night while we are asleep, but here the lucky Swedish kids get to meet him in real life as he comes to each house to give out the gifts on Christmas Eve. No one really can explain to me exactly why Sweden alone is graced with his real presence. One theory is that Sweden is the first stop on his route down from the North Pole on his way to deliver gifts to the rest of the world and that he doesn't want to start his one annual working day with the whole chimney climbing thing, so he eases into it by trying out using the doors first.

Whatever the reason, the whole day of julafton is one where the excited Swedish kids wait, and wait, and wait, and wait, and wait some more until FINALLY someone hears that knock on the door and a male voice enquiring if there are any good children inside. In many households, this usually co-incides with the time when all of the Swedish dads simultaneously have to dash out on an urgent errand. You really do wonder where all of the dads go while Tomte is visiting - perhaps hanging out together in the nearby pub, drinking Christmas Ale?

After chatting, opening gifts, laughing and letting poor Christer know that he had yet again missed tomte (and strangely enough he had even forgotten to get the milk!), we finally arrived home happy and a little tired at 3 a.m. on Christmas Day!




I thought that this very springlike folk art snowman was an appropriate Christmas greeting considering the springlike weather that we're having this Christmas.

May you all have the happiest of days!

God Jul to all of my readers who celebrate it. To those of you who celebrate proximate holidays, merry ... those. And to those who celebrate nothing at all, well, here's hoping you make it through the season with your sanity intact.




I wish we had the pretty snow scene featured above, but it is just a leaden grey sky and cold. In an hour, we'll be packing up the hired car with dog, food and presents for the family and heading to Huddinge (a southern suburb of Stockholm) for Christmas Eve.

There will family and food and presents. Of these the most important for me is family. We will all gather to watch Kalle Anka, visit farfar's grave, enjoy a huge meal together, wait for Santa to arrive and most importantly, share laughter and good times.

This is how our Christmas Eve is always spent when we are all together and even though I know how the day will pan out in advance, I still looking forward to having everyone together at the same time. It will be noisy, chaotic and lots of fun.

My Christmas wish this year for my family is peace, happiness and not a few laughs.

My Christmas wish for you, and yours: May your festive season, however you celebrate it, be peaceful, happy and safe.

Happy Christmas/Holidays/Solstice all.

"'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house not a creature was stirring not even a mouse," wrote Clement C. Moore in the first verse of his traditional Christmas poem.

Ha! Ha! – if only it were true. This is the night before Christmas in Sweden as we have our celebrations on the 24th rather than the 25th. Traditionally this is one of the busiest evenings of the year for us. I have been slaving over a hot stove and oven all day making a big variety of vegetarian food for tomorrow's Christmas table. My contributions are:

Saffron couscous with honey roasted vegetables (fennel, red onions, eggplant, zucchini, red and yellow capsicums, sweet potato, leeks)

Vegetable curry with cardamom rice (onion, garlic, ginger, carrot, parsnip, sweet potato, cauliflower, broccoli, red cabbage, green beans)

White beans with saffron and spinach

Red Lentil Salad (lentils, celery, red apple in a dressing of oil, vinegar, french mustard, garlic, tarragon, chopped hazelnuts)

Frittata (onions, potato, blue cheese, black olives, eggs, dill)

Mini leek quiches

Mini vegetarian sausage rolls with a chutney dipping sauce.

This evening will be the wrapping of the rest of the gifts and writing of julrimar or "Christmas rhymes". These are humourous verses that you compose to accompany your gifts. The idea is to give a hint as to what the gift is, so everyone can try and help the recipient guess. I can tell you that it's quite challenging to write them in Swedish, but I'm getting better and better every year. My sister-in-law always has the best ones, though I peeped at the one Lars-Göran wrote to accompany his mum's gift to Lambi and it's pretty good. Mine are a bit amateurish, but everone is really nice about it as they know I'm doing my best.

And just in case you wonder if Santa will remember me, I can assure you that I've been NICE this year. See, I did a test - and it's on the internet, so it MUST be true. Eller hur?

I love giving gifts. There is something immensely gratifying about seeing the look on a person’s face when they’ve unwrapped the present that you’ve chosen especially for them and it’s exactly what they need or want. Buying gifts for someone else is not a problem.

Deciding what I want to receive is a real problem, though. Two possible reasons for this come to mind. One is that I am not used to thinking in terms of what I want and what I need. The second is that I have everything of a material nature that I need in this world for my safety, health, entertainment and comfort. Anything more would be a complete overkill and smack of the sort of crass consumerism that I abhor.

I don’t want any more jewellery, the camera I have doesn’t get used enough to justify the purchase of something bigger and better, I don’t need any more gadgets for the kitchen or for my entertainment. And as for books, I can wait for the library to pick it up for me.

But Lars-Göran keeps asking what I want. And I keep telling him that my answer is not going to change. Maybe I should change the answer and tell him what I really want. But I’m afraid that will sound too much like I’m answering the ubiquitous beauty pageant question. "You know, what I really want is world peace, happiness and prosperity, an end to poverty etc...."

I wonder what they’d look like, wrapped up and left under the tree?




Today I went to centrum and looked at this year's entries for the local Gingerbread House competition. This is a very popular competition in towns across Sweden and even the big towns indulge in it. You can see some of the entries from one of the bigger competitions here. It's in Swedish, but just scroll down and click on the pictures.

I know it sounds a bit twee to have this sort of old fashioned competition in this day and age, but I rather like the idea as in a small town like this, it fosters a sense of community and helps to focus people's attention on a simple but enjoyable past time in a way that we can all enjoy. I'd always thought of a gingerbread house as being like a cottage in a Hansel and Gretel style, but it seems you are only limited by your imagination!




I absolutely lost it when I saw this one. I couldn't resist giggling like a maniac and yelling out friggin' at the top of my voice to my bewildered Swede. He of course thought of the Swedish word, which is used to describe a small shed, under 10 sq metres, called friggan. However, the same pronounciation in English means the equivalent of the Swedish jävla. Not quite the same thing. Yes, I know....one tracked mind and all that.




This one was of the old local Hotel Nynäshamn, which these days is called Nynäsgården. If you look at the picture on their website you can see that they have captured the style of the building really well. One of the things I like about a local competition like this is that you recognise local buildings and local issues. Hmmm... looking at the hotel's website, I see they claim to be "less than an hour" from Stockholm! Obviously, they don't use the train service!




The next one was something else that would warm an Aussie's heart on this cold, winter's evening - the pub! How great that they use the same word we do to save any confusion. Though there is one famous department store in Stockholm that is also called PUB. They don't serve alcohol there, which is a bit confusing for new arrivals who cheer when they see that word PUB in ten foot neon lights. Apparently the initials are for the founder Paul U Bergström.




This gingerbread entry was my absolute favourite! It is also humourous and very topical as it deals with the recent phenomenon of the rondellhundar that I've mentioned before. I spent ages drooling over this, admiring the cute little doggies, the bones wrapped up as pressies, the little woodland creatures hidden among the trees, the detailed and beautifully decorated street signs. It's gorgeous! And my pick for this year's winner.

Wow! Only two more sleeps until tomte arrives. Yes, we in Sweden get our Santa visit on the 24th. For once we are ahead of Australia!

I really love this time of Advent in Sweden. The atmosphere is entrancing with homes and businesses lit up, shops bursting at the seams with seasonal goodies, the scent of woodsmoke outside, and the delicious aromas of Christmas baking filling the hallways of apartment buildings. I don't know whether it's because it's winter and it feels more cosy, but I find it a much simpler and more magical time than I did in Australia, where I was much more stressed. I still do a lot at Christmas, but I only do what I really want to do. That way, I can bring the spirit of Christmas to my home without ruining the holidays for me. By keeping things simpler, I now approach Christmas with a sense of joyful anticipation rather than stress-filled dread.

Today, as part of my Christmas baking, I made Christmas Stars or Julstjärnor. These proved to be quite simple and really delicious.




See, they even get the Chef Lambi seal of approval!

I used commercially bought Puff Pastry (use either ready rolled or in a block). The filling is plum jam, but you could use some other kind of red jam that you like (raspberry or fruit of the forest would be nice as well). The only other ingredients are a beaten egg for glazing and either pearl sugar or icing sugar for decorating.

If pastry is in a block, you need to roll it out to about 3mm thickness. Cut the pastry into squares. I did one batch about 10cm or 4", but they can be bigger or smaller if you like. I also did a batch of mini-stars 6cm.

Then you make a diagonal cut from each corner of the pastry until about half way to the centre (see the diagram to the left).
Place a teaspoon of jam into the centre of the pastry square and then fold in every second corner. Press to seal and then glaze with a little beated egg. I sprinkled on pearl sugar, but I'm not sure you can easily get that in Australia. I had never seen it before I came to Sweden, but then I haven't been home in over six years so things may have changed. Anyway, it's not essential at all. Bake the pastries in the centre of a hot oven - 225-250C for around 8-10 minutes. If you didn't use pearl sugar, you can serve them dusted with a little icing sugar.

And they are YUM! Though I will warn you that if you use plum jam, don't eat too many of them at once as plum has somewhat of a laxative effect in large quantities.




And remember that snow I was so excited about? Well, this is "the morning after"....

Not happy, Jan. Not happy at all! And there is no more forecast here in the forseeable future. I may have to stand in the corner and sulk. Though I am already doing that as my husband insists on the Swedish tradition of putting up the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve. It nearly kills me every year as I like to have it up on December 1st! I've been whingeing even more than Kim Beazley when the cameras are rolling, but to no avail. Christmas Eve it is.

It must be my lucky day as mid-afternoon I looked out of my window to see snow falling steadily, covering the ground and turning my world into that beautiful winter wonderland that I so love.

Actually, the whole day got better and better. We have organised all of the present shopping which is a big relief. That leaves the food shopping for tomorrow after which I'll start baking and cooking for Sunday's dinner.

Thankyou to those who have written and asked about my mother-in-law. We learned bad and good news on that front today. The bad news was that in addition to the broken hip that was missed a few weeks ago, she has also a break in the same leg just below the knee! Unbelievable! That's her ankle, knee and hip requiring plaster. The good news is that having wrapped her lower part up like a mummy, she is allowed to recuperate in her own home. It's well set up already and she has home help and I know that she'll be much happier surrounded by her own things.

And she can come for Christmas! I feel like I have my best Christmas gift already - snow and the knowledge that three generations of the family will be gathered in the same place for Julafton.

We had an outstanding Sunday afternoon and evening in Stockholm, though it very nearly didn't happen as the trains from Nynäshamn were cancelled. Again. I'm used to it during the weekdays, but never on the weekends! There are always a variety of inventive excuses - autumn leaves on the track being my all time favourite, but there is also "wagon fault", "faulty doors", "switch problem" "moose on the line". Today they decided to fess up instead and announced personalbrist (not enough staff!). Which didn't help us. They eventually sent a replacement bus to take us on a 45 minute ride to a point where we could hop on another train, but the normally one hour trip actually took just over two and a half hours by the time we waited here and there for missed connections! I guess its the price one pays for living out in the sticks.




We attended a glögg party at a friend's beautiful apartment in Ferkens Gränd in Gamla Stan. This is very close to the Royal Palace and to the cathedral where we heard Händel's Messiah last Sunday. Our friend Olle is a professor at Karolinska Institutet (the big teaching hospital in Stockholm) so he has many friends and colleuges and the two level, half-timbered apartment was packed with joyous laughter and good cheer when we finally arrived - slightly late.

We drank industrial strength glögg, chatted with a few people, accepted compliments on the sweet little santa puppy we had with us and feasted on the fabulous spread, with tables laden with lussebullar, struvor, klenäter, pepparkakor, panettone and biscotti. Not to mention the piles of glistening red apples, shiny clementines, chocolates, marshmallow, knäck, ischoklad, almonds.... I asked Lars-Göran what the klenäter were and he said he had no idea! But I should know better than to ask him about anything that doesn't have sails!




After leaving Olle's place, we turned along Österlånggatan (The Eastern Long Street), which is one of my favourite streets in the old town. In the early evening, with the street lights and Christmas lights blazing, it was a beautiful atmosphere and far less commercial than the tourist areas around the western long street. It was so quiet here and we could chat happily while we looked at the tasteful, cheerful window displays and walked towards Kungsträdgården.




It was around 5.30pm by now and the dark night had well and truly fallen. It was also rather cold, having fallen below zero during the day, though the air was that lovely crisp cold that I love. Still, I was very grateful that I'd worn my thermals and was snuggled into a warm down-filled coat, woolly scarf and hat as well as cosy, lined, leather gloves. The open air ice-skating rink had been set up again and the Christmas markets were still going as we approached.




However, it was to this building that we were headed - the gracious, refined department store of Nordiska Kompaniet or as it is more commonly known here, NK (pronounced "En Ko"). This large and elegantly appointed department store on six levels reminds me a little of Macy's, Harrods or Australia's DJ's, but in a uniquely Scandinavian way. I love this shop, especially at this time of the year when they have their Christmas window display.

This year's theme was Pepparkakeland (Gingerbread Land), a magical place where the Christmas gingerbread is made. The windows are apparently based on a 1930's children's book by Einar Nerman (Resan till Pepparkakslandet). I have read some criticism of this display, saying that the figures looked like the ompalumpas from Roald Dahl's Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, rather than the little people who bake the gingerbread. But I sometimes think that adults read too much into these things and perhaps we should look at it all with the same wonder as the children. If those there last night are a representative example, then this display of a dream landscape of lollies, flowers and gingerbread is a big hit.




As you can see, the windows are bright, colourful and very appealing for a young child. You could literally smell the baking gingerbread if you pressed up close to the windows. The first window introduced the country where everything you need for making gingerbread grows.




The second window was like a non-stop lolly factory, where the decorations for the gingerbread were made, ready to be sent to the bakery. I'm sure a land where there is a never ending supply of sweets sounds like paradise to children, no matter what their age (looking very pointedly at a certain candy rat who lives with me....)




Next, it is on to the bakery where the raw ingredients collected in the first two windows are blended and made into the lovely gingerbread shapes that we all know and love here at Christmas time. The animatronics were excellent and the kids were fascinated to watch the lumps of dough being rolled flat and then cut out into giant heart shapes and baked in a giant oven.




Next, the baked biscuits moved on to be decorated with white icing by the artists, before being packed and ready for delivery all over the world. Decorating gingerbread here is very individual, so I thought that the use of an artist with his palatte was a clever idea. On the far side of the window, those in the mail room are crossing off the list of places that have received their shipment....




This was when I stopped in my tracks and stared open mouthed at the list. A real wtf? moment as I read that one parcel was off to Sidney. Now, every other name on that list was a city, so I'm pretty sure they didn't mean a person named Sidney. Perhaps they need a spelling lesson. Sidney, indeed! It would have been better to misspell London as every Brit I've spoken to in Sweden insists on pronouncing Stockholm as Stockhome. Maybe I'll start saying Stickholm instead.




Having been beautifully packaged into bright, striped hat boxes, the delivery people take them to the airport along a track. I smiled and looked at the scene, but then had another wtf? moment as I looked at the destination of the red and white striped box....




Oh no! Will Australia Post recognise it or will they stamp it "Addressee unknown. Return to Sender", like Sweden's Posten does to letters and parcels from my friends who accidentally leave the umlauts off my surname. Can someone in Australia please let Clover Moore know that her gingerbreads are incorrectly addressed and that Sydney may miss out this year.




The gingerbread is ready now to be airlifted by hot air balloon all over the world (except maybe to Sydney, unless Sidney offers to do the right thing...). I really enjoyed looking at the windows and while I can perhaps see why some people were concerned that the basic tale had been tampered with, it was not blatant commercialism, but really rather charming.

From there we went inside NK, where you are not allowed to take photos. So you never saw this, okay?




Isn't it a beautiful, civilised place? You really need to allow hours for a visit to this shop and preferably leave your husband home. It is absolutely beautiful and the cutomer service is quite outstanding. You can find everything you had ever dreamed of owning in this classy shop, from gourmet food, designer glassware and dinnerware through to clothing, stylish hats, watches, jewellery, cosmetics, books and even furniture. Not to mention the amazing cafés. Even if you don't plan to buy anything, it's just a great place to browse. But better without a bored husband. Just trust me on that one. The one shop that made me laugh was this one. Maybe it's just me, but surely the words cow and perfumery don't belong in the same sentence. I just shudder at the thought!

Of course, after the visit to NK, I've had to listen to Lars-Göran sing his version of the children's Christmas song Tre pepparkaksgubbar (Three Gingerbread Men).




Somehow, I don't think this will be a huge hit on the karaoke circuit....

Third Sunday of Advent today and we light the Shepherd Candle, in honour of the shepherds to whom the birth of Jesus was announced. Not too many more sleeps now!

We have been having an interesting discussion on a forum I belong to about the political correctness mob who seem to have taken it upon themselves to ban Christmas in workplaces, schools etc in an effort to not offend anybody of another faith. One of the forum members lives in the UK where this is apparently taken to extremes and people are so afraid of lawsuits that workplaces have become rather cheerless in this festive season. Another member who lives in Greece talked about the clash between the orthodox church heirarchy and those who wanted to include the tinsel and trappings of Christmas. Others living in the States, Canada, Australia chimed in with stories of how nativity plays were being discontinued so as not to offend non-Christians and one was told not to say Merry Christmas, but instead Happy Holidays. I wonder if it will all come to this:




In Sweden, there seems to be no such discussion and one sees Christmas lights on every building in town. People say God Jul to each other and everyone joins in with the glögg parties, markets and Lucia processions. There does not seem to be an overt connection made between the religious meanings of Christmas and the more secular ones and perhaps this is why no-one takes any offence. People accept it as a mid-winter bit of brightness and a celebration of the passing of the darkest time of the year - and we will all be glad to see the darkness retreating after this week's winter solstice.

Yesterday, walking through town, I saw more evidence that some people have chosen black as this year's Christmas colour. In Söder I saw a trendy, minimalist display in one shop featuring a black Christmas tree with a single ornament. It looked gross, but then I'm not an artiste, so what would I know. At another shop I saw black gift baskets - yes, black wire baskets full of black coloured gifts and tied with a black ribbon! So depressing! And in Nynäshamn, I saw one shop with a black star in the window.




It stopped me in my tracks and I wondered if the local hairdresser had now become some kind of devil worship temple. As if there is not enough darkness around at this time of the year. The idea of lights is to provide a contrast, not blend in with the darkness. Who the hell let Ingemar Bergman be in charge of this Christmas's colour scheme, I wonder?

The news in Sweden this week has been dominated by the story of Christer Fugelsang - the first Swede in space.





While I bet nowhere else on planet earth is even aware of the story, here in Sweden it has been a media shark feeding frenzy that is bordering on the ridiculous. People are eagerly telling each other to tune in and watch him go out and repair the solar panels of the space station live. You can't even begin to imagine how boring that is to watch. I'm happy for him that he has achieved a life ambition and all that, but do we have to hear about it on every station, all day every day?

On Friday night, one of the stations broadcast a live interview between the astronaut and Sweden's Crown Princess Victoria. I accidentally stumbled on to this and was preparing to switch channels as the tv anchorman was rambling on in Swedish to her about how refreshing it was for Sweden to have a new kind of hero - "an educated hero" - as opposed to the usual ice hockey players, soccer stars and pop singers. I rolled my eyes and had the remote control poised to turn it off when Victoria interrupted the verbal diarrhoea with a very cool look and a brisk "How do you know that these people are not educated as well?"

Go Victoria! It was absolutely perfect.

Today it is minus degrees for the first time in over a month and it was a delight to wake up and see frost on the lawn. It's sunny and clear which is good as we are heading off to Stockholm to Christmas shop, attend a glögg party and wander around Kungsträdgården and look at the NK Christmas windows. Let's hope Bergman hasn't been at those as well!

Our decorations on the other hand are being supervised and arranged by my personal decorator, Bruce.




I hope there will be something left when we get back from town! Keep warm wherever you are and have a wonderful Sunday.

What a busy last couple of days. I wish I could say that it was all happy Christmas preparations, but alas it involved some stress on the family front, but hopefully that will resolve itself in time.

The Lucia concert on Wednesday evening was beautiful and we were lucky enough to get a front row seat, so to speak and enjoyed listening to the girls singing. This year, they chose to stay with only the Swedish traditional favourites and that decision was a big hit with those of us there. The girls sang unaccompanied and had fine, strong and sweet voices as well as perfect harmony. We came away feeling very uplifted and at peace, enjoying our walk home under a cold, clear and star filled sky.




Yesterday began with a series of phonecalls and the upshot of those is that we will have to drive 600 kilometres to Malmö between Christmas and New Year in order to help out one of Lars-Göran's daughters. This is a terrible time of the year to drive as it gets dark so early, the roads can be wet, icy or snowy and I really don't want to go. However, as every parent knows, there are some times when you have to help out and this is one of those times.

So the afternoon was spent trying to arrange a car and seeing if one of our friends down there could let us stay the night. That is the only bright spot in all of this - the chance to see my friend Liz and her family. They stayed with us a couple of years back and we went down once for Thanksgiving, so it will be great to say hello again, even if it's just for the night. And I know one little girl in Flyinge who will be over the moon at the thought that Lambi will be staying.

No sooner had we finalised all of that, when we learned that Lars-Göran's mum was back in hospital. I haven't spoken about her since we got home, but she has not had a happy time. First, the home carers managed to break one of her ankles several weeks ago while dressing her, requiring a trip to the hospital and having plaster applied. A couple of weeks after she got home from that, they failed to secure her properly in her wheelchair and she slid off it, falling to the floor and hitting her head on the table on the way down. Another trip to hospital with concussion, bruising etc.

Yesterday was meant to be a routine trip to x-ray the ankle and see if the plaster could come off. But they discovered that her hip was also broken! We suspect that this was the result of the fall from her wheelchair three weeks or so ago as her bones are so brittle. How it was missed then, I'll never know, but she was terribly upset that she faced another stay in hospital. There is no doubt that these trips drain her and leave her a little more vulnerable and fragile.

Today we learned that they will not inset a screw but instead plaster her from hip to toe and she will have to be transferred from the hospital to a nursing home for several weeks (or months!) for recovery. Poor, Evy! She is one of the kindest people you could ever hope to meet and I feel so sorry that she has had such a run of injuries at her age (79). She is most upset over Christmas and we are trying to see if there is some way that we can arrange for her to join us all. Just another headache for Lars-Göran and his brother, I guess.

I found it hard to concentrate on anything, so I thought I'd start making some of the goodies that we can nibble on while we gather for Christmas Eve. Today, I chose the two easiest ones - knäck (Swedish toffee) and ischoklad (ice chocolate). As usual, I had the expert supervision of Head Chef Lambi to ensure it was all properly done. The ingredients are all here:




Knäck (pronounced "kn-air-ck") is really basic and easy if you own a microwave. I read some stove top methods that involved a lot of stirring for ages and using sugar themometers etc and I thought "No way!". However a friend gave me this recipe and I've successfully made it every year.

1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup of light syrup (golden syrup is a good substitute)
1/4 cup blanched, chopped almonds
small paper cases

Method:
Set up the paper cases on a tray (you need about 50)

Mix together the cream, syrup and sugar in a glass bowl that is microwave proof.

Microwave at 600 W for 8 minutes.

Stir in the chopped almonds.

Spoon quickly into paper cases.

This is traditionally made to eat on Christmas Eve while you watch Kalle Anka. The paper patty cases are tiny ones - the sort you would use for petit fours or truffles. Easy and really delicious!

A couple of tips: Do not microwave in a plastic bowl as the sugar heats to over 120C and the bowl will melt, leaving a very unpleasant mess. Glass or pyrex is best.

Don't be tempted to double the recipe as the toffee hardens quickly and you will not have time to fill the cases. It's better to do it in two batches.

Next I made the ichhoklad, which is even more simple as there are only two basic ingredients.




100 g copha (Cocos fett in Sweden, Palmin in the States)
200 g good-quality, dark chocolate
small paper patty cases

Optional flavourings:
1 tbs instant coffee powder
grated peel from 1 small orange
few drops of pepperminy oil

Break the chocolate into pieces and put them in a deep heatproof bowl. Add the chopped, copha and put the plate over a small saucepan of boiling water. Allow the chocolate and copha to melt. Stir well. If adding a flavouring, you can mix it in now. Remove from the heat and spoon into the little paper cases. Leave them to cool completely.




Once they are set, you can store them in airtight containers with a sheet of greaseproof paper between each layer. And if you husband is a candy rat like mine, you had better find a good hiding place or there will be none left by Christmas! I suspect they won't be the last batches I have to make this week.

I've spoken to my sister-in-law tonight and we have divided up the Christmas cooking. I'll be in charge of providing the vegetarian food (half of the guests are vegetarian) and I'm thinking of using some of the recipes on the Christmas site at Coop. It's only in Swedish, but what an interesting selection of Christmas tables, especially the multicultural one. So I'm off to make up my shopping list and cooking schedule for the next week. I like to enjoy the actual day in relative peace, so I prefer that most of the food be prepared in advance. My only concern now is that Lars-Göran's mum will be well enough to join us all - after all, being with family is what Christmas is all about.

Happy Lucia Day! Happy Lucia Day! Happy Lucia Day! Happy Lucia Day! Happy Lucia Day! Happy Lucia Day!




I found a video on YouTube, where you can watch a snippet from a typical Sankta Lucia ceremony and you will see that to actually be there is a surreal and very moving experience. The lights are turned down, then a procession of women, one wearing a crown of lit candles slowly enters the darkened room, singing beautiful Lucia and Christmas songs.

Early this morning, while it was still dark, I made up a Lucia tray, consisting of fresh, warm lussekatter (Lucia buns), freshly brewed coffee, glögg and candles. This I carried in to the bedroom and served to Lars-Göran, while singing Sankta Lucia.




He was kind enough not to laugh at my pathetic singing, so I let him eat the goodies rather than wear them *grin* This evening we will watch the Lucia procession go along the main street, then head to the boat club, which has been the traditional last port of call for Nynäshamn's Lucia. Here we will snack on buns, gingerbread and glögg with friends and wait for Lucia and her helpers to come and sing a selection of Christmas songs.

I have finally learned to say "Lucia" in the Swedish way. Because I spent many years with Italians, I tended to say it as "Loo-chee-ah", whereas they pronounce it as "Loose-ee-ah", a bit like moose-ia. And speaking of moose, I have to share this lovely story with you, sent to me by my friend Kat, another Aussie married to a viking, though hers is Norwegian.




When this little moose was young, he lost his mother. So the rangers at the Canadian Fish and Game Ministry brought him to a couple who live in rural Newfoundland. This couple, Debbie and Wendall were to raise the calf to a safe age after which he would be turned loose back to the wild. We have similar schemes set up in Australia in order to foster sick and orphaned wildlife. Anyway, they bottle-fed and took care of him and after a while, they fed him alongside their cows.




Last spring, when he turned one year old, it was time to return him to the wild. They opened the gate and off he went. He apparently stayed away for all of the summer, but in the autumn, he suddenly arrived back and settled in with the cows again. The family were all happy to see him as he is pretty friendly. He also has a very sweet tooth, loving honey buns which he will eat right out of the family's mouth.




Wendall and Debbie live right up in the mountains so in late autumn it came time to bring the cows down before the snows hit. They left the moose up in the mountains, Well, it appears that the moose was lonely up there all by himself, so he headed down and found another heard of cows to hang out with. The neighbours who owned the cows called a week later and asked Wendall to please come and get his Moose (now also called Wendall). So he headed out with a honey bun, a bucket of grain and the horse trailer and brought Wendall back to their home.




The moose is free to leave anytime he wants to, but he is choosing to stay put for now. Surely, come spring he will start to feel a bit like a male Moose and take off ... but, for now he is happy.




Isn't he beautiful? And he is even joining in the Christmas spirit, with his jolly santa hat. This is the sort of feel good Christmas story I like to see. Now I think I'm going to add "a moose" to my Christmas wish list. I wonder what tomte will think about that. And I wonder if moose like sailing?




Glad Lucia (Wishing you all a very happy Moose-ia day!)

After yesterday's post, I thought I would show you just how timeless the view of Stortorget in the old town is. I am not joking when I say that it has remained unchanged for hundreds of years as this lovely old postcard shot shows:




This was designed by Jan Bergerlind, who paints the most beautiful, traditional Swedish Christmas scenes on postcards. They are instantly recognisable and I spend ages looking through the card shops and often end up buying them all! Just look at his Tomte and Christmas series.

Christmas is getting closer and closer and this can be a really hectic time. One way to call a halt to the holiday madness is to take a day off to bake some seasonal breads, a tradition that satisfies the soul and makes the house smell really, really good! Today I decided to bake some traditional buns for tomorrow's celebration of Lucia.

I have explained what the Lucia traditions are in an earlier post, so I won't repeat the story, but I will say again that this is one of my favourite Swedish traditions. I love watching the parade through town and going along to the local boat club for singing and a glass of glögg in the evening. But in the morning, we need buns and since I'm totally lazy and refuse to get up at 4am to bake fresh saffron buns for my husband's breakfast, I did them today. I mean to say, breakfast in bed TWICE in a week is quite enough, eller hur?

I used the same recipe I posted previously for my Lussekatter ("Lucy cats") and Lambi supervised carefully just to make sure no other type of feline snuck in.




Once the dough had risen, it was quick work to shape them for baking. The actual shape of this bun does vary somewhat according to regions, but is always based on old designs dating back to much earlier pagan and Christmas celebrations in Sweden. You can find some of these designs on this page. I usually go with the most common, "S" shape, with the two cat eyes.




I divide the dough into four, then each piece into six balls slightly smaller than my fist and fashion them into ‘serpents’, formed like the letter S. I then covered them with a cloth and left them to rise again for around 40 minutes.




While that was happening, I preheated the oven, then beat an egg and brushed this over the risen buns and added two raisins for the eyes. Before popping them into the oven.




The smell of freshly baked buns was beautiful and in only a few minutes they were golden brown and ready to be placed on a wire rack to cool. I think it's best to cover them with a clean cloth while they cool, so that the outside does not become too hard. And as they can dry out easily, it's best to freeze them as soon as they are cool. In the morning, I will serve them warmed up along with Lars-Göran's morning coffee and a glass of glögg.




Lambi looks reasonably interested in sampling these cats as well. And in case you were thinking that it's the middle of the night because its so dark outside, you'd be quite wrong. That picture was taken at around 3.30pm! This is why we look forward to this day - Lucia is a celebration of light in the darkness of winter that brings renewed hope and peace.

Today's mail brought a mixed bag of goodies. As well as Christmas cards, I got a postcard from Australia with a picture of a kangaroo and a koala surfing. I smiled and flipped it over to read "Varma solskenshälsningar..." Whoa! Hang on a minute. I flipped back to the front in case I was dreaming and it was really a moose in the snow, but no that jolly kangaroo and koala were still there. Who on earth do I know back home who would send a card written in Swedish? Back to the writing and I saw it was our friends Björn and Marianne, who are spending six weeks in Oz at the moment! Mystery solved.

The other lovely surprise was that I got a book, sent by the funny and fabulous Ms Mac in Switzerland (who I now see I have as "Mrs Mac in my Blogroll - sorry about that Stella, I realise it should be Mrs Clooney!). She had raved about Martha Moody's book Best Friends and I no sooner expressed an interest in reading it too when it appeared in my letterbox. Thankyou so much! I shall read it this week and send it back with a couple of books you may enjoy, both by Australians now living in Europe. We gotta stick together, you know.

The other "surprise" was this letter from our local paper.




It basically congratulated me on my upcoming birthday and since I was turning 50 (who the hell told THEM that?) they were offering to advertise the fact (No thanks!) as well as give me a free subscription for a month (yeah, okay, I like that word free). I looked at the letter and there it stood - turning 50 on January 1st. I hadn't expected the paper to know stuff like that, but I wasn't reckoning with Sweden's person number system, where every man and his dog knows your date of birth. It was a bit unnerving to see that even they had access to that information, something that would be considered private in Australia.

But we'll put that aside and finish off with a fun Christmas quiz I found at Connie's blog.

We had a lovely day yesterday, helped by the beautiful, sunny weather, the joy of celebrating Lars-Göran's birthday and the fact that we went into Stockholm to see and hear a marvellous recital of the classic Christmas choral piece, Händel's Messiah at Storkyrkan in Gamla Stan.




These tickets had to be booked really early as the concert is usually a sellout. Unfortunately we did not get back in time to have booked before October and by then all of the best (and most expensive) seats were taken, so we were hoping that these places would still give us a good view.

It wouldn't have been possible without the help of Lars-Göran's daughter, who lives in nearby Södermalm and who very kindly offered to dog-sit Lambi for us. While Lambi is very much one of God's creatures, it seems that she is not welcome in these places of worship. We met up and handed over the dog at Södra station and jumped on a bus heading to the palace. But at Slussen, we decided to get off and take a walk through Gamla Stan as we had a little time up our sleeve and the day was sunny and clear. Though it was a touch on the nippy side.

From this side of the water, you can see the tower of the cathedral, reaching out above all of the other buildings. It is situated high on a hill, right next door to the Royal Palace. Today the light is lovely and emphasises the warmth of the colours used in these old buildings, many of which date back over seven hundred years.




You can see it here too. Many people think that the more pointed spire is the cathedral, but that spire belongs to Tyska Kyrkan (the German Church), whose spire is the highest point in Gamla Stan.




It was around 1.30pm when this photo was taken and already the deep late afternoon shadows are making their way across the buildings, making the colours fade and the scene look much colder. Even so, the old town has a romance all of its own and one never tires of the view from Slussen.




We ventured along the main street, Västerlånggatan (the western long street) which was quite crowded with Christmas shoppers and a surprising number of tourists. The street is lined with shops, art galleries, restaurants and cafés, some of which are quite charming, some which are rather twee, catering as they do to the hoardes of tourists who flock here all year round. Having travelled extensively in Europe, I'm used to this overt display of kitsch, but it still continues to distress Lars-Göran who has led a much more sheltered life and who cannot for the life of him understand why anyone would want to buy any of this crap.




It was nice to wander along in an unhurried way, looking in at the full cafés, dropping in to look at a few shops of interest and admire the pretty street lights and wreaths strung between the buildings for Christmas - all without having to smuggle the dog inside. We felt really free and unencumbered. Several of the shops had lovely Christmas displays and windows chock full of goodies to buy.




We walked up the narrow, hilly, cobblestoned streets to the main square (Stortorget) where the Christmas markets were in full swing, with people milling around the stalls which have stood on this spot for hundreds of years. They have remained largely unchanged and stock handicrafts, presents, gourmet foodstuff, Christmas lollies and fairyfloss and of course mulled wine (glögg).




Christmas markets are a beloved pleasure during Advent here and people come from all over town just for the old style flavour and atmosphere of this square. They set up a huge Christmas tree festooned with lanterns to transform it into a magical setting. I love the history of this place and I always picture Stortorget as a city in a little snow globe - and all this scene lacks is a sprinkling of snow to make it perfect and to evoke the warmth and spirt of a traditional yuletide.




Then it was but a short hop around the corner to Storkyrkan (The Great Church). It is a very old building, having been first mentioned in writing as early as 1279, making it Stockholm's oldest church. I still can't get my mind around the fact that this impressive building has been here for over 700 years! We went into the side courtyard and found an oasis of peace where we could sit and have a snack before the three hour concert.




We went out through the courtyard and looked from the hill on which the palace is built, out across the water to Strandvägen and the east of the city - always a striking view in any season.




Then it was time to make our way inside. While the exterior of the building is somewhat baroque, the interior is very Gothic, being constructed mostly of brick, then rendered and painted. I loved the high, vaulted ceilings, the incredible gilded woodwork, the chandeliers and the whole feeling of pomp and ceremony. It is a large, grand public building which was meant to inspire the common man who was more than likely packed into a tiny tenement apartment building. The most famous of the treasures is an enormous and very dramatic wooden statue of Saint George and the Dragon attributed to the wonderful German sculptor Bernt Notke and dating from 1489.




I sat and looked at this for a long time, marvelling at the incredible detail. I read the plaque nearby, which said that it was also a reliquary, containing relics of Saint George and two other saints. It wasn't long before the concert was about to begin and people filed into their seats.




The recital itself was amazingly beautiful and even sensual. The setting did much to enhance the music, as these sacred music pieces were written to be sung in high vaulted churches such as this. I don't think that any musical work is more closely associated with the Christmas season than Messiah by Georg Friedrich Händel, who lived 1685-1759 (incidentally, Johann Sebastian Bach and Domenico Scarlatti were also born in 1685, making it quite a year for classical composers!) It's rather ironic that when Händel wrote this piece, the Bishop of London banned its performance in London parishes and also in St. Paul's Cathedral. He felt that it was too theatrical and he did not want his churches tainted by "entertainment". So, Händel unveiled Messiah in Dublin as a benefit for a charity hospital.




It is a very religious piece and Händel told the story of Christ using selections of text from the Old and New Testaments to outline basic ideas about who Jesus was and what was his significance. The actual concert was really beautiful. It wasn't the very best I've heard, but the experience was worthwhile. The soloists were mixed, with the soprano being just perfect - bright, shiny, crisp and strong. So was the bass, but the alto and tenor were merely adequate in light of the absolutely stunning performance of the choir. They were so sharp, with every note being distinct and spot on. It was a far cry from one performance I went to where the choir consistently sang about the "Prince of Piss" and "The Ever-Lusting Lord", which put a whole new unwelcome, if somewhat amusing slant on the meaning.

I am used to everyone standing for the Hallelujah chorus. This is usually a highlight for me, that lightbulb moment when Christmas suddenly hits home, so I was a little disappointed that everyone remained seated. Perhaps this is only done in England and Australia. Anyway, it is highly uplifting music and one of my favourite three for Christmas. The others are Britten's A Ceremony of Carols and Rachmaninov's Vespers.




We left, walking out into the cold night along Skeppsbron, with our heads alive with Händel's musical meditations and our feet treading lightly on air.

If you are at all curious about the music and the sory behind it, you can read the specific scriptures here. Believe me, if you listen to this glorious music - especially knowing the scriptures themselves - you will be transported too. If you click on Messiah here, then scroll down a little, you can hear the beginning of different selections. On disc one, I especially love tracks 3, 8 and 12. On disc 2, click on 17 for just a teaser of Hallelujah.

And for those of you in Stockholm next Sunday, the Anglican Episcopal Church of St Peter and St Sigfrid at Dag Hammarskjöldsvägen 14 is holding it's very popular English Carol Service at 6pm. It's one not to be missed!

Just a real quickie today as it's only six in the morning and I really should be in bed sleeping, but I have so much to do that I had to get up now. And yes, I do know that I should not be wasting my time on the computer, but this will only take a couple of minutes.

Today it is the second Sunday of advent, so we can light the second candle! It feels like Christmas is really on its way. But today in this household, we will be lighting many more than two candles, because today is my darling man's birthday! Yes, him with the great buns. He's skit gammal still in the prime of his life and absolutely thrilled that it's his birthday again.




Yes, that about sums it up.

I'm not allowed to say just when he was born, but I'm pretty sure that dinosaurs still roamed the earth, not that young spring chickens like me would know about those ancient times or anything.

I have a big day planned, beginning with breakfast in bed, gifts, a special excursion and a birthday dinner with family, so I better get moving.

If you gain the impression on this blog that Lars-Göran is a gentle, softly spoken Swede who has had his life turned upside down after getting involved with a loud mouthed foreigner for whom he has to keep going around and apologising, then I'd say that's pretty accurate. How he survives with such good humour is a mystery to me, but I know I'm lucky to have him.

Happy birthday to the best husband, friend, lover and soul mate that I could ever wish for!

So another week has passed by and here I sit again early on a Saturday evening wondering where it all went. December seems to be a month of happenings leading up to the main highlight of Christmas itself and today, we took part in yet another of our traditional Christmas advent excursions - the Christmas markets at Nynäshamn.

For the last six Christmases, we have gone down to our local markets on the second weekend of advent every year. It has become something of a family tradition - a tradition I love for its cosiness and its signalling of the real beginning of the festive season for me. As my regular readers will know, despite my strict catholic upbringing, I am not particularly religious. Be this as it may, I have to say that I love Christmas, with all its traditions and its message of peace and love. I love the giving and the exchange of small gifts that have been chosen, or made, with both care and thoughtfulness. I love the glitter and sparkle of lights everywhere and I love visiting the Christmas markets, with their delicious smells of smoked meats, fish, fresh pine, chocolates, gingerbread biscuits and mulled wine.




There seemed to be a steady crowd heading down to the harbour area where the market stalls are set up each year. We met a friend early on and were lamenting the lack of snow and the almost spring like warmth in the air. She thought it had been many years since we had snow here for a Christmas market, but I said that it definitely snowed in 2003. I'm fairly certain that neither Lars-Göran or Camilla believed me, but I have proof right here :)




Without the snow, the markets are a little less visually attractive. That lovely, soft white coating really adds a special character to the scene, but we can't have everything and I still think that the setting in a small fishing harbour with its views across the archipelago is quite charming. People must agree with me because a lot of people from out of town were milling about and checking out the stalls. Car parks were full, the train from Stockholm was packed and people even arrived by boat.