Hemma

We had a great time in Sweden and by the time the weekend came the weather had improved a lot! It was a beautiful sunny weekend and hard to leave. Especially as we came home to heavy rain and grey skies.

My lilac has moved on a bit in the week we have been away. I love lilac. Actually I love all scented flowers but this is the first one up so gets a bit special attention.

I have added some piccies from the visit to Flickr.

Lilac

Lilac
Originally uploaded by evafritz

Just a comment on spring progression in UK vs. Sweden. I left home on Monday and it was 20 degrees and my lilac is almost flowering (first time since I got it three years ago!!).

In Stockholm yesterday it was +4 and absolutely freezing. And very little greenery.

Somehow though Sweden will catch up around July time. It must be the long days. I just find it a bit weird to think of.

Oh, and JD has about 80 brussel sprout plants as ALL the seeds took. And we have our usual bumper crop of self seeded tomato plants. Have given Heidi and Hils 30 brussel sprout plants to share and will give them about 20 tomato plants once I am back next week.

A lot of lunches

Its a hard life but someone has to do it.

I am in Stockholm working this week and its lovely and quiet in the office as noone knows me so I can work uninterrupted all day. And on top of that I get to lunch with my Swedish friends. So on Tuesday I lunched with Eva and yesterday with Carola, Anna and Jenny (and Myran). I have also had time for dinner with the other Jenny, the tea/cake with Amina and ribs dinner with dad (mum had a meeting and as she isn't a rib fan we took the opportunity to eat messy food).

Tomorrow lunch with EL and then dinner with the Jennies and their husbands. Saturday shopping with sister and nieces and Sunday at the summer house. Home Monday. Then resting for rest of week as I am bound to be knackered.

Ladies that lunch

B has got a spare 1/2 day every Friday starting today. So we met in Lewes and did some window shopping in the antiques stores, didnt bid or buy anything so were very well behaved. We then had lunch at a little cafe, you know the type with handwritten menus, selling its furniture and incredibly inefficient but cooky staff? Well, food was good once it arrive (we were 6 in total in the cafe so god only knows what the staff were busy with, I suspect paint stripping pine furniture in the back). The lady on the till who we gave our money to didnt even know how it works. Bless. Quite cute on a non busy Friday, would have been increadibly annoying on a busy Saturday. Do not want to be their customer tomorrow.

Aaaaanyway. B is back from being ill, then ill again and then really ill (we blame the Guardian reading, goodygoody Brighton parents who did not get their kids the MMR jab cause some moron blew up a made up story of how it gave your kids autism - all now proven to be a massive mistake and oops the side effect is that we all are more likely to get meninghitis.)

Off my hobby horse now. We also went to the cheese shop. Lewes is a great place because it has a cheese shop. I want to live in a place with a cheese shop. I love cheese. We both got Brother Micheal, the little brother of the Stinking Bishop, and also some nice creamy Stilton. JD and I have just enjoyed it all with some nice red wine from Tescos which we found on 1/2 price last night after our dance class.

Re: dance class. Rumba is dull. Waltz is fun. Quick step too. Chacha moderately so. We can dance 4 dances now!

some comments on the photos

So the gravlax had to be made as JD got a whole side for just £12! And as M and K both have told (and showed) me how easy it is to make I decided to give it a whirl. couldnt find dill so made with 100ml salt, 100ml sugar, 15 peppercorns and 3 juniper berries. In the fridge under a weight (pestle and mortar and a bottle of rum) for 2 days.

The cake I had to make after seeing it on DN the other week. It was supposed to be done with raw beetroot but I was too lazy so got a pack of cooked, which is why its not as colourful as the DN version.

The pasties are just JusRol circles filled with some left over roast pork, mushrooms, leek and a great bit of smelly cheese I found in the freezer.

The ale is Emerald something. Tastes of nothing but looks great. Most of the others we had tasted too much and didnt look as great. My favorite was the organic lager from Dark Star.

Easter food

Home made gravlax

Green ale at festival

Beetroot cake w. pink topping

Home made pasties.

Easter so far

Breakfast a la JD: scambled duck eggs with intresting garlic mushrooms and smoked salmon

Dinner cooked: ham, mushroom, leek and smelly cheese pasties

Cake made: Beetroot cake with pink topping

Now off to beer festival in the drizzle. The food will be here when we get back and I am sure to be greatful for putting in an early effort.

Spring and jogs

As its spring and I can no longer ignore the fact that I have done no excercise since September I have decided to take part in a monthly charity run (well, mooch for my part) in Hove Park. Its 5km*6 - so once a month from April to September. And you pay a fee for the pleasure, which is the charity part - no going round begging money of friends and collegues.

I thought I was doing really well as I had mapped out a route on Gmaps and it came to about 5km I thought, but I realised last week I had completely messed it up and that I have only been jogging abount 1/2 the distance. I am now up to 2/3 and am gambling on that I will find that extra 1/3 on Thu night.

As we go dancing (yes! chachacha, quick step and waltz so far) on Thursdays I have to go for the jog an hour before everyone else, then pay at the end before heading off for the dance class. Fingers crossed I will burn a few extra calories this way as I am planning on eating and drinking my way through Easter.

Its my birthday!

JD didnt wake me with tea and toast as I got up first and went for a jog. But when I came back he was awake and had a pile of pressies for me!

He tried to get me QI tickets but just couldnt get hold of any, but its the thought that counts so I am pleased he tried. Instead he got me signed Terry Pratchett books - not one, not two, but four! And he said he suspects J wont be pleased with him for coming up with such a good pressie.

I also got some lovely Prestat chocolates from Jo and Chris - they are the pretties boxes I know but severly overpriced so I have been too tight to buy any for myself, so I am well chuffed!