stockholm weekend pics: a sakara picnic

cherry blossoms, like most places, are a big thing here. they are a symbol of springtime in any place with four seasons. and with places, like stockholm, with such long winters, looking forward to the flowers blossoming is a welcome activity. 

they bring such joy, it's fun to people watch, seeing countless people taking selfies with the pink flowers and enjoying picnics. usually, people gravitate to kungsholm parken to view the pink lovelies. however, we discovered that swedes also make their way to our neighbourhoood. at luma parken, by the tram stop, a teeny area of cherry blossoms can be filled with people taking selfies with the flower. 

and we immediately said yes when invited by nils and jenny to picnic at luma parken. they supplied the picnic food - sushi, cheese, olives, and crackers and we supplied dessert, courtesy of magnus johansson bageri, of course.

stefan and i couldn't help but think about the street we lived on in vancouver, lined with cherry blossoms. i love how a little thing, like flowers, brings such happiness. and time with friends, there is always laughter when we get together with these two :)

it wasn't all pink flowers, some spring cleaning took place too. this brings me happiness too... tidying, cleaning, re-organizing.

and ylva... she brings such joy and is always looking for comfort.

hope you enjoyed cherry blossoms too... and have a cat to cuddle (if not, adopt now!)

stockholm weekend pics: an easter hike in paradiset nature reserve and easter eggs

Going to the Woods Alone by Mary Oliver

“Ordinarily, I go to the woods alone, with not a single friend, for they are all smilers and talkers and therefore unsuitable… I don’t really want to be witnessed talking to the catbirds or hugging the old black oak tree. I have my way of praying, as you no doubt have yours… Besides, when I am alone I can become invisible. I can sit on the top of a dune as motionless as an uprise of weeds, until the foxes run by unconcerned. I can hear the almost unhearable sound of the roses singing… If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love you very much.”

ximena and petter, thanks for inviting us along to paradiset :) 

at home, we puzzled, i rearranged stefan's office, we ate really well with swedish classics like jansson's temptation, a creamy potato and anchovy casserole and swedish meatballs, and we 'hunted' for our easter eggs - beautiful tin ones filled with chocolate and candy. mine always includes mini bounty bars, polka (candy cane) caramels from pärlans konfektyr, and sour candy (watermelon and peach are favourites). 

happy easter, hope it was a relaxing one with good food and friends.

february weekend pics: brightening our days

we've had so much snow this month and then it just went all away, almost overnight. it brightened up the days so i was sad to see it go. 

but there were other ways in which our days were brightened... keep reading:

1. hanging out with friends. throw in a walk in the woods and well, we have a very good day. early in the month we met up with jenny and nils, taking a walk along årstaviken and then fika-ing on a snowy picnic table in the cold. whiling away the time laughing and chatting makes the cold almost bearable. 

by the end of the month, the skies and snow cleared and we were once again dining outside but this time in warmth, which is so unusual for february, in ximena and petter's garden. while so many friends and family back home have spent much of their time isolating from loved ones, we have been fortunate to still have the option of hanging out with friends. i am so thankful for ximena, couldn't have coped this year without her.

2. cats. especially when they keep you company while having breakfast in bed. 

even when patiently waiting for their dinner, they are adorable

3. views of the city. they never get old. running an errand in town, i walked around for long while to make my way to a favourite view from the kungsholmen bridge.

4. semla day/fettisdag! between christmas and easter, swedes enjoy this cardomom bun pastry filled with almond paste and cream. but on on the third tuesday of february, referred to by swedes as 'fat tuesday', many more semlor are eaten. bakery / café window displays overflow with semla on this day. the tradition of fettisdag comes from when the buns were eaten as a last celebratory feast before the christian fasting period of lent, often eaten soaked in a bowl of hot milk referred to as hetvägg. of course, we joined in (without the milk).

5. while not technically brightening up my day, hopefully, the cats enjoy their new cat tree.

6. omnomnomn chocolaterie's hazelnut chocolate chip cookies. i have been addicted to these. the. best. cookies. ever. 

7. sébastien på söder. not much more to add here, right ximena? 

8. hiding the grey is always a happy day. thanks to my 'hairdresser.' 

9. packages arriving in the mail. my order from suji's online shop arrived and i was so happy with all the little extras she threw in. of note, the quick buff exfoliate cream is a dream.

hope you all had a lovely february.