Paulo Coelho

A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.
                                                                                                            Colin Powell

THANK`S TO:
Matz Borgström - designer of HEX
Studio Gotley -moviemakers
The Dream- For constantly living the work and work in creativity.

"Instead of cursing the darkness, light a candle"
​                                                                                                              Benjamin Franklin

Living in the north unevitably brings a massive darkness this time of year. It is dark when we go to work and dark when we come home. 
It is so easy to get trapped in the ongoing complaining about how dark it is and how tired we get...
But I would like to try to turn it around… Imagine how LUCKY we are to be able to have this time of restoration, when it is ok just to snuggle up in the couch, read books, watch series and enjoy being at home.
And of course… LIGHT CANDLES!
Candle light brings peace to the mind and cozieness to any room, ugly or pretty, clean or messy.

So... Try to embrace this time of year instead. Light candles, drink tea, hug your friends and family and enjoy the fact you don´t have to worry about sunscreen for a while...

Since we live on the west coast of Sweden, this is where we usually spend our weekends and holidays. The beauty just around the corner makes it hard to leave. But. We took a trip to the east coast for a change and completely fell in love with Öland. 
​Swedens second biggest island, with top score of sun hours (this is important to every Swede...) and so much to do.  We will definetely be back. Soon!
​

The variety of the landscape, the ocean, the farmland and of course the windmills, spread out just about everywhere. There is really something new to discover around every corner.

We can especially recommend Capellagården, the school once founded by famous Swedish furniture designer Carl Malmsten. Lovely environement, beautiful gardens, inspiring in every way.
​ And yes, they have a cafe. Check out their opening hours here: 
http://www.capellagarden.se/besok

​Ölands unique world heritage landscape called Alvaret, is another reason to visit. When travelling north on the island, suddenly the landscape changes and becomes something completely different. Wild, flat and with a vegetation all of its own. Amazing!

Photo: oland.com

​Another benefit of Öland, is that we have one of our facories there producing our trays and cuttingboards. With a location like that, we will most likely go visit more often!

My husband loves golfing. I tried, but did not get hooked. Instead I have come to realize I love gardening. I truly enjoy getting dirty from top to toe, dig deep in the soil and plant new things, care for them, water them and hope they survive. And then the reward... fresh flowers to place in our lovely vases.

Right now I have an obsession with stone. Since we have a typical west coast garden, we have lots of stone, rocks and wind. So, I try to use whatever I find in the soil to make little pathways of rocks and plant in the small natural crevices.
​Eventually this will be a peaceful place to just breathe, enjoy and meditate. 
​But for now, it is my sport when my husband is on the golf corse, my therapy and my joy.

We are fortunate to experience people, places and tastes we would never had at home. Here some mixed photos from China.

Today we welcome spring. We listen to choirs singing the traditional spring-welcoming-songs. We watch the students taking their hats on and having big festivities the cities with tecnical universities. We are lighting fires and holding hands with loved ones, freezing in way to light summer clothes.

Supposedly we are celebrating Valborg as a memory of a Saint from the 700:s named Valborg. Even the Vikings were lighting fires and having a party this day to welcome spring. In the middle ages people were lighting fires before they let their cattle out for summer, to scare away wolves and demons. Nowadays, there are not too many wolves to scare away, but singing in the spring and meeting people around a big fire is still a nice tradition. So, happy Valborg everyone!

VITSIPPA- Anemone Nemorosa- WOOD ANEMONE

The celebration of Lucia on December 13, is probably one of the most Swedish of traditions. There are special songs for this day and every school and kindergarden has their own Lucia celebration.
​Originally Lucia was a Saint from Syracuse, and how she became a Swedish tradition is a long story.
​December 13th was told to be the darkest night of the year, and in the old believes people were afraid of all kinds of evil that might be sneaking around the house on a night like that. So they would stay up all night if possible, eat and drink,  light candles and try to withhold the darkness.  Then came Christianity and the old traditions had to be modified to suit the new believes.  So we imported a Saint from Italy, who got to bear the tradition on her shoulders. Lucia has a crown of candles in her hair, and her maidens carries one candle each. Lucia often comes with a tray of coffee,  gingerbread cookies and saffron buns. And most of all, she comes with the light and the knowledge that Christmas eve is eleven nights away.

Nowadays, Lucia comes with an entourage of maidens, Staffans (boys with cone hats with golden stars), ginger bread men (!), and a couple of Santas. Just writing this in English makes me realize how difficult this tradition is to describe in words. I guess you just have to come to Sweden for december 13 to experience the whole thing. It is a beautiful and a bit magic tradition and nothing beats a Lucia entourage at the kindergarden with a bunch of Lucias with plastic crowns all singing a bit out of tune.

I know... I am well aware the blog has been my last priority. Hope to change that now...
​The December darkness is all over us, but I am so happy to have all these lovely candle holders to work with. We light candles every morning and every evening. I Believe it is the best way to both start and end the day. candlelight is so peaceful. Happy friday, enjoy your own candlelight, and from now on... I sincerely hope to be more frequent!