Back to two

Everybody left for home this afternoon.  The rush of last minute shopping, packing, getting to the airport and checking in meant that we didn't have time to think about the goodbye until the moment we arrived at the departure gate. 

It was almost like the scene from back in May when I had to say goodbye to them.  I didn't think I was going to cry but I did.  We did.  It hit my sister the hardest because we had such a great time together here.  The ten days we were together made it seem like we've never been apart.  We spent the whole time together and the long, slow days here made it seem longer than just ten days.  And after being together, we hated to have to be apart again.

This time, though, it's a bit better because Pete is here with me.  At least I could hug him for comfort.  We stood huddled together as we tried to catch glimpses of my family as they went past the security check, waving at them when they turned back to look at us and stayed as long as we could before they walked towards their boarding gate.

I was not in a hurry to go home to the empty apartment so we had a leisurely lunch and walked around the park near town.  The walk helped a little.  We passed by more places to bring them and we started to look forward to their next visit.  Looking ahead, and not thinking about what I'll miss about them made me feel so much better.  I'm still sad that my family is 9,924km away again, but I know that we will see each other again some day.

Reunited!

The whole entourage arrived safely this afternoon - my parents, sister, aunt and cousin.  They were in high spirits and even my dad was sprightly as he pushed the loaded trolley through the exit.  Even though they didn't get much sleep during the 17 hour journey, they didn't show their weariness.  Once we got out of the airport to get to the taxi, they shivered slightly.  It was a bit cold even though there was the sun in the sky.  I guess they have to learn to get used to the colder climate.

The journey back to our apartment was nice and scenic.  They got to see the lovely views of the farms and cute houses and even one of the Ikea stores here.  We managed to get everyone into the apartment after braving the wind which always seem to get strong around this part of Malmo.  They rested a bit with some water and delish Geisha candy. 

That perked them a bit and then they unpacked all the goodies they brought with them.  The whole apartment smells of spices since they bought a lot of spices that they thought would be hard to get here.  And they were right.  Some of the wonderful stuff that I really love include Indonesian and Malaysian raw crackers, pappadum, homemade Malay snack of sambal peanuts and ikan bilis, a type of tiny dried fish, and many types of instant mixes for some favourite Asian dishes.

I also got a lot of presents, not only from them, but also from other friends.  Two of them are scrapbook albums, one big, lovely one, full of pictures of my wedding and a tiny, gorgeous handmade one, full of pictures of me and my friends.  I haven't opened any other presents.  Peter said to save them for Saturday, so now here they are in front of me, begging to be opened.  But I'm happy just being together with my family again.  I'll save the presents for later.

We had to go to the garden to water the plants and do some more work on the wind-protection screen and my sister and cousin decided to come along.  The walk, to them, was far.  That was exactly how I felt the first time I went there, but it was a nice, sunny but cool day, so it was a comfortable walk.  On our way back, I thought it would be nice to stop and pick some flowers for the apartment, so we stopped and selected a variety of lovely blooms.  We also stopped by the store nearby to get some stuff, including cough medicine for my cousin who suddenly developed dry cough when she arrived at the airport.

Once through the door, I could smell something familar and comforting - curry.  My mum was in the kitchen cooking a pot of chicken curry.  Ahhh....it really reminds me of home.  It's such a nice feeling to go home to mum's cooking. Then, it was just a period of relaxing as we ate the curry with bread and also some local chocolates as we watched Portugal beat Denmark.  They tried to watch the next match, Germany vs Holland, but during the half time, we pulled out the sofa bed and soon, everyone's asleep.

It's been a long day for them.  I wonder what we'll be doing tomorrow.  I still have things to do for Saturday's event so maybe they can help me with that.  I probably should go to bed as well.  Till tomorrow, then.

Family ties

It's 11pm and we're winding down another busy day.  My family will be arriving in about 14 hours and we have been busy the past few days to get things in place.  My mum is strict about cleanliness and tidiness so I have to make sure I meet her standard.  I don't want her to have too many things to say about the state of our apartment.  She even has commented on my balcony when I showed it to her as we were chatting on Face Time.  She said she will help me re-arrange the things there to make it look better.  And there I was, proudly showing her what I thought was a neat and tidy space.

We were busy too as we were getting things ready for our wedding on Saturday.  We have had our ceremony back home last March.  Pete's family couldn't join us so this time, we're having a simple lunch to celebrate our marriage with his family and friends here.

Between the event and visitors from home, we have been busy, busy, busy.  We still have more cleaning to do and I will cook shepherd's pie so that my family will be able to have some for lunch when they arrive.  For now, we need to rest and sleep.  I can forsee a long and hectic week ahead, but I am sure it will be fun.  I miss my family and I am so glad that they have made this trip to visit me.  I can't wait to see them!

Cracked dry

I am so happy to be away from the heat and humidity back home.  I used to complain about the weather at home a lot.  No matter if it's sunny and bright or cloudy or rainy and wet, the humidity makes it so unbearable.  I seem to always be covered in sweat and the humidty makes it sticky and icky.  With temperatures around 30 - 34C I always need the fan near me. 

But as much as I hated the humidity, it was the one thing that made my skin soft because the dry air here meant that I had to spend a lot of time using body lotion.  Skimping on that would lead to a painful aftereffect.  And I had to learn it the hard way.

Back home, I was very lazy when it comes to taking care of my skin, weather on the face or body.  And with the humidity the way it is, I could get away without moisturising.  I only need to make sure I clean my face well since it'll get oily.  But here, the opposite thing is happening.  I have to moisturise every day or else my skin will be dry and flaky, or in the case of my hands, crack and bleed. 

Since I got here, I haven't been that regular in using body lotion.  Sometimes I would just put some on my face and arms, the easy to reach places.  I tried using hand lotion but with cooking up to three times and day and all the gardening that I do, I always have to wash my hands and using hand lotion just doesn't work as I would have to wash it off soon after, when I prepare food.

But yesterday, my whole body felt tight and itchy.  You can see how dry my legs and feet are.  But my hands have been hit the hardest.  The were cracked, especially around the joints and my middle finger on my right hand bled a little.

I guess I can't be lazy any more and make sure I apply lotion every day after my showers.  I should also get gloves for when I'm doing the dishes.   Hopefully that will help.  And I will have hand lotion every where - by the bed, on my desk and the coffee table.  Every time I'm sitting down to watch tv or doing scrapbooking, I am going to put lotion on.  Talking about that, I am so grateful to friends who gave me hand and body lotions as gifts.  They are really just the thing I need here.   

So, after a month here, one of the important things I have learnt is to moisturise, moisturise, moisturise!

Waterproof Swedes

Of course they are not really waterproof, but the way they brave the rain and cold looks to me like they are.  This morning was cloudy, the way it usually is for the last two weeks.  We were on our way to check out a possible location of our future business when ten minutes into our walk, it started to rain.

It started out as a light drizzle but got heavier by the minute.  Pete doesn't like to carry an umbrella and I am too lazy, so both of us had to walk in the pouring rain.  My hair that was washed and dried before I left home got drenched.  Luckily I was wearing a long coat that kept most of the rain off of my clothes.  And I was wearing my waterproof boots, so my feet are nice and dry and warm.  Except for the wet hair and the cold, I felt quite ok actually even when we had to walk for quite a bit, since we were a bit lost while looking for the location.

Looking around as I walked, which was quite difficult since the rain was getting into my eyes all the time, I could see that a lot of other people were also without umbrellas.  It was really very rare to see someone with a brolly even when it rained so heavily.  Even parents with babies in their prams didn't carry any.  The prams had a sort of waterproof cover and it was enough to keep them dry inside.

This is so different from back home.  With the slightest drizzle, or sunshine, out comes the umbrella.  In fact, umbrella sales are very brisk and there are so many types that are sold in many different designs, so much so that there are even stores or carts that sell only umbrellas.  Here, there aren't many places that sell them and even then, it's just the standard types with simple designs and colours.  But I guess waterproof jackets and coats are more popular. 

I also see teachers leading their pupils as they walk in the rain.  The kids, ranging from pre-schoolers to ten year olds, wear their raincoats and walk cheerfully with their friends and teachers.  Again, this is so different from back home where the kids are over-protected and excursions in the rain will never go down well with their parents.  I guess that's how the kids here grow up to be such tough adults.  Just like the waterproof Swedes.

A pleasant surprise

It was a nice sunny day today so we were out the whole afternoon.  When we got home, a pleasant surprise was waiting for me.  The mailman left a postcard for me from a very dear friend of mine.  The best part was in the card.  He is going to visit me very soon, next Friday, in fact.

I am so excited and can't wait for next week to come.  My family will be arriving here next Wednesday.  That includes my parents, sister, cousin and aunt.  The next day, another cousin will arrive.  After that, another sister and this friend of mine will be arriving on the same day. 

For now, we're busy arranging for transport to fetch them from the airport and their accomodations.  We are also planning the itinerary for my family.  Not only that, since there's quite a lot of people visiting us, we have to think about transport since they all cannot fit into one car.  Most likely, we'll have to take the bus.  I  plan to bring them all over Malmo.  There are a number of parks I would like to show them.  There are also a few squares around town that I would like to bring them to as well.

It's been more than a month since I last saw them.  I know it's not that long ago, but I am going to treasure every single minute I have with them.  We plan to go back home every year to visit my family, but it will depend on our situation after a year, of course.  With us embarking on a new business in the near future, I am not sure if that plan is possible.  We'll just have to see how that works out.

But I am not going to worry about that as yet.  For now, I am going to be busy getting the apartment in order.  Knowing my mum, she's going to be expecting a clean and clutter-free home, so I'll be up to my elbows in warm soapy water from now till next week.    

Those wascally wabbits

My sister keeps rabbits as pets and I am very familiar with their appetite for vegetables.  Having seen wild rabbits around our allotment, I guess I should have expected it.  In fact, when I saw a huge rabbit, which Pete said is more likely to be a wild hare, across the path beside our plot, I should have known they would be causing some problems at our garden.  Our plot is the nearest to a small cluster of trees and bushes and they are likely to have made that their home.

We have put up a fence using chicken wire.  It should be enough to keep away the rabbits but we have no gate so the gaping hole will let the rabbits in.  We still have a lot of things to work on both in the garden and at home so we're trying to pace our purchases.  We have decided to not spend too much on the garden as yet since we're going to treat this as a long term project.  A beautiful wooden fence with a nice gate is something we both want but not just yet.  But after this attack, I think we would need to look for a solution to keep the darn rabbits out.

Why am I so frustrated with the rabbits?  Well, they have nibbled up all the lovely green leaves on our pea plants and now they are not growing any more.  Where I used to have luscious, healthy green plants, only stringy stalks are left.  The bean plants are also not showing more growth and I am worried they are being attacked by the rabbits too.

I have planted more pea and bean seeds in the planters.  We have covered them with the fleece so I hope these will be more protected.  I have sowed some peas on my balcony.  No matter what, I am going to have fresh peas from my own plants this year!

What's a bit surprising is that the lettuces that are growing well are left pretty much alone.  I remember how my sister used to prepare a salad of greens for her rabbits and they love it.  I am surprised they have not eaten the lettuces.  But she did tell me that the rabbits are choosy about lettuces.  Maybe the ones I planted are not to their taste, which means more lettuces for me.

The potatoes are doing very well.  They are tall and strong and healthy.  We are very encouraged so we have planted another row of that.  Last week, we bought small potatoes, left them in a dark cupboard and let them bud.  Today, we took them out, halved each of them, making sure there's at least one bud on each half and then planted them.  Hopefully there'll be more plants to look forward to. 

It is really fun going to the garden to spot new growth.  Every time I see a new leaf or sprout or flower, I get so excited.  The feeling is almost similar to how I felt when my pupils were able to understand what I taught and ace their tests.  I have sowed some flower and herb seeds along the fence.  I hope by the time my family comes to visit, they would have sprouted and there's something for them to spot too.  

Bright nights

It's 8.30pm and I'm blinded by the sun.  I had to pull the shades down so that I can see what I'm typing.  Summer is upon us and the days are getting longer.  Although the past few days, the mornings and afternoons are cloudy, windy and chilly (today was 11C), the evenings, from 6pm onwards, the sun starts to shine.  The sun won't fully set until maybe 11pm.  We've been going to bed with the sun still lingering along the horizon.  But it's not too bright that we can't fall asleep.  It is a bit weird for me but I am taking it all in my stride.  And even when it does get very bright at night,  it's good for my plants at the balcony and the garden.  And for that, I am not complaining.

how the balcony looks like at 8.30pm

Garden work out

We've never worked so hard at the garden before.  Today was the day we did major work at the garden.  After Pete used the rototiller yesterday, we went back there today to clear up the land of the dried weeds and also manually removed those stubborn weeds.  And oh how they make us work.  These weeds are incredible.  They take such a short time to grow and their roots grow so deep into the ground.  We really have to dig deep to pull their roots out or else they will soon grow back.

We still have a lot of space that is not utilised and so the weeds decided to take root there.  We tried our best to till as much as the ground as we could and remove as many weeds as possible.  And that was just part of the list of things to be done.

We also had to put up a new fence at the front of our plot.  The old fence that was there was falling off and only half of it was left.  Last week we tore down the remnants of the fence and we had only enough material to put up half of the length.  Today, we finished up the rest of it and it looks nice and neat now.  That took awhile since we had to hammer some metal poles deep into the hard ground and then fasten chicken wire to them. 

Then it was more hammering.  We finally got around to building our planting beds.  The ready made ones are so expensive.  We bought our own planks of wood and cut them to size.  With the money we spent, we were able to get two 2m x 1.3m beds, which would not even buy us one ready made planter which is much smaller.  Pete helped to hold the wood in place while I hammered away. 

Then we had to fill the beds with more soil and that took more hard work.  We had to keep on tilling and removing weeds and stones that were all over the garden.  The bending and squatting and lifting all gave us a really good workout for the whole body.  But the weather was very cool and I hardly broke a sweat. 

Once the beds were ready, we watered them and then in one, I planted two rows of peas and two rows of beans.  The pea shoots that were planted earlier had shown a lot of growth but they didn't seem to grow much the past few days.  After a closer inspection, I noticed that the leaves looked like they were eaten.  Rabbits!  They have been eating from our garden!  So this time, luckily his mum brought some garden fleece.  We covered the whole bed to protect the seeds from the wind, birds and rabbits.

In another bed, we planted a few rows of carrots and a few types of lettuces.  Again, we covered them with the fleece.  I noticed other plots had them as well, so I'm hoping they would work.  Once we're done with the last round of watering and packing up, we realised we've been working at the garden for 3 hours.  Luckily the sun wasn't too strong or else we would have been burnt.

We still have other things to do at the garden.  We have to continue to till and get rid of the weeds.  We have to level the soil after the tilling.  We have to plant some more potatoes.  And I want to plant some flowers and herbs along the edges of the plot.  I don't want to leave the ground empty for the weeds to take over.  I have already started sowing some flower seeds in my balcony.  Hopefully they will be ready to be transplated soon.  Hopefully soon, our garden would look a bit more alive and I don't mean with weeds!

Finding warmth in the wind

After a few days of rain, wind and cloudy weather, the sun came out early this morning.  We were planning to go to his mum's cabin today but that plan was dependent on the weather.  So when the sun continued to shine, we made our way there with his mum.

The cabin was about 20 minutes away from Malmo.  In Sweden, plots of land are set aside for the people to lease.  The plots are much bigger than ours and they are allowed to build small cabins there.  His mum had hers for a few years already.  At her plot, she has a cute cabin with wooden benches and tables outside.  She also planted some vegetables, flowers, fruit bushes and trees.  She has wild strawberries, black currants, lettuces, rhubarb, plum and apple, among others.  There's also a BBQ grill.

Once we got there, we got to work.  Pete used a machine called the rototiller.  It helps to till the soil much faster and easier, but it took him quite a while to get it to start.  I then used a rake to collect the weeds to throw into a compost heap.

It's not easy to maintain a garden.  No matter how much you work to get rid of the weeds, they keep coming back.  Also, some times, you need to move some plants around and some plants need to be planted every year.  So when Pete and I took a walk to look at other cabins, we were awed by the very well kept ones.  Their cabins are brightly painted and their gardens are neat and very well designed.  As we walked past, the neighbours would greet us with a friendly "Hej!".

Pete's two younger sisters showed up too, along with one of his brother-in-law and nephew and niece.  His brother-in-law helped to start up the grill and his wife helped with the food.  Pete and I found ourselves in a kick-about with his nephew who brought along his football.  There was a good sized field in front of the cabin and it was fun running, kicking and dribbling with the ball.  I miss playing sports so that was so much fun.  It was even more fun watching Pete in action.  He was running after the ball and showing tricks to his nephew.  Maybe after losing 7kg, he is more agile and fit now, so that's great to see.

chasing a ball that got to the parking area

The weather while we were there was somewhat erratic.  Although the sun was out, it sometimes got very windy and cold, but sometimes it was nice and bearable.  I took off my jacket when I was working but it was close by in case the wind got stronger.  I also had my sunglasses with me at all times.  I'm still not used to having the sun shining brightly but without the tropical heat and humidity.  But I'm not complaining since I don't sweat much here.

The food that my brother-in-law cooked was good.  We had hot dogs, kebabs and salad.  A simple meal but so good.  Isn't that was life is about anyway?  Sharing simple food with family.  It doesn't get any better than this.  I had a great time with his family even though I had to wait for translations to understand what was being discussed.  But I didn't need any translation to feel the warmth and acceptance by his family.

After we stopped by our garden to use the rototiller on some parts that are overgrown with weeds, I spent some time with one of his sisters and her daughter.  Pete went home on his own while I had some bonding time with his sister.  We went to a park where her daughter could play while we talked.  It was really nice of her to spend time with me so we could get to know each other better.  Also, she understood how lonely I feel with my family and friends so far away and she promised to hang out more often.  It's really nice of her since she lives about an hour's drive away. 

All in all, I had a great day today.  The weather is still a bit too cold and windy than what I was expecting but the warmth from his family more than made up for it.

Smells like Sweden

When the weather gets cold and wet, the baker gets baking.  This morning was cloudy, windy and cold.  Perfect for staying indoors and for me, that means baking something to warm the body and soul.

I have been here for almost a month and I can't believe I haven't baked cinnamon rolls yet.  I can smell it everywhere every time I go shopping.  The cafes, supermarkets and even small convenience stores sells them.  I love it.  I love that smell.  It's so comforting, so warm, so...Swedish. 

So today was perfect for that, especially since I have all the ingredients I need.  I even have the pearl sugar to sprinkle on top before baking.  I love the sugar.  They make the rolls and cupcakes and other baked stuff  look so pretty.

The dough was quite easy to make and does not require too much kneading.  I think I only took less than 5 minutes to make the dough nice and smooth.  But it did take a bit of muscle power to beat the flour with the warm milk, egg and butter before it was ready for kneading.  The recipe I followed said to allow 2 hours for the dough to rise but mine only needed one and a half hours.

Once it has risen enough, I rolled it out into a huge rectangle, brushed it with melted butter and sprinkled evenly with sugar and ground cinnamon.  I rolled it and cut it and for half of the rolls, I sprinkled the pearl sugar.  The other half I left bare since Pete prefers it that way.  I also set aside some dough to make cheese braids using a chunk of gouda cheese that I grated.

Once the rolls were done, we took a quick walk since the sun was finally coming out from behind the clouds.  I thought the weather has finally turned, but I was wrong.  The walk became a brisk one since we wanted to get out of the wind.  It was very windy and very cold.  Once we got through the door, Pete said, "It smells of cinnamon rolls in here."

And yes, after being out in the cold wind, the hot tea and rolls were just the thing to warm us up.

Breakfast at a cafe

Yesterday's weather was a taste of things to come.  This morning was cold and windy.  As we went on our way to town for Pete's meeting, my face felt so cold from the wind.  I was only too glad to sit in a warm cafe while waiting for him.  From where I sat, I saw a basket of neatly folded blankets by the door.  I wondered if they were for customers who wanted to sit outdoors.  A few minutes later, I got my answer.  A lady went outside with her order, placed it on a table nearby and went back in to get one of the thick blankets.

I think, even with those blankets, I will be hesitant to sit outside.  Even with a warm jacket, I would much rather sit where I could take it off and sit comfortably.  But it's clear I have yet to adapt to the weather here since a few other customers also opted to sit outdoors.  I guess, for me, the morning was cold and harsh, but for the Swedes, a morning without snow is a nice enough morning for alfresco dining.

Sitting in the cafe, I also found something that I seldom see back home.  Sitting one table away from me were two guys with a toddler sitting on a baby chair beside them.  It was clear that one of the men was the dad and the other, his friend.  I am so amazed that the dads here are so comfortable taking care of their children, and some of the time, they are alone with their kids with the mum nowhere in sight.

I see them every where - on the bus, travelling with their kids beside them on the seats, pushing strollers or even with the babies strapped to their chest.  The best part is that they look so competent taking care of their young ones.  Just like the dad in the cafe, who made sure his son was fed and drank his juice, and although he was clearly there to spend time with his friend, he was constantly paying attention to his son.  He kept entertaining the toddler and kept talking to him.  What was nice to see was his friend was also comfortable having the baby there.  They made it look so normal for grown men to hang out together, babies included. 

I have heard about how Sweden is famous for it's equality between the sexes but I didn't expect it to be taken to this level.  I am so encouraged.  Hopefully things will fall into place and soon we could try for one ourselves.