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.