Jinxed it

I discovered the fastest way to drive away the sun: blog or post on facebook about it.  After my last post here, the day right after that, the sun didn't shine as bright.  That would have been fine if it wasn't windy.  That night after the post, the wind was so strong it kept on rattling our bedroom and kitchen windows.  

I thought that it would stop the next day.  It didn't.  In fact, it kept on blowing hard.  The windows kept on rattling the whole day.  When I looked out the window, I saw the trees and bushes being blown by the wind.  At times, they looked like they would be blown right off the ground.  

I was not spared.  When I was on my way to the bus stop to go to the supermarket, I had to brave the wind too.  And boy, was the wind strong!  At times, I felt like it could literally sweep me off my feet.  It really was that strong.  After shopping, Pete and I were at the bus stop and the wind got my teeth chattering.  

Because of the wind, the temperature has also been falling.  I was hoping to lose the thick jacket and other extra layers.  But I still can't.  It is still too cold.  Sometimes, the wind could be so biting cold, I still had to wrap my scarf around my neck and up to my nose to stay warm.  I don't enjoy walking when the wind is blowing, especially when it blows cold, dry wind into my nose and throat.  Pete and I wanted to go on our walk yesterday, but the wind spoilt our plan.  

After days of grey skies, finally today, the sun came out and shone so nice and brightly.  Such a fine day.  I could still see the trees and bushes moving in the wind, though, so I know it was still windy and cold outside.  But the sun made the day look so beautiful.  I took a photo and posted on my facebook page.  Within the hour, the sky turned grey again.  I jinxed it.  Again.  

Cold again

It's almost the end of January and yet we have still to see the end of winter.  Not even close.  We have been having a couple snowy days.  Not very heavy snowfall, but since the temperature outside has been mostly between -6 and 0C, the snow hasn't melted. 

It has been very beautiful outside. I really love the look of snow, as you would have known from my posts.  But the cold is something I have to accept as well.  That's the hard part.  It's fine if I am warmly dressed when I am outside.  But sometimes, I either dress too warmly or not warm enough.  If I have layers that are too thick, I would end up sweating under all my clothes when I walk or when I am in the bus or a building.  If I don't layer enough, the wind and chill will get into my bones.

I guess that is why I have been having colds and coughs very often.  I have had another bout of sore throat and dry cough, so much so that I have had to miss my class on Friday. I stayed indoors the whole day and stayed under the covers and rested.  But the next day, Pete and I braved the elements.  We took a train and visited Pete's sister in Helsingborg.  On the way home, as we were waiting for the connecting bus home, it started snowing heavily.  Plus the wind was blowing.  I don't think that's helpful for my cold. 

Today, it snowed and rained almost the whole day.  It has been surprising since it hasn't rained as much ever since I got here.  Back home, thunderstorms are quite common.  When the storms strike, it is not unusual for the rain to fall in almost continuous fat drops and for many hours.  The rains here has been very gentle, in comparison, and they last only for a couple of minutes at a time.  So today's downpour has been surprising. 

Being indoors when the snow falls is quite nice, actually.  I love to look at the snowflakes being blown by the wind.  It's very therapeutic.  I love to look out my kitchen window when it's snowing, especially when I'm baking bread.  Looking at the snowflakes as I knead the dough is relaxing.  The baking helps to warm up the apartment a bit too. 

It does get quite cold inside the past few weeks.  Maybe there's something wrong with the balcony door or the heater.  Maybe that's why I keep getting colds these days.  I guess I should dress more warmly indoors too.  Or maybe I should hope for warmer weather.  But that would mean there won't be snow any more.  Hmm...tough choice.    

Morning walk

Pete and I went on a walk today.  The morning was grey and cloudy.  It threatened to rain but we wanted to drop by his mum's place for awhile and so we still headed out after dressing very warmly.  The wind made it seem much colder than 7C and by the time we reached his mum's apartment ten minutes later, we were glad to be indoors.

After spending some time with her, we headed out to a supermarket that was selling cheap butter.  20SEK (about SGD4) for 500g is a very good price.  I wasn't really keen on going back out but I know we had to.  The walk would be good for us anyway.  Luckily the walk to the supermarket was very nice.  It was not as windy so we were feeling quite comfortable.  The sun was also peeking out behind the clouds and it got a bit lighter.  I managed to get a few nice shots of the parks we walked by.

By the time we reached home, we felt good.  The walk was just what we needed.  We didn't feel it but the walk must have been more strenous than we thought.  When we took off our jackets, we realised we were sweating.  Wonderful!  I am so encouraged.  We would do this more often, then.  So far, it has rained only at night.  Sometimes it would rain for a bit in the day but not much.  If this keeps up, we would be able to take more walks.




These stones are remnants of a possible Viking shipyard.  There wasn't any plaque that explained the structure though.

 



Pete thinks the stones were used as a frame while building Viking ships.  There are ruler-like markings on some of the stones.  I'd like to think it's the Viking version of a stonehenge.  But then again, we both could be wrong.  It reminds me, though, of the rich history of this place.

 

The fallen leaves make such pretty patterns on the grass.

   

Not all trees were bare.  These willow trees are lush and bushy.

Autumn - falling leaves, falling temperatures

When I left Malmo in August, it was nearing the end of summer.  The days were still long but it did get a bit chilly.  I had to wear long sleeves and a cardigan over it as I made my way to the airport.  I knew that when I got back, it would get colder.  Pete would update me on the weather while I was back in the sweltering tropics.  He told me that the temperature was dropping and that it was raining more often - signs that fall has replaced summer.

I've never been in Malmo in the fall, or anywhere else in the fall, for that matter actually.  Back home, I was trying to imagine how cold it would be.  I thought it'll be a bit chilly, cold enough to need a good thick cardigan.  I was also thinking that a good sweater could keep me warm enough.  But when I arrived at Copenhagen airport, I saw other people in thick down jackets and was a bit taken aback.  Even Pete had his winter jacket on.  Oh boy.  I braced myself for the cold.

Luckily I brought my thick jacket and it kept me warm as we waited for our train.  There wasn't much wind either so it was a nice trip home. By the time we reached the apartment, the temperature had risen and it was a comfortable 10C.  That was ok, I thought.  I can handle this.  And I could.  At first.

I enjoyed going out since the cold kept me sweat-free.  After two months in my hot and humid home country, the cold was quite welcomed.  I loved the fact that I was in jeans and not having it sticking to my legs.  I was also happy to not have to do anything to keep my hair off my face since my neck and scalp weren't sweaty at all. 

That was only ten days ago.  How fast the weather can change here.  The past couple of days, trips outside meant a good ten minutes of me putting on layers after layers of clothes, swaddling my neck with a scarf and lacing up my boots.  It has been very cold - between 3 - 10C.   I'll be lucky if it is 8C outside and most importantly, not windy.  The wind has this way of making it seem 5C colder.

But, having lamenting about the cold, fall is a great time to go outside and take in the beauty of the nature around me.  On the train and bus ride back, I couldn't take my eyes off the trees.  The lush greenery has given way to shades of yellow, orange and brown.  The leaves that have fallen off the trees decorated the walking paths.  Hazards, said Pete, if you were to step on them and slip.  But this is my first fall experience.  I know I am probably looking it through rose-coloured glasses, but it really is beautiful here.

It is even better when it's nice and sunny.  It's still cold but the sun makes everything look so much better.  It's therefore a pity that the days are shorter now.  It starts getting dark around 5pm.  By 6, we would need to switch on the lights.  I guess that's why a hot mug of tea or cocoa is a must.  It keeps us nice and warm.  It's lucky then that I managed to bring back some Milo.  Nothing beats having a cup of hot, chocolaty Milo and cookies while it's cold and dark outside. Mmmm....          

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.

5 click

The weather was really good yesterday.  We spent the morning with his sister and mum.  It was still a bit chilly and windy then but once we got home, the sun shone brighter and it didn't seem so windy.  After lunch, we decided to head out for a walk. 

He took me to the opposite direction this time.  He said that we weren't going to walk past and visit our garden like we normally would.  Instead, he led me to a small bicycle store since we were thinking of getting one.  I found a very lovely Cupcake city bike.  There was a picture of a cute cupcake on the seat and there were more cute pictures on the sides of the bike.  It also came with a very lovely basket in front. Very pretty.   But it was over our budget, so we have to keep looking.

one of the many gorgeous trees I see on our walks

We turned to head back and just when I thought that the walk was going to end at the store nearby, he turned and said that we were going to visit the garden after all!  That's great because that means he is getting fitter and his leg is not bothering him that much any more.  He is really struggling to cope with the after-effects of the accident.  So I don't really dare to push him too hard when we walk.

But yesterday was great.  The weather was nice and sunny with just enough wind to keep us cool.  He also switched on his app, Runkeeper, so that we could keep track of our speed and distance.  The walk was not that easy since the ground was not flat and we had a few hills to climb.  Also, we tried to maintain a good pace, making it a bit difficult to talk because of the effort it took to keep to the speed.  I could feel myself getting fitter as well, since I could keep up with his broad steps.  I had to take two small, quick steps to his one giant one. 

When we got to the garden, however, the mood changed a bit.  The ground didn't look good at all.  The potatoes are growing very well.  The squash too.  But the rest of the garden didn't look good at all.  The flowers didn't seem like they are going to survive.  All but one cucumber plant have shrivelled up, one even to nothingness, shredded by the harsh winds.  Nothing else, apart from two sprouts from the onions have grown.

Pete said that maybe our mistake was to plant directly in the ground.  It looks like the soil gets hard after it rains.  So, maybe we should have put good soil on it first before planting.  It's back to the drawing board for now.  The next project for us is to build raised beds and fill them with good soil.  Maybe that will be better.  It's our first time growing  stuff so we're learning.

The good thing about the walk is that we completed 5km that day.  And we didn't take more than an hour to complete it.  This is a very good progression and I hope we can build on it and continue to increase the intensity.  The sky is looking cloudy as I write this, but from what I've experienced, the weather can turn instantly.  I'm hoping for another good weather today.

Don't trust the sun

I am still trying to get used to the weather here.  It really is strange to see the sun shining brightly outside but know that it might be cold and windy.  Like today, for instance.  The day looks bright and so we decided to head out for our usual walk, maybe even visit our garden.  But when I opened the main door, the blast from the wind told me that we could have to cut the walk short.

Just barely ten steps from the door, it started drizzling.  The wind, I might be able to stand, but getting pelted by cold drops of rain is not something I can cope with yet.  So we definitely could not have our walk today.  We only walked to the supermarket nearby to get some stuff and then back home.

But when we reached home, it started getting very bright again with no sign of rain.  But any thought of going out again was dashed when Pete asked me to look carefully at the trees and bushes around the building.  They were getting bashed by the strong winds.  And yeah, soon enough, it rained heavily.  At least my vegetables are getting enough water.

It was great weather for something warm and comforting.  Something that tastes of home.  I filled up a saucepan with water and put in some chopped cabbage, dried noodles, egg and soup granules.  In minutes, I had our meal ready.  Ahh...nothing beats instant noodles for days like this.

Windy Walk

Another windy day today.  Despite that, Pete and I went on our daily walk.  He brought me to a new area today.  He calls it Malmo's Arab Street since there were many Middle Eastern restaurants there.  Also, many of them work and live around that area.  We've tried one of the restaurants there last December and we liked it. 

But today, we were not going to one.  We walked past the restaurants and headed to the square at the end of the street.  There's a farmers' market there and he was taking me there to browse and maybe buy some fresh produce.  Along the way, we stopped by an Asian grocery store.  It sold food stuff like fresh mangosteen, dried beehoon, Asian sauces (Lingham's chili sauce!), prawn crackers and even frozen fishballs.  Oh and I found packets of frozen durians even.  Now I know where to go whenever I needed to get a taste of home.

There were more fresh produce at the market.  The stall owners were friendly.  One even said "Sawadee Kap", thinking that I was from Thailand.  When I told him where I was from, he didn't know where it was.  Whenever we approached a fruit stall, they would hand us samples for us to try.  The fruits tasted sweet and fresh.  The prices are also much cheaper than those in the supermarkets.  In the end, we bought blueberries, strawberries, butterhead lettuce, cucumbers and bell peppers.

After that, we stopped by the hospital to visit my sister in law.  The hospital grounds was made up of several buildings which had very lovely exteriors.  One building had a row of beautiful tulips in front of it.  Another one had lovely vines with blue flowers growing on its wall.  And just like Saturday when we were there, the wards smelt of cinnamon buns.  It's all very welcoming for visitors.

I didn't have time to cook lunch, so we stopped by a falafel and kebab stall near our place and had a very filling lunch of rolls filled with falafel and kebabs.  I love the falafel very much.  The inside was fluffy and flavourful and the outside was crispy.  I don't mind having that again some time.  Luckily it's just a short walk away so I can have my fill of falafel any time I want.  It's really yummy.  A really yummy and healthy end to our walk.

Who has seen the wind?

It started out a bright, sunny day.  I know that sometimes the brightness of the sun does not necessarily mean that the day will be nice and warm.  There are many times when I'd open the balcony door to water the plants there and it'd be like opening your fridge door.  It's cold even when it's so bright and sunny outside.

But today, the balcony was nice and warm.  It's really good for some plants I have there.  Pete and I were supposed to head out for some shopping after his meeting.  We left a bit later than we planned, hoping for the day to get even warmer. 

When we stepped outside, the sun was warm and I thought it was going to be a nice, warm day.  But as we turned the corner, the blast of the wind left me cold.  Luckily I decided to wear my jacket, just in case.  And it was the best decision of the day.

As we waited at the bus stop, the wind continued to pound at us.  I tried to use Pete as my wind shelter, but it was no use.  The wind was much too strong.  It felt like it was coming at us from all the different sides.  My hair which was neatly combed and pinned, was a mess.  And it hadn't even been 10 minutes from the time we left the apartment.

We went to a few different stores today and every time we stepped out to walk to the next store, we'd get blasted by the winds.  I gave up trying to control my hair.  Next time I'll be prepared.  I'm going to have to tie my hair up.  It's such a waste because I really like how my hair looks when it's let down.  Luckily, I brought lots of hair bands with me.  But, sigh, how ironic it is.  I couldn't let my hair down back home because it's much too warm.  And now when the weather is nice and cool, I am still not able to let it down because it'll be messed up by the wind.

Sigh...the wind.  If not for the wind, the days would be nice and comfortable.  The wind has this way of making the cold get into your bones.  My face will get all frozen and I have to make sure my jacket is nice and snug so that the wind doesn't get in.  But then again, the wind helps to generate electricity here.  There are many wind turbines all over this part of Sweden.

And the cold makes it feel good to get inside and have a hot cup of tea.  I've lost count of the number of tea bags I've used up since I got here.  Luckily Pete has many different types of tea to choose from.  It's great to be able to sit on the couch with a hot mug of tea to slowly warm you up, with maybe a cinnamon bun or butter cookie to sweeten it up a bit.

All this talk about wind reminds me of a poem I learnt in school.

Who Has Seen the Wind?

by Christina Rossetti

Who has seen the wind?

Neither I nor you:

But when the leaves hang trembling,

The wind is passing through.

Who has seen the wind?

Neither you nor I:

But when the trees bow down their heads,

The wind is passing by

Beautiful.  It almost makes me love the wind.