How to make a snowman

It has been snowing on and off the past few days and it's looking very much like last winter. December was very dreary with lots of grey, windy and rainy days.  It's was more like a very prolonged autumn without any of the beautifully colored leaves on the trees or on the ground.  I was missing the snow especially when last winter was gloriously snowy, even in December. 

But winter is now firmly here, this January.  We didn't get as much snow as last year but at least there's enough to make the whole city look nice and white and lovely. Temperatures have been kinder too.  It hasn't been too cold for me, either indoors or out.  Have I adapted better to the climate since I got here? I don't know.  Maybe. I know that I feel quite comfortable now.  Last year I was always well covered, even indoors with my long pants, long sleeved top and thick socks. Now, I can even sleep in just shorts and a tank top.  

Since closing the kitchen, we have had time to enjoy the weather.  The day we had real, thick snow, we had planned to go to the store to get some milk and butter.  Since it was snowing when we headed out, we decided to go to the store that's a bit further away.  That walk was nice since it wasn't too cold  and the was some light snow falling.  The ground was fully covered in snow and everything looked so beautiful.

On our way back, we decided to stop for awhile and make a snowman.  Would you believe I haven't made a proper snowman since the day I moved here?  Pete said to make a snowman, the snow must be at the right texture and temperature. And he's right. Sometimes the snow would crunch under your feet and that means that the snow will not stick together. You can even make a decent snowball with that type of snow.  In the past, when we had time to play in the snow, it wasn't ideal to make a proper snowman so we would just take a walk instead. Anyway, that day, we put our butter and milk carefully in the snow and spent some time making a snowman and snowballs.  

Now that we are not working or studying, we have time to enjoy the snow.  We have had some fun building small snowmen and snowball fights. It's no easy task, building the snowman.  It takes quite awhile to gather and pack enough snow to build the shapes. All the bending and rolling makes you sweaty under all your layers of warm clothing.  So too, the snowball making and the snowball fights. I guess that's one way of keeping fit in winter.

If we don't go out, I would enjoy the snow from the warmth of the apartment. I love looking out the window while it's snowing outside. Sometimes the snowflakes are big and fluffy. Sometimes they are tiny. When it's windy, you can see the tiny specks flying all over the place.  Sometimes it looks windy and cold and the snow falls in a heavy shower. And when I see people walking their dog or walking while carrying bags of groceries at these times, I do pity them and I would feel grateful for not having to brave the weather. 

Oh but the best part of cold, snowy, wintery days are coming home, shedding the layers of outerwear and changing into nice, warm clothes and having a hot cup of tea. It's even better when you're curled up under the blanket with a cat on your lap and enjoying some freshly baked buns, cookies or cake.  That's how I like my winter.

Where did the snow go?

We have been having such a mild winter this year as compared to last year.  Last winter was nice and snowy and white.  There was snow even until late winter and early spring.  I remember walking on snow a lot and had to often wear warm clothing even inside the apartment. It was really cold.  

This time, we had a few hours of snow early in December, but none after that.  I thought it was going to be another wintery, snowy December but it turned out I was tricked. The temperature rose after that and worse of all, there was a lot of rain. It felt more like fall, but without the beautiful brown, yellow and orange leaves littering the ground.  If only it was colder, we would have snow instead of rain.  

And it really rained a lot.  My sisters came to visit in the middle of December and I was really hoping we would get snow but no.  Rain came down instead.  And it was cold and grey most of the time.  Not really great weather to show off to our visitors. Needless to say, my sister didn't really enjoy the stay.  She felt it was too cold and I don't blame her.  It's no fun walking around in the rain in temperatures of 4 or 5C and in wet clothes.

Anyway, after giving up on the idea of a snowy winter, it snowed yesterday afternoon.  Pete and I had to go to town and I was lucky to have checked the weather forecast before heading out. Since it hadn't been too cold ( I have pretty much adapted to the lower temperatures ) I haven't been wearing too many layers when I head out.  But when I checked the weather forecast yesterday, I saw that the temperature could go lower than 0C.  

When I stepped out of the door, the wind blew into my face and the biting cold jolted me awake.  It hasn't been so cold this winter.  I was so glad for the extra layers and scarf that I put on.  Even Pete felt that it was cold, and for that snowman to say it's cold, you know that it's cold.  But it didn't snow when we were out.

Some time after we got home, I looked out the window and saw big flakes of snow falling down and coating everything in white. Beautiful! The balcony was full of stuff we brought home from our kitchen but there was space to stand and look out at the wintery scene.  But I couldn't stay there too long.  It got really cold in the balcony. I didn't realize one of the cats snuck into the balcony too and closed the door.  When I heard the familiar scratching noise, I opened the door and sure enough, Nymeria, the ever-curious girl was there. I picked her up and he whole body was cold.  She also couldn't stay long there.

The snow continued to fall for a couple more hours. As the sun started to set, I could see some kids playing in the snow.  I guess I wasn't the only one who missed the snow.  I guess they decided to play in the snow since who knows it would snow again.  And the kids made the best decision.  When we got to bed, there was snow everywhere. But when I woke up this morning, there wasn't a trace of snow at all.  It rained during the night and melted all the snow.  I wonder when I'll see snow again.

Workouts in winter

One of the things I miss about being back home is the ease with which I could workout.  Whenever I reached home late from work, I could simply change into my workout clothes, lace up my shoes and off I went on a run or walk or bike ride.  I also used to go to the gym quite regularly after work.  It was again, a breeze, since I don't need too many clothes or shoes to change into.

Here, the cold weather means that I have to be quite warmly bundled up in a few layers of clothes whenever I want to head outdoors.  That makes changing into workout clothes quite tiresome.  Not only do I have to peel off layers of clothes, I also have to change into indoor shoes before I can workout.  Then, after changing  into suitable gear, I have to lug my thick jacket and boots and bag out of the changing room and head to the badminton court.

Yeah.  Pete and I tried our hand at badminton on Friday.  There's a badminton hall just a couple of bus stops away so we decided to put that into our exercise regime.  And yeah, another thing I miss is the cheap booking fee for badminton courts and cheap shuttlecocks.  We paid SEK130 (about S$25) per hour during the off peak period.  The Yonex shuttlecocks cost about S$30 for six plastic ones.  The feather ones are much more expensive - more than S$50 for the big tub.  According to the salesperson at the sporting goods store, people usually use the feather ones for tournaments and matches.

But, having said that, I still love being here.  The cold weather means that we are very comfortable as we move around the court.  Not too sweaty and I feel so good as I moved.  And it wasn't like we were taking it easy.  We did some drills, exercises and played a singles game at the end.  We even jogged around the entire hall after the game.  And yet, my t-shirt wasn't drenched in sweat.  Back home, just a 5-minute jog would have me sweating from head to toe.

I just wish I can figure out how to dress properly for an outdoor jog in such cold weather.  I have seen people here running in the snow and cold.  Not as many as in summer or fall, but surprisingly more than I expected.  Maybe I have to invest in good warm, running gear.  But I don't really know where to start.  I'm worried about being either too warmly dressed or not warm enough.  This is when I miss being able to just head out and run whenever I want.

Ah well, this is an adjustment period for me.  I guess I have to really get used to the long, cold winters here first and then slowly find my groove.    

Done with winter

Last night's rain melted some of the snow on the ground.  This morning when I got up, there were bare patches where snow used to be.  It looked cold, too.  And wet.  I was not looking forward to going to school at all.

After a nice hot bowl of soup for lunch, I put on my layers and prepared to head out.  Outside, the air was chilly but fresh.  Luckily there wasn't much wind.  As I walked, my boots crunched the snow that has turned to slush.  I had to tread carefully too, since some parts were a bit slippery.  As I walked beside the bike lane, I could see some people on their bikes cycling very slowly and carefully.  I guess the path is slippery too.

The walk to school was really nice, though cold.  It was cold inside the classroom too.  I kept sneezing during lessons.  Luckily I brought tissues.  I used up the whole packet by the end of the class.  It was the same at home too.  I sneezed and had to blow my nose the whole evening.  And in the end, I got a headache from all the explosive sneezing fit. So I guess that's it.  I'm done with winter.  Let the warmer weather come, please.   

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.    

A walk on the windy side

The days have been rather cold the past few days.  It's been on average -4C but would be colder when it's windy.  Today was still the same.  But this morning the sun shone nice and bright.  I love it when it's sunny in winter, especially when there's snow on the ground and everywhere.  It really is beautiful.

Rather than to stay indoors, it was the perfect day for a walk.  We bundled up tightly in our layers.  I even had to put on one of Pete's old jackets since mine is a bit short. It's a bit too big for me, but hey, at least I won't freeze my butt off. 

When we got outside, the wind was blowing.  It wasn't too windy but you can feel the cold air being gently blown at your face.  It was cold but with the wind on our faces, we got really cold.  But the beauty of the view sort of took our attention away from the cold. 

We walked towards a mall just outside of town.  It wasn't too far, about 3km away from where we live.  So since the day was nice and sunny, we walked.  We took a scenic route, along small streets row and rows of cute, cosy looking houses.  The snow on the roofs look exactly like the roof of my gingerbread house when I sprinkled icing sugar on it.  As we walked, I tried to sneak peeks through the windows.  I am very curious to see how the inside of the houses look like.  I imagine they would be filled with furniture from Ikea.  I could see that at least their curtains were mostly from there.

Anyway, about 20 minutes into the walk, I started to get really hungry.  I was getting light-headed and I knew I had to eat.  And soon.  Breakfast was more than 3 hours ago so I was really starving.  I guess walking in the cold makes me got hungry even faster.  It didn't help that we were deep in the residential area.  The mall seemed so much further that what I had energy for.  It didn't help that when we were walking past some houses, we could smell something so delicious, so Swedish.  Cinnamon rolls!  Some one's baking them!  I could smell them!  That made me hungrier.

Luckily, we weren't too far away.  When we got inside the restaurant, the first thing I ordered was hot chocolate.  That appeased my tummy for a bit.  When our meals came, we took no time to finish it all.  We got very stuffed from our lunch so we had to take another walk.  This time, walking inside the mall was so much more comfortable. 

It is really great that Sundays have been nice and sunny.  That makes it so much more enticing to get out and just enjoy the scenery.  On our walk, we also saw many other people taking walks too.  Kids were also out to play in the snow or go sledding down the many slopes around the area.  The mall was crowded too, though not at all to the same extend of the crowd in Orchard Road back home.  In all, the past few Sundays have been great for families to spend time outdoors.

Once we got home, though, we had to keep warm.  We opened the windows to air out the apartment before we went on our walk.  It was really cold inside when we got home but I wanted to bake something for fika later.  What else if not Cinnamon rolls.  I had a craving for them since I smelled them this afternoon.  The only thing is that the apartment is too cold for the dough to rise properly.  It's taking longer since it's so cold.  The yeast needs warmth to grow so I have to be more patient to let the dough rise enough before I can bake it.  No matter how long I have to wait, I am going to have cinnamon rolls today.

A sunny, snowy day

Just when I thought the temperature was getting warmer and thus more comfortable, it snowed on Monday night.  We woke up to snow everywhere.  It was beautiful.  I always love it when it snows at night and leave a pleasant surprise for us in the morning.  But that morning, I wasn't as pleased though.  It was still snowing when I left for school.  Worse still, it was windy.  I walked with my hat as low as possible and my scarf as high as possible over my face.  It was difficult to see with the snow getting into my eyes, but I got to school alright.

In class, the snow stopped and started.  It's a pity I sat far from the windows but from whatever little I could see, it was really beautiful.  I love a sunny, snowy day.  When I went home that day, it was snowing again but the sun was still out and it was bright.  Snow does that.  It reflects the light, I think, and so it looks nice and bright.  Cold though, but with nice, warm clothes, I love being out and about on days like this.

Pete and I went to town after school since we had a meeting there in the afternoon.  So it was a great day to be out and about.  It was cold but luckily for us, it wasn't windy.  Perfect.  After our meeting, we decided to take a walk.  The sun is now out for a bit longer since sunset is later now, so we had a bit more time to walk in the sun.  We weren't the only ones with that thought.  I could see many people enjoying the sun and snow as well.  Or maybe it was the many sales in the stores that drew them out.  Either way, it was crowded there.

It's Wednesday evening now, and the snow is still there, even though it stopped snowing yesterday afternoon.  After I came home from school today, the day was really bright and the air was crisp.  It was -5C but I didn't want to stay indoors.  I managed to persuade Pete to go for a walk and again, it was a great day for that.  It wasn't too windy or too cold and it was nice and sunny and bright.  And there was snow everywhere.  We couldn't make a snowman or snowballs though.  The temperature was too low for that.  Pete says the temperature needs to be above 0C so that the snow can be compacted together and stay in shape.  If not, it would just fall apart.

I do hope to get to make a snowman this winter.  When the snow in December disappeared, I thought there wouldn't be any more snow, so the latest snowfall was a nice surprise.  Pete said that in 2005, it snowed in May!  So maybe I would get a chance to build that snowman soon.  

Family, food, fun

Christmas is over and I can finally rest.  And rest was what I was having the last two days.  I just felt like slouching on the couch and watch Christmas movies the whole day long.  I also wanted to eat something Asian or Malay so I cooked chicken curry.  The great thing about curry is that it's great the next day as well so I didn't have to cook the next day.  I also made Roti Boyan, this Malay dish of crispy pancake stuffed with mashed potatoes and egg.  It goes well with the curry as well.

Anyway, talking about food, I guess I should have written about how I spent Christmas here.  As I wrote earlier, Christmas is celebrated on the 24th. That morning, I cooked meatballs, mini sausages and shepherd's pie to bring to his mum's for lunch.  There were going to be 16 of us there so I had quite a lot to cook.  Pete was great.  He helped me with the cooking and cleaning up.  With his help, I got the food done quite quickly.

We also had to get the gifts ready.  Luckily I already wrapped them in advance.  I only needed to make the labels and to write on them.  The kids basically got toys, clothes or craft material.  I wanted to make truffles for the adults but that morning, I realised that the chocolate mixture wasn't right.  I think the proportion of chocolate to the cream was off and it was way too hard to roll into balls.  Adding more cream didn't help and in the end I decided to make the Swedish chocolate balls instead.  Pete helped me as I packed and labelled them nicely in jars.

When we reached her place, we were the last to get there.  Everyone was busy putting gifts under the Christmas tree or helping out with the food in the kitchen or taking care of the baby or watching TV.  It was quite cramped there but it was cosy.  We started with the cold foods - four different types of pickled herring or sill, lax or smoked salmon, eggs, cheese, three different types of bread and Janssons frestelse or Jansson's Temptation which is a casserole made of potatoes, onions, herring and cream.

We took our time to eat and chat.  By the time we were done, the cartoons are being shown.  It's tradition here in Sweden that every year on Christmas, at 3pm, Chrismas themed Disney cartoons are shown.  Every year, the same classic ones are shown except the last part where they would show snippets of new Disney movies. There's the one with the chipmunks in the Christmas tree Mickey was decorating, Donald Duck trying to take pictures of birds but his shots were always ruined by an annoying bird and the classic one with Mickey, Donald and Goofy in their caravan. 

I find it interesting that the same cartoons are shown every year and no one gets tired of it.  Pete and his sister even remembers some of the lines in the cartoons!  But I do understand the appeal.  The cartoons never gets old.  I have seen all of the cartoons before, when I was much younger, but I still love them and laugh at the same parts. 

Oh, this year, there was some controversy over the cartoons.  Disney wanted to remove some scenes which they think could be offensive to some races.  One of them is of a black doll parading in front of Santa and another one is of a man doing the Cossack dance which could be perceived as offensive to Jews.  It brought about lots of discussions all over the country about what's racist and what's not.  We were talking about it as well and we all thought that the scenes had nothing racist about them.  I think it's just some people who were trying to be overly cautious, to the point of being ridiculous.

Anyway, after the cartoons, there was a surprise for the kids - Santa showed up bearing a sack of gifts.  He handed out presents to all of us and the kids took photos with him as well.  Then all the other gifts were given out.  The huge pile of presents under the tree was quickly gone and the kids went wild as they opened their presents.  They even started playing with their toys.

The best moment was when Pete's mum opened her gift.  We all chipped in to get her something that she has been wanting for the longest time - a mannequin for tailoring.  She loves to sew her own clothes and with the mannequin it would make her work so much easier. She was so happy and touched by the gift that she shed some happy tears.  I don't know about the others, but that made my day.  She has been a wonderful mum and she more than deserved the gift.

After the opening of the gifts, we had more food.  This time it's the warm foods.  I had my fill of the meatballs, sausages, shepherd's pie and more bread and cheese.  By this time, the dining table wasn't as full.  The kids were busy playing with their toys.  So, we had more room at the table.

Then the next part was fun.  We played a Christmas game.  We each brought simple gifts that cost no more than 50kr each.  We again gathered around the table, the kids included.  We took turns to roll a dice.  This one had colours on it and it was decided that if we were to roll the white or black, we could take any one of the packages on the table.  Once all packages have been taken, we had a timer for seven minutes.  In that time, when we roll the white or black, we could take any package from any one.  That was the fun bit.  As usual, there would always be one package, usually the biggest, that would be highly sought after.  After the timer went off, we all opened the packages.  There were lots of chocolates, candy, even some cute kitchen tools and stationery. 

Another tradition here is to eat rice pudding with a warm sauce.  Pete's mum made some.  I really love it but I couldn't eat anymore.  My tummy was just bloated.  I needed to walk.  But Pete's sister and her family gave us a ride home.  That was probably the best since the night was cold and windy.  The walk home would have been near freezing temperatures.

So that was Christmas Eve.  That's how Pete's family, my family now too, celebrates Christmas.  It was a day for family, food and fun.  The kids had lots of fun since they got most of the presents.  But like I said earlier, it was great to see his mum so happy.  How should we top this gift next year?  Well, we have one whole year to think about it. 

It's beginning to smell like Christmas

I've been away from the blog for a couple of days now.  Christmas is coming and we have been busy getting things done these couple of days.  Christmas is quite big here and widely celebrated.  This is a time for the people here to gather with their families, have meals and give gifts.  Here, Christmas is celebrated on the 24th.  Some families might have a Christmas dinner on the 23rd.  But by the 24th, all the presents would have been opened.

This year, we would be having a Christmas lunch at his mum's place together with some of his sisters and their families.  Pete's sister and brother-in-law have traveled from Norway to join us.  Another sister and her kids, who are living in a town about an hour's drive away will also be there.  It's nice to have everyone together at this time.  The place is going to be crowded but it'll be great to catch up with each other.

We have all split up the tasks for the lunch.  I will be cooking the meatballs and prins korv, a kind of mini sausages.  These are the traditionally served at the julbordet, or Christmas table.  We will also be bringing the julost, the Christmas cheese.  The one we bought is a cute little ball of Edam, festively wrapped up in red.

On top of the shopping for ingredients, we have also been shopping for gifts for the kids.  Luckily I have time off school.  We would head out in the morning so that we would get done by lunch, when the majority of the people start their shopping.  The malls and supermarkets are more crowded than usual but it's still manageable.  I've seen worse crowds back home, so it hasn't been overwhelming at all.

On one of the shopping trips, we went to Emporia, the mall I wrote about.  We went into Hemley's, a toy store for kids.  It was really fun.  They had some toys for you to try and the atmosphere in there was so joyful.  I'm sure the kids would love to spend the whole day there - I would!

Besides shopping, we have also been busy cleaning the apartment.  It's a spring cleaning of sorts.  I have been putting off cleaning the balcony but I decided that this is the perfect time to get it done - Pete's sister and brother-in-law were going to travel all the way from Norway to visit.  So the two of us have been scrubbing, dusting and vacuuming the whole apartment to get it in tip-top condition.

We don't have any Christmas decoration in the house but I wanted to make the place look cosy and Christmassy, so we made our own decorations by sticking some cloves into oranges.  Instantly the apartment smelled of Christmas.  It reminds me of glögg, the Swedish mulled wine, either with or without alcohol, that's drunk during this time.  We arranged the oranges and an assortment of nuts in their shell around some candles and viola! That is our bit of Christmas on the table.  We added some iced gingerbread cookies later on to add more Christmas flavour to it.

We also bought some hyacinth that is also found in homes at this time of year.  After wrapping all the presents, we arranged everything at a corner of the living room.  We also put out some candies or godis, as they are called here.  Again, these are part of the tradition here during Christmas.  When the candles were lit when our guests arrived, it made the apartment look cosy.

If the decorations didn't put us in a Christmassy mood,  the snow that appeared so suddenly in the afternoon instantly did. Perfect! With the glow of the candles, the scent of the oranges and cloves, great company and flowing conversation, it turned out to be a great lead-up to Christmas.

With that, the two of us would like to wish everyone who are celebrating Christmas, God Jul!  Merry Christmas!

Pepparkakor

In an earlier post, I promised to post the recipe for gingerbread cookies.  This recipe is actually a mix of two of the many recipes I found online.  I have made a second batch to test it out again and it didn't disappoint.  This time, I made royal icing to decorate the cookies.  They were going to be gifts for my classmates and teacher. 

I made the dough one day ahead and chilled it in the fridge.  When I was ready to bake, I took them out and used some cute cookie cutters I borrowed from Pete's mum.  I iced them the next day and let the icing dry for a few hours before packing them.  I spread out the work over several days since I have been busy to do everything at once.

the iced cookies

I recommend you to try this recipe.  The cookies have a nice balance of 'butteriness' and spice.  The spices don't knock you over but it's nice and mellow.  If you don't want it to be spicy, use less of the spices.  You can even leave out the cloves if you don't have any.  I tell you, the kitchen smells so good when the cookies are baking.  You really should try this!

Pepparkakor (Gingerbread Cookies)
Cookies
2 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
125gm soft butter
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup molasses or golden syrup
2 tsp vanilla

Sift and mix the first 7 ingredients together in a medium bowl.
In a big bowl, cream the butter and sugar until combined.
Add the egg until well incorporated.
Add the molasses and vanilla. Mix well.
Slowly add the dry ingredients.  I use the mixer at first and when it starts getting stiff, I just use my fingers to gather the ingredients together into a dough.  This shouldn't take more than 2 minutes.
Roll the dough into a sausage shape and wrap with clingfilm.
Rest the dough in the for at least two hours to let the flavours develop.  You can leave it in the fridge for up to 4 hours.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 180C.
Take the dough out and roll out to your desired thickness.  Roll the dough between two sheets of baking paper or clingfilm so it doesn't stick to the work surface and use a cookie cutter to cut out your favourite shapes. 
Arrange the cookies on a baking sheet with a bit of space in between.
Bake for 7-10 minutes.
Let the cookies cool thoroughly before icing them if you want.

all wrapped up and ready to be given away

A green Christmas?

People here talk about the weather a lot, my teacher said last week.  That's because you get all the four seasons here and more than that, the weather for each season differs from year to year.  I've been here since May and I have experienced hot, dry days in July where I would sweat just walking from the kitchen to the living room.  I've also experienced the cool, chilly autumn days and freezing cold winter nights.

It's winter now and I was so excited when it started snowing two weeks ago.  After two wonderful snowy weeks, it stopped snowing a few days back.  The temperature started rising and today it's 4C.  The snow that has been piling up is slowly melting away.  The rain today didn't help at all.  It washed away all the snow and now there are hardly any traces of snow on the ground.

Bummer.  The timing couldn't have been worse.  Christmas is just round the corner and it would be nice to have snow to make it feel more Christmassy.  Last year, we didn't get much snow at this time of the year.  When I joined Pete's family for Christmas lunch last year, the sun was out and there was not a trace of snow anywhere.  Looking out the window that day, it seemed more like summer than winter.

This year, when it started snowing, I was hoping that it would snow all the way, until after Christmas, at least.  But after just two days of above 0C and some rain, the snow is disappearing.  There also isn't any snowy days ahead forecasted.  Looks like it's going to be another green Christmas again.

Lucia

Every year on the 13th of December, Lucia is celebrated all over Sweden.  It is a popular celebration here, but it's not an official holiday.  It is usually marked by a procession headed by a girl who is chosen to be the Lucia.  She would be dressed in a white robe with a red sash and a crown of candles on her head.  Behind her, there would be other girls, also in white robes, holding a candle each.  Boys are also in the procession.  They would be dressed in other traditional symbols of Christmas such as the Christmas elf or gingerbread men.  As they walk, they would sing the traditional Santa Lucia song.  After that, they would sing other Christmas songs.  This usually takes place in schools and teachers are assigned to be in charge of the event (ring any bells, my friends from MOE?)

This morning, my SFI-classmates and I were lucky to be able to witness this ceremony.  Our classes are held in a high school, so we were able to watch the kids perform.  Our teacher brought us to the school hall where we joined the other kids.  I guess there were about 300 kids there.  Walking into the hall and seeing the basketball hoops, futsal goal posts and benches arranged for the kids and teachers to sit on brought lots of memories for me.  Just a few months ago, I would be teaching PE to my kids in a hall such as this. 

The performance started after the lights were turned off.  Then when the curtain was lifted, the kids were standing in a semi-circle holding candles in their hands.  The girl who was chosen to beLucia, with the candles in her hair, was standing in front of the semi-circle.  I couldn't really see her face though.  It was too dark.

They started by singing the traditional Lucia song.  Then the Lucia, started singing solo.  Her voice was really nice and soothing.  Then the others joined in and they sang other Christmas songs.  They even sang Wham's Last Christmas.  After a few more songs, the event ended and we walked back to our class.  Our teacher said that it wasn't very traditional and the songs they sang were quite new - not hard to guess since one of the songs was a rap.  But nonetheless, I felt lucky to be able to watch it.  If I weren't in this class, I don't think I would be able to be part of it - something that every Swedish kid would experience as they were growing up.

As someone new to the country, I am eager to learn more about it.  It's useful to me since I want to not only experience the Swedish culture, but most importantly to fit in.  Not to mention, it would make me understand Pete better.  Sometimes we do have misunderstandings which are purely the result of our different upbringing and cultures, but that's another story altogether.

Hot food. Cold days

For a country that is cold most days of the year, I'm quite surprised that the Swedes don't eat more warm soups.  I would think that hot bowls of soups would warm them ,especially after coming in from the cold during the autumn and winter months.  For me, I would always have cravings for hot soups or even better, hot noodle soups.  I also have been craving spicy foods - curries and sambals that would warm me up even more.

Pete and I had some errands to run on Monday.  We headed out even though it was snowing, windy and cold.  It was almost lunch time when I started to get hungry.  We went to a place that sells baguette sandwiches.  Along the way, I could see quite a number of people walking out of the place with sandwiches and salads.  I guess they were buying them for their lunch.  Pete and I also got one sandwich each.

When we got home, we were quite frozen actually.  And hungry.  The cold sandwiches filled us up - it's bread topped with generous fillings of sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and shrimp in mayonnaise.  Although it was good and filled us up, I felt like the food left my mouth cold. I think soupy noodles or something spicy would warm me up properly.

That's why I want to start my food business.  I want to give the people here more choices in food.  The usual food available here are the kebab, falafel, pizza, hot dog and Thai/Chinese which are not at all like those we have back home.  These foods are everywhere but they are so boring.  I want to let them try new foods, new tastes.  I want to sell curry puffs, chicken curry with rice, roti john, mee soto, chicken rice and roti prata.  I want the people here to try authentic foods from my home.  I want my food to warm and nourish them.

I wonder, though, what their reaction to the food would be.  Would they give it a try or avoid it since it's alien to them?  I don't know yet.  But that would not stop me from trying.   

Jultradition in Sweden

Christmas, or Jul is quite a big part of Sweden's tradition.  The closer you get to December, the more you notice Christmas decorations in the stores.  Red and white seem to be the colours of the month and tomten, the Swedish Santa, is everywhere.  Stores also start selling Christmas related wares - decorations, household stuff, toys and Christmas gift baskets.  God Jul, which is the traditional Christmas greeting, is printed on anything from mugs and plates to napkins and cushions.

Households here also begin to decorate their homes with everything red and white and Christmassy.  Two of the more popular decoration items for the window are the elljusstake which is a 7-candle candelabra and the julstjärna which is a 7-pointed star lantern.  Since it gets dark very early in winter, the lights from these decorations make the homes look so cosy.  I love looking out my window to look at my neighbours' windows.  In the dark, the glow from the candles and lanterns make the evening look friendly, homely and cosy.

The first of December marks the start of the Christmas countdowns.  These are marked by Advent candles which come in a set of four.  Each candle signifies a week and the four candles mark the four weeks before Christmas.  You light one candle at the start of Advent, which is calculated to be four weeks before Christmas.  You let it burn down a little.  Then you light this and the second candle on the second Advent and so on.

There is also another popular countdown item called the Julcalendar.  These come in many forms.  The most popular one is the chocolate calendar.  The chocolates are hidden behind windows that are numbered between 1 and 24.  You open one window a day, starting from 1 December.  Other similar calendars could be made up of a set of 24 tiny packages containing items such as candy or stickers.  So the children get to open one small present a day. 

We don't celebrate Christmas but it's hard not to be swept by the Christmas mood here.  Our home is bare of any decoration but looking at how nice the lights and candles look, perhaps next time I will get nice candles to light up during the dark winter days. 

Anyway, we bought a chocolate julcalendar for ourselves.  This calendar is also fun as there are messages on the windows as well.  The messages are reminders for tasks to be done before Christmas.  For fun, we decided to follow what was written on ours if we could. As a result of that, I made pepparkakor, or gingerbread cookies yesterday for the first time.  I loved it. The dough was easy to make and bake.  And most importantly, they taste good. I will do another batch soon but this time I will make gingerbread men.  If that works, I'll post the recipe too.  Now, I'm going to munch on more of the cookies!

Snowy Day

It was a nice day to be out yesterday.  We had a lot of snowfall and the ground was thick with snow.  Although it was still snowing lightly, the sun was out and the sky was blue.  Pete and I decided to take a walk.  We planned to walk to our garden and then back home.  I was curious to know how the garden looks like in winter.

When we stepped outdoors, it was lovely!  Everything was covered with snow.  I don't know why, but it feels so romantic when things around you are blanketed with snow.  The whole landscape looks so amazing and beautiful.  The air was crisp and fresh.  Luckily there wasn't much wind.  Although the temperature was low, it was not too cold.  Very comfortable.

Other people were happy with the snow too.  We could see and hear lots of children playing in the snow.  Some were dragging their sleds with them.  Their parents walked along beside them.  They looked excited too.  Pete says we don't get much snow here in the south.  I guess that's why the people here are excited whenever it snows.

It was fun walking in the snow.  My boots made lots of crunching sounds when I step on the snow.  Pete, ever the careful one, gave me a lecture about the dangers of walking in the snow.  He told me to step carefully and look where I step.  He had seen a woman slip and fall when she stepped on slippery ice and broke her leg.  It was so serious that her bone protruded out of the wound!

The walk to the garden was nice.  The cold made it seem effortless.  Along the way, I admired the beautiful scenery.  Snow really makes everything look so gorgeous.  When we got to the garden, it was no surprise to see our plants and weeds covered with snow.  Most looked like they were dying or dead.  My lavender are still alive though.  They can withstand the cold.

Just beside the garden, there are some hills and I know they would be perfect for sledding.  True enough, we could hear children's laughter when we were at the garden.  We walked over there and saw the kids and their dads sledding down.  It looked so fun!  I want one for next year.

Pete and I raced up the hill and I tell you, it's not easy running up slope in the snow.  We had a snowball fight since we didn't have a sled to play with.  Just a few minutes of that made us breathe heavily.   Our workout for the day.  When it started snowing heavily again, we headed home.  My face was the only part of me that was exposed and it was so cold that my cheeks turned red.  Once home, I made us a hot mug of Milo.  The perfect drink to warm us up on a perfect snowy day.  

see how deep the snow is

our snowy garden

this hill is perfect for sledding

the dads pull their kids home in the sled

First snowfall

It is snowing!  The first real snowfall for winter here.  I woke up early in the morning, all bleary eyed, to go to the bathroom and before I could shuffle back to bed, Pete called me to the balcony.  The sight woke me up.  It was beautiful.  The landscape was white and everything on the ground was covered in snow.  But it wasn't snowing then so I thought the snow wouldn't last and would melt in a couple of hours.

When I woke up again at 8, I went to the window again.  It was snowing!  Pete said it doesn't snow that much here so he's excited as well.  He checked the temperature.  It's -2C!  I tried to take photos with my iPad and camera.  Pete opened the windows to make it easier to take photos.  When the snowflakes fell on my hand, I could feel the cold.  Some snowflakes were big and would take longer to melt.  But when the wind blew through the open window, it was time to close it and take refuge in the warmth of the apartment.

Now, after my shower and morning tea, the snowfall has lightened up a little.  With the gentle sun in the sky, it's looking like a nice day.  Maybe we would go for a walk later.  Hopefully there's enough snow to make a snowman!

I'm excited about the snow since I don't experience it often.  I've had encountered snow before, but that's different because I was a tourist.  Here, I am a resident.  Having snow in a place I live is new to me.  I'm sure there are lots of things I need to learn, such as wearing the right shoes and clothes for walking about in the snow.  Maybe in time, I would be blase about it or worse, think it's a hassle and grow to hate it.  I don't know.  But for now, I'm going to enjoy it.  It really makes everything look so beautiful.  

Six minutes of snow

I was sitting on the sofa when I looked out the window and saw white specks flying about outside.  Snow!  When I checked the weather forecast, we weren't to expect snow until next Thursday, so I was surprised to see it this afternoon.  But the temperature is steadily falling and I have started putting on my thermals already, so I guess it's about time that we would see snow soon.

It's really cold outside.  Colder than the temperature in my fridge.  Cold enough to have a walk-in fridge that used to be my balcony.  Useful when the fridge in the kitchen gets full.  It's getting easier to believe the news report that it's going to be a very cold winter this year.

Anyway, back to the snow, I went out to the balcony to take a closer look.  Snowflakes were dancing around in the wind.  It really looked like dusting of icing sugar.  I moved to the kitchen cos the balcony was freezing.  It was nice to look at the falling snow while I was in the warmth of the kitchen.  But after a few minutes, the snowfall got lighter and lighter and then it stopped altogether.  I could see some snow on the wooden tables and benches downstairs but it all melted soon.

Although it wasn't much, it was still nice to see.  I mean, I'm from a country near the equator.  We don't get snow there, you know, so any snow that falls will make me excited.  Let's see if next week will bring more snow here.