Welcome back

My understanding of this phrase is that it is used when someone returns to a place they have been before.  However, this sign at the exit of Hemlingby outdoor recreation area shows the problem with translations.  The sign is meant to mean 'come back soon' or 'hope to see you again', but the translation used, though it is a welcoming statement, is from a different point of view.

But, there was no mistaking the warm welcome I have had all week here in Gavle.  I have a lovely space on the lower level with plenty of room and my own bathroom.  Jennie has loaned me her very nice commuting bicycle and I have explored some new and not-so-new areas of town.  I have been particularly indulged in my love for great dark bread and flavourful cheeses.  We have sampled the offerings of some very tasty restaurants.  I have been introduced to a number of superb new recipes and made some preserves that I have never made before.  It's been a wonderful time.

And I can't forget the best part of the week -- the little miss.  TovaElise is changing so rapidly that there are notable changes just in the 7 days that I have been here.  Her eye-hand coordination has greatly increased and she has found her fingers to lick and chew.  She coos and giggles and smiles and blows bubbles and is a very happy baby.  She snuggles very nicely, but is also quite independent for periods.  Jennie and Richard are terrific parents and the little one is thriving.  What a wonderful family to be a part of -- even if just for a week.

Thanks so much, Rich and Jenn!

Green means go

For those of you not initiated into the European style of lights and signals, this is a traffic light for bicycles.  In most intersections, the bicycle signal and the pedestrian signals are for the same area, though in separate lanes and sometimes working independently.  You activate each by pushing a button and besides the visual information, there is also an audible prompt to go -- the beeping goes though a fast stage (about 3 per second) compared to the usual beep of about 1 per second which means 'wait'.

And go I did today.  This morning it was into town to the market area to be tempted by wonderful sourdough breads, blue cheese, a new creme fraiche topping, and hot smoked salmon.  There was the usual trip to Ahlens for socks (it's tradition) and a check of Clas Olson for canning jars.  Jennie has been making all kinds of preserves and needed some small jars for red pepper jelly.  No luck.

We enjoyed another lunch at the nursery just behind the house and then I cycled most of the afternoon, to and from some grocery stores where I was stocking up on some Swedish items to fill my suitcase.  I have about 4 kg of stuff to replace from my weight coming over, so there is lots of space.

I wasn't the only one on the go -- little miss loves to stand and there will be no stopping her. Already she has a determined low-voice grunt where she tenses her whole body.  What a strong little one she already is!  Watch out world, she is going places!

Happiness is

Even not so keen observation will tell you that today was a sunny day -- not a drop of rain and virtually no clouds.  You will also notice that I was with a bicycle -- yes it is Jennie's town bike which has three gears and shopping basket.  What you can't see is the huge smile on my face as this is the first day in 2 months that I have been on a bike and it was WONDERFUL.  And, before you get worried about my foot, I rode on virtually flat ground and at every incline, I made my left leg do all the work.  No problems, -- happiness!

Also delighted was little Miss TovaElise at her swimming class with her mom.  The lesson is in the therapy pool at the hospital, so it was beautifully warm.  There was movement and singing and the babes went under the water.  Amazing little one who did not complain -- a few blinks and lots of good kicks.  She is a water baby for sure.

We got the chutney into jars and the rhubarb drink into bottles.  Jennie is a happy lady.  (I need to pick up some of that preserving agent that they sell for keeping juice in bottles.  I think that we could make some interesting drinks.) 

One-third year birthday

TovaElise is 4 months old today -- already 1/3 of a year.  She is up to 7.5 kg and 65.5 cm.  She was sitting on Jennie's lap yesterday and I remarked that if she keeps up that growth, she will be as big as her mom at one year.  No, that won't happen, but she will be a big girl.

This morning was Baby music -- a lovely class in a local church where a very energetic but gentle woman leads in singing, clapping, moving with the help of drums, guitar, horn, claves, whistles.  It was all in Swedish, but even I (father's mother) could understand 'Twinkle, twinkle, little star'.  It's a half hour class, and many of the little ones, like TovaElise are totally exhausted at the end -- but there was no crying at all.  I can see why there is a waiting list!

This afternoon was green tomato chutney -- at least the chopping and measuring part.  It has simmered all day and is just now deemed done.  The scent of sugar and spices and vinegar have been enchanting us all day.

Just as yesterday was Jennie's early Christmas, today TovaElise got her Christmas gift.  It is a highchair -- totally low tech, but one of the most remarkable chairs I have ever seen.  It is adjustable for everyone from baby to adult.  In fact, last week Clara was on one in the cafe at the National History Museum.  Yes, one pays more for a clever design, but this could be something she keeps for her own children.

We have some pieces in our home that have come from Ian's parents from when Ian was a child.  Amazing that they have managed to keep it in useable condition.  The one piece that I have kept is the crib which I made when Richard was born.  It got a new coat of paint -- it had been through a number of my nieces and nephews-- and now serves for the grandkids when they come to stay over.  It's that feeling of history, never was important to me before, but now I think about it and posterity too -how we touch on eternity.

Traditions -- old and new

Yesterday was the day of finding the chanterelles, so today was the day of enjoying them.  Jennie did a lovely omelette this evening with goat cheese and the chanterelles.  The mushrooms paired deliciously with the other flavours and with a piece of walnut and raisin limpa bread, it made for a wonderful supper.  Thanks Jennie!

In chanterelle season it is tradition to have them fresh, so we also had chanterelles for lunch.  There is a lovely little nursery and garden shop a five minute walk behind Jenn and Rich's house.  I have certainly been there before, but never for lunch.  They do an interesting salad buffet and today the hot main was slow roasted beef with a chanterelle cream sauce.  Divine!  And if that wasn't enough, they had a fabulous hammock chair on sale which made the perfect early Christmas present for Jennie.  She and TovaElise were so comfortable in it at the shop and now there is one hanging on the back porch.  I love giving gifts that are exactly what the person wanted.

The other tradition is, of course, a visit to Ikea.  The closest one to Gavle is in Valbo, about 10 km away.  I hope to cycle there someday -- there is a wonderful path that goes from here, but today was not the day despite the lovely weather.  My foot is improving, but I think that big a ride for the first time on a bike in 2 months, might be a bit much.  I did, however, walk into town, and although I was not fast, I did make it in 20 minutes.  The forecast for the rest of the week is quite good, so I hope to be able to do some riding before I leave.

There are a number of items from the garden which needed to be processed.  We cut, chopped, and froze chives. The third harvest of rhubarb is being made into a Swedish drink -- it was chopped and is sitting for 2 days with water, cloves and lemons.  Ikea sells juice bottles with resealable lids, so this must be a very common procedure.  The apples are on the stove steaming away and becoming applesauce.  I even picked a small dish of raspberries this afternoon.  Still on the plants are hundreds of cherry tomatoes -- most green, which will be processed into a chutney.  It has been a very good garden year.

If you go down to the woods today

You are certainly in for a big surprise -- and it is NOT a bunch of bears having a picnic, though there were enough goodies for a picnic.  I speak of blueberries and chanterelles.

We drove about a half hour north of Gavle where one of Richard's fellow teachers lives.  Their house backs onto a section of woods where Jennie had an amazing picking experience last weekend, and she was game to share that with me.

First there were blueberries.  I think we are close to the end of the season as it was obvious that many of the bushes had already been harvested.  However, there were still enough for us to get two one-litre containers using our handy berry picking devices.  I have seen them in Canada, but never used one before.  They made gleaning the tasty little blue gems quite easy.  With fingers to caress the berries and a design that catches most of the leaves, it is quite efficient.

The second treasure we for which we searched were chanterelle mushrooms.  I have NEVER gone mushroom hunting before.  Make no mistake, there were many different kinds of fungi in the woods -- most larger and more spectacular looking (and no doubt more poisonous) than the little yellow stemmed ones for which we combed the undergrowth.  There were pockets of them growing in the thick moss which covers the whole of the forest floor.  Little miss had a lovely 2 hour nap in the woods!

Back home we cleaned the berries with the handy dandy berry sieve which keeps the berries on top and drops the leaves through the slots.  (Hurray for the right tools)  The mushrooms got their stems trimmed and gills checked. Great treats for tomorrow's cereal and omelettes for dinner.

Travel-ease

Although Ian hates travel in general and airports in particular, I am always amazed and delighted with the ease of travel.

I was 2.5 years when I came to Canada with my Mom, Dad, and 2 siblings.  The Arosa Kulm left Bremerhaven and 11 days later arrived in Nova Scotia.  For my parents, it was the only true vacation they ever had -- nothing to do for more than a week but to show up for meals that someone else prepared and cleaned up, and play with the kids.  I also know it was a monumental excursion as they were leaving behind one life and coming to something virtually unknown -- although a number of my aunts and uncles had already emigrated, the amount of information which filtered back across the Atlantic, was sparse and without the answers to the myriad of questions they must have had.

And now to my day where I had researched and booked my flight and train tickets all in the comfort of my own home and on my own time over the internet.  I knew which tube station would get me to Heathrow easily.  The self-serve kiosks at the airport no longer intimidate me.  (I even can change seat assignments so that I get the aisle seat.)  I now have my own luggage scale so that I can confidently put the suitcase on the belt.  I can negotiate through Arlanda airport though I know no Swedish (OK, most of it has English translations).  Changing trains in Uppsala (with only about 2 minutes to make the change) went smoothly.  And Richard, on the platform in Gavle, already knew that the train would be late.  How much more relaxing than my parent's journey.

And when something goes so smoothly, one is inclined to do it more often!  Especially when there is such a sweetie waiting.

Old dog, new tricks

Make no mistake, I am not an old dog, but for the sake of the idiom, it does refer to me.

When my own kids were growing up, I was, in many ways, a strict disciplinarian.  I set the limits -- tried to do so using safety and fairness as the guide, and after explaining them to the kids, kept them whenever possible.  It was definitely a 'parent in charge' style of life around the house.  Choices for the kids were at a very simple level.

Joanna and Sham's household is much more kid-oriented in that the children have much more input in what goes on either for themselves or for the adults.  It is certainly not the way I was raised, nor the way our kids were raised, but it works for them.  There ARE many different ways to raise children and while some are obviously not good for the kids in the long (or short) term, the majority of parenting styles which caring and intelligent adults adopt, nurture healthy and happy kids.  Every path has some bumps, but for the most part, it goes along quite smoothly.

But those few bumps.  Kieran is 4 and has definite opinions about things, sometimes at odds with what the adult supervising has in mind.  My fall-back position is to be a strict rules enforcer (Driver) and have that run over people, but that is not the way K has been raised, so something has to change.  I cannot change the situation, but I can change my reaction to it.  I told K that Oma will not yell or argue when he says 'no' or does not want to comply, she will walk away.  The two instances where I have used that in the last 2 days, he has not ended up screaming or crying, but cooperated after a few minutes.  I did not make a big deal about his change, but reinforced that Oma loves him very much.  Admittedly, these were situations where walking out of the room was possible and there will, of course, be times when that is not possible.  How will I deal with those -- don't know yet, but I know it will be with a love for the child foremost in my heart.

Today's photo is from the Museum of Natural History -- awe inspiring!

The (really) Good Life

There was a commercial which claimed that "Happiness is yelling BINGO!"  Well, not for me, but for some of the people I encounter down at the Bingo hall, it must be.  But, knowing what it is that makes you happy, is a very helpful analysis of oneself.  (You got to have a dream, if you don't have a dream, how you gonna have a dream come true?)  There are many ways of expressing the positive outcome of figuring out what you want to do as a vocation, what you are really looking for in a partner, what style of house you want to live in, right down to what treats are the most satisfying.  And for each of us, it is different.

Sham, my handsome son-in-law, has found that the essence of a treat for him is chocolate covered almonds -- he likes cookies and cakes, enjoys fruit and wine, is known to indulge in frozen yogurt, but the one, single item to fulfil his day, is chocolate covered almonds.  (There is a hierarchy of these confections, and he has deemed the ones from Harrod's 'superb'.)

How much more contented we all would be if we figured out what we really liked and then concentrated on that.

I have been enjoying my ultimate dinner this week -- good bread and good cheese.  Beside the stinky blue and the gooey brie, there has been a Irish stout cheddar.  Life is really good!

Race Day!

Well, the weather forecasters in UK have about as much credibility as those in Canada.  The rain that was supposed to stop by 8 am continued in lighter and heavier incarnations all day.  (Try keeping 2 kids dry in a playground when all the surfaces are wet.)

Anyway, Joanna raced this morning and came in the top half of her age category.  Her times were a bit longer than she had hoped, but the transitions were long.  She looked really strong thoughout -- we were on the bike route where she did 3 loops and then the run loop was twice around the Serpentine.

The house is proving to be even better than we figured it would be.  I can't imagine the two kids in a hotel room for this whole time.  Here they can run off their energy, eat far more leisurely then in a restaurant, be separated from the adults to sleep, have more toys around, etc.  It is an excellent way for a family to travel.

Just want to say again,

how incredibly amazed and proud I am by Joanna's accomplishment.  She is WORLD CLASS!!!

London Transport Museum

There are many website which give lots of ideas for what to do with kids in London.  Many of those are for children slightly older than the 4 and 2 that we have.  Just looking at things isn't interesting enough, so we have to search for the interactive on topics which will engage Kieran -- Clara is interested in anything her adults play up.  So, today, it was the London Transport Museum just beside Covent Gardens.

That was the subway stop we took as our destination and the museum did not disappoint.  Models and reconstructions from the 1900s to today were available for kids to drive, ride, climb, watch.  A superb outing!

Joanna took her bicycle to the transition zone this afternoon.  She needs to be there early tomorrow --before the first racers starting at 8:00, to get the rest of the transition stuff ready, though she doesn't race till 9:10.  Here cheering section will be out in their special shirts and with their canadian flags.  Go Joanna, Go!

The first race

Wednesday was the first of Joanna's races -- a warm-up (if you can call the chilly swim 'warm') for the serious race on Friday.

She was off early in order to get her transition area ready for changing from the swim to the run.  The Serpentine is the water part of Hyde Park.  It is fairly extensive right there in the middle of London just behind Buckingham Palace.  It is also the home of hundreds of pigeons, ducks, geese and swans.  (Joanna said we did not want to know the condition of the water.)  The run course was around one section of the Serpentine and she did 2 laps so though we couldn't tell which swim cap was hers, we did see her running in her Canada uniform.  Go Mommy go!  The kids were most vocal in their support of Mommy, but their interest lags quite quickly, so it was a great thing that one of the several playgrounds of Hyde Park was very close.  Also, right there was a practise ring for the police horses and two delighted them with some jumping. The rest of us were delighted with Joanna placing the top Canadian woman in her age group!

Joanna's best friend Menaka flew in Wed. morning and joined us for dinner and then the Opening Ceremonies which took place in Trafalgar Square -- nicknamed Triathlon Square for the next 4 days.  There was big stage with loud music, lots of people milling around, a light rain the whole time, a parade of flags and lots of cheering.  The British team is, of course, the largest.  The other big groups are from USA, Canada and Mexico.  Not exactly a big Olympic production, but a fun time.

Bus, ferry, ship, subway

For those of you who don't know, the reason I am here in London with Joanna and family is that Joanna is a competitor for Canada in her age group at the World Triathlon Championships.  So for her, today was some swimming, running, cycling, and registering for the preliminary swimming race tomorrow.  Sham and I had the kids to ourselves.

We got the one day transit pass and then the kids kept talking about the double decker bus, so we hopped one of those which went through the center of the city and over towards St. Paul's.  It was a short walk to the Tower of London and Tower pier.  Here we caught a ferry and took it across the Thames to the south side where the HMS Belfast is anchored.  She is a WWII cruiser with 12 big guns and more smaller ones.  Being a floating museum, we had opportunity to climb all over from the bridge to the brig to the guns, through the kitchen and to the seaman's quarters.  Both kids loved it but particularly Kieran who is boat obsessed currently.  (He came back to the house and immediately made a Belfast out of lego and explained all the parts to his mom when she got back.)  Clara liked watching the birds and other boats out on the river, so a good time was had by all.

We found our way to London Bridge station and took the tube back to the house.  It is a good public system and for 7.30 pounds for the day pass, a good deal.  (Kids under 5 are completely free).  A little sprinkle did not deter us from heading to the local playground in Hyde Park -- also gave us a chance to scout out the best places to view Joanna's race tomorrow.  And, the ducks and geese are most obliging to gobble the excess bread one has in one's pocket.

Joanna and Sham are out to dinner this evening for their 8th anniversary.  I remember that wedding so well and now 8 years have gone by.  If one didn't see the kids and how they are growing so quickly, it would be almost impossible to believe the time has gone so fast.  Happy Anniversary and may you have many, many more happy years together.

London for residents

We are once again renting a regular house on a normal street in a residential area of a big city.  It gives one much more of an authentic slice of life here, so we look at it from (more of) a resident's view.  (We are not resident enough to get a key to the local private garden, too bad.)

Well, today the view was quite rainy -- not really the 'less than 1 mm' forecast by the weather network, but a light misting giving way to a more serious dribble by early afternoon.  The rain cancelled the parade in front of Buckingham palace, but the kids did get to see some horses, though not to hear the band as they march for the changing of the guard.  We visited the Royal Mews -- carriages and horses, for which there was, thankfully, no line up.  (The queue for visiting the Buckingham Palace staterooms was very long, but who is interested in just some fancy furniture and pictures.  Certainly not a 4 year old and a 2 year old -- if you can't bounce on it.)

Yesterday, the arrival day, was fairly hectic, but all the connections with cab drivers and rental agents went smoothly -- thank you Joanna for your great organization.  No one had managed to get a lot of sleep on the plane, (Clara had a total of 1.5 hrs)  so it was an exhausted group which went to bed shortly after dinner and bath and slept well all night.

The house is well located -- just a few blocks from Hyde Park where most of Joanna's racing will happen later in the week.  We are on a quieter side street so there is very limited late traffic noise.  It has a living room, dining room, kitchen, half bathroom and garage on the ground floor; two bedrooms and a full bath on the second floor and a very large bedroom wih ensuite full bath on the 3rd floor.  Clara has her own room on the second floor with Mommy and Daddy next door.  Kieran and I share the top floor space.  There is TV, internet, washer/dryer, dishwasher, frig and stove with oven.  I cannot guess at the age of the building, but there are many styles of structures in the area from many eras.

We find ourselves close to Sloan street -- every name brand fancy designer has a shop on this street, and just beyond that, Harrod's main store with all that entails.  I don't think there are many bargains to be had.

I am being faithful about wearing shoes inside the house and the boot when I go out.  It does make walking more of a chore, but with a stroller and buggy board on the back, I am not lagging behind.  So far it is the puddles which make for a problem.

And for dessert this evening, we stopped at Harrod's for some ultimate chocolate choices: for Shammie, for Clara and for me!  (Joanna is taking notes for after her race)