Today

Tags

Cinnamon Bun, Mug, Silence, Solitude, Tea

Today I had the house all to myself for a precious moment. Or, at least, almost to myself: Daughter was outside taking a nap. It’s fun having the house full of life at all times, but sometimes solitude and silence is luxury to long for.

I’ve sat for a while now listening to the humming of a dishwasher and the ticking of a clock, while catching up on some of my favourite blogs and drinking a big cup of tea. This morning’s tea was Lipton’s Earl Grey in my in-laws’ blue seal cup. And the cinnamon bun was baked rather quickly last night after spending the entire day in the zoo. Rain came upon us during the last hours and called for warm, freshly baked buns as we came home.

My in-laws’ have almost a cupboard full of different cups and mugs gathered from across both time and space. Each one of them reflecting memories related to its purchase. I don’t know their stories so I make up my own. This seal, for instance, has been further north than I’ve ever been. Seen some spectacular mountains and scenic coastal views.

Enjoy your day 🙂

Summer dinner

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Dinner, fish, mackerel, Norway, Norwegian, Recipe, Summer

Husband, Son and my father-in-law went fishing and came back with four wee mackerels. Mother-in-law did the dirty work, and a few minutes later dinner was served.

One mackerel each. Fried in a pan with a heavy dose of butter, a spoon or two of sour cream and a good sprinkle of freshly cut parsley. Served with boiled potatoes fresh from the soil and a light cucumber salad.

The dish should be followed by rhubarb soup for desert, but unfortunately it is already out of season.

Soul lotion

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Good life, Nature, Summer, Trees, Walk

I’ve heard some call it lotion for the soul. It is soothing. It is refreshing. So I can see why.

Today my lotion was scented with the smell of sun-heated fields and a breeze surfing through huge, ancient oak trees. It also contained corn and potato fields, summer flowers and an eight-month-old littlegirl with a smile that put the sun to shame.

All if this is just off my doorstep these days. What is the best lotion for your soul?

 

 

Maternity leave

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Baby, Maternity Leave, Walking

Maternity leave has some pretty awesome benefits. This is one of them.

Happiness is…

Tags

Baby, God life, happiness, mess

Happiness is waking up, not being awoken. Having slept enough hours and only having been up a few hours during the night. Completely obliterate to the state of house (the clutter, the mess, the dirty dishes – the list goes on). Having a quick but quiet breakfast. Having time for a cup of tea, before the tea is considered iced. Stumbling across a soothing album by Andrew Bocelli on Spotify. Dancing across the room guided by by a mellow Italian male voice and a joyful beat with a smiling baby in my arms.

The baby tired and was places in her crib giving me a chance to share the moment. Now a long shower awaits.

I hope you all enjoy a calm and quiet Sunday morning

New year, new life…

White dowry – Løv tea from local shop Greenbay Bridge

We are already a month into the new year and life has changed a lot since last time I wrote. For almost two months my life has included a one more person more dear to me than life itself. Already in early December, four weeks before our due date, our gorgeous daughter decided to make an appearance. She was wee bit in the small side, but fit and ready for life without the restraints of an umbilical cord. And who can blame her for showing up early? The weeks before Christmas is a time I wouldn’t want to miss!
The past weeks have been wonderful, but of course also hectic. All my time has been spent with loved ones and catching up on things I haven’t been able to do for the past eight months (pregnancy utterly and completely crippled me!). Now I’m back to my old self, and although life is returning to normal, we are still experiencing a few minor hiccups in dealing with our new life. Life is good though, in fact I would go as far as calling it fantastic!
And tonight I sit cuddled up on the sofa with a big cup of tea while immerse myself in feelings of utter happiness and satisfaction. I hope you’re all having a wonderful evening!

Gardaland Sea Life

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Aquarium, Gardaland Sea Life, Italy, Summer vacation

As I’ve talked about before, we visited Gardaland and stayed at Gardaland resort this summer. The day we left we first visited Gardaland Sea Life.

This little fella was quite charming

Gardaland Sea Life is a proper aquarium hosting all types of fish and aquatic creatures. For us it was not as entertaining as we thought it might be. It didn’t take us very long to get through the building, and we still felt that it took a little too long. We were getting bored in the end. But the surrounding area quite made up for it. The building seen from the outside was rather stunning.

Strawberry jam

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Food, Home made jam, Jam, Recipe, Strawberries, Strawberry jam

Strawberries are probably the best thing about summer and to preserve them is a way of having that wee bit of summer all year round. I have made tons of jam this year, it’s my very first time trying, but it’s so easy, it’s something I’ll be doing every year!

When making strawberry jam you have two options: you can just mix the strawberries together or you can boil them. The flavours of the two types are very different! I wrote about the easiest version here. Boiling the berries will however preserve them better, have them last longer, and will not be as runny as strawberries that have simply been whisked together. It’s still easy as pie (actually a lot easier than pie…)

Add as many strabwerries as you have to a fitting pot. Strawberries can be fresh, but you can also buy frozen berries. No need to defrost. Add to the pot and place the pot on low heat. Put a lid on and go do whatever you want for half an hour or so. Come back and take the lid off. This will send those wonderful odours travelling around the house giving you memories of summer and sunny days. The strawberries will turn into mush, a lovely pinkish-red mush. For every pound (half a kilo) of berries you have add about 3/4 of a teaspoon worth of agar. After adding the agar you let the mush boil for about two minutes (turn the heat up and make sure to stir often) before you turn the heat way down low again. Add as much sugar as you (or any other type of sweetener) but make sure you taste while adding. You’ll never know just how sweet the berries are without any added sweetener, if you don’t taste! Add the sugar and let it dissolve (it will do so almost immediately).

Leave the jam in the pot and wait until it reaches room-temperature before placing in the fridge. You can also can the jam or freeze it. And what an easy way to have home made fresh jam any time of the year! Enjoy!

Lago di Garda

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Autumn, Cold, Lago di Garda, Lake Garda, Summer vacation

Autumn is here and the rain has set in. The little heat we had over the summer is disappearing fast and the temperature is just above two digits most of the days (actually ranging between 12 and 17 – but it’s getting cold). I like these days. I’m quite handicapped and have to spend most of my days indoors. The dark cozy evenings that I can spend snuggled up on the sofa with a huge cup of teas I welcome with open arms. And I can always dream about the paradise we visited this summer.

I’ll leave you with a few photos from the Garda lake area. Don’t let the dreary weather get you down!

Nostalgia at the funfair

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Bibione, Childhood, Funfair, Italy, Memories

First time I was in Bibione was in 1990. It was our first time in Italy and I was only five. I remember loads from the time there. “Italia ’90” – the FIFA world cup (football, yes) was going on at the time. Italians took football crazy to a whole new level. I’ll never forget.

I remember some of the people we met. Some of them we still keep in touch with and visit every time we’re in Italy. Some were my brothers’ summer flirts, and probably people they never want to be reminded of ever again. The ice-cream, the swimming pool, the food, the heat, the beach, the sea. It was fantastic.

One other thing that clearly stands out is the funfair. I went back some time, probably in the mid nineties, and this year I returned again. And it had not changed a bit! This time I was standing in the shadow of my Son. It was fantastic! He’s younger than I was when I was there for the first time, so he didn’t care as much for the same rides that I simply loved, at age five. I was a little too handicapped to be able to try anything much, but I had my camera with me and stood cheering on the side.  I also walked around and had a look, breathing in the same smells from years gone by and noticed details from a world preserved for decades.