I can think of lesser reasons to choke on my lobster tonight!

Great pasta recipe (cost 2 billion Zim dollars!)

Esther (not her real name), 28, a professional living and working in Zimbabwe's capital, Harare, has been writing a diary throughout the year, describing her struggle to survive in a country with an economy in freefall.

LIVING IN LIMBO

"The other day I saw this simple pasta recipe and thought I would buy the ingredients and try it out:
500 g pasta 750,000,000.00 Zimbabwe dollar
500 g minced beef 560,000,000.00
200 g cheddar cheese 120,000,000.00
Bag of mushrooms 480,000,000.00
So that is almost 2 billion for just to put one simple supper together!"

(Text & picture: BBC. Read more from her diary about the ups and downs of living in Harare over the past year: Zimbabwe diary

När fick du en "desarmerad" stol sist?

Una Silla desarmada.. Ett stort presentpaket levererades till gården idag med goda vänner som bor i Garda på Gotland som kom och hälsade på.. En stol som kommit ända från Nicaragua i detta stora paket!

Jag lyckades under kvällen montera ihop denna fantastiska handgjorda gungstol som kom från andra sidan klotet för att hamna här hos mig på Gotland! (Frågan är nu: om den omonterad heter "desarmada" på spanska - heter den nu helt monterad "armada?") Jag sätter mig försiktigt och gungar och faller nästan i sömn..Vilken present!

Tack underbara Eva för din inflyttningspresent! Eva som bott många år i Nicaragua där hon var vår ambassadör, och där jag hälsade på henne i Managua under en månad för ett par år sedan, har sedan länge ett hus på Gotland. Här är Eva med sina gotlandsgrannar Lena och Bosse. Bosse träffade jag f ö helt kort i Managua - just när jag landat ..

I talked to her on the phone..

..yesterday. My grandchild is growing quickly back there across the big Atlantic! She said: "Ghaaga, ouiii gahgga." which in brief mean: "Merry Christmas Grandma and I miss you!"
Her eyes are still very deep blue and her father informs me that she is a very happy baby!

Christmas evening at Lugnet ,Gotland..

So many nationalities, languages, cultures and religions..

They came some weeks ago from Afganistan, Eritrea and Iraki Kurdistan- all muslims and one Buddist..and they celebrated their first Christmas in Sweden.

Scarred from wars, these young newly arrved refugees are experiencing this new country with its strange customs.. And they all had the strength to come to this warm and welcoming traditional Swedish Christmas party arranged by Magnus who was also the Santa and brought gifts to all..

"New gloves and a bottle of After Shave!" Oh, the joy so far away from home..
I feel priviledged to have been invited to share these precious Christmas moments in peace with these guys carrying too heavy a load of memories from the recent past on their young shoulders..

Christmas..

Christmas supper: A beautiful butterfly suddenly lands on the smoked roe and I happened to have the camera at hand..

Eftertänksamhetens kranka blekhet..

Sjuttiotalet var den veritabla avfyrningsrampen för den moderna råkapitalismen... Rymden är således idag så överfull av gamla rymdsopor att de nu tenderar att trilla ner och slå oss i huvudet.
PE

How I will spend X-mas?

Some days ago I found these beauties in full December bloom in my garden - these pretty Christmas´ roses..

Well..today it arrived. My furniture from the old days in Saltsjöbaden which has been stored for ages in containers and storages. Sweet feeling it was like to see old friends again. Nostalgic too. The memories of the past: A drum set my son used to play. A lovely doll´s house my daughter wished for so eagerly far back in the past..So I will spend X-mas unpacking..

It was all there like nothing happened.

And now it is stored in the old, cold and non-isolated part of the my house I call "mormors". (Grandma´s)
Because in this oldest part of the house she lived (the first occupant of this house) in the 19th century catering for her children and bringing up a few orphans too without electricity and water. Here she supported herself as a widow by running a little store selling produce from the neighbouring farms. Due to the vecinity of the church, they held many a wake in these rooms I have been told. When they run out of space in the church mortuary, they brought the coffins here and stored them in these rooms in waiting for the funeral in the nearby church.
Everyone - alive or dead - was taken care of in this God loving household..

Now my boxes are stored here waiting to be unpacked..Will I have the courage to enter here, alone, in the night around 12 o´clock to find some stuff I need? The answer is: "Yes!" Being born in the Taurus sign I am awfully and annoyingly pragmatic and completely rational! Maybe not very romantic after all..

I started to move in some furniture into the living room that is waiting for much needed new wallpapers - after Christmas. It feels quite cosy already..So I have no time this year to do X-mas baking and decorations and all the things connected with the Holidays. No. Maybe next Christmas, I will be done with the moving-in process..
In writing this, the church bells start tolling 6 o´clock outside in the darkness. The very same bells that tolled for my mother some years ago before she was laid to rest following a bright and springlike funeral service in this country church in the glorious month of May with nature sparkling in its most colorful abundance..

..som kvinna..

Dom betraktade henne skeptiskt och undrade kanske med aningen förakt i det brummande tonläget:
"Vad fasen tror du att du håller på med egentligen?"
Hon vände sig mot dom och sa: "Jag? Som kvinna? Åh, ingenting särskilt. Ingen speciell planering. Ingen speciellt rak eller utstakad kurs alls..
Men dock: med alla flaggorna i topp samtidigt!
Som kvinna!"
Då sa dom inget mer, gubbarna.
Vände sig om och lommade hem var och en till sitt. Planerat, tryggt och invant.
Nog hade dom - litet envar, önskat att dom kunnat haft alla flaggorna i topp dom också.
Så där litet lyckligt, lyxigt och oplanerat. Mer för fulla muggar. Liksom..

(P.E. i ett försök till tolkning av vännen Johns målning.)

(Målning; John Torrey, California)

Att äga ett valnötsträd..

När köpet var avslutat häromdan av mitt gamla gotlandshus (en del är byggt på 1800-talet och en "nyare" del tillkom 1918) med den makalösa trädgården, stack en av de söta gamla damerna som växte upp här denna lapp i handen på mig. Här hade hon nogsamt skrivit upp alla frukträd och buskar som finns i min nya, okända 100-åriga trädgård :
"Äpplen, Ingrid Marie och Oberländer närmast garaget,
Stenkyrka vit Astrakan närmast huset
Höstäpplen
Päron
Greve Molke gråpäron
Hösthallon närmast pumpen
hallon och björbär
valnötsträd"
Tack för den lappen, Ingrid!
Jag sprang genast ut i trädgården och spejade nedanför valnötsträdet! Och mycket riktigt: i en krans runt trädet låg en hoper valnötsskal! ! Den bär frukt!
Ser fram emot nästa års skördetid - alla hasselnötterna och valnötterna de 100 liter hallon man brukar plocka här! Förutom alla äpplen och päron! Vilken lycka!!

For Hinda..

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR HINDA!
I wish you a great birthday my sweet daughter-in-law! Your first birthday as a mother! Hip hip hurray and bundles of love and thoughts from us all in Sweden! Wish we could be with you, Malcolm and little Thalia to celebrate today!

Facebook users beware..

(Photo: Getty, BBC)

Facebook's 120 million users are being targeted by a virus designed to get hold of sensitive information like credit card details. Koobface' spreads by sending a message to people's inboxes, pretending to be from a Facebook friend. It says "you look funny in this new video" or "you look just awesome in this new video", BBC reports on December 10th. Read more..

10th of December..

..and the world marks UN Human Rights Day..

With X-mas just around the corner..

..and Gotland considered to have the best and mildest climate in Sweden, I found some signs of the lingering autumn.

The apple tasted lovely but the rasberry was kind of sour. The former owners of my house inform me that they picked over 100 liters of rasberries in the garden last year. And they left a bottle of homemade rasberry squash for me in the kitchen when I moved in - made by the deceased former proprietor of this kind and friendly house..

In Gotland, there are even some people growing their own grapes for winemaking. One of these is an old school mate of mine from the old days at Whitlockska Samskolan.
Article about his brave efforts here (in Swedish though)
I will have a go and plant a few vines myself in the spring on my southern lime covered wall that should be warm enough for the grapes to ripen.. My sister who lives almost next door has plenty of very nice tasting grapes in her garden ripe and ready for picking around mid-and September..

Les yeux de..

Le Clezió..

the Nobel Prize laureate 2008

in literature

The intensity of those eyes..

is only matched by the intensity of his words..

More Le Clezió picture galleries

The first Sunday supper..

..in my new home - the old house in the Gotland countryside with this lovely church as its closest neighbour. The photo is snapped from my porch window set with old handblown glasses..

My furniture and personal belongings have not arrived from the mainland yet.
So what do you do if you are expecting guests?
Well,I found an old garden table and placed it in the kitchen and laid the table with stuff I bought at the Red Cross flea market yesterday..I served my favourite squash soup and baked potatoes with seafood mix are served with wine..I am slowly filling my cupboards with food and spices and all the necessities needed in an empty kitchen.
The wrought iron chandelier above was a true bargain as well and it just had to be fixed to the celing and some candles added for this premier occasion! This is house warming!!

This old clock works quite prefectly on time and tolls with a beautiful, old fashioned strike on the hour! Believe me when I tell you I did not pay more than (equv.to) some 50 dollars for it yesterday! The fleamarket outside Visby where I bought it has a great name: it is called "Uncle Bargain" or "Farbror Fynd" in Swedish! Here you can fulfill most home making needs for a dime! Check it out here!
I fell in love with it, and being a clock freak all my life, I simply could not resist it! It fits well in my old house here on the Gotland countryside.
Chez: "Farbror Fynd"

The first visitors..

..and wellwishers start arriving to congratulate me on the new house.

Friday saw a stream of people and animals knocking on my kitchen door in the back of the house! A very nice homely feeling! Here , my sister is having a hard time to stop Shanghai to enter for a quick look at the interiors! He got a well tasting apple from the garden as a welcome gift..
This is an old stove I have in my kitchen. It was manufactured in the 30´ies according to a brass sign on its front and has not been in use for 30 years. I am not sure I shall keep it. It claimes a lot of space in my kitchen but on the other hand it might well be a great heating source - if it works! I will have to get it tested by professionals on December the 10th..

Busy days..

..in Gotland. I am moving into my new house. Parts of it are well over 100-years old and today I found some beautiful antique things in a cardboard box..

This is the view from my kitchen window towards one of my farmhouses in the rear of the garden.
There are quite a few barns and old buildings (a former black smiths workshop, a former saw mill, a carpentry, one barn with plenty of old fishnets) belonging to this old house set in this devine garden.

The first load arrives to unpack..

The sun sets in the west as seen from one of my living room windows. It is a beautiful december day and I spend the first night trying to make out all unfamiliar sounds. But there are none. Everything is as peaceful as can be in this old house of so many different levels and angels and rooms up and down.. An architectural wonder! As those old houses often are that have been added to over the years. Most of the things are handmade, like the entire kitchen with its sturdily crafted drawer´s chests. Hidden cupboards are found in every wall. The heavy ironcast stove for logfires..Everything is so functional, probably eternal, and non-fancy. I don´t really feel like renovating a thing! The house has quite a history too. A long, long almost epical family story. I will now be part of this house´s history. I recently got to know so many of the lovely people that used to live here and are able to tell me the stories of their ancestors from the old days..
A housewith a soul.
Today I will start to write my own history in those walls.
How priviledged I feel to be part of this!

Happiness is a warm baby!

Those moments in life..
Thalia and her dad.