New Years day..

..in Gotland. As beautiful as can be with plenty of snow.

  And sunshine. No wind. Nature brings on a very special color palette.

 

  Time to put on the cross country skies.

 

 It feels like we live in some alpine chalet.

Some Christmas trees decorate themselves!

A Happy and Good New Year and a great and promising new decade to you all from Gotland, Sweden!

2010

A new decade soon..

..and I hope we will have plenty of reasons to keep on smiling!
 
And "My Man" a great tune by Billie Holiday for a bit of balance..

Getting a bit weary of Christmas grub..

..we decided to head for Visby last night and the Bolaget Restaurant on the main square of the medival town.

 The Bolaget is as close to a Paris bistro you can get in this part of th world, and it opened three years ago (after a careful renovation) in the old location of a former govermental liquor store on the town´s main square. 

They play French chansons and particularly Piaf! (In the lavatory a soft voice is reading french stories on a loudspeaker!)

 

 Local Gotland specialities are served á la saison..

 

The menu is excellent and prices are fair..

 The atmosphere is cosy and the wine list elaborate..

 

Outside the windows the Santa Carin´s ruin is illuminated at night, emphasizing the medieval ambiance.

 

 The main square at night still retains its Christmas atmosphere..

 

The Bolaget trattoria. 

 
In comparison: Another side of Visby in its wildest summer mood..

Christmas Carol Earsore ..now we crave a Boogie!

A lovely Christmas eve! Swedish style..

I hope your Christmas was a great one too!

The Tomten..And Merry Christmas to you all!

December days encore..

 ..leading up to Christmas Swedish style..(Monday 1 PM)

                         

The birds are taken care of..

Dendrócopos major , the Great Spotted Woodpecker.
(Click for sound)

 

 Old traditional Swedish decorations are brought out and arranged..

 

 These people have all now come down from the attic where they have been patiently waiting for so long.Sweating in their russet outfits and long beards during the hot July and August. Dusted and polished they are now where they should be = in the rustic kitchen of a old Gotland farmhouse. (The farm - my sister´s - now includes 6 horses, two sheep, geese, peacocks, hens and chickens, ducks, cats and two dogs.)

 

One can almost smell the saffron..they are still hot and a bit sticky.. They are made by Mats - my brother-in-law who is an expert baker! (I can almost smell the buns all the way to my home - and quickly I manufacture an "important errand" and off I am to my baking neighbour! I am good at that!) Recipe here.
 
Mats here!
Click for sound


 

White Christmas..

 Yes, we had a lot of snow the last few days in Gotland. The sun came up for a while and created a marvellous scenery..

 

 It is time to hit the forest in search of the prettiest Christmas tree!

 

The snow is almost half a meter deep around the house and the night was the coldest so far this winter - 9.3  C below!

Gotland in December..

 Rain and shine produced a glorious rainbow close to my house the other day..

 

 I went around with the camera to see if there were any flowers left mid-December. There was!

 December patterns and colors.
The forest is damp and muddy and looks like drowned in a  sepia palette.

 

  We light up candles..one for each Advent Sunday leading up to Christmas.

 

  The Church next door is now illuminated. It is appreciated. It is now VERY dark.

 The sunsets are sometimes splendid..

Last night, the snow started to fall..

   Christmas chores are gaining momentum..

 And the little church takes on an air.. of a Christmas picture postcard..

Photo from the same spot six months ago!