Sweden ahoy! I'm leaving on a jet plane to Höllviken!

 

The weather is fine. My bag is packed. I have a big week planned. I will be visiting my mamma in Höllviken, Sweden. I hope that we will get some beach time in, and that I'll see my extended family. It will be nice to just laze around for a bit, eat good food and hopefully see some old friends.

I'm staying at Höllvikens Mat and Logi which comes with a full "frukost" (breakfast) and comfy little cottages. My mother lives right down the street from it, which makes life handy. For those of you who might be interested in ever visiting beautiful little Höllviken, here's a link to the Hollviksnas hotel .

Did you know that Swedes get five weeks of paid vacation a year? I think that's just about right. ;) I wish that we Americans did too, but I'll only get to stay for a week. This is the brygga (dock) that I hope to head down to with my coffee and mackor (sandwiches) for a day in the sun. 

Höllviken is South of Malmö on the penisula called "Näset" easily accessbile by bus. There are beaches on all sides, and further down on the spit you will find Falsterbo, a gorgeous community from the middle ages that reached its zenith as a bathing destination for the rich in famous in the 1930's. 

Here's some history from Wikipedia:

"Falsterbo historically enjoyed trading privileges with the Hanseatic League. During the Middle Ages, it was a rich and prestigious town owing to its location in a center of trade and herring fishery. On the beach between Falsterbo and neighboring town Skanör was the Scania Market where merchants from various parts of Europe had fixed market places."

I've been in Falsterbo many times, and I can't wait to go back. We lived not too far away in 2012 - 2013 in Ljunghusen. More on that adventure to follow...

I hope that you have a great end of August and wishing you all some downtime too! Living la vida lagom is harder from the US but we put in good effort to find balance, and carve out some time for what's most important - family. 

Glad Midsommar! 2026

 Happy Midsummer from the beautiful mountains around Alton Bay, NH. We enjoyed a wonderful hike and meal with friends in the fresh air, and live music with the the legendary James Taylor at Bank NH Pavilion in Gilford, NH. I made an appetizer with salmon, fresh veggies, pickled herring and caviar and a painted a bottle of champagne to help kick off the celebration. We sang some Swedish songs and had a wonderful time. Thank you to our Danish/American friends for indulging me. Midsummer is one of my favorite Swedish holidays and I loved celebrating it with you. 

Here's the recipe, borrowed from The Scandinavian Year: Food and Thoughts from Sweden, Denmark and Norway by Bronte Aurell. I hope that you enjoy this pretty wreath called "Midsummer Plate" from page 114 of the book. Make each plate seperately and multiply the ingredients by the number of visitors that you have.  

• 1 boiled/cooked egg - cut into quarters
• 50 g/1-3/4 pz smoked or cured salmon
• 3 - 4 pieces of pickled Matjes herring or plan onion herring
• 2- 3 cold, boiled new pototoes, halved
• 3 teaspoons red lumpfish roe caviar
• 2 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1 radish, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsps sour cream
• pea shoots, dill or other small leaves such a baby spinach to garnish
• a few edible flowers, if available
• crispbread and butter to serve

Arrange the food around the plate creating a midsummer wreath of food as you go. Decorate with caviar, cherry tomatoes, radish slices, dollops of sour cream, peas shoots, leaves, and dill sprigs. 

Serve as a starter or light lunch with the crispbread. Yummy!

Swedish Folk Art Class

Hej! Working at the Birdhouse Amesbury with nine lovely artists is a real treat. Last Wednesday we started by working on our folks art brush strokes and getting to know one another. Many of the participants have a Swedish connection more than half do not. That goes to show that art is universal, especially folk art.

This week is week two and I have a fun lesson planned all around color. They will learn the traditional color palette and then choose whether to use it, or to go with a contemporary one. I strongly feel as an artist you should get to choose. This is one reason why I hate the sip n paint nights where everyone has to do the same thing. It's the rebel in me I guess. 

This is made with the contemporary palette.

This one is traditional. I like them both. Which one would you go for?