Inspired by the many works of art on display at the Bosjökloster and Kulturen Jul Markets, I dug out supplies for making painted rocks, a tomte house and more knitting projects. Then realized that I don’t really have the time for much crafting right now. I’ve been making time for tea and pepparkakor, gifted to me by another aspiring knitting friend, or rosettes and Klenor (a donut-like fried cookie) as we enjoy our countdown calendars.

I did start to learn brioche knitting this week with a couple of friends who would like to form a knitting club. We got a bit side tracked by delicious soup, contributed by Carole, and my overly enthusiastic side dishes which took too much time to serve, but were well received by cold, hungry guests who braved some of the iciest streets of our time in Sweden to get to our house. Stephanie got me started on a brioche pattern but I don’t quite have it down.

This all took place during the first Open House at Katedralskolan which included music by Hil’s choir. None of the Open House information was adequately communicated, which resulted in knitting club and the open house occurring at exactly the same time. So I went to the Öppet Hus early and was allowed in after having my Vax Pass scanned and explaining that the new times were never given out to the English speaking students or updated in various channels of communication. And thus I gained entry to the Hallowed Halls of Lund Katedralskolan… 45 minutes before opening time! I was graciously invited to eat dinner with the vaccine pass guards and staff and explore the buildings. I attempted to record the choir when they sang as folks were getting settled for the first presentation, but there was too much commotion and I gave it up. Bryant was able to see the final session of the evening and they didn’t have much luck either (to see and hear the choir). At least we all saw inside the buildings and got a better sense of the school.

JULMARKNAD We’ve been to a few Jul markets now and found that they vary greatly in scope. I didn’t take photos inside the many buildings at Bosjökloster as my hands were full and I was afraid of bumping things with my backpack etc. It was the largest of the markets I’ve seen and had vendors in every building on the grounds, except for the church and the restaurants, one of which was serving a julbord, and the other a soup lunch. I had the fisksoppa which was very nice. We were in a hurry to get back to Lund for the tree lighting ceremony so we skipped dessert and one more section of the market. We could easily have spent the whole day. I made several fun purchases, most of which I can’t mention yet because they are gifts. One purchase I made for myself was a wonderful handmade willow basket by Ingalill Nilsson and another Nisse. I love the basket handle, which is a section of root which was found by the Nilssons, preserved in a peat bog, so it may be very old. Anyway, I love the shape and character of the wood.

And also this week… we had a couple inches of snow, enough for snow sculptures and icy sidewalks! It only lasted three days but the youngest had a blast making a snowman at school. She did NOT enjoy riding bike on the ice and took a couple of tumbles, none serious. Another great surprise was the installation of our new dryer, a luxury we have been living without for more than a year. It was a welcome addition, and I didn’t even mind having to mop the floor from all the muddy snow that was dragged in only one hour after I’d finished cleaning for my knitting party! It was worth it. It also forced me to clean up the basement a bit, which I had not done in a long while. Having a clothes dryer is so much nicer than having to hang everything, especially for the sheets and towels. No more crunchy towels and the entire basement draped with damp clothing!

It feels a bit like wonderland lately, with so many teas and outings and social invitations that we can’t keep up! I feel like I should take advantage of every opportunity this autumn because, come winter, things will slow down. So the party goes on, and my introverted self will have to hang on a little longer. I slept for 11 hours straight after this busy week! That hasn’t happened in years.

Brunch at the long jetty which is “remarkably long” – I couldn’t find out how long. We never get the timing right to eat here, and this time we arrived on time but with no reservations so we had to eat upstairs. Seems like the best seat in the house to me!?!

Reservations are also an issue for Alice och Katten, the Wonderland-themed tea place which has intrigued me for ages. Finally a friend suggested it and followed through with said reservation and it was lovely. We know for next time that we should order one or two pots of tea for the table to share! Baby Max was a joy, scones and cakes, so-so, Alice atmosphere A+

Lots of people are buying places in Eslöv, a small town which is more affordable but still has easy access to Lund by train, and bike. I went to visit some friends and delivered baby Daniel’s pumpkin hat, my best one so far!

I’m sold on this German-engineered All-In-One kitchen appliance, Thermomix, demonstrated by my friend, Carole! We made the most amazing Butternut Squash Soup and savory custard simultaneously! We even made the vegetable broth base, a paste which can be stored for a long time in the refrigerator and then added to recipes as needed. So I don’t need to ask friends to smuggle in anymore heavy jars of Better Than Bouillon! And no more preservative cubes…the Thermomix can make it!

You clean and peel veggies, prep ingredients, but then the machine does the rest with auto settings from the wi-fi, it weighs, chops, mixes, steams, sauteés, whips and can even velouté (and also sous vide, which will hook Bryant) with very little mess, all at one time. It’s almost the Jetsons. Carole had her first one for 15 years and recently upgraded to the internet connected model. Stephanie already owns one, too, though she left it in Spain. Too bad Google Meets won’t make for a good cooking party, because I think all of us should have one of these babies!

The new knitting exhibit at Kulturen is fun. We got there right before closing one day so I’ll go back for a better look. Their gift shop is always a favorite and I think the restaurant has reopened. It’s still on my list. Also heard there is a cafe in the basement of one of the University buildings that’s very nice. Mostly locals know about it. I can see why they might keep quiet about some of these places. Tourism has picked up a lot in the last few months. It’s hard to get photos with all these people getting in the way, lol!

This area was the Kungshuset botanical garden. Some of the trees were planted in 1889, and some, mostly evergreens, in 1868 when the rune stone ring hill was installed using 7 local stones. The largest stone reads something like “Sven and Torgot made this in memory of Manne and Svenne, God rest their souls, but their bodies lie in London.”

Free concerts all week (Oct 18-24) and one ticketed professional concert each evening, but, alas, the venues filled quite quickly and I only made it in to one free concert! Next year we know to get the pre-paid pass. Bryant and I did manage to get tickets at the door to hear Det Norske Solistkor and it was magical! My favorite was Ørjan Matre: Orphic Songs, but there aren’t any recordings of it available that I could find.

I thought there was another free concert as part of this morning’s Högmässa High Mass at the cathedral. It was just the regular church choir, but it was an interesting experience. I tried to sit in an inconspicuous location, the back row of the first section, thinking that it would be crowded all the way at the back but I didn’t realize the multiple processions would put me in the center of the event! It was all in Swedish, of course, but I followed along OK without understanding much.

The homily is given from the pulpit to the left so I essentially sat right in the front, even though it seemed like the back when I chose the seat. All of the processing ended right next to where I was sitting. The people at the front turn around to face the center, putting me face-to-face with the far back section, argh! And it lasted for and hour and a half. The choir was a good church choir, not like the professional singers of the other concerts, but nice. And it was fun to hear them in the cathedral.

Our Musical Extravaganza continues…On Friday night we went to Malmö to join with some of the MN to Malmö group (all relocated from Mpls for jobs at IKEA) to see our friend, Dom (Bry knew his partner from Target and now IKEA), perform in Glada änkan The Merry Widow. It was a fabulous show and tons of fun even though we didn’t understand a lot of words. Luckily, the show is more about the music and drama, so it didn’t matter. We also read a synopsis in English and watched a few YouTube clips of a London production. Dom was a star in his roguish role, and, on top of having an incredible voice, he learned this role in SWEDISH while also working his other high energy job. He is setting such a great example of embracing a new language and culture. The kids were both suitably impressed and enjoyed the show, too. Dom arranged for us to meet some other cast members after the show and made us feel like special guests. Another lovely experience.

Bry and I continued our exploration of the west coast, a bit north of our Glumslöv hike. It was just as scenic.

After our hike we stopped for a quick lunch at Fish and Chips in Lomma. It was too cold to eat outside, but the food was tasty.

It was past time to clean the patio wall, a chore that we put off all summer. I started noticing a greenish tinge last Spring but never got around to cleaning. The wall, which is visible from the living and dining rooms, was looking pretty sickly and I didn’t want to spend all winter looking at it. We need to turn off the outdoor water soon, so Bryant hooked up the power washer and we took turns blasting away what I think is mostly algae. Hopefully not much paint! Algae reminded me of the Agardh algae collection, which I learned about at the Botan.

Carl Agardh studied algae in the early 1800’s and began an important collection that is now part of Lund University. His son, Jakob, was also a botanist and designed blueprints for the “new” botanic gardens in 1862. The octagonal Agardhianum is being restored. It’s such an unusual building, with a rectangular wing on four sides of the octagon. I can’t wait to see the interior! Here’s the patio before and after.

On the drive back from Ängelholm we stopped at this nature reserve in the village of Glumslöv. The trail we took leads through lovely hillside pastures to the sea. There are several stone age monuments nearby as well as 2 barrows dating to the iron age, which served as the graves for the family groups who worked the land. The Island of Ven is visible in the distance, and the coastline trail looks like a great adventure for another day. Glacier activity resulted in rare flora and fauna in the valley and along the cliffs. Signs said spring time is especially good for seeing the unusual specimens so we’ll add it to our list! And another castle to check out sometime.