The Minnesota Noices

Category: Sweden

  • Merry Month of May

    Merry Month of May

    Valborg and the First of May celebrations brought a distinct sense of Spring along with longer, warmer days. Our International Choir joined Gösta the director’s other, Swedish choir in Trelleborg to sing at the town’s Valborg bonfire ceremony at the Viking museum. It started with the “kulning” an ancient Swedish herding call by 3 women…

  • Pets and Pysanky

    Pets and Pysanky

    I’ve been walking a friend’s dog this week*. Lulu lives just a 5 minute walk over the bridge to the other side of the train tracks. Walking with her has been a nice way to explore a part of Lund I don’t see as often. She spends more time sniffing than walking, however, and quite…

  • Musical Interlude

    Musical Interlude

    Our Swedish choir leader seems to enjoy arranging opportunities for us to perform and socialize together. I suspect he also holds the goal of teaching us Swedish language and culture. This weekend he organized a retreat at a scouting camp in Österlen, Skane, a little over and hour from Lund. During our regular practices Gösta…

  • Musikaliska Interlude

    Musikaliska Interlude

    My époque française continued when I joined Carole, her husband François and the aforementioned Anita (yes, I shook the hand that shook the hand of the King and President Macron) for some musical theater in the nearby town of Hässleholm, a small town that is closer by train than by car! The town has a…

  • Au Revoir, Janvier

    Au Revoir, Janvier

    On Sunday we went to Bjärred, along the shore, where Bryant and L built a camp fire and roasted marshmallows while I hiked the trail out to Löddeåns Mynning nature reserve with a bird sanctuary and viewing tower, open in winter months. We haven’t been getting out as much lately so it felt good. A…

  • Lisbon, Celebrations, and the (Lunar)New Year

    Lisbon, Celebrations, and the (Lunar)New Year

    Here we are in the time of new beginnings and I’ve yet to complete some big events of 2023! We spent a quiet Christmas in Lund, enjoying cozy time at home and setting up a climbing wall for Nori, with sound dampening acoustic panels in the living area to reduce echo. The plaster covered brick…

  • Minnēstay and More

    Minnēstay and More

    It’s been a few hectic weeks since my last post. I’ve been to Minnesota and back to Sweden, celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends (3X) made basic preparations to list the Scheffer house for short term bookings (packing, unpacking, sorting, IKEA. IKEA and more IKEA to furnish and decorate, multiple DMV and Saint Paul Licensing…

  • November

    November

    Shorter days but not slowing down…Bryant completed the deal on a house for short term rental during a whirlwind 22 hour visit to MN. I’ll be going there soon to get it ready for Minnēstay and see friends and family over Thanksgiving. Since the rest of the family can’t go, we hosted an early Thanksgiving/…

  • Laura in Lund

    Laura in Lund

    Last year I traveled to Spain for a visit with mi amiga, and this time she joined us in Lund with plans to spend some quality time exploring Copenhagen. But we decided that with wind and rain in the forecast we were better off staying closer to home. Then the weather turned out better than…

  • Easing into Autumn

    Easing into Autumn

    The days are getting shorter and cooler but the fountains are still bubbling as we try to soak up the sun whenever possible. Sofia’s visit during her first break from her school in Sogndal, Norway, where she’s spending a gap year, was super fun! It felt like old times when the girls played together between…