Ramblings from Stockholm

Last evening my Ladies Club had its first meet-and-eat session of the year. It’s a potluck kind of thing and one of the rules is everything else but Swedish. So invariably we have great fun tasting foreign concoctions including some dubious ones with unmentionable body parts from certain animals.... Sign in to see full entry.

Yesterday, the 6 th of January, Epiphany Day, would have been a public holiday had it not been a Sunday. For a not-too-religious country we certainly have more than a fair share of religious holidays. We call the day trettondag jul (the 13th day of Christmas). Until the 17 th century it marked the... Sign in to see full entry.

One of my pastimes is reading restaurant reviews around the globe. These are some I came across recently.. * This restaurant features large windows overlooking the park and the tables are placed far enough apart to create a sense of intimacy as well as privacy. << If I want intimacy then I'd rather... Sign in to see full entry.

Children here are brought up to say “ tack för maten ” (thank you for the food) after a meal. When my son was little, he used to say that and then plant a kiss on my cheek … before wiping his mouth. When he was tall enough to reach the top of my head, he would plant the kiss on top of my head …... Sign in to see full entry.

At this time of the year, you often read of trends -- fashion trends, financial trends, shopping trends, etc. And so it wasn’t with any surprise that I read that “blonde and short” is the up-and coming hair trend in the jet set and entertainment circles, with the likes of Paris and Renée and Elisha... Sign in to see full entry.

The nice thing about New Year’s Day is having a late morning without a bad conscience. I like to think of it as giving myself a pat on the head for having lived through the old year unscathed and gathering energy to face a new. (Whereas in actual fact it is to get rid of the bubbles in my head and... Sign in to see full entry.

As we leave the old to ring in the new, it’s also a time for reflection, and as long as we have hope there is also a better future. That’s what our home-grown songbirds have been reminding us of every year. No more champagne And the fireworks are through Here we are, me and you Feeling lost and... Sign in to see full entry.

Remember the song “Underneath the Mango Tree”? Underneath the mango tree Me honey and me can watch for the moon Mango, banana and tangerine Sugar and ackee and cocoa bean … We didn’t find all that under the Christmas tree during our weekend house-cleaning this morning but well … just a fruit basket... Sign in to see full entry.

1) … if you are an obedient dog A Nazi sympathizing dog owner in Germany has been jailed for 5 months for teaching his dog, Adolf, to raise its right paw in a Hitler salute whenever it hears the command “Salute”. The use of Nazi symbols and gestures is banned in Germany. The dog, now renamed Adi,... Sign in to see full entry.

So that was that -- the last working day of the year. Another chapter closed. Another year almost at an end. And another long weekend ahead as New Year’s Eve is a public holiday here. A look in the fridge confirmed my worst fears … that blasted Christmas ham is still there. It was a Christmas gift... Sign in to see full entry.