summer's end

We're in the final weeks of summer over here. Flip flops every day is no longer a sufficient footwear choice, and we've had a few rainy/stormy days lately. Since I'm finished up at my job I'm supposed to be productive; preparing for my studies, 2 proposals, holidays, all that stuff. 

But I've been fairly lazy, if I'm being honest. I've been pottering around at home cleaning, doing laundry, making essential oil with my new lemon balm plant (!), entertaining guests, reading my Paul Krugman book (the closest relation to 'work' right now) cooking, and generally doing things not taxing on the brain. I also spent a good few hours cleaning up the computer, and sorting all 19,000 pictures into appropriate folders. Good grief.

Today is Leaving Cert Results day for all the school leavers in Ireland, and I'm thanking my lucky stars those days are long behind me (7 years!) because boy, was that a stressful experience. All the anxiety, stress and strain of it, just to be told you either get into a course or don't. From there it all starts at a blank page again. Conjugating irregular verbs and solving for x aren't much use for most of us in the real world.

Leo has managed to get his hands on a sourdough starter from a colleague in work, so later today we are making sourdough, blancmange, and some tasty Autumnal dish from the Irish cook book I picked up at the library. Our evenings are filled with swims in the sea, watching a Cold War documentary, and drinking a lot of tea, both breakfast and lemon balm. Life, it's pretty good.

 

camping in sweden | skanör

It's funny that we live so close to Sweden and, aside from the occasional trip to Malmö , I haven't ventured much around Sweden in the time I've lived in Denmark. Last weekend was incredibly sunny so we decided to go on a camping trip to Skanör, which is about 30km from Malmö. We packed up our stuff and paid our 120kr or so to take our bikes with us across the Öresund bridge, and that was it really as far as spending any money went. 

We did have a quick fika, coffee and Swedish cinammon buns (when in Sweden!) and sat on the grass to eat them. Then we headed off. Our cycle took us through secluded cycle paths, gravel roads, and a lot of farmland. We even took a shortcut through a few fields that were being irrigated. 

We stopped in a closed highschool and ate hotdogs and had Coke in the yard. It felt like we were in a dystopian movie, on the run from the law. At least, that's how it seemed to my overactive imagination. The day passed in a haze of sunscreen applications, stupid pink hat flying off my head, cycling and hydrating. We cycled through the most beautiful reserved area on our way to Skanör. Sheep, wildflowers and lots of beautiful butterflies.

We arrived in the evening, and headed to a beach, where I promptly napped. Unfortunately I couldn't relax, because these little black flying bugs loved me, my towel, but ESPECIALLY MY GREEN BAG. And that's not the last we'll hear of them either. 

I was restless and creeped out by the flying bugs, so we did a scope of the area, walked around the marina, refilled water bottles, and decided to find a place to camp. There was another beach on the other side of the marina, with rows and rows of summer chalets. After another cycle around the town (so many Swedes sitting out enjoying their summer houses and eating nice food), we headed off to make our camp.

I had never camped out before, just on a beach, but in Sweden you can basically camp in most places without it being illegal, so we made the most of it! The tent was the cheapest one we could find, and popped up in no time. 

We had our dinner of avocados, bread and sticky peanut butter straight out of the jar (the best meal!) and then got ready for bed. As the last of the sun set on the horizon, we noticed, aside from our black flying bug friends, THERE WERE MOSQUITOS EVERYWHERE. Leo swatter about 5, but there were more and more, so we dove into the tent. It was like something out of a horror movie, and as we zipped up the last of the zip, we just managed to keep them at bay outside. Well, aside from that one sucker that got in, and he soon bit the dust. 

I knew there would be no night-time peeing for me, lest I perish.

Ok, so the tent did the job of keeping the bugs out, and it kept us warm, but because it was so cheap it was absolutely soaked on the inside in the morning. We slept very well, all things considered, especially because we also brought our budget air mattress with us! In the morning I was the grumpiest I have been in many months, and I had had just about enough of those flying black bugs. I woke up in the early morning to the thought that it was lashing rain, but all it was was the pitter patter of a thousand tiny black bug friends on the roof of our tent! :o 

We packed up our things, slower than I would have liked as the tent had to dry up and folded away, and then it was time to head off again! Finally, breakfast. We packed up our bikes, managing to put our large bags on the back and smaller bags on the front handlebars/basket so our backs had lots of air circulation. Very important in the heat. More sun block, hats, and away we went!

Breakfast was the most delicious breakfast I have ever eaten. Hunger is the best sauce, and we stopped in the hyggeliest Swedish cafe for waffles, cream, jam, and endless refills of hot creamy coffee. I have never felt quite so sated.

And then it was time to do the whole thing in reverse. We stopped for a nicer picnic lunch on the grass amidst some farmland, made good time, sang and joked, and then before we knew it we were at the train station. A surreal weekend for someone not experienced in the art of camping, but I think we made a good job of it. I think next time I came, I'll get a tent with a double layer, and stay away from the sand dunes where those bugs are. Other than that, a great time was had by all. Many thanks to Leo for being my emotional support system during the numerous flying bug incidents and in the morning when I felt more irritable than a bag of cats. You my homeboy.

Midsommer

In Denmark they celebrate Midsummer (St. John's Day) on the 23rd, 2 days after the Irish (pagan) solstice. We really wanted to make a go of the 21st, we even booked a camping spot in Sweden, but then a lot of rain happened, and we figured it wouldn't be a good experience. 

 

Sunset on the 21st

I want to really make a go of the solstice. When you're not Christian anymore, Christian holidays don't have the same weight. I want a holiday full of meaning and hope. Even though we didn't get to go out and celebrate it, we watched the sun set (what there was of it), and I insisted we write our hopes for the coming year and keep them in a jar. We will look at them next year and compare the then and now. Here is the jar as proof.

On the 23rd we went out to the local beach and watched how the Danes do Midsommer. There were bonfires, barbeques and lots of families and friends celebrating together. It was nice. 

We went home then and Leo watched the World Cup, I had some Barry's tea.

dragør

A few weeks ago we took an evening cycle over to Dragør in the sweltering heat. Don't let Copenhageners tell you that the weather here is bad. They're lying. The best thing about trips to Dragør is that you have to pass by the airfield to get there, so we always stop and look at the giant planes taking off and landing right beside us and over our heads. I can never get over the sheer madness of it all. 

Dragør is an unbelievably sweet town. Here's a post I did about it before.  This time we climbed to the top of an old fort, looked down at the sea, and got ice cream. It was pretty swell. Danish flags everywhere. All the time. It's odd and non-threateningly hyggeligt at the same time.

Look at the grass growing on the roof!

 

The fresh lavender was really amazing. I had never seen such fragrant, darkly coloured lavender growing before (Ireland's climate doesn't really allow for it). The oil that was seeping out was too much to handle. Lavender is my favourite oil of all.

If someone could make the above images into a .gif I'd be really happy.

Some of Lately

Trips to Christianshavn, jam making, the beginnings of Autumn, and the magnificent (now defunct) cat bag.

Making jam with fruits from the road outside

I can't believe Denmark sometimes...shouldn't this be illegal?

I made that box!!!

Topping Skills

A metalworker's workshop we saw

Poopin'

Commissioned graffiti in Vestebro