Preparing for New Year's

Back from snowy Sweden! Enjoyed my stay but as usual I am very happy to be at home again. We have some folks over for New Year's Eve, so we have ordered some deer and phesant at our local butcher. I am also preparing some spicy hot wine - most recipes said the spices should soak in the vodka for weeks... godness I only have two days - but I finally found one that spoke of only 24 to 48 hours.

I also prepared some fig marmalade, made by dried figs and port. It goes with the cheese so we will see if we get there this year (last year we waved the white flag after the main course and skipped both cheese AND dessert, something that has never occured before). I brought the shapes to make knäck, a traditional Christmas sweet in Sweden, but we will see if I have time.

I hope you all had a calm and peaceful Christmas and that Father Christmas made all your dreams come true!

Just because a pretty flower lightens up your day

Home for Christmas

Just checked the weather report and with temperatures ranging from -5 to -14 I am scrambling along all the warmest clothes we have. That is ski clothes, the whole set and extra thick gloves. My parents told me they have heaps of snow so I know the children will be more than happy!

The picture shows what it looks like on the street where my parents live.

I wish all of you a Merry Christmas!

Hiphop and ballet

Little girls in pink tutu and tough guys with baggy pants and their cap reversed... that is ballet, spanish dances and hiphop during the same parent presentation.

The smell of Christmas

We managed to get some extra child labour to handle the hard part of making pepparkakor - spicy Swedish cookies - and I made some glögg - spicy hot wine - on my own. My kitchen smelled wonderfully of cinnamon, cardamom and cloves... It was also covered in white flour, adding a snowy touch to those Xmas smells!

Coffee in the sun

18 degrees and I am on the terrace having coffee.... December is not what it used to be.

Playing on the beach in sunny Anglet

 I heard there is some snow in Sweden right now... we sort of almost had some and as we arrived in Anglet I saw that the Rhune and the mountains around where covered in snow!

We had crêpes and then headed for the beach. Around 12 degrees and very calm... the children played for hours... we were on two of the eleven beaches in Anglet: Sables d'Or and Chambre d'Amour (the ones closest to Biarritz, so you see the lighthouse of Biarritz in the background).

The walking lane along all eleven beaches, around five km I would guess. Walk, sit or jog!

The pier that separates the beach Sables d'Or from Chambre d'Amour.

Must admire the young guys going out with their surf school. Heard water was still OK, around 13 degrees...

The other beaches are sandy but the children had alot of fun with the stones on this one.

Froth!

Almost like a painting...

On top of the pier.

Surprised by a wave. His trousers are wet almost up to his knees!!!! Didn't bother him though.

To be honest I kind of saw it coming...

Can we go home now? Mum is getting tired...