The Minnesota Noices

Category: Sweden

  • Till nästa gång, so long

    Till nästa gång, so long

    Living abroad in a community made up largely of expats means saying goodbye more frequently and in more ways than I had imagined. It has been far more challenging than language or cultural differences. This quote sums it up for me… “You will never be completely at home again, because part of your heart always…

  • Winter sewing project complete

    Winter sewing project complete

    This winter was very mild in Lund, with only a couple of minor snow events and few freezing temps. We were hoping for some ice-skating weather but we seem to have missed the narrow window for that. Instead, many dreary winter days were spent on my first big sewing project. The accumulated tee shirt souvenirs…

  • Winter limbo

    Winter limbo

    It’s not really Winter weather but certainly not Spring. And while the days are getting longer, it’s quite dreary, with an occasional sunny hour here and there to give us hope. But then the daily crush of bad news leaves us heavy hearted, so we look for distractions and new hobbies to distract and give…

  • Jolabokaflod

    Jolabokaflod

    The Icelandic tradition of the Christmas book flood has been part of our holiday celebration for the past 10 or so years. We started taking the girls to a local book shop to choose their own books on or around Christmas Eve as a way to support independent book sellers. Wild Rumpus, Red Balloon, Addendum…

  • 2024 Holiday Card

    2024 Holiday Card

  • Truffles, Tryffel & Trifles

    Truffles, Tryffel & Trifles

    Life doesn’t seem to slow down much at all, even in the dark, cool season. And in an attempt to distract myself from the bleak realities of human nature, I’ve thrown myself into new hobbies, clubs, travel and volunteer opportunities. I can’t see a way for American Democracy to recover from the effects of malicious…

  • Cider and a *Guinness

    Cider and a *Guinness

    Carole invited me for a drive out to the orchard and renovated farm house belonging to transplants Simon and Sarah. Having heard lots about the orchard, I was eager to visit and catch up with Sarah (of Capellagården textiles fame). Karine, another French expat also made the journey from Kristianstad so we had many hands…

  • Lundabo Life

    Lundabo Life

    Lundabo = a person residing in Lund. With all of the recent changes in our family life, I think it will be good to establish a new routine. Next week I resume Swedish studies at Malmö University so I’ll be going to Malmö at least once per week. Today marks the end of two weeks…

  • American Happy Hour

    American Happy Hour

    I’ve decided to skip over much of the summer happenings in order to take my time relating Ebba’s (the Swedish name she chose for Language camp) 16th birthday, and the many events of July and early August. We returned from the US with a suitcase full of the treats we can’t find in Sweden determined…

  • From linseed to linen

    From linseed to linen

    Capellagården, a folk crafts/ art school on the island of Öland, arranged with Sarah from The Tour Studio for a special course to be taught in English. I know Sarah through the International Citizens Hub and so had the opportunity for a spot in her linen workshop. The other participants all came from the US,…