Glad Midsommar!

Today is 'midsommarafton' in Sweden, one of our main holidays and the longest day of the year. Midsommar is a celebration of the summer and the summer solstice, but also yet another reason to throw a good bash! Usually on midsommarafton, family and friends gather to eat a traditional smörgåsbord, drink schnaps and sing songs.

A banned IKEA-commercial that says it all:




Nicked from Wikipedia:
In modern Sweden, Midsummer's Eve and Midsummer's Day (Midsommarafton and Midsommardagen) were formerly celebrated on June 23th and 24th, but since the 1950's on the Friday between June 19th and June 25th and the following Saturday. It is arguably the most important holiday of the year, and one of the most uniquely Swedish in the way it is celebrated, even if it has been influenced by other countries long ago. The main celebrations take place on the Friday, and the traditional events include raising and dancing around a huge maypole. One typical dance is the frog dance. Before the maypole is raised, greens and flowers are collected and used to cover the entire pole.

Raising and dancing around a maypole (majstång or midsommarstång) is an activity that attracts families and many others. People dancing around the pole listen to traditional music and many wear traditional folk costumes. The year's first potatoes, pickled herring, sour cream, and possibly the first strawberries of the season are on the menu. Drinking songs are also important at this feast, and many drink heavily.

Because Midsummer was thought to be one of the times of the year when magic was strongest, it was considered a good night to perform rituals to look into the future. Traditionally, young people pick bouquets of seven or nine different flowers and put them under their pillow in the hope of dreaming about their future spouse. In the past it was believed that herbs picked at Midsummer were highly potent, and water from springs could bring good health. Greenery placed over houses and barns were supposed to bring good fortune and health to people and livestock; this old tradition of decorating with greens continues, even though most don't take it seriously.

To decorate with greens was called att maja (to may) and may be the origin of the word majstång, maja coming originally from the month May. Other researchers say the term came from German merchants who raised the maypole in June because the Swedish climate made it impossible to find the necessary greens and flowers in May, and continued to call it a maypole. Today, however, it is most commonly called a midsommarstång.

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midsummer

Day 2 - Burgers at Chez Michelle

Day 1 - Grandma and Great Grandpa arriving

Michelle and Jean Noel have arrived! We had Swedish dinner in ‘Michelle’s B&B’ and Shaena and I got to open presents! It was like Christmas in June, and it is becoming clear to us that the boy is going to be spoiled rotten and dressed up to the teeth. They brought us all these nice clothes, blankets and toys from all sides of the family back in Canada, and apparently there is more to come. Yikes!

Michelle also got Shaena some very nice maternity clothes and I got my beloved Jujubes and a cool Canada-jersey. As the true Canadians they are, they would of course never leave the house without at least a pin or a t-shirt or a patch or a sticker that says ‘I am Canadian’, ‘Canada’ or ‘Toronto’ or ‘Winnipeg’, but that’s just all Canadians for you.

As the true ultra-Canadians they are, they also made sure to bring Canada-pins for everyone else as well! Can Sweden match this? Maybe I should ask my peeps to bring Viking-helmets and/or blond wigs for everyone? Jean Noel also got the baby ‘Morris the Canadian Moose’, a Toronto-baseball hat and a Toronto t-shirt. There will be no doubt our baby is a half-Canuck!

Thank you very much for everything guys! Eh!

Family arriving soon!!

So its 10:40AM and Mom & Grandpa's flight will be landing in 20 min!! Fortunately for them I won't be collecting them from the airport - good cause I cry at airports for some reason. Guess its emotional to see people ecstatic picking up their loved ones. Plus being hormonal probably means I'd cry like some crazy colour tears or something?!
So here I am - at home. Going to go get keys to the rental flat shortly and wait there for their arrival.
Peter and I celebrated our last night together as a couple by going to see "The Hangover" which was brilliant and friggin hilarious! If you haven't seen it, I totally recommend it!
Tonight we'll have a Swedish inspired dinner for us and I'm sure it will be a parade of clothes for little one! He really needs extra storage!!
Pics to follow!

Cookie fest/movie night

Last night Shaena had a burst of energy and baked a ton of chocolate chip cookies. When the cookies were almost done, our friends Maeghan and Reg phoned and wanted to swing by, so they did. They brought ice cream and we had chocolate chip cookie sundaes and watched a movie. I am not too sure if they have much faith in our ability to choose decent movies, but it was a fun night! Thanks guys!

Up north and personal with Grandpa Stefan

This blogging business is spreading like wildfire I tell ya! Grandpa Stefan has started his own blog to share his thoughts on life in Haparanda, life in general and also to vent on local politics matters among other things.

Grandpa Stefan is also writing columns in the local newspaper where he is debating with his arch nemesis Bengt. He usually has a lot to say and tons of knowledge about any given topic, so should be good reading! The blog will be written in Swedish when applicable and in English when possible. Some things just don’t translate very well. Click on the image below and give him your support!

It was meant to be!

Saturday at home = nerding it up and researching on the internet. This morning we were Googling ‘Swedish Canadian’ and to our surprise we found lots of interesting facts and even a ‘Swedes in Canada’ association/research project! Seems like Winnipeg was the ‘Swedish capital of Canada’ for quite some time and there is also a Stockholm in Saskatchewan. How ‘bout them apples?

It seems it was meant to be when we met on that faithful day of the white trash themed BBQ back in the Dublin suburbs!

What we really were looking for were pictures of how a Swedish/Canadian child would look like. I guess we are just very curious to see how our little boy is going to look like and how the genes from both sides of the pond will blend, but we will soon find out I suppose. Very soon.

The term Swedish Canadian (Swedish: Svensk-Kanadensare) refers to a naturalized Canadian citizen hailing from Sweden or professing Swedish descent. The 'Swedish-Canadian' community in Canada is 330,000 strong. The vast majority of them reside west of Lake Superior, primarily in Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver. Toronto is the most popular settlement spot for newcomers. Despite having an influential presence and distinctive cultural bond, only 20,000 Canadian persons of Swedish descent speak Swedish.

Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swedish-Canadian

Swedes in Canada:

In English:
http://www.swedesincanada.ca/index.html

In Swedish:
http://www.swedesincanada.ca/swd_index.html

Nesting Nesting Nesting

This nesting should be bottled! I wish I had this kind of energy all the time. Feels nice to get the house in order before little one arrives. I even ironed today!! Think I might bake some cookies too!

Although, with this time and energy also comes a point where I like to complain at customer service when I am not happy with something and I actually have the time to write letters and hopefully resolve matters.

For instance - we recently canceled our BT service for broadband/phone as Virgin offers cable broadband (no need for a phone line) so that is a savings of £11.95 month! However, when I phoned BT to ask them what I needed to do to cancel the service, all they said was "you are no longer in contract so just give us a call when ready". It wasn't that I was leaving them due to poor service...it was just that we could get a different package that they couldn't offer. What they neglected to tell me is that I needed to request a MAC code (which is a migration code) that I am supposed to magically know about. Really it is just a string of digits that is supposed to make the move to a new provider seamless - this has been the opposite effect!

Of course, when I phone customer service, I get a scripted call centre in some fun country who can not seem to understand what I am saying or respond in a sincerely empathetic tone. Ugh. They claim that they sent an email around to all customers informing them of this "cease charge" back in December however I have no record of this email and this is the first I have heard of this. My letter is now written and sent and it seems I am not the only person that has had this problem (I researched it on the internet afterwards!)

Hopefully though the good news is that Virgin do not charge their customers if they go over their download limits. Recently Peter and I have been addicted to streaming as it is great for getting programs on TV you can't get here! I keep getting an additional £10 per bill with BT! Wish us luck on this.

Anyway, this wasn't meant to be a complain-o blog post...not much longer till family and little one are here!!!

Peter is currently chatting with his Dad on Skype and has set Stefan up with his own blog with the hopes that he will write. Peter says he is a really good writer as well has had his own book published. What a cool family we have!!

Loves to my peeps!

Pose Victorious

Recently I have had the great pleasure of creating a new blog/website for a local rock band from Edinburgh. They are called 'Pose Victorious' and are playing in clubs in the Edinburgh/Glasgow/Stirling-area. The guys had, ambitiously enough, already bought their own domains; www.posevictorious.com and www.posevictorious.co.uk and just needed a bit of design and content. They already have pages set up on Facebook, MySpace Music and Bebo so what really they needed was a linking pin to tie everything together.

The end result:

Hiya, baby here!

I have been to the midwife again and everything is good with me! My heartbeat could not be better, size is perfect and I am in position and getting ready for launch. As usually, after the appointment they fed me ice cream. Yummy in my tummy!

Next appointment is actually after my due date, so will probably be out by then. See you all soon! :)

Swedish dinner coming up!

Today has been a very lazy day, we have spent most of the day on the couch just because we can. We figured it may very well be the last Sunday in a long time when we can actually choose to do nothing at all.

Tonight I will be cooking traditional Swedish 'husmanskost': Meatballs with potatoes and vegetables with a side of knäckebröd and lingonberry jam... and of course a big glass of milk on the side. Yum!

The International Shopping List

As it is…err… customary in the United Kingdom to always bring groceries, hard-to-find specialties, or whatever the hosting couple requires, we have compiled a list. We call them ‘items of interest’ and the list is a guide to how you can bring happiness and joy in a suitcase. Simple!

Dear esteemed guests from Sweden; here is your list:
(Option 2: Buy all of this stuff at IKEA, Edinburgh)

Lakrits
Ahlgrens Bilar
Lösgodis
Kaviar
Lingonsylt
Norrlands Guld bira

Tack och välkommen! :)

Dear esteemed guests from North America; here is your list:

Kraft Dinner
Bologna
Shake ‘n Bake… plus an extra pack for Peter’s boss
Tim Horton’s coffee tin
Red rose tea
Ranch salad dressing
Pop tart
Jujubes
Onion soup mix
Motts Clamato juice
Moosehead beer
Grandma: Stuff for (pumpkin) pie

Thank you and welcome! :)

Where's Waldo continues...

Once again Grandpa Stefan has been out and about in Haparanda and once again he managed to get caught on camera. A nationwide happening has had its grand finale in Haparanda as two TV-profiles, Gert Fylking and Robert Aschberg arrived after a 1,900 kilometer long walk against prostate cancer, and invited everyone to join them in the last leg of the walk and various other activities. All in all they’ve collected over 6,000,000 SEK for charity on their 3 month walk!

But most importantly; can you spot Stefan? :)

Sveriges Nationaldag – Happy Sweden Day!

Today, the 6th of June, is the national day of Sweden. Traditionally not something us Swedes would celebrate to any real extent, as we are not commonly known to be very patriotic, but still a reminder of the fact that we are Swedish and that we have a long and glorious history… or just another reason to throw a party! :)

When I grew up, Sweden Day was not a holiday and we did not get time off from school and the only real patriotic demonstration during the day was that the janitor would raise the Swedish flag out in the courtyard, so I am not overly excited that it is Sweden day, but I am glad that we are at least trying to better ourselves with some kind of celebration of our heritage.

We still have ways to go before we are at the level where our neighbors to the left, the Norwegians, are with their ‘Syttene Mai’ and we are nowhere near the yanks with their 4th of July!

Once again, I have nicked a bit of useful trivia from Wikipedia:

The tradition of celebrating this date began 1916 at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium, in honour of the election of King Gustav Vasa in 1523, as this was considered the foundation of modern Sweden.

Some question the validity of this as a national holiday, as it was not observed as a holiday until decades later. However this event does signify the end of the Danish-ruled Kalmar Union, so in a sense it is a marking of Swedish independence, though the event occurred so long ago that it does not have as strong of a presence in the social consciousness as does, for example, Norway's Syttende Mai (17th of may).

In 2005 it became an official Swedish public holiday, taking that honour from Whit Monday. This change led to fewer days off from work (more working-days) as the 6th of June will periodically fall on the weekend, unlike Whit Monday, which was always celebrated on a Monday.


The Swedish national anthem lyrics:

1
Du gamla, Du fria, Du fjällhöga nord
Du tysta, Du glädjerika sköna!
Jag hälsar Dig, vänaste land uppå jord,
/: Din sol, Din himmel, Dina ängder gröna.:/

2
Du tronar på minnen från fornstora dar,
då ärat Ditt namn flög över jorden.
Jag vet att Du är och Du blir vad Du var.
/: Ja, jag vill leva jag vill dö i Norden.:/

Literal translation:

1
You ancient, you free, you mountainous North
You quiet, you joyful beauty!
I greet you, most beautiful land upon earth,
/:Your sun, Your sky, Your meadows green.:/

2
You throne upon memories of great olden days,
When honored your name flew over the world,
I know that you are and will be as you were,
/: Yes, I want to live I want to die in the North :/

Roma, here we come-a!

It is official. Shaena did her last day at work today and is now on maternity leave for the next year. We have said it so many times before, but it is definitely getting very close now! Our little man is about ready to come out and meet the world, and Grandma Michelle is less than 2 weeks away. Where did the time go?

We also found out today where my company’s kick-off for January next year will take place. Remember in the beginning of this year when we went to Athens, Greece? Yep, next year in January the same event is happening in Rome, Italy. Capital of Italy, city of the Romans, Colosseum, and the location of the Vatican City, which is high on the list of places to go right now. We always wanted to see Rome so this’ll be great!

If everything works out Shaena and baby can go touristing and hang out, and I can make myself useful in the various company functions. I am expected to facilitate a training/information session for our international sales teams and managers. Heavy stuff! My question is: How much will I get to see of Rome? Maybe we should go early and make a long weekend out of it? Either way, it’ll be great!

Italy is not first on the list of places to go though. We are talking about going up north in Sweden for a real Swedish Christmas. We’ll have to start our research-engines on that, but by now we are pretty good at digging up those bargain flights. It would be amazing if baby could celebrate his first white Christmas with Grandpa! Will keep you posted on how we get on with that project of course.

Also, my little brother Henry graduated yesterday. A great day for him, and a great achievement! Anyone who knows Henry also knows that it wasn’t always easy, but he has been a true trooper through the years in school, and he finished with great grades as well!

Well done little brother!