We started out the day going to pick svampan (mushrooms). This was one of my favorite times of the whole trip because picking mushrooms is something that interests me. I was definitely no longer sick, but now I had a weird bruise on the bottom of my foot - I guess I don't need to mention it, but normally there is never anything wrong with me and now besides being sicker than a dog for three days I had this foot thing!
I know I mentioned before Berit lived in Norra Rörum, but I just found this blurb about the municipality it is located in and I thought it was interesting as of 2005 there were only 203 people living there. Tony's house was the last house on the road and he was about 186 miles from the next house!
Waiting to look for mushrooms, check out my boots!
Tobbe outside his house. Tobbe was adopted by Berit - his original name was actually Zlatan, I'll let you look at the link. Berit actually built this house with an old boyfriend of hers back in the 70s.
This was the house Berit and her boyfriend lived in while the built the other house. Now this houses her dryer.
Morning in the forest...
I really wanted my mom to take a picture of my issued boots, but Tobbe decided he wanted to be the center of attention instead. Oh, my socks kept falling down all the way to my toes too...
Svamp hunden (mushroom dogs - like birddogs) Sofia and Tobbe!
I think this was the biggest mushroom of the day.
My favorite mushroom, the poisonous but ever so cute red and white polka dot mushroom.
Our catch of the day, chantarelles.
After we took our morning walk we headed out to buy a birthday present for Therese, my cousin's daughter, who we were having a little birthday party for the next day. And, my Aunt Rigmor (I pronounce it Ring-more, but technically it's more like REEG-mor, but I've been saying it my way since I was a kid, and I'm not changing) had given my mom cash to buy korv (aka, a hotdog) every day she was in Sweden and she hadn't had one yet.
So we headed out in Berit's little red car down to Löddeköpinge, with much discussion ensuing about how it's spelled Löddeköpinge, but most people call it Löddeköpe, which I guess it's like Los Angeles to LA or, you get my drift...
Berit's little red snow car...
We also passed the school where my mom attended second grade on the way up and on the way back but we buzzed by it so quickly I didn't get a photo.
Our first stop was a store called Engelbrektsboden, which I couldn't find a link for! Damn the luck, anyway, it was Wal-Mart-esque. Then we went to Center Syd (Center South), the big mall. Just my luck though, Berit and mom weren't really in shopping mode, only 'let's get this present and get outta here' mode so Center Syd is on my list of 'next trip' items.
I started to notice a theme, every day Berit likes to stop for ice cream. She's particularly fond of drumsticks. Even when we were bike riding on Ven we stopped and she got a drumstick.
We stopped at this nursery in the country to buy some flowers for my Aunt Inga-Mai's grave. She passed away in 2004. She had breast cancer and then bone cancer. We bought heather, which signifies admiration. Admiration of a lovely lady who battled cancer but still loved to go dancing!
It turns out Berit appears to be one of the keepers of old family photos, information, etc. I had no idea, I'm definitely coming back again to get all the info and copies of the pictures.
This is actually a print of the house that belonged to my mom's Farmor and Farfar (Grandmother and Grandfather on the father's side). In one of the next installments we actually drove by the house!
Mom and I with our standard issue lint rollers.
Our room at Berit's - eccentric. If you look very carefully above the bed on the left there is a black and white picture of me and my sister when we were tots...
So my mom has this mosaic mirror and my sister and I always fight over who will get it when she is gone, lo and behold, Berit had another one! It was a different color - but I was sooooo happy - I gave as many hints as possible.
An awesome dinner made by Berit, salmon covered with about 2 inches of creme fraiche, with potatoes with fresh parsley from the yard - hey, wait a minute - what's that big green bottle in the background...
We had been talking about several different fruits during the day, the paradise apple, nypon and physalis. I wasn't sure what any of them were called in English so I googled them when I got home. Nypon are rose hips, physalis are cape gooseberries and I still don't know what a paradise apple is called here, probably the same. If anyone knows, let me know.
After dinner my mom and I went down and walked by the lake. When I was a child I swam in this lake!
Cute houses in the background...
the lake
I love the mailboxes!
Peaceful evening...
Lovely Aunt Berit and her funky glasses!
No comments:
Post a Comment