Bird Business

Just a quick update on the water fowl near us...

-The swan is still diligently sitting on her nest. She tends it very meticulously. Yesterday evening we saw her get up to change positions, so we got to see the eggs. When she sat back down, spreading herself over the eggs, she very gently picked up bits of dry grass and fluff to tuck around the edges. Very sweet. There was a drunkard on a bench nearby swilling Budweiser (yeah, even in England), so we were reluctant to leave her unattended. Went back this morning to make sure she was still there. Yep, she's still on the nest. While I was there, she got up to change position again and I was able to count the eggs. There are now 12-13! They'll likely hatch any day now.

-The moor hen chicks have gotten almost as big as the mother and they have lost most of their cuteness. All gangly looking and starting to molt. Not a pretty sight. They were up on dry land this morning to see what it's like to dig up worms and insects, I presume. I would have thought their nesting days were over, but yesterday evening we saw all five of them cramming themselves into the nest under their mother. She spread out her wings to try to cover them as best she could. Can't imagine it would be a comfortable night's sleep! There is also another moor hen incubating some eggs on the same "island" that the swan is on. She's been there for a while, so they'll probably hatch soon, too.

-There was a duck with 10 ducklings. They have dwindled to 5 lively little ones. At the slightest sign of danger, they practically run on the surface of the water. Fast little guys! There's also another duck pair with one little duckling -- an "only child".

Congress is selling out the Internet

Do you buy books online, use Google, or download to an Ipod? These activities will be hurt if Congress passes a radical law that gives giant corporations more control over the Internet.Internet providers like AT&T and Verizon are lobbying Congress hard to gut Network Neutrality, the Internet's First Amendment. Net Neutrality prevents AT&T from choosing which websites open most easily for you based on which site pays AT&T more. Amazon.com doesn't have to outbid Barnes & Noble for the right to work more properly on your computer.Politicians don't think we are paying attention to this issue. Many of them take campaign checks from big telecom companies and are on the verge of selling out to people like AT&T's CEO, who openly says, "The internet can't be free."

The free and open Internet is under seige--can you sign this petition letting your member of Congress know you support preserving Network Neutrality? Click here:

www.savetheinternet.com/=act

A list of all the ways you might be affected by Net Neutrality:

www.savetheinternet.com/=threat

Swedish Details

Friday
(Click on the photos to enlarge)

We arrived in Stockholm Thursday evening at 10pm after an uncomplicated 2 hour flight. Countries in Europe are so close together! We took the Arlanda Express train from the airport into the center of Stockholm where R's cousin Niklas picked us up. We drove to R's Uncle Hans' house just outside of the city and spent the night. Hans is wonderful - like a smiling Swedish buddha (not fat, just bald, blue-eyed and peaceful). In the morning, after a big breakfast of bread, cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, and eggs, we went for a walk by the sea.

The countryside around Stockholm reminded me of Oregon, Maine and Scotland mixed together. There are lots of tall pine (?) trees and most of the deciduous trees are birches. So pretty with their peeling white trunks against the green mossy granite. Heather grows all over
the place too. And, as you can see, there was still snow on the ground. It looks colder than it actually was though.

We walked through the forest to the edge of the Baltic Sea. The water was still covered in ice and as we stood there we could hear it creaking. No sign of any fish though...




After our brisk walk we headed back to Hans' house for a flounder and boiled potato lunch.


Then it was time to catch the ferry for Niklas' island. The ferry dock is only a short 20 minute drive away and the voyage only 10 minutes, so very soon we were arriving on Tynningoe . The island is one of the few near Stockholm that doesn't have a bridge linking it to the mainland or to other islands. Consequently it has a small population and more affordable houses. Most of the houses are 'summer houses' for people who live in Stockholm, but Niklas told us that people are beginning to live on the island full-time. I can see why! Only 3o minutes from Stockholm but it feels like wilderness. No road noise or plane noise - just birds and the occasional ferry horn if there's fog. So peaceful.

Niklas and Carola live on a hill that is only reachable by hiking up a steep granite slope. There are no stairs and it is pretty steep. I can't imagine how difficult it must have been moving things like the refrigerator or sofa up the hill! It would be worth it though, to live in such a nice place. N and C have a small house, where they live, and a perfect tiny guest house.


That evening we had the first of what seemed
like many, many delicious Swedish meals. (Look at these smiling Swedes. They really are happy, honest!) And then collapsed into our beds by 9pm. So nice to be on vacation!

Swedish Details Contd.

Saturday
(click on the pictures to make them bigger)




We woke up to a gorgeous sunny day. This is the view from the guest house kitchen window. I noticed that most of the houses on the island have a Swedish flag flying. Very patriotic.

We had a lazy morning and after lunch decided to take the passenger ferry to the nearby town of Vaxholm. The ferry is a five minutes walk from N and C's house, and is the same ferry that C takes to work every day. Not a bad commute.
The islands and archipeligo area are really lovely. The water is very clean. Apparently there are more than 24,000 islands, islets, and rocks jutting out of the water. Lots of them are wild and deserted, attracting boaters for picnics and swimming. July is the peak vacation month, when yachts crowd the waters. The sailing in Stockholm must be wonderful (if you like boats).



The Vaxholm kastell. An old military fort, now a museum. It is on another island just 100 meters from Vaxholm. So many islands!

Click here for a short history of Vaxholm.



Ferries docking in Vaxholm.

Vaxholm is a 'bathing resort' (which I think means swimming). Artists and writers have traditionally been drawn to the area, and some hold exhibits during the summer, when the tourists quadruple the population. I'm glad we were there in April!



There were lots of cute little shops and winding streets. The wooden houses were built in the 1880's and are what I think of as the Scandinavian version of Victorian style. All of the wooden houses in Sweden (new or old) seem to be painted either yellow or red. Makes them very cheerful.


We returned to the island for Niklas' birthday dinner. Hans and N's mother, Viveka, came to celebrate with us. Niklas made salt-baked salmon with a creamy roe and onion sauce. SO GOOD! After singing the Swedish and English versions of 'Happy Birthday', we had cake. The birthday cake was a traditional Swedish cake called princess torte. It has layers of white cake with whipped cream and raspberries under pastel marzipan. One of our favorite Scandinavian desserts! It was another great day.

Swedish Details Contd.

Easter Sunday
(click on the photos to enlarge)

We left the island on the noon ferry to go to Stockholm. Hans met us on the other side and we were in the city by 1pm. Stockholm is incredibly clean and quiet for such a big city. There is no graffiti or litter to be seen. I loved it.

We managed to get to the palace in time to see the changing of the guard. It took ages! The was an announcer guy with a microphone who talked to the crowd, explaining (in Swedish and English) the history of various voluntary service branches in Sweden. From the lifesaving service to the military. Representatives from every branch take part in the special holiday changing of the guard. After 30 minutes we decided that we didn't really need to see the changing of the guard so we left. Click here for more info about the Swedish royal family.

As we left the palace square we heard a marching band approach.

So we got to see the guards after all. After the parade we walked to the cathedral which is right next to the palace. Unfortunately all the photos we took are on the 'real' camera. But there is some great information about the cathedral here.

The palace and cathedral in the oldest part of Stockholm, called Gamla Stan. Tiny winding streets and lots of shops.

We stopped for lunch at a kiosk selling roast reindeer (suovas). It is cooked using a 3000 year old recipe from Lappland. They really knew what they were doing back then. The meat was salted, smoked and roasted, and then smothered in chanterelle gravy. Sooo tender and had really good flavor. We washed it all down with lingonberry juice (jop).

A pretty church on the way back to the car.

After our walking tour of the city, we drove to the Solna Kyrka cemetary where R's grandparents are buried. We planted some yellow tulips on the grave.

And then it was time to head back to the island. All that walking and sightseeing in the fresh air made us tired! That evening we built a fire and roasted marshmallows. A new experience for the Swedes.

Last day

Monday

We spent our last morning in Sweden packing and cleaning the little guest house. Our flight didn't leave until 8pm so we had all afternoon to relax. The afternoon was warm enough to sit on the deck and eat all our Easter chocolate.


There was still a little ice and snow left but it can't have lasted long.


Rich made some new friends with the leftover marshmallows.

Then it was time to fly back to England.
My first visit to Sweden was a very FUN trip!!

Sprink Leaning

This weekend is our Spring Cleaning weekend. We've strangely been looking forward to it, actually. Our To-Do list:

-Deep-clean oven and stove
-Clean fridge and defrost freezer
-Replace stove exhaust filter
-Remove the insulation plastic from our windows
-Clean windows inside and out
-Go through drawers, shelves, suitcases, etc. to get rid of things and organize
-Get our winter coats dry-cleaned
-Wash and vacuum car
-Re-pot our plants
-De-scale hot water kettle
-The usual cleaning duties: vac, dust, bathroom, kitchen, etc.
-"Test" Xbox for an hour or two

A lot of stuff to do over a weekend, so I hope we can accomplish everything. We will also endeavor to finish writing the Sweden blog entries.

PS - Today is Queen Elizabeth's 80th birthday which, as you can imagine, is a big deal over here.

Sverige

We're back from a four-day trip to Sweden (the Stockholm area).
Of course, we're planning on writing a full report of the experience,
but that will have to wait until this weekend. It was a fantastic trip
and there's lots to tell. Stay tuned!

Fugler (Birds)

We just went for a walk over to the swan nest to check on them. She was diligently nestled on her big pile of twigs, her head tucked down over her back. I asked her when her babies were due. She tilted her head slightly to look at me, but said nothing. Well, they are mute swans, after all.

A littler farther up, K spotted a moor hen prowling around in one of the marshy spots in the middle of the stream. Then she noticed a few tiny puffs of jet black fuzz hobbling around amongst the twigs and leaves. The moor hen has five little chicks! They are so small and black that you can hardly see what they are, just little black bits of feather with a tiny, red beak on one end. They could hardly negotiate their way around. The moor hen ushered them all back to her nest and one by one, they popped down underneath her. Moor hens aren't very big, so I don't know how she keeps them all in there. Very cute. K will try to go take some pictures of them tomorrow.

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Keeping our fingers crossed against the prospect of bird flu coming down here. Hoping that Winchester will remain untouched. We don't want to lose our feathered friends!

Swan Update

Things are looking good for our young swan family. As of Friday, there were SEVEN eggs, but that may have increased by now. We finally got a picture of the mother swan actually ON the nest. Last weekend, I was out there for nearly an hour waiting for her to get back on, but she never did.

Slices of America

Turn your speakers on and get ready to cringe...

Frightening version of American Christian Extremism

...and then get ready to laugh...

A Brooklyn Working Man's View of Starbucks