Två År

Two years ago, I finally found this boy my friend Cresa had insisted I meet.

And here I am! (well, that's him below, but here I am in Sweden!)

 

For our two-year anniversary, we went to Gästrike-Hälsinge Nation (nation explanation), which has a great summer restaurant.  We sat outside, drank a bottle of wine, analyzed our fellow diners, and, after the longest, longest wait finally had some delicious entrees.

We then walked to another nation for a terrific cherry beer and some really terrible "jazz" music, and ended up back home on the patio, as usual.


The next day (our real anniversary) we had a party, theme: Invasionsfest.  Music was female vocalists singing in English and male vocalists singing in Swedish, and food was also split on national lines.  Erik won for presentation with meatballs and cornichons stuck through with tiny Swedish flags as toothpicks, and beautiful, elaborate little cheese crackers made with the seriously delicious Västerbottenost, bits of salmon, crème fraîche, roe, and chives.

I made pigs in blankets and pretzels, so I win for...most bready?

Anyway, we had a nice bike ride out to the huge grocery store for ingredients, and spent most of the day preparing, which I love.

In Sweden you often (always?) have a "welcoming drink" to serve to your guests as they come in, and Erik picked the French 75, which was, of course, a hit.

Erik's darling friends came over to help us warm this little house, bringing thoughtful gifts of tigerlillies, Jämtland microbrews and Oreos, American wine decked with Swedish ribbons, and a "welcoming hand": a really lovely small sculpture on which we can hang jewelry, etc!

It was such a great time that yesterday was spent in bed or on the couch, reading love stories and watching Tarkovsky.  And eating leftover pigs in their blankets.

In other news, I'm still waiting on that personnummer, and the herbs that I bought at Plantagen the other day (which I forgot to tell you about) are struggling a bit in the long, hot days....but thankfully today is rather cool but sunny, so they are back outside! I think today I will replant them and give them a bit of a chance to relax into their new home.  And hang some pictures!

Puss!