Summer for midsommar!

As every Swede will know, it is usually a bit-of-everything kind of weather on midsommar.

  A bit of blue skies in view but look behind you and dark rain clouds will be looming. 

It's not a silly idea to bring hand warmers and quite a warm jacket too.

The day after is often more like what you'd hoped for the Friday to be...

This year was no exception, and it couldn't have been any better! 

I was lucky enough to be invited to a friend of a friend's parents house (small mansion) 

out on the coast - and a little bit south of Gothenburg to celebrate midsommar with them. 

I was pretty stoked to find they had a full sized New Zealand flag flying 

while everyone else in the neighborhood were flying their Swedish flags. 

We were 4 kiwis there in total, so it was a very nice touch! 

As most midsommars go, there was lots of food and wine, 

schnapps, singing and some dancing too. 

( Luckily we didn't have to dance like little frogs this time...)

There were team games too which are always fun, especially when we win!

 There were lots of potatoes, (this makes me very happy!) and pies of every variety. 

I'm not really a fan of the pickled herring, 

no matter how many different flavours of sauce it comes in.

Lots of strawberry pies for dessert...

but blimey the limey one was divine!

The main house has been recently fully redecorated, 

I mean really, well and truly fully redecorated! 

Each room is impeccably fitted out, 

flowers everywhere and always a cozy place to sit.

Even out on the deck it is cozier that my own living room! 

The overall feel of the house is very relaxing 

and you can tell that the hosts love to do just that, host!

Meanwhile back at the guest house, as I snuck inside to put something warmer on, 

I found this gorgeous light glimmering in one of the bedrooms, 

it was very tempting to have a little snooze... 

Well, night rolled in to morning and breakfast was totally yum!

What you can't see here is the small mountain of fried left over potatoes and little sausages... 

If there's anything that can beat fresh new potatoes, it's fried left over potatoes!

After all this and even my first swim of the year (since new years swimming in Wellington) 

we played some brännboll, sort of like baseball/cricket/rounders and then lay about enjoying the sun!

And it's continued to be sunny since last Saturday! 

I spent the day by the coast with a friend yesterday, 

and now I'm sunburnt and sitting inside out of the sun to write this...

But I can't stay inside for too long... it's time to get grilling again!

I hope you all had a good midsummer/midwinter too!

What's your favorite thing to grill on a stick?

Chicken, pineapple and haloumi is a pretty wicked combination I was recently introduced to.

oops drooling a little...