Midsummer Madness

Well - it started out a nice day so I optimistically made some things for a BBQ and when we got to Johan and Johanna's house, the sun was shining away and I was regretting that I wasn't attired in a flowing goddess gown. We had a lovely traditional lunch of pickled herring and about 6 different sorts of schnapps. I had a vegetarian version of caviar which was delicious. The table and house were filled with flowers from the meadows and we sang traditional Swedish schnapps songs. It was a lot of fun. But we had a weather prophet with us who took a dim view.

He was right - just as we arrived at the village to dance arround the Maypole it started to pour with rain. Then came the hail - it became incredibly dark and cold. The Maypole looked very threatening against the sky as you can see. Maybe the Swedes should start burning a wicker man instead and then the weather might improve - you never know. I was the only person over the age of seven wearing a wreath of flowers but I was laughing so much that the back of my head started to ache - maybe the schnapps played a role. It was so sad seeing all the kids and the lady with the piano accordian being washed away.

Luckily we were able to huddle around a nice wood burning stove back at the ranch and break open the red wine so it seemed really more like a winter solstice than a summer solstice. Johan bravely went ahead with the BBQ but I did not move from the warm kitchen. Nevertheless it was a wonderful evening and we finished with strawberries and champagne. It was weird driving home at midnight when it was still light even with the mist and rain and grey skies.

Today Hugh and I walked around the lake through the woods and it feels like every fairy tale you have ever read - these are the forests of Grimm that is for sure. They even have wolves here apparently. So spooky. Although Luigi from Tuscany who is a wolf expert, reckons that wolves have got a bad press and they are gentle, misunderstood creatures. That may be so but I still don't want to meet one and I'm definitely not going to wear a red hood in the forest!