Leaves and hot chocolate by a lake

"Here you are, daddy - you get this leaf from me."

Sandwich break (above) in the woods by Hellasgården. Above right - looking at the daredevil bike ramp!

Slippery when wet! Makeshift bike ramps in the woods in the Nacka Reserve.
(Click on images to enlarge.)

Kim and WC by one of the more elaborate ramps (above).

 Dammtorpssjön in the Nacka Reserve.

Bubble bath time!

 pIRaTE BUbB3lBatH is the BEST!!!

 Can never have too many bubbles! Never!

 Mommy's boys keeping clean on a Sunday evening.

Layered Clothing

 This is what you are getting dressed for when visiting Sweden in February...

 Cross-country skiing far away from the tracks!

A bare fell mountain, a typical view of the Fennoscandian mountain range.

A few words on layered clothing, and how to stay warm during Swedish winters.

Clothing in the cold: Basically, you need to plan getting dressed in three layers:

Layer 1 – Base layer; to keep your body dry and warm, and transport moisture from your body to the outer layers. This garment should be made of wool or synthetic fibers with high warming effect. (Good wool underwear does not itch!) Absolutely no cotton! You will need both a top (long sleeved) and a bottom (long legged). Plus thick wool socks… No cotton!

Suggested garments; Layer 1: Merino wool crew body and Merino wool leggings.

Layer 2 – Insulation layer; this layer makes it possible to retain body heat and provides insulation and warmth while transporting moisture away from your body. This could be either a wool pullover, or a synthetic fleece jacket – both materials are great. Absolutely no cotton sweater! (You should also add a thick scarf to this layer so as to not expose your neck to the wind chill.)

Suggested garments; Layer 2: Fleece lined wool sweater.

Layer 3 – Protection layer; to shield against wind, snow and cold while releasing surplus heat from the layers below. Shell jackets and pants have great breathing ability and are also waterproof. A down parka or something similar with thick insulation is also very warm and protective. 70 percent of your body heat leaves from your head (your body is like a thermos). So you should always have a warm hat on – either wool or synthetic. No cotton!

Suggested garments; Layer 3: Ultralight down jacket or Parka jacket.

Of course, for an outer layer - some warm, insulated snow boots are also important.

This is how we dressed during our most recent winters.

And as for skiing technique - here is a great introduction to the basics of the diagonal stride in x-country skiing.

Mastering Swedish - Lessons 1-5

Five lessons in Swedish that can blow you away. A Canadian radio show host tries to follow language lesson instructions in Swedish. "Oh! Swedish is  such a beautiful language!". (They're all great but lesson three is probably the most fun - and the least hard to take in - so we put that one first.) Enjoy!


Lesson 3 - The difference between "sch" sounds and "tj" sounds in tongue-twisting Swedish pronunciations.


Lesson 4 - Hard and soft G's and H's in Swedish.


Lesson 5 - Tonal and consonant trickery in Swedish pronunciations. (This is a hard one!)


Lesson 1 - Homographs (you can find the transcription for this episode in the description field for this video here.)


Lesson 2 - Inflections (you can find the transcription for this episode in the description field for this video here).

First snow of the year!

Hey mom! The playground looks funny! Why is there white stuff on my swing?

Snow-covered playground area in our courtyard.


In front of the family stereo. "Candle on the water" - A spiritual music appreciation! Watch for the praising hands!

International Suit-Up Day!

So, instead of taking part in the office fun (dressed in my best three-piece, two-button charcoal suit) I will send my hommage for this day of appreciating sartorial skills of general tailoring and bespoke collections by leaving you with some links of importance: Gieves & Hawks, Ermenegildo Zegna, Brioni.

Winter boots

"Oh... the weather outside is frightful...." ... but at least WC got himself a nice pair of winter boots with wool lining to keep extra warm!

In the Navy

 

One little midshipman in his Navy outfit.

 Starboard? Why does mommy keep repeating that?

Do I have all the qualities for Annapolis?

1. Do I have a smokin' cool Navy uniform? Check! 

2.Can I yell out my commands? Check!

3. Do I attract the ladies? Check!

Your Moment of Zen!

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Moment of Zen - Pure Swedish Genes
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Rally to Restore Sanity

Hilarious! From the sheer analytical minds of Fox & Friends.