Christmas violin concert at home

1. Twinkle variations. 2. Song of the Wind. 3. Go tell Aunt Rhody. 4. Oh, Come Little Children. 5. Allegro. From Suzuki book 1. Also available on Youtube. More reading about the importance of parental support in the Suzuki method philosophy - here.

Merry Christmas from the Nilssons!

Christmas feelings!

God Jul!

 Now Santa (Sw: "Jultomten") can arrive! The Christmas tree is decorated and the stockings are hanging on the bookshelves.

Lightly Row

W performing Lightly Row, from Suzuki book 1, at the Christmas concert.

Sankta Lucia

Few things are as important this time of year as the Lucia festivities on December 13. L is showing off her textile candles and crown that grandmom ordered for her Lucia train at daycare.

Fall time hikes 2014

Having a snack break in the Nacka nature reserve, near Hammarby.

Afternoon break at Tyresta National Park in October.

The wilderness is slowly taking back what was lost in the forest fire in the Tyresta national park south of Stockholm.

Fall hike and some late sun in the foliage.

Piggy-backing in style on our way back home.

A perfect spot for a hot chocolate break!

Hot chocolate and cookies.

Now I am full!

The Tyresta lake at the center of the national park.

Public performance of Twinkle Twinkle

Performance of one of the Twinkle twinkle-rythms by the local Suzuki violin class at a public library outside of Stockholm.

Croquet fashion

Today we decided to play a friendly game of croquet in the backyard at the summer cottage. Nothing says sophisticated  "la belle epoque" style, or perhaps even more so "années folles" (eng: roaring twenties), than a nicely garbed game of croquet.

After a very heated game (where even grandmom had to forfeit after her ball caused her to "peg out"), the mallets where eventually laid to rest and Kim won a victory, celebrated with some cold Lumumba long-drink grogs later on.

Tara about to run a hoop.

Balls in play at the family's friendly cottage tournament.

Just one more hoop.

Kim preparing for a croquet stroke.

Victory at last!

Vacation time

Breakfast pals, Mom and L. Radisson Blu Hotel, Copenhagen.

Breakfast pals, Dad and W. Radisson Blu Hotel, Copenhagen.

Inside Tivoli in Copenhagen.

L "driving" veteran cars.

Which way do you turn this thing?

"Dogs are faster than lions."

Lunch at the pirate ship at Tivoli. Later a picture with a turtle.

The last season at the Danish ice-cream parlor in Båstad. 

Dad enjoying his last Cup Marianne and Cup Silvia at Danska glassbaren.

Smiiiiiiiile!

The look is: "Alabama man". Wife sold separately.

Mom responsible for the main course salmon on the barbecue. Tin foil wraps with pickled herring on the side for starters.

"If Wittgenstein doesn't move, can I pull him around the yard?"

The ladies setting the table.

Hiking along the coastline forest

The team allowed for Mom to rest up during our vacation and instead decided to go on a little day-trip along the coastline on a rainy day. 

W showing off along the trail, during a brief intermission in the family "pine cone war".

Photogénique in the woods.

"Look! We can make this into a house for the two of us! We can even sleep here tonight."

 The wind pounded us as soon as we left the forest and came up in the sand dunes. The kids were happy to wear wool under their windproof jackets.

Potential album cover pose.

"Let's look for driftwood and pirates on the shore!"

Hiking in Halland

Some warm days (low 80ies in Fahrenheit, approx. 27-29 degrees C) where the kids and I (Dad) took a trip through the wonderful beach forest on the slopes of the Hallandsås ridge (Osbecks bokskogar). In the middle of the forest, the trail cuts across summer pasture fields where cows and sheep are always grazing (in fact, we had to walk right across one field with the cows watching us intently nearby).

The green light from the sunshine on the foliage is breathtaking. Add to that a few old stone bridges from the 18th century, an old deserted hamlet from the same century and some babbling brooks along the way with plenty of wildlife (big and small), and it makes for a pretty neat hiking experience for the kids (and their dad too!).

L wanted to be carried through the first stage (where we were surrounded by pine forest).

The lookout point, our first stop where we had a snack!

It's good to be carried...

W and L found Wood sorrel (Swe: "Harsyra") and other eatable plants, and started to munch on them... very proud to show when they found new plants along the path. They liked wood sorrel the best.

Happy to be in the shade on a day like this.

"It's nature water..."

When we were almost done for the day, we encountered some more cows, but this time there was a barbed wire between them and us. L posing for a Kodak moment.