A New Bicycle for Spring

(Out at Rosendal's Trädgård, Djurgården)

This is probably my favorite time of year. Spring. Everything is fresh and bright and green and awake with life. The trees are stretching and yawning green, flowers are bursting with green leaves and flames of color and fragrance, and everyone is out on their bicycles enjoying the sun beaming down on their faces. 

A couple of months ago my husband began searching for a new city bike for me. Last year he found the absolutely, perfect one but we waited too long to purchase it and they sold out. We figured we'd just wait until this year and buy it at the beginning of the season, when all of the new models were released. Well, guess what? This particular bicycle was not being released this year. I was bummed at first but then my clever husband surprised me by locating and ordering one of last season's models from the UK. How awesome is that?

(Fresh out of the box!)

I was extremely excited, though a little nervous with the thought of getting a new bike. For three years now I've had my trusty, used Monarch, which has served me quite well. It may not be the best looking bike but I was used to it. Then there was the million dollar question, "What if it got stolen?" I didn't even have the bike yet and I was already worried about it getting stolen. Sigh. Well, I'd just have to make sure it didn't get stolen. 

So now I have three locks for it. A bit excessive, you think? To be fair, one of the locks isn't used on a regular basis, so that brings the count down to just two locks. Which, if you ask me, isn't bad for such a beloved bicycle. (And I do love this bicycle!).

(Maiden voyage... in the garage of our apartment building)

Let me back up a bit. Shortly after my new bike arrived, my husband assembled it and got to take it for a spin around the garage. I was still nervous that I would a) mess it up, b) get it stolen, or the worst thought, c) not like riding it. This bike actually fit me, whereas my good 'ol trusty Monarch was actually a bit too big for me. But you get used to things and I was used to my Monarch. Sitting on the seat of my new bike for the first time felt strange. I didn't have to stretch out so far to reach the handles and I could nearly put a foot down on the ground while still sitting on the seat. 

I was sure I'd get used to my new, very handsome, shiny, black bicycle. And I did indeed get used to it. Rather quickly. Now I fly around the city on it to and from work like I own the bike lane and weekend rides with my husband are transformed. His clockwork, orange BULLITT no longer gets all the attention. ;-)

(In the forests of Djurgården)

I'm Going With Bold

It has been a busy week this week between work, acupuncture, getting my hair cut, ceramics class, and then running back and forth to Bågar & Glas (means "Frames & Glass") trying desperately to decide on a pair of new eyeglass frames. I have an unusually narrow noggin, which means that kids glasses generally fit me perfectly. And adult glasses leave me looking like I have the bulging eyes of an insect, or like I'm wearing old-fashioned, airplane goggles. Unfortunately the adult styles and sizes do not "fit" me perfectly. Lucky for me however, designers have started making nicer frames for quirky adults (like me) with narrow faces. 

I wanted to find frames that look artistic and make a bit of a statement. The staff at Bågar & Glas were very helpful and allowed me to bring home several pairs to try out at home. I took home the fun, funky ones that I liked and a couple that were "snälla," or "nice." Everyone else preferred the ones that were "snälla" and, while I too liked the snälla ones that suited my face and coloring perfectly, I still could not be swayed from the ones that said, "Hey! Look at me! I'm fun and artsy, with a side of quirky tucked in for good measure." 

Every time I tried them on and looked in the mirror I felt a surge of happiness. And every time I put the others on I would think, "They ARE nice.... But just a bit too boring." I decided that I'm going with bold - and a bang! Here's a preview:

The real ones will be ready sometime late next week... and I can't wait!

As a side note and follow up to my last post, my bad boy (the bike on the trainer) has been awfully lonely this week. However, my lady bike, complete with a basket and comfy seat, has gotten lots of action, despite the chilly, winter-ish spring air. The top photo was taken on my way home from work yesterday. This is my favorite part of my ride. The bike lane twists through and around Stadshust, or city hall, the "Riksdag," or government buildings, the Royal Castle, and Gamla Stan, or the old town area. It is especially nice on a clear, sunny day, even with a freezing wind chill!

Happy Eggs to Celebrate New life and Fresh Starts

Glad Påsk!!! Or, just Happy Easter in English. Here in Sweden, as I’ve mentioned before, baskets are not filled with eggs and goodies on Easter morning. Instead, paper eggs are stuffed to the rims, and then some, with treats and candy and are passed out on Easter’s eve, or Påskafton in Swedish. The symbolism of opening an egg to signify new life and fresh starts is a wonderful tradition, and while I love the American tradition of Easter baskets and hunting for eggs, embracing a new tradition can be great fun too.

And embrace this tradition I have! I'll be honest. I did not buy the biggest egg that I could find to fill with goodies and treats but I did buy one that was large enough to mostly satisfy my craving, and hold everything I bought to fill it with. This large-ish egg is probably a foot long and about six inches in diameter. That holds a LOT of candy and if folded just right, it even holds a large linen robe, which was part of my husband’s Easter egg treat this year. My egg was the same size but unfortunately, or fortunately, it was not able to accommodate all of my goodies. Therefore my egg, filled with every wonderful treat you can imagine, was placed in the lovely wooden basket that was to be part of my goodies and was wrapped and tied with a lovely green ribbon. 

Maybe we are too old to be so excited about filling, giving, and receiving Easter eggs but I just feel like we will always be kids at heart. And if we are lucky enough to make it to eighty or ninety I’m sure we will still decorate and fill Easter eggs (or baskets) for one another, regardless of whether or not we have kids of our own. It is just something that makes us happy. 

What are the traditions you keep going? Perhaps you have a nice quiet picnic outdoors by yourself with a good book, or a formal family dinner at a relatives home... Whatever you do, or don't do, consider starting a new tradition that can be special to you and those you love. Picking up a new, pretty journal to write in, dropping by to visit a friend for a cup of coffee or tea, or even sending a secret care package to someone in your life are all things that celebrate new life and fresh starts.

I hope you all have a Happy Easter... and a fresh new start as we enter spring...

Mad As a March Hare

“The March Hare will be much the most interesting, and perhaps as this is May it won’t be raving mad -- at least not so made as it was in March.” 

- Lewis Carroll from Alice in Wonderland

I haven’t seen any March hares yet this year but there are plenty of tiny little buds forming on the trees and bushes. And I can’t tell you how happy that makes me. Some of the buds are more obvious than others but some you almost need a magnifying glass to see. But trust me, they are there. I have a keen eye for all things related to spring. It’s funny in a way because here I was, all set to embrace winter with my cross-country skis and long-distance ice skates, and now it’s warming up. I can easily admit however, that the feeling of spring permeating the air all around me is absolutely wonderful. If not a bit weird and quirky and possibly even mad. I can understand why they say, “Mad as a March hare.” 

Apparently March is mating season for hares. Being a female myself and knowing quite well the madness associated with a flood of hormones, the madness of hares is completely understandable. Heck, the madness of us regular folk is understandable. It's one thing to fight the winter blues but how do you fight March madness (not to be confused with the NCAA Men’s Division Basketball)? Perhaps it isn't to be fought at all but embraced. Perhaps it's just to get your lasso out, rope it, wrangle it into submission and then put a harness on it, like a cowboy taming a wild horse, and ride it bucking and screaming right into spring. 

That’s how I plan to do it. I’m gonna pull out my cowgirl hat and rope and... wait kitty! That’s for me to use to tame the March madness... come back here with my rope! 

Spring Fever

It feels a bit early to have spring fever here in Stockholm, as I sit here on this last day of February. March brings with it the hope of spring, though I know that there are at least two more months of coat-wearing and cold before spring, and spring fever, are in FULL BLOOM. And yet there it is, staring me in the face. FULL BLOWN. Spring fever. 

Even our cat has it. She appears to have more energy and spunk lately as she leaps and hops around, chasing her "snake" and "killing" the mat in front of our balcony door. She has also been more talkative and she yells at us for no apparent reason. If I didn't know better, I'd think she was in heat but she was spayed last year before we adopted her and brought her home. Perhaps it is merely that time of year for her and she still feels remnants of the hormones that would make her a mamma cat. 

If I felt that spring truly was just around the corner I might be more excited. I find myself yearning so strongly these days for a warm, sunny day and a picnic outdoors on a soft bed of bright green grass, where I might find myself lazily counting clouds as they drift by. For now I'll have to settle for lying on the garnet-colored shag rug in our living room and allowing the sun to warm me through the window. Unfortunately it is still brisk enough outdoors to cause my eyes to water as I walk from the apartment to the subway, the subway to the office, and then on to which ever next destination there happens to be. 

The good news is that it is now light out when I leave the office, which means it may be time to get on my bicycle again instead of being herded along with the rest of them on the subway, or bus. I always feel happier after a leisurely ride to work in the morning. Fresh air is always nicer than the stuffy air of public transportation. I guess I need to locate my rain pants and get with it! 

But in the meantime, how do we fix this battle of spring fever against the final months of winter? We may not be able to walk outside in a t-shirt yet but we can start to plan for it and dream about it. Maybe even pretend we are at the beach.... like the lovely sign above...

... pretend we are listening to waves softly roll in with the surf and to the sounds of seagulls chatting with each other as their soar above...

Or we can pretend we are out on our bike on a sunny day in short-sleeves...

Or reminisce about the coming of spring... 

... and all of the beautiful blossoms that will soon be out there to greet us...

How do you manage your spring fever?