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rose's random rambly writings

...really!

STICKY POST

Let's get ready to ramble!

Welcome to my humble abode.
Please make yourself comfortable - and stay as long as you like :smile:

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Missing person!

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Summer is festival season, and festival season is... well, festive I suppose :whistle:
Just look at this picture taken on this year's Roskilde festival...

The What's In Your Fridge tag

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Tilla tagged me. Not only that - she tagged, and then went away on a vacation... :irked:

The rules this time are:
Link to who tagged you. - See above.
Post the rules. - Done.
List everything currently in your refrigerator. - See below.
Tag 3 people to do the same. :devil:

This is kind of funny, actually, because just this Saturday I took a quick trip to Sweden to stock up on some food that's impossible to get hold of here. Therefore, my fridge might seem a little... overstocked at the moment :left:.
:sst: Honestly, it's because I haven't frozen in most things yet.

Contents of my fridge :chef::
* Home-made peach jam. No, I didn't make it...
* Pickled beetroot.
* Cornichons.
* Ajvar.
* Hot salsa.
* Caviar (paste made from cod roe).
* More caviar (paste made from a mix of cod roe and fresh cheese). - It's much better than it sounds! Promise :D.
* Butter.
* Lettuce.
* Peppers.
* Four kinds of cheese :lol: - gorgonzola, cheddar and two types of regular, tasty cheese. They all serve different purposes :left:
* A variety of cold meat for sandwiches - pepper ham, spicy salami, cognacmedwurst (a smoked, thinly sliced sausage - not for cooking - with a hint of cognac. Similar to ->), onsalakorv (a kind of smoked sausage, not for cooking) and Hungarian Gyula sausage (also a smoked, more spicy, sausage). Oh. My. God. That's a lot of meat :faint:. Most of it is for freezing, though p:. The rest is for cold dinner on hot days.
* Diced bacon. Because my special pasta with bacon, leek and gorgonzola is coming up later this week :D.
* Swedish patented falukorv. Heh... even more sausage. I'm having this for dinner tonight :up:.
* Liver paste with integrated tiny bits of pickled gherkins. Another thing that is much better than what it sounds like :right:.
* Vinegar.
* Ketchup.
* Hot ketchup.
* Strong mustard.
* Tomato purée.
* A tin of tuna.
* One egg. Note to self - buy more eggs!
* Red onions.
* Garlic.
* Shallots.
* Season's new potatoes. Yes, I store them in my fridge. I don't eat potatoes very often, so I usually buy them fresh.
* A couple of cans of Staropramen and Heineken.
* Mayo.
* Spicy Swedish meatballs.
* Spicy turkey/chicken sausages for grilling. It's grill weather this week :hat:
* One bottle of Absolut Raspberry.
* One bottle of Absolut Mandrin. Yes, that's what it's called...
* One bottle of white wine. See... lazy summer days ahead :D.
* One Snickers. :lol: I found this in a bag. I think I bought it in Paris, and then never ate it! I chucked it in the fridge and forgot all about it :lol:. It will survive another day though...
* One bottle of Cola.
* Skimmed milk. Eeewww! I just noticed that it has expired...
* Orange juice.
* Juice made of blood orange and pomegranate.
* Concentrated lemon juice.
* Strawberries. Incidentally the only kind of fruit I actually have in the fridge... I have no idea why.

That should be about it. Or I don't dare putting any more down :lol:

Now, I'm really interested in hearing what
Carol
Mart
and
José
have in their fridges :yes:

Midsummer Eve

According to Swedish calendars, today is Midsummer Eve. In most other countries, this day has a specific date (June 24th) but in Sweden it's always the Friday before the actual day itself. Why? Because it's a day of festivity and we can't have that on any weekday, can we... p:
Midsummer is traditionally the celebration of summer solstice, but many places it has been Christianised to be the nativity of St. John the Baptist instead. Not in Sweden. Think pagan, and you'll get what this eve is about.

Midsummer Eve is, perhaps together with New Year's Eve, the number one party day in Sweden. If people work this day, they leave early to get ready to the night's big shinding. If you're really traditional, you will start with raising the maypole - a giant phallus in the form of a wooden pole, dressed with leaves and flowers. Once risen, the pole is used to dance around. Kids and adults form a ring around the maypole and sing and dance various songs. Most notable perhaps, is "Little frogs" where they imitate the behaviour of frogs :D.

Food is very important on this eve. Pickled herring is the number one dish this day. New potatoes is a must, together with sour cream and, hopefully, the year's first batch of fresh, sweet strawberries. And to wash it all down - a shot of aquavit or ten...

Back in the days, Midsummer was considered to be a night of magic. People were afraid to go for a bathe this night because of the Neck, but at the same time it was a perfect night for perfoming rituals to predict the future.
Some old traditions are still preserved, like picking seven different kinds of wild flowers and putting them under the pillow. This would supposedly make you dream of your future spouse. In other words, not a good night for a nightmare... :left:

Have a great Midsummer Eve! And let me know who you dreamt of :wink:.

:heart:

Bumfriends

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:love:

I've been to Hell and back...

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Don't believe me, do you? Well, I have the pictures to prove it...

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Picturesque Paris

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Of course I knew before I left that Paris is a huge city. I also knew that there is a lot of history around and countless things to be seen and/or done while there. Even though I have become quite interested in wandering around historical sites in my old days, I also enjoy experiencing a city through sitting on a café watching the life.
This weekend I did a bit of both, but mostly the latter :D.

On Saturday, I was having lunch on Champs Elysées, when I suddenly saw somebody I recognized.
It's the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jens Stoltenberg, casually strolling by. Next year, we have elections in Norway. I wonder if I can sell this picture then, with him under a sign that says "Change" p:.

I'm not very fond of standing in line, so even though I saw quite a few attractions, it was mostly from the outside. I guess that's the reason the photos aren't very inspired this time, but if you'd like to take a look at a selection, they are right here.

:heart:

Enfin! Le printemps à Paris!

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I have hardly unpacked my suitcase from this weekend's little trip when it's time to pack again.
I was supposed to go in February, but French airport strikes got in the way. I re-booked to March, but that time work stuff got in the way. This time, so far (*knocks on wood*), everything seems to work out just fine which means I'm leaving for Paris tomorrow after work :happy:.
:right: Yes, I think May probably is more enjoyable than February too.

It will be a great opportunity for me to practise my French (which probably is much worse than I want to admit :o:)... But hey - I think I'll manage ordering a drink on an open-air café so I'll be fine :wink:.

I'll miss you, and before you ask - yes, I have packed my camera!

:heart:

30K

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Wow... :eyes:


I did have a speech prepared, but the dog ate it awww.
Thank you all for stopping by and for making this community such a great place to hang out :happy:!

*throws kisses*

:heart:

To the home of the Trønders!

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Even though I personally think Oslo is far enough north for a poor frozen soul like myself, I'm setting sail - ok, plane - for a city that's just as far north as my Swedish hometown is south from Oslo. That's about 600 kilometers. And less than half the celcius this weekend...

Trondheim is Norway's third largest city, and a pretty cool one to be honest. It hosts the Norwegian University of Science and Technology so there are lots of students around. Actually, almost a fifth of the city's population (which is aound 165 000 in total) are students!
Maybe that's why the atmoshpere is so... laid back. I've been there several times, and really like it there. The city centre mostly consists of cosy, old wooden houses. Well, at least those that didn't get eaten by the many fires that have roared the city...
If it wasn't for the cold climate, I could almost consider moving there.

Trondheim has been inhabited for thousands of years, but was first founded in the year 997 by the king Olav Tryggvason. Back then, it was named Kaupang. Later it changed to Nidaros, but in the Middle Ages, they decided that Trondheim was a much cooler name. Trond is the tribal name of the people (trøndere) who live in the area (Trøndelag) and heim means home in Norwegian. Makes the title a little clearer, huh?
I'm leaving tomorrow after work, and will be back late-ish on Monday evening.

Until then, take care!
:heart:
July 2008
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