There's so much to do in Sweden in summer. How are we going to find time to fit it all in, and the usual routine "must-do's" too? How to enjoy summer relaxing to the full without feeling stressed out about not enjoying summer to the full? Then again, how do you relax with a full to do list...even if you're like me and can live in chaos, living with a full to do list just sucks all the enjoyment out of relaxing.
Today feels like we've done some summer things. That might be because it has been so warm today. We had plans to go look at bicycles today, but the shop was closed. Good thing we phoned first to check. Then we tried to buy a second hand bicycle from someone in our hometown, but it was sold just as we phoned.
Then we saw that someone local was selling their outdoor furniture. Since the beginning of spring we have wanted to buy a new set of outdoor furniture for our deck. We had already selected the set we would buy, but hadn't actually done it because it was quite a bit of money to lay out. Then when we saw the set today on the local second hand website it just looked so cosy. Nothing at all like the set we had chosen new. But it looked worn in, and it was dirt cheap. Even with hiring a van for a few hours to pick it up and transport it it was still only a fraction of the price of a new set. So now the set it installed on our deck. Next step is to get some oil and give it a little TLC...and maybe a bolt or two to strengthen the weakest spots.
We also bought a tent today. I have been wanting to go camping again for two years, but we never really got around to it. But this summer feels like the summer we are going to go camping again. We got a lovely little four man sleeper tent (which means it's perfectly comfortable for two people). It also has a little "courtyard" section of the tent to set up kitchen in.
All camping I have ever done has been with all the creature comforts of home...electricity, chairs, tables occasionally even fridges! I am super keen to try out some very basic camping. I have been doing a lot of research to work out our magic minimum of gear needed for camping. My trusty Filofax has been the repository for all this research.
My idea is to get a kit together and have it ready to go at a moment's notice, so that if the weather is nice one weekend, we can just chuck the kit in the car and head off for a lake somewhere. Then if the place is nice we'll set up camp, but if it's not so nice we can head home at the end of the day.
We had a taster of this kind of thing last weekend. We had a short holiday up in the north of Sweden. One of the days we were near a lake. We cooked simple meals on alcohol stoves and fires. We considered spending the night by the lake in a tent, but it was actually too cold. But it was still a lot of fun.
It's also just lovely to sit outside in our garden in the beautiful summer weather and that's how we have ended the day. It's now nearly 7:30 and I'm sitting comfortably on the verandah. It's not too hot, nor too cold...it's just right. Some days are just perfect :-)
