Brighter Days and a Kick in the Pants

Plaza in Helsingborg early morning

Sheets drying in the wind, sun shining, and birds singing, a cat sleeping in a basket,  and the dog in the sun on the deck.  That is how a good day should be and look if I was to be asked.  We need a lot of those kinds of days.

Helsingborg store front

Now even if the temps have become a bit milder and are aiming up into the + 10 degree range the wind keeps whipping and bending the flag pole into frightening angles.  Ralle and I have opted to skip the "long" walk a couple of times these last few days simply because we don't want to fight the fury.  At the present time it would take more energy and effort than we possess.  Can't help but send some longing thoughts to balmy Hollister, and or San Jose! , or Santa Bar....... oh stop it!

Fishing shack in Hittarp by the Sea

Better go do something fun like prepare the shrimp for our evening meal.  On the menu tonight we have a dish with shrimp, leek, spinach and pasta cooked with a little white wine and cream add a few sprinkles of lemon zest.  Tasty I am sure of it.

Looking towards Viken by the sea from the Mill

Speaking of tasty.  I have made a batch of Mexican Chorizo according to Marias' trusty old recipe from Jeff Smith's "The Frugal Gourmet" cookbook.  It could have turned into a REAL Hot Sausage.  The recipe called for 1-oz. of re-hydrated Pasilla peppers.  I had soaked and made a paste of 3 oz. !!  Was ready to add the chile paste to the ground pork and ground beef mixture when I glanced at the recipe again...... ayayay !

Looking towards the Sea from the Mill

For all the members in our family when we think of Chorizo we think of the Foppianos'.  Roz would cook Chorizo and eggs with torn bits of tortilla in a big pan over our fire or camp stove!  Boy was that some good stuff.  We started preparing it at home as we really enjoyed this tasty dish.  When Maria was at the University of Davis and had some class in meat cutting she learned what this sausage is commonly made of, Salivary glands, lips, navels and such, well, we quit buying it!  Years later Maria found this recipe a much healthier version, without all those unmentionable body parts and we were all happy to once more be able to enjoy the taste of this distinct  tasting sausage in various dishes where Chorizo plays a role, but we especially like it with our scrambled eggs.  Maria provided us with this treat and she often would bring some to us when she would come to visit,  making David  happy as a clam.  Now here I am making it in Sweden!  Who would have thunk?

View towards Denmark from Viken

Want to make some Italian Sausage next.  Maria cannot understand why we can not find Italian Sausage here when we are so close to Italy?  Can it be that there are only 500 Italians living in Sweden?  Who knows.

View from Viken

Interesting to find that someone in Russia is looking at our blog. Wonder if the Russ Mill had spiked that interest and caused the viewer to peek at our blog.  Hmmmm....... Still see Russian viewer is viewing even long after the Russ Mill Chapter.  I like it already!!

Ralle

Ralle has been "beautified" at Spa Vi'Skaly's.  The supposedly responsible owners were scolded as he has gained too much weight (just like the supposedly responsible owners) although that part, those owners were not mentioned.  We are really going to work hard on reducing all our girths, hopefully it will be an easier thing with weather more kind, perhaps we can go back to a regular walking schedule, and yes we're stapling those lips shut!  Gave me a "kick in the butt" a much needed kick! We need to knock off the cookies! Our Ralle is an elegant guy and to look elegant slim or slimmer is key, for  both ourselves  and he ........ yet , here I am talking about lips stitched shut at the same time as I talk about Italian Sausage and Chorizo, how much sense does that make?

Old railroad station in Höganäs.  Now City offices.

This very first Monday in April we walked to the Sonessons' and around the field in only a fleece jacket! No scarf, no Russian fur hat, no sweater underneath the jacket, no gloves!  Boy, it feels good to not have all that stuff on.  Perhaps I better not put the cart before the horse, I should say that I did not need to wear all that stuff today.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Couple of Weeks in Review

This is mainly a low down on the last couple of weeks told primarily in pictures.

Sonessons Kyl and I began work on a new cold room for the Helsingborgs Krematorium

The Crematorium is going through a lot of renovations and to enlarge its capacity.  It is an interesting job for me to be a part of.

The weather was ever changing.

Charlotte, Lars's wife, is helping as we install the condenser on the roof.

Lars is preparing some of the pipes for soldering.

Lars in the compressor room.

Some of the evaporator pipes we have installed.

The cold room being prepared by another company.

Lars and I then had to go do a service job in Helsingborg in an office building.

Helsingborg near Kärnan tower

Later I had to go and replace a filter and recharge a "Steam Roller" with refrigerant and make sure all was functioning to specs.

To me these machines will always be "Steam Rollers" from cartoon days.

Lars back in the office after a hard days work.

Charlotte going over a days scheduled job.

It is now Friday and in Sweden on this particular day of the year it is Waffle Day.  We are having our neighbors over for Swedish waffles.  I have also decided that everyone should wear hats and change them throughout the evening just for fun.  I supplied the hats.

Setting the table.

Lars being greeted by his buddy Ralle.

Agneta preparing the waffle batter.

Enjoying each others company.

Ready to eat and drink.

Oh, by the way John Zavala, can you spot your picture in the background?

We are having a great time.

Lars and Charlotte.  Swedish Mexicans?

Winding down.

On the weekend Neta and I took Ralle for a walk and enjoyed the sunny crisp weekend.

Going towards Mölle.

Krapperup Castle

Krapperup Castle Work Barn

Krapperup Castle Moat

Looking towards Kullaberg Mölle

Near Mjöhult

The following week we went back to the Crematorium to continue work.  Work was being done on the glass window high atop the dome at the Crematorium.  I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to go up the scaffolding and take pictures.

It was an interesting climb

Following are some views from the top.

The Belfry Tower

An Angel above the smoke stack to carry you to Heaven

A moat surrounds the Crematorium

Repair work on the glass dome top

Evaporators in the cold room

The top of the dome from inside

As we left work this friday at the crematorium I took these pictures.  We will be back on Monday.  I feel a sort of reverence during my time here.  It is hard not to be affected by the funerals that happen during the day here.  I also met a priest here and during our conversation in my imperfect Swedish he said that he spoke better Spanish than English.  Well I began to speak Spanish with him.  He was very impressed to have found someone there with whom he could speak Spanish.  He had spent 8 years in Mexico and in Central America.

The Belfry tower

This weekend we will take some more outings and some more photos.  Sunday we take Ralle to his second mother for a grooming.  He is going to be beautified.

Bosse the cat

Bosse has been a cat you could set your clock by!  Until recently, with just one exception.  Last May we had plans to drive to Uppsala to pick up some stuff too large to fit in our car.  Reserved a mini van for the week end but when it was time to go and pick up the van there was NO cat.  We waited breathlessly, worried terribly, NO cat.  Well, happy ending!  Several hours later he came strolling back or I should say running.  Along our very busy street he came, from the direction of Mjöhult a little village a couple of miles away.  At the time he reappeared we had cancelled the van as we did not want to leave not knowing where Bosse was, nor did we want to pay the rental fee and not go.  So, our plans were messed up.  "Darned" cat!!

We have not had any incidents like that until just recently.  Admittedly he is getting braver and is changing his hours to go hunting and is probably adventuring farther away.  He never used to be out at night, now it is his preferred working time "the night shift"!  But every morning he'd be sitting outside the glass door in the kitchen unless it was so windy that he'd fly off the "stone foot" and yea, that happens more often than I can count.  Bosse is a cat who lives in a wind mill after all.

He is a great hunter!  Mice be aware!  Though now he must have decided to go hunting for more than mice whatever that can be since he is "fixed".  Bosse the cat must have spring fever!

A while back, and the first time in a series of such incidents, he went out as usual and did not come back for forty eight hours.  Woe the worried cat Mom.  Then a few days later  he "split" again and did not come back for a week.  Now the cat parents are fearful again.

What does one do when one is missing a pet I wondered, so I called the Veterinary office where we go. The answer was: call the police!  Interesting I thought since you hardly ever see police here.  Other than in pictures on the front page of the newspaper where they are dressed up in riot gear trying to keep football  aka soccer "fans" from killing each other.  Such diverse responsibilities.  Hooligan control vs. cat rescue.  Oh, well.  Whatever!  Calling these authorities I must say that I was met with utmost concern and caring.  They wanted all details such as complete description to ID number as he has a tattoo in his right ear for that purpose, phone numbers along with home address etc.  It felt good knowing if he was found by someone we could possibly get him back.  This time it took a week for him to return.  So, he knows the way, he has the address, knows where the next herring can be found and no I am not going to worry quite as much now.

Yes in the past we have had other cats that wondered away and returned.  One of them was gone "hunting" in the Almaden Hills for close to six months so we KNOW.  Yet we worry, wonder and fret, over and over, every time.  That is what pet ownership is about.  With the good and fun and pleasant part outweighing the bad, every time.

So, you wonder about the SPCA??  I do not think they exist here.  That will be another chapter, another time.

Presently Bosse is sleeping in one of his baskets with a full tummy.  Some ground beef, half a raw herring, a chunk of cooked chicken, a bit of Royal Canine "Instinctive" gourmet cat food and a slurp of heavy cream to top it off.  Short grooming session next  and now........... zzzzzzzzzzz  and purrrrrrr!

" Can Do " People ! ...... and more mill history

Local Newspaper Clipping

"One has so many dreams.  Perhaps  I can make one of them come true, no matter how impossible it seems"   (quote by Magnus Börjesson)

Local Newspaper Clipping

The above from a local newspaper article dated July 1991. This article features Magnus Börjesson and his then girl friend Annika Persson who were in the midst of renovating the mill in which we now live.  The mill was built in 1887 according to this article by Tuve Ryss as he was called due to the fact that he came from Rysshusen in Kattarp parish.  The Russmill (Ryssmöllan) had a "sibling" early on but the other mill burned down after being struck by lightening.  The Russmill had been attacked by fire also, long ago, when the owner of Gunnestorps mill actually set this mill on fire due to the fact that he wanted to reduce the competition.  A deed he admitted on his deathbed according to the article. Pretty exciting stuff!  Both the mills on this property was owned and driven by Sigvard Johansson  as well as his father, they stopped using it for milling in 1975.  Sigvard was a miller for fifty years. He started working in mills at the age of fourteen, and he felt that working in a mill was a better job than working for a farmer.  He ran this mill from 1950 until 1976.  After that the mill stood unused and was close to going to reck and ruin, with the people in the neighborhood wishing it would be torn down.
Had it not been for Magnus who around year 1986, filled with optimism, and never a thought of "the impossibility" the mill would be no more.  With the communities blessing he purchased the building for 10,000 Swedish Crowns (about $1,500 at the time) and started his renovation, finding out that the job would take thousands of hours and seemingly endless various stages to complete.  The mill still stands, I would suggest very much due to Magnus and Annika, as a reminder of how things were "long ago", it still stands where it belongs, still part of this  Scanian landscape.

Local Newspaper Clipping

We had the pleasure of meeting Magnus parents the other night as we had been invited to  a wonderful dinner gathering.  As so often in my experience I  can not but be  impressed by and in awe of the enormous influence ones upbringing and ones parents have on the attitude one develops.  Magnus and his brother (as well as a sister) grew up in a household where I am quite sure  they learned that next to nothing was impossible.  These are people who are not afraid of hard work.  Share their skills and knowledge, have visions beyond what most folks would contemplate.  I am stoked and impressed.
We were allowed to borrow several articles regarding Magnus and Annikas venture, articles published in various newspapers, so I am still reading............ one of them starts out by saying: "Annika met us, just out of the shower!  The shower consists  of a hose with cold running water out back behind the mill, where the outhouse also was located at the time.

Annika and Magnus joined us for dinner a while back, something we talked about in our blog shortly after the event.  They then told us stories about living here when there was no water available in the house at all.  Water from the well only, out in the yard, a well that Magnus dug himself.  So water was carried up into the kitchen / living quarters by the bucket full.  Then the same procedure in reverse, the dirty water was carried down and dumped!  At that time there were ladders to climb rather  than stairs.  Magnus is a self taught carpenter, learning as he went.  The renovation project included building  new windows for this mill single handedly.  The top or cupola was removed and totally renovated as it was badly damaged by weather and wind, once completed  the seven ton piece was put back in place with the help of a crane, the top story, the fifth floor intended to be used as a library.  Originally Magnus just worked on the renovation part time, as on week ends and after work.  Eventually however he took time off from his ordinary job working in a print shop so he could devote all his time to the rebuilding project.

The Mill Today

We are glad he did save this old mill as we truly enjoy living in this very special place with all its ups and downs !

Today Magnus who continued working in the "building business" after his experience of reconstructing the decayed mill makes / creates / rebuilds / repairs reed and straw roofs.  A field that was close to defunct at one time.  If I recall correctly he told us that when he learned the craft there were just a handful of such artisans here in southern Sweden.  Today there are upwards of forty or so. Those roofs are not only extremely beautiful but also amazingly durable lasting upwards of fifty years if properly cared for and maintained.

From Magnus Börjesson's web page
http://www.vasstak.se/

So, back to the "Can Do" attitude of this family who still "Does"!  They are a family of boat builders, house builders, artists, cooks, mechanics, interior designers, and not to forget car manufacturers with a Morgan currently in production.  Totally handmade.  Well not the engine I suppose.

And now......  Time for "Fat Tuesday Buns" as lent is upon us once more.........  do you want one?  Are you jealous?

Photo courtesy of Flickr Blog by "Frugan"

 As I sit here ready to end this chapter I might add that this seemingly endless winter is still going strong!  It is snowing outside.  Last night it haled like crazy, totally covering the ground with loads of icy little pellets.  We have had winter here since the end of October - the break in sunny California in January is fading as a hazy memory.  Now, just having read Tom's last blog entry: " Musings of a slowly rotting mind "  with Ben as the lead character,  with his comments about bathing in a hot spring and / or rolling in the snow on the same day......... well - who wondered about jealousy?