Two days in a row where I’ve had occasion to say “Rabbit rabbit rabbit” …that only happens once a year, if at all. Today is May 1st, a holiday here in Europe (it’s Labor Day) and yesterday was Valborgsmässoafton, or Walpurgis Eve in English, which isn’t a day off, but is cause for a traditional celebration here in Sweden regardless. That makes today a double holiday as it is also the feast day for Saint Walpurgia, who would probably be astonished and gratified to learn that her name is still a part of the calendar and that many parts of Europe still gather to build bonfires to ward off evil spirits and witches, since she was sainted for battling “pest, rabies, and whooping cough, as well as against witchcraft” (according to Wikipedia).
I don’t know that any of us around our yearly bonfire were thinking about witches at all, though. We have been gathering at our friends’ Mats and Annelott’s home for years now, grilling hotdogs, chatting with people we only see on this particular night once a year, and staring, mesmerized, into the flames. Every time the smoke from the fire came my way, I said “Rabbit rabbit rabbit” to turn it aside. The weather this entire week, including today, has been HEAVENLY. Completely solid blue skies, sunshine, warming temperatures, though still chilly. Spring is definitely here, as evidenced by the sudden wave of neon-green leaves and grass across every vista. Karin came with us (which dropped the median age drastically) and it was just a nice, relaxing evening after a sad afternoon.
Anders and I left the house at 11:30 am and picked up both Martin and Karin in Malmö and drove down to Höllviken for our friend Ola’s memorial. There were probably 100 people there, and Debbie, his wife and my good friend, gave a very moving speech about him and his place in the world. We hugged and talked to people, everyone in jeans and bright colors as the family had requested, because Ola “was a jeans kind of guy”. They served a simple barbeque meal and coffee with märangswiss, which was Ola’s favorite dessert (ice cream with sugary meringues and chocolate sauce), and we sat in the sun by the harbor and wished he was there. They had books for people to write memories in, and photos up around the edges of the locale, and a bulletin board where you could write an adjective that applied to Ola for the family to make something of later. It was really nice to see so many people gathered together because of him. He was such a genuinely kind, fun, helpful man.
Today is the first day of a 3-day weekend, and I took full advantage (after waking up to say “Rabbit rabbit rabbit” for the first of the month), by lazing in bed forEVER, before getting up, showered, dressed, fed, and then tackling chores. I’m on the second load of laundry and have cleaned both bathrooms, emptied wastebaskets, and washed dishes. It’s beautiful again, so I might go sit in the sun outside on the deck, which is all set up since last weekend with furniture. Anders is working on the MG, as he has plans to drive to a veteran car market tomorrow. My only other plans this weekend are to possibly to take the gargoyle print in for reframing, and pick up new bathmats, and birthday shop for my husband, whose birthday is at the end of next week. We also have to file our Swedish taxes.
Otherwise, I’m looking forward to just relaxing and recharging, so that I can face the next week of work with a steady frame of mind.
Mood: productive
Music: Maggie Rose—Under the Sun