Våffeldagen or waffle day

Våffeldagen or waffle day is a day on which the Swedes, real sweet tooths, bake waffles for their family.

The funny thing is that the day actually originated from a corruption of the word “Vårfrudagen” or Maiden’s Day, the day on which Mary received the message that she would give birth to the baby Jesus. The day that in the Christian religion is called the Annunciation to Mary or Mary’s message. Until the Middle Ages it was even the beginning of the new year in various countries. In England even until 1752.

In many Swedish dialects “Vårfrudagen” was corrupted to Vaffeldag and that is an old form of Våffla or waffle. And so Mary’s message became waffle day …. You can read the above in the nice book by Jan-Öjvind Swahn: “Svenska Traditioner” in Swedish, but now also in English (and German).

Another explanation is that the Swedes celebrate the beginning of spring on March 25. After a long winter, there is plenty of milk and fresh eggs again. And with the last bit of flour, they bake waffles and thus herald the spring. In addition to the waffles, there is of course delicious sylt och vispgrädde or jam and whipped cream.

If you visit the Bolmen island near us and you take the ferry on the way to that really nice loppis on the island, you will pass a place where they bake delicious waffles in the summer. You can’t miss it because there is only one main road on the island.

The pets in Gula Huset

Cats& dogs: Tom, Moppie, Bo, Moos, Mats, and Maan

When we left the Netherlands 6 years ago, the 2 dogs Moppie and Bo and the tomcat Tom came with us.

Tom soon found a spot in the front garden. There he looked out over the street and was regularly cuddled by neighbours who walked by. One was his favourite, he often saw him coming from far away and then went straight to meet him, he came back in Lennart’s arms and after many cuddles and a treat they parted again. So nice to see. He was a very social cat, loved by many! Unfortunately he is no longer with us. He found his last spot at the water well where he liked to sit on top. And the grandchildren painted a beautiful stone for him.

Moppie and Bo are happy with their own part of the garden. They have a fenced-off area behind the house where they can run around freely, dig (Bo) and lie in the sun (Moppie). In the winter, Moppie likes to play in the snow, while Bo really likes his cushion, so inside. They are both very social dogs and really enjoy the attention they sometimes get from the guests (their property borders the “parking lot” for the guests). Once a day they go out with their owner, their daily round through the village. On the way they sometimes come across deer, foxes and hedgehogs, which you can bark at and then they run away. Too bad for them, but fortunately for the deer etc. And often one of the cats walks along.

5 years ago Moos came to live with us, born on a farm nearby. Even though he was only 8 weeks old when he came to us, it was almost impossible to keep him inside. A very enterprising cat that regularly sat high in the tree, liked to play with the guests and became a friend for Tom. He was a cheerful, lively cat, very present, but now that he is a you-know-what tomcat, he is a lot less cheerful and sometimes even grumpy. To cheer him up a bit, we thought we would find him a friend because he probably misses Tom….

At Katthemmet (animal shelter for cats) in Halmstad we found Mats and Maan (formerly Timon and Pumba), almost 2 years old, used to dogs and used to being outside. They are brothers so it was a wish to take them both. And we didn’t really think that was a problem. We went to meet them on Saturday and took a crate with us as a precaution. The introduction to the two went so well that we took them with us right away. We were able to keep them inside for a while, but it was almost summer so the doors and windows were open.

Mats is a very enterprising, naughty and curious cat and a great charmer! He loves attention and cuddling. He likes to investigate everything and then sometimes something goes wrong. We find him in the craziest places, in a basket, bag or on top of a shelf between all kinds of stuff. He is also able to open doors himself, so we warn our guests in advance to lock the door if they don’t like that.

Maan, on the other hand, is a bit mystical, lives up to his name and likes to be outside at night, does his own thing. A few years ago, one of our daughters made a tent for Moos, but he hasn’t used it much. Maan, on the other hand, finds it a nice place to retreat to. When the dogs are let out in the morning, Maan is already waiting to go inside and enjoy his kibble. Every morning in a fixed spot.

We really enjoy our animals, during the day but also in the evening with a cat on our lap and the rest curled up around us. In general, the guests are also charmed by the cats, they walk through the entire house while the dogs don’t come upstairs.

Deer regularly walk across the driveway or across the road.
A hedgehog lives in the bushes and sometimes Mr. Fox walks through the street.
And every now and then, on the way to Halmstad or Ljungby, you suddenly see a moose crossing the road. All that wildlife around and sometimes so close, it remains a special experience.

Astrid Lindgrens Näs

Astrid Lindgrens Näs

I am and will remain a big fan of everything Astrid Lindgren wrote and of the special person she was. With our children we visited Astrid’s Värld in Vimmerby years ago. There you can easily run into Pippi, Emiel or Ronja, wonderful recognition. Soon we will go with the grandchildren …..

The museum

Astrid Lindgren’s Näs is a museum, built on the grounds where she grew up, the red house is still there in a beautiful garden. At the end of August, when the B&B was a little less busy, we took a trip with the camper and I had wanted to go there for a long time. So off to Näs.
The house has been in the family’s possession since 1895. Until 1965 it was run as a farm. Astrid’s brother Gunnar was the last farmer on Näs. In 1965, Gunnar and Astrid bought the farm together and to this day the farm is owned by the family and can be visited during a guided tour.

Astrid Lindgrens geboortehuis
Astrid Lindgrens birthplace

At Näs, Astrid first heard stories in the kitchen of Kirsten, the cook, when the children tumbled into the kitchen after playing. It stirred something in her…. At Näs, the life she later describes in Bolderburen takes place. A good life in safety and togetherness.
The museum is spacious and light, you will find all kinds of things about the life of the writer. Her stories, but also everything about the culture and nature lover that she also was.

She found culture very important, also for children. There are many photos and very original are the statements of her embroidered on canvases, which hang on a wall. Of course you will find all her books there. There are many photos of Astrid, as a writer and storyteller, but also of her life outside of writing, outside the spotlight. It takes time to read everything…….

The garden

The garden is arranged as it was during the life of Astrid and her family: in “rooms” where each room has its own theme that is connected to something that Astrid Lindgren found important, as a growing child and as a storyteller.

You will find a rose garden, apple and plum trees and animals such as chickens and rabbits. On the grounds there is also a small exhibition space where when we were there there was an exhibition by a young artist who used old books and finds, very nice.

You can find more about Astrid’s life at Näs at astridslingrensnas.se

Breakfast at Mooi Gula Huset

Mooi Gula Huset ontbijt

e are always busy preparing and serving a nice breakfast but never actually take the time to capture it. It’s great that our guests do and that we can now also show our breakfast:

  • homemade muesli of roasted nuts and oatmeal
  • homemade sesame seed and poppy seed rolls (or country bread)
  • homemade jam (this time raspberries and strawberries)
  • cheese and ham from companies in the area
  • and of course coffee, tea, juices and fruits

All this served on our hand-painted forget-me-not tableware.

In the meantime, the well at the house has also been repaired and can last for years. The wood had decayed so much that very little of it could be reused. But the well is part of the house and we have rebuilt it. Now the water level is still low here, but soon it will be full of water again!!!!

Mooi Gula Huset – water well

Astrid Lindgren

Astrid Lindgren never violence

Pippi Longstocking

Are there people who don’t know who that is?? Probably, but here in Sweden very few, I think. Every year a reprint of her work is published here and that has been the case since 1945, when Astrid Lindgren’s first book about Pippi Longstocking was published.

This writing came about after seeing the film “Becoming Astrid”, a film about the young Astrid and which gives a beautiful and clear picture of her struggle to become who she eventually became. And she has interested me ever since I saw Pippi on TV as a girl, followed it again with our children and now with my grandchildren.

Her books, the ones that have been translated, are almost all on the bookcase, have been read to endlessly and now that I have mastered reading Swedish a little, I can read the original and the untranslated edition that is in our nice, small library here in Lidhult. In addition, we live in Småland, where most of her children’s books are set.

Astrid Lindgren’s life

Astrid Ericsson was born on 14-11-1907 in Näs, a small community near Vimmerby in Småland. She enjoyed a happy childhood on her parents’ farm, together with her brother and 2 sisters. As a young woman she struggled with her religious upbringing and the prevailing norms of the 1920s. At 18 she became pregnant by the owner of the newspaper she worked for, he wanted to marry, she did not. She left for Stockholm to train as a secretary and to get away from the gossip. As a single parent she could not take care of her son and she placed him with a foster mother in Copenhagen and later for a while with her parents in Näs. When Astrid married her great love Sturre Lindgren in 1931 they were finally able to start a family where a few years later another daughter was born.

Astrid was 37 when Pippi Longstocking was born. The name Pippi Longstocking was invented by daughter Karin who wanted to hear stories about Pippi Longstocking during a long illness. Such a special name calls for a special girl, Astrid thought, and that is what she became.

Publishers initially thought it was a strange book and did not want to publish it. But when it won first prize in a children’s book writing competition by publisher Raben&Sjögren, the floodgates opened and Pippi and her creator became a world hit. Last year Pippi celebrated her 75th birthday!!

Astrid Lindgren continued to write until old age, 85, sometimes several books a year and many of them are still available today. Here in Sweden, a beautiful new edition of “Mio my Mio” has just been published. She wrote 35 reading books, 41 picture books, translated into 100 languages ​​and to date about 165 million have been sold. In addition, she wrote the necessary articles, commentaries in the newspapers and plays/stage adaptations of her books.

Astrid wrote for the child in herself, she always said. Astrid has always stood up for the rights of the child and the animals.

Today, the Astrid Lindgren Company, together with Save the Children, is committed to children and especially girls in developing countries through the program Pippi of today.

Astrid Lindgren biography and museum

And then ….. the biography of Astrid Lindgren by Jens Andersen “Deze dag, een leven” gives a beautiful picture of the writer with many photos, interviews and material from the writer herself. The film “Becoming Astrid” can be found on NPO plus, and a lot of information can be found on the official website of the Astrid Lindgren Company.

In addition to the film about the young Astrid, there is also a beautiful and cheerful ballet made by Pär Isberg about Pippi, Tommy and Annika, in which the composer makes very nice use of the original music from the Pippi films. The ballet can still be found on YouTube or in the archive of the SVT.

If you ever have the opportunity, visit Astrid Lindgren’s Varld in Vimmerby, the place where she grew up. We did it a long time ago with our children, and it was a great success. In many places in the park, short pieces from the books are played, albeit in Swedish, but if you know the books, that’s no problem.

Or Junibacken in Stockholm, where, in addition to the characters from Astrid’s books, other well-known Swedish children’s books can be found. Furthermore, the apartment at Dalagatan 46 in Stockholm where Astrid always lived is a small museum. She lived here from 1941 until her death in 2002. Much of her work can also be found in the beautiful Royal Library in Stockholm.

We have now been living in the land of Pippi and Astrid for a number of years, who would have thought of that when I first saw and read Pippi???

“I’ve never done it before, so I think I can do it!”

Pippi Longstocking!

The Mooi Tova felt workshops

viltworkshops bij Mooi Tova

Felting is a way of making fabric that has been practiced for over 3,000 years. Today it has been rediscovered and is used in many forms. And you can learn these technics at the Mooi Tova felt workshops.

It remains amazing how you can make beautiful things from wool, water and soap. Adults and children often come up with surprising results.

At Mooi Tova you can felt at different levels. From very simple everyday things, such as covers for your phone, make-up or pencils to slippers, bags and even clothing.

This first season of Mooi Tova the emphasis is on starting with felting. But if you want something more than that, feel free to contact me and we will see what is possible.

Mail or ring (0046) 073-630 25 28 for more information about the Mooi Tova felt workshops.

Hoppas vi ses, Liesbeth

Årshultsmyren – a piece of untouched marshland

In the south-western part of Småland (now the province of Kronobergslän) there are a total of 33 nature reserves where you can walk and enjoy nature. Today we take a look at Årshultsmyren – a piece of untouched marshland, with well-maintained and beautiful hiking trails of 4 to 9 km.

Årshultsmyren is the largest untouched marshland in Kronobergslän. The reserve consists of various mosses and marshes with forested islands and lakes.

The 1,500 hectare reserve protects and preserves an extensive and largely untouched marsh complex together with the animals and plants that live there. Just west of Årshultsmyren lies Hunnsberget – from where you have a wide view over the landscape of the nature reserve with its marshes and forests.

Hunnsberget is the highest mountain in Ljungby municipality. This is where the legend of the shoemaker in Sutarestugan takes place: “once upon a time a shoemaker, called Sutaren, fled from the Danish soldiers. He hid in a small cave on the steepest side of the mountain. Every Danish soldier who climbed up, was knocked down.”

The marshland is typical of the rainy areas in the southwest of Småland. The marshlands consist of hollows surrounded by drier areas with tufts of grass. And the water forms moving carpets of marsh here and there.

Typical for the marshes are the white mosses. Other common plants are heather, bell heather, cotton grass, deer grass, the white beak sedge, and the insect-eating round-leaved sundew. Around Örsjön in the north and Kyrkängen in the south, the bell gentian grows, among other things. The islands are mainly home to conifers. Various species of birds also nest in this marshland, such as the curlew, wood sandpiper, golden plover, capercaillie, black grouse and cranes.

Enjoy your walk through Årshultsmyren – a piece of untouched marshland, and up hill Hunnsberget.

On this day 5 years ago

5 years Mooi Gula Huset

“And suddenly you just know it’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings”

5 years ago, 31-01-2019, we finally left the Netherlands late in the morning. A lot of stuff had already been moved over time, but our Volkswagen bus was still full to the brim. Not least with the last stuff, but also with the dogs, Moppie and Bo and our cat Tom, who started new adventures with us. Due to some last-minute hassle in Zutphen, we only managed to drive early in the afternoon. Partly because of that, we only drove up the road to Lidhult in the early morning of February 1. A beautiful full moon shone on the white world around the yellow house. Our adventure had begun.

Cleaning up and organizing

The weeks that followed, we mainly spent cleaning up and furnishing and getting the rooms for the B&B in order. One of the rooms upstairs has blue wallpaper and that is the inspiration for the names of the rooms. The blue room will be the Bohuslän room, decorated with blue accents, for 2 people. The other 2-person room will be the Dalarna room. This one has Faluröd on the wall, and further furnishings with Dalarna accents including 2 chairs and a table with the traditional Kurbits motifs. Our spacious family room will be the Skåne room with natural yellow on the wall. The common room, where the tables for breakfast are also located, will be furnished as much as possible with furniture from our “Mooi-Inredning assortment”. But maybe more about that later.

The first guests of Mooi Gula Huset

And then on April 12, 2019 we welcome our first guests, 3 cyclists and 2 motorcyclists. Nice! That first year we welcome 12 different nationalities, we have nice and very occasionally a less nice encounter and we become more and more skilled in running the B&B Mooi Gula Huset. We discover that we are located on a well-known cycling route, the Banvallsleden. A cycling route straight through southern Sweden on old railways. We also welcomed many cyclists. There also appear to be nice roads in the area for motorcyclists. The breakfast, coffee/tea with freshly baked bread, homemade jam and muesli is much appreciated.

De ontbijttafel bij Mooi Gula Huset B&B
Breakfast at Mooi Gula Huset B&B

And then, in the second year, Corona strikes worldwide, bookings are cancelled and travelling becomes very difficult in Europe. Fortunately for us, there are few restrictions in Sweden and many Swedes travel in their own country that summer. Great for us. The Danes and Germans follow a little later and our year was not that bad.

People looking for a place to stay overnight or to enjoy the area a little longer now know where to find us. Even people from the village use our B&B if they do not have the space for guests or family, very nice. Friends and family come by regularly and some just pitch their tent in the garden. That is also possible.

The garden

The enormous garden around the house is slowly taking shape again. We soon put up a small greenhouse for tomatoes and peppers. And every year more containers for vegetables are added. In the meantime, we also have a plum tree, a pear tree and 2 new apple trees next to the existing apple trees. There is more and more space in the grass for just paths so that all kinds of animals can find a place in the tall grass and different flowers appear everywhere. In the spring, almost the entire garden is blue with star hyacinths and snow glory, yellow and orange with hawkweed and mouse ears in the summer, next to various other summer bloomers. Nice for bouquets in the rooms. Every now and then deer appear to nibble on the vegetable garden, but that is part of it. And also the hedgehog that makes the mistake of crawling under the fence to the dog area and has to be rescued again. The dogs have their own area where they can run to their heart’s content and lie in the sun.

Tom liked to sit on the well or in his spot in the front garden where he could see everything well and could be cuddled by various people. He was a very social cat. Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to Tom in April 2023 and he now lies in his favorite spot by the well. Moos, our “Swedish cat” now occasionally takes over Tom’s task.

The old water well

5 years Mooi Gula Huset, now we are at the beginning of the sixt year …….

“May the year ahead be bright with possibilities”

Välkommen! Welcome!

Sagomuseet Ljungby: in the heart of the land of legends

Stories have always been around, they were told when everyone had finished work and gathered around the fire. The first stories date back to long before our era and by continuing to tell them we know that.

Around 1800 it was still very common for people to tell each other stories around the fire after work, but a century later this had almost completely disappeared, replaced by the written word and later, when technology advanced, by radio, film and TV.

Around the 1980s it seemed that the most original form of culture, that of the spoken word, was disappearing. But suddenly stories were told again, at festivals, in storytelling cafes etc., all over the western world.

In Småland, in the area around Ljungby, many sagas and legends still lived among the people and many well-known and even famous storytellers lived there. Many stories had already been documented since 1800, as a result of which the Sagomuseet was opened here in 1990. The museum is the heart of a large area in which all kinds of legends have their origins, often in the midst of beautiful nature and in special places.

It is a beautifully decorated small museum. You will find well-known and lesser-known sagas from the area, beautifully designed by textile artist Mia Einarsdotter and painter and sculptor Kjell Sundberg. There is a lot of attention to detail and you can pull strings, open drawers. Suddenly a song sounds or a dog barks. And if you walk around the rooms again, new details will stand out. And worth a visit for young and old, especially if you like stories! Every year just before midsummer they organize a large storytellers festival with participants from all over the world.

Since November 2018, the Sagomuseet Ljungby has been on the UNESCO list of intangible heritage.

Danska Fall

Every time we drive back home from Halmstad we see the sign “Danska Fall”, a nature reserve with waterfalls, in the village of Simlangsdålen. Last week we drove there once. It was warm and the water and forest offer nice cooling.

From the Gula Huset it is about a twenty minute drive and that road is also worth it, especially now that the verges are yellow with broom, beautiful. At the parking lot there are various information boards about everything that lives, grows and blooms there, and that is very diverse.

When we get out of the car we can already hear the birds singing. Since there are 2 little people with us, we take the blue route of about 2.5 km and as is customary in our family, we walk the route against the grain. It is a fairytale forest, there are elf benches, and everywhere holes with bright green moss in old fallen trees, gnome holes perhaps?

The forest is known for its diversity of mosses, lichens and plants. We discover places full of clovers, but we do not find a four-leaf clover, but we do find blueberries and we pick them. There are a lot of them throughout the forest. The trees are mainly beech and oak and very old, between 100 and 175 years old. The entire area is untouched because it is mainly left alone. The path is therefore far from smooth, many thick tree roots, stones, the ascent and descent make it a real challenge for children.

And then you hear the water… and it becomes noticeably cooler in the forest. This part is the lowest part of the Assman river, which falls down with a drop of 36 meters. Be careful where possible with your feet in the water. The stones together form a gigantic mosaic through which the river rushes. Then continue over bridges and stairs up to the real waterfall. The water falls down with a roar from different sides, a beautiful sight and very impressive. But it is a good thing that there is a high fence around it. Then down again, with an arc around a forest meadow with sleepy cows and a last bit through the beech forest and we are back at the car.

Back home we discover why it is called Danska Fall…. A sad story. The Danes lost the battle at Fyllebro, the gateway to Halmstad, and fled into the woods at Simllangsdålen. There they were found by the Swedes and forced onto a rotten bridge, the Danish soldiers fell down the waterfall.

Mooi Gula Huset
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