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Thursday, August 16, 2012

Why I love the summer house

Rag rugs, old mixed with new. History meeting modern life on the old wooden floors.
Old wallpapers in old houses - LOVE!
My grand father's brother Hans was a ceramic and glass artist, painter and gardener.
He built this house in the 60's and lived here alone all his life.
He never had any children but was very well known in this area outside Stockholm in the archipelago.

Old antique wooden chairs brings beauty to the different corners of the house.
These chairs should stay rustic and worn.
I find it incredibly charming with mixed china from auctions and thrift shops.
I have my own collection at home but they are all in blue and white shades. I'll show you some day.
Sleeping facilities are simple and small but who cares when you are on vacation.
Even a small sleeping space can be a paradise to wake up in.

A nap here and a nap there. That is a part of vacation. No chores. No stress. Only some granny making, swimming,
fishing, cooking, laughing and chillin'.  Late nights with vibrant conversations with my family - pure happiness that is.
Wild flowers...
A row of cousins in different shades; dark Elyas, blond Arvid and ginger Maya.
Too many chanterelles this year... Every day a basket full of this golden mushroom.
Mushroom pasta, mushroom sauce, butter sauteed mushrooms on toast. Yum!
Old bicycles ready to take you anywhere in the barn.
My family... They are all my family. Brave people taking a dip in the 20 degree water.
Big cousin Nelly (my oldest) helping cousin Arvid (my brother's oldest...) with his shoe.
The latest addition to the family is little Axel. 4 weeks old. Arvid's little brother. Darn cute!
My oldest LOVE fishing. She has been fishing every morning, day, evening for 2 weeks straight... 
Here a little spike that we unfortunately could not save as he gulped the lure. And next to the big fish a smaller perch.
Lots of good food on big plates serving a family of at least 12 people...
My greatest and most loved treasure find this year. This neckless is making me a beauty every day now.
2 dollars in a local market. Silver it is...
Stockholm's archipelago is fantastic. Especially when Emmy dances on the dock in Grisslehamn.


We came home around midnight last night. The air was sticky like in the Mediterranean, 27 degrees celsius... totally unexpected.

I started out this day with a bare feet stroll through my garden. The stone paths were wet and cold from the nights rain (!!!), the garden is stunning in full bloom. My first attempt of planting flowers is starting to pay off and it makes me happy. The vegetable garden is full of fruit to be picked; tomatoes, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, the second row of green beans, lettuce, cucumber...

I have just unpacked roughly, started a load of laundry (light colors), cuddled with Charlie the cat and moved him back into the house. We slept long, in our own beds with our own pillows and blankets. The house is clean, everything seems to have a totally different meaning after being away for two weeks. I suddenly see solutions for storage and organization instead of helpless problem zones. I feel energized.

But I have to tell you - I am so so soooo in love with our summerhouse this year! More than ever before I have noticed the beauty in the old and worn, mixed and matched, the simplicity, the rustic, the real. This years family get together was exceptionally filled with love and laughter. At times we were up to 19 people in the house. Big dinners. Baking. Swimming in the bay. We have our own little beach... Lots of fishing. Mushroom picking - WOW what a mushroom picking year!!! There were just to much of it. We had to stop. And most of all I am happily surprised to see all the cousins just instantly, within seconds, run around and play all together. Family is so special indeed.

I think we can all agree that Rosendalen (Rose Valley), the summer house, is our happy place. Next year I will aim for a 3 weeks stay there. But for now I am browsing through the photos taken, remembering every moment, every second of it. I am smiling and feeling filled up with unconditional love from my brothers, parents and friends. I want to stay on top of this wave for a while now. I have new ideas. New goals I want to set for myself, my family and my marriage. Vacation has been great and now I am happy to be back home. This is a perfect time to start something new. A habit, a change, a project... It is good to be home!

Kärlek
Annette

PS Thank you for popping in even though I haven' been here. Lovely! I'll catch up with you all soon. ♥♥♥



19 comments:

  1. for sure you had a great holiday with your big family!!!
    nice to have you back Annette!!!
    xxxx Alessandra

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  2. Beautiful wallpaper, beautiful sheets - a summer in Sweden in Sweden is something to experience one day! Your Rose Valley is me and my sis's little Hartenbos Huisie on the southern coast of South Africa.

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  3. Your post absolutely took my breath away. Beautiful!

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  4. Your post today touched my heart. Every word.

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  5. How lovely! The house. The family. The water. The nap!! :) Welcome home!
    xoxo Debbie

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  6. Your pictures have warmed me all the way to my heart and soul. So glad you are having such a perfect summer with your family. All those children are a real treasure!

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  7. It looks as if you had a GREAT vacation!! Love your photo's. Groetjes, Gerda

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  8. Ojoj, vilken semester ni har haft! Den känslan kan man leva på länge!
    Kram på dig!

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  9. So glad you had such a wonderful time, thanks so much fro taking us along so we could see the beautiful place you stayed.
    Hugs and welcome home,
    Meredith

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  10. Your very own little bit of heaven, just perfect! I'm pleased you had such a relaxing time! Ada :)

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  11. Åhhh... så mycket härliga sommarbilder... man blir ju alldeles sjuk av att se dom och längtar tillbaka till sommaren.

    Eller tillbaka... sommaren är väl egentligen inte riktigt slut än, men det känns så nu när de flesta börjar jobba igen.

    Ja ja... fantastiskt härligt ser det ut på dina bilder i alla fall!

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  12. what a lovely holiday you have had! I can only imagine. The house is lovely especially the glass window, very unusual. I love coloured glass. The picture of Stockholm looked fantastic, as did all of it really. Great to come back with renewed vision and optimisim. Love the pendant by the way! Heather x

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  13. wow it all looks so wonderful & peaceful & happy, so glad you had such a nice holiday
    Karen x

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  14. Oh ada. That was a breath of fresh air! Thank you. X

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  15. HOLA ANNETTE,GRACIAS POR DEJARNOS CONOCER UN LUGAR TAN BONITO!!POR MOMENTOS MIENTRAS TE LEÍA ESTABA EN ESE LUGAR,HERMOSA FAMILIA,BENDICIONES

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  16. Beautiful photos, thanks for sharing.
    irene
    xxxx

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  17. De billeder fik mig til at ønske mig tilbage til Sverige.......det er alt for længe siden sidst....

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  18. The nacklace is just gorgious. I have the same hair colour as your cousin Maya, you don't see that very often :-)
    Esther.

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  19. How blissfully perfect...lucky you!! Thanks for sharing!

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Thank you so much for visiting my world. I love reading your comments and I do my utterly best to respond to questions and sweet messages. Thank you again for popping by.

Kärlek
Annette

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