August

I had 2 weeks in Göteborg, one of which I was really sick with the flu, the other enjoying time with friends, before heading back to England, for Immanuel's blessing. This time I spent 5 days with the Hammersmith Furbanks and had another lovely time, even though I got another coldsore! It was gone though before I left, so I got some kisses in on my last day :) This time round we had more trips to the park, shopping, baking, lots of hugs and fun with the children and an evening at the cinema with Jared.

On the Sunday it was Immanuel's blessing. It was a lovely day with a lot of the family and friends. It is always nice to meet up with the Jensen side of the family, they are all lovely, but we don't see them often enough.

It was also to spend the day with my family, even if it was only for a short time!

It was harder to say good bye than I thought it would be, I left the the Hammersmith Furbank's in tears, as I had to bid farewell to them, I will miss them so much.

I think part of it was also the thought of an uncertain future, and not knowing what was awaiting me back in Sweden.

I want to stay in Göteborg, but didn't have a job to go back too.

I have been occupying my time looking for a job and spending time with friends and the missionaries

July

I thought June went by quickly, but I don't know where July and August went and now we're at the end of September!

It is always the way when you are busy you don't have the time to write, so I'm now taking a Sunday afternoon to catch up before I forget what I have been up to!

July

I spent a week on the island of Gullholmen, with Pernilla, Per, Viggo and Melker. It is a beautiful island and Viggo and I did a lot of exploring together - well he showed me the island because he already knows it so well :)

Unfortunately Melker had the chicken pox while I was there (which he had caught from Viggo who had them before they went away!) so someone had to stay at home with him all the time - we took it shifts.

The main reason I was there was to babysit on Saturday 16th while Pernilla and Per went to Per's 40th birthday party - Pirate theme. In the morning I made pirate cup cakes for the children's party in the afternoon (so they didn't feel left out) Then I took Viggo to the Party. It was so much fun, I wish I had taken my camera! Everyone was dressed up as pirates and they had a proper treasure hunt - with a big map, going over rocks, wading through the sea and digging up a treasure chest on the beach, followed by a picnic, also on the beach! I just thought it was an amazing experience for all the children that participated.

It was then my birthday on the 19th and I had organised a BBQ back in Göteborg. I had a lot of fun and hope all who were there also enjoyed it :)

Amber and Allan had come up the night before from Denmark and Amber helped me get everything ready. We had good food - everything made from scratch of course, and good company:)

Then on the 21st I flew home, where I had a birthday surprise waiting for me. I missed some of it due to my delayed flight, but I got picked up at the train station by Ben and was taken straight to The Print Room in Bournemouth, where Mama, Natalie, Felicity and Josh were waiting for us. They had already had dinner (the part I missed) but I got there just as the first song was being played by a live band which was great. We had a lovely evening of singing and dancing and it was great to be together as a family - shame Papa had meetings and couldn't be there!

I was at FHQ (Furbank Head Quaters) for a week and it was so nice to just be at home and see family and friends.

The second weekend was spent up in Oxtead with Nathan and his family for Fintan's baptism. It was a lovely day with all the family followed by a BBQ at Nathan and Abbies.

It was a lovely day and we had fun and games in the garden. It was so nice later in the evening to see all the cousins dancing together in their pyjamas, before everyone went their separate ways. It reminded me of when I was younger and we did so much and had lots of fun with our cousins :)

I then went to Hammersmith to spend time with Jared, Genevieve and their lovely little family :) I spent 2 days there and had some more fun, going to the parks and enjoying the lovely weather, enjoying hugs with all the Children, including the newest addition, who didn't have a name yet! I couldn't kiss any of them though because I had a huge coldsore.

I then returned to Nathan and Abbies where I thought I would have a whole day with them, but thanks to Papa, who bought to light that my flight was actually a day earlier than I thought, so had to pack and leave!

June

Wow, June came and went really quickly! It was a good month and I was quite busy, hence, not having anytime to write about it!

I have been on bike rides with my friend Michaela, who is originally from Berlin, but married a Swede in April and now we are exploring Göteborg together and making good use of the lovely weather. I have no picture from our adventures though!

On one of our trips we went to Delsjö, where I lost one of my Crocs in the mud at the bottom of the lake! We spent over an hour looking for it, but didn't find it!

Mid summers is celebrated big over here, so I joined in some of the festivities, dancing round a pole (which I always want to call a May pole!) singing traditional midsummers songs, picnic - followed by american football with the missionaries and some of their investigators!

In the evening I went to a party with friends on the island of Tjörn and had lots of lovely food and good company. Then I went home and Danielle, Emily and I had a sleep over. We made klad Kaka and stayed up far too late, but had fun.

Also in the month of June, our ward has had three baptisms, Elika, Happy and Kleber. The work is going really well thanks to the wonderful missionaries and all their dedication. Plus the institute centre here is a really good way to fellowship. It was sad to say goodbye to two of the missionaries last night - Sister Maxwell is heading home, and Elder Olsen is heading to Gubbängen!

May

In May I went to 3 different Temples in 3 different Countries in 3 consecutive weekends:)

At the beginning of May I went back to England for Amber and Allan's wedding, which was a wonderful day:) It started off with a lovely Brides breakfast, then the ceremony and reception at Poole chapel. I was the Authourised Person (registrar), my mother made their amazing cake:

My Aunt, Valerie made two of the Bridesmaids dresses:

And we ended the day at London Temple for their sealing:

Then the following weekend it was Utby ward and Göteborg stake YSA Temple trip to the Copenhagen, Denmark Temple:

Our bus left Göteborg at 7:30, we got to Copenhagen at 11:00 managed to do 2 sessions and then headed back home at 14:00.

Then the next weekend it was the Göteborg Stake Relief Society Temple trip to the Stockholm, Sweden Temple:

We had 2 buses picking people up from the stake on the way. We left at 8:30 on Friday morning, stopped half way for lunch and arrived at 16:00. We book into our rooms at the accommodation centre, did a session at 17:00 had dinner at 19:00 and then had a fireside done by the Stake Presidency and the Temple President. On Saturday morning we had breakfast between 6:30 - 7:30 and then I did another 2 sessions before lunch, packing and leaving at 14:00.

My Weekend

On Friday the YSA had an Easter activity, a bit early, but lots of fun. We went to the home of the Von Benzon Hollesen family in Allingsås, which is a town about 45 mins from Göteborg. They own a riding school, so we did some horse riding, egg painting, a member of the Stake Presidency spoke to us about how having a good attitude can help us in life, and we had lots of lovely food, a Påskbord (Easter Table) it was a really enjoyable evening:)

On Saturday, Per was away and Pernilla had to help with the spring clean at the school and then take Viggo to tennis. And as the weather was so nice I didn't want to stay in! So I took Melker to Slotskogen (The Palace Forest, it is a big park) for most of the day. He protested at first as he wanted to stay in and watch TV all day. But we went on the bus and the tram, which he likes.

When we got to Slotskogen we saw Seals, Penguins, Sheep, Deer, Pigs, Goats, Horses and ducks. We stopped at a cafe in the centre of the park and got a hot dog and ice-cream, and finished off by going to the park, he didn't want to come home! He told me that he had had a really fun day, and I said it was a good job we didn't stay in watching TV all day:)

On Sunday I had a good day at church, I am in Primary and it is fun to be with and learn from the children. They are practicing songs for Mothers Days (it is in May over here!) When I got home from church I sat in the garden with the boys for a while, then went to Shara's farewell, she leaves for the Salt Lake City, Temple Square Mission soon. It was a nice evening mingling with friends and meeting new people too.

Yesterday the weather was still nice so I rode into town to get a few things I needed, the rode back home and sat on the deck and had lunch with Pernilla. We sat there until I had to get the boys from school - we like being ladies of leisure and sitting in the sun:) I rode to get the boys from school and we were in the garden again when they got home. After dinner I rode to and from the Institute Centre for Home Evening.

I loved cycling so much yesterday, and wanted to ride somewhere today, but it is raining, and it's not so appealing any more! lol

Skiing Trip

Last week I went to Tandådalen, Sälen in the north of Sweden on a skiing trip. I wasn't sure if I was going to ski myself or just be there to help out with the children. We travelled up on Saturday, the drive took us a bout 7 hours, with stops for the children.

On Sunday and Monday I just sat in the sun and watched all the skiers. On Monday evening Viggo and I went for a walk into the forest and played in the deep snow. It was so nice to have the right gear and be out playing in the snow but still be dry and warmish when I got back:)

Viggo (5yrs) was sad that I wasn't skiing and worried that I was too bored sat around, he really wanted me to give it a go. After contemplating it I decided it would be a shame to be at a ski resort for a week and have the opportunity to ski, and not at least try it! So I hired ski's for the day on Tuesday.

Viggo was my teacher and he was so good. He told me step by step what I needed to do and I followed his every move.

After 2 trips down the mini slope with him, he then told me that I had to do it on my own and he would watch me. So I went off, on my own, amongst the children, and did a run on my own.

When I got to the bottom and asked Viggo how I did, he told me that I was very good and I was now ready for the big slopes! While I liked his enthusiasm for my progress I didn't quite agree!

I moved up to the next slope, a little longer, with more of an incline and this is my first run:

I quite proud of myself! I did a few runs on this slope, as much as my legs could bear! Then I sat in the sun for an hour while the boys were at ski school and Per & Pernilla went up the mountain. As things went well, I extended the hire of my skis for another 3 days.

On Wednesday we went to a different resort down the road that had a childrens slope through Trollskogen (The Troll Forest) it sounded like fun so we thought we would check it out.

We took the big chair lift up the mountain, where we had been reassured that the children could go from the top of the mountain because it had green slopes (Easy slopes, for thoses non skiers!) all the way down! Well, they were wrong!!!!

It was really windy at the top of the mountain and as I'm not a big fan of heights at the best of times I was a little worried before I even saw the slope. But I was telling myself that I could do it and that I had to do it, as I couldn't stay at the top of the mountain all day!

I started down the slope, following after (in order) Viggo - he was always the first one down any slope, he has no fear at all, Per, then Pernilla had Melker between her legs steering his skis. It was also icey, which meant more speed, and I wasn't happy about that, but I managed to steer for a while, until I looked up and notice how steep the slope actually was! So I steered myself to a stop at the side of the slope! To cut the story shorter - Per came to my rescue and I followed him down a bit further and then walked the last bit of that slope (it was a red slope!) We were still half way up the mountain, but the rest of the slopes through Trollskogen were fine and I enjoyed the rest:)

I spent the rest of the week on the children's slope, which was just fine for me:) I really enjoyed it and glad that I took the opportunity.

The weather was mostly sunny but windy, there was one day of snow, but not enough to keep us in! So I am very tanned on my face - I didn't wear googles or sun glasses, so I don't have the usual skier tan! lol

This is the group photo on the last day, just before we took our ski's back:

and the professionals, Pernilla and Per:

After our last ski we went to the pool to relax and then went over to some friends who had a lovley villa, ours was ok, but this one was privately owned, so it was a bit more luxurious! It had a really sweet grill house. It was round and had seating all the way around and reindeer skins to keep you warm. The grill was in the middle and all the smoke went right up the chimney. I could just imagine being tucked up in their on a cold winters night with family:) We had some really nice grill pork, that was cooked to perfection!

Spring is on it's way!

The snow is almost gone and we haven't had any for a while, so I think spring is on it's way!

While I loved the snow and winter, I am looking forward to Spring. It is so nice to have seasons and watch the world transform in each of them, and people with it.

The mornings are lighter which makes it easier to get up. And it is so nice to see the sunshine and clear blue skies and hear the birds singing. Spring brings with it a freshness and new life. Soon the flowers will be peering through the ground and the buds on the tress will be sprouting., and the weather will be warmer:)

This past week the temperatures have been between -4 and 0, so a little warmer in theory, but as there is more moisture in the air, it has felt colder and there has been a harsh wind! It's ok if you are in the sun, but the shade is arctic!

But it hasn't stopped me from being out and about. I have been walking around town and getting to know Göteborg and trying out the local cafes - there are a lot so I won't try all of them, but it's nice to feel like a local:)

I went up to the lake again, for the first time since the snow came. There was still snow but it was a lovely saturday so I wanted to be out side and enjoy the sun (at this time of year you have no idea how long it will be around!) The lake is still frozen, 50cm of ice, people were walking across it and ice skating. So I had my first experience of walking across a frozen body of water - it was fun and scary at the same time! Even though it was completely safe I couldn't help but think that there was a mass of water right underneath me!

The Funeral

Granddad's funeral was on 1st February 2011. While it might seem strange to say, it was a lovely day. It was not without it's moments of sadness, but none the less a day of building more memories with family and Granddad would have loved it.

It was just family at the cemetery, so only about 60 of us! We sang Abide with me, had the dedication of the grave then the great grandchildren that were there had helium balloons that they let go, it was so nice to have something to lift our eyes upward and watch them all in their different colours drift away into the heavens. So fitting, as we know that Granddad's spirit is now in the Heavens and we will see him again.

We then went to the chapel, where Maureen, Valerie and Mama (Evey) Granddad's three daughters and Papa spoke about their wonderful Father/in law. Many stories I had heard before, but some I hadn't, and although I already knew it, it just confirmed what an amazing man William Charles Giles was. It was a mixture of laughter and tears as memories were brought to the surface.

It was so nice to be surrounded by children at this time too, who have so much more of an understanding than we realise. As my 3 year old niece, Ophelia, sat on my lap during the service and saw me crying, she asked why I was sad. I told her that I missed Great Granddad and she told me that he was alright and I should be happy. I couldn't help but smile at her through my tears and know that she was right!

The Grandchildren sang Be still my soul - I thought we did really well under the circumstances:) I think we took it in turns to cry, so there was always someone singing - well done everyone.

We then had a "party" to celebrate Granddads life. We had hot chocolate and cup cakes - a few of us had spent a couple of days making all sorts of cup cakes, there were about 400 in the end, it was a lot of effort, but fun to do:) Some of the Grandchildren sang songs that Granddad liked and we read some of his poetry and had a lovely day.

It was so nice to be able to then spend the evening with family at home as we remembered our own memories of our Grandfather and could feel the love and bond of our family which has so much to do with the example of our Grandparents. We talked about how some of the Great Grandchildren are so young that they won't remember how "Great" he was, and then I thought how my children will not have the privilege of knowing him in this life, but I was reminded that because of Heavenly Father's plan of happiness they will one day know him and spend time with him - What a day that will be, so Granddad until that day, you will be in our hearts!