A little later than usual, but they are indeed on their way, the elder flowers. Apart from cherishing their beauty I'm also happy that T.'s sister makes wonderful lemonade out of them. At some point I ought to learn how to make elder flower lemonade myself, I think.

The secret destination of our trip with the in-laws later this summer has been revealed: Paris! Today I have booked a house just outside Paris and the owner has confirmed. We're really happy! Paris, here we come!

A huge congratulation to the newlyweds. May they live happily ever after just as princesses and princes do in the fairytales.

Image from Dagens Nyheter.

I read Erica Jong's Serenissima as an adolescent. It gave me my first impression of Venice and it shaped my expectations of the city when I first arrived as an 18-year-old. La Serenissima did not disappoint.

Yesterday, T. suggested we'd watch Michael Radford's The Merchant of Venice, starring Al Pacino, Jeremy Irons, and Joseph Fiennes, and I was again reminded of Jong's pendent centering on the Jew's daughter Jessica. A wonderful movie experience made me want to re-read the book I read so long ago. Perhaps it is also about getting in the mood for planning next year's trip to la bella Venezia. Be that as it may, T. seems to be in on the same idea since he suggested we'd watch Casino Royale today. Perhaps he did't think of it ending in Venice. But I did.

My oldest son is, by the standards of old times, an adult soon. This summer he will attend the course for confirmands at the local church and the ceremony will take place in mid July, one of the few rites of passage still remaining in our modern context. In the hope that he will not read this, we have discussed presents with our families and decided he will receive a good but fairly small camera which he can bring with him everywhere if he wants to. In addition to this, T. and I will give him a book of hymns and the necklace with the cross from JennDesign.

I can hardly be described as religious myself, but I have nonetheless spent a lot of time in churches, which I do enjoy very much. For me it is more about learning about, and becoming comfortable in, the Christian context. Additionally, for me it is about reflecting on my own values and beliefs, and I hope doing this enables my son to do the same.

There are so many things to celebrate right now. The children are finishing school, work is winding down, Midsummer is approaching as well as a few birthdays. The weather is improving and everything is pretty nice. Let's just enjoy it all for a while...

Yesterday, we bought a new television. We decided to buy the new KDL-40NX700 from Sony since we really liked its sharp image and the vivid colours. Right now we're having some lunch while watching the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Even though it's only a DVD it looks pretty great.

A tough week lies ahead of me, but right now I'm simply enjoying the marvellous weather, our nice balcony, being with the family, and a bit of reading. Pascal Mercier's Night Train to Lisbon is a wonderful read and I somehow don't want it to end too soon.

Summer has arrived, it seems. It has been really nice and warm here today, and although I've had to spend most of the day indoors it still feels okay, since it looks so nice when I look through the window. The stitches after the minor surgery two weeks ago were taken out yesterday and this means that I'm not really allowed to be in the sun anyway.

Our balcony is in the shadow now though, and T. is sitting there reading. I think I'll join him soon... The sun is shining, the sky is clear blue and there is a small breeze. Work is done for today and I'd better take some time to enjoy and relax.

I have to admit that I fell for this apartment in Castello, Venice. The size (2 bedrooms and a combined kitchen/living room), the location, the looks of it... all of it appeals to me. The view from the living room is simply amazing. Now I just have to make sure T. realises what a perfect place this is... ;)

We are making travel plans for this upcoming summer, but these are, at least to some degree, secret. The first half of the summer we will basically stay put, since my oldest son has some arrangements he has to attend to. The second part, however, will hopefully be filled with travels. At first my parents will be "kidnapped" by T.'s parents and we will spend about a week exploring the city, where T. lived until recently, and its surroundings. I hope for some great weather and I think we will have a really good time.

In early August it will then be our, T.'s and my, turn to "kidnap" his parents, sister and brother-in-law. We have decided to take them abroad, so they'd better have their passports ready, but I won't say much more than that. At least not for now.

The reason why I have chosen to illustrate this blog post with an image of the Grand Canal in Venice is simply that we have begun to think about travelling with the children. We asked the boys where they would like to go and my oldest son suggested Italy and Venice, and since both T. and I have talked about returning to la bella serenissima at some point, it might be a really good idea. I have begun to look for accommodation, but since we won't have any opportunity to go there until the summer 2011, there is no rush at all. I'm looking forward to it though.