Today is the day when Spring is "greeted" with songs, speeches and bonfires in Sweden and T. and I drove about 10 kilometres to a place where the bonfire is placed right by the sea. We arrived just in time to see the sun set and the giant plume of smoke rise above the pile of rubble. It was an amazing evening and an awe-inspiring view.

I saw some beautiful dresses at Zara and I couldn't help creating a mix of summery Zara and H&M clothes. The long, white dress, the silk lace one, the sequined tunic, and the calf leather shopping bag are all from Zara. The patterned dress, the kimono, and the blazer are all from H&M's Conscious line. The heels (that do not seem to be available anymore) were found at ASOS. A green Vitriini box from Iittala snuck in, as did a moss green bracelet from Etsy.

This Saturday's spread.

It has been a beautiful day today and T. took the opportunity to mow the lawn for the first time this year. Some rain is expected tonight, but that is actually an advantage, since it's quite dry and water is sorely needed. Nevertheless, the gooseberry bush at the front of the photo seems to thrive and I love the light green of its fresh leaves.

A few days ago, the oldest son decided to share what he and his younger brother had been busy doing: the Akinator. It is a very entertaining and potentially useful "character finder" as the AI asks questions until it "knows" enough to quess who the person using the Akinator is thinking of.

The Akinator was developed by three French programmers back in 2007, became popular in the next few years and today it is available both online (free) and as a smartphone app (which you'd have to pay a small sum for). Try it out if you haven't done so before!

About a week ago, I wrote about considering a new camera and how I had come to the conclusion that Olympus PEN E-PL5 would be a good candidate. Since then I've thought a bit more and I really think the above camera, an Olympus SP-820 UZ, which is the newest version of the camera I have at the moment, might be an even better candidate. It has a built-in optical 40x zoom, which would be the feature that would most definitely sway me, since I'm not that thrilled about the idea of carrying a separate lens. It seems to be slightly heavier than the one I have now, but not too large or heavy to bring with me at all times.

Yesterday evening, T. and I decided to go to Copenhagen for a few hours since a) the diesel is approximately 2,50 Swedish crowns cheaper per litre in Denmark than it is in Sweden, b) a carwash is more than half-price compared to Sweden, and c) because we wanted to buy some groceries, wine and other necessities that are either available only in Denmark or much less expensive there. The fact that we thereby also were able to spend a few hours in a city we like was a good bonus. I have a feeling we might do this again.

The wine we bought, that can be seen above, was found at Bilka and Søstrene Grene. At this point we have no idea what they might taste like.

Update 1: Villa Artes Soave DOC is a nice, summery white wine with hints of green apples. The taste is not large, but it has the potential to be very pleasant on a hot summer day.

Update 2: We had some Giacondi Vino Bianco from Søstrene Grene with chicken, pasta and a tomato, cream, and basil sauce yesterday and it was delicious. A round Chardonnay-like taste.

The blasts at the finish line at the Boston marathon yesterday were horrific and the number of people affected by this is simply too high. As of yet, the public doesn't know who the perpetrator(s) is/are, media are brimming with personal accounts and more or less angry reactions, and the president, and the rest of the United States, is praying for the victims and their families. I'm very sad about the deaths and the injured in Boston, and their families, who are going through a frightful experience that is likely to affect them for the rest of their lives, but I'm also happy for those who were lucky enough to get out of this ordeal unharmed.

On a more political level, let's hope this doesn't lead to something that resembles a vendetta, in which whole nations or large groups of people stand against each other because of actions performed by only a few, and the rhetoric becomes black and white. There is so much at stake at a time like this, as history has taught us.

On a far more mundane level on this foggy and rainy Tuesday morning, we're about to pick up the new bathroom mats from H&M (seen in the photo above), the children are at home due to a pretty bad cold, and I'm preparing tomorrow's work. Our thoughts are in Boston, but the trivial and the fateful go hand in hand on a day such as this one.

Last weekend we spent a few lazy days with the extended family by the sea on the Danish west coast. On two days (out of three) the weather was amazing, which provided plenty of photo opportunities since our house was only 200 metres from the sea. Adults, children and dogs alike enjoyed the sand dunes, the wide beach, and the more or less roaring waves. It's not the first time we've been there and it's most certainly not the last.

This week has been hectic and I've managed to get a whole load of work done today alone, which feels great. It has also made me rather tired and right now we're relaxing in front of the television munching chocolate (Marabou Premium Dark Chocolate & Mousse for me).

If the boys can choose what to watch on television, we'd most likely watch either Family Guy, The Simpson's, or Mythbusters, but right now T. has "allowed" me to watch one of the property search/home decorating shows I like (which in this case happens to be Escape to the Country). I've realised that the rest of the evening is out of my hands, however, since T. has stated that he intends to watch Star Wars from 1977. Happy weekend, everyone!

I bought my trusted Olympus SP-550 UZ back in 2007 and it has been a great camera which I've brought with me everywhere with thousands and thousands of photos as a result. It still works, but the battery hatch is not as trustworthy, the rubber parts have fallen away, and the zoom doesn't move as smoothly anymore. I'm considering finding a replacement, not immediately, but at some point in the future and I definitely haven't yet decided what would suit me best.

As a rule, I prefer not to have a heavy camera, since I find it difficult to hold it still the heavier it is. I would, however, want an even better lens/zoom this time. Browsing the Internet, I think the white Olympus PEN E-PL5 seems interesting and the reviews are generally in its favour. At some point in the future... perhaps.

Yesterday evening, we returned home after a family visit 200 kilometres away and in a few hours I'll begin my 550-kilometre-journey to work, where I'll hopefully arrive in late this evening. Tomorrow evening I will travel the same route back home again. On top of that, late on Friday afternoon we'll embark on the next long trip. In other words, there is a lot of travelling right now.

The weather has been wonderful, however, and the two photos in this blog post were taken yesterday as the whole family (again) went to one of the beautiful mansions near T.'s parents. The garden, forrest and beach are all wonderful spots and the boys thoroughly enjoyed climbing the trees, although my oldest at first felt that he was a bit too grown-up. Let's hope for more days such as this one.