Our apartment was incredibly bright all Summer and that has made the seasonal shift all the more noticeable. I’ve spent time appreciating fleeting patches of sunlight and moving plants into them for their last few sun soaks of the year.
We ventured out of the city and took a boat to Visby. The coastline is wild at this time of year and a few days unwinding by the sea was just what we needed. I came home feeling relaxed with pockets full of sea glass and a new found appreciation of savoury pancakes.
October mostly revolved around tea, which is funny because we didn’t drink it before moving here. I had the odd cup of herbal tea (or “dodgy tea” as Scott’s Grandma used to call it) but that was it. Our friends introduced us to a couple of blends from The Tea Centre of Stockholm and we’ve been hooked since.
Our fika on the day we came home from Visby. The little chocolate biscuits are called chokladkakor; very crunchy but not quite as much as biscotti. We picked them up on Gotland but they are sold throughout Sweden.
I became a bit obsessed with matcha! A friend gave me some brewing and whisking tips. After finding a good quality powder and walking half way across central Stockholm to buy a bamboo whisk, I finally had everything I needed. It was worth it. I’m using a Pyrex bowl for now but plan to buy a matcha bowl I’ve had my eye on because I’m enjoying the process as much as drinking the tea.
I collected a handful of acorns from the shore of Källtorpssjön, float tested them and kept the viable ones. They all germinated so we now have three mini oak trees — one of which I bought an acorn vase for. They are good DIY house plants.
I haven’t bought flowers in ages; friends bought these round and I spent a week swooning over that plum red hydrangea. The enamel jug is actually a tea can with a matching cup that sits on top, but we’ve never used it for tea.
Our trip to Visby was my favourite part of the month but I also enjoyed spending time relaxing and enjoying home. And drinking gallons of tea.
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