It was very bleak today. No sun, all clouds and a bit of drizzly rain. I was stuck inside most of the day doing laundry and washing the dogs. They are going to see The Perfect Swedish Family tomorrow so Mirinda thought they should smell a little less ‘doggy’. In the meanwhilst, Mirinda took herself up to her favourite café for a coffee while working on her next journal article.
We went for a walk around the streets when she returned which served to prove how gloomy it all was. I’d been inside and hadn’t really noticed.
That’s not to say that I didn’t enjoy the walk. Mirinda has taken the girls on this walk before, but it was my first time. We saw quite a few ‘interesting’ houses, including, what I think, is the ugliest house in Stockholm. Maybe Sweden.
It perches on a massive rock, seemingly defying gravity on thin uprights. The walls are unattractive bare timber. There are plenty of windows; possibly the only saving grace. The house, over all, screams out ostentation from on high, something we’ve not really seen in our neighbourhood.
The ugliest house is not yet completed, but I think it can only get better because it’s bloody awful at the moment.
Not awful is the Gingerbread House. It’s across the road from us and along a bit. It’s not really much to look at during the day but, at night, with the Christmas lights outlining the panels and roofline, it looks exactly like a life-size gingerbread house.
Still, as cute as it is, it does have a bit of a quirk. There has been a sequence of giant flags hanging down by the front door. To give an idea of the size, the flags are as long as the ground floor of the house is tall. They hang down, making some sort of statement.
Since I noticed the flags, they have been the flags of Israel, Norway and The Marshall Islands. They seem to hang around (pun intended) for a few days then be replaced. Who knows what will be next. I’ll be on the watch for the next one.
Speaking of watching…each year a lot of Swedes watch Donald Duck and His Friends Wish You a Merry Christmas (Kalle Anka och hans vänner önskar God Jul ). It has been broadcast every year since 1959 and lots of families sit down and watch it on Christmas Eve. In fact, this year, it was estimated to be almost half the entire population of Sweden. I have to say, it beats watching the Queen’s Christmas message every year.
It also makes it the most watched TV show in Sweden since modern records began. Given the number of ducks around here, I’m not surprised.
