Boat-avation

Mirinda proved the value of her new bionic eyes this evening. She was standing with the rest of us, outside Nicoline’s kräfthus, when she spotted a tiny crayfish attempting a bid for freedom. It had managed to escape the boiling pot, only to find itself stuck in the grass. Realising it was not in water, it was, I can only assume, looking for some.

Quick as a couple of whippets, Mirinda and Jonas raced after it, managing to catch up pretty quick as crayfish are notoriously slow in grass. Jonas scooped it up and, proudly, showed us all before putting it in water, promising to release it into the wild again tomorrow. A plucky little crayfish, it deserved its freedom.

We were all gathered for the annual crayfish party or kräftskiva as we say in Sweden. Jonas and Eric had been out on the lake yesterday and this morning, pulled in their catch. Then, tonight, we devoured it along with a magnificent Västerbotten pie from Birgitta, toast perfectly made by Kitten and some rather delicious Norwegian schnapps.

Of course, Jonas and Eric were not the only people on a boat today. Captain M also joined the boating fraternity on her new maritime vessel. Having a boat is great motivation for getting out of the house and onto the water. Or, as Jonas said later, great boat-avation.

Sometimes I really wish I could pun in Swedish.

We went out for a bit of a joyride on a rather windy Baltic. And, what you see in the photo above, is sheer joy, unrestrained.

The expression may have changed a bit when we returned to the dock and tried to park the boat. Actually, there was an awful lot of both concentration and laughter as we went around a number of times before, finally, dragging the boat in by hand. Still, practice will, eventually, make perfect. And, to be fair, the wind and the choppy water didn’t really help that much. A boat hook would have helped as well.

But, back at the crayfish party, things were really hotting up as we sang drinking songs, taking swigs of schnapps and, generally sucked the bejesus out of the crayfish, enjoying the delicious juice from the stock that Jonas and KSP made.

By the way, I need to remember that after drinking songs, one is only supposed to take a sip of the schnapps. Given I was taught by Russians, I tend to knock the whole glass back. KSP was quick to remind me I was in Sweden and not Russia and should sip accordingly.

Speaking of Swedish…Birgitta spoke mostly Swedish to me all night. I think Nicoline had told she had to. After a few glasses of schnapps, I think I started to understand what she was saying.

At one point, before we sat down to sup, KSP went across to the six German boys who were staying in Nicoline’s AirBnB, and interrupted their game of whatever they were playing, to ask them to take a group photo of us all. They all came over, looking frightfully young, and took loads. I really like this one.

By the way, Thomas and Kitten own part of the lake where the crayfish once called home. And Kitten is holding some of the lake’s inhabitants. Or, as I like to call it, our dinner.