Stockholm Sweden

   At this time my family and I are in Stockholm Sweden staying in an apartment on the old city island Gamla Stan.  Our windows overlook the harbour so we can see the ships come and go and watch the ferries leave the dock every 15 minutes.  We have seen just about every kind of boat/ship from a canoe to cruise ship.  The weather has been very good and the old city is charming beyond description, you know the routine, cobble streets, four hundred year old buildings, ancient iron work and fantastic heavy wooden doors.

   This photo is of a very important store on Ostelanggatan St.  The store carries very nice children's things and some souvenirs and that sort of thing, but more importantly last night a very fine person was working there and she went above and beyond the call of duty for me.


  Earlier in the evening I lost my wallet, credit cards, money all id except my passport.  In a panic I tried to call and get my credit card cancelled, our cell phones could not access the 800 number necessary to get the cards cancelled.  I was in a hot panic, for all I knew someone had picked up my wallet with its Gold Card and was buying themselves a new car, and I couldn't get through to cancel it.  Finally we decided to go looking for a  phone booth, they are almost extinct all over the world.  We went into this store and asked where we could find a phone booth, I explained why, the lady just asked for the number to call, dialled it and handed me her phone and let me take care of things right there.  If you have ever tried to cancel a credit card you know it can be complex, we actually kept her a few minutes after closing time while I talked to agents in Sweden and then Canada.


   She was a classy person that helped us out for no reason other than she a decent human being.  My experience of Sweden has been the folks are good people and the country is lovely.  If you get the chance, make the trip and enjoy the boats, food and cider, and visit this ladies store and buy something.

Fried Clams

   This is not the exact plate of fried clams that I had for supper last night but it is as close to, as makes no difference.  Eva and I went to Kream & Kone in Dennis Mass. for supper last night, she had excellent fried scallops and I had the fried whole clams.  

   This was my first time having fried whole clams. They were wonderfully cooked in a light batter and served with a mound of onion rings and fries.  Fried Clams are a local delicacy, and a traditional favourite, for me....not so much.  The clams have a distinct flavour that could be acquired but when the scallops and lobster rolls are so good in the area I will stick to the lobster roll.

On Tuesday evening we went to Seafood Sam's and had lobster salad rolls.  Seafood Sam claims that they've won some sort of endorsement as the "best" lobster salad roll in town.  I don't know who said "best" but the roll was fabulous and the best I've ever eaten.  

Cape Cod is an interesting place to holiday.

Block Plane

Block Plane 101

This is a good little video explaining and proclaiming the virtues of the block plane.

Good Neighbours, make for Happy Happy

  Eva and I moved into this house 3 1/2 years ago and every day there is another reason to be pleased to have moved here.


  We have created new gardens from nothing but clay and building debris, my work in finishing the basement is very nearly complete and the work shop down stairs is my sanctuary and playroom.  We have space for the kids to visit, a great view of the conservation area from your deck and more than enough room for all they luxuries that have been gathered.


  Aside from the material advantages we have realized in moving here there is an intangible advantage we had not expected, but appreciate, and can not begin to place a value upon. 

  
   The intangible resource and source of pleasure is our neighbours.  We are surrounded on all sides by excellent neighbours, they are good and helpful folks and today was a further demonstration of our good fortune.


  That photo is 2 cubic yards of river rock spread between our's and our neighbour's home.  That area between the houses does not get enough good light to grow grass and so last year we planted some low light plants and our neighbours had a stepped walk way put in.  Today the stone arrived to fill in that space and I set to work moving it the length of the house two buckets full at a time, it was slow, heavy and muscle grinding work.  When my next door neighbours arrived home at lunch time and saw what I was doing they joined in without hesitation and helped.  Their help meant that the job was done in less than half the time and without me breaking  my back.


  We are so lucky to live in a neighbourhood where neighbours with snow blowers help clean driveways and there are people to look after pets when you travel and people jump in and help with plain old hard work, it is hard to express how happy we are.

Kieran in the Garden

Last weekend Kieran was down to the family farm for a visit with his Great Grandmother, Aunts and the dogs.  Kieran likes to dig in the dirt and this video shows his desire to develop innovative  new crops in Ontario