More photos

We visit an old castle one day. It is called Manstorps Gavlar. Below is a description from Wikipedia: 

Månstorp was an old manor, Mogenstrup. Its first known owner belonged to the Danish family Hack. Later it was owned by the family Bille, notably Eske Bille who furnished Månstorp with all the luxury of the time. As part of the Scanian compensation estates for the island of Bornholm it passed from the Danish to the Swedish Crown. The castle was given to the Governor General of Scania, Lord High Admiral Gustav Otto Stenbock but later served as the colonel's residence. During the war from 1675-1679 the castle was occupied by the Swedes and destroyed in 1678. The castle was never reconstructed following its destruction, tumbling down even more to become the ruin it is today.

Both Maya and Luca love helping with housework and yardwork. Hope they'll keep this good habit when they're teenagers. :)

The coolest Farfar in the world

What a nice kiss

Maya and Luca, especially Luca, rarely watch TV. But they finish their lunch early today, so mama lets them watch a Chinese children's program called Qiao Hu (A Cute Tiger). They love it. Look how attentive they are. As for mama, she has to admit that she enjoys having a peaceful meal. 

Luca riding the lawn mower. He doesn't enjoy it as much as Maya does. But he'll surely like it better next time he visits farfar and farmor. 

Mama pulls the cart for Maya and Luca. It's a good workout for mama. 

Malin and Maya's tadpoles are growing really fast. Unfortunately we're heading home tomorrow so we won't be able to see the moment when they're released to the pond

Maya driving lawn mower and tractor

Pappa spends several hours mowing the lawn. He loves it. Maya loves it, too, so much that she wants to try. When she was one year old, she stood behind the wheel of the mower for a photo shot. But this time, it's for real - she's driving it!

But lawn mower is obviously not big enough for her. When a neighbor comes over with his Volvo tractor, she catches the opportunity and rides in it.

Luca's belated first birthday celebration

Finally!!! Luca, sorry that it's so delayed. We were moving and renovating the new house when it was your real birthday, so we didn't get a chance to have a proper celebration.

Farmor buys a princess cake, pappa's favorite, and we have a nice afternoon coffee/tea in the garden. Lars, the neighbor who has a lot of cows and has helped us with some work in the field, joins us. He's a super nice guy. When mommy visited Sweden for the first time, he let mommy sit in his combine so she could see how the crop was harvested and packed. This time, Maya is his guest. She has a blast of time, riding in his giant tractor.

After the cake, we start a fire in the field to burn dead branches. It's Luca's birthday candle, you can say, though he won't be able to blow it off. ;) The fire lasts from 4pm to midnight. Pappa is so fascinated by it that he watches it for a long time.

Nostalgia and more

Pappa's nostalgic trip to his childhood neighborhood. It's a beautiful place. He points out every house he remembers - the house he lived in, this friend's house, that friend's house, the church, the school building, the store.....many background stories and memories. He's immersed in his past. At some point, Maya says, "Pappa, can we go to the beach?" As for Luca, he's sleeping. Pappa, sorry......

So we're off to the beach afterwards: Kampinge. A lot of dried-out shells and seaweeds on the beach. Pappa says he used to go there a lot with his friends - he's so moved by his memory that he's talking about moving back to Sweden again.

More photos from Sweden

Luca finally sits on Farmo's lap one week after we arrived.

We'll soon start a fire in the field to burn dry wood. Both Maya and Luca help farfar and farmo gather dead tree branches.

Spring is here......

Maya wears the princess dress her godmother bought for her from Kensington Palace in London (and of course, a princess always has a royal and loyal pet.)

In Ales Stenar: a ship of stones in Osterlen. It's a collection of 59 standing stones, each from one to three meters high, arranged in the rough shape of a ship. Remains from the time of the Vikings, about AD 600-AD1000. A religious meeting place? Some kind of tomb? A calendar? A sundial?

After the visit, we have ice cream. Mommy thought luca could share hers but Luca eats it all, plus some scoops from pappa's and Maya's cups.

Luca and Malin

A trip to a white-sand beach in the afternoon. There's no one else there other than us. It's a beautiful beach, which in summertime must be packed.

It's suddenly getting warm. Above 17 degrees and the wind is no longer icy. One day, when we were in Malmo, it was very busy everywhere - people were enjoying the sun, of course. Here, we're having a picnic in the garden.

One of the neighbors has a lot of cows.

Maya and Luca have tons of fun pulling the car and riding in it (being pulled by mama or pappa)