As a general rule, Lydia frowns upon my posting pictures of her here, but she’s proud enough of these tan lines that I’m sure she’ll make an exception for this one:

A couple of days ago, my three younger kids and their cousin Alex were in the living room enjoying their Saturday candy and playing a little Wii, when things got uncharactistically quiet.  I popped my head around the corner to check things out and found Petra and Tage focused on their sweets, Alex riveted to… Read More Taking it easy

For the past couple of months, Petra has had an imaginary friend.  Her name is Daisy and if the portrait Petra has drawn is a good likeness, her face is a mass of pink scribbles and she wears a red bow in her hair on one side. Neither Lydia nor Tage ever had an imaginary… Read More Friendship

The requisite summer solstice picture, taken from my balcony just before midnight last night:

I always check carefully–obsessively, even–to make sure that Moa is inside before we go to bed.  I can’t sleep well without knowing that she’s safe and sound, and I’ve passed a late night or two waiting for her to turn up.  One night last week I couldn’t find her inside or out, no matter how… Read More Gosedjur*

I’ve been feeling pretty low for the past couple of weeks, weighed down by a big ball of sadness and tension and depression and anxiety.  I’m bored and restless and I’ve been sleeping a LOT (even for me, which is a feat, let me tell you).  There have been moments–last night while doing something as… Read More Malaise

I’m not sure what exactly Lydia packed in the full-to-bursting duffel bag she took with her to radio camp yesterday, because she called this morning asking if I could come out with her camera … oh, and also some clothes. What kind of clothes, I wondered.  Some pants and shirts, she said.  Socks, too.  And… Read More From the phone lines

This morning, just after nine o’clock, the six of us piled into the car and drove some twenty miles south and inland to Burträsk, where we delivered Lydia to the first of her summer activities, a four-day arts camp at Edelviks folkhögskola.  From now until Thursday afternoon, she and four other girls will be immersed… Read More Radio days