Tuesday 22 January 2013

Villa Muramaris

I just read in the paper that the Villa Muramaris outside Visby on the island of Gotland have burned down, in a possible arson. The house was a listed building in Sweden for its cultural and historical value, it was built in 1915-1917 as a summer home by Johnny and Ellen Roosval, he a professor in art history, she a painter, sculptor and musician. The house was built in an Italian style surrounded by a baroque garden. One of the main features in the house was an open fireplace in lime stone, made by Ellen Roosval, I hope it have survived the fire, as well as some of the sculptures in the art collection also survived. The present owner hopes to be able to rebuild the house.

I visited the house and garden several times while I lived in Visby, the house was lovely, situated near the sea and surrounded by a formal garden with statues made by Ellen Roosval. Near Muramaris is another artists' home, Brucebo, built around 1906 by the Canadian painter William Blair Bruce and his Swedish wife, the sculptor Carolina Benedicks-Bruce. Muramaris borders to the nature reserve Brucebo, with its protected bird sanctuary Skansudd.


Late night snacking

- or should I say eating, as the sandwich I made was more of a meal than a snack. I often work night shifts, which means that I'm used to eating in the middle of the night, and also often do that when I'm at home too. When I got hungry tonight I decided to recreate a sandwich I've eaten in a coffee shop, made with avocado, mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. It's very tasty and it wasn't difficult to make.

I used a small baguette, sliced the bread in half but not entirely in two pieces, as it's easier to eat if only open on one side. Then I sprinkled a little bit of olive oil on the bread and put on some lettuce. Then I took a mozzarella cheese and sliced it, as well as a halved and peeled avocado and added to the sandwich, as well as some sun-dried cherry tomatoes in oil. At last I sprinkled on a little of my favourite herbal seasoned salt from Krusmyntagården. Well worth to make again.

I love the herbal seasonings from Krusmyntagården on the island of Gotland, I lived in Visby for eleven years, and even if it's almost thirteen years since I moved away from there, I still buy the herbal seasonings from Krusmyntagården and teas from Kränku whenever I can. Some of the teas from Kränku is available in tea shops where I live, but thankfully both have their own web-shop too.

Tuesday 1 January 2013

A New Year is here

Now it's 2013 and I hope for a happy and prosperous year for all. For me the beginning of a new year is a bit exciting, as it's something of a blank page in a journal, we don't know what will fill the pages, we might have our guesses and hopes, but we can't see the full picture until the year, and journal, have reached its end and we can recollect the events and see whether our guesses and hopes were fulfilled or not.

Some of my hopes for 2013 is that my cats stays healthy, especially my bengal boy, as he has had far too many visits to the veterinarian in both 2011 and 2012, last new year he had a tooth infection, this new year he has an ear infection and is on antibiotics. Thankfully my two female cats have stayed healthy and I hope they continue being so.

I also hope to find more time to do crafts, knitting, cross stitch, sew and other things. There are so many things I want to do, but I haven't found the peace to sit down and do anything the last couple of years. Now I plan to schedule time for doing crafts, as I know it will help me to calm down and get more energy, something I know I need.

Other things I want to find more time to do is reading, I love to read, but as with doing crafts I've been too restless to sit down with a book and read in peace (well, as much peace I can find with three cats interested in everything I do). I want to read both books for pleasure and books to learn new things.

I also want to try more of all the food recipes I've collected, I like cooking and trying new recipes but it's been the same as with other interests I have, I haven't taken the time and made an effort to schedule time for trying new things, instead I've cooked the same easy-made dishes again and again.

Well, that's a few of my hopes for 2013, a year from now I will know how much of them have been fulfilled.