Valborg!

One of our must beloved celebrations is Valborg, or Walpurgis, the celebration of spring on April 30th, even though in many parts of Sweden you can still expect snow! It also happens to be the King's birthday; Carl Gustaf Folke Hubertus aka King Carl XIV Gustaf of Sweden will be 64years old. Happy Birthday and three cheers! You will find out all you need to know about these ancient spring celebrations at our website. This year, you also have the opportunity to partake in and enjoy a real Valborg treat. Ulricae Drängar - or the Ulrika Eleonora Stable Boys - the boys and men of the Swedish Church choir - will be singing the traditional spring songs from The Olde Country in Hyde Park at the Band Stand in the south east corner of the park. Nearest Tube stop is Hyde Park Corner. Best way to get there is through the Queen Elisabeth Gate. It starts at 7pm and there will be the afore mentioned songs as well as speaches to the season (also very traditional) and hopefully quite a few people. May Day is not a big day in the UK and falling on a Saturday, it's barely worth mentioning as it's not an extra day off, but the International Workers' Day is still marked in many countries around the socialized world. However, the May Bank Holiday on Monday May 3 is an excellent opportunity to pack a TotallySwedish Picnic bag and head out to the nearest park and enjoy this glorious season. If you are a keen baker, I really recommend picking up some Rågsikt (a special rye/wheat blend of flour), dark baking syrup and yeast and try your hand on a very taste kind of picnic roll, that is perfect with cheese, Swedish salami or a nice, gooey brie, should you prefer!

It's pretty impressive for such a small congregation, but Ulrika Eleonora Church on Harcourt Street celebrates it's third Centenary this year with the bishop of the Swedish Church Abroad, Lennart Koskinen, preaching on Sunday, May 9th and a special event at Fulham Palace on the 8th. You can read all about it and get tickets for the various events on their website. We also want to remind all Swedes that the Swedish Church in London, receives no monies from Sweden, but is dependent on it's members. That and the ticket sales to events such as Lucia and the Christmas Fair is what gives all of you the fabulous choir at services, a place to get married, Christening you children, buying Christmas Essentials and traditional celebrations such as Midsummer and Lucia, and a place to get Kanelbullar and Swedish gossip mags on a regular basis. So please do consider becoming a supporting member of the congregation.

Baby Ollie's Bone Marrow Appeal!
Baby Ollie was born prematurely on 20th February 2010. He has Aplastic Anemia and they have not yet found a bone marrow match to save his life! Please help Ollie and his family by joining a bone marrow registry and potentially giving the gift of like to Ollie and others like him. Please join a bone marrow registry. Information available on Ollie's site!

Shop Goodies!
From Färg och Form we have a whole line of napkins, bags, bibs, baby blankets, match boxes with clouds on them, as well as key rings, fridge magnets and more napkins with moose. All perfect as a small gift when going to somebody for dinner, a new baby or for your own spring table. Also for your next Swedish dinner party, we'll have another traditional Swedish drink to offer: Punsch, from Facile. It's a sweet, thick arrack drink, with fairly high alcohol content. Drunk ice cold as a digestive with coffee, or hot in winter, with (some say in!) your yellow split pea soup. We also have more books in both Swedish and English for adults and children.

Eco tip of the month.
Mix 1 part Grumme Såpa with 9-10 parts water in a spray bottle and use instead of your usual harsh chemical detergent around the house, including sensitive surfaces such as wood and stone. Use the new Bamboo cloths from Ekelund to wipe clean for a mild but effective clean that is kind to both hands, Earth and your wallet. You may have to put a little more effort into the scrubbing, but hey - that's a free workout!

Welcome to the shop and Happy Spring!