Malmo, Sweden

Following on from my previous post when I told you about our trip to Wonderful Wonderful Copenhagen, I thought I'd tell you what we got up to on our second day there.

You may know that Denmark is connected to Sweden via the Oresund Link. This comprises of a tunnel which goes under the Oresund Strait which then emerges onto a manmade island before continuing across the Oresund Bridge. You can travel between Copenhagen and Malmo by road or rail. The photo above was taken from the top of the Round Tower in Copenhagen which you can read about in my last post. In the distance you can just see the Oresund Bridge. Being so close to Sweden, we decided we should take the opportunity to visit.

The rail journey took about forty minutes from Copenhagen's Grand Central Station to Malmo and cost about £23 for two tickets. Coming back from Malmo to Copenhagen, two tickets cost about £19. It was so easy to use the train, purchasing the tickets from the machines was simple to do and the trains run so regularly that we didn't have to wait around at all. We also used the train to and from the airport, again, without a hitch.

The first place we came to was Stortorget, or Big Square. The Town Hall is situated here and there's also a fountain commemorating the recapture of the region of Skane for the Swedes from Denmark.

The signpost displays the distance to major cities around the world.

Further on and we came to Lilla Torg, or Little Square. It was originally a marketplace but it's now a place for socialising as the buildings are mostly cafes and restaurants.

There's some beautiful architecture here with some of the structures dating back to the sixteenth century.

We walked through Kungsparken, a lovely park in the heart of the city, where we came across this statue of the Roman goddess Diana surrounded by deer.

Coming out of Kungsparken at the opposite side, we came to Malmo Castle. Built between 1526 and 1529, it now forms part of The Malmo Museum. We didn't go inside but we had a walk around the grounds.

The Castle Mill was built in 1850 and put into use from 1851.

Turning Torso was the tallest building in the Nordic region until a few years ago. It stands at 190m (620ft) with 54 stories. We could see it from the castle but we didn't venture any closer.

On our way back to the station we came upon St Peter's Church. It didn't look very grand from the outside.

Inside is another matter though, my photos don't do it justice. This is Malmo's oldest church and it's absolutely beautiful.

The altarpiece was made in 1611 and is one of the largest in the Nordic countries.

I had a pen pal from Sweden when I was a child and I've always wanted to visit the country, so that's something crossed off my list. I enjoyed our day in Malmo but it isn't somewhere I'd visit for a second time, though I would like to see other areas of Sweden.

Wonderful Wonderful Copenhagen

I left my last post on a bit of a cliffhanger saying I had something very exciting coming up. Well that something was a short trip to Copenhagen, somewhere I've wanted to visit for a very long time. We had an early flight on the 2nd and our return flight was very late on the 5th, so we had four full days there.

We stayed in a lovely hotel not far from Grand Central Station, so we were quite central and certainly within walking distance of all the major attractions, though we worked out how far we had walked over the four days and it turned out that we'd done over thirty seven miles, so the steps rack up even when you're quite close to everything.

Furthest from our hotel was the statue of The Little Mermaid, so we decided to visit that on our very first day. The bronze sculpture by Edvard Eriksen is based on the fairy tale of the same name by Hans Christian Andersen and sits on a rock by the waterside. I'd heard people say how small it is and that it's rather underwhelming so I must admit that I was expecting it to be smaller. I think it's quite charming and I don't think you could visit Copenhagen without seeing it.

Nyhavn, which means New Harbour, is famous for its 17th and 18th century colourful buildings which stand by the canal. Hans Christian Andersen lived in three of these houses and wrote some of his famous fairy tales whilst living there. It's a gateway from the sea to the inner city which was used to bring cargo and for fishermen to unload their catch. Now it's lined with bars and restaurants and it's a place to which tourists flock to get a photo of the picturesque houses. 

There's other colourful buildings around the city too and some beautiful architecture.

Amalienborg Palace is the official residence of the Danish Royal Family. The flag indicates that a member of the royal family is in residence. It's actually a complex comprising of four palaces built around a courtyard.

We stopped to watch the soldiers on sentry duty, we'd missed the changing of the guard which happens at noon.

In the middle of the courtyard stands a statue of Frederick V and beyond that, you can see Frederik's Church which is commonly known as the Marble Church. The church isn't entirely made of marble, though this was the original plan. The foundation stone was laid in 1749 but the court architect died in 1754 whilst the church was incomplete and the project became abandoned. It stood, half built, for over a hundred years. In the late 1800s, the ruins of the church were sold on the condition that a church was built on the site following the original plans, however, due to lack of funds, much of it was built in limestone blocks rather than marble. The church finally opened in 1894.

The dome is said to be inspired by St Peter's Basilica in Vatican City and with a span of 31 metres, it's one of the largest church domes in Northern Europe.

There's many squares in Copenhagen and lots of green spaces too, so many places to sit a while and people watch. 

The Round Tower or Rundetaarn is Europe's oldest functioning observatory building, the construction being completed in 1642. Though it was on our list of places we wanted to visit, we came across it by chance as it's set in the heart of the city.

The tower itself is 35 metres high.

Inside, there's a ramp rather than steps which allowed a horse and carriage to transport books to the library which is built above the church, part of the complex, and equipment to the observatory. The ramp spirals 7.5 times before reaching the stairs which lead to the observation deck, and is 209 metres long.

Towards the top of the ramp is a recess where you can view the hollow core which extends from the bottom to the top of the tower. There's a glass floor which you can step on to but there was no way I was doing that, leaning over it was enough for me!

The observation deck gives a 360-degree view of the city.

It's fun looking for the buildings you recognise.

A narrow staircase takes you from the observation deck up to the observatory. It's manned two evenings per week between October and March. It was unmanned when we visited but we were still able to go up to take a look. Don't miss the Round Tower if you visit Copenhagen, it's such an interesting place to visit.

Obviously, many Danish pastries were consumed while we were there, we were in Denmark, it would be rude not to partake. They come in many different varieties, there's something for everyone.

What I didn't know about Copenhagen, or Denmark in general I believe, is that hot dogs are very popular there. They're actually elevated to another level from the humble hot dog we get here in the UK by the addition of distinctive sauces such as remoulade, a mustard mayonnaise, pickled cucumber, pickled red onions and crispy fried onions. They're delicious, let me tell you!

I think everyone must own a bike in Copenhagen, all the roads have bike lanes and there's a constant stream of traffic using them. You often see huge groups of bikes parked together like in the photo above.

We had hoped to visit Tivoli Gardens while we were there, it was a stone's throw from our hotel, but day three when we hoped to go was the day that Storm Amy hit. It was very windy and we got lashed with rain, and though we didn't visit Tivoli, we did still venture out around the city. Tivoli Gardens is an amusement park and it's believed it inspired Walt Disney when he came to design the US parks. It was closed when we arrived in Copenhagen as it was being prepared for Halloween, but opened on the 3rd all decked out in pumpkins. It's a shame we didn't make it but I don't think it would have been fun walking around it during a storm. We'll make sure it's top of the list when we visit again.

Yes, we're already talking of going back. We loved what we saw of Copenhagen and we feel we only just touched the surface, there's so much more we want to see. One thing I'd say though is that you need plenty of spending money as everything is so expensive. So, we'll save up and return one day. But wait, I've only mentioned what we did on three of the days we were there. On day two we ventured over to Sweden, but I'm sure you've read enough for one post so I'll tell you all about that next time.

September 2025

September seems to have passed by in the blink of an eye, I don't know where these months are going. The temperature has most definitely dropped now, the mornings are rather chilly but we're still getting some beautiful days too. I've resisted putting the heating on so far but it feels just a matter of time now before I do.

We've had more lovely days out this month. We visited York to see The Ghosts in the Gardens trail which is in full swing at the moment. I have to say that they do look ethereal, very ghost-like. It just depends how the light falls on them as to how you see them, one minute they can look like a solid form but take another step or two, or if the light changes, and they look hardly there. The trail began in 2021 with just ten sculptures, now there's sixty. We didn't manage to find them all but we enjoyed what we saw. The monthly food festival in Ilkley is a lovely day out with so many great stallholders as well as the towns independent shops to look round so we had a trip there this month and came home with some lovely goodies. 

It was Heritage Open Days during September where many buildings, sites and gardens open their doors for free. We took advantage of this offer and visited somewhere I've been wanting to look inside for a long time, Shibden Hall in Halifax. This was the home of Anne Lister 1791-1840, a Yorkshire landowner, traveller, mountaineer and diarist. Her diaries detailed her life and financial concerns, her work improving Shibden Hall, and her lesbian relationships, which she wrote about in code. We've visited many times, but always when we've had Archie with us so we've never been inside the hall before. The popular BBC historical drama, Gentleman Jack, is based on the true story of Anne Lister and much of it was filmed at Shibden Hall, though I have to say that I was expecting something quite different after watching the series. It was grander than I anticipated, quite dark because of the wood panelling as you could see in the series, but there were beautiful carvings in the wood. The stained glass windows in the housebody are quite fascinating with glass panels which were taken from churches in York dating back 700 years decommissioned under Henry VIII. There was good, detailed information about everything on show. It was a really interesting day out.

It was my birthday on the 3rd. It was a Wednesday, which meant it was a day I was looking after Jack so I decided I'd like a quiet day at home, no family meal out this year, though Mick and I did go out for breakfast with Jack in tow. Everyone came round in the evening after work, which was lovely. I received some really wonderful cards and gifts, the ones above were from my lovely friend Maggie who blogs at BlackCountry Wench, she always spoils me. Who knew there was a salted caramel version of Bournville, absolutely delicious!

I've read six books this month.

I wasn't sure I'd enjoy The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, I don't know very much about American history so I wasn't sure this book was for me. How wrong could I be, I absolutely loved it. The story takes us back to the 1930s and the American Dream on a farm on the Great Plains. When drought and dust storms shatter that dream, Elsa and her children must fight for survival. I didn't know anything about the Dust Bowl and this period in history, how millions of people were displaced with many seeking better lives in California. Elsa is such a strong woman, as I'm sure many women of this time had to be in order to survive. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.

I'm continuing to read the books in the Dr Ruth Galloway series by Elly Griffiths. The Dark Angel takes us away from Norfolk, this time to a village in Italy where Ruth has been asked to look at some bones, she's a forensic archeologist, but many of the recurring characters are there too. Another great read.

I'm not really into science fiction but I thought I'd give The Time Machine by HG Wells a go. It's a relatively short book so it did manage to hold my attention and I found the story engaging. Written at the end of the nineteenth century, the message conveyed in the book is as relevant now as it was then.

Another Ruth Galloway book by Elly Griffiths, The Stone Circle took us back to Norfolk where Nelson and Ruth had a cold case to solve, that of a murdered child. Another character, which will become a regular, came onto the scene in this book, and a big questions left at the end of the last book finally got answered. Another enjoyable read.

Someone on Instagram recommended All Things Consoled by Elizabeth Hay, a Canadian novelist. This book is a memoir about her parents and it won the 2018 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust award for non-fiction. It was an interesting read, the author having a complicated relationship with her parents but taking on their care as they aged, her mother suffering from dementia. Written with honesty and compassion.

A Terrible Kindness by Jo Browning Wroe is the author's debut novel and one of the best books I've read so far this year. The book begins with the terrible true events of 1966 in a small Welsh village called Aberfan when a colliery spoil tip slid down the hillside and landed on a school killing 116 children and 28 adults. Newly qualified embalmer, William Lavery is asked to help but he doesn't realise just how the disaster will affect him long term. The story then goes back to when William was ten and the circumstances which brought him to this moment. It's an emotional read from the start but it does have its lighthearted moments too. Beautifully written, a huge thumbs up.

I'd been waiting for Wool Warehouse to have their Drops Super Sale as I wanted some Drops Merino Extra Fine to knit a couple of sweaters for Jack. The sale has been on throughout the month so I bought two different colours which Eleanor chose. One of them looks like a grey here but it's actually a lovely sage green. I also got a couple of balls of King Cole Cherished for another cardigan for him. I'm hoping I can get cracking before too long. My crafting time has taken a huge hit now that I look after Jack three days each week.

As soon as the nights start drawing in we begin to get all the new autumn series on TV. We don't watch very much TV but Strictly Come Dancing is back and that's one thing we do watch. I don't have a clear favourite as yet but it's fun to watch how each of the contestants progress week on week. All Creatures Great and Small is also back, another favourite. It's filmed in the Yorkshire Dales so I enjoy watching to see which places I can recognise. Two good old-fashioned shows where all the family can sit down and watch together.

So we're now well into autumn though I know from past experience that October can produce some beautiful days still, I'm hoping that it does. I'm saying goodbye to September with a chest infection, which is annoying as I've got something very exciting coming up in the next couple of days, more of which I'll tell you about in my next post.

Birthday Freebies

It was my birthday at the beginning of the month and these days, having a birthday can be lucrative. So many companies entice you into having their loyalty apps by promising freebies on your birthday, along with offers and discounts at other times throughout the year. I'm not one to look a gift horse in the mouth so I thought I'd show you what I received from a few of the companies whose apps I use.

Marks & Spencer's Chocolate Truffles are one of my favourite chocolates so I was thrilled that my gift from them was a box of these. I went for the dark chocolate ones. I could have opted to have a punnet of grapes instead but they wouldn't have been nearly as delicious. Marks & Spencer change the gifts on offer, at the end of August Jacob's gift was some biscuits, and a couple of weeks before that, Mick's birthday gift was a tub of Mini Bites.

Costa gifted me a sweet treat of my choice, which is clever as I'm sure most customers will buy a cup of tea or coffee, or even a meal, at the same time as claiming their birthday gift. Yes, they scored on that account as both Mick and I ordered a drink, but we shared the cake, as we often do anyway. The Sicilian Lemon Muffins are delicious.

A sweet treat was also my birthday gift from Greggs. This time I went for a triple chocolate muffin. Mick still had his birthday freebie to claim so both of our treats were free on this occasion, we just paid for the drinks. The chocolate muffin wasn't as nice as the lemon muffin we'd had in Costa, but it was nice to have another sweet treat gifted.

I received a free doughnut from Krispy Kreme. I absolutely love their doughnuts but I don't have them often as I think they're rather expensive, (and calorific!), so this really was a treat. I usually choose the Nutty Chocolatta.

Hobbycraft gifted me a £5 voucher and Mick kindly gave me the voucher he got when it was his birthday so I had £10 to spend. I'm not really a fan of the yarn they sell, there isn't a lot of choice, but I picked up four 50g balls of Wendy Peter Pan DK. They cost £3.30 per ball so I only had £3.20 to pay and I'll be able to knit a jumper or cardigan for Jack.

I'm sure you'll agree that I did very well in terms of gifts from the companies in my phone. I know people who download apps just to receive the freebies, and there are many other companies who give gifts on birthdays, but these are apps I use anyway so it's always nice to have a little treat from them every once in a while, and especially on your birthday. It's time to get back to some healthy eating now, I've had far too many treats just lately.

Mum's Cross Stitch

My mum was a knitter, whatever she made was beautiful because she always paid attention to detail and it showed. She wasn't a sewer though she did all the mending of clothes, including darning holey socks. She never really enjoyed any craft other than knitting though. 

Except, that is, for a short time many years ago when she bought herself a cross stitch kit and gave that a go. I know she was enjoying working on it but I also remember her struggling with her eyesight as she was stitching so perhaps that's the reason she put it down without finishing it.

When my mum died in 2019, my dad came across the unfinished piece and asked if I wanted it. Of course, I said yes. I remember bringing it home with me, I took it out of the bag it had been kept in and I just couldn't look at it, it made me so upset remembering my mum happily stitching away. It was put away again until just recently when I finally got it out and looked at it properly. It isn't finished but there isn't all that much to do, just part of the badger, and the far left side of the bench and grass.

It's not really a design I'd have chosen to stitch but I thought it would be nice to finish it off. The aida is very grubby, I suppose that's the result of it being stashed away for all these years, so I think it will need a good soak once finished, I just hope it doesn't spoil it. 

It's a while now since I've done any cross stitching but I've recently had the urge to pick it up again so I shall start with this piece and see if I can get it finished, it would be nice to complete it in memory of my mum. 

August 2025

It wasn't the best of starts to August as I came down with a sickness bug. Eleanor had been sick at work on the Tuesday and continued to be ill once home, Jack was sick later that evening, Jacob was sick during the night, Mick started with the bug on the Thursday and I succumbed on the Friday. Daniel and Jasmine had gone to the Edinburgh Fringe that weekend and they got it too, luckily not quite as bad as the rest of us. I think it may have been something which Eleanor picked up at a baby group as her friend's little girl was sick too. It lasted a couple of days.

We've had some lovely days out this month, Temple Newsam Farm with Jack, and Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival, both of which I wrote about in previous posts, as well as Whitby. I enjoyed getting my Yorkshire Dales fix as well as some sea air.

It was Mick's birthday on the 14th, this is now his last year in his fifties, the big 6 0 next year. We enjoyed a really lovely meal out. We have a very good Italian restaurant within walking distance of our house and they do the best lasagna I've every tasted. We've also enjoyed some coffees (him) and teas (me) out, with sweet treats included too, of course.

I've read two books this month.

The Chalk Pit by Elly Griffiths is the ninth book in the Dr Ruth Galloway series and probably my favourite so far, though it's hard to choose really as they're all so good. I keep saying this one or that one was my favourite as I work my way through them, they just seem to get better and better. I really enjoy the mysteries but the characters and the complicated lives they lead are as equally fascinating. There's another development between Nelson and Michelle in this book which will definitely set the cat among the pigeons.

I'm still enjoying reading the classics and The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins is one I picked up this month. It's quite a hefty book but it kept me intrigued and engrossed the whole way through. It's so well written and has definitely stood the test of time. I sometimes wonder how a particular book has become a classic because I don't rate it, but I suppose reading is subjective and just because one person likes a particular book, it doesn't mean that everyone will. I definitely give The Woman in White a huge thumbs up and thoroughly recommend it.

The Thursday Murder Club landed on Netflix on Thursday, I've been looking forward to watching it. When I heard who had been cast in the four main roles I thought that Helen Mirren, Celia Imrie and Ben Kingsley were exactly right for the characters of Elizabeth, Joyce and Ibrahim, but I just couldn't see Pierce Brosnan in the role of Ron. I thought he did a good enough job but when I read a book I get a picture of what a character looks like in my head and I just think that someone like Ray Winstone would have made a better Ron. I enjoyed the film but not as much as the book. Mick's never read the books but he enjoyed the film.

Believe it or not, I've seen Christmas paraphernalia being loaded onto the shelves in certain shops. Yes, in the middle of August! I thought I'd better pick up a few autumnal bits to add to my seasonal decor before they clear it out to make room. I love the candles which I picked up in Primark, not a shop I usually visit, so pretty.

I've had a little break from knitting things for Jack but I've now cast on another Baby Aosta Cardigan by The Knit Purl Girl. This will be the fifth one I've knit for him but they fit so well and look lovely on, as well as being cosy, so Eleanor asks for this same pattern each time, just a variation in the colour. I'm knitting this one in King Cole Cherished DK in the Pebble colourway. Jack's growing like a weed, he needs lots of new clothes.

We're now approaching September, my birthday month. I can feel summer slipping away as we head into autumn but I'm still hoping that the lovely weather we've been having will hang on for some time yet. Time will tell.