Beware - Mad Swedes in Hyde park

A little rain and some sunshine - the weather couldn't be more typical midsummer weather.We set of for our annual traditional celebration in Hyde Park where hundreds up on hundreds gather on this day. And this year we were going to be there from the start (which is a first). Traveling with Lisa and Christan taking the tube to Marble arch me and Lisa couldn't stop bitching about the bastards stairs (this particular route is extra bad, so it was good we had our strong husbands with us). Once inside the park you just have to follow the dressed up girls wearing flower garlands or the group of obvious looking Swedes carrying an Ikea bag, or just know where you're going because you've been doing this for the last 10 years (that'll be me).

Plenty of homemade Swedish food such as meatballs, potato salad, feta and olive muffins and the Swedish take on English cucumber sandwich - salmon, cucumber wraps

Hell and gore.....no midsummer without schnapps and luckily you can get a 10 miniature selection from Ikea or go for the big bottle like Sofia. We had a perfect spot under a big tree just in case of another shower, (and a it did rain oh...for about 5 min). The Swedish chambers of commers, who organize this event every year handed out song sheets in their traditional Swedish flolk costumes. Then it was time for the first round of 'the little frog dance'...

We had forgotten to practice but there was no need

More and more people kept turning up and in the end all of Mina's Swedish friends were there and some new ones too.


It was a wicked party and I don't know who enjoyed it the most, us or the kids. They were running round all day and it was nice to be able to take turns looking after them. At one point me and Lisa were laughing about Christian having a handful with 4 of them before realizing that he was actually trying to prevent a Kubb disaster where the kids were pulling up poles from the Kubb pitch (this is a Swedish game were you throw sticks on blocks of wood).

Finally got them to sit still for a min - using bribery tools. An ice lolly, a sandwich and a dummy

Have been trying all day to get a decent picture of Mina wearing her garland which I stayed up til late to make last night. It turned out pretty good with small spray carnations from ASDA and some bloom from Lisa's garden including prästkrage and lavender.


Got y'a!