Sunday, July 24

Today was Bydagen when all of Söderby is opened for coffee, food of various sorts, jumble sales, and visits. It started at 11:00 and we wandered slowly through the village, meeting more or less everyone we know that lives locally.

We have arrived at Gerda’s house and she is organising something that I was certainly not expecting. She is having a cake cafe.

Everyone has entered a cake. They are all numbered. We have each paid 5€ and our task is to taste all the cakes and vote for the one we think is best. There are multiple instances of each cake so there is plenty to go round. I fail to taste all 25 cakes but I do have several large helpings of my favourites from the ones I do taste.

When we leave we are both very, very full and in a sugar haze. We come across another house where we can have pitta bread stuffed with wild meat and local vegetables, and neither of us can manage to try one, delicious though they smell.

The weather started well and will get better and better as the day goes on. In the afternoon we will use the washing machine for the first time this summer, I will add hooks to the new house, and Irma will clear the summer kitchen of the remaining rubbish and decorate it.

We will eat Irma’s home made burgers and learn that Naa is coming tomorrow.