The year started in chaos, so some reading by Opa gave us time to unpack more boxes.
By the end of January the snow showed up. We got some new help shovelling the snow off the driveway.
It wasn’t too cold, so an igloo could be built. (The door is wide so that Johannes or Susanna would fit through it too).
One just has to build snowmen too.
By the end of February Johannes and most of Susanna’s family went to Zambia for the wedding of Susanna’s brother and sister in law. Susanna and our daughter couldn’t make it due to the fact that it isn’t recommended for pregnant women to go to malaria infested areas.
After the wedding there was some time to see some sights. First the Victoria falls.
Then a safari tour, where the mandatory zebras showed their backs.
In Livingston (the Zambian town by the Victoria falls) there is a railway museum. Here a sadly non-functioning beauty. Most engines were stripped of vital parts, but they looked nice from the distance with new paint.
But not all engines were in the same bad state. There is a touristic train going to the falls and to get it ready for the night’s tour it passed through the museum.
A short visit was also made at the railway station where these bright cars stood waiting for the evenings departure towards Kafue. We didn’t take the train due to long traveling times and low comfort.
We (the guests from Sweden and the bride’s parents and some few more relatives) had hired a minibus and used these excellent roads. Okay this was the best stretch, but in all the roads were not too bad, and traffic was light except for Lusaka and its closest surroundings.
One of the high-rises in Lusaka, on the main road Cairo Road.
Back in Sweden we could enjoy these beautiful sunsets from our balcony.
With spring projects arrive. This was the first project.
But projects are not completed in a day.
After a few weeks the sandbox for the kids was ready, with great help from Oma and Opa.
Our garden in springtime, cherry trees blooming and the grass in its’ greenest hue.
Our surroundings are nice in spring too. This is the road down to the café/bnb/old farm.
Our daughter and Johannes made a few excursions by themselves as Susanna needed some time to sort out some things. Here we visited a farm during the release of the lambs.
The rhododendron was blooming.
The farmer harvested the grass on the fields around our house.
On the 7th of June our family was extended with our son. What a great joy!
All of us were able to stay one night at the hospital, the rest of the nights our daughter and Johannes stayed at home.
Midsummer we celebrated with family, here our daughter’s great grandmother draws with her.
With all the things going on being a new four-headed family we had to give mother and son a break, this time we went to an air show in Eslöv.
Later in the summer we went to the zoo, there is a really nice one in Höör, www.skanesdjurpark.se/, where our daughter could ride the pony.
Some flowers along the road to the farm
Not all days were super busy, there was time for some relaxation in the garden.
Then our daughter turned three. We had a great party with the relatives.
In October Johannes went to Istanbul with his work, he just couldn’t resist taking a picture of the historic tram.
The hotel was in the old town, close to the Blue Mosque
To the other side the harbour with all the ships waiting was visible. We had some work too and a good tour for the new Bosporus tunnel project.
Back home colours were changing.
Some mornings the fog made the landscape like in a farytale.
Johannes parents came a few times to visit, always finding things to do, here they are on a walk with our daughter.
Christmastime came, this year with a home grown Christmas tree.
After one of our walks our daughter and Johannes took a shortcut over the field, this is our house from the backside.
This bird and many more enjoyed the last days of the year in the apple tree. (We had a bird feeder there during the winter).
