New Years Resolutions, do I hear you ask???

Nothing. Zero. Zilch. Nada.

That's about it. One good thing about the New Year is that it is my birthday as well, which has its advantages.

1. I can usually work out exactly how old I am in exact years, months and days.

2. I always seem to have a public holiday on my birthday.

3. I always get fireworks.

4. The coming in of the new year is also an anniversary of my journey on this blue blob around a small sun on the edge of the galaxy.

5. People remember your birthday more easily than other "standard" days such as May 13th.

6. In my younger days, I got one kiss for the New Year and one for the birthday!

Things that suck about having a birthday around this time of year.

1. Sometimes I feel a little seedy on the day as do others.

2. When I was a kid, Christmas and birthday presents were "combined". A person who has their birthday on Christmas day also has the same problem.

3. A lot of things are closed, so going out can be a hassle.

This year I spent midnight on New Year's Eve perched on a frosty slope near Oxelösund's harbour, watching firework launch spots going off all at once. It was lovely.




These are all private people setting off fireworks at home or out in the street. Honestly, you are able to buy almost anything short of a sub-tactical nuclear weapon in this country if it's around New Year's Eve, provided you have the cash. And apparently, lots of people have lots of cash for explosives. The private citizen, the alcoholic, the insane, the terrorist or anyone else, can simply wander down to their local shop and lay out money for incredible fireworks. We're not talking a handful of sparklers and a few cone fountains here, people, we're talking rockets red glare, bombs bursting in air. We're talking huge chrysanthemums and shooting stars with little whirly things and ka-booms! I've seen towns in Australia that haven't managed the 26th of January so well.




We watched every man and his dog in town let loose with the fireworks display. It was lovely to see the colours reflected in the snowy rooftops. There were no accidents here, but we heard of several places around the country being burned to the ground after being hit by stray fireworks and several nasty injuries.

What a contrast to Australia. Fireworks have been banned for private citizens since the 1970s and we have big public displays instead, often synchronised to music. As another contrast, the last Jan 1st I spent in Adelaide (Year 2000) was an extremely hot 43 degrees C (110 Fahrenheit), so most of the day was spent ducking from air conditioned location to another, although I did take a swim at Glenelg Beach later in the day. And of course Australia was among the first country to ring in 2009 with the spectacular fireworks at Sydney featuring on our early evening news.

I have received a request for a recipe for the elk dish served on Christmas day. This is something that you can do with deer or even a piece of beef. In Swedish, it's called Tjälknöl. My gran did something similar which she called "chilblain beef", which I googled but didn't find anything. Knowing my gran, it was her own name for it. Served sliced paper thin, with potato salad or potato gratin, it is lovely.




For 6-8 people

1-1.5 kg roast from moose, deer or beef (deep frozen)
500ml water
1/4 cup salt
1 tsp sugar

Heat oven to 75C (170F)

Put the deep frozen roast on the oven rack and place a pan underneath. Leave it in the oven at that temperature for 12 hours (I leave it overnight).

Then mix the water, salt and sugar. Put the warm roast into a plastic bag, pour the water mixture over it and let it soak for about 5 hours. I usually put it in the fridge.

If you want it spicier:

1 litre water
2 tbsp salt salt
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
½ tbsp black pepper (coarsely ground)
1 large bunch of fresh herbs
OR
2-3 tbsp mixed dried herbs eg basil, thyme, tarragon, örtagårdskrydda or similar
1 bunch parsley, chopped

I also like tabasco sauce or chilli added, but that depends on who is coming for dinner! I know it sounds a bit weird, but it is really nice.

It's exciting to start a brand new year. I don't know about you, but I am praying that this year is less eventful for me and my family than last year was, amen?

Meanwhile, I'll snuggle down in the chill, read my birthday books and listen to Lucille Ball's excellent advice: "The secret of staying young is to live honestly, eat slowly, and lie about your age."