No doubt about the drought.

Good saturday!!!

This beautiful cross was made of the talented old lady Eva Spångberg. She moved home to Jesus a couple of years ago.  On sunday we celebrate Pentecost with 55 choirsingers, musicians and a wonderful Mass with folkmusic. Blessings to you all!!!!!

Water, cool, clear water!!! We are having some problem with the waterlevel, mostly in the southern parts of Sweden.
Up north they still have snow..
We hade a flood this winter, the water rose to a level we seldom see around here,   covering backyards and parkinglots and gardens. Unfortunately that has very little to do with the water supplies. Many hot and dry summers and some winters almost without snow has created a situation that can become very troublesome and already is in some parts.
On my favourite island Öland they are trying a device for seawater, last year they had to take fresh water from the mainland in great tankers.  
The drought also has it's roots in how we use water nowadays.  We shower for hours, some take showers twice a day. We have swimmingpools in every second garden, we have recycling so we have to rinse everything in order to avoid smelling yoghurt bottles and oily trays. 
The farmers need to use sprinklers on the fields when there is no rain, the soil is flying around
like smoke. And in our part they are alarmed about the state of things when we start Sweden Rock Festival, four days of solid rock. The american bands are reluctant and some have backed out, they fear for terrorism.  Anyway, it takes huge amounts of water to serve all these rockers.
After the festival we will probably be drinking by teaspoon....
Still, we are blessed and spoiled, we still have water , clear and clean, for everyone to use. Soo many walk for miles and then the water is almost never clean, so....


Yesterday was also graduationday in our little town, hundreds of
young, singing, howling, happy and scared teenagers in their white hats
and white dresses or smart suits. The great ball took place last week,
with long dress, hairdo and limousines, they spend half a fortune on
dresses, hairdresser, makeup, shoes, champaign and parties.
The brightening future is ours - they chant or sing.
Our oldest is up next year....my husband and I fear the great
cavity that will evolve in our bankaccount.

Taking a stroll last night we saw the party tents and the balloons in blue and yellow , many graduates in our village as well. 
Our oldest is now 18, she can vote in church, we have a system with elected churchcouncils,
you can vote from the age of 16. But she thinks it's better to prepare for the real election next year. At the news we could hear the voices of young people in UK who have no intention of voting for parliament next week. They have no interest for it, they say, and it's no use voting, they wont care about us anyway a young girls said. Democracy has been fought for and dreamed of and is an impossible thought in many countries. Young people there can only dream of it.  But I can understand that when you find yourself standing last on the list of priorities, you may not think voting can change anything. They interviewed young people in Leeds, unemployed or underpayed, insecure and with no chans of university studies. Same kind of people that live in trailors and try to make ends meet with bad pay, bad health and no social security , in Trumps America. They found he was an alternative for them. How the young people in UK think of their future and who to vote for, is also troublesome. They never voted for Brexit, how then can they choose who is to make the exit !

Politics is important and difficult. We'll be having the Burma leader for a visit in Sweden soon.
Politics is a way of adapting the gospel to make society work. Martin Luther thought it was important to create a society where everyone was safe and every skill needed and valued!!
A good working society is a blessing.  Unfortunately he got involved with the uproar of the farmers and stood on the wrong side, I think he accused the farmers of a bloody uproar and therefore banned it, maybe he didn't foresee the bloodbath that his peers made of it!!!
It's nothing new this game of power, it will continue for as long as there is something to gain in oppressing, stealing and lying. Too many lies are being spread, too much of it is mistaken for the truth and too little is discovered before the damage is made. WE have a great economical scandal rolling up, even bigger than the first one a couple of years ago, the one with the false mailboxes... Now we see billions hidden in bankaccounts, while the owners declare nothing of it or only a trifle of it to the taxoffice. Democracy also need a system where everyone helps paying for everything we decide we need: schools, roads, trains, hospitals, welfare, security...
If you decide not to be a part of that when you actually have the means, you are no better than the young people in Leeds who say: "Politics is not my thing, I don't want to be part of it"

In Sweden the headlines are screaming about mistrust and bad leaders, may they be out out and ashamed, pictures and miscredits are visible everywhere, these people have families and feelings, the blaming society that Rachel spoke of is very true. We need a scape goat for the bad situation, be it the countries finances or the footballteams losses. 
I know, they chose to go in to politics , they get payed for it, they have plenty of advantages being who they are, but they are still people, humans, do to others...
We are not talking of crimes here, just failors in doing what I was set to do.  Mercy mercy.

Chestnuts by the church

Our little bee hotel got its first inhabitants, six of the small rooms are taken and this guard is watching over them!!!!!

Poppies are popping up everywhere, glowing red!!

Seeing the lupines in their nice pastel coats, makes me think of John Cleese. Ever seen Dennis Moore?  The rather sweet but confused Robin Hood character? Click and enjoy!!!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwY98217hFE

Lupines without the red are almost even more beautiful!!!!!