Author Archives: Anna

Every summer I think more about what I eat. Vegetables are so much tastier in the summer. It is like New Year’s when you have to think through your resolutions for the upcoming year. The last few summers I have been reading about anti-inflammatory foods. It is good to eat for example salmon, but preferably wild salmon caught directly in the wild sea. These salmon are almost impossible to find today. Organically (ecologically) farmed salmon exist that have had more room to swim in than conventionally farmed salmon. A bit like free-range chickens.

This summer I got inspiration from a friend about heart-friendly food as you can see below. My trip to France also made me remember the Mediterranean diet. It is fantastic to have a salad in the shadow in the middle of the day. Above is a salade niçoise. I got inspired and made tuna salad the other day. Moreover, it is important to have unsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, the kind of fats that don’t solidify in the fridge. I have found a wonderful lemon oil dressing to go with my salad. All for my heart.

During summer life is more tranquil. There is time to change fast carbohydrates to slow carbohydrates. Nuts and not so much sweets. But, no summer without ice cream. I truly hope this heat wave stays for a few more weeks. The best season for my salad. Bon appétit!

Wonderful that summer is here. We are so well-deserved of summer holidays. I try to keep up the training even though it is very hot. Therefore, I have for craving for salt and it is perfect with herring and potatoes. I was lucky to get a few sunny days by the Mediterranean in the south of France before summer started in Sweden. To stay on the safe side. I remember rainy Swedish summers even if they are few.

Somehow it felt safe to be in France. Right now there are riots, but the police and sometimes the military quell the unrest. In Sweden, people are shocked to see someone in a military uniform. President Macron claimed at an early stage of the pandemic that we have an invisible enemy in front of us. I had a chat with the man at the hotel reception and he said that “like all other countries, France shows sympathy for Ukraine”. Even though I was on vacation, I had Ukraine on my mind when I flew over the Alps.

I remember the breakfasts in France. At that time, I stayed with a real Madame. At the top of the house, I had access to a small balcony where I saw the Pyrenees every morning. At breakfast, I had coffee, a croissant or a petit madeleine. Then it was time for the wooden stairs, as you can see in the picture below, and I was off for the university.

French breakfast is still delicious, and I tried this week to have some baguette with ham and cheese for breakfast at home, but it can never be as good as in France. Tried prawns for dinner an evening in Juan les pins as a change to fish balls in my everyday life. French cuisine just cannot fail. Also great to enjoy the incredible fresh tomatoes from Provence. A concentrate of sunshine.

Back home in Sweden, I felt grateful to Finland, which has recently become a member of NATO. Our Nordic neighbors have always protected us Swedes. We have two centuries of peace, but Finland, Norway, and Denmark know that war occurs, with all that it can mean.

Ten years pass so quickly. I have had the opportunity to advance, and also to continue on my thesis but in a different format and dimension. The Internet, and data in general, has changed our everyday life. A parallel life in the internet space that I finally have agreed with.

A picture is worth a thousand words, it is said. My camera has been my faithful companion throughout these years. My illustrator when words are missing to describe the context. Currently, we are in the middle of summer and everything goes a little slower. It is relaxing, and rest is needed because it has been a tough winter and spring. I think most closely of covid-19, but also of streptococcus which seems to have taken hold. The war in Ukraine affects everyday life. What appeared to be the beginning of a civil war in Russia last weekend took a rapid turn. Perhaps the purpose was to create confusion.

Now it is fruit- and salad season for me. I charge my batteries with fresh vitamins. That energy will be needed in November. To remind myself that life is on holiday, I will listen to the traditional Swedish summer radio program “Sommarpratarna”.