Google Image Meme

I spotted this at Carol’s place some time ago and it has been brewing ever since.

Instructions: For each of the following, search Google Images and post your favourite pic.

Where I grew up:

It is not easy to give you one place where I grew up since we moved quite a lot, every three years approximately. So I decided on the town where I started school, followed by a three-year gap, and then returning to spend my teens and most of my adult life until the age of 39 in Malmö.

Malmö is situated in the very south of Sweden, opposite Copenhagen in Denmark. When I grew up you had to cross the water by ferry, hovercraft, hydrofoil or whatever was available at the time. These days there is a magnificent link across to Denmark, consisting of a bridge, a man-made island and a tunnel. In the picture you can see it quite clearly with Denmark at the other end of the link. It is a truly beautiful bridge, and driving across it, you are treated to some gorgeous views.

Where I live now:

Another tricky one! I almost stared myself blind at pictures before I settled for this, rather simple one. I mostly found photos relating to the football team Borussia Mönchengladbach and other very uninteresting objects, so I took this radical view, a street sign!

My favourite place:

Thinking hard and long I went for a place with great emotional value, where I and my son spent our summers for his first thirteen years. The place is called Gullholmen and is situated in the archipelago on the west coast of Sweden. We both have wonderful memories from our holidays there. The tiny island and the village share the name, and the village spreads out onto another larger island. The small island is today a cluster of wooden houses for the wealthy; there is hardly any open space and prices, I believe, can compete with any major city centre. Gullholmen, the island, is on the right in the picture.

My name:

The most famous person to share my name is Anders Celsius, yes, the guy with the thermometer. Click on the links, one name link and one picture link, to read more about him.

My grandmother’s name:

Like most people I have two grannies, one called Victoria and the other one called Elma. When I googled Victoria, my screen filled up with pictures of Queen Victoria and Victoria Beckham, and to a certain extent Victoria Silvstedt, a Swedish “glamour model”. Instead I went for the slightly unusual name Elma. That was not easy; but in the end I found a painting by a 13-year-old girl from Sarajevo, Elma Softic. She says: “Today people talk a lot about environmental protection, but they should talk about how to protect the environment from their own destructive desire to ruin everything that surrounds them”. I thought it was rather touching.

My favourite food:

It has to be the French cuisine.

My favourite drink:

Elderberry! I just love that flavour. The picture shows exactly how I used to do it myself, both at home and with school children in London at the Swedish School. You get a delicious cordial which you can add gin to for the adults, the perfect summer’s drink.

My favourite smell:

Fresh air! The picture I found has an added poignancy to it, non-smoking. Just fill your lungs!

To round off I have to wish my readers a Happy Easter. Oh yes, we’re off to France again, two weeks or so. Cheerio!