The Perfect Long Weekend

And when I say “weekend” I mean Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.😄 I know it's a bit uncommon. Technically, Saturday was a day off too, but its rainy vibe paled compared to what followed. I haven't had such an eventful, colourful weekend in a long time, so I want to share my joy with you.😉

On Sunday morning, I was expecting an ordinary day. Pick up some groceries and a few tools, cook a bit — nothing special. My husband was taking his time, and I kept telling him, “Why are you moving so slowly?” Then he got a phone call and went downstairs to fetch some documents from the car. He came back very quickly, and just as I turned to ask him why he ... I suddenly saw my daughter standing right in front of me, with a smile to the ears :D WHAT??!!

She lives 600 kilometres away. And she never comes without planning it first. For a moment, I genuinely thought I was dreaming. I was sure of it for a few seconds. Ha! What a twist! And what a joy it is to have a daughter! I was absolutely over the moon.

It turned out that she and my husband had planned it together. The surprise worked perfectly — it was an early birthday present for me.

But since my actual birthday was the next day, we simply spent the day strolling around the city and enjoying the beautiful spring weather.

It’s never boring when we’re together. We talk about everything under the sun and laugh like good friends.

I hadn’t planned anything for my birthday — just an ordinary working day. My only wish was to go to the shooting range with my husband in the evening instead of a boring restaurant dinner (even though last time it was ages ago). But since my daughter had come for three days, I took days off.

There’s nothing better than a Monday when you don’t have to go to work.😇 And then — ta-daam! — in the morning, a luxurious cake arrived! It had been ordered by my bestie who’s now living in Spain. This year, she didn’t forget the date. 😜 The cake was decorated with little roses — real ones, fresh and incredibly fragrant.

While my daughter was getting ready, looking lovely as always, another delivery arrived — flowers from my dearest ones. I’d really been dreaming of peonies… and that’s exactly what I got. So soft, so delicate — and such a beautiful scent. Aroma of May 💚

My husband somehow managed to find my favourite biscuits - traditional PEPPARKAKOR (Swedish spice cookies). I hadn’t tasted them in years because I simply couldn’t find them anywhere. But it was my daughter who surprised me the most. She practically pushed me into the shower — which was unusual, since she normally doesn’t like rushing. While I was in there, she decorated the room and put together a big box filled with all sorts of little girly stuff. And she had brought it all with her on the train! The best child in the world — no doubt about it.❤️

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So, then it was my turn to do the surprising.

For lunch, I took her to a rather unusual café called "The House of Great Wonder". They serve food and cocktails in the most unexpected, creative ways. I’d read about this place ages ago and had always wanted to go there with her. At cafés like this, it’s impossible to get a table at the weekend — they’re always fully booked. But Mondays have their magic: you can just walk in without a reservation and choose the very best spot — by the window, under the branches of a blooming tree.

The food was absolutely delicious. We ordered different dishes, cocktails and desserts to see and taste as much as possible. The Gin Duck Garden was the funniest one. A little yellow duckling takes a bubble bath. Bees Knees: our personal magician (there are no waiters there) brought me a beehive that was buzzing loudly. When dealing with bees, you need to take safety precautions, so he wore a special hat with a protective net. He also had one for me. When I carefully lifted the hive, I saw a large golden bee.

The Introduction to Hogwarts was no less exciting. My daughter was given a talking hat. He hesitated for a long time and finally assigned her to Hufflepuff. The wizard put the edible insignia of this house in her owl cocktail. The presentation of Magic Rose was simply magical. A large mushroom dessert was brought in a large basket, and blowing out a mini candle on a mini cake turned into another surprise. It was a lot of fun. Time flew by.

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In the evening, the three of us went to the shooting range. I’d been dreaming about this day for years, and finally, it happened. We fired real bullets from a Glock pistol.... There’s just no way to describe the feeling. I was so excited and it was even better than I expected.

When I was a child, my dad often took me to the shooting range — not my brother, just me. But the last time I fired anything, it was an air rifle… a long time ago. Probably back in 2000. And it turns out, I haven’t lost my skills! 💪 My daughter was genuinely impressed with my results — and honestly, so was I, LOL.

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What a day! Lots of impressions and emotions. The first real birthday since the beginning of the full-scale war. Can't say what is better - the celebration itself or my desire to celebrate.

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We spent the third day together again, with benefit and pleasure. I took her to the doctor (just an annual check), and then showed her a well-known and relatively new modern park in Kyiv that stretches along the Dnipro River. A long walk along quiet alleys. A funny TV series at home, with ice cream and fresh strawberries. Small joys, precious moments. Lots of happy memories. 💖

Cheers 🌺