Summer’s ABC

Dear reader,

Somehow, it’s June. Half the year gone in a blink, and yet the days are now at their longest—spilling light across the floor and into the evenings and blinding me as I write to you.

I feel ready to lean into summer. To stretch out under the sun, dig into the bedside book stack, and make space again for slow, generous hours with the people I love. There’s something about this midpoint that invites a gentle reset—not with urgency, but with a soft intention.

Here’s to beginning again, but slower.

And what would a new season be without our letters...

A- Aperitivo. The art of meeting after work with no real agenda except olives, a cold drink, and good company. I’m practising the routine of breaking the routine.

B- Baking. My friends know that I detest cooking but love baking. So the summer will be full of baked sourdough bread, buns and biscotti.

C-Collecting. Witch stones, chipped shells, tiny glimmers of the coast. My pockets become a travelling cabinet of curiosities.

D- Dressing for summer. I think summer is a difficult time to dress for. I usually look at Brittany Bathgate for style inspiration. Her style is minimal, contemporary, and filled with earthy tones which suits my idea of summer dressing very well.

E- Evening strolls. The best thing about summer in the Nordics is the endless summer nights. Nothing is more magical than a midnight walk when the sun stands low painting the world golden.

F- Finland. Where my father and grandmother live. It smells like birch trees, strong coffee and home.

G- Go fish! Not literally but the card game. I love to play card or board games with my M. I always lose except that one time I won on Yatzy and M never hears the end of it.

H- Halmstad. At the beginning of our vacation, M and I will try to take the train down Halmstad. It is not too far from Gothenburg but for some reason, I've never been there.

I- Iced drinks. Summer is for iced beverages, right? Iced coffee, cascara ice tea, iced matcha or a great limoncello spritz.

J- James by Percival Everett. It’s been circling me lately, this book. So I’m reading it. No further justification needed.

K- Keep a visual diary. I bought a small sketchbook in which I draw small moments from my life. I have fallen off it lately but summer is a great opportunity to pick it back up again.

L- Learning. After five years of university studies, I thought that I had stepped into a classroom for the last time. But now, I feel like taking a course. Perhaps something in art or learning a new language.

M- Melanzane alla parmigiana, panzanella and schiacciata. I want to eat all things Italian this summer.

N- Nordiska akvarellmuseet. This is a given summer outing. M and I together with my mother go at least once a year. This summer they have an exhibition about patterns.

O-Outdoor spaces. We have the great luxury of having a balcony. During summer M and I sit there in the blazing sun for breakfast, mild after-lunch reading time or that magic moment around seven in the evening when the sun hits the window opposite us and we're blessed with a few fleeting moments of evening sun. It’s a ritual in rays.

P- Peaches. My favourite summertime fruit. I almost always have one tucked with me in a bag.

Q- Quiet mornings. Dew. A slight chill. Coffee in hand before the world remembers it has things to do.

R- Reset the self-talk. I think many of us, myself included, are very hard on our bodies during summer. So, I will focus on talking nicely to myself and my body.

S- Sea, sea, sea. The best thing about summer

T- Tennis outdoors. Can't wait!

U- Urban exploring. While everyone else escapes the city, I stay and watch it soften—quieter, kinder, sunlit.

V-Vintage shopping. Summer is when I have time to endlessly browse hangers or dig into scarf piles in vintage stores in search of a great find.

W-Watercolour. Last year I gave myself the challenge to paint something every day of my vacation. It was so fun and now it feels like I have a postcard from every day of the summer. So, I think I'll try something like that again.

X- eXhale deeply.

Y- Yoga outdoors. By now, you've probably noticed a pattern where I do things I normally do but outdoors. Yoga is no exception.

Z- Zone out. After all, summer is for us to give up direction and ramble through existence.