5 year barbecue anniversary!

It was five years ago now that Jenny and Hannes, Ondina and Gunnar moved in to the two houses up for sale on my road. 20 years since the last rotation in my neighborhood it was exciting, and my new neighbors turned out to be wonderful people. That summer Jenny, Ondina and me organized the first Torrbergsvägen barbecue, something that’s now an annual tradition!

Torrbergsvägen (Dry Mountain Road) is my road, in my village. It sits at the foot of Torrberget, Dry Mountain. There are seven households at the road, plus two nearby at the main road leading through the village. And the barbecue takes place at my place. That’s where he sun lingers the longest, at my front yard.

By that time I had lived here for 32 years, and I feel a shame to admit that the residents of Torrbergsvägen had never come together before during all those years. Summer as winter, mostly we had waved to each other when driving by our houses. And saying a brief hi when out walking. 

So, on our first barbecue event the situation was new and we frankly didn’t know each other that well. But two new families was a perfect reason to change that circumstance!

Over the years the event has happened at different times during the summer. As Jenny, Ondina and me have been the organizers, our calendars have to match. And since I am not able to host a thing like this on my own, I need Trouble & Trouble and girlfriends to be part of it as well. More calendars to take into account. It’s a puzzle! And then there is the weather of course…

Unfortunately Jenny and Hannes eventually felt my village in the woods wasn’t the perfect place for them, they longed for the sea! I was very sad when they left with their new little baby this winter. On top of that, Magnus and his super sweet 8-year old son Loke also left Torrbergsvägen in the spring. Magnus used to work for my home care company and has been a great safety to me, this winter he was a darling shoveling the snow at my house whenever I needed. So another great loss.

However, they all promised to come back for the summer barbecue, something to look forward to! And so 2017 again, there were two new families at the road, another very good reason to continue the tradition. Since my back hasn’t been cooperative when it comes to walking I had barely met my new neighbors!

Weather wise this summer has been really crappy. Not one single high pressure giving us some days of stable warm weather. No, rain every other day and low temperatures.  But Friday morning the sun was out and 68° (20°C), hallelujah!

For me, spending 90% of my time alone in my house, suddenly having my front yard full of people is kind of overwhelming. A little bit unreal. Although so nice.

Five of the households at Torrbergsvägen have ancient history in my village, we have been here for generations and generations, me and my children as well. Four families have moved in, including the two from this year. And then Jenny, Hannes and Magnus were back, so it was a really interesting mix invading my little kingdom this Friday afternoon. 

And how fun it was! Clouds took over the skies while the food sizzled on the five barbecues and laughters and intense chatting filled my front yard. But the rain stayed away! The new families altogether have seven children, so suddenly there are a lot of kids on the block, this evening cart wheeling on my lawn, running on my fields, finding tiny frogs in my ditches! I feel that everyone really made an effort to make our new neighbors feel welcome and a part of our neighborhood.

And it’s interesting, because I have a sense our summer tradition is more appreciated for every year. Old and young at age, old and young at our road, everyone seems to really enjoy the evening and each other’s company. Five years have gone by pretty quickly, so let’s go for five more at least!