AGM 2011 - introducing the new committee

Thanks to all of you who attended the AGM yesterday. I hope you all enjoyed the Janssons temptation (if you want the recipe please check out our recipe blog).

There has been some changes to the committee this year:
First of all there has been a reshuffle at the top:

• Tinni Linden has moved from the President role into the Secretary Role,
• Joanna Piatek-Dyer has moved from the Secretary Role into the President Role.

We thank Tinni for your years in the president chair, job well done!

Re-elected Committee members:

• Kathleen Forsey (Vice President),
• Marita Appelros (Treasurer),
• Eva Sundin (web and newsletter editor),
• Carol Wideberg,
• Renate Ebner

Sadly we say good bye to a few of last years committee members:

• Charlotte Shörling, who became the mother of Lucas in January (Congratulations and thanks, we will miss you in the committee but hope to see you and your new family member on our events),
• Helen Lahtinen, who unfortunately has commitments elsewhere (Thanks for all your work, hope we can still call on you to help out on our functions),
• Katarina Ejeblad, who left to return to Sweden in November (I hope you are enjoying spring time by now)

New committee members
We are very happy to welcome our new committee members:

• Cherie Udden,
• Barbro Scott,
• Jessica Johansson,
• Uella Watson

I'm sure you can all bring some great ideas and enthusiasm to the association.

We have moved the task of newsletter editor from the Secretary role to the web editors role, so yes, you will be hearing even more from me in the future...More info about the AGM in our next newsletter!

Waffle Day, today 25 March.

Our family and friends in Sweden will all enjoy their waffles today, and so should you - as today, the 25 March, is the National Waffle Day in Sweden.

For a "healthy" egg waffle recipe please check our Food blog (http://senzfood.blogspot.com/)

Waffle Day is a tradition that is celebrated in Sweden, and to a lesser extent elsewhere, on March 25. Waffles are typically eaten on this day. The name comes from Vårfrudagen ("Our Lady's Day"), which in vernacular Swedish sounds almost like Våffeldagen (waffle day). Our Lady's Day is celebrated on March 25 (nine months before Christmas), the Christian holiday of Annunciation, and the Waffle Day is hence celebrated on the same day although it has no religious connections to Our Lady's Day. (source Wikipedia)

AGM and Janssons temptation

The current Committee welcomes all its members and interested to join us for our 46th Annual General Meeting.

Please do come along and hear what we have been up to during the year. This is your chance to meet the committee and bring any ideas you may have forward.

There will be drinks and nibbles before the meeting and after the meeting Janssons Temptation and drinks will be provided.

If you haven't received the agenda yet or have any other queries, please contact Tinni on 04 499 9895 or email tinni@sweden.org.nz

When: 28 March 2011
Time: 7 pm
Where: Connolly Hall, Guildford Terrace (off Hill Street) Thorndon

See you all there!

Fettisdag - Time for a Semla!

This coming Tuesday 8 March 2011, we should all have a Semla. Our family and friends in Sweden will certainly have one. Don't know how to make them? Charlotte, who made them for last years AGM, has kindly shared her recipe with us on our Recipe blog, just click on this link: http://senzfood.blogspot.com/2010/03/charlottes-semlor.html

Fettisdagen (Fat Tuesday) is the Tuesday after the Quinquagesima and the last day before the Christian feast; the day between Shrove Monday, and Ash Wednesday. Because it is the last day before the Easter Feast, it has created a tradition to eat buns, so called "fastlagsbullar", "fettisdagsbullar" (Fat Tuesday Buns) or "semla". The day is also called "White Tuesday" since the buns were made out of white flour.

The day is called "Mardi Gras" in France. The day is called "fettisdag" in Sweden and Finland.

So go on, do some baking today - and enjoy on Tuesday!

Scandinavian Festival 2011

A big thank you to "Scandinavian Club of Manawatu Inc", and the "Norsewood Promotions Group" for organising such a successful Scandinavian Festival last weekend.

There were a mix of Scandinavian (and NZ) flags everywhere.

There were Folk dancers from Denmark and Musicians from Norway as well as local entertainment.

The Sweden-New Zealand Association contributed with a taste of Sweden by bringing the maypole and the game of kubb. A big thank you to Göran Persson and Stefan Hålam for showing how to play this fun game and inviting interested visitors to play with them.

Unfortunately I had to miss out on the evening events but I'm sure Joanna and/or Tinni will give us all an update in the next newsletter... for some photos please visit Peter McDermott's photos on http://www.bestill.co.nz/Events/festival/festival.htm