Let them eat Cake!

An outing in nature is always made a little better by having something to look forward to afterwards. Not necessarily a reward. The outing itself is reward enough (at least when you’re an adult), but a little something extra. The icing on the cake, both figuratively and literally.

That is why the landscape of Vårhallarna, on Österlen in southern Sweden, occupies the upper part of this miniature peep-show. Nature makes the cake-and-coffee scene below all the more inviting, just as the thought of something delicious waiting at home, the knowledge that “there’ll be something nice when we get back”, adds to the pleasure of being outdoors. The two scenes are connected by that small, familiar feeling of anticipation: the joy of being somewhere beautiful, and the pleasure of knowing that another kind of comfort awaits.

I also like the idea of bringing two very different kinds of comfort together in one little world. Above, there is the openness of the sea, the rocks and the wind-shaped landscape. Below, there is the warmth of the kitchen, the patterned wallpaper, the people gathered around the table and the promise of something sweet. One scene invites you out into the world; the other welcomes you home. Perhaps part of the pleasure lies in having both: the freedom to wander and the comfort of returning.