I feel that it’s time for an update on summer in Sweden….or rather…the lack thereof! Yes…the weather has not been on our side so far this year. (This picture was captured on a rare day!)
People keep on asking if we have been away this summer and the answer is…we haven’t. But don’t worry – we’re not too hard done by as we did head to the Austrian mountains and Salzburg in May for over two weeks and we’re heading back to the UK a couple of times in the Autumn.
We have been doing other things instead…more about that later.
In and amongst this, we have taken a couple of trips within Sweden; explored the town of Sundsvall (which is 4 hours north of Stockholm) and took a road trip to camp out in a bear hide…twice. (And although we didn’t see any bears, it was a great experience!) We’ll be heading back next year to try again for sure.
Our summer focus
Our real focus this summer has been (and still is) working on and finishing up our second full length album which is due for release this Autumn. I don’t think I’ve ever been quite so excited about a release and I feel that this material is the best we have written to date!
For this release, we decided to do a Kickstarter campaign and in just 1 week, we have reached over 50% of our goal. A huge thank you to all who have joined with us in bringing this closer to reality.
What’s in it for you?
Ahhh…that age old question. The good news is…a lot!
If you choose to support us in in our crowdfunding campaign, you are not just donating. You can exchange your donation for a whole range of rewards, such as:
- Getting our music before anyone else (with exclusive bonus tracks!)
- An exclusive limited edition ‘Salt Of The Sound’ bamboo USB stick with all our music on!
- An exclusive ‘Salt of the Sound’ tote bag.
- In fact, there are 17 DIFFERENT REWARDS for you to choose from.
By backing us in this campaign, you will be supporting us as independent music artists and in our music ministry.
So…if you feel that you can spare just 90SEK, $10 or£6.60 or more (yes – the exchange rate is very much in your favour if you don’t live in Sweden at this time), you can get one of our great rewards and we will be eternally grateful to you!
Why kickstarter?
You can read and hear more about why we are doing this over on the kickstarter page and take a sneaky peak at the video below.
Thank you all for your continued support for our music ministry. Having you join with us means more than you know.
Anita x
It’s been a while…it’s amazing how time gets away from you. I completely intended to blog over the last couple of months but it’s amazing how time just gets away from you. We had a great trip to New York for Thanksgiving, Niagara & even squeezed in a couple of days in Iceland (definitely my favourite country so far) on our way back home to Sweden.
Anyway, as with every year, 2014 was a year of ups and downs for us. All kinds of great things have happened: moving countries, running marathons, releasing 2 new EPS, starting new musical projects, making new connections…the list goes on. But we also had some sad losses this year, including the huge personal loss of my Grandpa.
I have become quite a thinker over the last few years…I ponder on life’s events a fair amount and as we approached the end of 2014, I began to think about how little we know at the start of a new year. This was the theme for my latest blog post over at Salt of the Sound which I would encourage you to take a peek at.
2015…Here we are! What will happen? We don’t fully know. Will it be a year of successes? Lessons? Or losses? They’ll probably all weave their way in there in some way, shape or form. But we need to be content with the not knowing…and trust that it is in good hands!
Gott Nytt År (Happy New Year) from Sweden! Let’s make 2015 count!
Anita x x x
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Central Park, New York City
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View from Rockerfeller Center, New York City
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Aboard the Maid of the Mist, Niagara Falls, Canada
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Niagara Falls
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Enjoying Iceland
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Iceland in the Snow
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Iceland
PS: Photo credits go to my husband ©Ben Tatlow 2014. You can check out his Flickr page here
When you live at any distance from family and friends, you really begin to treasure your time together more. Last week, we were able to head back to the UK to see some of our family and friends. I now find even greater joy in spending time with family, as I know our time together is limited. And as for our friends…well, it was just like old times – almost as if we had never left London to move to Stockholm.
I am grateful for these friendships – with both family and friends. Their support for what we are doing with our music means so much to both me and Ben.
Re-visiting the area around Wimbledon, where we used to live, was quite a strange experience but also helped us to gain a lot of perspective. Along with meaningful conversations with our afore-mentioned friends, it reminded us of the choices we have made, all that we have acheived over these last 9 months or so, and it excites me to discover the plans God has for our future.
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” – Jeremiah 29 v. 11
I listen to this track quite a lot as I reflect and thank God for all He is doing in our lives. It’s an instrumental track from our latest Salt of the Sound EP – if you like it, it’s available on our bandcamp store.
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Do let me know what you think of the song. What good things is God doing in your life? Maybe you face similar challenges with distant loved ones? As always, I love to hear from you!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted on here. Here is a brief insight into what we’ve been up to (in no particular order):
- Leading Summer Camp in Småland for 60 youth from Immanuel International Church (Stockholm) & Fisher’s Creek (Gothenburg).
- Involved in the life & ministry of Immanuel International Church.
- A short break to Oslo, Norway – just the two of us.
- Visiting family back in the UK & catching up with some friends too.
- Buying & moving into our own apartment in Stockholm.
- Enjoying the incredibly warm (& thunderstormy) Swedish Summer from said new apartment.
- Continuing to work on our musical projects as Salt of the Sound, Anita Tatlow & Benjamin Tatlow.
- Working on our global healthy living business & helping the new people in our team to do the same for themselves. Want to know more? Get in touch.
Exciting music news!
We are just putting the finishing touches together for our Brand New EP, entitled ‘Through the Mist’. You can read more about the inspiration behind this project over at our website.
And here is a preview track from the EP:
Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below or on SoundCloud. I always love to hear from you.
This week, I want to share with you a new song that I have written in this short post.
‘All for you’ is about giving your life to God, accepting that we don’t know what He has in store for you or me, and being at peace with that thought.
Since actively deciding to give my life more readily to God, I have felt an inner sense of peace – even though, at times, my road hasn’t been completely clear to me. But things have also happened that I could have never have imagined and for that, and so much more, I am continually thankful.
Imperfectly I come before your throne
Longing to be more than this world I know
I lay my life down here at your feet
So you can use all of me
I don’t even know your plans for me
Strip it all aside what do you see?
Broken and in need of love so strong
I need you ‘cause you are good.
Here’s my heart, I empty it before you;
Lay it broken down.
Won’t you fill it with your love joy and compassion perfectly,
That I might be…
All for you.
