Hiking
The hike from Lindalen to Sandasjön lake was hot. So hot. It was nice to get out on the trails and switch off for a while though. I don't have many photos from the day but there are a few things I want to remember, including the route.
Places
May brought the smell of bbqs on balcones, leaves on the trees, blankets of pollen, the sound of seagulls mating, hot sun with cold wind, people zipping around on bikes, vaccination posters and longer days (midnight sun arrived in Northern Sweden). Cherry blossom was one of the best bits of
Hiking
Our previous expedition to Tornberget utsiktstorn (a surveillance tower location in WW2) resulted in us hiding from a storm under a picnic blanket. This time, the sun was blazing hot all day! Everything had sprung to life since our last visit to the forest a few weeks ago. Wild blueberry
Life
May has been a mega month. Some good, some bad and a whole heap of things sandwiched inbetween. I'm pretty exhausted! In other news, the apartment is starting to take shape and I've been experimenting with how much coffee my caffeine intolerant body can handle (not
Places
It looks like Summer 2021 is shaping up to be another Swedish staycation for us. We originally planned to visit Norway and Finland but we'll save that idea until we've been vaccinated and travel is more stable all round. Luckily there is plenty to keep us
Places
April was a good month for snow flurries. The perfect transition for people like me who aren't ready to say goodbye to the snow just yet. Everyone seems to be moving slower now Spring has arrived — presumably because there is less need to rush around to stay warm!
Life
March vanished and here we are at the end of April. Our applications for uppehållsstatus (post Brexit residency status) were approved and that was a huge weight off our minds. We've been riding out a third Covid wave, redecorated the apartment, had our final TBE vaccinations,
Life
Ask a handful of people to share what they know about life in Sweden and I'm sure long, dark Winters would be a common answer. We are now easing out of Winter and I can confirm this reputation is accurate, even in Stockholm, which is spared from the
Life
March was the month of frozen water, sporadic snowfall, colourful feathers for Easter, warm sun, a handful of coat free days, anti-vax protests (not us), pockets of coarse grit on pavements and tiny purple flowers called blåsippa. I'm amazed the water stayed frozen for most of the month.
Life
Happy Easter (glad påsk)! We embraced Swedish traditions this year as well as cooking a British roast dinner. Being born in a different country is an advantage when it acts as an excuse to double up on celebrations. Boxed eggs aren't popular in Sweden and in fact, I
Hiking
The return of the sun triggered a desire to spend time at Erstaviksbadet. It's a small beach at the end of a train line that feels like a secret location at this time of year; it's usually deserted apart from a few joggers and dog walkers.
Places
February began in what felt like the depths of Winter, with snow and daytime temperatures averaging -10c or below. Fat Tuesday arrived, more Covid-19 recommendations were put in place, colourful tulips filled the shops, snow ploughs zipped around, the calls of roof clearers echoed down the streets, hands were stuffed
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