Andreas

I went out for a quick run earlier tonight and it struck me I was surrounded by noise. Noise from cars, bicycles, people talking on the phone, boats in the canal and music from bars and speakers brought to picnics. I noticed my pulse elevated in a way it hasn’t for weeks. It’s a completely different thing to run on empty gravel roads along fields of wheat and barley compared to walkways in the city.

If I react this way in July, when a lot of people get away for vacation elsewhere, how is it going to be in September? The last four weeks that I spent with my family in our beloved little cottage has really gotten to me – like it does every summer.

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After reading Maiques great post about his vacation trip to the Algarve, I feel I should do the same. I have a bunch of photos and some small stories to tell from the last month. The summer in Sweden has been exceptional this far. It’s actually been too hot and sunny. Even if it’s enjoyable in several different ways it’s also scary. In the same time the weather made us spend almost every day and night outside the house. And that is something I really like. That makes me feel more alive.

Hanging out down the lake this afternoon, the last out here before I get back to work in Stockholm tomorrow. I’ll leave by train tonight. It’s been a warm and sunny summer vacation but far too short. Every year I’m thinking my ordinary life needs a change. There needs to be more time for family, fun in the outdoors and hanging out with friends. If that’s going to happen I have to adjust to a lower income. But maybe that’s the right thing to do. I won’t make this happen without both a second and a third thought but this autumn to come I’ll seriously consider it.

Went for a bike ride with twins and wife. We took off after breakfast with no other goal than have lunch at a place called Julita gård (an old and beautiful mansion with a big garden).

The lunch was great! I had matjessill (soused/pickled herring) with cold sliced potatoes, boiled egg and melted butter. Wow, amazingly good. If you go go Sweden try it, but you can’t have too often, it’s very filling. This is how it looks if properly done.

The garden was better than I thought it would be. The place is a national museum but during the pandemic there’s no public events anymore. The garden is open but is not maintained as before. Hopefully it will reopen and all the gardeners get their job back. Still it’s a beautiful place.

The bike ride home made us sweat. Afterwards we took the car down to the lake and I had a swim that made my arms and shoulders get as tired as my legs. A good day.