Summer 2022

… And it was good!

Top: Purple rice, glutinous rice balls, candied fruit, shaved ice, and coconut milk. Bottom left: Seafood and veg from the hotpot buffet. Bottom right: food in action on the hotpot/barbecue.

Top: front façade of the cottage we rented on Öland. Bottom left: lighthouse at the southern tip of Öland. Bottom right: Borgholm Castle ruin.

I took a summer holiday. Holidays are worth it. This shouldn’t require saying, but in the current working culture, I feel that it is often forgotten. The last time, before this year, that I had done a Swedish summer was in 2012. And I will never leave it that long again. Travelling during the summer is, of course, less cumbersome than during winter – I was traipsing through the airport in a dungaree dress as opposed to a thick puffer coat, lots of layers, and warm-lined boots. And scandi summers are just the best. (Scandi winters are wonderful too though.)

The YouTube channel choki mentioned “resting without resistance”. This is what I wish for myself and people I love during future breaks too.

I am anxious and nervous for the new term, but I will trust the process. Everything is the scariest just before you start, whether it’s a roller-coaster or a new job. So here we go.

For posterity: arranging to meet up – from FLIGHTS – at an airport is tricky, but also kinda fun?

Nothing like making a trilingual welcome sign for your hosts.

Hope you have had a good summer. Take care not to catch a cold as we head into colder, cosier weather.

Slow Living November

I have taken my first sizeable holiday of the year. And by that I mean longer than one week. Normally I go to visit family, which I of course have not done this year, due to the lockdown.

When I visit family, 1.5-2 weeks feels like no time at all because it’s often a packed schedule. This time around, I was at home, alternately trying to beat down on my life-admin to-do list, and doing purely hedonistic resting.

Observations:

1. It occurred to me that even in mentally referring to the rest part as “hedonistic”, I’ve defined my relationship to productivity as… perhaps too into using it to define my goodness as a person. There is nothing wrong with rest, or needing rest.

2. Resting felt guilty. Probably as a result of 1. That said, it also feels good, and was very welcome.

3. Being at home does mean more of the life-admin got done.

4. And more films got watched! (I watched Birds of Prey and Parasite in their entirety, and undoubtedly also watched a few more here and there on telly.)

5. Once I’d gotten over the worst guilt of resting, I decided that both dealing with my obligations, and actively doing things I enjoyed counted as productive. This was helpful and probably contributed to my enjoyment of the time off.

6. And since going back to work is a must, returning to a part-week feels positively luxurious. So all of my future holidays will be midweek-midweek where possible.

The question remains: will I get to see my family this year? In any case, happy belated first advent to you all! As always, take care in the cold and the pandemic. Anna and Jez will be back soon.

Happy New Year!

Have they gone bonkers? Fear not!

Happy Year of the Dragon! A card I have received; would you like a better look at the paperwork?

Going through a rather busy spell at the moment, though I have many drafts for posts on the go. Something that I definitely have time for, though, is to wish you all a HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! For those who understand/can be bothered to run it through a translation device: 新年快乐！ 万事如意！身体健康！心想事成！

Don't say I disappoint!

Hope everybody has a wonderful semi-holiday (“semi” is required as most will probably NOT have time off work/school to celebrate), and that all the dragons out there have a particularly fantastic year! (Yes, everybody else are granted a merely “excellent” year.)