As I write this, 2025 is history, and 2026 lies before us. In Chinese astrology, we will soon be entering the Year of the Horse. According to Chinese tradition, the Horse symbolises energy, moving forward, independence and freedom. The start, however, has not been all that auspicious. No, 2026 kicks off as a year where […]
October was quite a busy month for me. First, I had the pleasure of visiting Dresden with dear friend and fellow writer Alison Morton. Among other things, we undertook a seventeen kilometre trek through the beautiful Saxon Switzerland National park (yes, I know, very confusing: Switzerland in a German park?) to see the famous Bastei
My November newsletter – a reflection on the passing of time Read More »
Today was supposed to be a writing day. I have two chapters left in my WIP, and one of them is going to be very, very hard to write—gruesome, is probably the right word—so I’ve been procrastinating. Until today. I had cleared my calendar, done some pep-talking along the lines of “Enough, already! Get it
Don’t mess with my baby! My October newsletter about Mama Bears and motherhood Read More »
Some weeks ago, I finally—FINALLY!—made it to Cádiz. This is considered to be one of the oldest city in Europe, and for those who know their history, it is probably best known for being the port Christopher Columbus set off from for his second and fourth journey. And it is as a port that Cádiz
Exploring a European cradle – say hello to ancient Cádiz Read More »
I am betting I am not the only one who writes to-do lists. But there are to-do lists and to-do lists: there’s the simple little notation “buy wine, throw out garbage, DO NOT FORGET GARAGE KEY” and then there’s the far more detailed version that started out as one long neat list but which has
September – a post about to-do’s, vacation and Hannibal Read More »
In Sweden, July is the traditional summer holiday month. We used to have something called the “Industrial Holiday period” which began around the 6th of July and ended about four weeks later. Not so any longer, although most heavy industries tend to close down for 2 weeks or so in July for maintenance and the
My August Newsletter – of changing light and darker nights Read More »
My mother was a big fan of poetry, and she would often read poetry out loud to us, in Swedish or English or Spanish. (A galopar, she would read, a galopar hasta enterrarlos en el mar, and all those rolling Spanish r’s would send shivers down my back. She was rather fond of Rafael Alberti’s
There came a letter – a reflection on home, memories and golden moments Read More »
I grew up with a mother who loved to swim. As a young girl she’d swum competitively, and like most good Swedish swimmers, she had a collection of swim badges. Some of those badges merely required swimming a specific distance—200 metres or 1 000 metres or 3 000 metres. Others were more of a combo:
Like riding a bike – a reflection on swimming and age Read More »
When Sweden offers up days so warm you actually want to sit in the shade, it is a crime to spend time indoors. At most, we get like five or six such days a summer which is why I am sitting on our back porch tapping away (while glancing at the view) Tapping away .
Looking for the sloth within – my July newsletter Read More »
One of our great Swedish poets once wrote “Ingen maj en dager sprider som den klarnande april” which loosely translates as “no May day ever shines as brightly as the returning light in April”. I totally agree: April is the month of LIGHT up here in the north. We write the 6th of April today,