Word for the day - cykel

Nypa stansen första dagen i månaden! Apparently! Although I am not sure that the expression of the sentiment will necessarily translate into Swedish, so I might not go about pinching or punching anyone today. Holidays have officially started here; lots of people are now off until August!

One of the best things about summer in Stockholm is all the cycling I am getting to do. I've got a 10km journey to KI, and pretty much the entire thing is on bike paths. In the morning when I am going in at a normal time it is BUSY! There are queues of cyclists at the lights, and for some reason the slowest person who everyone else has passed on the previous stretch of path always thinks its a good idea to free wheel past the queue, so everyone has to overtake them all over again. But in the evening I tend to miss the rush hour, and the path is nice a quite, and I can wheel along singing along to my music.

A lot of it is along water, and it is pretty beautiful. If steep at the end!

Crossing Tranebergsbron.

I pick my favourite boat from here every morning.

And then cycle round the north-west corner of Kungsholmen.

The best and the worst cycle happened within 40 hours of each other at the end of this week. Let's start with the worst and get it over with. First off, I was TIRED, I wasn't sure if my legs were going to power me all the way back. Second, it was properly windy, like Edinburgh often is, but Stockholm seems to be less often, which means it has a lot of grit which has accumulated and blows in your face. Third, I had made an unfortunately floaty choice of skirtwear, which kept getting caught in my wheel, so I had to hold it up to the handlebars to avoid this. It was still decent (thank goodness!), but when held in this manner turns into a sail even on still days, and on this particularly blustery day became a total health hazard. Forth, I managed to leave at normal time, which meant I got caught in going home traffic, including one lady cycling whilst on a hand held phone and weaving all over the path, and several inline skaters with lethal poles, which they shoot out behind them right at cyclist eye level about 30 times every minute. To top it all off, as I was cycling past a stationary car at the side of the road, it suddenly pulled into a U-turn too close for me to avoid, and I crashed into the back of it making a terrifying noise. It gave both me and the girl driving quite a shock, but once we had got over our language barrier (by her starting to speak English!) we established that both me and the car were alright, and carried on. Horrible journey!

In contrast, on Wednesday I stayed at work until after midnight, and so got a completely deserted ride home. I haven't seem Stockholm in the dark much, because it isn't dark much at the moment, but between 12 and 1am is as dark as it gets (not very!), and beautiful!

As I pulled out of KI I was treated to a view of the cranes building the hospital all lit up.

Back over Tranebergsbron.

It took way longer than usual because I kept stopping to take pictures, but I had Johnny Flynn in my ears and one heck of a sky above. I tried to get a good photo of the colour of it, but the best I got is reasonably un-scenic. Here it is anyway:

Absolutely not doing it justice. I am not sure if the sun is setting, or rising, or just skimming the horizon for a bit.

As I got back to Åkeshov a deer walked right on to the bike path a little ahead of me. She was lovely, but didn't stay about for long before springing off into the bushes to the side of the path. Glory!

So, in conclusion: cycling = a good way to travel. But not at rush hour!

It's late, and a soggy Misha has just come back in from a nighttime sojourn and is trying to push her way into my bed, so I am off to remove her and sleep.

Godnatt all,
x 

Word for the day - biskvi

My Mum came to stay! And took lots of lovely photos of my house (because it tended to be sunny whilst we were inside, and miserable when we were out!), so I thought it was about time to talk about Bromma like I said I would about a month ago when I moved in.

The most important resident is naturally Misha, who is a total sweetheart. And deaf as a post, so it is highly possible to sneak up on her, even if you are trying not to. There is nothing you can do to stop her getting on the table (it is the way to her window exit after all), but I do wish she wouldn't put her bum in my face whilst I eat breakfast quite so much.

The colours in the photos of the flat look somewhat over saturated. They aren't. It is seriously bright and busy!

Sally was thinking that the little chap in the photo looked a lot like Nosh, until she looked closer and saw the passport photo of Nosh these days in the corner of the frame. Then she realised the disturbing truth - he still makes exactly the same face.

Mum and I did go out as well as taking photos of the flat. We saw the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace (by total luck, not careful planning), Took the boat from Djurgarden to Slussen and watched people voluntarily being flipped upside down on one of the rides in Grona Lund, and even went to work for a bit on Sunday.

The best bit was when they all ran out to this line in time with each other, but we missed it with the camera!

 We also found the most delicious macaroons I have ever tasted (other than the ones Kathleen and JH made, naturally). I have since managed to go back to the shop whilst I was supposed to be queuing in the tax office. The Queue was so long I got away with it.

This photo makes it look like I taper to a point with no legs. Which isn't true, and will be especially untrue as long as I can get a supply of the caramel macaroons.

Delicious. I've also had a Sally visit since then, which she might blog about at some point, if the big move to Munich permits. Suffice to say it was a delightful few days, featuring much tempura, cinema-ing and visiting of Stockholm eating establishments. I believe she also did some serious research in to how to win a Nobel, so I confidently expect to see her when she comes back for the award ceremony in December.

Hejdå!
x

Glad Midsommar!

Hej Chums!

So I am a little behind with the well wishes, but yesterday was Midsummer in Sweden (it's always the Saturday closest to the shortest night of the year). Here though the eves tend to be celebrated more than the day itself. Apparently it's the same with Christmas Eve (which means on Christmas Day you just get to chill out and play with your presents). So on Friday most people left Stockholm for the countryside and the archipelago, and no-one went to work, and I cycled off in the morning to Eve's house and midsummer with her family, and the next door family.

We were really lucky with the sun, it's been raining for weeks, but Friday was unbelievably perfect (apparently unusual for Midsummer!). Spent the entire day outside, drinking wine and eating herring.

Herring with mustard, and herring with mayo.

Table set for lunch.

After lunch we walked up to a hill in the middle of some amazing allotments. There are lots of allotments about in Stockholm, and they are all beautifully colourful at the moment, but these ones had actual houses on them. Little perfect houses surrounded by flowers and orchards and hammocks. I would have lived there in a moment, but apparently they are not for actually living in, booo. We followed crowds of people (like the Quidditch world cup) to the hill, where there was a Midsummer pole, and lots of dancing in circles and singing mad Swedish songs (the frog has no ears and no tail?). I loved it a lot.

Midsummer pole.

After some dancing we went back for more wine, lots of strawberries and grilled fish. Nom nom nom! I also had a good game of hide and seek with Eva's two-year old daughter, who told me where to hide and then was SO DELIGHTED when she found me. It was great. (That sounds sarcastic, but it's not meant to be. It was properly a great game!)

This was about half the strawberries we had!

Just trying to get some work done and waiting for Sally to arrive. Fingers crossed it stops raining!

Hejdå!
x

Word for the day - iste, from my latest guest blogger, Mr R. Merganser

During an unexpected extra day in the land of the Swedes, I got up to some independent wanderings while you know who went to look after the baby neurons. I took the subway to Fridhemsplan on Kungsholmen, the island Laura cycles across to get to work, then had lunch in a park nearby. It was a short wander from there down a really beautiful street to the waterfront, which there's a walkway all the way along with great views to other parts of the city. I crossed a bridge to Langholm (there should be an accent on the a, to help differentiate it from our Langholm), which means long island, and hence today's word. It's a really nice spot for a wander with, again, lots of views. Here's some evidence:

There was also a brilliant spot for some refreshments on the way:

I just had time to cross back over the bridge and buy a bun for a beautiful girl (guess who) before heading to the station for 'Catching my flight home- take 2', which you'll be pleased to know was a success. Just time then for a shameless plug for the summer fair at my work: 30 June, 11am - 2pm, 49-55 Torphin Road, Colinton, EH13 0PQ. Should be a good day...

Thanks for reading, Hejdå!

Word for the day - försvinna. But I'm back!

Hej dear chums!

Apologies for the prolonged absence. Work really kicked off, and then Rich came to visit, and I have been remiss. I hope you have all had a good week, all Jubileeing and Olympic torching it up to those at home (although I know the torch doesn't get to Edinburgh until tomorrow).

I have been having a fine old time here, cell culturing to the max. I made neurons! But the cell culture room is a black hole of time slips, and days go past without you even noticing.

On Friday Rich came for a visit which turned out to be 100% longer than originally planned! We started with a wander through the old town (Gamla Stan) and a three hour lunch in a vegetarian restaurant with a view over central Stockholm - glory. Watch out Wowzers, you might need to sneak in some bacon. This was punctuated every hour or so by groups of Swedish senior school leavers, who celebrate their last day of school by decking out open top trucks and riding round the city with ghetto blasters, or whatever the kids are calling them these days. It looked like great fun to me.

I found this dodgy chap in the old town...

Gamla Stan from Herman's veggie restaurant.

Grona Lund funfair on Djurgarden.

 We also did some hanging out in sunny Djurgarden, where we were equally disturbed by the hords of geese which closed in around us, and the man in just his tiny pants sitting in the orchard.

For Nosh. I can just see him adorning your room.

On Saturday, after an inauspicious flat Swedish bike tyre that turned out to be incompatible with British tyre pumps we walked to Drottningholm Palace. It is quite beautiful, very close to my house, and has been associated with Swedish Queens since the 1500s. Today the current King and Queen live there. I am getting used to seeing their faces, or more often their children's faces, on Swedish versions of Hello and OK. I thought it was a bit odd at first, to plaster the royals all over the outside of corner shops, and then I remembered Kate and Wills, and that it's actually exactly the same at home.

Drottningholm Slott. Totes amazeballs.

We absolutely lucked out on the way home, and got a free boat trip on a steamer right through the islands back into the centre of town, and then ate pad Thai in the garden outside my flat, with a friendly cat guest. Delightful.

Steaming away from the Palace.

All the way to the centre of town!

Misha, desperately hoping for some daim chocolate. She didn't get any; daim is tasty for humans and bad for cats.

Sunday was supposed to be the day Rich flew home, but EB did not agree. She would not start, despite complete incredulity on my part, and though we ran to the airport bus terminal Rich was too late to catch his flight. So we had another day! He actually had two extra days, since the Monday flight wasn't until the evening, but cell culture was calling me on Monday. On Sunday we walked to the highest point in Stockholm. 58m! I don't know how we made it without succumbing to altitude sickness.

We met these chaps on the way.

All in all a glorious weekend.

I hope you are all having fine old times too. I'll be back in Blighty in a month! Hopefully see you then...

Hejdå!

Laura x

Please allow me to introduce...

.. the newest tenant of Knypplerskevagen:

He is an actual delight, and doubles as a double bed! But he needs a name. At the moment he is Sir Sofa, which may stick, so if anyone has a better suggestion then let me know. I went to a fine Swedish establishment yesterday in order to get him, which you may have heard of in passing; it's called IKEA. I took a photo, but it has been raining non-stop since Wednesday so it looks unutterably grim, so I will leave the largest IKEA in the world to your imaginations.

It was fine when I got there, about 20 minutes after opening (this sounds impressively early, but the Swedish attitude to working hours is that they should not get in the way of life, which sounds good to me. As a consequence most shops seem to open at around 10am and close at about 4pm), but by the time I left it was HEAVING, mostly with small screamy childers. It didn't occur to me that I would have to get a sofa home all by myself until I picked him up on a trolley and pushed him out to EB. I then struggled for about quarter of an hour to get him into the back of a C3, whilst three car-loads of people who wanted my parking space watched me from the dry safety of their cars. I managed it, and drove home, where I didn't have a handy trolley for the manoeuvering of Sir Sofa, so I pushed him end over end across the road, whilst his cardboard wrapping disintegrated in the rain. As I reached the front door it fell apart completely, leaving me holding seven bits of sofa and trying to get inside. But now he is here, and assembled, and I spent about 4 hours last night sitting on him watching Cranford and drinking rum and coke.

Perhaps the word for today should be soffa?

Hejdå!

Laura x

So long sweet Solna

I've moved again!

So goodbye to Solna, it has been lovely living there. I will miss the lake, and the Film Staden with its sushi, and my little flat, and most of all the hare chums.

But now onwards to Bromma! With Misha, and an epic but occasionally glorious cycle to get to KI. Photos of the new place coming soon, when it is not completely overrun with my bags and boxes, and I've eaten something that is not a banana...

Hejdå!

Laura x