Huvudskär

I look back at the photos from Huvudskär, a group of islands almost like a physical demonstration of zen. Stillness, harmony. To pick a fight in that environment almost seems impossible.

On dry land, once again

Most fathers on paternal leave swiftly transform into chubby figures, moving slowly and pushing baby carts with a vacant glare. Surprisingly, I personally have dropped 4 kgs after commencing my paternal leave in May. Our days at sea includes a lot of carrying, lifting, moving, and, albeit Lily and Alice coped very well at sea, they also crave a lot of attention. Rare moments of silence are interrupted by anguish, screaming and anarchy, promting urgent action of all sorts. Emily has also lost a lot of weight, mainly by long walks early mornings, making her fit as a fiddle. Heres a snap of the main crew of our boat Penina.

Three weeks at sea

Our Gålö-days are over. We today returned to land after being squeezed together on board for three weeks. I still consider myself a true amateur on board, but we certainly learned a lot. During our last trip at Jungfrufjärden the hard wind tore up one of our sails. The beauty of the archipelago is immense. Our hygienic level has, hardly surprisingly, reached an all time low. My favourites: the laid back, cultivated and rather upper-class atmosphere of Dalarö (where we several nights stopped by), and the stark, coarse outer archipelago feeling at Huvudskär. Amongst our guests, coming up from the deep south of Skåne, was my niece Anna and her Fijian husband Seta.

Lily and Alice ready for the Baltic

How are we to manage with two small girls in a moderately sized boat for two weeks? We will soon find out, because now is the time to move in permanently in our Maxi 77 - regardless of rain. Next week we will get help from my niece Anna and her husband Seta. That will make it possible for us to set sails and move about in the archipelago more freely. Ornö, Ängsholmen och Utö (O hell dig du valsande Utö-societet, as Evert Taube the singer put it), are likely touchdowns.

Interviewed by SVT (Swedish Television)

The interview for "Allsång på Skansen" went fine. The interview took place in a little tower over the restaurant just in front of where the sing-a-long show has its scene. So the cameraman had me in the front and the scene in the back. I was amazed that numerous people were taking seats for tonights show already at 10 AM. According to the woman who interviewed me, some even sleep in front of Skansen to get the best seats. The interview is scheduled to be aired in Swedish Television Christmas Day, as a show remembering and contemplating 2007.

The weather looks brighter and tonight we move back into our boat at Askvik, Gålö, in the southern part of Stockholm archipelago.

Bohemian life has begun

We wanted to start our bohemian six months in our sailing boat in Gålö, near Dalarö in the Swedish archipelago. But rain has flooded parts of Sweden and is drizzling over Stockholm. So after being offered to use my cousin Pers and his wife Anna Lenas house in Saltsjö Duvnäs outside Stockholm, we decided to stay here for a week, and wait for the sunshine. Furthermore this is where my wife Emily has attended her sailing course this week-end.

Chicken pox and wet socks

Emilys sailing course was a success in spite of persistent rain, she was very stimulated by all the knowledge, and ABC School deserves its solid reputation. I myself had strife taking care of Alice, 12 months old, and Lily, 3 years, who yesterday broke out in chicken pox. Well if the girls are whining now, I expect to be wining in the near future.When the girls complaints peaked at 2 pm i decided to take the car to Gustafsberg to visit Biltema, my favourite retailer and hang-out. The Gustafsberg branch, was the only Biltema I havent visited before, and its shining floors and lofty interior made me dub it as the Biltema groups answer to Harrod´s. This is the place were dreams come true. We found a nice café in Gustafsberg afterwards. Gustafsberg is a community almost in the archipelago with an amazing potential for being a paradise, but strangely enough has had traditions of social problems. Still, that is regarded so compared to the upper class neighbours of Värmdö. But yes, a visit makes it pretty clear that Gustafsberg can be so much more. Before picking up Emily at the sailing school we found tonnes of bluberries in by the Duvnäs-fjord. Amazing. Alice loved it. And finally in the evening, the drizzle petered out.