A Golden Stockholm

We live in a golden world at the moment. If I stand in the middle of our apartment I see golden leaves everywhere I look.

Out our bedroom window.

Off the balcony.
Out the loungeroom window.
And out the kids' bedroom window.

We need to appreciate this golden colour while we have it.

This is what it looked like just a week or two ago.

Autumn! I love the colours of autumn.

Living Life Through My Kids

I always thought that expression meant pushing your children to pursue your goals, your unfulfilled goals and dreams, but it seems it has a whole different meaning. I've come to realise it is also about meeting people through your children.

It seems that these days most of our socialising is thanks to the kids and the families we have met through school and daycare. Yes, Yvonne you did tell me it would happen, and my apologies to old friends who we haven't seen for a while.....

I chatted on the phone one night last week for an hour, not bad for someone who doesn't like to talk on the phone. And we were only supposed to be arranging to get together. Saturday we spent the evening with another daycare/school family until way too late. Sunday I spent the afternoon in the park with my son, his bestest friend and his mother. Last night I chatted to another friend, a daycare dad, on the phone who was just "checking in" to see how things were with us.


It is fantastic to meet so many wonderful people through the kids, people who just happen to be the parents of children who just happen to be friends with my kids. Very enriching!

The Age of No Response?

I've started wondering lately if it is a sign of the times, if we are too busy, if we forget or if it is just ok to not respond to someone.

An email to a colleague to remind her that I cannot be there goes unanswered. Do I need to know what happened in my absence, obviously not. Someone else promises to ring back about something and it is never mentioned again. An idea runs out in the sand, nothing more said. An approach taken, a first step initiated, no response.

Are we so busy, so over-loaded with information, impressions and people in our life that we miss responding to people who have contacted us. How many times have I done it? How guilty am I? I sit and contemplate...

Or is it ok to just ignore? Have times changed so we don't need to bother saying NO - I'm too busy, it's not possible, I'm just not interested? Is it no longer considered polite to say "thanks for the information, thanks for letting me know, let me think about it, I'll keep it in mind".

Perhaps these niceties no longer matter in these days where we have so much information and so many opportunities at our fingertips, so many pressures on us both personally and professionally...


Perhaps it is time to reposition my thinking, to anticipate one way communication, unless it really suits the other party to respond. Perhaps I need to look back through my emails and see what I have missed.

Breakfast Muffins

After popular demand and much nagging, I am finally publishing my recipe for breakfast muffins - they go like hotcakes in this household. They are healthy and nutritious and a lot faster to get down a child when in a hurry on a school morning than anything else!! Much better than the @^!#€%*&! in most cereal boxes.
The best way to make them is to have a digital scale so you can put a bowl on it and zero it each time you add an ingredient, add the wet stuff and Hey presto! another batch is made.

Double batch from original recipe - makes about 30.

Put the oven on 200 C (175 C if fan forced)

Mix all dry ingredients in a bowl
90 g (grams) plain flour (I use spelt to increase protein content)
110 g wholemeal flour (spelt again)
3 tspn bicarb soda
1/4 tspn salt
2-3 tspn ground cinnamon
60 g bran flakes (I prefer quinnoa flakes - available in health food shops if not elsewhere and even cooked quinnoa and used that this week - made them even more moist)
170 g dried fruit (anything goes here and have also substituted for fresh fruit or 50/50, apple bits this week made them more moist again)
120 g dark brown sugar
100 g white sugar
50 g seeds (I mix sunflower and pumpkin and even some linseed and sesame - great for calcium, zinc and iron levels)
30g chopped whole rye (optional - gives little crunchy bits in muffins and adds a little more roughage)

Mix following in separate bowl
3 eggs
500ml buttermilk (add juice of 1/2 lemon to sour = buttermilk)
100g melted butter (sometimes use good canola oil but that makes final batter more liquidy)

Mix wet and dry ingredients but be gentle with them.
I leave them to sit for 5-10 minutes so wet soaks through dry without over-mixing.

Pour into prepared muffin tin - either greased or paper liners.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Hey presto they are done! Good wholesome muffins that you can give your kids without thinking twice. Mine float them in yogurt for a little variation.
Notes:
You can reduce the sugar level.
You can add vanilla too - add 2 teaspoons to liquids or vanilla sugar to dry ingredients.
Make sure the mixture isn't too liquidy - if it is just add more flour - should not be runny but if it is bake it longer so everything sets.
Experiment! Add more seeds or fruit - the recipe can take it.
Each batch I make is different depending on what flour I have available and what dried fruit I use - the dried cherries, apricots and cranberries have been very popular.

Welcome to good, wholesome and yummy breakfasts that can be eaten on the run if need be!

Edited to say they should be baked in a muffin tray because the mix is initially very runny.

Homework time challenges both of us!

It has now been almost 2 months since Makaila started school and quite a few people are keen to follow her schooling. Friends, family and people in my greater network are curious not only about a Waldorf education, but about schooling in Sweden in general.

Before I go any further I can say she is loving every minute of it so far, both the school part and at the after-school-care. And her teacher tells me she is not the shy, reserved child that many of us knew a couple of years ago, but one who is active both in the class room and out of it. She is truly blossoming.

Even though I had planned to keep people updated and informed through the blog I haven't really felt able to compile my thoughts and observations into a single post and my girl is not the kind to come home and volunteer lots of information about her education - its more the blood out of stone style of communication!!

People at school seem to think there is a big difference between Waldorf education and mainstream Swedish school, not something I can respond to never having gone to school here. There are however plenty of similarities it seems, and I notice how different vastly different this school is to my experience - a lot of which has to do with the Swedish culture as much as the methodology. But I already touched on that in my last school post.

Her school day is a pretty short one, starting at 8.15 and ending at 12.40 (yes that's just after noon!) and in those few hours they seem to have quite a bit of break time - not quite like the long 9-3 days I knew as a kid. Lunch is as early at 10.15am and is eaten in the main cafeteria. They are served a hot meal each day and have a choice of two dishes plus salad. The big difference from daycare, apart from the choice, is the lack of dessert. Gone are the days of Klara's apple pie and all the other treats whipped up for the little ones. While on the subject of food I can also mention that they get a second lunch at about 1pm, once they get to after-school-care. While the "snack" there is not a hot meal it is substantial enough to sustain them until later in the afternoon.

Each Tuesday the homework books get handed out and in our weekly email the parents are also informed as to what the task is. Over the last few weeks they have been working on the letters of the alphabet, a couple each week and the homework is often to draw something starting with the letter they have been working on.


Going from what my girl has described the letters are taught in a way that gives as much feeling as possible to the letter. During our recent parent-teacher meeting we saw a beautiful bear's profile drawn on the board in the shape of a B. Wish I'd taken a photo of that to show you. Another letter that easily mimics an animal is an S. While snake is orm in Swedish, a snok is a common type of snake, so the Sammy snake concept still works. And so on, and so on. The idea is to involve all the senses, and both halves of the brain. Although Ty's teaching colleagues tell him that this is a pretty standard way to teach the alphabet in Swedish these days.


And those of you from the non-Swedish world might wonder if an almost 7 year old already knows her alphabet and the answer is YES, in English. Makaila is learning her alphabet all over again, this time in Swedish. And somehow its all different too. She also seems so much more eager to learn. I imagine the combination of learning in a group, longing to be able to read, and the methodology make it so much more tangible than the workbooks I have put before her over the years.

This week's homework is to practise writing the letters that have worked on so far - A, B, D, F, M, O, S, U and Ö as well as to try and use them to form words. She sat at the kitchen table tonight vigilantly working away while I cooked dinner.

The alphabet tree that Mormor gave her when she was little is now more useful than ever. It helped her visualise the letters while practising saying the alphabet in Swedish, and reminded her how to write them. Mind you she was careful not to press any letters, hear the spounds in English and completely confuse her brain.

Supporting a child with their homework is not always an easy task, something any parent knows, especially those with children much older than mine. Supporting a child in a language other than your own makes it all the more challenging and already I feel challenged, despite my fluency in Swedish. I looked at those letters and the only words that came to me were English ones. Dad, mad, sad, mum and bum just don't cut it as Swedish words! This is a concern Ty expressed long before Makaila started school and I didn't expect to feel the pinch as early as this. Saying that we did manage together to come up with quite a few words, it just took us some time.

Will be interesting to see what more challenges lie ahead of us!

Far from family

It never takes much to make me realise how fortunate I am, and how hard others have it in comparison.....

I've been feeling miserable lately about the fact that we won't go to Australia this winter, how we won't get to see family and friends and how once again two years will pass before my kids step foot on Australian soil. It is hard to make the decision to not head down under.

Then yesterday we visited a friend of Makaila's, whose parents come from Irak. The mother in family is heading to the US next week to see her mother, she just found out she has cancer. She will spend a mere two weeks with her.

I asked how long it had been since she had seen her mother and the answer - over four years. Then they all went to visit the grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins in the US. Those kids probably hardly know who their extended family is on their mother's side.

It doesn't make it any easier for me, I will always feel I am denying my children their family.
But yesterday's little encounter does remind me that I am not the only one. And it does help me appreciate what I have - something that hundreds and thousands, millions of families don't have - an opportunity to be together on a regular basis.

She will be broken-hearted when she leaves her mother's side to return home to her own family. But at least she can visit her mother one last time. Many can't even do that.

Women on the run from family life

There was a very interesting article in SvD on the weekend as a prelude to the Swedish annual Book Fair that starts this week. Three books are due to be released in the next couple of months, by three women about three women who have fled their own domestication.

Ironic that this article and these books come at a time when Anna Anka is making headlines and filling the online forums, debate sites and article comments. The rest of the world probably doesn’t know who Anna Anka is but here in Sweden she is blowing up a storm with her traditional opinions about the role of men and women.

Picture: The Local

Read more .......

Don't do it! Stay at home!

I was at a function on Saturday night where the couple were celebrating their 60th birthdays. The place was filled with their children, their grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, second cousins, aunts, uncles, family friends and so on and so on.

This is the sort of event that hits you like a ton of bricks. It is the sort of event that make you realise what your life choices have resulted in. These are the sorts of events you miss when you live so far away from home - family get-togethers, cousin's weddings, best friends' 40th birthdays, babies being born, grandparents' funerals, engagements, christenings, wakes, graduations and celebrations of any kind. These events make you feel like you belong, (or that you don't!), they remind you that you come from a long line of people with generations and generations behind (or ahead?) of you, and many more to come. They remind you that life goes on and that you are not alone in the world. They remind you that blood is mostly thicker than water...

Not such a big deal when you are around and "have" to attend yet another family event. But they leave a hole in your life when you are far away from family and lifelong friends.

My advice to young couples, so in love they are prepared to move to the other side of the world? Go home! Stay at home! Marry the girl or the boy next door. You can travel the world together, live somewhere else, and then go home together.

Life is complicated enough, don't make things worse.

VAB, swine flu and the Swedish medical system

I have a sick boy. He lay on the couch for two days with a temperature, dozing on and off, watching tv and hardly eating a morsel. Monday, day 1, he was a bit sniffly and complained every now and again of a sore throat and sore ears, only later to announce when questioned that No, they didn't hurt. His main symtoms have been tiredness and a fever.

Then on Wednesday he fell asleep under the kitchen table just after 5pm and slept through to the next morning. Thursday he slept for almost 3 hours during the day and was still tired. So today, Friday I decided that perhaps I'd better ring the doctor and get him checked out - perhaps it isn't just a virus but something more serious.

To get a doctor's appointment on the day you need to ring the nurse at the local clinic and she calls you back - which they did after almost an hour. I outlined his symtoms and she asked what it was I was wanting(!) Of course I was wanting to make an appointment for him to be checked out. She then went through a questionnaire that she had in front of her and clearly it was a "swine flu screening questionnaire". They don't want anyone in there who has shown swine flu syptoms in the last 7 days, she informed me. She would leave a message for the doctor to ring me back sometime today.

Sweden is reaching the peak for the outbreak of Swine Flu, according to an article today in The Local, and the government hope to vaccinate some 90% of the population. Ever since it was announced that the vaccine would be freely available to all I've been pondering this attempt to thwart a local pandemic and I can only put it down to the cost of VAB and sickness benefits.

VAB stands for Vård Av Barn - or child care - the type of caring for a child when they are sick, the type of caring I've been doing this week. You see the government pays me 80% of my salary up to a certain amount when I am "vabbing" or caring for my sick child. They pay it every day I am at home with my child and there is no need for a doctor's certificate unless they are off for longer than a week. Their only demand is an explanation and a signed document from school or daycare saying that the child has been away. And there is no limit to how many days a year a child can be off sick. It must cost the state an absolute fortune. Compare that to a system where the parent gets nothing for staying home with a sick child - how sick must a kid be then to justify a day without pay??

Adults also get sickness benefits. The first day off is without benefits but after that they receive 80% of their salary. A doctor's certificate is needed after a week and again there is no limit on the number of sick days a person can have off in a year, although questions do get asked after a while.

We have a long winter in this country and for six months of the year viruses run rampant and both kids and adults are regularly at home with colds, coughs and flus. If the swine flu hits Sweden like they are anticipating it will it will without doubt lead to a serious budget blow-out. Add that to the already high unemployment levels (also get 80% of salary with exceptions) and the Swedish economy is going to take quite a beating!

No wonder the Swedish government is both willing and hoping to vaccinate 90% of the population - I just wonder how anyone will get a doctor's certificate when the doctors clearly don't want anything to do with those of us who are sick!

More information available in English from Försäkringskassan http://www.forsakringskassan.se/sprak/eng

Reproduced from the Live In Sweden Blog!

The Joys Of Being A Waldorf Parent

My sister and I chuckled on many occasions over being good Steiner mothers (Steiner in Oz, Waldorf in Europe), which saw her trying all sorts of crafts over the years. Now that my daughter has started school I am really starting to understand what that means.

Starting school in Sweden is weird, at least for an Aussie mum who only knows one way of doing things. Firstly kids start school the year they turn 7, which in some cases means they are almost eight years old. Compare that to starting at 5 in Oz. Then there is no list stating exactly what the school uniform should consist of, which pieces are compulsory and which are non-compulsory, as well as where to buy it, there is no school uniform. There is no list outlining exactly what pens, pencils, writing books and even text books to buy, no fees to be paid before school starts (not even non-compulsory fees as in Oz). These kids don’t even need a lunchbox, a thermos or a drink bottle. All their food is provided by the school and the after-school centre, free of charge.

Instead of the list we have to make sure she has two pairs of slippers, or inside shoes, for both school and after-school care - the no-shoes in the classroom policy is also weird when you are not used to it.

Swedish education law says schools are to provide children with what they need, and they are not legally entitled to charge fees of any description if they are teaching according to the Swedish curriculum. It is all in the name of Sweden’s socialistic roots, in the name of equality. No child should be disadvantaged because of their family’s financial status. Every child should be guaranteed one hot meal a day. It is all about taking care of children, no matter what their lot in life is.

So while most parents have little to organise for their children starting school (I’m assuming), the Waldorf parents amongst us are busy, busy, busy. With Makaila starting Grade 1 we were given two important tasks back in the spring – a name-tag and a crayon case, along with detailed instructions as to how these tasks should be completed.

Naturally, like all enthusiastic, well-prepared parents we did not use the summer wisely, nor did we con one of Ty’s talented aunts into doing it for us – we left it hanging over our heads until the pressure built sufficiently!

Once I finally got started on the name-tag, I decided it wasn’t all that bad - although it is tough to embroider when you haven’t really done it before. I bought one of those cross stitch kits when I was about 11 years old, the ones where the pattern is printed on the fabric and all the colours are chosen for you. It was of a clown and I’m not sure what possessed me to buy it but I clearly remember my dad giving me a hard time, telling me I would never finish it. Guess whether or not I did……

Anyway despite struggling with the stitches I actually enjoyed sitting doing this handcraft in the evenings. Then one night when we were discussing how on earth I was going to embroider her most beloved animal, a killer whale, it was taken from me. Ty took over. After all, equality is the name of the game in this country.

We found a great picture on the net which we were able to copy and he did it over two nights. A friend even called in and was so inspired when he saw Ty sitting embroidering at the kitchen table last night that he went home and got started on his daughter’s name tag (gotta love these Swedish men!). We (both) added the finishing touches (water) and hey presto – it was done! Here’s the final result. Not bad huh!

The next task was the crayon case and I knew that would be fairly easy – which does not explain my procrastination! It took me the better part of the afternoon-evening but I got it finished and I’m pretty pleased with the results. Just so long as no one looks too closely at the stitching because it is extremely amateurish.

The kids were so amazed to see me pull out a borrowed sewing machine that they watched my every move and questioned all I did. Kieran tried to get an understanding of exactly how the machine worked and was so fascinated he snapped a few shots of me in action.

Counting to make sure I've left enough space.

The finished product aims to reduce classroom noise.

Tied up ready to be put away.

What started off as a “Oh no! How are we going to manage these little projects” has ended with a “Well that was fun. What’s next” kinda feeling.

Makaila was totally and utterly thrilled with both pieces – and I think kind of amazed by her parents. Now that brings joy to these Waldorf parents!

Tjejmilen -from zero to ten in six months!

Six months ago I couldn't run a kilometer, three months ago I struggled to run five, yesterday I ran 10.
Words hardly describe the exhilaration I felt as I ran that last kilometer, knowing I could do it, seeing my kids standing on the sidelines waving and cheering and crossing the finishing line with 25 000 other women. It was one of my really proud moments in life. I ran 10 kilometers!

Goals are important to me, and I need to feel the pressure to keep my motivation up so when my friend Rebecca challenged us back in March or April I was fast to take up the challenge - the 5km Vår Ruset in May. While I really enjoyed it I found it a struggle, I wasn't used to running the full 5km so I found it hard going.

Even before the run we started talking about Midnattsloppet and Tjejmilen and I signed up for both - I needed something that would force me to keep running over the summer and something that would force me to go further. It worked. I spent many a morning running along the waterfront when we were at the cottage in Canada.

I was really looking forward to Midnattsloppet, although I was nervous about it too. A couple of days beforehand I found out my friend was not running and I would be going in alone at night, running and coming home alone. The idea of having no friends to run with, no-one to cheer me along and no-one to meet up with afterwards took all the fun out of it and I decided that afternoon not to run. As hard as the decision was the deflation was relieved by the sound of pitter, patter on the windowsill that night. Running in the rain and in the dark would have taken any remaining joy out of it.

The time finally came around for Tjejmilen, a 10km women's run around the beautiful Djurgården. I was looking forward to it and even if I wasn't as fit as I was a couple of weeks ago I knew I could do it.

What started off as a cold, overcast and windy day turned into a beautiful afternoon with the sun shining and a perfect 16 C. Five of us met up a couple of hours beforehand and all travelled to Gärdet to where the run would start.We hung out together, did our warm-up together and then all ran our own race, or walked as was the case for Anastasia (and Molly) who was suffering from slipped disks. The nice thing about this run is that you could do it with a stroller or walking poles which opened up the even to thousands of women.Not everybody loves to be in a crowd. You spend a fair amount of time zig-zagging your way through if you are not in the right category and there is always a chance you will trip over someone else's feet. You might even get stressed running with so many people around you. But I love it. I find it so interesting. Not only did I have beautiful scenery to look out but watching all those around me kept me so distracted I hardly noticed the kilometers passing by. The sport drink and energy tablets helped along the way too, as did my music, the bands, the DJ's, the cheer squad and all the people who turned up to cheer us along! It really makes the event a whole lot of fun!

I'm the slow coach in our team, but only by about 10 minutes so I'm ok with that. Even Anastasia was faster than me and she was walking with her daughter! But these girls really inspire me to run and to keep running, even when I don't feel like it. And nothing gives me a better workout nor makes me feel really good like a run does. Just writing about this is enough to make me want to put my running shoes on, even if my legs are a little tired today.

So what's next? Lidingöloppet for women (10km) perhaps? Or Hässelbyloppet maybe? Now that I have started I don't want to stop, I just need to keep finding the carrots that will be my incentive. I like being fit, being able to run for a bus and not thinking anything of it, being able to run about in the park with my kids without heaving. I love the feeling of saying "I did it", especially to the man that scoffed when I bought running shoes a year ago. I love the feeling of a good workout, I want to be a good role model for my kids and I don't want to go back to where I was just six months ago.

Meeting the challenge is exhilarating!

Getting unpacked and sorted out

We've spent days unpacking (7 suitcases x23kg plus hand luggage!!) and finding room for everything, sorting through things, weeding out anything that is too small or no longer used/needed). It is still not all done but after a major overhaul in the kids' room today we are getting there.

It is always nice to come home, living in someone else's place and out of suitcases for over 6 weeks takes its toll and we've done it twice in the last 12 months - that's 3 months of the year away from home!!

Our saving grace when we go to Canada is the cottage, it is our refuge, our home away from home where we can really unpack, relax and be ourselves.
Walking back into our apartment brings a very unique feeling and I feel it upon each return, with some variation. It is hard to put words to it but the place always feels so crisp and neat and depending on where we have been it often feels very, very small. Sometimes I walk into a room and get a shock at how small it is, sometimes the whole place shocks me for how small it is - especially when we have been in Australia where we have so, so much space at my mum's place.

But even if it feels small it feels undeniably ours and I like it - at least until we have unpacked all the suitcases and then it is just crazy and it drives me crazy having all the stuff everywhere!! And as I said, it takes days to get it sorted out..... On the upside it forces us to go through everything every six months or so - every thing in here has to have a good reason for staying!

I'm tired of living in a small apartment, 73 square metres is not a lot of space when you have two kids - even if the original owners did have three and lived here for 50 some years.... That's Stockholm living for you - our friends and peers at home would hardly believe their eyes!
But we have to be patient and hang in there a little longer. Our time will come, I know it will. And there are lots of good things about living in a small space - epecially when you are a hoarder by nature - it has been a good, long lesson for me. This small space has a positive impact on the kids too, in lots of ways - Makaila has made it quite clear that she wouldn't want her own room - even if she could (we'll see how long that lasts).

Summer in Sweden

If I had a dollar for every time a Swede said that Sweden is beautiful in the summer I would be a rich woman. But it is true enough, it is a fantastic place to be on a summer's day.

We got an SMS at about 9.45 this morning - meet us at the beach - so we jumped out of bed and on to our bikes and headed to the water.

The Beach - Swedish style. Trees and grass all the way down (except for the odd sandy section) to the fresh water - I like it! Today was our first real hang-out-at-the-beach-for-hours day this summer and the kids, although still very tired from their jet-lag, loved it.


The boys (the big ones) hung out in the shade and talked. The girls and the kids swam and lapped up the sun. I don't feel like it is summer unless I get to swim and today I got my chance.
The littlest of the girls just hung between naps with whoever would hold her and was very content doing so.
Then we rode home again - we rode a total of 17.77km - that is 11 miles for the Canadians!! Not bad for a six year old.
It was all made possible by our latest contraption - a tow-bar which hooks our bikes together, lifts her front wheel and locks in her steering. It took us hours to put the thing on yesterday (literally) so we were thrilled to get out and use it today. She loved being big enough to ride with us, to be able to keep up with us and yet rest and enjoy the ride when she needed to. It is fun to see what a buzz she gets from being so independent (yet not) - no more sitting on the back for her and we can go for real bike rides with her in tow!! Yippee!!

Let's hope summer hangs around for another few weeks yet.

Our brush with H1N1

wow.... it has been a while, almost two whole months since I last blogged and even then there wasn't a whole lot of activity from me.

May and June were busy with relocation work and getting www.liveinsweden.se live, June also saw a number of loose ends being tied up with odd clients and classes, packing, and preparing our home to be enjoyed by others over the summer.

Then came our departure week and a close call with the infamous H1N1. Days before we were due to head to Canada we had a friend and her daughter come and stay only to leave the next day, be admitted to hospital, and then be diagnosed with H1N1. The day the results came through will be remembered as one of the most stressful in my entire life (mmmm.... now what does that say about my life?). I spent the day on the phone to the local doctor, the children's hospital, the infectious diseases institute etc etc etc.

In cases like this it is always interesting to see how others react. My friends who survived the Tsunami blew it off, hugged us and said have a great holiday - let us know if we can do anything - they said. Then there are those who really panic.

The doctors finally decided to test Kieran as being under 5 he is high risk and we decided that all four of us would take Tamiflu as a preventative measure. None of us had any symptoms so we were given the all-clear to fly to Canada and told that unless we developed symptoms we were free to move around as normal. You have to love the doctor's attitude at Karolinska hospital who noted that we were at least flying to a country where the flu was running rampant!!

None of that really lightened our load and we spent the next few days on edge. My mother-in-law, a sufferer of a lung disease was understandably, less than thrilled considering she is also in the high risk category. Nothing like getting a holiday off to a good start.

Finally Kieran's results came back as negative and we got word that considering we still didn't have any symptoms we could safely assume that none of us had caught it. That's not something I treat lightly considering our children spent hours together playing in a closed environment.

Had we not been flying I would only have had to worry about our health, especially that of my son who as a four year old is supposedly more at risk. And considering he had recently had strep throat followed by a vaccination his immune system would not have been at its best.

Flying from one country to another adds a whole new dimension to things. What are the repercussions if we say "to hell with it" and go? What happens if we have to cancel our flight? Who would pick up my mum and her partner 5 days later if we didn't make our flight, or couldn't get another? What if we go, symptom free and then get sick? What then if our insurance didn't cover us? Canada is one hell of a country to be in if you don't have travel insurance. But again our Tsunami friends reassured us that it would all be sorted out if needed. Experience is a wonderful thing.

In the end I decided to be upfront about coming in contact with H1N1, make the phone calls and get the run around. I spoke to all the doctors and I put Kieran through the horrid testing - a very, very, very long thing stuck up into his sinus passages, in the car park behind the clinic because they would not have us in the clinic, by a doctor in a suit that resemble Darth Vader's only it was clear. The poor kid was traumatized for days, Makaila too, who ended up hiding behind the loading bay so she didn't have to watch. But it did give us peace of mind, for what it was worth. We were given the go-ahead, told we could move about freely and a few days later found out we could put it all behind us. I just hope Kieran doesn't hold it against me the rest of his life......

People are saying all sorts of things about this pandemic and you hear words like hysteria, over-stated, under-stated, weaker strains, mutation, vaccination and concern for the coming winter being thrown about the place. The thoughts and theories, speculations and assumptions about H1N1 are plentiful.

But out of all this there is one thing that has really struck me, and that is how vulnerable the flight staff are as they move hundreds and hundreds of people around the globe every day.

A young boy was feverish and threw up in the seat behind us on our way to Canada. He and his brother were flying from Cambodia to see his grandparents in Toronto. The staff helped him as best they could. Then the man in front of us on our way back to Stockholm had a fever and felt like he was going to vomit. The staff took his temperature and helped him as best they could.

I can't help but think of our friend who works as a steward, and goes home after each stint to his wife, his four year old and his one-month-old baby. Our brush with H1N1 pales in comparison......

June is for the students

Those of us from places far away, or at least from the other side of the Swedish border are generally amazed by the truckloads of graduation high school students driving around the streets singing, shouting and honking their pleasure. With music blasting from speakers, champagne, wine and beer flowing and birch branches decorating the truck, these youth embrace their coming of age, the boys in their suits and the girls in their skimpy white dresses.


June is much like the November I remember as a student - a mixture of final exams and papers to be submitted, interwoven with sunshine, parties, outings and celebration. A cruel kind of mix - especially after a long Swedish winter. Who can sit inside and study when the sun is shining so warmly? Still, they manage to get through it with the end of school looming in the distance, the carrot is the summer holidays that await.

For those in the younger years June is so much more than classes and I found that many of the classes I should have been teaching were cancelled to make way for the school play, swimming lessons and school trips.

From the end of May until the second week of June we see a string of student graduations and school-breakups, starting with the year 12s. By the second week of June school is officially out and everyone is done with their break-up parties, concerts and speeches, just in time for Midsommar. This year as they days and truck-loads of students rolled down I couldn't help but feel for them as they rain poured down on them, day after day.

Even our own day-care break-up was drenched in rain requiring the execution of plan B - the inside picnic. The plan and the history is that the 6 year olds lead the procession from daycare, through the park to where the parents await with a big picnic. Four days of rain put an end to that and the last minute plan meant that the procession went from one end of daycare to the other where the parents awaited,
all crammed into a couple of tiny rooms.
An anti-climax but what can you do? Summer in Sweden!! The kids didn't seem too perturbed by it, even if it meant they couldn't run around on the grass like they usually do.My own graduation girl had her last day of daycare, school and Grade 1 await in August and she can hardly wait.

Den blomstertid nu kommer or The summer days of beauty are here.

Live In Sweden is "Live"

Well I guess I can't put it off any longer - friends are starting to discover it for themselves!
Live In Sweden is finally live!!

I took the password off on Sweden's national day, I figured that was as good a day as any. And each year when we celebrate the coming of Sweden as a nation, I will be able to crack open the champagne and celebrate Live In Sweden!


In true Swedish style the site has been born - understated, un-promoted and uncelebrated - I will save all that for later.

Someone said to me today that I must be feeling proud - actually I'm cringing at the thought that people are looking at it - far too much left to be done for my liking! Even a simple blogpost is a scary moment - drawing attention to the site when there is so, so, so much left to be done. I'm not halfway there yet - but here it is - for all to see.

Live In Sweden has been a long time coming. It goes back to the dream I once had for the Southern Cross Club, to the vision I had almost four years ago, and to the years of thinking, planning and writing. It is a compilation of knowledge, of experience and of research. It is a vision and a dream I have been fortunate enough to finally realise!

May it have a long and prosperous future and inform, inspire, encourage and support those considering or actually moving to Sweden, as well as those already here and in need of support.

Barnvagnsrullet - a terrible long weekend saved by a sunny cycling Sunday

After being stuck at home with a sick child all week, and another who had to be home because of logistical issues (1+1= 2 bickering kids), I was oh so grateful to get out today, head into town and get some exercise.

Kieran has strep throat - a first for us although an apparently common childhood sickness. It also meant that we were in quarantine once we got the diagnosis - two days of antibiotics to kill off the bacteria that had infested this throat and ears - and that was after he had been at home on the couch for 3 days! Mum wondered what that was called in Aussieland and I'm still not sure - perhaps we just never got it as kids. Still, she was glad that the doc didn't give antibiotics for a virus - little does she know that docs NEVER give antibiotics here unless they have to, and NEVER for a virus - only for bacterial infections!! Many complain about how hard it is to get the GPs to write prescriptions, and even then they are pretty mild doses - not a bad thing if you ask me.

So, 5 days later, a little boy who is revived and full of energy - sick of lying around and ready to have fun. And a big sister who had also been home because of logistical issues who was absolutely bored. Add to that a man who is in the busy period of his year and who is even less keen than usual to leave the cave and go on adventures.

Just to spice things up a bit none of our friends wanted to come out and play this weekend, they were all busy with their lives - lives that didn't include us(!) - hear the indignation in my voice? ;-)

AND if that wasn't bad enough one of my closest friends broke the news to me of her inevitable departure......

Luckily we got out on the bikes today and saved the weekend. Feeling ridiculous I put on suncream this morning and packed our raincoats along with our picnic and off we went. With Kieran on the back of Ty's bike and Makaila in the chariot towed by me we headed through town and over to Gärdet to Barnvagnsrullet.

Barnvagnsrullet is a family day organised in Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö and sponsored by Metro. The sponsoring was so good in fact that the little gocarts, the facepainting, and the novelty balloons were all free if you could endure the long queue. There were also a few sponsors giving out free stuff and a quiz walk (tipspromenad) with prizes being lotted out to those with correct answers. It was a fun, festive kind of atmosphere and the kids enjoyed watching the facepainting, paddling in the water and hanging out at the TomTits stand. Makaila had a turn at the gocarts and we ate our lunch listening to the music and watching all the activities.

The kids swapped spots for the journey home which meant Kieran could nap in the chariot while Makaila got a faster ride. And she wants to know why I get upset when her father rides his bike without any hands!! Sure its fun but not with my daughter on the back!

I do love riding the bikes into town - there is a lot happening, a lot to see as we rode along the waterfront the kids saw boats & ferries, ducks, dogs, people walking, kids playing, trains, trams, buses and all the other things that interest little kids. There is always a chance a crazy person will step out in front of you so being in the driver's seat you need to stay focused. Saying that we almost only rode on bike paths in and back and any pedestrian crossings are clearly marked so you can be ready to brake, just in case. You see so much more on a bike, you smell it, you feel a part of it. Bicycles and Stockholm are a fantastic combination.

We only did a 20km round trip but there are several hills and a big bridge to be encountered along the way, so my legs are feeling it tonight - that best kind of tiredness. And I am so glad I put on the sunscreen, Ty is looking very red here beside me....

Make friends with the locals, not the other foreigners

I have 4 friends that I have known for longer than 10 years, not great statistics considering I have been here over 15.... My longest running friendship is with a Swede. We've known each other almost 20 years now. Another is with an American, married to a Dutchman. Then there are a couple of Australians, one married to a Swede, the other is here to be with his son.

The news came a month or so ago that my Aussie friend and her family are moving to England in August. I knew it would come sooner or later. They had already moved back to Australia and come back again, and I knew they would not be here forever. But knowing that does not make it any easier. I will be sad to see her go and will miss her.

Yesterday my American friend broke the news that they are probably moving to New Zealand later in the year. We were kind of tied together, neither having family here and both knowing what an impact it would have on the other if either of us ever left. This is my friend who I can call on in times of need, who picks us up when we are feeling the absence of family, who drove us to the hospital when I went into labour in the middle of the night, whose house I have a key to. My one friend who I can ring at any time and say "help" and know that she will be there for me. My friend who dotes on my children, who has her own special relationship with them, my friend who my children ask after and get so very excited every time she comes by. My friend is leaving...

And all our friends with a Swedish connection are busy this weekend with family stuff. Because blood is thicker than water.

Suddenly Sweden doesn't feel much like home any longer.

www.liveinsweden.se

Apologies for my quietness..... www.liveinsweden.se is my focus and I am trying to fill it with content just as fast as I can, so I can open it to the public by the end of the month, or so....

Juggling that and my work that actually brings in the pennies leaves me with nothing but thoughts of what I could be writing about.

My writing will be very sporadic, so until my next post, enjoy the blossom, the lime green of the new leaves and all the other joys of spring.

On the weekend my darling children did just that - they played in this forest under our balcony for a couple of hours until the rain finally brought them in. They sat on a big bolder talking and fishing into an imaginary lake, with a roof of blossom and new growth over their heads.

Hope you too are enjoying all the simple pleasures in life, the seasons, the long days, the sun and the rain. It is spring - a time of beginnings.