TV, Books and Writing
The third season of The Bridge (Bron), will soon be on Swedish tv. This time I really should be smart enough not to watch it. I should have learned my lesson from watching the first two seasons. I watched the first season and disliked it, particularly the ending. Despite that I went on to watch season 2, out of boredom and because the first episode was actually very interesting and exciting. The rest weren’t, but I stupidly continued watching until the end, that again, I disliked more than the whole rest of the series. By now, I should really learn from my experience.
At least there are a few other series I can watch instead.
In other news:
Since I wrote the Vera fanfic, I have also written two short original stories. It’s amazing, and I wouldn’t have guessed I’d be able to, only a week or so ago, but unfortunately, I’m not at all sure I’ll be able to finish the three books I’m working on and definitely not get started on the fourth book and two collections of short stories. I’m not really that inspired. It’s just something to do.
Today, I also discovered that I actually can borrow the two Maria Lang/Dagmar Lange mysteries as e-books – as long as I get a library card in a small town not far from here. I could get one right away, the next time I go and I might, but since I also might move there or closer to there, I think I’ll wait until I actually do move (which will be very soon, hopefully) at least if we can find a reasonable good house. We’ve already looked at a few, but none of them were a good fit for us.
In that town there’s also a really great supermarket with lots of locally grown (organic) vegetables and fruit. It’s the best shop I’ve seen anywhere. Finally, there’s also a very nice, but a bit expensive cafe.
A loud bang
Today, when my sister and I were going home after doing the shopping (dragging heavy shopping trolleys behind us), we heard a really loud bang. It was maybe a block away, but we could see all the way to the place the explosion (?) took place, since there was a parking lot and the waterfront/harbour between us and whatever happened. For quite a long time there was a cloud of smoke hanging in the air over the water. I have no idea what it was. I also couldn’t see anyone who might have been responsible. It was a little scary.
When I went shopping today…
I didn’t expect to have anything to say so soon after my last post, but today when I went shopping, a few things happened.
My sister and I were on our way to the pharmacy/chemist’s to get medication for mum (who has a terrible itch, possibly caused by the shingles she had several years ago). There was this guy who had messy hair and was walking with two girls (and possibly a third one, trailing behind). He was smoking something what wasn’t tobacco, because I know that smell. Anyway, I had a slight headache and after I breathed in the cloud of smoke he was generating, my headache was gone. 😉
A few other things happened, but I’m not sure any of it would be of interest to my (potential) readers. For instance, while I was waiting outside the pharmacy/chemist’s three little boys ran past, one of them only about four years old. I thought, three boys would really be a bit much. Just then the youngest boy smiled very sweetly at me. So I thought, maybe just one…
I also happened to see a rather unusual little dog (with a young couple). It’s probably a Miniature English Bull Terrier (like the one on the right in the pic below, except I think this one is a male, so a bit bigger).
Miniature Bull Terrier
She began to sniff in my direction, so I said ‘can you feel the doggy smell from me’? The young people holding her leash said a few words to me, but seemed rather giggly and not really interested in talking. Then an older girl (mid-twenties, maybe) came back to claim her dog. I think she was the older sister of the first girl. We got to talking about pets. It was actually quite nice and totally unexpected in this town. When they left, the older girl said bye to me, which has to be a first. People don’t TALK to each other in this town, at least not to us. Except for the poor beggars. I can’t believe I’m even mentioning that. Two-three years ago there were no beggars in Sweden, at least not in smaller towns. Now there are at least a few even in the tiniest towns/villages. It’s so sad that we rarely have any change, or any cash at all, to give them. We sometimes buy buns or coffee or something when it’s cold, but they really want money, to send home to their children.
Update
Recently, I had to go and have a few tests done. A very tiring day turned out to be a success in the end. I hadn’t slept at all before leaving for Gothenburg. (The tests are for my big project, that most of my friends will be familiar with by now). I was totally exhausted even when I left, not to mention when I got back.
On the way to Gothenburg, just as we (my sister and I) had got on the bus, there was this guy who missed the bus by only a few seconds. He waved his bus card, but the driver ignored him, even though my sister called out to tell him what was happening. A few minutes later, the guy caught up with the bus at a red light, but the driver still ignored him. That guy looked so disappointed. I’m wondering why the driver couldn’t have been a little more accommodating.
On the way back, we made such good time we ended up back a couple of hours early, by, among other things, getting off at an earlier station and walking really quickly.
Fortunately, it didn’t rain, though we’d been told there was a risk of that. We were also really lucky that the train was on time both ways (though there are delays or complete stops almost every day).
So now we’ve finally done the tests (except, sadly, one – a difficult one, not sure what to do about that). After a while, we both got a clean bill of health, which was a relief and a printout to send to Estonia.
Then the other day, we set out for a little outing – this time to the next town, Thn, to go and hear a lecture that sounded really interesting – about Sweden during WWI (which, as you probably know, we weren’t actually in). On the way there, again, the driver asked if we were adults (over 19, apparently, LOL).
Before the lecture was supposed to start, we managed to go to a store and buy new gloves. I got a pair of new red, touchscreen gloves. My old gloves were beginning to look a little worn.
When we entered ‘The People’s House’ (fancy name for a house dedicated to culture, in this case a library, a theater and lecture halls.), we had trouble finding the theatre, though we’ve been there before, several years ago, and walked back and forth in the foyer, and up and down the stairs, no doubt looking confused. When we returned to the foyer we found that someone had written in red letters on the whiteboard announcing the lecture, that it was cancelled.
Feeling a bit let down, we decided to go out to the big mall that is right between the two towns and try to do some shopping (for food, since the other shops would be closed). We finally managed to get our favorite vegan products (fake meat and cheese) and some chocolate.
It’s getting colder now, so I suppose winter is coming. At least there’s no snow yet. The trouble with snow is that in such a humid place as this, it instantly turns to ice and that’s no fun to walk on. So now I’m switching to my warmer scarf and I’ll be wearing my gloves every day. I’d already started wearing my parka. (TMI?). Don’t worry, this is it. Blog post over. 🙂
A visit to the dentist and unexpected kindness
Today, it was time for the dreaded visit to the dentist. As it turned out, I could have saved myself some worrying. I was really lucky. The tooth didn’t hurt at all and I didn’t need any painkiller. Now I have a functioning tooth again and can eat normally. It’s such a relief.
Later when I was standing in the checkout line at the supermarket, I was holding just one loaf of bread, behind two huge shopping carts filled with all kinds of food. The woman in front of my turned to look at me and asked me if that was all I had. I said yes and she said that I could get ahead of her. “It’s rubbish waiting in line after people with so much stuff”, she said. That was really kind of her. The guy behind the cash register had already grabbed some of her items but he had heard our conversation and asked what was going on. Fortunately, he hadn’t started on her stuff yet, so I could still get my loaf processed and paid for ahead of the nice lady behind me.
That was not how I expected this day to turn out. 🙂 Sometimes it’s nice to be wrong.
A little update
I suppose it’s time for a little update about what I’ve been doing lately.
First the bad news: I’ve spent the last couple of days more or less in bed, sleeping, trying to get rid of the worst cold I can remember having at least for the past ten years or so. Ugh. I’m getting better now (except for the dreaded cough), fortunately, because I have plans for the next couple of days, but more about that later.
All this summer I’ve been indulging in a bit of shopping. Mostly clothes, but also a backpack that I really love. Not that I really needed it but still…
I’ve probably mentioned this before a couple of times, but we also spent at least the early part of the summer trying to get workers up to our cottage in the woods, to get us indoor plumbing and a few other things that needing doing. Apparently they were all on vacation… So we missed our chance to spend the summer in the countryside. Sob. It would have been alright, if I’d only been happy living here, but as most of you know, I’m not. Oh, well… Maybe our luck will change this year.
Anyway, last week, my mom and I went to an outdoor musical show. It’s a sort of ‘preview’ of the Gothenburg Opera House’s program for the autumn/fall. There were hundreds of people. I had no idea this town had so many music lovers. At least people who love this type of music.
There was a bit of Benjamin Britten, which I, quite surprisingly, liked a lot better than I had expected (normally, I’m a fan of much older music). I also loved the Gluck pieces, especially Dance of the Blessed Spirits. Finally, I also liked a piece by one of our Swedish composers, Alice Tegnér, mostly known for her children’s songs, but this was a different kind of work. I didn’t expect to find it very cheerful because it was named for Goethe, but it was.
There was also a little preview of a Swedish opera about a notorious con artist who made people believe she was a diplomat and scientist, related to the Rockefeller family and the Japanese emperor… In reality she was a Swedish hairdresser, with a lot of imagination. Too modern for me, too much jazz, but interesting all the same.
Out and about
Today we went on a little outing. We were going up to our cottage to meet an inspector from the insurance company. However, when we were about to change buses, the man called and said he’d had a cancellation and was just a few minutes away from the cottage. Since we weren’t there, he went up anyway. It seems our house isn’t the sort of building that can be easily accessed to be approved for the higher insurance (no basement/cellar) so we said we wouldn’t bother about it. He gave us some advice about the exterior of the house and left. That meant we didn’t need to go, after all. So we didn’t get on the next bus and stayed in the town we were in, to do a bit of shopping.
Unfortunately, the shop we wanted, the one with the delicious Belgian chocolate, wasn’t there anymore and we don’t know if’s been moved or just closed down. Then we went on to the big mall where we can usually get some special vegan foods. Some of those weren’t available either, but we did get some plus some fresh vegetables. And some other stuff we needed. On the way back to the bus stop we were caught by the rain so we waited and before the bus was due to arrive the rain had stopped. That happened twice before we were back at the house. It rained and we were under some kind of cover, which was lucky.
We were also (hopefully) able to advice a foreign visitor (who didn’t speak Swedish and almost no English) about which bus to take.
A funny detail: each time we got on the bus, the driver asked if I was an adult. The age limit has changed several times over the years, so I wasn’t sure if they meant was I under 16, under 19 or under 26. It turns out that they were talking about under 19. So apparently I look about 18. 🙂
Doing some shopping – and more
Yesterday I went shopping in the bigger town (“Thn”) that is about ten-fifteen minutes away (by car – a little longer by bus). It’s pathetic really, how different it feels from shopping here. This is probably just me, but I feel more confident there and even thinner (LOL), even though it’s basically the same as this town (“Vbg”), only bigger.
First I want to have my eyes checked up, then looked for new frames. After that I did some grocery shopping. There’s so much more to choose between in this mall, including yummy (soy) ice cream cones.
To finish off I went into the town center to the library to get a library card. Again, there’s so much more to choose from there. A month or so ago, I went to Vbg’s library to look for a couple of books, to maybe sit there and browse through them before I decided if I want to borrow them. It turned out they didn’t have them. The library in Thn did. I wish I’d had time to sit down and look through a few books. Maybe I’ll borrow some next time.
Before I left I checked if they had my two books and they did. They’d even put one of them on the side of one of the bookcases to promote it. I still can’t believe I saw that. It feels completely unreal.
A day out
Yesterday I was going to Gothenburg, to a clinic, to re-take a blood test that they’d taken but neglected to send along to the lab, or at least so I’d been told. When I’d already booked a return ticket and was sitting on the train to Gothenburg, an apologetic nurse called and asked me if I was already on my way. They’d found the test result and I didn’t need to come all the way there. Great. I lost money on that, and the trouble is this was the second time I was going there to re-take tests they’d made a mess of. More money lost for me… Not that they’ll ever compensate for that, that sort of thing doesn’t happen here. I barely got an apology. And just to make it clear, this is a private clinic.
Mom wanted me to get off the train and return home, but since I was already in this other town where I sometimes go to do some shopping, I decided to stay a while. I’d still be back long before I would have if I’d gone all the way to Gothenburg.
This town is more than twice the size of the one I live in (suffer in, more likely) and there are more shops and far more choice when it comes to – well, just about anything. I found some delicious vegetables (and berries) that I hadn’t seen or dreamed of buying for years. I also made a visit to the health food store and found some veggie stuff that I can’t get anywhere else (or rather this is the closest place for it).
On the way back, the bus driver pointed out that using the credit card to pay my fare, would be far more expensive than getting a bus card. I told him I don’t travel very often so it wouldn’t be worth it. It turned out that he recognized me from when I used to ride this bus far more often. I said it’s too late now anyway, since the bus was about to leave. He said: no, it’s not, I’ll wait for you. So I hurried back and refilled the bus card and got back on the bus. That was so nice of him. I’m sure that no ethnic Swede would have been quite that nice about it (I don’t know where he’s from, but it was obvious that he was an immigrant). He was nice to the other passengers too, offering to help a girl get her baby and stroller off, but in the end, another passenger did it for him.
So, all in all, my day turned out a lot better than I’d imagined and at least did something to compensate for the failed trip and the grumpy old man and the surly old woman who glared at me at the bus stop. This town is famous for its unpleasant, unreliable and ugly people and I certainly can’t argue with that.
