Sunday, 29 September 2013
Cherokee Wisdom
One evening, an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, there is a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is evil, it is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority and ego.
The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
His grandson thought about it for a minute and then he asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins ?"
The old Cherokee replied, "The one you feed."
Saturday, 28 September 2013
Darwin 3
The sun is shining, strobing through the trees. Two young Elk don't even look up from grazing on the grass verge in Fagerhult, as we drive by. At last, odd days out to explore my wonderful surroundings. Relocation takes time, money, and energy. 6 Months, sounds about right. One thing I know for sure, I would prefer a quiet year next year, to explore Scandinavia from my base here. No property deals unless I have to.
I remain British, so coming up very shortly is a trip back to Blighty. Darwin only gets 90 days out of the UK on his current domestic insurance. MOT and servicing are due, and the guys at Apollo know what is needed to winterise the Polo for Southern Swedish conditions. The 3rd supply mission is at hand. Roof space is already allocated for the set of summer wheels. Darwin will have his smart new winter boots on for the return journey. Circumstances dictate what else is coming over next. My winter wardrobe for a start. Back in early August, up against it with overloading, I made the decision to leave the winter gear behind. After all I would be back before I need it. Wrong! This location is three weeks further into Autumn than the British Midlands. The trees are turning and look beautiful, but it's cold. Light frosts dust the lawn these mornings, and there is a fire in the grate until the sun clears the trees. Other than my wardrobe, making the journey also is everything else at Sue and Allan's. They have been great accommodating my stuff in a pile in their dining room. I need to give them the room back.
A week and a half and I set out for Goteburg. The trip isn't long enough I now know. I will be back in England again in the new year, and that visit needs to be longer to catch up with friends and family. People ask where is home. I now know the answer. Home is where the heart is, and that is where the people I love and care about are. All of them.
What do I miss about England? Those of my friends and family that live there. Not much else actually. I have my Tea (note the capital I give it). I have English beer that I brew myself. I have found the right bacon. I need stek flesk. Bacon is tissue thin and smoked. Stek flesk is the thick cut, un-smoked stuff with rind that fills the pan with wonderful fat to fry your eggs in! So I'm not even missing the full cooked English. Missing family and friends is a problem I have to address though, starting in two weeks time.
Time to go on mole patrol. The mole hills are huge, and when I fill them with explosives that the Taliban would be proud of, they turn into little volcanoes. Moles can fly. Fun! I tried garlic as advised by a neighbour. Mr Mole senior just threw it out of his hole. Since I switched to Calcium Carbide he doesn't throw stuff so well. I imagine a mole with little hooks like Abu Hamsa. I also check out buildings for mice, resetting the traps. I don't want further grief with Elsa, or my guest cabin beds. Shame I can't nuke the mice also. It would be sort of Blue on Blue in the workshop.
I have amazing views of Vattern from my balcony, or would do if it wasn't for the birch trees. I must not think badly of the birch. It is the best fire wood I am told, and on experience cannot disagree. Hang on, I just had an idea. I have another cunning plan!
Note: Do the Americans let Abu keep his hooks? I would swap them for feather dusters. The possibilities for amusement are almost endless. Something to tickle everyone's fancy.
I remain British, so coming up very shortly is a trip back to Blighty. Darwin only gets 90 days out of the UK on his current domestic insurance. MOT and servicing are due, and the guys at Apollo know what is needed to winterise the Polo for Southern Swedish conditions. The 3rd supply mission is at hand. Roof space is already allocated for the set of summer wheels. Darwin will have his smart new winter boots on for the return journey. Circumstances dictate what else is coming over next. My winter wardrobe for a start. Back in early August, up against it with overloading, I made the decision to leave the winter gear behind. After all I would be back before I need it. Wrong! This location is three weeks further into Autumn than the British Midlands. The trees are turning and look beautiful, but it's cold. Light frosts dust the lawn these mornings, and there is a fire in the grate until the sun clears the trees. Other than my wardrobe, making the journey also is everything else at Sue and Allan's. They have been great accommodating my stuff in a pile in their dining room. I need to give them the room back.
A week and a half and I set out for Goteburg. The trip isn't long enough I now know. I will be back in England again in the new year, and that visit needs to be longer to catch up with friends and family. People ask where is home. I now know the answer. Home is where the heart is, and that is where the people I love and care about are. All of them.
What do I miss about England? Those of my friends and family that live there. Not much else actually. I have my Tea (note the capital I give it). I have English beer that I brew myself. I have found the right bacon. I need stek flesk. Bacon is tissue thin and smoked. Stek flesk is the thick cut, un-smoked stuff with rind that fills the pan with wonderful fat to fry your eggs in! So I'm not even missing the full cooked English. Missing family and friends is a problem I have to address though, starting in two weeks time.
Time to go on mole patrol. The mole hills are huge, and when I fill them with explosives that the Taliban would be proud of, they turn into little volcanoes. Moles can fly. Fun! I tried garlic as advised by a neighbour. Mr Mole senior just threw it out of his hole. Since I switched to Calcium Carbide he doesn't throw stuff so well. I imagine a mole with little hooks like Abu Hamsa. I also check out buildings for mice, resetting the traps. I don't want further grief with Elsa, or my guest cabin beds. Shame I can't nuke the mice also. It would be sort of Blue on Blue in the workshop.
I have amazing views of Vattern from my balcony, or would do if it wasn't for the birch trees. I must not think badly of the birch. It is the best fire wood I am told, and on experience cannot disagree. Hang on, I just had an idea. I have another cunning plan!
Note: Do the Americans let Abu keep his hooks? I would swap them for feather dusters. The possibilities for amusement are almost endless. Something to tickle everyone's fancy.
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
What Happened
9 weeks. Where to begin.
My English house is let and the revenue stream established to fund this adventure. Months of security ahead is not to be sniffed at. It was a slog to get it ready. By the time I came away. I was glad of the 26 hours enforced rest on the container ship I now use to cross the North Sea. Lets do that one! A cabin, a mess room with a well stocked fridge, Quality English tea for the handful of British drivers making the journey with their cargo's. A telly and DVD player, and hot food the same as the crews, twice a day. The invite to view the bridge got a big thumbs up. The bridge of a container ship is absolutely awesome. What a place for a driver at rest to spend a quiet moment or two.
Inflygningfest: I delivered the housewarming party. 33 people, 4 nationalities, having an English garden party, complete with Pimms, canapes, and Crockett. Then the style switched for the evening, and wild boar stakes from the grill. English IPA to wash it all down with. We drank the barrel dry. Thanks to all who celebrated with me. It was an absolute blast. One thing not at all English was that the sun shone all afternoon. Special thanks to Aki and Bo for their help.
Tandstikstraffen: VMCK Jonkoping. The big motorcycle meeting. 700 bikers, rock music, hot dogs and burgers, and a very large grill to man. VMCK is my adopted home. VMCK are professional in what they deliver. A well polished operation. Everything in its place, and everyone at their station, me included as the new guy. I worked the grills slinging out pork steaks like they were hot, which they were! Other than that too many shifts to count, mostly as a porter or runner. Language problem makes me a little like Manuel from Faulty Towers. I will improve with practise.
Elsa:...Will not be Swedish, ever. Sad story for the great big red motorcycle that took me to Nordkapp and back. I started to re-register her Swedish. She failed the inspection. The headlights have to be changed since hers point to the left. The bill, £1000. The dials are in MPH and KPH, but sickeningly only MPH are illuminated. Another £1000. She is dead in the water! Solution? Not yet apart from the obvious. I have to sell her in England, and I need a motorcycle for next season. I'll work the logistics out, but right now I can't handle everything on my plate with this relocation. Elsa got put to the back of the workshop. Our riding season is over. So sad. In a fanciful mood I also imagine Satnav Jane holding her breath because where Elsa goes, she takes Jane. Jane is a BMW Motorad model. My companions are not having a good time just now.
Only Darwin the tough little VW Polo is happy. These twisty forest roads suit him. Right hand drive allows him to hug the verges as the lumber trucks steam around the corners in the middle of the road. Darwin wants a set of big f*** **f Moose lights for his fender. Even my car is trying to go native. Darwin will also never be Swedish but the good news is I can get generic European insurance for him. Actually, I might check out whether I can get that for Elsa. Run her on UK plates a while longer.
That was a quick one. We are up to date. Sorry much detail got lost in the black hole.
My English house is let and the revenue stream established to fund this adventure. Months of security ahead is not to be sniffed at. It was a slog to get it ready. By the time I came away. I was glad of the 26 hours enforced rest on the container ship I now use to cross the North Sea. Lets do that one! A cabin, a mess room with a well stocked fridge, Quality English tea for the handful of British drivers making the journey with their cargo's. A telly and DVD player, and hot food the same as the crews, twice a day. The invite to view the bridge got a big thumbs up. The bridge of a container ship is absolutely awesome. What a place for a driver at rest to spend a quiet moment or two.
Inflygningfest: I delivered the housewarming party. 33 people, 4 nationalities, having an English garden party, complete with Pimms, canapes, and Crockett. Then the style switched for the evening, and wild boar stakes from the grill. English IPA to wash it all down with. We drank the barrel dry. Thanks to all who celebrated with me. It was an absolute blast. One thing not at all English was that the sun shone all afternoon. Special thanks to Aki and Bo for their help.
Tandstikstraffen: VMCK Jonkoping. The big motorcycle meeting. 700 bikers, rock music, hot dogs and burgers, and a very large grill to man. VMCK is my adopted home. VMCK are professional in what they deliver. A well polished operation. Everything in its place, and everyone at their station, me included as the new guy. I worked the grills slinging out pork steaks like they were hot, which they were! Other than that too many shifts to count, mostly as a porter or runner. Language problem makes me a little like Manuel from Faulty Towers. I will improve with practise.
Elsa:...Will not be Swedish, ever. Sad story for the great big red motorcycle that took me to Nordkapp and back. I started to re-register her Swedish. She failed the inspection. The headlights have to be changed since hers point to the left. The bill, £1000. The dials are in MPH and KPH, but sickeningly only MPH are illuminated. Another £1000. She is dead in the water! Solution? Not yet apart from the obvious. I have to sell her in England, and I need a motorcycle for next season. I'll work the logistics out, but right now I can't handle everything on my plate with this relocation. Elsa got put to the back of the workshop. Our riding season is over. So sad. In a fanciful mood I also imagine Satnav Jane holding her breath because where Elsa goes, she takes Jane. Jane is a BMW Motorad model. My companions are not having a good time just now.
Only Darwin the tough little VW Polo is happy. These twisty forest roads suit him. Right hand drive allows him to hug the verges as the lumber trucks steam around the corners in the middle of the road. Darwin wants a set of big f*** **f Moose lights for his fender. Even my car is trying to go native. Darwin will also never be Swedish but the good news is I can get generic European insurance for him. Actually, I might check out whether I can get that for Elsa. Run her on UK plates a while longer.
That was a quick one. We are up to date. Sorry much detail got lost in the black hole.
Coms
9 Weeks of silence on my blog, has irritated. boB is in the PC hospital (Kjells Elektronic Butik, not a hospital where inane euphermisms are used to describe persons of totally equal status who are differently abled, or diverse :-O. I am diverse also, although all in one person, which makes me differently abled, both of us. People are generally who they believe themselves to be, which is not true. We'll talk about cabin fever later. Just now I'm only practising ). boB is full of shit. Not the technical description. Think about how a fly paper collects flys. boB is a bit like that. The little PC is stuffed full of crap that he touched and couldn't let go. Kjell is hoovering it all out of him. Not accurate, but it sort of works.
So here in my Fritidhus (summer house) in the forest, I have fabricated a desk out of a shelf from the Ikea wardrobe I threw in the skip, and a set of Ikea draws I bought to replace it. I'm writing on the steam driven PC from my English house, with a very slow mobile broadband dongle plugged into it. Speed of light this is not. Kjell is also providing a high speed router and a means to pay tomorrow. My EU Coordination number is Ok for paying tax, but won't get you services or payment plans. Basically I open a vein every time I need a big ticket item!!
Let's be positive. I now have a 3D Smart telly screwed to the wall, and 4G broadbend tomorrow hopefully. The little Stuga (guest cabin) is converted to take 4 drunken motorcyclists. I strengthened the roof ready for snow. Money is starting to flow in from England. My agent took payment for 6 months rent on my English house, and is at last passing me some of it each month. I'm solvent again. I have wild boar in the freezer along with reindeer, and chanterrelle mushrooms to go with it
all. Oh and a bucket load of crayfish. England this is not. That bit of my cunning plan worked then.
Less excitable post when I get used to having it back. "Normal service will be resumed shortly".
Oh, and I have a 6'1", blond, blue eyed Swedish girl friend who thinks I'm funny.
Hello
So here in my Fritidhus (summer house) in the forest, I have fabricated a desk out of a shelf from the Ikea wardrobe I threw in the skip, and a set of Ikea draws I bought to replace it. I'm writing on the steam driven PC from my English house, with a very slow mobile broadband dongle plugged into it. Speed of light this is not. Kjell is also providing a high speed router and a means to pay tomorrow. My EU Coordination number is Ok for paying tax, but won't get you services or payment plans. Basically I open a vein every time I need a big ticket item!!
Let's be positive. I now have a 3D Smart telly screwed to the wall, and 4G broadbend tomorrow hopefully. The little Stuga (guest cabin) is converted to take 4 drunken motorcyclists. I strengthened the roof ready for snow. Money is starting to flow in from England. My agent took payment for 6 months rent on my English house, and is at last passing me some of it each month. I'm solvent again. I have wild boar in the freezer along with reindeer, and chanterrelle mushrooms to go with it
all. Oh and a bucket load of crayfish. England this is not. That bit of my cunning plan worked then.
Less excitable post when I get used to having it back. "Normal service will be resumed shortly".
Oh, and I have a 6'1", blond, blue eyed Swedish girl friend who thinks I'm funny.
Hello
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