Apparently I still have a lot of things left in storage at my parents house. There are quite a few different boxes of stuff, most which I actually have looked through. I've been wanting to get rid of most of the things, but everything I pick up my Mum says "Let's wait with that"... so I never manage to clear it up!
The most intriguing box is this one, it literally says "Boel's crap" on it..! Ha ha!
I left that one for next time!
I usually visit my optician while in Sweden to check the health of my eyes, as I have been using contacts daily for the last 25+ years. This year I was wondering if I needed new glasses (I have been wearing my glasses a lot more this spring due to not leaving the house...) as I felt they weren't the same strength as my lenses.
We decided to check Linnea's eyesight too, as her glasses also were a couple of years old. Turned out she also needed a slightly stronger prescription, so new frames for her as well!
Luckily they had great deals with two-for-one on the frames. So we got four pairs of new glasses, two each, for about 1/4 of what two pairs of new lenses in old frames had cost at the same time for Nathan back home. Plus our eye check-ups were included in our price! Bargain!
When we picked them up today it was rather rainy and grey, which was lucky as it made it easy to find a Corona-safe place for 'fika' - we were the only ones that sat outside this café..!
In search of Corona-safe activities, we took a drive this Sunday to Dönstorp, about 30 km from Skara. They had advertised a "Canoe Quiz"-afternoon, where you could borrow their canoes and go for a paddle, and if you wish answer a quiz on the way. All for free even!
The weather was a bit unstable, but we took our chances and took out two canoes.
It was great fun actually! We found and answered all the questions (and eventually got 8/10 correct answers), and - it didn't rain on us.
Mormor and Morfar were cheering us on, and when we were finished it was time for 'fika', of course! Always 'fika'!
Not even the grey skies could dampen my smile on my walk today, I so enjoy being able to be outside, take a walk through the forest, breathe the fresh air. It really is the little things in life; if these Covid-times have shown you nothing else - it's the little things that matter.
But it sure makes for a pretty scenery!
Our trip to Sweden was going to be very different this year considering we, to the difference to most of our friends, don't have our own place there but were staying with my parents.
Because of this, we couldn't see anybody else, or do any activities where there would be a lot of other people, risking bringing the virus back home to my parents who both are very much risk group.
Even though we mostly stayed at home and just enjoyed the surroundings and the garden, we did small, but safe, excursions. One day we did a trip to the Kinnekulle Grand Quarry. This is a popular excursion spot but there was no issues practising social distance here.
One of the reasons this is such a popular place to visit, a part from the beautiful setting, is the many shifting colours of the rock, including grey, green-grey and reddish brown. The lower layers of the limestone were laid down 400 million years ago and you can see over 40 meters of the strata.
Most of the limestone from this quarry was used to manufacture cement between the years 1892 and 1979. A total of 80 million tons of limestone were quarried.
Once the cement production dwindled and the site was restored, this pond was created at the base of the quarry to supply the surrounding meadows with water. It has been stocked with rainbow trout and you can purchase a fishing permit to try your luck if you wish.
We only stopped for 'fika'!
This!!
This is what I miss most in the sandpit - the greenery and the high, fresh air; the flowers, the gravel roads, the peaceful quiet surroundings, the blue skies... just look at that smile! Pure happiness!
My first walk was the 8k loop around my childhood hoods. Said hi to the cows and the sheep in the paddocks while silly smiling every step.
Traveling during a pandemic sure was an interesting experience.
Interesting in the way how different it was in the different places we were going through.
Starting from Abu Dhabi, where masks are mandatory as soon as you step outside to start with. The airport was full of markers and stickers for distance, employees that took your temperature, glass shields in front of all check-in desks, closed shops and blocked off seats - all to enforce the social distancing.
Onboard the Etihad flight we traveled up front, so we had plenty of space anyway, but obviously the flight was far from full. We got given Health Kits, which included gloves, sanitizer and masks, and were expected to wear the masks the whole flight.
(By the way, I had never before been on an airplane with three-point-seatbelts!)
The flight from Frankfurt to Göteborg was completely full. We had our bags full with sanitizing equipment of all sorts, so we wiped down everything around our seats; and didn't touch anything throughout the flight. Because of the circumstances they didn't serve anything onboard anyway, we were just handed bottles of water.
And arriving into Sweden - well, you would think there was no pandemic... face masks off and only recommendations on how to behave... Have to admit, made me feel slightly uncomfortable, but there you go.
