Author Archives: Anna

We are now in one of the darkest months of the year. December has always been special to me, and I love decorations and other Christmas-related things. As much as I think it is nice to remove the decorations after New Year’s.

Snowflakes falling. A walk in a temperature below zero degrees with snow and sun. Where the frost has bitten the trees. My dog sniffs for traces of the hare that has just jumped into the snow in the field. Some mulled wine and ginger cookies when I get home. In moments like this, I like to listen to Puccini, which reflects the sharp, severe cold winter weather.

Today, it is Lucia. I still remember many Christmas carols, the nervousness before my verse was to be read, and the candle wax, which unfortunately blurred the text on the paper cuff, so it could not be read.

Ending by sharing some music. Maybe some people from the party last summer will read this. Wasn´t she wonderful, Anna (not me), who sang in the greenery by the blooming fields? Right in the middle of summer.

A former colleague from Astra Zeneca moved with his family to Vietnam and I visited for a few days. I had the opportunity to see Vietnam and traveled to the myth-surrounded Hanoi. I was traveling alone but felt safe despite the huge and intense city. The French movie “Indochine” with Catherine Deneuve, which I saw several years ago, made me visit the French Quarter (see above).

A long ride by train brought me to southern Vietnam and HCMC, a vibrant city with historical elements like Hanoi. HCMC is a thrilling city where I had the film “Good Morning, Vietnam” with Robin Williams on my retina. I learned that there are many underground tunnel systems that I never visited. I visited a museum where Vietnam and the United States today are unified (see below). Such a long time ago, yet so historically close.

Movies romanticize, but when reality is incomprehensible and cruel, I want to escape to the world of movies. This was seven years ago. Will I ever go to Jerusalem?

Time will tell.

We live in a revolutionary time. The war in Ukraine started when the COVID-19 pandemic subsided. Many people are suffering and the war in Ukraine has taken a lot of lives.

For years, I have fought for membership in NATO. Since Sweden’s membership in NATO this year, it has been a dizzying time for me. I know that the memories of World War II veterans are still present. Sweden has never been neutral. Not least during the World War II.

During the years of writing my books, I traveled a lot. Including Vietnam and England. I had been preparing to travel to Jerusalem to ground off my book “Generations” which was partly about the immune system. Somewhere I felt that the war in Ukraine might spread to the Middle East. And so it was. I traveled to France and Spain instead of Israel.

The very fast media that exists today means that everything feels very close. It is not like in the 17th century when a rider on a horse could convey news that could take several weeks to deliver. Today, news delivery is instantaneous.

We have had an election in the United States where Trump has emerged victorious. Trump promises peace in Ukraine in 24 hours. Skeptics warn of a similar agreement in the 1930s with Hitler when he received advantages in Czechoslovakia. A false agreement as history later shows. Of course, one should learn from historical events. On the other hand, one should not forget that an incredible development has taken place, including computers and the Internet which were not at the beginning of the 20th century. You therefore have to look here and now.

It is tough. Perhaps an agreement with Russia and Ukraine can be made, but it is understood that at the same time, Russia’s invasion of countries can continue. Much rests in the hands of today’s trusted elected politicians.

Stay safe 🐾