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…is over and now a colder autumn, and later winter awaits. I know exactly what to expect since I have been lucky enough to experience a number of winters. Days are getting darker and it’s still cozy with some rain and falling leaves. I start lighting candles. A cup of tea. Maybe a movie. Preferably James Bond. Watched the latest quite recently and I am not disappointed. Bond is always Bond.
December arrives with all that it entails. A wonderful month that lights up the darkness. During January, the Christmas lights are slowly scaled down. Some people refuse to turn off the light and I understand them. February can have its bright occasions with sunshine and sparkling snow-covered fields. But the rest of February. Complete darkness.
In March you believe spring is around the corner. No no. It is perhaps the least good month of the year. Luckily, easter is approaching. I remember easter when I was little. Always traveled to the mountains and I got sunburned while skiing. The downhill was good, better than at Christmas because easter was warmer, and somehow it was easier to ski. I ventured onto the black slopes.
In April, you want to throw your gloves, but quickly, you realize that it won’t work. You have to endure chilly days for another few weeks. Finally comes the long-awaited spring with the following summer that you so longed for, and deserved.
There is a lot happening in the world right now. Britain has had a new Prime Minister in a short time. I heard on the news on the radio that apparently he is usually well-read before he makes a decision. Wondering then how previous prime ministers have done. He has connections to India, and who knows, maybe Sunak will be the new Obama.
With this written, I return to summertime, green lawns, and BBQ with this song by Will Smith.
Autumn arrived so rapidly this year. Perhaps, depending on this extraordinary summer. Hunting is ongoing, and there are not so many moose where I grew up but more in other areas, I have heard. Always special to go for walks at this time of the year. The only animal Molly and I saw when walking, were squirrels crossing our way. They are so cute.
We have had an election in Sweden and there are ongoing negotiations. I hope they will be ready at least by the next election. Politics is complicated. Democracy is something we are taking for granted, but there are countries where people still work for living in a free world. You just need to turn on the news or read a newspaper and you will find out that we are living in a peaceful country. When I started to write here, almost ten years ago, I thought very much about the freedom to write. Hackers have several times tried to interrupt this page. Fortunately, I have had IT support, and I continue to write.
It is a wonderful autumn day this weekend. By chance, I found this peaceful melody. Wishing you a happy Sunday.
Different viruses are active now, and since we socialize more after the pandemic restrictions were relieved, ordinary bacterial infections have increased. Life is a little better after vaccinations, but there is still a risk of being infected by viruses etc. I remind myself of handwashing.
This summer has been amazing. A long time since we’ve had a summer similar to this summer. But the other day was rainy, and I found out I must find some rain clothes.
We will soon have political election in Sweden, and I went for early voting. Perhaps a new tradition. It was popular to go voting on the first possible day. However, it is not so good that there are so many political parties in Sweden since they do not cooperate. You never know what you are voting for. But that is perhaps politics in a nutshell?
We have had high temperatures this week. The UK has had a climate crisis with a registered temperature over 40°C. These extreme hot days do occur within natural climate variation due to changes in global weather patterns. However, we cannot exclude that the observed warming of the planet can be attributed to human activity.
At the same time, we are struggling with the rapid spreading of the variants of Omicron such as BA.4 and BA.5. A lot of people are infected, but ordinary colds are also common. We have not done anything with regard to the pandemic in Sweden, but hospitals have increased general precautions. I have heard that Italians are wearing medical facemasks in public again. I am thinking of going bicycling to avoid crowds. You never know your sensitivity to infections.
The war in Ukraine continues. Will it become a war as long as in the Balkans (Bosnia and Herzegovina) in the 1990s? Years. There are similarities. I was surprised though, that an agreement between Russia and Ukraine was signed, aided by Turkey, on grain transportation in the Black Sea. People in the Middle East and Africa are threatened by acute hunger due to the war. The Ukraine war does affect the whole world.
I ask myself, what will come next?
We are now in the brightest days of the year. It is warm and green. So many flowers. Time to relax for a while.