I've had that Sesame Street song running through what passes for my brain for days now. Ever since I learned that in the rubber duck world, I'm an Inventive Duck. I make my friends wonder :)



Well there's certainly some truth to that statement. Click on the duck and take the test yourself.

R.I.P. winter! It's sunny today, which means that most of the snow has melted, the footpaths are full of puddles, and there is the distinct smell of spring in the air. Time to bury the snowman.

A trip to see the ducks at the harbour shows that this is very much the case:



You can see that people are warmly dressed - it is after all only -2C, but it's sunny, the snow has almost disappeared and the variety of duck types has increased. Hey I even see a gull or two there - and with the return of these few birds is the signal that spring is on it's way.

Of course it may be another trick of mother nature, but at least there are signs. The main disadvantage, besides the false hope it provides, to these false spring starts we've had lately is that the snow melts during the day and re-freezes at night. This creates a hazardous walking environment, as the new ice is very smooth and slippery. I'm grateful to have safety spikes in these conditions as I've not perfected the art of slipping over and looking elegant.

Today's walk took me along to our new mooring space at Smörpundet.



Yes, there is water somewhere under that ice! Our new space will be on the left hand side of the pier, right in front of the little brown hut. I think it will be a great view from there across the bay. The advantage of us moving here is that there is electricity on this pier (great for when we need to use power tools), water nearby to fill our tanks and we are at the entrance of the bay, so we get to sticky beak on all of the comings and goings. There is also the birdlife to enjoy.



Though these swans can be a touch on the pushy side during summer. This family were here last season as well. We were astounded to see the pair had EIGHT cygnets. We usually see one or two, but never so many. They were quite a popular attraction around the guest harbour and it's nice to see them back again.

While it's calm and sunny today, it was quite stormy and cold yesterday. It was sooooo windy here. Brrrr. I was chilled to the bone all day. But I find myself drawn to the sound of the wind and the roaring trees in the the night. I end up going to the balcony, opening the door a crack, and standing there for a bit. Listening. Longing. I'm not sure for what. A normal life? Nää. For my family? For a kindred spirit, a best friend in my town? For the courage to dream again? For a dream? For mastery of the Swedish language? For sleep? For summer? For the future?? Don't know.

Our slumbers were interrupted yesterday morning by a call from a man who lives opposite the bay where Fiona is moored. He reported that our cover had blown off during the night. When Lars-Göran went down to inspect it, he found that it had come off in the gale force winds, wound itself around the two wind generators and broken one of the blades. So it went from the usual:



And the sight that greeted Lars-Göran was:



With the wind generator damaged:



*SIGH*

It really is an expense we could do without at the moment. You must replace two blades (the damaged one and the one directly opposite) because it needs to be perfectly balanced with a blade the identical weight. So I guess we need to get on to the manufacturer and order them.

I didn't know this before, but "to poodle" means to roll a gutter ball while bowling. Amazing what you learn on google! Of course I get some really weird searches going. Which is how I can come up with sites like a knitted Elvis wig (scroll up to see the picture) or if that doesn't do it for you, how about knitting a chicken hat.

At least it distracts my mind from worrying about the boat expenses :)