Today we travelled into Stockholm to pick up a 4hp outboard motor that we saw advertised in Blocket. It was a price that was well within our budget and it means we have everything we need for the dinghy. If we had bought the dinghy and engine new, we would have paid 22,000kr. Instead we paid only 6,000kr! It certainly pays to check out the second-hand market.

As the guy with the motor lives way north of Stockholm in Järfalla, he agreed to meet us in town so that we didn't have to drive so far. He was coming into the city anyway. So we met up at Norra Bantorget and completed the sale.

We then headed up to Solna to get some stuff at Öob. I really hate the one there - it's so cheap, nasty and grotty, but we really needed to get a few things so I put up with it this once. The new Öob at Haninge is so nice, clean, ordered and well organised that I prefer to go there when I need something specific, but we were near the horrible one so that's where we went.

Then on to Skeppsholmen, which was buzzing with the Stockholm Jazz Festival. It was warm, sunny and there was a wonderful atmosphere around the venue (which was in the most beautiful setting, overlooking the glittering waters with the city as a backdrop).



The smell from the food stalls was divine! Lambi looked very keen to sample the chicken from the wok stall.

We walked around the harbour and looked at the ships docked around the island. One of the more impressive ones was the charter boat Sea Cloud II. What an impressive sailing boat. I bet she looks spectacular under full sail. There are so many charter boats in Sweden at the moment. It gives the sea towns a real sense of life. Then we had a look around the island, past the funky cafe Chili Vanili. I love the historic buildings on this island. When I first came here nearly 4 years ago and we visited Skeppsholmen, it looked a bit sad and dilapidated. Of course, this was also in winter, when things always look a bit more dreary. Over the last few years, I've been gratified to see that the buildings are being restored and today they look magnificent.

We spotted a cute little puppy and talked to the young girl holding him. It was a little bundle of fuzz and so cute! The girl told us that he was 11 weeks old and was a Chinese Powder Puff. She had saved up her own money to buy the puppy. I was very impressed as pedigree dogs cost a fortune in Sweden.

A short walk further on brought us to a view of the guest harbour across the water at Djurgården. We noticed that it was very busy and that a few boats were also moored to the Skeppsholmen side of the water. Among them was a boat from Australia! I was surprised and excited to see it.



We spoke to him and he's been out sailing around the world for the last four years. He reported that his only troubles came in the waters around Malaysia (a notorious area for pirates) where a group of 10 men armed with machetes tried to board the boat. He said it was a very scary experience. He also said that he was in the Red Sea during 9/11 and that was tense as well, in part because he is a white Westerner and he wasn't sure how that would be viewed and also because he was afraid USA would retaliate and he'd find himself in the middle of a war zone. He is heading north towards Finland and Russia before heading back south. He hopes to be back home in Brisbane within a year as he misses home. Don't we all at times.

Anyway, Randall will be here tomorrow, so I better get cooking!