Poor Lars-Göran has got his first cold for the winter season. That didn’t take long, did it? Snow one day, then a cold the next. He’s spent the last two days sprawled out on the couch, suffering in that distinct male way – sort of like lions groaning in the distance. I used to live in North Adelaide in my university days and many a summer evening we could hear those lions at the nearby Adelaide Zoo quite distinctly.

Yesterday morning, after we all had a sleepless night, I thought I’d go to the chemist and see if they had something to help relieve the symptoms. Mind you, I wasn’t too hopeful as I know that relief of symptoms is something that is frowned on here. It’s important to be stoic and suffer for some odd reason that nobody has been able to explain to me in a way that might make sense. People are fond of telling me that they never take anything for headaches, colds etc. as though it is some sort of badge of honour. "No" they proudly tell me, "we stay at home and let nature take its course. Unlike you Australians who rely on drugs for every little ache and pain." Yes, you read that right – they stay at home! Ummm… what about if you work or have school? Easy. You take time off. It’s quite accepted here that you don’t come in to work when you are sick. And that is the fundamental difference, I think. In Australia we take the cold remedies to relieve those symptoms and enable us to function at our jobs. You would not dream of taking time off for some minor cold or headache. Here in Sweden on the other hand, they take a day off (paid or unpaid) – it’s the normal practice.

Now, I’m not advocating the wholesale filling of our bodies with chemicals for no reason, but I really can’t see the point of feeling lousy with headache, swollen eyes, running nose and sore throat for days when you can easily prevent it. So I headed off to the chemist on my way to do the shopping.



Note the granny trolley! My friends back home who are used to seeing me swing into the Burnside Village car park in the little silver Porsche Boxster would be aghast to see me head out like this. I never thought I’d have one of these either, but I don’t fancy walking a kilometer through the snow with heavy grocery bags and now I use it, I would never be without it! I even take it to the library, so I can borrow a huge quantity of books at a time. The town was it’s usual packed, busy Saturday morning scene *grin*



I ventured into Apoteket (the chemist) and surveyed the over-the-counter shelves marked for cold remedies. There I found some analgesics, some throat pastilles and a few types of nose spray. That’s it. No cough syrups, no cough and flu capsules, no night-and-day tablets – nothing like that at all. I ended up getting him some Bafucin pastilles for his throat. If you want something stronger than Butter Menthols, you need a doctor’s prescription. And don’t get me started on how long THAT would take.

I shouldn’t be surprised, really. When I first came to Sweden, Lars-Göran had a cold and so in an effort to help him, I gave him some of my Codral, so he could "soldier on". He thought they were a miracle drug and was astounded that one could simply walk into the chemist and buy them. I felt sure that something similar would be available here and with that in mind, I went to the chemist with the packet to enquire. After all, this is not a third world backwater, but a civilized, advanced country.

Maybe. But obviously the people running the state-owned and controlled chemist system still live in the 12th century. When I showed my humble packet of Codral, I was met with a frosty stare of disapproval, a tut-tutting about drug-crazed nations and a lecture on how unnecessary the drug was, when I could simply go to the supermarket and buy six oranges that I could eat over the next 24 hours and that would give me the same outcome. I don’t think so! A similar story when I tried to buy Naprogesic – though this time I was advised to stay home with a hot water bottle on my tummy for 2 days. Very practical! So now, when people come from Australia and ask “What can I bring?”, I ask for those two items (as well as Tim-Tams, Chicken Crimpies, Twisties, Cherry Ripes, Violet Crumbles, Caramello Koalas…)

In fact, you can’t buy things like panadol or Dettol etc at the supermarket or petrol stations as you can in Australia – you must get those only from Apoteket (between the hours of 10am and 6pm weekdays, 10am and 1pm Saturday). Too bad if you need them urgently outside of those hours. But then, like the boy scouts, Swedes always like to Be Prepared.

Still, there are delights to enjoy here, not the least the walk home from shopping through this lovely landscape, with icicles glistening from the rooftops, snowflakes falling all around and the snow glistening in the sun like tiny diamonds.



I like to walk
on fresh fallen snow
The kind that whispers
and speaks.
It sings a song
as I walk along
With crackles and
scrunches and squeaks.

So until next time, I'll enjoy the snowy scene outside and make sure my poor guy is filled with tea, honey and tender loving care.

Oh yes, I better get those six oranges as well!