They say that one of the signs that you've been in Sweden too long, is when you spend your winters dreaming about the short summer weeks (or should that be days?). If so, then I plead guilty as charged because I can't help thinking about being out on the boat again.

That strikes most people here as a summer activity, but for us it is normally an all round pleasure. Rugged up in the correct gear, there is no more wonderful experience than casting off and feel the power of the wind in the sails as the boat slices through the water. What is particularly depressing about the non-winter we are having is that we could be out there on weekends exploring, instead of home sanding the hull.

These shots are normal winter sailing for us. The one on the right was taken on our old boat Olivia (now happily sailing with her new owners at Loftahammar) and the one on the left on our new boat Fiona. It looks deceptive, because of the blue water and skies. You can tell from the five layers of clothing I am wearing that it's the proverbial brass monkey weather - just below zero, with a stiff breeze.



One reason why we'd like to get her ship-shape and back in the water is that we are facing something called stambyte come May. There is no direct translation for that word, but basically it means that all the major plumbing pipes and the electrical cables are being replaced in the apartment building. It means that we are getting a brand new bathroom and our kitchen renovated - and a god-awful mess while it's going on.

At the moment, this is our bathroom - very much a 1950's utilitarian affair that is badly in need of a facelift. Actually, it looks a bit better in real life, but it has white tiles to about shoulder height, yellow painted walls, old, chipped bathtub with shower and old toilet and basin.

What is being proposed is floor to ceilng tiling, new toilet, vanity unit, basin, mirror, bath with shower inside, towel warmer, electrical outlet (yay! no more extension cord to the kitchen to dry my hair) and a tiled floor. Optional extras (at our own cost) include a glassed-in shower cabinet (instead of a bathtub/shower combo) and underfloor heating.

It is common practice here for the pipes and wet areas to be renovated every 40 years or so. Our apartment was built in 1951, so it is a bit overdue. It's financed by a levy that has been included in our monthly fee. Some apartment buildings have not collected a levy and then they must borrow the money and raise the monthly levy quite a lot to cover the interest rate on the loan. Fortunately our body corporate has been squirrelling away the money since 1951, so we will have no penalty costs added and the fees we pay now will go towards a future renovation.

With both the bathroom and kitchen areas, we get a choice of colours and types of tiling and fittings. If we want something else, then that can be negotiated providing we pay for the difference in cost ourselves. I haven't seen the samples yet, but imagine that won't be far off.

In the kitchen, which you see pictured here, much less will be done. The water pipes are being replaced, so we get new taps. The electricity will be upgraded to meet modern standards, the walls above the sink fully tiled and the sink, stove and bench areas raised to 94cm (they are 80cm high at the moment). They will also add lighting under the upper cupboards over the preparation area (something I really want in the winter).

Work on all of this is scheduled to begin in May, with workman being in the apartment block for six months and in each individual apartment six to eight weeks. Can you imagine the mess? And no bathroom facilities? I'm pretty sure that we'll be packing up and moving aboard when this starts up. We are rather hoping that our apartment will be one of the first ones done as the main pipes are at our end of the building. Fingers crossed that it won't last too long.

I'm interested in reading the blogs of others who have come to live in Sweden from abroad and in one of the new ones I've started reading, written by an American woman living in Tjörn on the west coast, she posted the most stunning picture today of her glimpse of the northern lights, taken from the harbour town of Skärhamn. Isn't it incredible? We really must go back that way again and visit Tjörn as the scenery is breathtaking.

Meanwhile it's getting lighter and lighter each day, so the promise of summer on the way is becoming a reality. I'll be ready when it finally gets here.