The official release of the names of the 565 dead and missing Swedes in the tsunami disaster this week has brought the whole issue back into the national consciousness again. It is sobering to read down the list and see so many from one family missing - mum, dad, the kids.... really, really tragic. My stepdaughter was here for a few days and she told us of an acquaintance whose mother had died after a serious illness last year. The family did not want to spend the first Christmas without their mother in Sweden - it felt too hard. So dad took his teenage kids to relax for Christmas in Khao Lak, Thailand and they were caught up in this awful tragedy. They all survived, though spending a long time in hospital. I couldn't believe how unfair it was that these poor people, who were already struggling to come to terms with a loss found themselves in an even more distressing situation.

Things like this really make you sit down and take the time to be thankful for the things that you have and the family you have around you. Sometimes we get so caught up in outside happenings that we can miss seeing the small things in our lives that make all of the difference.

It is hard to be so far away from family and friends as you do when you live overseas. I think of them often, wonder how they are and if they think about me as well. I was so happy yesterday to get an email from a friend in Adelaide announcing her daughter's engagement. Congratulations, Alison! I hope you and Simon will have a lifetime of happiness together.

Life goes on in Nynäshamn much as usual. The sun is shining again after several days of bleak, grey sleet and this makes a world of difference to my motivation and view of the world. Instead of scurrying through town with my head down and hood tightly clasped around me, I can take the time to look around and see small things that cheer me up.



I can even laugh at the shop windows, proudly displaying their range of summer wear while it is still below zero. Who is it that decides these things? I stood in the snow-blended rain yesterday gazing at the bikinis, straw hats and sunglasses and just shook my head and pulled down my hat, drew my warm downfilled jacket closer and put on the lined leather gloves.

Soon it will be time for the annual book sale (February 22nd at midnight) and I'm hoping to score some bargains again this year. I normally don't go to sales, nor did I in Australia as people behave like lunatics at these sorts of things as seen yesterday in Britain at the opening of a new IKEA shop, where people were carted away in ambulances after brawling over a sofa! The book sale here is far more civilised, with people queuing up quietly until the shop opens, then going in and looking around. It is crowded ceratinly, but nobody is aggro or beating up anyone else. I'm sure the vikings are turning in their graves!