Can I just say "Yippee"

Today is the first day of the total ban of cigarette smoking in pubs, cafés and restaurants in Sweden. You can read a report in English from The Local: Sweden stubs out for good.

I think it's wonderful. At last I can go out for a drink or a meal and actually breathe freely. I won't get streaming eyes or a sore throat. I don't have to rush home and shower immediately to get the horrible smell out of my hair, nor do I have to my clothes out on the balcony for days (no exaggeration). These bans have been in place in Adelaide since 1997, so I was shocked when I first came here and found that people smoke everywhere. There was not a single place where you could grab a quick sandwich or coffee without being enveloped in a cloud of disgusting smoke.

For a nation that are so clued in on allergies and hypervigilant about healthy living, Swedes have this amazing blind spot when it comes to cigarettes. But the intense lobbying on behalf of hotel, bar and restaurant staff, who are three times more likely to die of lung cancer than employees in other sectors due to their extensive exposure to smoke, saw the law change from today.

Sorry if you are a smoker and object to this, but honestly why should we all become ill just because of your individual need for a shot of nicotine. I personally don't give a toss whether people choose to smoke or not. It's their bodies and their business, but not when it interferes with those around them. And smoke does get everywhere.

So now to enjoy the beautiful spring blossoms that have burst forth all over town



And tomorrow it's back to Stockholm for a final check up on my mother-in-law who is being allowed home after nearly seven weeks in hospital. I'm hoping for a sunny day to welcome her home.