Weekends are the time we get to do what we choose, to relax, to forget about work and study, to check out the neighbourhood or just chill out. Despite the fact that it is brass monkey weather today and that we have just come back from nine weeks out sailing, what do you think we did?

Yes, despite the promise that we'd stay on land, after only a few days we are back out on the water, but this time just for a bit of day sailing. By the time we tied up at the pier just after 6.30pm we had travelled nearly 30NM - so much for the promise of a quick sail and an afternoon lazing in a bay.

We set off from the pier with a stiff breeze pushing us along Gårdsfjärden and past the sailing club. As it is Saturday, the kids are out in their small boats for sailing lessons.



It is sunny with gorgeous blue skies, but don't be fooled, even though Lars-Göran is sporting the sunnies. It is piercingly cold and even the Viking himself has to wear the winter wooly beanie, long-sleeved druggie shirt (for the non-Australians, a druggie shirt is a long flannelette checked shirt), jumper, fleece jacket AND windproof sailing jacket.

Why do we do this?



We were not the only ones out today, with the horizon dotted with sails which surprised us somewhat as often people forget about their boats once the season is over. But where to go for the day? It's funny that you never really check out places close to home, you sort of take them for granted, put it on the back-burner and think that "we can do this anytime" and head out for places further away, thinking you can check out the home waters some other time.

So we felt we could finally sail to nearby Gunnarsstenarna, which is only 5NM away and a place where we have never been before. When we pass by the area we are often on our way to somewhere else or on our way home so we see the islands in the distance but think we'll take a look "next time". Today was that next time. The name means "Gunnar's Rocks" and at one time they were important fishing grounds and later an important military outpost, but these days it is a bird sanctuary and inaccessible for several months of the year. The island group consists of half a dozen low, bare rocks and a small lighthouse.



Somehow I always thought there would be more, but at least we now know what is there. Had it been more than nine degrees outside we might have anchored and looked around, but by now we were feeling a tad cold, so we turned northwards and set off to anchor in the bay at the north of Nåttarö where we ate a warm lunch - vegetable and noodle soup with bread and cheese. I really needed that. We had hoped to simply tie up to one of the two piers there, but despite the cold, both piers were full of sailing boats. Is everyone here insane?

The trees here are just starting to turn gold and it is always good to see these places in any season as they have a quite different character from month to month.



Autumn really feels as though it is just round the corner. Given that Wednesday is the Equinox and the full moon is in the sky this seems to be about right.

I love this time of the year, it has the same resonance as spring for me, a time of expectancy, promise and also of beginnings and endings. The light grows in its dimness as silence and stillness begins to envelop the earth. It is moment when there is more than usual reason to stop and listen, look and wait.