The heavy snowfalls and very cold temperatures (a bonechilling minus 25C this morning) have played havoc with the trains. I had a meeting in Stockholm today and was really annoyed that I had to cancel it as there was chaos on the lines, both from here to Stockholm and from within Stockholm itself.

I waited out in the chill at the train station while the train was delayed, delayed, delayed then suddenly, without explanation cancelled. At that stage I rang Lars-Göran and asked him to check online for me, where the full extent of the public transport dog's breakfast unfolded. There was no point in even trying to get anywhere, so instead I trudged home and had a day with my family.

The south bound train line is a complete joke and it amuses me that the local council has the guts to promote this town as being "Minutes from Stockholm" when it is patently impossible to get there on a good day in anything under an hour. On a bad day, it can take several hours. Or maybe you never get there at all. A local resident has started a blog (in Swedish only) about the "joys" of commuting from Nynäshamn. It doesn't make for very cheerful reading.

In more pleasant news, Lars-Göran went with his friend Lennart to the big boat exhibition, where they wandered around looking at the latest boy's toys and checking out all of the exhibits.




I was rather stunned as he came home with a lot of really useful information and brochures. This is not normally like him at all. I am the one who madly collects these things usually. Whenever we go anywhere I scan around for free leaflets, maps, information sheets etc which I read avidly and file away for use later. Most of what I've accumulated has been extremely useful when we travel to different towns and often our decision to visit a particular place has been as a result of something I've read about it.

This must be rubbing off on to Lars-Göran (see, I can be a good influence!) as he came back with armloads of maps covering the whole area we are visiting this summer, tourist brochures, guest harbour information and a fully paid membership for Svenska Kryssarklubben (something I have urged him to do for a couple of years).

Normally he marches around these shows with tunnel vision, never stopping to talk or look carefully at things and with a body language that deters exhibitors from approaching him. I'm not sure what transformation has taken place, but he spent hours and hours there and chatted on enthusiastically about it all when he go home. He also admitted that he was "in love" with this dear little boat:




It is a HobieMirage Outback and he waxed lyrical about it over dinner, so I suspect he will try and angle a way to own one as soon as he can scrape the money together. Though where we can stow it on Fiona while we sail will be an interesting logistical problem that I'll leave to him!

Also this week, my Aussies in Sweden t-shirts arrived. Kate, the webmistress of the Australians Abroad site emailed me to let me know that she had sold several shirts "from your site". I had no idea what she was talking about. I don't sell t-shirts. Do I? Well, it seems that yes, I do. Well, I don't really, but as part of a fundraising exercise to defray website costs, Kate has started marketing some shirts through Zazzle. The designs include a couple relating to Aussies in Sweden and it seems people are buying them. I couldn't bear to miss out and am now the proud owner of two shirts. I chose one of each design - this one in orange (my favourite colour!) and this one in classic white.

They seem to be a good quality cotton, Zazzle were very fast and efficient sending the order and I'm looking forward to seeing how well they wear and of course letting everyone here know that I'm a proud Aussie in Sweden!




Mind you, it will have to be considerably warmer than this before you can get a photo of me sporting a t-shirt!