One of the less welcome signs of spring in Sweden is the re-emergence of the noisy garden machines from their winter hibernation. One of the blessings of a snowy winter is that we are spared the weekend sounds of lawn mowers, hedge clippers, weed trimmers, leaf blowers and the dreaded mulchers and chainsaws. Everything lays quietly under the snow blanket and I get a few extra minutes of sleep on a Sunday.

This bliss is now over and I was rudely woken at 7a.m. on Easter Sunday morning by a neighbour who thought it was an ideal time to cut down a 20m birch tree in his front garden! There followed hours and hours of droning as the tree was felled, cut into logs and some of it mulched. By the end of the day, other machinery had been hauled out of the neighbourhood sheds and any thought of a peaceful daydream on the balcony was rendered impossible.




It is times like this when I wish I lived back in Australia. Yes, I know that these Sunday morning idiots live there too, but at least I could perhaps rely on some kind soul like Brutus to come to my rescue.

Brutus chewed on the chainsaw for 90 minutes, reducing it to pieces.

We think so much alike! I really want Brutus to come and live here with me to restore some peace to the neighbourhood. Of course, Lars-Göran relished in the story - it fascinates him that our wildlife has as much attitude as the human population in Australia. It's one of our more endearing traits.

Fortunately, we can escape to our floating home down at the harbour and enjoy a quieter time. I love having the flexibility of a boat as a second home. People have asked us whether we would trade it for a summer cottage by the shore somewhere but the answer is always "No!" We can move our boat around to different places, take advantage of the best sunny spots and if we don't like the neighbours or the view, we can always move somewhere more appealing across the clear, beautiful blue water. It's a perfect life.

Today, the beautiful crested grebes (skäggdopping) are back to mate. These are lovely, elegant birds and we enjoy watching them dive for food and to see their complex courting rituals that are like watching ballet.




The variety of birds here in Nynäshamn are really amazing. Of course, there are always birds like ravens and seagulls around here. The gulls stick close to the fishing boats, but the ravens gather on the shore by the restaurants and parks. They are huge, black, noisy and really clever. I've watched them work in teams to tease a dog, to steal a morsel from a cat, to divebomb another bird and to knock the lid off a rubbish bin. These are birds to be noticed and respected. But my favourite bird has to be the sea eagle (havsörn). These birds are so graceful - I love to listen to the whoosh of their wings as they soar high overhead.




Seeing eagles and ravens practically in my backyard is a great reminder of how privileged I am to live in this natural water setting. NOT hearing lawn mowers, car traffic, blaring stereos or surburban sounds is another. The sounds here are predictable and comforting. In one word: Peace.

It's not all sitting around bird watching, though. The boat needs constant work to keep it all well maintained. One of those jobs is to repaint the waterline stripes each spring. Our boat lies in the water during winter and as the ice moves against the hull, it acts like sandpaper and rubs off part of the painted line. So it was out with the dinghy and some good old wet'n'dry sandpaper to even it all up a bit before we haul her out to pressure clean the hull before we leave. I'm glad it is Lars-Göran doing the sanding as I'm sure I would lose my balance in an instant!




I'm taking care of stocking the boat with household goods, food etc and trying to think of everything we will need for the trip. The list is endless! At this stage of the preparations it always seems as though we have too much to do in too short a time, but I know from previous trips that it does all sort itself out in the end, so I feel quite calm and confident - and really looking forward to setting sail and immersing myself in the glorious countryside of Sweden. Spring makes me so happy and it's nice to know that summer is just around the corner as well.