So did any of you understand that advice from Kate in the last post? Nope, me neither and I just feel so sorry for her that she has to deal with computers for a living. How do you stand it, Kate?

Anyway, I couldn't follow all that "ftp a small version of your image to the website hosting your blog" stuff, so I used her second bit of "Temporary Fix for Dummies" and will just upload the pictures in the size you see them for the time being. They are not clickable like the normal pictures in my blog, but you can't have everything and if it wasn't for Kate and the time she spent sweating over dodgy code, you wouldn't even get this much. Thankyou so much for taking the time to do that when the problem is not with your website but a Blogger issue.

Edited on November 21 to say that Blogger is working again, so I've edited the pictures in the last few entries so that they are normal again. Click away!

So, on with the show....

Now where was I? Oh yes, we were in Västra Stendörren and awoke to a cloudy day but there was some wind and we thought we could drift along for a while and see if we could come closer to home. We waved goodbye to the pretty farm and bay and set off in the early morning.




I had entertained vague hopes that we may make it as far as Nynäshamn today. After all, we did this distance easily in a day on the trip southwards. However, the barnacle growth on the hull has slowed the boat considerably, especially in light winds and the going was really snail-like. You know you are in serious trouble when a tiny Sunwind 20 day sailer catches up and passes you out in open water. I didn't dare say anything as I could see that Lars-Göran was more than a little irritated by this turn of events and when he muttered about having to scrape down the hull asap, then I knew we would be back in home port soon enough.

In the afternoon, we had only done a measly 16 nautical miles, even with the help of the engine and as we were both bored silly, we decided to stop for the night somewhere nearby. We passed the island community of Krokskär, which is a place that we'd love to live. Though we'd need the lottery to afford a house here. Still, we'd really thrive in this sort of location and we'd both relish the peace and the beauty of island living.




Just past Krokskär we listened to the weather report and as west winds were forecast, we decided not to stop at Landsort as that harbour is totally open to the west. Instead we headed to our favourite little bay in this part of the archipelago - Soviken, where we were able to snaffle a SXK buoy again. It is lovely here and I notice that signs of the approaching autumn are already visible on some of the trees.




We were totally alone in the bay. I don't think people outside of Sweden appreciate just how short the sailing season is in Scandinavia. While you can't find a spare bit of water to sail in peace during July because of the intensive boat traffic, come the second week of August when people return to work after their summer holidays, there is nobody out on the water. It is really quite abrupt and takes me by surprise every year. In late August there are the odd one or two Swedish boats out sailing and a few foreign boats generally heading home. By September, it's pretty much just us and perhaps a few out on a weekend. By October, we will have Stockholm archipelago to ourselves and it will remain our exclusive domain until late April next year.

So for now, we are in lovely Soviken, the sun is out again and the only living creatures to share it with us are a family of swans. Yes, I said "a family" - if you peer carefully at the rocks in the picture you will see four teenage swans, still in their juvenile camouflage colours, which are perfect for hiding out from would-be predators until they get as big as mum or dad.




In the morning we woke refreshed and raring to go the final ten nautical miles to the boat club, where we will haul out Fiona and inspect the hull and keel for barnacles. Lars-Göran's daughter rang last night and upon hearing that we were so close has invited us to visit her and her partner in their new apartment in Södermalm on the weekend. While we are still wanting to be out on the water while the good weather lasts, we decide to spare a day to go into Stockholm to see her.

One of the things that Nynäshamn advertises in its tourist brochures is that we are the sunniest municipality in Stockholm. We often joke around about "the sun always shining in Nynäshamn" and it is funny that it often seems to be the case. We have been out in cloudy or wet conditions and found that the sun shines just as we start the approach to the town. This can be via boat, car or train - it's quite uncanny. And today was no exception. We began the day in Soviken with clouds and a light sprinkling of rain and by the time the familiar water towers came into sight, the skies were blue and the sun shone down to welcome us home. Even the wind picked up enough to allow us to sail right up to the pier!

HOME!




We are still going to be onboard mostly as we want to sail a little in home waters and of course it will very soon be time for Lars-Göran to begin the task of raising boats for the winter. It's far more convenient for us to be on our boat round at the club house so that Lars-Göran has not so far to go on those busy days when he doesn't finish until after 10pm. Björn and Marianne have been watering our plants and collecting the mail, so we don't need or want to rush back to the apartment. It's just great to finally be back in our own town once again.

On Saturday, we set off to Stockholm to see the new apartment that the girls have rented. It is in the very trendy Söder part of Stockholm which I know I'd hate, but which is ideal for a young couple as they love being right in the thick of the action and this area is known for its nightlife and shopping.

It felt strange to be back on the commuter trains again after months away and we noticed that we are not used to the crush of people and the much faster pace of life that is a feature of life in Stockholm. I laughed when I saw the ground floor business of the apartment building next door to where their apartment is located. As this is right in the heart of the city, the ground floors tend to be shops, cafés, restaurants etc. Well, their neighbour is an "adult cinema" complete with live shows as well. I looked around to see if any strange men with combovers dressed in raincoats were loitering around the entrance but it was all quiet. The girls confirmed that they'd never seen anyone go in there in the few weeks they'd been living here and we had a laugh trying to describe what we thought the typical customer might look like.




Theirs is a tiny, studio apartment, that they have decorated it in funky colours. The location is superb for their lifestyle and they are so lucky to have it as a first-hand contract, something that is very hard to come by in Stockholm.

And shock of shocks.... Annelie cooked us lunch! Any of you who know her will no doubt recall the quiet girl who was totally allergic to the kitchen. When I came to Sweden, she was only capable of making toast with cheese on it (and leaving the bread, butter and cheese unwrapped out on the kitchen counter!) and perhaps a glass of chocolate milk (again leaving tons of chocolate powder spilled on the bench, sink, floor). But today, she produced a gourmet meal that would do anyone proud. It included wholemeal pasta, a fabulous salad full of an unusual blend leafy greens and the best guacamole I have ever tasted. When did this transformation into the Swedish version of Kylie Kwong take place?

To say that we were all gobsmacked is an understatement. Madde had also come up for the weekend from Öland, with news that she may try and move to Malmö to work for a while and spend time with her group of friends who are all studying at university there. I can see that she is pensive and restless without her support group of buddies around her and after discussing the idea for a while we all agreed that it was the best thing for her to try. And it will give us a reason to visit the city again, hopefully when the sun is shining. Does the sun ever shine in Malmö?




So it's back to the boat now and time to take a look at the autumn colours in our own home waters. I like the sound of that word "home". While the carefree nomadic existence we have been leading for the last few months does have a certain romance and I've mostly enjoyed moving around, exploring different places, sleeping in a gently rocking boat under the open skies I still say there is no place like home!