After the snowfall last week, there has been mild and even quite warm weather, so most of the fluffy white stuff is melting away rapidly. People continue to be angry with the authorities for the poor response to the snow, arguing that the streets remaining unsanded and unploughed made it impossible for them to drive. The bus company also chimed in to criticise the highway department for its failure to clear the roads as it had forced them to pull all of the buses out of circulation. They are still pointing accusing fingers at each other and promising a thorough investigation into it. Hmmmm.... we'll see if anything changes next year. Somehow I doubt it.

Of course, we are all lucky that we were able to get home safely if somewhat late. The same cannot be said for the unfortunate crew of a large Swedish cargo ship that went down in the Baltic not too far from here in the wild weather. Sadly, three crew members lost their lives, though the fabulous Sweden Rescue men were able to pluck up the remainder from the sea.

Life in Nynäshamn continues and the signs of winter are going, replaced by autumn signs. The leaves on the trees are changing colour, the nights are drawing in and suddenly, the squirrels in town are scurrying around like mad, stuffing their faces and running around hiding their stash of food. On my walk with Lambi today I must have seen at least eight squirrels in a small patch of grass digging, rooting, munching and racing around clutching food in their tiny claws.




While I know that some people take a dim view of squirrels, seeing them as rats with a bushy tail, I happen to really like them. We don't have them in Australia so I was childishly delighted when I first saw them here in Sweden. They are just so adorable when they stand on their hind legs and when they scamper across the ground. Yes, I probably need to get a life.

While walking to the harbour, we noticed that there seemed to be a gaggle of photographers down by the railway bridge. Nothing newsworthy ever happens in this town, so I wondered what on earth a large group of guys with some pretty serious camera equipment was doing laying in the snow with all lenses trained on the one spot.




So who were these paparazzi shadowing? The Swedish Royals? A tv star or pop singer? Nope. It was this tiny, cold, shivering little bird - a juvenile Turtle Dove. Those standing around said that these doves are becoming increasingly uncommon in Sweden and anyway he/she ought to have flown south to Africa nearly three months ago. People were arriving steadily, snapping a few pictures then rushing off to post their snaps on bird watching sites.




What concerned me was that nobody seemed to be at all worried about this poor little bird, except for its rarity at this time of year. You could see that it was shivering and in distress, so why wasn't anyone helping it? I wondered if the cold would kill it, or starvation or even one of the local cats or foxes. I felt really helpless as I realised that I had no idea who I could contact about the bird. In Australia I would have known to call fauna rescue or the national park and wildlife service for advice. But who do you call in Sweden?

I seriously considered gathering up the bird and smuggling it home until I could figure out how to help it properly. Then I wondered if that was the right thing to do. I have no idea how to care for a wild bird and if I leap in with some half-baked idea, perhaps my good intentions would only make the situation worse. It's a dilemma and I shall consult with Lars-Göran about what is the best way to approach it.




The rest of the walk, though was lovely and I thought again about how fortunate I am to live in such a beautiful, peaceful place. I always tell Lars-Göran that the best way to improve an already excellent landscape is to just add snow. And a Australian who will always revert back to a five year old when it starts to snow. I love the majesty of snow and the beauty of a fresh snowfall. When I first expressed these ideas six years ago, the native Swedes all said "You just wait". Well, it's several years later and even in the cold and dark Swedish winter, my love of snow remains undiminished.




So it was with a touch of sadness that I saw the snow has almost disappeared here already. At the boat club, the boats up on land stay cosy under their covers. Along the foreshore there is no sign at all of snow and it almost looks spring like. Okay, on closer inspection, the grass does look like it has a serious case of dandruff but you get the general idea. I wish I could have shown you a picture taken here at the same time on the day of the snow but for some reason the lazy photographer refused to go out and document it. Not much of a viking, is he?




The summer-like mood continues as you make your way around to the very posh Nynäs Havsbad seaside pavilion. Looking through the window at the glittering water and the golden sunshine, you can feel the glow of summer warmth and imagine the seagulls calling out and children splashing in the water. It is such a stark contrast to what we usually expect in November.




And in case you were labouring under the misconception that I was inside the pavilion, enjoying a fika or luncheon I can assure you that this was a cheat shot, taken from a window on the other side. As if they let riff-raff like us into such an exclusive place. I'd have to take out a bank loan to afford a glass of water here.

But we can admire the view for free and looking across from high on the hill we can gaze out over the island just over the water with its pretty little red cottages and beyond that to the beginning of the archipelago. I wouldn't swap living here for anything.




And before this entry descends into too much sentimentality, I wanted to share this hilarious gif I found. I honestly laughed for the longest time and I loved it so much that I now use it as my signature at the Australians Abroad forum.

I am well used to some people mixing up Sweden and Switzerland. Hard to imagine, but true and more than once I've had letters from people asking me things about swiss chocolates, Heidi, yodelling and cuckoo clocks. I won't tell you which country most of them come from, but I think the more discerning among you can hazard a guess.

But I was rather stunned that the designer of this badge was so willing to display their ignorance quite so openly. So fellow Aussies, all we have to do to show that we are proud to be Australians is to wrap ourselves in an Austrian flag. I guess it's time to say "auf Wiederschauen" as I need to dash off and finish off preparing my schweinschnitzel. Oh yeah and wind up my cuckoo clock.