We have only the one roundabout in Nynäshamn and when it was built in conjunction with the development of the nearby Lidl shop, it was a controversial move. There were plenty of heated letters to the editor in the local paper declaring that civilisation was about to fall as the politicians were selling out to commercial interests.

As if that hasn't been going on since the dawn of time...

Anyway, the roundabout was built and the prophets of doom have simmered down and discovered that it was in fact quite a sensible and workable solution to a tricky crossing. And yesterday I discovered that we have our own rondellhund, complete with a big smile and groovy sunnies. I am loving the way people are using their imagination and humour to create these doggies.




My friend Liz tells me that there is one near her hometown in Skåne, but as she didn't send a picture, I don't know whether to believe or or not (only kidding, Liz...)

While I was browsing through the Aussie papers today, I came across this story concerning a Belgian tourist who is obviously aiming for a Darwin Award. What an imbecile - and to think that he has previously been attacked by a wild animal he was provoking and didn't learn his lesson. The sad thing about this is that the poor croc who was just minding his own business is to be removed from his home. What a terrible shame.

It is getting dark and gloomy by about 3:30 in the afternoon these days and I hate that. I'm one of those people who needs the sun in order to feel like everything is right in my world. And today, I can't see the sun through this sheet of fog which fills the sky. I long for those clear, sunny winter days again, though this is more the norm that I have come to expect in November. In a few short weeks we can set up the Christmas lights and start on the glögg so I'll cheer up quite a bit then.

My dear man came home today with a shiny, new kitchen gadget for me. I had a great but ancient mixer which died earlier in the year and I have been on the lookout for another one. There are a couple of Swedish ebay type of sites (Blocket and Tradera) which I was checking regularly to see if I could pick up a cheap used machine as the new ones were so expensive. Sadly, people are totally insane on those sites and appeared willing to part with ridiculous sums of money for a Kenwood from the 1970s. Plus I began to wonder about some of the sellers who claimed to be flogging off a machine that was hardly used and found in the back of granny's pantry - only they seemed to have at least 17 grannies!




We spotted this in a members only campaign run by a local department store and it was a good price, so we ordered it and they phoned yesterday to say it had come in. Now I can go back to making my favourite pizza dough and delicious and filling autumn soups. I have a rather nice Polynesian Lentil Soup recipe that is calling out to be whipped up in the blender. Of course, I could always hand knead the dough I make but my tennis elbow has returned with a vengeance, so it is easier to let Mr Dough Hook take care of it.

It was just as well that I placed my order for the mixer last week as yesterday Lambi had a very expensive visit to the vet, which will ensure that we will be living on water and boiled potatoes for the next six months.




She looks as though she is really happy, but in fact she is panting in sheer terror - her usual response to a visit to the vet. You may recall that we had problems with her nose over the summer and we wanted that looked at as well as her annual clean up of tartar on her teeth. One vet we consulted had already diagnosed kvalster (a type of tiny mite that lives in nasal cavities of dogs) but the treatment was ineffective and I read that one can only make a positive diagnosis with a swab, which wasn't done. It was a relief to be able to get her normal vet to look at her.

We had expected them to clean her teeth, remove the odd one or two loose ones (a common thing with old, small breeds of dogs) and then look at her nose. What happened was that she required major surgery to remove twelve teeth, including two of the big canine teeth in the front. It was awful for all of us as we stayed with her throughout the procedure despite the fact that blood and guts is not my strong suit at the best of times.

When the large incisor teeth were removed, the vet discovered that the roots of these teeth had been protruding into her nasal cavity and in fact there were two huge holes from her top palate all the way through, meaning that bits of her food and drink were being lodged directly in her nose as she ate. Poor puppy!

After several hours of treatment and many thousands of crowns, we were able to take our little gummy princess home. I hate to laugh, but she does look a bit like a granny who has forgotten to put in her falsies. Hopefully that look will improve as she recovers. She is also doing a kind of Darth Vader heavy breathing thing, but that also should go away in time. We have her on antibiotics for the next 40 days, which should be fun as she loathes taking medicine and is incredibly good at staying out of reach if something does not suit her. I may have to resort to the tried and tested parental trick of bribery.