It doesn’t rain all that much in Sydney, but when it does, it really does. Much the same can be said for my experience of the Swedish summer.
I was reminded of an experience three years ago when I was in Stockholm for the summer and was waiting for Allsang pa Skansen to begin. It’s the sing-a-long tv program that runs for just a few weeks over summer each year. Crowds line up for hours if there’s a good act, and on this occasion the act was Benny Anderssons Orkester. As my friend Tony was expected to arrive in Stockholm later in the day I lined up, obtained a great view of the stage, and waited patiently in the rain. By late afternoon when Tony had arrived I was numb. The combination of cold weather and rain – even though it was still summer in Sweden – was all a bit too much for this lad from the North Coast. Soon after Tony’s arrival I found a spot indoors to thaw out.
That wasn’t exactly how it was today, but I still felt a little under-prepared for the combination of heavy rain and colder weather. The weather has been wonderful, and I was hoping I wouldn’t need the North Face jacket (fleecy inside with rain protection on the outside) which I left behind in a bar last week. Oh well, never mind.
I spent the morning updating my blog. I had a bunch of posts written in my head, but hadn’t actually put them to paper. Later in the afternoon I went out for lunch at Slussen, and then did a little bit of souvenir shopping. My prize purchase? A t-shirt that says, “I Love Swedish Boys”. I’m not sure if I can think of an appropriate place to wear it back home – aside from maybe a Eurovision or Melodifestivalen party – but it gave me a laugh.
I also picked up a copy of the book, “Mit liv som hund” (My life as a dog). It’s the book which inspired the fabulous 1987 Swedish film of the same name, The film is one of my favourite films of all time, and so I’m hoping that with that background I’ll be able to make some progress on the book over the next few months. I was also interested to discover the book is part of a trilogy.
Later, Graeme and I caught up for a drink at Torget where DJ Karl (aka Scandipop) was playing.
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