I had studied French in high school, ahead of settling on German. I don't recall the reasons why, but I ended up studying German to HSC level. For the final two years, our school couldn't justify enough students for a class and so we studied via the Correspondence School. My fellow student (and friend to … Continue reading Learning Languages
Tag: Sverige
For most of my life, I’ve been fascinated by Sweden. It started with ABBA, of course. Then I discovered their approach to how society should operate matches with my mine. Then I visited and discovered the beauty of the place, and the awesome people. Music, literature, film.
At first I thought it might have been an LGBTQIA+ rally. On the stage in the nearby park, they had just rehearsed “We Are Family” (by Sister Sledge), and then it was “What's Going On?” (by Four Non-Blondes). Respectively, they are anthems you might normally associate with gays and lesbians. As I got closer, I … Continue reading Weekend
“I’m sorry, I’m running late”, I told some friends via Messenger today. Though there has been talk of it for a few months, I hadn’t quite comprehended the impact of the changes to bus routes in Sydney’s “Eastern Suburbs”. For as long as I can remember, I’ve been able to catch three separate bus routes to … Continue reading Swedish Weekend
The arrival of a new ABBA record back in the 70s and 80s was always a hit and miss affair in Lismore, the country town where I grew up. Though we always knew the date of a new release, there were sometimes delays in it arriving in town. “Has it arrived yet?” I would often … Continue reading ABBA – Voyage
If I had to choose one song or performance from the first heat of this year's Swedish path to Eurovision (Melodifestivalen) to go straight through, it would be that of Lena Philipsson. She has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest six times: four times as a performer (1986, 1987, 1988 and 2004) and twice as … Continue reading Melodifestivalen 2021 Deltävling #1
My electricity bill tells me I probably used my heater far too much this year. Though we enjoy fairly mild winters in Sydney, there's usually two or three weeks where it gets quite chilly, and there's fairly regular rain. I'm trying to do my bit for the environment by reducing my carbon imprint by wearing … Continue reading View from the First Floor