To help inmprove the budget balance of the clinic, we were all encouraged to use up some of our accumulated “extra time”. We took the chance to have a nice get-together, and at the same time visit Andreas and his boat at Grundsund – a small island also known as “Saltön” from the famous swedish TV-series (which they were actually recording during our visit).

After a wonderful lunch at “Peterson’s Krog” on the island “Kärringön”, we headed out on the sea!

The waves were quite big, and Helena grew increasingly keen on the side-railing…

On the other side, Martin got sprayed by quite a bit of water:

We made it out to a small uninhabited island, were we started fishing (we wanted something yummy for dinner). Andreas showed us “how it’s done” and landed the first mackerel.

Martin impressed me the most – it was his first time fishing in decades – but he landed more fish than anyone else:

Of course, you don’t have to catch any fish in order to be happy in the company of good friends out at sea – something Oskar demonstrated quite well:

Thank you all for a wonderful day – we have to come back soon….

At Filips day-care, they have a pet pig called Leopold. Each friday they have a small lottery where the winner gets to bring Leopold home. The lucky winner can then bring Leopold on a new adventure during the weekend, and write a short story about what they’ve experienced in his diary. Filip came home so excited – he had won this week!

Mom and dad have mostly been working in the basement this weekend, but mom found time to read from Leopold’s diary. Earlier adventures included horse-back riding, training a puppy and visiting the local amusement park Liseberg.

Filip wanted to show Leopold the “view-point-cliff” not far from home, so we took a quick bike-ride:

When the children came home they were really into the animal theme, and started making beaks from an empty egg-carton:

I went on a short kayak-trip this past week and brought my old 300 mm lens attached to the camera. The goal of the trip was to capture some of the local birds in action. Because alot of the birds are nesting this time of the year, it’s advisable to stay some distance from the shore of the smaller islands. So, photography was done sitting in the kayak. Paddling the kayak, following and focusing the birds, and parrying the waves proved to be quite a challange, resulting in a much lower than usual “keeper rate”…

I realize that to become good at this you need to devote alot of time, early mornings in dawn light and even better lenses and equipment. I think I’ll wait a few years before I get too serious about chasing birds with lenses… Meanwhile, with the evening light being what it is this time of the year, chasing the kids in bed can be just as big of a challange, but with even better rewards – birds won’t give you good-night hugs and kisses…

Earlier this week I prepared a short slideshow as part of the program during the funeral service for Birgit. As I was searching my archives I re-discovered an old slideshow that I made eight or nine years ago for a social gathering in the Västra Frölunda ward. Maybe it’s a little “corny”, but for those of us with personal experiences in the ward, I think it brings back alot of good memories, and the lasting feeling is one of gratitude and love. So here it is:

8 august 1915 – 2 may 2009

Matildas paternal grandmother Birgit died a few weeks ago. Yesterday we had the funeral, which turned out to be a wonderul occasion for family and friends to get together. We remember and honor her and the impact she’s had in all of our lives.

Last sunday we went to Tjolöholm castle for an afternoon walk together with the Ternström family and some friends. The kids took great interest in finding small crabs in the cold water on the shore:

I like this picture of the boys which captures some of their personalities:

Gustav was happy to stroll around and would not allow anyone to pick him up.

Matilda and I had a nice biketrip with the kids to Fiskebäck beach this saturday, and Filip and Clara were eager to “test” the water. The wind was actually quite chilly, but after a bit of pep-talk we mustered enough courage to run down to the water… Matilda claimed a good excuse  - she had to watch Gustav…

Conclusion: cold but refreshing water. Clara expressed longing for the summer

After a quick bike-ride home hot cocoa completed the day!

A few weeks ago I went to a local farm. As part of my research I’ve investigated the cardiovascular system of some sheep. This was a perfect opportunity to bring Filip and Clara along to see some of the animals. They were really fond of the six new lambs which eagerly came up to be fed.

They also had both rabbits and guinea pigs – a nice past-time while dad was working: 

Note to self:
Close-up with wide angle lens, light reflected from pink cap and squinting eyes does not make for the best portrait setup.
But the smile is contagious, don’t you think?

Summer has come to Göteborg – at least if you believe the official weather reports that showed the past month to be the warmest april recorded. With a mean temperature of 10,4°C april passed the 10°C required to call a month “swedish summer”!

With sunshine, warmth and daylight late in the evenings I was inspired to take my kayak down to the harbor. I’ve been on a few afternoon / evening exercise passes, and I can highly recommend it. We actually have three kayaks in our yard now, so if you want to try – feel free to drop by. Chances are there’s one that you can borrow for a few hours. Or maybe we can go together?