After a miserable start to the week, it turned out to be a really enjoyable break. Our trip across Bråviken was awful - cloudy, drizzly, foggy with crap winds. Of course this did not altogether surprise us, though in this case I would have welcomed being proved wrong. God, I HATE that stretch of water and feel depressed at the thought of crossing it at least twice more this summer. The only highlight was that I saw a couple of seals, which always cheers me up. How can you not fall in love with those gorgeous eyes? Though I do admit that their fish breath leaves a little to be desired.




It was obviously not a good day for Nordströms in general. In the morning, Lars-Göran dropped the lever for the anchor windlass into the water. And we have no spare. Ironically, we have been discussing buying an electric windlass for both the health of our backs and the safety of the boat in tight situations where there is a strong wind shift. So perhaps this was a message to us. After a few minutes of multilingual cursing, he used the lever from the toilet pump, which was not ideal but at least it got us moving. It's a good thing that we'll be tied up to a pier for the next few days and will have access to mother's car to go into Söderköping or Norrköping to see if we can replace it.

Meanwhile, on land, Lars-Göran's poor brother had an even worse day than us as his bike rack bent while they were on the way down the main highway towards Mon. Christer was driving mother in her car and following his wife and son who were driving his car, when he saw the rack with their two very expensive bikes leaning. Both cars pulled to the side of the road and he leaped out of mother's car to help out. As he was working, his son looked up to see mother's car (with her sitting helplessly in the passenger seat) gliding backwards into the freeway and into the path of the oncoming traffic. It's like an episode of the Keystone Cops, isn't it?

Anyway, his younger and fitter son had to sprint after the car, jump in and apply the handbrake before granny became the latest summer road accident victim. It seems that Christer usually drives an automatic, so he forgot that on mother's manual car you need to apply the handbrake when you park on a slope. Oops!

So, not really an auspicious start to the week, but things did get better quickly. We had outstanding sailing from Arkösund down through the St Anna archipelago, leaving the main route and navigating carefully through the intricate maze of shoals which we enjoyed. It was quiet with no other boats around, though we did see an unusual, tiny steamboat that brought a smile to our faces.




You can tell that people are really in a vacation mood now that midsummer is here. I*ve observed this personality shift every year here in Sweden, with this vital event signalling the start of the big summer holiday season. I always am a little sad after midsummer as it represents the beginning of the days getting shorter in a long, slippery slope into darkness. However, Swedes choose to be in denial about this until around September and who can blame them really when July and August are often so light and sunny. Suddenly on the water, people are in a lighter mood and are simply out to enjoy the experience of being free to do what they like for these few short weeks. And it is reflected in a much more friendly and relaxed attitude - even a little horseplay.




Our goal was the archipelago island of Lagnö and the coastal settlement around Mon. The following map shows the main islands around that area but not the shoals which makes this area so difficult to access for a deep draught sailing boat such as Fiona. Still, we had a sunny day, good winds and best of all solitude once we turned off the main route and sought to weave our way between the rocks. Yes, it was tight, we had to be alert and sure of our navigating, although the GPS and the Fugawi moving map software we have was a great help.




It took us a full day to sail there and we loved every minute of it. The only sounds were the swish of the water as the hull ploughed along, the plaintive cries of the seabirds and the wind in the sails. Add a dose of sunshine, good food and great company and life seems quite perfect.

Mother has been spending a week at the cottages in Mon for the last ten or so years. Before that, the family had rented a series of summer houses both here in Sweden and in Åland. However, as mother is wheelchair bound, many of these places were less than ideal. One was advertised as "beachfront", though they neglected to mention that it was at the top of a steep cliff, so she was housebound for that week. Another had doors that were too narrow for the wheelchair, yet another had a bed that was not suited to her etc. Quite by accident my sister-in-law stumbled onto these cottages owned and run by RTP (an organisation for those injured in traffic accidents or by polio) and the cottages are perfect having been specifically built with the handicapped guest in mind. As an added benefit, they are right on the shore with a view over Hålfjärden. And it is ideal for us as well because there is a small and inexpensive guest harbour attached to the nearby camping grounds, so we can come and say hello if we are in the area while they are staying here. From the boat, we can see the cottage where they stay.




We enjoy our space and privacy, so we are able to sleep onboard and eat breakfast/start the day etc then go up to the house and arrange the day with the family. It's the best of both worlds for all of us, as after a time even the best family groups can tire of constantly being thrown together.

One morning while we were sitting in the cockpit reating breakfast, we saw a most unusual sight. This monstrosity was being towed along the shore and eventually attached to land a little way beyond the guest harbour. What an extraordinarily ugly structure! It reminded me of those ghastly hangar type of migrant hostels at Pennington. I wonder if they still use them? Anyway, I have no idea what they intend to do with this eyesore, but it kept us amused while we ate brekkie.




Weatherwise it was a disappointing week as it was overcast a lot with only one decent summer day of sunshine (where we madly photographed the surroundings) and the rest being half overcast or wet and miserable. We did enjoy getting together, going out on outings together, coming home for cocktails while we prepared dinner together and the joy of a shared meal with a lot of chatter and laughter. Lambi was also beside herself with joy at being petted by everyone. Spoiled dog!

Mother always enjoys her week here and no wonder, with a lovely view like this out of the living room window:




Out on that little land spit is a gazebo and bbq area with bathing ladders. We usually cook our bbq meals out there and if the weather is fine, even eat under the gazebo if mother feels well enough. From out at the gazebo, you can see the cottage clearly as well - it really is a lovely area and this early in the season it wasn't too crowded. In July the nearby camping and caravan park can be absolutely packed and we find a constant stream of people wandering past. This year it was quite peaceful and very pretty in the fleeting sunshine.




On the one sunny day we had, mother spent her time in the garden working on her tan. I kid you not - an eighty year old tanning herself! No matter how young or old you are in Sweden, you worship the sun and grab as many rays as you can. This is something I've never been able to embrace, having been brought up with the Australian cancer foundation warnings ringing in my ears. So I do very unSwedish things like wear a hat, sunglasses and t-shirt and (horror of horrors!) I sit in the shade! I'm sure people think I'm a complete weirdo, but it's a habit I can't break. Nor can I be out without wearing sunscreen, which makes my mother-in-law laugh. Still, we can be together with her exposed and baking herself to a crisp in the sun and me sitting like an old lady in the shade. Lambi is there also, on the chair next to me in her shady basket. See, I'm even influencing the dog.




On one of the days we went into nearby Söderköping to look around and see if we could find something suitable to use in the windlass. I love this pretty town and we enjoyed seeing it again. We were here in May last year for a few days when we sailed the Göta Kanal and had a fabulous time looking at the architecture. This time it was just a short trip it is still great with handsome old wooden buildings and a timeless atmosphere. This is the old town hall was which built in 1777. It is the third town hall on the same site (the town was reduced to ashes in various wars in the late 1500’s, meaning that the oldest wooden houses still standing today are from the 1700’s and 1800’s) and it housed the entire city administration until 1973.




There are 7,000 people living in this lovely old town. The atmosphere is charged with history, with three medieval churches, the eighteenth century town hall, the Söderköping Brunn spa and many other links to the past. The passage of time has not dulled the tangible presence of the past as you walk along the narrow streets and alleys of a bygone era. Many of the beautifully preserved buildings still look exactly as they did when they were built in the 18th or 19th century.




On yet another day we all trooped into Norrköping for a shopping trip. Not for us as we generally loathe shopping, but mother was keen to look around one of the big complexes. We browsed in various shops, had a very welcome coffee, snack and sit down (oh my aching feet!) and later helped Evy choose some clothes and a ring.




This is a large town, dating back to medieval times with over 80,000 inhabitants. It used to be an industrial city with the nearby rapidly flowing river (Motala Ström) powering the cotton and paper mills. At one stage there were over 50 factories here, but competition from low cost lands sounded the death knell for many of these industries in the 1970s. I guess the same is true of similar industrial areas around the world. But rather than just moulder away, Norrköping is now seeing something of a revival, as a center of culture and education. Many of the old factory buildings now house museums, galleries, theatres, a university and a high-tech industry park. It is an interesting mix of old and new.




Perhaps one of the coolest buildings in town is The Museum of Work, housed in a place very aptly called The Iron. It is in fact an old cotton mill and must be one of the most attractive industrial buildings I've ever seen. Its conversion into a museum is also an example of how new life is being breathed into the town.




All in all, it's quite a dynamic and growing region.

The other days we have been looking at the farmland around here, visiting a couple of the nearby islands and just enjoying being out in a new place. There is something about Sweden in the summer. It's a lot of things: family, friends, fresh air, memories and of course the food. It's been terrific to catch up with the family in a relaxed environment, but now it's time for them to head back to civilisation and for us to sail off into the sunset. Which we never do. We only sail during the day, being far too fond of our nice, cosy bed to sail overnight anywhere. Well, perhaps to Gotland, but that's the limit! Anyway, we will be off in the morning. The weather forecast is for more crap weather, though it appears it will be less crappy in the north rather than the south of the country. That being so, we are inclined to follow the sunshine and head northwards ourselves. Even if it's overcast, the beauty of the scenery always enthralls us, so we are looking forward to being slack and just being for the next few weeks.