I wanted to buy a particular kind of jewellery and thought that maybe I’d find something in an antiques shop. I trawled through almost ten of them around Odenplan, and still didn’t find anything I really liked.

I don’t visit antiques shops much at all, so I wasn’t expecting them to be as specialized as they were. Two only had furniture, more or less; one focused on lamps; one on ceramics and porcelain; one on jewellery. (That one also didn’t have anything in the style I had in mind.) And this one shop was full of metres and metres of glassware. Pretty amazing sight.

It’s a beautiful autumn day, and I had a great day at the Sortera office with my colleagues, and we had a great lunch at a new restaurant nearby.

It’s so nice to see Nysse back in his old groove. Out and free when he wants to be out; sleeping next to me on the sofa when he wants that.

He’s notably wary of cars, now, especially ones with low, rumbly engine noises. But he isn’t afraid to go out.

We bought season tickets for another concert series of chamber music at Konserthuset. Best part: as repeat customers, we got the option to keep the same seats, which are excellent. Front row, just left of center, gives us the best view and best sound.

Last year’s series was very much a mixed bag. Some I found boring; some were delightful. Today’s piano trio by Elfrida Andrée and piano quartet by Gabriel Fauré were both in the “too many notes” category for my taste.

Knowabunga day 2, hanging around Smådalarö with colleagues. We actually found a gap or two where we could reach the sea. Very windy.

It’s Knowabunga time – the tretton37 annual internal conference. A bit more superficial compared to past events, which wasn’t entirely surprising, given all the reorganization that has been going on this year.

After the knowledge part I went for an evening walk. We’re out in the archipelago so I was hoping for sea views but it was all built up, with private properties all along the coastline.

Getting out of the supermarket today, it struck me how gray the parking lot was. There was a single car that was not white/gray/black, out of twenty-odd cars in total.

Even red cars are gone. A few years ago I remember thinking that all cars were either white/gray/black or bright red, and now the colour range is even narrower.

It’s the same with clothes. It feels like everyone is wearing either black or gray, or a combination of these. And jeans, of course.

I read an article recently that analysed a set of photos of historical objects, and made the same observation. Gray is taking up more and more space.

Sortera, where I am currently on assignment, is a company after my taste, in many ways. Environmentally conscious, relaxed and informal, focused on providing great service.

Sortera is also the first company I’ve seen where there is a “shoes off” policy in the whole office. In most places I’m the only one who changes out of outdoor shoes into indoor ones every day. It started at their waste sorting facilities – nobody wants garbage-covered shoes walking around on office carpets – but then spread to the administrative offices as well. The IT department has a little cubby for our outerwear and shoes, and almost everybody has a pair of slippers or sandals waiting for them. Or fancy Italian loafers, for some.

Adrian and Ingrid both cook dinner once week. Ingrid saves favourite recipes on TikTok; Adrian sticks to trusted favourites.

One of his favourites is a simple but delicious pasta dish with oven-roasted cherry tomatoes, cream and mozzarella. I’ve always thought of it as an ordinary, everyday meal, but when I was shopping the ingredients today, I realized that with current grocery prices, it’s become a luxury dish. Even just the 800-900 grams of tomatoes cost over a hundred SEK, and the cream and cheese are another fifty SEK.

October came, and with it, colder weather, as if it was following the calendar. A frosty morning, and a chilly afternoon. It’s time to turn on the heating.