Admiring the view from the east side of Kärsön, towards Nockeby…

… and doing the same from the west side of Kärsön, towards Drottningholm.

Kärsön is a small island in lake Mälaren, mostly covered with forest. It is easy to get to by car, has a lot of walkable paths, and offers nice views in all directions. All set for a day of great walking.

The kids weren’t super excited about the idea of walking to begin with, but also did not want to stay at home, which was an option for Ingrid at least. They got markedly less excited the longer we walked. So instead of a relaxing nature walk I got about three hours of “are we done yet”. (The first hour was OK, with little to no complaining.) The net effect was a slight negative. So I still need my dose of peace and quiet and nature, so will be going for a new hike next weekend, with no kids.

The beautiful rock face along the railway track at Spånga station is being hacked into pieces to make space for another railway track.

Eric is away with the kids for three days, visiting his father. I spent the first two days on my own just relaxing, reading and doing stuff around the house. Today I realized it was the last day of my vacation and on my own so it was an excellent opportunity to go out cycling.

Based on a suggestion in a book about cycle outings, I cycled along the northern edge of lake Mälaren, from Alvik to Kanaan. I am not sure if I would recommend it for other cyclists unless they are on mountain bikes. The route was picturesque, true. But many sections of the path were either too steep or too uneven (or both) for normal bikes so I had to get off and walk.

We’re on the 12th floor with a fabulous view of half the city, including the river. Too bad the windows face east (and it’s summer so sunrise is way too early).

Living on the 12th floor is different from living at ground level: we are level with the birds. We often see huge flocks of birds flying past the building: sometimes thrushes I believe, sometimes jackdaws.

End of term, end of school year, end of lågstadiet (elementary/primary school), end of three years with a wonderful teacher.

The wall is finished and looks great. It looks nude, though: it definitely needs a new hedge. But first I need to make up my mind about what hedge to plant.

(Some background and history)

From mid-May until late September, there’s a vegetable stall in the square in Spånga centre, run by a friendly bunch of Turkish guys. They have much better choice, better prices, better customer service and better everything than the supermarket. (Except for spelling.) Between the stall and my vegetable box subscription from Ekolådan, I hardly buy any fruit or veg from the supermarket during summer.

Now, in the beginning of the season, it’s not too exciting. I just buy some vegetables now and again. But my mouth already starts watering when I think of the fresh local(ish) fruit and berries that they will be selling in a few weeks.

Adrian’s preschool held open house this afternoon. I see the preschool every day, but for Ingrid it was the first time in a long while. She’s tired of school (it’s almost the end of the school year after all) and this visit brought with it a wave of nostalgia. There was a quiz walk that took us through all the rooms, and she reminisced about all the places where she used to play and read and eat; about what had changed and what was still the same. She met several of the staff who cared for her back then and still work there now. She climbed her favourite outdoor play structures. And she said she wished she could go back to preschool and play all day long.

A beautiful, unseasonably warm day – one that wouldn’t feel out of place in July and actually felt more like summer than all of last summer did.

Adrian and I went to the Svandammen park when we got home. We packed some fruit, because Adrian is always hungry after preschool, and a water gun. I also packed his swimming trunks, just in case. And another water gun and a swimsuit for Ingrid, just in case she decided to come as well. And some extra fruit, just in case.

Ingrid did indeed join us after she left school, and I was glad I had packed all the extras. The kids had a lot of fun, so we ended up staying well over an hour and only got home when it was already time for dinner.

A few other kids watched Ingrid and Adrian rather jealously: one mum let their kids get in the water as well after rolling up or taking off their pants, but another said that this pool was not made for bathing and therefore “get out away from there right now”. No, it wasn’t made for bathing, but I can’t see what harm a bit bathing might do, as long as you don’t put your face in it.