2010-10-07: Phuket and Langkawi - here we come!

We have now booked tickets for a 7 week trip to Phuket. We will also spend at least a week in Langkawi. The purpose of the trip is to find our future home - the boat of our dreams. We are already in contact with a number of boat dealers, and it is obvious that there are several intersting boats to look at. We are fairly open to what kind of boat we would like - both catamarans and monohulls are possible. What we want to have is a boat that provides good living space, and is in good condition. Of course there is a long wishlist of functions/equipement we want to have, and maybe we need to compromisse in some areas.
When we are away, we will try to see as much of Phuket as possible. That means that we will not stay at any hotel more than a week, and move around the island.

2010-10-03: Weekend in Stockholm

Yesterday we arrived to Stockholm by train. We had tickets booked for a show by Jerry Williams (born as Sven Erik Färnström). Jerry is kind of a rock legend in Sweden, and now at the age of 68, he have a fantastic show called Dynamite. Watching the show and realizing his age impressed us - we wish we have that energy when we are 68! We enjoyed the evening and continued after the show to an Irish pub in the Old City with live music. If you feel like listening to and watching Jerry on You Tube, you can click this link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-zwp7A3a3w&a=GxdCwVVULXehZna9ibO9lL_55TAS8MMZ&list=ML&playnext=1

After a late evening, there is nothing like a good brunch. We joined a 3 hour cruise in the archipelago of Stockholm taking us to Waxholm and back. A beautiful trip, and everything you could wish for on the table.

2010-09-28: Status update

We are still in Sweden and spend our time with our university studies and outdoor activities. The autumn in Sweden is beautiful, but it is now getting colder and winter is getting closer day by day. Although the sale of our house is not finalized, we have decided to spend some time in Thailand before Christmas. Most probably we will leave around 20th of October, and stay till 10th of December. The idea is to go to Phuket and investigate the boat market there. We know that there are several potentially interesting boats there. If we have the opportunity we will also go to Langkawi during this trip.

Last weekend we visited Österlen, and the famous "apple market" i Kivik. A lot of people, and a lot of good tasting fruit. One of the trade marks of the market is the big sign built up by apples. This year the motive was Fritiof Nilsson Piraten.

Going back home from Kivik we passed some nice forrests and we stopped for some mushroom "hunting". We normally don´t go mushrooming, so we don´t know all the different kinds. We go for the favorit - chanterelles, and this time we were lucky. Look at the size of the biggest in the middle!!

There is an amazing amount of mushroom in the forrest right now. Some are suppose to be good eating and some are deadly. We take no risk, but enjoy the beauty.

2010-09-10: My eyes got a "touch up"

Last week I visited Capio Medicular, and doctor Wamidh again for a check up. Dr Wamidh was convinced that my eyesight could be even better with a small laser operation, and we agreed to do it the following day.
Just like the first operation it was painless, and the staff was excellent.
Directly after the operation we did a test of the eyes, and my vision was totally clear! Good was getting perfect!!!!
I was prepared that I was going into a healing period, that would be both painful and take some time - up to 3 months to gain the same kind of vision I had straight after the operation. It was good that I was prepared for the pain, becouse the second day after operation was not fun at all.
One week after the operation my vision is not 100% yet. I can now work on the computer, read newspapers and with some effort read the subtitles on TV, etceteras - but on longer distance it is not clear, even if I feel it improves day by day.

2010-08-29: A couple of days on the West coast

We are back home after a couple of days in Lysekil on the Swedish west coast. We had the opportunity to visit our dear friend Ingrid when she rented a fantastic apartment next to the sea. The day we came to Lysekil it was storm and rain, and it continued the next day.

We spent the rainy day in the car and visit a lot of the small villages that are totally crowded during summer. Now it was amazingly "dead" and even a lot of shops where closed.
When the storm and the rain was gone, we strolled around in Lysekil and the surroundings.

 North of the city we found this wonderful place.

Every evening we had fresh fish and shellfish on the menu. Our host served wonderful Norway lobster, scrimps, crab and scallops.

2010-07-15: Applications to university accepted

Yesterday we got the message that we both are accepted to our first choice of university studies. It is a 2 year education focused on Development of e-commerce services. It is of course an important milestone that we got accepted, and we look forward to the studies.

2010-07-09: New eyes - glasses goodbye!

Yesterday I (Mats) had an eye operatation and removed the natural original lens and got it replaced with an artificial bifocal lens. The method is called RLE (Refractive Lens Extraction or CLE (Clear Lens Extraction). The operation was rather straight forward and painless. Dr Wamidh Simawi and his team at Capio Medicular really took care of me in a professional way.
Already leaving the operation I had some eyesight, and when I came home 2 hours after the operation I could watch TV. Gradually the short range eyesight is comming and I can now, 24 hours after the operation, use the computer. We just think it is totally amazing, and Anne is more or less getting convinced to do the same thing if her eyes are suitable for operation.