24/12 – Winter Wonderland or Christmas Chaos?

It all depends on if you’re already where you want to be, or if you’re still trying to get to that particular place. And now we’re talking strictly geographically. Europe seems to be in chaos because of the white fluffy stuff I was so missing last year. 13 centimetres of snow in England and the radio stations are running “walk-on-snow” courses for the citizens who have to leave their castles. 

Somehow, I managed to sneak through the European airports and train stations on my way from Copacabana to Uppsala last week without much of a hassle at all. Sure, got an hour delayed from the French capital, but considering the airline’s past record, that can almost be classified as “better than expected” than as a delay. Another hour from Kastrup – easily killed with coffee – and some 20 minutes from Stockholm central station – more coffee. It feels like I’m the only one in Europe being that lucky at the moment though. A bunch of colleagues on their way home to their dear ones, got stuck in Paris a week before me, another bunch in London a few days ago and friends seem to be stuck in various trains, buses and airports all over the place. Only worry in my life at the moment is that it’s still a bit too cold to expose my warm weather spoiled lungs with a cross-country skiing session through the glistering fairy tale land. A month with +35 degrees and sunshine does not really prepare your body for -22 degrees and snow. It’s 1 year, 8 months and 28 days since I last put my well-worn Fishers on, grabbed my favourite poles and had to accept how much I’ve lost in the tracks during the last 10 years. Can’t wait to check if I’ve managed to get some of it back by magic during the last while, or more likely, get totally exhausted, frustrated and extremely sore absolutely everywhere the day after.

Except for my body being way out of place with the cold climate, watching dolphins in the water during the afternoon coffee breaks didn’t really bring on the Christmas spirit. Not even Charles de Gaulle gave any hints of the holidays being around the corner last Wednesday.

To cure this, the last few days have been spent on high efficiency Christmas shopping, daily intake of saffron bread and glögg, peeling potatoes for Janssons frestelse and making sure the herring gets pickled the right way. 

Ginger bread house is now in place, tree decorated with red baubles and candy canes, front porch cleared from snow for Santa, all treats for loved ones wrapped and the first slice of Christmas ham was served last night with a glass of red. Think I’m ready – let’s bring on a real Swedish winter wonderland holiday.

Merry Christmas!

16/12 – Got the A, got the B, now I need the COL.

After the last few months, I’ve realised that I need a new driver’s license, the one with the code COL, one of the international kind. After hitting obstacles once every five minutes and run over some 20 sets of toes, I seriously considered just carrying it. Controlling these carry on luggage suitcases on wheels is not as easy as it seems. If I’m not bothering my surroundings with my driving skills, I get caught on all sorts of things, which makes the bag come to a full stop. Doesn’t look too smart either. Perhaps I can get an L-plate or some orange rotating light to put on?

12/12 – Offshore moments.

Once every now and then I move out to the different world for a few weeks. The world where weekends don’t exist and where your laundry appears on your door handle every morning. The world where it’s never dark, never quiet and most of all – the world where you are never by yourself. Irrespective of if that's what you would want at that particular time or not.

There are moments to remember though and it’s not all about drill bits, pipes, cranes and Bruce Willis kind of guys. You can get some amazing colours when a rainbow decides to appear during sunset and the Jack Sparrow mystery green light when the sun disappears below the horizon, is not only a myth. You can get to see dolphins playing in the bright blue water just below you and in the evening, metallic green Dorados swim past in couples with their yellow fins cutting the surface.

If you’re lucky during cold winter days, the heat from the platform flare might reach all the way to where you are on the cantilever deck. For a second or two you can close your eyes and pretend it’s a cosy bonfire you’re facing. Bananas for breakfast and avocados for lunch will never be as appreciated as after a week with oranges and carrots. And the night, when you get someone to hold the boxing bag for you, is a winner. If you time your visits to the bridge right, and happen to have a pair of binoculars at hand, you might spot the humpback whales jumping and throwing themselves on their backs in the distance. After a long night of work in August, you can sneak off to the forward leg, where it is as quiet as it would ever get in these places, to get a glimpse of a magnificent sunrise. Other summer nights, a romantic EverGreen burner might be on at full speed on the next-door rig…erhm…ok, getting tragic now, I know…

However, my point is, sometimes you take what you can get and try to make the most out of it.

December 2010 photos