Author Archives: Anna

Autumn is definitely here. Darker evenings and colder. Soon December, since time passes so rapidly. I am a member of the World Wild life Fund (WWF) and this week I got a very inspiring magazine from them. Lots of beautiful photos of endangered animals and how work is done for conservation. That is why I thought of my voyage to Dubai last New year where I had an encounter I will never forget.

I saw this beautiful bird in the desert and I asked the falconer (Al Saqaar) if I could hold the falcon. It was rather heavy. First I held it on my hand. The falcon was very kind. Then the falconer said “You should put it on your shoulder”.  And I did. The falcon didn’t fly away but stayed on my shoulder. It was a very strong emotional encounter.

The falconer normally protects the hand with a thick leather and cloth cover. A leather mask (Burqa) is tied in place over the falcons eyes when the bird is resting. Simple tools are used to prepare a falcon for hunting. The birds sit on a waker – a piece of round, flat wood attached to an iron rod fixed in the ground and is tethered with a thread (Al Mersaal).

The hunting season is usually during spring when birds migrate from Iran, Turkey, Russia and Syria to escape from cold weather. Wild rabbits, bustards and other birds are the falcons natural prey. Nature, where man and animals interact, is beautiful and fascinating.

Wishing you a “bon weekend”. I will devote my weekend to reading and theatre.

My very first voyage abroad when I grew up was to Portugal. I was 4-5 years old and we went to Algarve. Even though I was so little, my memories from that vacation are very clear. I remember that every morning we went to a little bakery to buy fresh bread. There was also a lot of seasonal cherries that I had during the day. At that time, the beaches were not crowed and I liked to play by the edge of the ocean. And also to build sand castles. In addition, there were a lot of dogs with cute puppies that made me happy.

Today, I meet a lot of people from abroad. Recently, I have talked to a lot of people from Portugal, and I have a rather new interest that I like. I ask, “If you would choose a book for me to read, what would you recommend?”. I do not read the books at once, but when there is an good occation to read I don’t need to go to the book shop and find a book. Very convenient. So, the last recommendation I had was “Baltasar & Blimunda” written by the  Portuguese author José Saramago, and recommended by a Portuguese colleague. I didn’t find a Swedish translation so this book is in English. Looking forward to read it.

Right now I cannot read any books. I read and correct what I have written myself. I have to have so much patience. So, nice to write here to have a little break.

I am addicted to writing so here is a little summary of my week. Beautiful autumn day today. Right now I am struggling with re-reading my writing before it goes for printing. I must admit that I feel a little “empty”. What I have written is probably a concentrate of things I have learnt throughout life. Since the book is taking place in Uppsala, I have thought a lot of my time there. I remember that I was not sure of what I wanted to have as a profession. Therefore, I took extra courses in the evenings. I was very interested in various subjects.

My book touches some upon ethics. What is right and what is wrong? Of course, there are never any clear answers. But, at least, one should think and reflect before making any conclusions. What is wrong today can be right tomorrow. There will always be split point of views about different issues. By coincidence, I saw that there was a book release at NK here in Stockholm where a lecturer, Professor Torbjörn Tännsjö from Uppsala was presenting his new book together with his colleague, Professor Torbjörn Fagerström. I have attended a lecture by Tännsjö once in Uppsala during the course “transplantation biology”. I remember that course very well since it was from molecule to actual life. A huge subject. From interferons to religion.

Recently, I have also watched a lot of movies. Last night, I went to movie with some of my very nice colleagues. We saw the life of Astrid Lindgren. When she was young. A beautiful film with nice scenery and music. I think I understand her writing better now. I got inspired. Her writing and story telling is astonishing. Maybe “Bröderna Lejonhjärta” is one of her best.

Only a few words this evening. Autumn is approaching and that is with mixed feelings. It will be beautiful to see trees change colours, leaves falling, more mushrooms and apples. My sweetie will be happy because this means more walks since it is not that warm anymore. But to change to autumn-winter clothing. I am not even with this though yet.

Lately, I have watched the news with regard to the results from the election last Sunday. And I wonder where “talmannen” is. The results are not yet clear since all votes are not counted. Perhaps tomorrow.

It feels like I have done a lot this week. Therefore, it is very nice to have a Friday evening dedicated to relaxing. Maybe someone can help me with a good translation of “Fredagsmys”. Currently, there are a lot of viruses that can cause a cold since school and work have started. Another reason to have a calm Friday evening.

I went for yoga this week. It was a long time ago, but it was very good. I have been bad at doing stretch after running. That is probably the reason why I have had muscle pain. Various schools say it is good to stretch, and some schools say it is not necessary. I believe that 5-10 minutes stretch is good for the muscles and also to allow the body to get a rest, and, in addition, to enjoy the work out. Tomorrow I will go for body pump and body combat. I will do easy training since I cannot do jumps.

This weekend is very important in Sweden. On Sunday I will go voting. Every time when somebody starts to talk politics I always say “Whatever you do – vote!”. No matter what party. There are still countries in the world not having elections. I remember in particular the first time I was very close to vote (almost 18 years old). That year, in 1991, Estonia became independent from Soviet Union, nowadays Russian nations. It was a dramatic year when statues fell. I have a framed photo from a narrow street in Tallin that I sometimes watch to remind myself of that very moment.

Tomorrow, I will make a fresh apple pie from last weekend. I miss my sweetie.

Focus. To keep focus even though I still have inflammation. Last week I tried some “step” work out. I knew I had to be careful since I cannot run. I cannot do jumps yet, so this is only slow rehabilitation. I don’t get these kind of injuries often, so I know that the best medicin is to rest.

I had a day off today and I was very lucky. I found lots of apples, lots of sunshine and not least, a long walk with sweetie. She used to have pain in her paw, but now it is my turn to have inflammation. Eight km walking. She sometimes has a rest in the forest to find blueberries which she loves! Maybe she is jealous of the Chow Chow dogs that have blue tungs.

I need a good picture to keep up a good spirit. Thought of this from midsummer, June when I ran every day. This one gives me energy.