June 2021

1st June 2021

As usual on Tuesdays I picked up my groceries from the “Reko-ring”. This time I did pick them up at the usual place – a car park in the center of our town, because I had to attend a meeting in the nearby park. We planned the program for the autumn and I told them, that I won’t be at home the rest of the year from 1^st September. Lotta, which I have a good connection with, had homemade cinnamon buns with her. They were delicious. Another member offered homemade apple cookies. They were tasting good as well.

This day I also had agreed with a woman in the town of Norrköping to pick up two lamps for windows. We have had contact by Facebook for a longer while. I had asked her to send them as a parcel and she also agreed and promised to do so, anyway she did not. Because of the changing of the pandemic – there were not so many people ill with COVID-19 anymore and also, I have been vaccinated, I agreed with her to pick them up. These lamps were not only nice to look at, they even match with my ceiling lamp in the living room.

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2nd June 2021

Fortunately I had not bought a ticket for Norrköping when I messaged that woman with the lamps, if all will be as agreed, because she has a little baby. She told me, that something had come up, but we made a new appointment for the upcoming week.

I have got an email from my girlfriend Erika. I am always happy about her conversations. Later this day I mixed oat flakes to oat flour. A part of it I used for baking bread, but it had to rest in the fridge over night. Afterwards I was looking for biscuit recipes without sugar. I was thinking about to finally invite my neighbors for tea or coffee and biscuits to get to know them. We have tables and benches outside and it would be COVID-19 safe.

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3rd June 2021

During the morning I baked the oat bread. The finished product was really good. I read a lot this day again – both on the Internet and member magazines. They arrived all this same day. I also made my laundry. In the evening I watched a series on the education radio with the titel “Adventures at unexplored places”. There were two parts about Greenland, which I watched this night.

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4th June 2021

I was so tired this morning, even I was not late to bed. Irene was not able to attend our weekly “FridaysForFuture” demonstration and I was not going there either. After lunch I was going to the grocery shop, but had already read the local newspaper online. I decided to cancel the subscription of two reasons. The first is, that the subscription becomes more expensive all the time and the second, and more important reason is, that I have to save some money for my “BikingForFuture” from September. I tried to cancel to the end of the month, I hope, they will accept it.

In the evening I continued to watch the series called “Adventures at unexplored places”.

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5th June 2021

This was a sunny day, but I have had a lack of sleep during the night, because of problems with my stomach. I was going by bicycle to the shopping area at the end of our town. It was an easy ride by the sadel in the correct high for me and after I had inflated the tires of my bike. I also finished reading the member magazine of the The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation. The temperature rised to +25°C. I would have liked to eat an ice cream, but I had bought strawberries and cream. Though I ate them instead, but without cream. I became so full of the strawberries, I did not have dinner. I rounded off the evening by watching the next episode of the series “Adventures at unexplored places”.

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6th June 2021

It was the Swedish National Day and the temperature was even hotter than the day before. I put my Swedish flag on the flagpole on my balcony and was then going to the last lesson about hiking. When I arrived at the usual place for that lesson, I did not find anyone. Though I tried to call the leader. He answered, but I had a very bad connection. Finally, he showed up by car and took me with him. The group was at the nearby lake. The leader has a group of children before our group and they liked to be at the lake this day, though we also met there, but I was not informed in time. We tried to go with our backpack and a can with around 8 liters of water. It was going fine with my new backpack, but I think, my backpack will be heavier the day we are hiking in the mountains. I also was happy, that the leader told me, the backpack I bought was a good choice. In addition to that, he showed me, how to lengthen the straps an easy way. I did not know that, therefore I was happy, that he showed me. First now I feel komfortable with that new backpack.

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Meanwhile I read about bike trails in England and Scotland, I have got a request from a couch surfer. She is from Munich, but for now she was hiking the ”Sörmlandsleden”, which is a hiking trail throughout the landscape of Sörmland. There are lots of stages and one can chose which stages one want to hike. At all stages there are wind protection places with the possibility for open fires. I was so excited about the request and sent her a welcoming answer immediately.

Later this evening I watched the last episode of the series ”Adventures at unexplored places”. I could not fell asleep this night, though I started re-using my account at warmshowers.org, because of the Facebook group with the same name I have seen. I did not know, that my account still was active. The conditions has changed since I lived in Malta and signed up for that account. That time for offering warm showers for bikers. Now there also is an app, but one have to pay for it. I think, it is worse it, because there is a lot of work behind those technical solutions. I also changed the titel for the event on Facebook from WalkForFuture in BikingForFuture, because I had not found anyone, who would like to attend the walk. I have no hopes either, that there will be someone going by bike with me to Glasgow or almost follow me part of it. Anyway, I put in the text about it in my own timeline and also in the group ”What happens in Katrineholm”.

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7th June 2021

I finally fell asleep during the early morning hours. Already after two hours I was awake again, but I was still tired and sent a message to Irene telling her, that I have not had a lot of sleep and won’t participate in the boules games this day. Now I was thinking about, that I need to have a kind of speech for Glasgow. I know, there will not be a possibility for me to hold a speech at COP26, but I could hand out a simple flyer – just an A4 sheet of paper. Thinking about, that most of the world leaders are aged, I started with ”Do you remember the Hippies?” I wrote about the fears we had, when we were young, but after too long time of fears most of us became blunted and selfish. The more money the more selfish in general. Our purchased happiness made us forget the danger. Now the danger is so big, that we have to act for our children, grandchildren and further generations sake and it needs much more than to sort waste, eat plant-based and go by bicycle to work. Now it is time for the big sledgehammer, for the big change. We have to give up a lot, curb our egoism and the politicians have to find other ways for the areas, they can decide about. Listen to the science when you do not know, what to do and how to act! Listen to us activists as well. We hope, that you still, deep down in your heart and mind have a conscience, which is much greater than all the selfishness. We do not need more empty promisses! Please, act now! – I did write this one more time, with changes, on my computer, but with the same subject.

I also wrote posts for my trip to Glasgow, looking for one or more buddies. To calm down this day, I was watching a movie on the education channel again and actually, I did fell asleep during the movie.

By the way, the newspaper did accept my cancellation by 28th of June, because the payment always is from 29th of a month to 28th the upcoming month. I think, that depends on, when my suscription started.

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8th June 2021

Among other things I was doing this day, was to write the text for my blog – for the month of May, but I actually only wrote about the first nine days.

Usually I do not write about, what I am eating, but this day was special. I had planned to cook a ”Stroganoff”, which usually contains sausage, tomates, onion, herbs, salt and peppar as well as water or cream. I would make it plant-based, of course and had bought portobello mushroom instead of the sausage. While I was cooking, I changed my mind, because I thought, it is stupid to spoil the taste of the mushrooms by the tomatoes. I had the mushrooms instead with onion, garlic, salt and peppar and it was so tasty!

I was looking for the result of my posts on Facebook and they had got a lot of likes, but none was offering to become my buddy. Furthermore my fb post in the group ”Bicycle Travellers” had got likes and some followers encouraged me. I also got on offer for help in Glasgow. In addition to that, I got the idea to contact the BBC and ask them, if they are intereste in following my bike trip for future, but I think it is much too early to ask yet. If you wonder, why the BBC, because a lot of programs about hiking and biking, I have seen at the education channel, are produced by BBC.

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9th June 2021

In the group ”Bicycle Travellers” on Facebook I have got more likes and a guy from Malaysia asked me to become his Facebook friend. A guy from Denmark gave me advices about the trip throughout his country. I also got lots of more good wishes.

This day I also made a new try to buy that window lamps in Norrköping. Luckily, also this time I sent a message before buying the train ticket. It went out, that the seller did not have the lamps in her apartment, but her ex-boyfriend had taken them. She offered me to give me the name of him and that I could contact him, but I did tell her, that I am not interested in it and I am no longer interested at all in the lamps anymore. There has been so many messages about them and now this one, though I am so fed up and will not be happy with them.

Instead for going by train to Norrköping, I used my laptop and continued writing the text for May for my blog. I rounded off the day by watching about bear cubs on rehabilitation. There is a family in Siberia, who cares about bear cubs, who have lost their moms. There are up to 8 pairs each year. It seams, the bears mostly get twins. Also this was a very interesting documentary.

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10th June 2021

This day was filled of homework, which means cleaning, cooking etc. I prepared a spinach pie as well. During the evening I continued to watch the series about the rescued bear cubs.

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11th June 2021

It was another ”FridayForFuture”. My female couch surfer arrived in the late afternoon. We hade the spinach pie for dinner and she pampered me with strawberries and blueberries. We also took a walk to the closest grocerie shop, because she needed some food for the upcoming days. As usual, when I am going to that shop, I took my recycling bags with me. Unfortunately, the container for plastics were so full, that I could not put in my items. I think, the reason for it was, that the school spring term had ended and people were celebrating the students with disposable items. By the way, I think, I was talking too much – mostly about my travel experiences, but Lea told me, that she likes it and that it was interesting.

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12th June 2021

It was time for Lea to say good-bye. She had a lot of kilometers to walk this day as well. Anyway, we have had breakfast together and she left some food, of that she had bought the evening before, for exampel: She had bought a kg of oat flakes – there were no smaller bags. She only did take with her, what she thought she needed – in a plastic bag, she has had with her, because of all the weight. However, she told me, that her backpack was very heavy again by all the food, she needed to carry with her. She even showed me photos of the house, where she is living now. It is an old farm respectively a part of an old farm and Lea grows her own vegetables there. She is living there together with other people and share the rent for the house, which is situated in a village outside Munich. Lea even had asked me, where to buy a book in English to read during the lonely evenings on the campsites. I sent my book ”The Long Hitch Home” with her. I will pick it up, when I will visite her 😉 or maybe tell her, to give it to another couch surfer or put it in a bookcase in town. I am happy, that it will be read of others. I already had given that to my children, because a book has to be read and not only stand on a shelf. Lea was so kind and wrote a Thank you message for me, adding her address.

The ex-boyfriend of my daughter was calling me, because he was worried about her. He still does like her a lot and cares about her.

After I had done some cooking, my son Daniel did sent me a link for YouTube about leopard cubs. That was interesting as well and so cute. I continued with the text for May for my blog. Afterwards I was writing requests on warmshowers.org for Glasgow. I did it already, because I think, closer and closer to COP26 all hosts will be occupied. I also put my itinerary for Glasgow on couchsurfing.com. To visit a host for two weeks is not usual and not meant to.

Rain and hail did surprise me, but what did that matter in my cosy home. I was working with my blog until late night. I re-arranged my sites about Belize.

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13th June 2021

I had planned to go by bike for almost 60 km this day, just to see, if I really can make it, but I was tired and therefore did not start on my trip before high noon. I used the ”Näckrosleden”, that is a signposted bike path in Sörmland. I had decided to go from Katrineholm to Flen. That town is 20 km away from here, but by the Näckrosleden there are 40 km to ride. I chose that way by two reasons. For the first, it should be bike friendly (less traffic) and for the second, if I get tired, when I am in Flen, I can take the train or the bus home (with my bike, of course). I had water with me as well as a thin cardigan, if the sun will be too intensive and rain clothes as well.

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There was a little problem, because the route usually is between Flen and Katrineholm, though I had to look for the signposts at some places, which delayed me a little. The route was mostly going throughout a beautiful landscape on minor roads, but there was also a part on a more used road. There were lots of hills to force. I could not force all of them by riding my bike. Sometimes I had to bring my bike up the hills. By the way, in a minor town, I had to ask for the way futher on that Näckrosleden, because there was a sign, which I not really could interpret. The woman I asked was very kind. She was in her garden in front of the house, resting in a chair. She came to me to hear my question and then explained the way really good. At some junctions I had to guess, there were none to ask and no sign either. At one place, there was only a sign for the ”Sverigeleden”, which is a bike path throuhout the entire country of Sweden. I guessed, that both path take the same way at this point and luckily, I was right.

It took four hours for me to bike the route. Actually, I had expected that, even I did not know, how hilly this part of Näckrosleden is. In the town of Flen, there is a nice area in front of the railway station, where I did take a rest and ate my packed lunch and was drinking more. Then I needed a bathroom and was asking people close to me, who also were resting, if they know Flen well and if there is a bathroom nearby. They told me, there maybe one at the railway station, there is none in the park. I parked my bike outside the railway station and was entering the station, looking for a bathroom. There was one and first, I was disappointed that it was locked, but when I checked another time, there was a paysystem, which was very strange to me. I never had seen that before. I had to sent a message to a special address and ask for a code to open the bathroom’s door. There was also an opportunity to pay by a website, but inside the railway station I did not have 4G connection. To get the code, there were 5 SEK taken off my bank account. For that, I also had to put in my account number. Luckily it worked with the message opportunity.

By this, I was thinking about to take the more used road home, because the shorter distance, but than I decided to wait for the bus. I was neither sure, if the train would take my bike onboard nor if all of the busses here have a rack for bikes. Luckily, the next bus had, but the driver had problems to fasten my bike on the rack. He made it at the end. I had not bought an online ticket for me or my bike, because I neither did know, if the bus will take my bike nor the price for carrying my bike by the bus. By the problems to fasten my bike on the rack, time was running out and the bus driver started directly, when I had entered the bus. I tried to buy the ticket in the bus, but 4G was not working here either. I told the driver and was thinking, he will stop at the next bus stop and asked me to leave, but he did not. He took me all the way to Katrineholm. I was afraid, that a controller would come and check all the time. Next time, the situation will be different, because now I know, that all busses in our region have the bike racks and that one bike follows the passenger for free.

At home again, I did eat the rest of the ”chocolate balls”, a kind of biscuits made of oat flakes or oat flour with butter, kakao and sugar. They are easy to make, really good and have no need for an oven. I made them the day, when I made oat flour of oat flakes. I think, there were to many left to eat at once, but I did not have dinner instead. Though my nutrition that day was my daily smoothie, eight choklad balls, two boiled eggs, two pancakes and around 4dl of water. I added one liter drink choklad after eating the choklad balls.

A male couch surfer had asked me to stay with me Monday to Tuesday night and I had agreed with it. This evening also a guy asked me for the same night by warmshowers.org. I told him, that he is welcome, even I already will have a couch surfer, but that it will not be as comfortable as usual, because I only could offer him a sleeping pad and a sleeping bag. Though this guy decided not to take my offer. I think, he was afraid for COVID-19, because he was writing, that he already was vaccinated and also had taken a test. The couch surfer messaged me, that he will arrive after 4pm next day, because I had told him, that I will play boules in the afternoon.

I wrote down my notes for the day, first for my blog and then, what I think I have to buy for a longer bike tour. There were: Air on tube – because my air pump is really big and do not fit well into my cycle basket as well as I have problems to put air in a bike tire with a smaller pump; a repair kit; a skirt protection – if I want to go by bicycle wearing one of my skirts or my dresses; a battery lampset; a holder for a water bottle and I have to check the bike’s chain guard, because there was such an anoying noice all the way.

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14th June 2021

My couch surfer Arne arrived as agreed. He is a student from Germany and was studying at a university in Stockholm for one term. Before leaving Sweden, he was keen to see something more of Sweden as well as he will make a trip to Lithuania (I think it was). His home was in Aachen in Germany and his parents home in Dortmund or Duesseldorf or somewhere around there. I do not really remember, what he told me. He was a very well behaved guy and we were talking different subjects as well as he told me, that he has had COVID-19, while studying in Sweden. He also told me, that he did not have it very much, but a test showed, that it was COVID-19. He also told me, that he likes to look at photos from other countries, though I asked him, from which country of my travels he would like to see some. He decided for Mexico and we were watching photos for a couple of hours. We actually had a bit of food in between. Time was running too fast. Fortunately he only had to catch a bus around noon the upcoming day.

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15th June 2021

After breakfast together we took a short walk to the lake and throughout a subarb home. Actually I would have liked to show him more of the lake as well as the forest around, but I did not find the correct direction before it was too late. Next time, I know the correct path. On the way back to my home, he bought a special kind of buns in our grocery shop and by that, I could see that the recycle container for plastics was emptied. Arne left at a quarter past 12pm and I took care about the bed linen and other daily chores.

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16th June 2021

Finally, I was going back to the recycling container with my plastic items. I also did put one of my night dresses on the hook at my balcony. I love this little older apartment buildings, because they have so many handy accessories like the hanger on the balcony. This day I also changed the ribbons of my tankini. I had planned that for a couple of years, but I never did it before. The ribbons has to be tied and when the tankini is wet, they are getting longer and longer or the tie is opening – I really do not know, how it works, but that the upper part of the tankini is sliding down. Though I did shorten them and close it by a push button. I hope it will help. This evening I was online again.

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17th June 2021

Already in the morning I was using Facebook and actually, I forgot how time is running. After lunch I did put the leftover hash browns in the freezer. I do not know, if that will work, but I hope so, because it even is possible to freeze potatoe mash. I also checked my solar lamp on the balcony and found the off/on button. I put it off, because most of the nights still are light.

Before chatting with my son Marcus by Skype at 1pm I was to a bicycle shop, asking for a skirt protection, but I was too late. All of them were sold out and there were no new coming before autumn. I also asked for a bag for the front of the bicycle – to have on the handlebars, but I was told, that my bicycle is so special, that it is not possible. On my way home I passed the market place and bought three liters of strawberries for 100 SEK. I eat one of them, of the other one I cooked marmelade (with kakao) respectively made ice cream (with yoghurt and it was easy to freeze).

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18th June 2021

I was the only one this day, demonstrating for the climate. On my way home, I took a detour to the Red Cross secondhand shop, but I did not find something similar as I was looking for. I also was to the market place, looking for more strawberries, but the seller from the day before was not there. Though finally I bought one liter at the Lidl shop close to my home. In addition to that I bought a box of mascarpone as well as a papaya. Well at home I ordered egg and rhubarb at my local Reko-ring seller. Later that day I was checking my bonus from the ICA chain and I was very surprised, when I saw, that my electricity provider had given me a bonus of 450 SEK (around 45 EUR) in parts of 3 x 150 SEK – though easy to use. I actually do not know why and I decided to use that bonus as soon as possible for not disappearing. I also had a 55 SEK bonus (50 SEK from the shop group and 5 SEK as the usual bonus from my electricity provider). Though this is a good month for me.

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19th June 2021

I planned to go to the grocery shop to pick up a parcel, but I did not get my butt up in time before chatting with my son Marcus on Skype. I also had planned to go to the Lidl shop and buy papaya, but I did not do that either. My daughter Maria was calling me and told me, that she has health problems and was very bad treated at the hospital. I told her, that I can help her with a complaint and we agreed, that I will write a text and sent her by email, though she can tell me, if I done it right and if she likes the way I have written it.

My acquaintance Lotta and I agreed, that I will visit her new place upcoming Sunday. That place is an old house from around the year 1920 and in the original outfit. I am interested in, how it looks like. Actually her husband and she were bying that place for farming, but they think it is worth to keep the house well maintained, though they are painting the walls from the outside and then the window frames. I also have got the exactly directions, how to go there by bicycle.

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20th June 2021

Unfortunately Lotta has got an upset stomach, she messaged me. Therefore I had a lot of time to write the complaint for my daughter. First I copied and paste all she had messaged me the evening before in an own document. Afterwards I wrote the complaint and emailed it to her. I am convinced, that in her case I had to name her illness history, but she did not agree with me. At the end, she told me, that I not at all should sent a complaint to the healthcare authority. Furthermore I planned my route for my bike trip to Glasgow and I also was answering emails I had got during the Easter holidays.

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21st June 2021

I was still awake at 00:20am and became scared of the thunderstorm. The thunder and lightning were so close to each other and it also sounds, like it was directly above us. My first though was, that the lightning may have struck a building. I was happy, it was not smelling fire and there were no sirens shouting. Anyway I turned off my laptop as soon as possible. This thunderstorm was strong, but short. By my SOS-app I could see, that there was a house on fire in a nearby area.

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22nd June 2021

In the morning I read in the news about the destroyed one-family-house. They can not live their for a while. I was feeling sorry about them, even I was happy, that the lightning had not taken our apartment house. I also was thinking about lightning rods. I had two questions: Had that one-family-house no lightning rod? Has our building a lightning rod? Anyway, very close to our building trees are growing much higher than our house. Though I feel quite safe.

I was to the grocery shop nearby and picked up a parcel from an online shop. I had ordered a pair of walking boots and was eager to know, if they will fit me. I did order these, because my last pair of walking boots broke in Mexico and I need some for the hike in the Swedish mountains. I know, cheap boots usually are not good for it, but this time, they were for sale – even the ordinary price was not very high. I do not expect, that I will use that walking boots often. Though I will not spend a lot of money on them. Especially not, because I have more expenses the upcoming months. Furthermore I also had ordered an outdoor pot and pan. Unfortunately, the pot was not very big and I cannot hide my stove in it, but it is always possible to put other things in it during a hike.

I was leaving (and entering) my apartment house twice or three times this day. The neighbors from the apartment under mine was sitting on the bench besides the outer door – they use to do that in the middle of the day. Even the male neighbor had talked with me, when I was moving in and also afterwards, he was asking me about my work. I was so surprised. I do not know, what made him think that way. Maybe my outfit and that I was using my bike or the frequency of my leaving and arrival. I told him, that I am retired and do not work anymore. I do not know, if he will remember that in some week.

I was going to the Red Cross secondhand shop looking for an outer pot to one of my potted plants and I actually find one, big enough and nice on my window sill. I continued to the bicycle shop and was looking for a used bike, better than the one I have now. They did not have used ones, though I was informing me about the new ones. I also told the shop assistant, that I will go on a long tour. Therefore he told me, that I need better tires. I asked for the price and it was quite low (around 300 SEK – 30 EUR) for one, but if I buy a new bike, the shop will buy the new tires on the cycle of me and I do not have to pay a lot for the others. I am happy, they do it that way. The bikes were anyway a little too expensive for me for the moment. Though I told the assistant, that I have to think about it – and I really did. I thought, before leaving for my tour to Glasgow, I will have enough money to buy a new bike.

I continued to the supermarket, because I was looking for exercise books with special lines for beginners. I was interested in buying some, because my daughter in law tells my 6 year old grandchild to exercise the letters of the alphabet without proper lines (He has not started at school yet, but will after the summer holidays). Though he put all the letters between only two of them, with other words: There are no upper or under parts of his letters. I marked three lines as one and showed him, how to write the letters the correct way, but I thought, it will be better to buy the adequate exercise books. The same for the digits. He needs bigger boxes at the beginning. I also decided to buy adequate exercise books with tasks, made for beginners of the age around six years. I could not find anything of that at the supermarket, which was the only place I could think to find such books.

When I left the supermarket I bought a liter of strawberries outside it. There was a stall, selling strawberries from the neighboring county, which starts really close to Katrineholm. Now it was time to visit the nearby bike shop. I never have been in there, because I always use the one on the other side of the town, which also is closer to me. Actually it was not worth to set a foot into that shop. The owner and seller was not service minded at all.

I had to pick up my vegetables from the Reko-ring, or more exactly, the little company I am buying my groceries of, which is named ”Oasen på Åsen” (the oasis on the ridge) and I did. Going home with it and taking a new bicycle trip. This time to a family, living on the way out of town in the direction of the adventure association. They live on a street called Älgstigen, which means: The moose trail. I did not know that family, but they were selling off an ice cream maker for only 80 SEK (8 EUR). They had offered it on the marketplace of Facebook. I was looking up that ice cream maker on the Internet, before I showed them my interest. Original this ice cream maker is for 499 SEK, maybe one can find it a little cheaper online, but not under 399 SEK. This ice cream maker only have small bowls, but two of it and it is very good for a single person. The seller had family and when I was there and bought it, they told me, that they never used it and hope, that I have use for it. Actually, I am buying it for using it.

Back at home I was thinking about to care about my vegetables from Oasen på Åsen, but I was too tired. It can really wait for the upcoming day, because they are so fresh, it is possible to have them in the fridge for some days without lacking quality.

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23rd June 2021

I felt really good after I had taken care of some of my vegetables. I had cleaned and cut my green onions, cleaned and cut my papaya as well as cooked rhubarb drink. It was the first time I had cooked rhubarb drink and it was so easy.

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This day I also bought a bed mattress, which means a protection for my couch, when someone is sleeping on it. Earlier I used the one from my own bed, but the other bed madrass I have there is expensive to clean and also hard to take off and put on. I bought this mattress because I was awaiting another CS. She had told me, she will go by bicycle from Stockholm and she expects to reach Katrineholm in the evening. I was surprised, because that is longer than to my son Samuel. It must be around 150 km and for an untrained biker too much in the hilly terrain. It would be an almost 8-hours ride without rests. Eventually at the time she should have arrived at my home she messaged me, that she never left Stockholm, she still had things to sort out. I was disappointed, because she could have informed me much earlier.

By this I only took a look at Facebook and read then a tourism advertising magazine about our county, which I got for free by the postman. It was distributed to all households in our county, I understood. If I have not written about it before, this county for advertising reasons is called ”Sveriges Lustgård” (The pleasure garden of Sweden). The history behind is the book of Selma Lagerlöf, called ”The Wonderful Adventures of Nils”, in which Nils is asking: ”What is this for a pleasureful garden?”, when he stands at Djulö Herrgård (Djulö Manor). Anyway all of Sörmland has adopted that expression.

Lotta, which I wrote about earlier this month, called me and told me, that she and her family will have holidays in July and that I can visit them one day in July. She also was asking me about the WalkForFuture and the BikingForFuture.

Before going to bed I watched a new series at the education channel. It was about the Silk Road from Venedig – throughout Albania etc to China. This way is backwards, I know, but the producer chosed it that way. Maybe, because they were not allowed to film in China. The last scene is from the border to China. I did not see all the episodes this evening, of course.

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24th June 2021

The day started for me by answering emails. I also used my ice cream maker for the first time. Unfortunately I had not smashed the strawberries enough and I think, I also was not waiting long enough, though it became soft ice only ;-). Next time it will be better, but before it will be a next time, I have to eat my homemade ice cream which I did before with the yogurt as well as the bought one (which tastes coffee and cacao) in the freezer.

Furthermore I checked the text of my flyer for ”The leaders of the World”, which I will hand out in Glasgow. I have to check it one more time, when more days have gone. I am not really satisfied with the flyer yet.

A friend of mine sent me an email, telling me, that she maybe might follow me a part of the biketour. Though I sent her my itienary.

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25th June 2021

I was not demonstrating for future in front of our town hall, because it is a holiday. I also read on the Internet, that rain was expected, but it did not start raining before late afternoon. Unfortunately, I was not eating healthy food this day. The fresh potatoes were ok as well as the vegetarian sausage and the cold mustard dressing I had for lunch, but for dinner I had a lot of whipped cream with strawberry jam. Such things does not happen often to me, but sometimes, I am just too hungry or too lazy to cook.

By the way, this was the day before midsummer, just that day we really celebrate with flowers, fish, fresh potatoes and layer cakes with strawberries and whipped cream. We usually also have a maypole and are dancing around it to life music. There used to be events close to, where I am living. All towns usually have an event. By the pandemic there is nothing and I hoped to celebrate with my son Samuel, but he told me, that I am welcome the day after this, but this day they will celebrate with neighboring families with children and no elderly people will attend.

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26th June 2021

It is midsummer day and I was up at 8am, getting ready for the trip to my son Samuel and his family. I had my new backpack with me as well as my shopping cart. Well at the railway station, it was announced, that the train was delayed more than half an hour. Finally the train arrived 20 min past the time of the time table. I had sent a message to my son about the delay, but the train was in time at my destination. Though I had to wait for my son. We were buying groceries on the way home.

In the afternoon we had a picnic around a playground. My daughter in law did use the picnic basket, she had got of me earlier this year. During the evening, when we were back at home, I did get a used mobile phone, which is better than the one from Mexico, which I was using since my Swedish one broke. I had to download a lot of apps, of course.

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27th June 2021

I took care about my grandsons and gave them breakfast, while my son and his wife were preparing for a night out. They were leaving directly after the boys lunch and the boys were eating a lot, what they usually do not. The reason for the night out were Tharsiny’s birthday as well, that both needed some time for each other without the kids.

My grandsons and I were playing hide and seek and similar games in the beautiful backyard. Afterwards and inside, Vincent started with the number book, he got of me. Leon had got another book of me, which was about the multiplication tables. Both books had a lot of nice pictures, but Leon did not like his and tried to work with Vincents, what I did not allow. Vincent is quite good in reading and adding numbers, but not so good in writing them. He should have started with the book, learning writing numbers, but did not. Anyway, when he finished the first book, the other day, she started with the one, learning writing numbers. Unfortunately, both books were not as I wished, because I was looking for books with more exercises, especially in writing numbers.

As grandmothers are, the kids got ice cream as a snack in the afternoon. When it was time for dinner, they only did eat fruit.

Before going to bed, they were allowed to watch TV. My son’s family has Netflix and the boys did choose ”Chip ‘n’ Dale”. Around 8pm it was bedtime. They were both soon asleep in Leon’s bed. It was very unusual for both of them. It has been a nice day for all of us.

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28th June 2021

Leon and Vincent awoke around 7am, maybe a little earlier. They were allowed to watch TV in an hour, so called: Screen time (that means, they were allowed to either use a computer or watch TV). After breakfast we were going to a grocery shop. They asked, if they are allowed to take their bikes, but especially Vincent is not good in driving on the right hand side of the street and also they are quick and not listening well, I told them to walk. Next question: ”May we use our sparkbikes”. I thought, that was less dangerous and allowed it, telling them, that they have to stop at every corner and wait for me as well as they are not allowed to cross a street without me close to them. Actually it was working. That surprised me a little, but I was happy about it. At the shop we bought (I paid) a birthday cake, birthday sweets and flowers. Unfortunately, the flowers were not really looking good. I took the best I could find and also got them for a reduced price. Back at my son’s home, I did care about the flowers as good as it was possible. There were no many left, but there were flowers.

I cooked lunch for us and the boys were eating OK. Vincent also used some time to work with the number book, before Tharsiny and Samuel were coming home, we welcomed them with the birtday presents. I gave the flowers and apologized, that we could not find any better. They asked, if I had picked them beside the road ;-).

Tharsiny came with another birthday cake – for the boys. She was not interested in the birthday cake I had bought and put it in the freezer. Anyway she opened the sweets and offered all of us and also took one of them. She did not really care about the flowers. While Leon did not eat the marzipan (lock) of the birthday cake, Vincent only did eat half of it and did not eat of the marzipan either. Though I was offered to eat the rest, what I did.

After a while it was pool time. A time ago, Samuel and Tharsiny had bought a pool – one, which is not put into the ground. Even the boys had been to a swimming training – Leon more than once, they could not really swim. At the end of the days session, Leon was able to swim with a float. The boys had problems with the movements of their legs. They only did the easiest movements. I also have been in the pool for a while. Unfortunately, I did not change my clothes directly afterwards. Though I have got a cold. Samuel was jogging afterwards and Leon going by bike on the side of him.

Meanwhile the boys did not eat the fish, I had offered them the day before and even for lunch, now they did eat it for dinner and actually two pieces each. I think, that is too much in their age, but I am not their parents. Therefore I do not care about it.

Later that evening, Tharsiny and Samuel showed us, what they had bought in Stockholm. The kids should finally go to bed at 10pm, but it became 10:30pm before it was done. I had still to install apps on my new, used mobile phone. I also had to sign out the former owner of gmail and when I used my account, old emails where shown, which I had deleted before. At the end, when I could not find another solution, I deleted all the emails in the trash. Then it was working fine. Also WhatsApp was working similar. Among others I found an answer about a lake in Mexico, which I had asked one of my hosts about.

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29th June 2021

When I awoke in the morning, I had a sore throat. I hoped, it will stop soon, but it was not leaving me for the entire day. Vincent should have been to daycare, but he was disobedient to his mother, though she asked me, if I could take care about him, meanwhile she is working. As I told you before, both Samuel and Tharsiny are working in home office. Happily he was starting with the number book, but when I told him, how to write an 8, he told me, that he will not write it that way, but his own. I also was drawing guides, but that was not helping either. I am so disappointed, that I did not find any books with guides in Katrineholm. I decided to try to find some, when I have been at my dentist. He did finish all of the exercises in the book.

I was taking care about lunch as well. There was a baguette left from the picnic and was quite dry, therefore I made a meal called ”fattiga riddare” in Swedish. My translater tells me, it is French toast, but actually that is not really the same thing, because the bread is laid in a blend of milk and egg and when the bread is wet of those, it is fried in a pan. One eat it with sugar and cinnamon or with jam. If one use jam, it is called ”rika riddare”. To translate it right of, the meal is either called ”poor knights” or ”rich knights”. Vincent and even Tharsiny did like it. Leon was at the youth recreation center.

After lunch, Vincent would like to have screen time, but Tharsiny denied. Both got angry and Tharsiny told him to write numbers and afterwards letters. She did write the numbers another way than in the book and also one, the way we do not write it in Sweden. Actually, we do write the number the same way as Tharsiny did in Germany and I do not know, where she had learnt to write it that way, because in Tamil, the numbers are looking very different and in Sweden, they numbers are tought another way – I had to learn them as well. Actually it is only the 1 and the 7, which looks different. The 1 mostly do not have the little line up in the beginning and the 7 does not have the horizontal line, that means: The Swedish numbers are written like in the USA, while in Germany we use the European way to write the numbers (https://images.app.goo.gl/9iaCBQLfXp38xFBE7). He had to write the numbers on lined sheets, which is hard for a six year old, of course. In addition to that, she asked him to write the alphabet, also on this lined sheets, but they are not good enough for a six year old learning to write letters.

When he had finished that and was still not getting screen time, Vincent started to work in the letter book. I was not allowed to see, what he was doing. When Leon was at home, he did help Vincent and I was more annoyed about that, because I know, the way, Leon is helping his little brother. They were not working for a long time, because soon it was pool time. When the boys were allowed to use the pool, they were not willing to wait for their parents and I was asked to be with them, in the case one or both of them were close to be drowned. Though I had to be with them, but there was no time for me to change to bath clothes and I was not allowed to enter the pool together with them either. Nevertheless they were splashing a lot and I got wet even I was standing quite a bit from the pool and a little later even a little more away from it for not getting wet. I told them, not to splash so hard, but they did not care and even I told them, that they have to leave the pool if they continue to splash that way, Vincent continued. I told him, to leave the pool, which he did after a very short while, crying. Leon was also leaving the pool, telling me, that it is not funny to be in the pool by himself. His parents did not understand, why I asked them to leave the pool, but there were two reasons: I could not garanty that I can see if they are close to be drowned and the other, that, if they do not follow my advises, how should I be able to help them if necessary?

Anyway Samuel was driving me – taking Leon with us, to the shop for my Christmas present, which still was not changed. It was the fan for my laptop, I have got of my son Marcus, but Samuel had bought it and which broke the first time I used it. At the first branch of the shope, they did not have others, though we were asked to go to another branch and actually the fan was bought there, but Samuel thought it was too far to drive. At the end, we were going home with a new fan.

It did not become a family evening, therefore I did play mahjong online. It became really late again for the children. Samuel was going to bed around midnight, so did I. I could not skype with Marcus during the entire day, because there were no space without noise or where I did not disturb someone.

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30th June 2021

I still had a sore throat, though I had to message my dentist, that I could not come, because I was sure, he won’t me at his practice. I did not get an answer to the message, therefore I called around an hour later, but was told, that they had seen the message. Anyway we made a new appointment – for the 24th of August, because of the holidays in between. I did not have to pay for the missed appointment either, what otherwise is usual, when one do not cancel in time, that means almost 48 hours before the appointment, because a sore throat one can get in the meantime of the 48 hours.

Tharsiny was walking Vincent to the daycare. Before they left, she asked him, what he has in his backpack. He told her, only his water bottle. When they had left I discovered, that the letter book was not on it’s place. Though I think, he took it with him. I am happy, that he is interested in learning, but I am not sure, it will be correct and even in this book, there were only one line for writing the letters, all the other exercises were to see and identify the letters.

Around lunch I decided to go home this day already. It was no meaning with it, to go to Stockholm to buy books for writing numbers and letters. I really would have liked to do that for the children – on the other hand site, my son could do that as well.

When I was packing my clothes, Tharsiny packed some groceries for me: The tofu, they had bought for me, the coconut/almond drink, feta cheese and even the sweets I had given her as a birthday present. I was very disapointed about the latter.

Tharsiny did drive me to a train station much closer to their home as the one in Södertälje Syd. From that one, I had to change from train to bus and to train again, but they had to work and it was the best option for the day. Arriving at the train station Södertälje Syd, I had to use the bathroom and missed a train. Therefore I had to wait nearly for one hour for the next one. Fortunately it was one of the new trains with the low floors. I thought, it would be possible to take a bike onboard, but at the door I entered, it was not possible, because of the elevator for the wheelchairs. I think, they could have a better design.

Finally back in Katrineholm I walked home from the train station. I unpacked my shopper and put the food in the fridge. Afterwards I had a cup of tea and the sweets, Tharsiny had sent with me. I am ashamed, that I ate all of them at the same time, but it was instead for a meal and also, because I was so disappointed about, that Tharsiny was not willing to have them. Anyway, they gave me energy enough to check my emails and messages, write my diary and watering my plants – I hope my pansies on the balcony will make it. Furthermore I installed ICE on my mobile phone, but I had no Internet. Checking it out, it was a problem for all of Katrineholm. I was happy about my 4G-net.