A decade is a really long time. Yet when I think back about all that's passed and all that's been done since I left Belgium my departure feels even longer ago. First Sweden. Then Norway, New Zealand, Australia, more Sweden and Norway, Nepal. As I sit and write around the bonfire while darkness engulfs the… Continue reading Ten Years an Expat
Category: Sweden
Padjelanta and Sulitjelma
We saw the bus leave, waved goodbye to Alec and then there was only two of us again. It was really nice having another person there and being a small team, short as it lasted. It was a beautiful day again, not a breeze of wind and not a cloud in the sky. PJ and… Continue reading Padjelanta and Sulitjelma
Another day in paradise
Three seasons in Swedish Lapland have gone and passed. Every season has come with an abundance of mixed feelings. Already in summer I decided it would be my last trip to the Swedish north. One to end it, one to close the chapter, one to enjoy driving sleds in Kiruna one more time. It didn’t… Continue reading Another day in paradise
The end
Coming to the end of a winter season feels very similar to coming to the end of a long hike: it's an intense period and it seems that it will never stop, then suddenly it's all over. People who were automatically around go their own ways. Life as it is stops right there. My last… Continue reading The end
Spring
Spring always represents a clean break in the season. Suddenly I wake up early in the morning because the sun is piercing my eyes. It's so warm outside that I only need a fleece jacket to go around. God forbid, I have to take sunglasses on tour, I need them for driving, I need… Continue reading Spring
The beginning of the end
For the past five days I have been so incredibly tired that all I felt I could do, was sleep. Outside endless snow kept falling from the sky. Around 50cm of fresh powder must have been dumped on us during the past three days. When I was driving back PJ's overnight guests yesterday, they asked me if the… Continue reading The beginning of the end
The delight of daylight
Ever-increasing daylight hours have brought leisure and ease to the forest. All the little things that have to be done can now be done in daylight. Seeing what you are doing makes the same tasks feel much easier and actually much faster, so we have more time on our hands. On guest-free afternoons we can… Continue reading The delight of daylight
Seven days of sunshine (but mostly snow)
The end of the dark season is a tough time, every season again. After the sun has officially risen above the horizon it still takes an undefined amount of time before one can actually see the yellow ball of joy, depending on where you are and how many obstacles are to be found towards the… Continue reading Seven days of sunshine (but mostly snow)
Cabin Fever
Just as the best meal can be spoiled by eating too much of it, the finest place on Earth can feel too tight when you end up spending too much time there. "Cabin fever is a term for a claustrophobic reaction that takes place when a person or group ends up in an isolated or… Continue reading Cabin Fever
Howls in the woods
Twenty days ago PJ and I left civilisation behind once again and together with 36 huskies we were relocated to a cabin in the woods. When I wake up in the morning and step out of the door they are the first things I see, swinging their tail, jumping around. I see the sky turn into… Continue reading Howls in the woods