Category Archives: Jon

Goodbye Car

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For a few years we had the use of an old Volvo 740, given to us by Jo’s brother. Throughout that time we made good use of it, even though it required necessary fixing now and again, which put a dent in our non-existent savings.

We recently said enough is enough after troubles with starting a day before we were to go to the north of Sweden for our Christmas holidays. The solution to the problem may have been easy and cheap to fix – we never enquired – but it was one outlay of money too many for us to contemplate taking it in to a garage. Instead we found a free service to take care of our (un)trusty automobile.

So it with a modicum of happiness that we live without a car. Apart from the never knowing when it would break down or something would break, it means I do not have to worry about receiving parking tickets. Irritatingly, we live in an area just outside the city limits, and there are no tennant parking spaces available. Instead, the only “safe” way to park is to pay a ridiculous amount a month for the garages below the flats: something which we are loathe to do, since we could get three parking tickets a month and still be paying less than a proper parking space would cost.

So, thank you, car, for shuttling us and our goods around. We appreciate all you have helped us with.

Posted in Jon

Lucia 2011

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Not the most successful of Lucia celebrations this year. Zelda had been vomiting a few days previous to the big event, so we decided to keep her away from school, lest she infect anyone there. Freya was also at home, as a precautionary measure, but showed no real signs of becoming ill. Yesterday, she was so upset that she was not able to a part of the Lucia celebrations at her school, so we thought it would be low risk to let her go.

Forty minutes before she was to perform, while I was on the train to her school, Jo rang me to tell me that Freya had thrown up.

Freya was not as devastated as I thought when I met her. In fact, she has not even mentioned it. But the end result is still that neither of our daughters got the Lucia experience this year, which is a little bit sad.

Stick Insect Problems Part 2

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After the lingering demise of Spiken, the Giant Thorny stick insect, we were given another Spiken by the place we bought the first. We also decided to get a Pink Wing (Marmessoidea Rosea) to keep Spiken v2.0 company, and increase the odds of at least one of them surviving.

Limey, The pink wing, was (hyper)active for a day or so, then clung to the top of the vivarium. We think it was going to shed its skin, though this is no more than an educated guess. Some time later, we returned to find Limey on its back at the bottom of the cage, and it died not long after that. Our assumption is that it fell whilst shedding, which can be fatal because the new exoskeleton takes a few days to harden.

At least Spiken is doing a better job, and shed its skin yesterday. Spiken must be reasonably happy, since stress can delay the shedding process. It looks healthy, though has not moved a great deal since this morning. We await tentatively to see what (if anything) our giant thorny does next. It is a(nother) crucial period for us, since our success rate at keeping what is generally accepted as beginner stick insects is quite low. Fingers crossed.

When Is A Stick Insect Not A Stick Insect?

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When it’s dead. Yes, just a few days after acquiring “Spiken”, it died a slow and, maybe, painful death. We tried our hardest to assure that it had the correct foliage and food to thrive in our care, but we think we have been mislead, all be it unintentionally.

On its arrival it was probably dehydrated and not in the best of health, being posted as a letter to us. We gave it water and a few sprigs of oak, which it seemed to appreciate. The oak was unlikey to have been sprayed with insecticide, according to the florist who sold them to Jo. We believed her, thinking that, rationally, it would not have been the case. Then we bought some ivy, under the same assurance. But soon after its placement in Spikens vivarium, it started to become less active.

Spiken and its ilk are good at playing dead. Ous worries about inactivity were assuaged by this knowledge, though it turned out that it was the beginning of then end. Spiken had most likely eaten forbidden fruit (i.e. Ivy sprayed with insecticide). Its condition worsened, and our nursing did no good. In the end, Spiken lived its (short) life fighting chemicals that were deemed to kill it. And we feel that we were, in some way, party to its death. Even though we should not.

Pressgurka

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I found this simple and tasty recipe the other day:

1 cucumber
1 tsp salt

1/4 dl vinegar (ättika, to be precise)
1/2 dl sugar
3/4 dl water
chopped dill

Skala gurkorna och skiva dem tunt. Strö över salt och lägg dem i en djup tallrik eller skål. Lägg på en tungd och låt stå minst 30 minute så att saltet drar ur vätskan. Pressa ur och häll av vätskan.

Blanda lagen i en skål och lägg i den avrunna gurkan. Blanda ner hackad dill eller persilja.

As said, easy to make and a fresh alternative to the smörgåsgurka you can but in the shops.