Category Archives: Family

Summer Holidays: Jo’s Birthday

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It’s Jo’s birthday. I had, as usual, forgotten which day it was on, this time mixing up hers with my mum’s, who celebrates hers in two days (mental note: try and remember this, Jon).

This year’s presents were not as grand as previous years, due to economic reasons; however, they weren’t bad: a Narnia DVD, tickets to see Linton Kwesi Johnson, and New Super Mario Bros for the DS.

Being Jo’s birthday, Freya received a present (why am I still not a child!) from mormor: an inflatable crocodile. We asked Freya what it should be called, and she at once replied “Tim” (although it may have been Tin or Bim). So congratulations to Jo, who is thirty-blghrrhmm years old, and Tim, who celebrates his first (and maybe last, depending on the construction) birthday.

Summer Holidays: A Journey In To Town

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9.13 Leave home, full of joy and anticipation over what our journey will bring.

9.18 Unusually, we are overtaken (by a red Citreon van). It comes to light that Inger has some information about our assailants: they are ex-druggies from a neighbouring village. Driving as fast as they were, I’m not so sure.

9.24 Inger posts a (rather large) envelope.

9.25 There is a small incident involving Inger’s sunglasses, followed by the singing of the Postman Pat theme (see 9.24).

9.28 Stop for petrol. I try to take a picture to capture the moment, but my phone is turned off. I miss the window of opportunity, resigning myself to turning on the mobile, smugly aware that the same mistake will not be made twice.

9.33 Jo yawns.

9.34 We pass a garden which has a line of flags, hung at waist height, along one of the sides. Placed in front of the flags is a chair; on the chair stands a blue parking sign. A long and humourous conversation ensues which really doesn’t translate well. Though it was amusing, and passed several minutes.

9.38 Jo possibly bored. She begins to sing Sandra‘s Maria Magdalena

9.44 An insect loses its life flying into the windscreen. A sorrow-filled moment made light by the mildly amusing sound it caused from its death: tschk

9.59 As if to bring in the new hour, Inger’s phone rings, Freya gets a biscuit, and a few drops of rain fall serenely onto the windscreen, though not enough to erase the memory of our departed insect friend.

10.02 Inspired by Freya’s confectionary consumption, Inger takes out the first banana of the day.

10.04 Our daughter chokes on a sandwich, Jo says.

10.06 Freya requests Dr Bombay. Fortuitously, my mobile phone is now turned on; much less fortuitously, Dr Bombay’s CD is stored on it. Freya is content.

10.13 The car in front of us is driving just 5km/h slower than the speed limit, which irritates Inger intensely. I try to assuage her animosity by telling her to imagine the limit is 90, and not 110, but this fails to help.

10.17 I wonder what kind of insect it was. The splat size suggests a medium-sized fly, but there are many strange flying things this summer, so a wild guess is the best I can offer.

10.27 We have essentially arrived at our destination.

Midsummer Madness

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A phallic symbol or just a cock and two balls?

Today is the day that Swedes living in the city instinctively flock in hordes to the countryside, eat lots of food, drink schnaps, drink wine, drink beer, dance around a phallic symbol pretending to be (amongst other things) frogs, drink a bit more and fall over in amusing ways that only alcohol can be the cause of: it’s the day before Midsummers Day.

This is the first year we haven’t been up in the north during this time, choosing the alternative that is Stockholm. We went to celebrate in Södermalm, an island just south of the city centre, and were taken aback by how few people there were. It was like 28 Days Later or such other zombie films, where the main character wakes up, realises there’s no milk in the fridge and trots off to the cornershop where he (it is always a he) gets an eerie feeling that all is not as it’s supposed to be.

We did have milk on this occassion (lots, as it happens), which is where the similarites differ; we also failed to encounter any kind of undead intent on ripping us apart and eating our brains (another difference between the fantasy world of the denizens of evil and our more life-celebrating outing, which I’m rather gald about).

So, walking through town to our destination, Vitabergsparken, was an interesting experience, likened (forget the zombie analogy) to an early Sunday morning. It was only when we arrived at the park that we felt like city-slickers again; music, refreshments, frog-imitating families were all in place. I didn’t dance, not knowing the lyrics or actions, but Jo and Freya hopped a bit.

It was the least stressful inner-city excursion I’ve had the pleasure to be a part of, and one I’d gladly consider doing again.

Thirty Crowns For Mobile Games? Must Be Rubbish

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Playing games on mobile phones has never really appealed to me. This lack of interest stems from two major niggles: screen size/resolution, and an uncomfortable control system.

While the latter has yet to be rectified, technology has allowed for impressively clear graphics on Jo’s and my current phone. And so, when Jo recently expressed an interest in downloading a game or two (two being my interpretation), I was only too glad to have a valid reason to challenge my prejudice.

Jo’s phone, the W900i

For Jo I found a conversion of one of the first, and best, puzzlers on the PSP: Lumines

A game reminiscent of Tetris, with loads of other new ideas thrown in, Lumines comes from the man behind the brilliant PS2 release, Rez. With this in mind, I knew it would offer an enjoyable game experience, as long as the conversion was decent.

So far, with the exception of the lack of decent (and interactive) music that the original offers, I’m impressed with the gameplay (though it’s still fiddly) and, in particular, the clarity and sharpness of the graphics. 1-0, then, to Mobile Phones vs Grouchy Jon.

And mine, the W800i

Next, for me, because I knew I’d easily get frustrated with a game that requires microcosmic manual dexterity, I chose Chess Master.

Now, I consider myself to be okay at chess. I have a good opening play, but start to show ineptitude when the game opens up, and then fuffle about thereafter with varying degrees of failiure; however, I’d still rate myself as average (bare this in mind).

To bring myself into the game, I first chose “Monkey” level (pfft!), the easiest, and won convincingly (Who’s your daddy?). Next up, “Child” (snigger), and…I’m being beaten like a schoolboy mischief in the 1920s.

There are eleven difficulty levels to choose from, and I’m being soundly rogered by an opponent that is two levels easier than “Beginner”. This is clearly a case of mistaken identity; I just said I was average, which to me means at least the equivalent of beginner. I am a shadow of the person I thought I was, and the only explanation I can find (ooh, a Carpenters song floats into my head) is that I simply do not have the time and concentration available to beat such a simple opponent.

Actually, that is a fair enough comment. I do rush through my game, because of either family or (currently) football interuptions, so I will give this a thumbs-up, though perhaps chess is not the best game to be testing the capabilities of today’s mobiles.

Footnote: I actually gained a stalemate in a “Child” match last night. And I should have won, had I not stupidly forced a draw.

Football Festivities

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Hoorah, a double disappointment in the offing!

Sweden played England last night in the last group match of the World Cup. England had already qualified, having won their first two matches, and thanks to a satisfactory 2-2 result, Sweden join England in the play-offs, albeit against a potentially tougher team, Germany.

We had the pleasure of Chris and Tanya’s company. Freya immediately connected with Tanya, as she did the last time they came over, which was more than six months ago. Freya played with “Anna”, and drunk evening välling sitting next to her. Even Chris got a few hugs before Freya went to bed, just before the match.

At some point in the second half Chip and Samantha (video) Skyped us from London, so it became a real social event, especially since the alcohol was flowing nicely for all concerned.