The heat wave here (fairly short compared to further south in Europe) can now be declared over. Today I needed to put on a light jacket for my walk into town, and my foldable umbrella came in useful on the way back.
The photo above is one I borrowed from myself from a few years ago. Today, with a walking stick in one hand, an umbrella in the other and the rest of my "things" in a backpack, I had no hand free to take photos... ;)
My main errand today was an eye exam originally booked for last week, but which I had to call and postpone because it got too hot for me to go into town.
No such problem today; and as it didn't start to rain until later, I arrived at my destination neither too hot nor wet.
The result of the examination was that some minor adjustments could this time be made for a pair of new glasses; while at the same time my optician also did not see any need to refer me back to the eye doctor just now, as my problems of "that kind" don't seem to have changed. So I decided to go ahead and buy new glasses; after all I've had my old ones for 5 years.
So before leaving the shop I also tried on some frames. I ended up taking two back home with me over the weekend, and will go back at the beginning of next week to "close the deal". Both those I took home with me were on sale. I do actually know which one of those that I prefer... But I might also want to have one last look around next week before making the final decision. After all, I'm likely to be living with my choice for a couple of years at least!
Recently, I came across the following two "eye tests" of other kind online. At least I can brag about managing those without running into any major problems. Can you? ;)
For the month of July in my 2026 wall calendar I chose this photo of a typical Swedish rural idyll. It is one I took last year at Bullerbyn - "The Noisy Village" - in the Swedish province of Småland. The real name of the place is Sevedstorp; and it is the village Astrid Lindgren had in mind when she wrote her books about The Children of Noisy Village. And it is the village where Astrid's own father grew up. (You can /re-/read my post about it and see more photos here, in a post from August 2025.)
In case it's not obvious to all readers, the two containers in the foreground are milk churns (cans), which at small farms used to be put out on platforms like that by the road, to be picked up by a truck to be delivered to the nearest dairy.
The front of thunder and rain that broke the heat yesterday was followed by quite windy weather - but now combined with more refreshing lower temperatures. I was in for another hot and stuffy night last night, though - as with the winds blowing, and possibly also more rain and thunder, I did not dare keep any windows (or the balcony door) open over night.
This morning, it still did not feel safe to leave anything open if I went out. I decided that the best thing was probably to prioritise taking the opportunity of a good cross-draught to help getting the indoors temperature down - but stay in to supervise it. So that's what I did.
It was also too windy to leave the parasols up on my balcony; so it's been curtains closed, but balcony door wide open in the living room - with a blackout curtain covering that opening. Also a window in my study half open; and on the other side of the flat, one window ajar in the kitchen and another one in my bedroom.
As for myself, I spent quite a large part of the day in my lounge chair just inside the balcony door - feeling the breeze blowing in... And the cooler air then being circulated further by three fans whirring in different places around the flat...
It's normally only in the heat of summer that I keep curtains drawn all across the windows like this (on top of closed blinds) - and thus see the patterns on those properly. The ones in the living room (above) I bought when I moved in here, which will be 18 years ago in July. The colours may possibly have faded a little bit with time - but I think not much. Anyway, I still like them. I also remember that when I bought them, they reminded me of the novel The Lady and the Unicorn by Tracy Chevalier (which is about the making of a medieval tapestry by that name). There aren't actually any unicorns on my curtains - only horses and some animals I'm not sure what they're supposed to be (deer? large dogs?). But I still get that association in my head, every time I look at them...
The curtains in my study
The curtains in my study were bought a couple of years later, I think (after I had tried other old ones there but ended up not satisfied with those). They have birds on them, and I like them because they are white and thin enough to let through some light - but at the same time colourful and cheerful.
And now, having spent half a day (or more) watching my curtains just "blowing in the wind", my mind wanders off to one of my Dylan favourites from way back in my youth...
How many roads must a man walk down Before you call him a man? How many seas must a white dove sail Before she sleeps in the sand? Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly Before they're forever banned?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind
Yes, and how many years must a mountain exist Before it is washed to the sea? Yes, and how many years can some people exist Before they're allowed to be free? Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head And pretend that he just doesn't see?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind
Yes, and how many times must a man look up Before he can see the sky? Yes, and how many ears must one man have Before he can hear people cry? Yes, and how many deaths will it take 'til he knows That too many people have died?
The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind
Barbie and Skipper went to the beach (in their original 1960s outfits) but I'm staying in. No early walk for me this morning as there was thunder in the air, and storm warnings. Not much wind actually followed - but a lot of water did fall straight down for a while.
27C indoors now and about the same outdoors. (Y-day we reached 33C outdoors.)
Testing blogging this from my phone. Very fiddly, so this is all you get today! 😎☔️🌞
I'm not usually an early riser, but this morning it seemed like a good idea to try it. So after an early visit to the bathroom, I did not go back to bed as I usually would. Instead I had an early breakfast, and then went out for a walk already at 07:15. (My working days are so far back in history now that can't even remember when I was last out that early. Once upon a time I used to start work at that time, though, so must have been up and out even earlier!)
The reason today was of course just knowing that it's going to get too hot later (see yesterday's post). And already at this early hour, I found that I preferred to keep in the shadow for the most part.
Luckily, the old cemetery with its huge old trees is only a few minutes away. I did not go any further, but just strolled around there for about 40 minutes before returning home. It was me, the birds - and cemetery staff already busy with hoses and watering cans...
I liked how the morning light fell on this old grave.
The little fountain near the funeral chapel adds a refreshing splashing sound - a good place to sit for a while on a hot day (I know since many summers before).
Not a cloud in the sky; and the hydrangea climbing on the cemetery wall was buzzing with what must have been hundreds of bumble bees, in the sunny spot next to this gate. (You probably won't be able to see the bees in this photo though - I can't!)
The last photo, with the water sprinkler (and rainbow!), was taken on another day and at a somewhat later hour. But the sprinklers were on in the same spot when I passed there this morning too.
Casting a glance at the clock on the wall in my study just now, it says 11:15 (summer time). I can hardly believe that. Feels like a lot later in the day for me... Pretending to be an early bird for a change is really messing with my inner sense of time!
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"An early bird" is an idiom that refers to a person who wakes up early in the morning, arrives before others, or acts ahead of schedule to gain an advantage. The term originates from the classic proverb, "The early bird catches the worm". (AI summary)
