Slide Show from Yorkshire, 1972

Among the old slides that I recently let a photography shop digitise for me were a few from my stay with an English family in Yorkshire in 1972, from mid June and into July. 

These photos are not included in my photo album from that trip, and I don't think I took any slides myself back then. So I think these must have been sent to me afterwards, from the family I was staying with.

Back in my very first year of blogging (2009, my blog then entitled The Island of the Voices) I blogged more extensively about this trip in a post which you can read here. 

Starting with a quote from that old blog post as introduction:

After my first year in 'senior high school', 16 going on 17, my parents apparently thought me mature enough to go off out into the world alone. They sent me on a sort of educational holiday to England, to stay for four weeks with a family in a small village [Wadworth] near Doncaster in Yorkshire.  This was not a family we knew beforehand. It was organized rather like an exchange student program, except that there was no "exchange". The family I went to stay with had a girl about my age – she was in the 5th form in a Comprehensive School. I visited her school with her, but she did not go back to Sweden with me. 

Mr A., if I memory serves me right, worked in the coal mines, or at least in some way for the coal mining company. Mrs A. worked part time at the local pub.  

This photo of me I think must be from somehwere on the outskirts of the village. 

Me and Lynne, the daughter of around my own age in the family I was staying with. Most weekdays I also went to school with her (in Edlington). 

Her little brother, Lyndon, whose room became mine for a few weeks while he had to move in with his mum and dad.

Mrs A. and "auntie Lizzie" in the living room.

A first attempt to identify this image with help of Google Image search told me that it was from some place down in Kent. As we definitely did not go to Kent, I tried again, and was then told it's Bridlington, in Yorkshire. That suggestion I'll accept, as it's a Yorkshire seaside town that we did visit. I think this must have been on a day when Lynne had exams in school - which explains both why she was not with us, and why I was not in school... 

The photo below is also from Bridlington. The elderly couple are "Uncle Jack" and "Auntie Lizzie". I had to go back to an old letter to recall details, but they were relatives visiting from Canada and staying with Mrs A's parents; and they accompanied us on more outings.

On another day, we went to York. I did not have to ask Google to identify the chathedral! This was probably a weekend visit, as Lynne was with us.

 

Here were are at an old abbey ruin. As there are several of those in Yorkshire, I consulted Google Image search again - and got a prompt answer that it's St Mary's Abbey Ruins in the York Museum Gardens. As we did go to York, that makes sense - and also helped me identify the next photo as being taken at the entrance to the Yorkshire Museum.

 

 

On another occasion, we visited the seaside town of Cleethorpes, which must be where this photo was taken. 

 

Linking to Sepia Saturday 818 

Spring Equinox

Not only did my calendar say Spring Equinox today (vårdagjämning in Swedish) - the sun was shining, it felt like spring in the air, I found the first spring flowers at last - and even spotted the first butterfly! 

After lunch I went for my usual Friday "recycling walk" to bins located some 10 minutes walk from home; and after I was done with my sorting there, I went to check on a nearby flowerbed along a south-west facing facade - a place where I do often find the very first spring flowers in my neighbourhood... 

And when I got close, I was happy to find not only snowdrops, but also the first few crocuses - and one butterfly, probably still feeling dazed from winter hibernation... (And making me wonder if it, too, knew exactly where to look for the first flowers, because there are certainly not many of them to be seen yet!!)

 

 

"The small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) (Swedish: nässelfjäril) is a colourful Eurasian butterfly in the family Nymphalidae. Adults feed on nectar and may hibernate over winter; in warmer climates they may have two broods in a season.  --- Eggs are laid on the common nettle, on which the larvae feed." (Wikipedia)

Catching Up

 

I'm still waiting for proper outdoor Signs of Spring to tempt my camera. The streets nearby have been cleaned from winter sand and grit, and I think my itchy eyes are probably telling me that there's pollen in the air (alder, hazel) - but that's about it...

So instead I just give you some bananas resting on my old kitchen scales (inherited from my grandmother), symbolising that today was Delivery Day from the supermarket. A service I've been appreciating for over 11 years now; and I still feel grateful every time. Since a few weeks back, I'm also relieved that the 24/7 locked entrance door policy that was introduced here last summer has now been lifted. I no longer need to go down and open the entrance for the delivery guys, but only my own front door! (It has been a bit of a hassle over winter, as because of my bad knee I've not been able to use the stairs, but have had to use the lift/elevator. On the other hand, I am of course grateful to have access to a lift, or else I don't know how I'd have managed at all...) 

To turn time back to Tuesday, I then took a bus part of the way into town (and walked the rest), primarily to collect my digitized old slides from the photography shop: about 80 photos from a trip to Germany back in 1983; plus about a dozen from England in 1972 that I had even forgotten that I had. (I think they were given to me by the family I stayed with then.) I hadn't looked at any of them for over 20 years. 

I've now copied the digitised ones to my computer and had a look. Alas I found that they have not really kept the original colour much better than the printed colour photos in my old albums. While the paper photos have faded towards beige, the slides seem to have turned blueish, though... 

I may be able to improve some of them a bit by editing, but I'm not expecting miracles. (I've never bothered to learn to use any very "advanced" photo editors...) Anyway - so far, it makes me think it's probably not worth the money to also have the rest of my old slides digitised. But I'll see what I can do with the ones I got now; and hope to be able to use some of them in some future "time travelling" blogposts. 

On my way back home from the photography shop, I briefly visited a couple of clothes shops - simply because it's something I hadn't done in about six months! In the first shop, on a whim, I bought a long-sleeved t-shirt without trying it on - which proved a mistake. When I tried it on at home, the neckline turned out to be uncomfortable for me... But I knew I could take than one back and get a refund, so never mind... In the second shop, I found a zipper sweatshirt on 50% sale. That one I did try on before buying - and it fit. It's of the kind that I can use both indoors in winter, and outdoors on a chilly day in the warmer season.

Yesterday was another good day to be out for a while, so I went back into town again and returned the other top. Didn't go into any other shops. Better wait until a bit closer to summer to look at more clothes, I think... ;)

Today I got my grocery delivery around noon, and then in the afternoon (semi-sunny) went for a walk to the main post office down by the railway to post a couple of birthday cards to friends. (One of them will arrive late, the other early!) That's another way I haven't walked since back in the early autumn. Actually writing/posting snail mail at all is another thing I almost got out of the habit of doing this winter, as even the nearest postbox felt "out of the way" for me... 

Fauna

'Fauna' - sculpture by Swedish artist Tilda Lovell (2010)

This sculpture first appeared in Borås in connection with a sculpture festival in 2010, and  was then standing outside the Art Museum. Since then, it has been moved a couple times (at least), to suddenly appear in a different place - in my humble opinion, making it a bit extra spooky... 

I just encountered it again today, near the river - and couldn't recall if I've seen it in that exact spot before or not...

It's not one of my favourite sculptures, and I've never understood its context. But going back to the 2010 sculpture festival brochure now, I learned (or perhaps re-learned?) that it was inspired by a detail in the triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights by the Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, from way back around 1490-1510.

 I soon gave up on trying to locate it in the triptyk (I haven't got a screen large enough)* - but there is a detail picture included in Wikipedia where it is included, next to a giraffe:

I'm still not sure if I find that really helpful; but at least now I know that the creature didn't just appear from nowhere in the brain of a Swedish sculptor in 2010.

Whether back in 1490 it appeared from Nowhere for Hieronymus, I dare not say. 

Hieronymus Bosch
Jheronimus Bosch, c. 1450-1516

Jheronimus Bosch, c. 1450-1516

* PS - Just after I pressed PUBLISH, I suddenly recognised the white giraffe + the two-legged dog in the triptyk. They are in the upper third of the narrow triptyk panel to the left. 

Weekend Summary

 

 

The only (substitute for) "spring flowers" I have to show so far are the African Violets on the window sill in my kitchen. The weekend was rainy, grey and partly also quite windy. My memory is already a bit blurry about the order of things, but one morning when I got up (I think it must have been on Saturday) I found that during the night, the wind had moved the wooden bench on my balcony, which all winter has stood patiently still against the wall beneath my living room window, wrapped in a plastic tarp. Now it suddenly stood across the floor...! I managed to move it to a corner and secured it (I hope) with an extra strap to the railing there. I can only hope that the wind playing with it didn't wake and frighten any neighbours in the middle of the night. (It did not wake me, but my bedroom is on the opposite side of the apartment...)

 

I think I stayed in all Friday because of rain and wind. On Saturday I managed a short and pretty much rain-free walk to the nearest corner shop to buy some bananas. Sunday was a bit better but still grey. I was out walking for about half an hour, using both walking poles, but did not go very far from home, and did not take any photos. And today has been an indoors day again, with no more exciting activity than doing laundry... 

 

Waiting to see what the sky looks like tomorrow before I decide if perhaps that may be a good day to try and somehow get myself into town for an errand or two again. (Got a message from the photography shop on Friday, that the photos I wanted transferred from old slides to a USB stick are waiting for me...) 

 

"Homefront Sleuths Cozy Mysteries" - continued...

I keep finding it harder to write book reviews these days, as I mostly listen to audio books, which makes it difficult to go back and check on details. And to be honest, I also often miss bits and pieces nodding off... (mostly listening when I'm resting, or awake in the night!)

I do listen quite a lot, though - and also often re-listen to books, some of which I may already have written reviews of in the past. 

Lately I've been thinking that I should try and get back to making some monthly (or so) notes on my blog about what I've been reading/listening to recently, even if not necessarily writing detailed reviews. If nothing else, I might find it helpful for my own memory! ;)

In February I wrote about the first two books in a series called The Home Sleuth Cozy Mysteries: (1) The Blackout Murders and (2) The Spectre of Hawthorne Manor, which I found as free bonus titles with my current Audible membership. 

It turned out that I could continue to listen for free to even more titles in the same series... So I did! (...not knowing for how long I'll be having free access to them...) 

Without writing detailed reviews of my own, I'll just copy the cover images together with the introductions given on the Audible website.

 

No 3 - The Spitfire Murders

England, 1941: When a factory security guard dies under suspicious circumstances and a Spitfire test flight ends in disaster, the quiet village of Crofter’s Green is abuzz with questions. With the local police stretched thin by the war effort, it’s up to the Homefront Sleutha to uncover the truth.

Leading the charge is Evie Harris, village tea shop owner and amateur detective, who bravely goes undercover at the aircraft factory—despite a cryptic warning from a shadowy German spy. Watching out for her are:

Harry Jenkins – A retired detective with a sharp eye for trouble.
Alice Greenleaf – A no-nonsense herbalist with a knack for noticing what others miss.
Blake Collins – A clever schoolteacher who sees patterns no one else does.
Dorothy Baker – A quick-witted young mother whose instincts never fail.

As they untangle a web of sabotage and secrets, another worker turns up dead. Can they uncover the saboteur before disaster strikes again?

 

 No 4 - The Judas Monk Murders

The peaceful village of Crofter’s Green buzzes with questions when a young commando trainee is found dead at the ruins of St. Swithin’s Abbey. The military calls it an accident—but is it? And what does it have to do with the legend of the Judas Monk, a tale of betrayal that has haunted the abbey for centuries?

Harry Jenkins and the Homefront Sleuths must untangle a web of wartime deception before the truth is buried for good.

As the investigation unfolds, each of the Sleuths has their own challenges to face. Evie faces a new threat from an old enemy, while Alice must find a way to delve into a murder mystery dating back to the middle ages. Harry must press on with his investigation despite a military commander determined to stop him at all costs. Dorothy and Tom are busy with the renovations of their cottage—and Blake… well, let’s just say Blake may have the biggest adjustment of all.

Meanwhile, Bonzo the Pomeranian is about to prove that sometimes the best detective work is done on four paws.

With danger lurking in the shadows and secrets hidden beneath the ruins, Harry and his friends must navigate military red tape, hidden tunnels, and village gossip to uncover the truth—before some very, very serious damage is done.

 

 No 5 - The Murders at Clarion Castle

July, 1941. When Evie Harris vanishes after visiting her late fiancé's parents, the Homefront Sleuths of Crofter's Green vow to find her. But their investigation takes a bizarre turn when Nigel's police superiors send him to nearby Clarion Castle.

There, the first under-butler has just taken his final bow in the castle's wine cellar.

Could there be a connection with Evie's disappearance? Or with a hush-hush VIP visit to the castle?

The Sleuths must navigate a maze of deception, and nothing is easy. Harry finds the murdered butler's journal, but it's in a code, Blake knows codes, but he and Katherine are busy unlocking secrets in the castle library, hampered by her still-fragmented memory, Alice dons pilgrim garb to infiltrate suspicious travelers (her herb basket now doubling as spy gear), and Dorothy must size up mysterious tea shop visitors and give her friends at the castle a warning.

Not to mention Evie, who must discover where she is and then find a way to escape.

With time ticking louder than Harry's pocket watch, Evie and the Sleuths must reunite to unmask a master spy before a the course of the war is changed forever.

 

 

No 6 - The Harvest Festival Murders

The Homefront Sleuths thought their biggest challenge would be planning Blake and Katherine's perfect autumn wedding. But when a mysterious government inspector turns up dead at the Harvest Festival, their cozy village celebration becomes the scene of something sinister.

What starts as a puzzling murder quickly becomes a race against time. Missing microfilm, coded messages, and suspicious "diplomats" suggest this case is far more dangerous than anything the Sleuths have faced before. With potential Nazi spies lurking behind familiar faces, no one in Crofter's Green is above suspicion.

Between wedding preparations and investigating clues, the beloved team finds themselves busier than ever. Katherine balances bridal duties with mystery-solving, Dorothy's sewing circle provides the best village intelligence, and Bonzo the Pomeranian proves once again that four paws beat two feet when sniffing out trouble.

But as a second murder rocks their community and Evie's partnership with Detective Inspector Nigel grows complicated by unprofessional feelings, the stakes have never been higher.

Can the Sleuths unmask a killer before their village—and their hearts—pay the ultimate price?

No 7 - The Scrooge Conspiracy

Christmas comes early to Crofter's Green—but so does murder.

When a charming American actor arrives to direct a Christmas production of A Christmas Carol for evacuee children at a grand country manor, it seems like the perfect holiday treat. But on the very day Pearl Harbor is attacked, the actor is found murdered—and he's been carrying mysterious coded messages that suggest this "Christmas spirit" hides something far more dangerous.

As snow blankets the English countryside and Christmas approaches, the Sleuths must unravel a web of theatrical deception, wartime espionage, and long-buried secrets. With a houseful of vulnerable children and a killer still at large, can they solve the mystery before the final curtain falls?

Packed with holiday atmosphere, wartime intrigue, and all the cozy charm you love about Crofter's Green, The Scrooge Conspiracy delivers the perfect blend of Christmas magic and mystery mayhem.

- - -

While preparing this post, I discovered that yet another installment in the series has just been released, which I haven't listened to yet. But as that one too turned out to be available for me for free, I soon will - so I'll include it here with the others:

No 8 - The Valentine Cipher

Crofter’s Green is abuzz with excitement. Seven young couples are preparing to say their vows at a Valentine's Day celebration—an event made even more thrilling by the expected arrival of a very important (and very secret) guest: the most famous woman in the world.

But when the beloved village curate is found dead just days before the ceremony, Harry is called in to investigate what looks suspiciously like murder. Then, in London, Evie and Nigel intercept a Norwegian spy’s cipher—and the dead curate’s name is hidden within it.

As the Homefront Sleuths race to uncover the truth, they're forced to ask: Which of the blushing brides is hiding a deadly secret? And can they stop a plot that could change the course of history—before vows are spoken and lives are lost?

Meanwhile, as love hangs in the air, Evie and Nigel must confront a question that’s far more personal—and one only Valentine’s Day may help them answer.

 - - -

The authors behind the series are Anna Elliott and Charles Veley. When I looked them up, I learned that they are a father & daughter team - and a very productive one. (These are not the first series they've been writing.)

Another thing to be noted, which I find a bit unusual, is that events in the first seven books all take place (in chronological order) in one and the same year: 1941. With No 8, it seems we'll be moving on into 1942, though. If they intend to go on with 6-7 books per year throughout the whole WWII, it's going to be a very long series... 

So far (apart from all the unlikely mysteries concentrated to one little village) my general feeling is that the books probably do reflect a British WWII atmosphere pretty well, though. But then of course, most of my previous concepts about that have also been collected from similar books, films and TV series...

Much Ado about Nothing

 

With all the paraphernalia at hand that I might possibly need, including my new ID card, I sat down at my computer again to make a new attempt to renew my digital "Bank ID". My first impression was that my bank had decided to cut me off completely. I tried my card-reading usb-device first (for a special kind of card from the bank only); but could not log in. I tried my old mobile bank ID (which should still be valid for another 12 days), but could not log in. I tried the bank's other little code device, and could not log in. Now What??  

Then my eyes fell on a small text below the various login choices on the bank website: "Login not possible at the moment." ... A message directed at all customers - not just me... (If that had just then popped up on my screen, or if it had been there all morning without me noticing it, I don't know.)  

So I put off further attempts until after lunch. By then the message was gone, and my first login attempt var successful. I looked up the information about how to renew my Bank ID from the bank website - but still failed to understand from where I was supposed to scan my physical ID card, if asked to do so... 

With a sigh I gave up my resistance to having a bank app on my phone. Installing the banking app  on my phone took only a few seconds, and no trouble to log in with the Bank ID app on the same device. I then just had to press another online button or two - and my digital ID was promptly renewed (for three years) - without any request to see the national ID card that I had recently gone through the trouble of getting... 

So I still don't know how the photo ID scanning part is supposed to work. But just now I don't feel up for further research on that front; as for all I know, it may well change again before I (possibly) find myself needing it. 

For some reason, the song in the video below came to mind (especially the intro), so I looked that up on YouTube instead... ;)

Operator . . . give me . . . information.
Information . . . give me . . . long distance.
Long distance . . . give me . . . Hea. . . ven. 

    

 

Spring Fatigue is in the Air *

Monday and Tuesday have been sunny here, with daytime temperatures around 10'C (50'F). Still no spring flowers to be seen, though - so we're still far behind for example Germany and Britain. And in spite of the relief to be rid of the snow, my main spring feeling so far seems to be tiredness... *

On Monday, I went for a similar walk into town and back as exactly a week ago, although I took a slightly different route. My main goal was again the police station; now to pick up the ID card I applied for last week. 

My knee seemed to be in protesting mood already when I set out, so already a few hundred meters from home I hesitated, and thought of turning around... But I have noticed before that often it actually starts to feel better after a while, so I decided to continue. (I think by now the pain is primarily in certain leg muscles rather than in the knee itself. For which I'm also experimenting with various exercises at home. But as so often, not all easy to find the right balance between activity vs rest...)

This time too it did feel better after a while (and walking slowly). And when I got to the southern end of the city centre, I got on a bus there that took me one stop (a few blocks) closer to the police station. I did not have to wait long there this time, as they had a separate booth open for people just there to collect IDs. (As I suspected, my hair in that photo looks horrible. Hopefully I won't have to use it for too many purposes...)

My second errand was a visit to the only remaining physical photography shop left in town. They recently announced via the local newspaper + social media that they will be retiring and closing the shop towards the end of this year - unless they can find someone willing to take over. That reminded me that I have some boxes of old slides that I've been thinking of perhaps getting transferred to a USB stick. So yesterday I brought one, and asked them to do that for me. They are photos from a journey to Germany way back in 1983. I don't know what condition they are in as I have no working apparatus to view them with any more; so I'll wait until I get that first lot back to I decide if maybe I'll have some more done.

Then I sat down  in the sun on a bench for a little while, to rest and drink some water. Next, I went on to visit a shop selling leatherware - bags and gloves. I was hoping to find a pair of thinner gloves to wear with my walking poles now that it's getting warmer outside. My winter ones are getting too warm, but I still feel I want some kind of gloves with the poles for a good grip. Yesterday I was wearing a pair of cheap garden gloves, but if possible I wanted to find something a little bit more elegant...

And I was happy to find these, with leather on the underside, but a "ventilated" top:

They weren't cheap, but turned out to be included in a 25% off sale, so still a good deal! (No doubt they'll still be too warm in really hot weather. But just now they're perfect.)

Then I walked via part of the city park towards home, stopping for a while at the sculpture shown in yesterday's post. I had had half in mind to perhaps try and catch a bus from the travel center - but arrived at the conclusion (for the umpteenth time) that this wouldn't really save me many steps (if any at all - and no time either). So I walked on... Sat down briefly a couple of more times along the way instead (on a stone wall vs a bench in the cemetery). 

Felt exhausted when I got home, though (even if not really in much "pain") Lay down to rest - and ended up with a two hour afternoon "nap"... *

Still tired today, I just went for a half hour slow walk close to home, including a visit to a small neighbourhood shop for a few fruits & vegs. And I don't think I'll venture much further afield tomorrow either.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Springtime_lethargy

 

 

 

The Singing Sculpture

 

Found a new sculpture/installation in our City Park today. Well - new to me, anyway! But then I have not been passing by that corner of the park for at least five months... 

 

As odd as the thing looks, it sounds even odder. Yes - getting up to closer to it, one can also hear it kind of singing, or humming. 

 

Back home, I tried to seek some info about it, and Google AI obliged. It seems I missed what our local newspaper wrote about it back in early December last year, when it was inaugurated. 

 

It's official title is Currents Cast in Time: Collected Sounds of Borås, and the name of the artist/musician who created it is Jin Mustafa (female, born 1988 in Uppsala, Sweden). The work of art was made specifically for this place. It's made of aluminium and fiberglass, and the sound it gives off is a mix of city sounds recorded along the river. It also lights up from within in the dark - and you're welcome to sit on it and rest for a while, if you like. (I did not, on this occasion.)

 

A variety of this work of art (in the shape of some "singing stones") was first shown at our sculpture biennial in the summer of 2021. But it had to be reconstructed to meet the demands of a more permanent installation. 

 

You can see and and listen to the 2021 version in a blog post of mine from back then:

Smoke, Sticks and the Sound of Stones

 

 

 

Skywatch & Treewatch

 

03/03/2026, 07:08

03/03/2026, 07:19

The two photos above were taken from my kitchen window on Tuesday morning.

Since then, the rest of the week has offered clear blue sky and sunshine, but still some frosty nights. The snow and ice is almost all gone - only a little bit lingering here and there in shadowy places where it was piled up by the snow ploughs.

 In my Wednesday post, I showed a tree in the cemetery being taken down because of Dutch elm disease. The next day, I passed by the same spot again, and below is what remained of the tree trunk then. I don't know if taking down the rest just needs different tools, so will be done later, or if they intend to leave some part of it.

 

 

 

Seeing the bare tree trunk against the sky like that, I was reminded of an alternative solution that I saw last summer when visiting a park in the city of Linköping (click on the link for my full post from there). There they had saved  the trunks of some trees that died from the same disease, and turned those into wooden sculptures:

 

 

 Linking to Skywatch Friday

  

Dutch Elm Disease

 

At last, a clear blue sky again - and combined with no snow/ice on the ground! :) The ground still very soggy in some places though, so I kept to the paved paths on my walk around the nearby cemetery. 

An old tree was in the process of being taken down - no doubt because of Dutch elm disease. which sadly seems to be spreading around here. (Here in Sweden just called almsjuka - elm disease.) Wikipedia informs me that the "Dutch" included in the English name has to do with the disease first being identified in the Netherlands in 1921. It's caused by a fungus spread by bark beetles from one tree to another. And it seems a tree already infected can't be cured, but has to be taken down; while healthy trees might be saved by vaccination, but it's not guaranteed to always be successful.

It's always sad to see mighty old tree giants taken down, even if it is necessary. 

 

ID Adventures Continued

 

As some readers might remember (at least now that  I remind you), last week I found out that in order to renew my "Mobile Bank ID", I first needed to get a physical National ID card (a kind of ID card that I've never needed before). 

So for that purpose, I had booked an appointment today at our local police station - from my point of view situated in a street "across the city centre", and with no really helpful bus connections from where I live. I contemplated taking a taxi, but as the snow is gone and it wasn't really raining (just foggy on the verge of a light drizzle), I decided to walk. It took me about 40 min. My knee felt fairly ok, but I'm still far from "speedwalking"... 

The mural above is on a wall along a sidestreet near the police station. It's been there for a number of years by now, but it's not a place I usually walk by. 

I arrived about 20 min before my 12 o'clock appointment, and checked in digitally on a machine. Just then there were only a few more visitors in the waiting room, but all 'cubicles' seemed to be closed. After a while I came to the conclusion that the staff must be on their lunch break. In the meantime, more people kept arriving, so at 12, when they opened again, all seats in the waiting room were taken, plus a lot of people standing as well. As I had a booked appointment I did not have to wait long after they opened, though. (Most people were probably there to collect previously ordered IDs, which does not require pre-booking.) 

It's been almost a decade since I last visited the police station for a similar errand (then a passport), and my memories of the procedures then are vague. But what somewhat surprised me now was the absence of a couple of items that I would have found helpful: A hook to hang my coat on, and a mirror to at least be able to check my hair before having my photo taken by staring into a blank (but not reflective) screen. Fingerprinting no longer involves ink, and they only wanted my index fingers - but (interestingly) I needed to do one of them thrice before the police office was satisfied. (Do fingerprints wear out with age? Answer at the bottom of the post...) *

 And then of course I had to write my name with a digital pen, which felt oddly clumsy, and made my signature look that too. The officer then briefly showed me what the document was going to look like (too small for me to really see properly) and asked if I was satisfied. I said I was definitely not satisfied with my hair... But probably everyone says that, because he seemed to take that as an acceptance anyway, and told me I'll get a message when I can pick it up (in a week or so)... 

Walking away, I made a mental decision that when my driving license is up for renewal next year, I will make sure to do that. (I don't really drive any more, but it's accepted as ID in most everyday situations, even if not for the digital bank ID. And for the driving license one is still allowed to go to a professional photographer to have one's photo taken... 

The way back home seemed very long. I looked in at the pharmacy for a short errand (some non-prescription stuff), but then decided to see if I could catch a bus part of the way. There is no bus that takes me "all the way" these days, but I managed to catch one that shortened the way a little bit (two stops). With a little detour to a neighbourhood corner shop for some fruit and vegs, I was home again at 1 pm, amost exactly two hours after I left. 

The whole adventure had me so tired that after a quick lunch (microwaved leftovers, and salad from yesterday), I fell asleep for a couple of hours in the afternoon... 

And now it's just about bedtime for real! 

*) AI tells me:  "Yes, fingerprints can wear out or become less distinct with age, largely due to reduced skin elasticity, thinning skin, and the flattening of ridges. While the underlying pattern remains fixed, these changes often make it harder to capture clear prints in older individuals " (And I suppose I have to accept that at age 70, that's what I now am...)

March

 

Sunset photo from 8 March 2025

1st March today, so I'm posting the March photo I chose for my 2026 photo calendar. I've not seen any similar sunset yet this year - but at least the snow is almost completely gone now. 

It's been raining quite a lot instead, though, so lawns and gravel/sand paths around here are very soggy at the moment. I haven't been out much over the weekend, but tomorrow I have to - and am telling myself that I'd better choose properly paved walkways, with no shortcuts across wet lawns! (...which was how I came to fall and injure my knee back in October...)

No family birthdays in March, but a few friends. Remains to be seen if I'll manage to remember to get greetings sent off in time!