Ebbarp 020106

The Mail Has Arrived!

I loved it, I loved it and I loved it!

We have watched it over and over and over again. To begin with, Chris’s fantastic skating. Imagine that a relative of mine can do this! (Stretching proud)

Sweden had a guy called Gillis Grafström around 70 – 80 years ago who won a number of Olympic gold in figure skating, but it has been thin since then. Impressing Chris!

And your family film. That was definitely the best Christmas card I have ever seen. Good Guitar. Yes, that is a very common Swedish expression! Or will be!!!!

Thank you a lot for this film. Today I don’t have the equipment for doing films on cd:s but I am saving to a modern camera. I think it will be a Sony. Per has their top model and it is really good. Just $2200 and it’s mine. The one I have is a rather big thing from the Stone Age and I never use it. The batteries did not work any more so two years ago I bought two new ones when they were on sale. I must admit I have not opened the packages yet.

It shall be fun to read the Farmers Practical and see if it has any similarities with our version. The one we have is not one that comes out annually, it is an old book and I do not think any news comes into it.

7 feet of snow in Buffalo! I am impressed and terrified for the people who live there. The only thing in the neighbourhood of so much snow that has happened in Sweden was three years ago in Gävle, 200 km north of Stockholm. I don’t think they got 7 feet, but it was impossible to leave – or enter – the city for three days. People could not go out on the streets. There were no streets visible. The cars were somewhere below the snow. It was hell. And it must have been worse in Buffalo.

We never lost the current this time, but on many other places they did. Up to 12.000 households lost it up to three days. It was very bad where we live some years ago. We used to say if someone farted outside, we would loose the electrical power! But I think they have broaded the power streets since then, it is now a long time since last time. They are also insulating the wires but it is thousands and thousands of miles with wires, so they estimate it will take up to 20 years (!) before it is all done.

The longest period we have been without electricity was after a very serious storm (you should have seen the forest afterwards) in the winter of 1981. We got it back after 21 hours and it was –2°C in the freezer when it came back. It shall be –18°C.

On New Years Eve the temperature fell to –18°C (a perfect freezer with other words). The day after we had +4°C and a heavy rain! Next day it was –18°C again! Strange. Guess what this did to “my” ski tracks? They are not made of snow anymore they are made of ice. Yesterday I made the fastest 15km I have ever made. So, today, it was plus degrees again. The last of the snow was ice. It was like skiing on a frozen waterfall in the down hills. Bambi on slippery ice that was I! It was really dangerous. I fell in down hills (several times) where I have never fallen before. I just did 5 km and went home. I decided that next time I ski, is AFTER next snowfall.

The TV-news behind me just came with terrible news. A 15-year-old pilot student in Tampa, Florida, took off with a little air plain without his teacher and crashed into a high building. Just like September 11^th.

Marianne said that that date has changed her life. Money, possessions, now you can see how much they are worth. It is only people around you, which mean anything she say. I guess that is right.

Thank you again for the very fine family film and Good Guitar from all of us!    

Anders