Hello faithful readers!

I am writing this while lying on the sofa after a really hectic few months. After a wonderful South African holiday I went straight into the creation, organisation and teaching of a a two-week intensive English course in the Swedish Riksdag (Parliament), followed by a visit from my best friend from school (we have known each other since we were nine years old) at the same time as I was doing the final move out of my old apartment and renting to a new tenant.

I loved our South African holiday – we spent lots of quality time together and I loved seeing my family and my homeland after so many years apart.

Then it was back to Sweden for my annual two-week intensive English course in the Swedish Parliament (8 hours a day for ten days) – where there were, as usual, many Filofaxes.

I work primarily in the Swedish Riksdag (Parliament) and government as a language specialist and I love every single minute of it.

On the final day of the two-week course my best friend from school came to visit for five days.

We did a variety of things – went serious clothes shopping like when we were teenagers, had lovely meals in restaurants, did some touristy things (the Stockholm Old Town, the Bridges of Stockholm boat tour) and just sat and laughed like when we were young.

Linda also helped me do the final packing to rent out my apartment. The cats and I have been living permanently with my boyfriend since April or so, but I only rented out the flat I own from 1 September. I thus had to get the last of my things out and do a huge clean. Kudos to Linda who spent two days of her holiday helping us. I had lived in that apartment longer than I had lived anywhere else (18 years) so it was really nice to move somewhere else.

Stockholm has an enormous shortage of housing so it seemed unfair to have two places to stay when other people had none. So I rented my apartment out to the boyfriend of one of my clients, who needed somewhere to stay.

There is now a lull in the world of Swedish politics until after the results of the election (which is being held today), when a new government will be formed.