Early summer and a new phase in life

Rikard
18 June, 2026
aerial shots / Bohuslän / Drone photgraphy / Göteborg (Gothenburg) / Labradoodle / Lindholmen / Old cars, trucks and tractors / Orust / Sannegården / Summer in Sweden
0 Comments

Retirement – a new phase in life. No longer employed, no longer selling my time to the corporation. I’m not acclimatised to the idea yet, it feels a lot like being on holidays. The fact of not going back to work, EVER, is a concept that has not yet sunk in. The great thing is that it’s early summer and the days are long and warm and life is easy – this was the right time to go.

It’s taking some time to find a rhythm. The weeks rush by and I am dragged along with them. Spring is intense and full of activity as our minds and bodies thaw out after a cold, dark winter.

Most weekends are spent on Orust. This spring there has been plenty to do clearing up after the big trees came down, two pushed over by the storm in April, and one succumbing to Rolle Polle’s mighty chainsaw. We have wood to last decades, but it needs to be chopped up, stacked and dried (which may also take decades). The debris that cannot be chopped and stored is burnt. We’ve lit bonfires on rainy days and the massive trees are now a mere pile of ash.

We’re not the only ones who are busy. It’s time for the local wildlife to procreate and secure the future of their species. Small birds, nesting in our bird boxes, fly back and forth with their beaks full of tasty insects to feed their young ones. Fascinating to observe, and attempt to photograph. I followed a couple of Flycatchers sharing the burden and taking turns at bringing home the bacon.

Anna had corrective surgery on her foot in April and has been hopping around on crutches. She is not one to sit still for long, particularly at the summer house, but it slowed her down a bit.

In town life has moved out on the terrace again when the sun is shining. We prepared for Göteborgsvarvet (the Gothenburg half marathon) with drinks and nibbles on the terrace before heading down to the sidelines to cheer on the thousands of runners that pass our neighbourhood, including Pontus and Edde.

The following weekend it was time for the Gothenburg Classic Car Show at Lindholmen, a short walk from home. Thousands of cars and car paraphernalia spread over the old shipbuilding area by the river. Big crowds of (mostly) men in their greyish years made it difficult to get close to the vehicles, particularly the ones inside the huge halls.

Next is midsummer, a very Swedish holiday full of nostalgia and anxiety, particularly about the weather.