Fishy mussly, or what d’ya call it, dear?

This is another running post. Sort of.

You see a lot when running a morning round. Some weeks ago, the local squad for cleaning up the area from scrap that people just dump obviously went “fishing” in Motala Ström, close to Industrilandskapet i Norrköping.

They found loads of bicycles and a shopping cart, among other things. But not enough with that. On both bikes and shopping cart there were numerous mussels to be found. So…. maybe we should start with mussel breeding in Norrköping? New locally produced  food?

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Midsummer morning run

Aside

This morning it was time to take a run around town, about 5 to 6 k. It was beautiful sunshine, and Norrköping showed it’s best side.

I stopped for taking some pictures at Carl Johan park, not far away from the railway station. The annual cacti plantation was almost ready, only a few rows were missing. It is Sweden’s oldest cacti plantation, a nice tradition, especially for cacti nerds like me.

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Happy Midsummer, everyone!

Rainy discovery run

Originally, the plan was to go to the country side this weekend. The weather gods convinced us to stay at home, though, and instead take care of other stuff, inside.

I started yesterday by going for a 7,5 km morning run. And it became one of the nice discovery runs. When approaching home again (by then it was pissing down with rain), I went past the old water reservoir tower, close to the football arena in Norrköping.

About five years ago the tower had been converted to mini-flats for students. There are 12 floors with four small flats per floor, and you can go up to the roof top as well. Usually you need a door code for getting in there, which I obviously don’t have.

Yesterday, though, all entrance doors were wide open. I didn’t meet or see anyone, so after a bit of hesitating I took the elevator up to the roof top in order to see what it looks like.

I got rewarded with beautiful views over a rainy Norrköping. The tenants have a nice communal outside space with two barbecue grills up there, a dream for students at least in my eyes. Can I be twenty years younger, get a flat there and join the party??

Here are some pictures of yesterday’s mini adventure.

Rain run.

I was tired all day today and really forced my way out to run. It became about 6,5 km.

Weather? No, let’s really not talk about it. But if you have to know – grey, rain and 7 centigrade plus, feeling like no more than 3 degrees plus…

And of course, Murphy strikes again, as soon as you put one step out of the door, it starts pouring down with rain.

But which runner is defeated by rain?! Ha!! Off you go, running in the rain, glasses halfway steamed up from your body temperature, and the rest of the eyesight wiped away by rain drops. Blind running would also have been a great title for this post! 😉

However, in the end the stubbornness wins and even gets rewarded – by sunshine during the stretching session! Win!!!!

Win against the elements, and against the tiny little devil inside wanting you to stay lazy at home on the sofa 😉 .

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View from the sit-up-exercise-park-bench!

 

#45 of #blogg100

Running experience on a sunny evening

In the evenings I usually manage to run longer than on a morning. So today it were just above 12k on the “running clock”. Spontaneously as well, since I planned to “only” run 10k.

Route

As usual, there are the little things that make you laugh and glad during a run – if you have an eye on your environment and see things, that is. My highlight of the day was a young couple in their twenties that overtook me at some point. My pace was pottering pace, slow, in other words, really slow and relaxed.

The sun was shining on the young ladies running tights, and one could say that the fabric wasn’t exactly hiding everything beneath. On the contrary. Without effort one could identify a black string tanga, and of course the (and admittedly nicely shaped) moon of hers. The young man obviously didn’t mind the sight either, since he was either beside her, or just about behind her behind.

At some point they fell back for checking the running app on the ladies phone, and I overtook them again. Then they took up the pace again and one could hear her saying “I think we do now as it says, and it says 400m in slow tempo.” Said that and overtook me again, with quite some speed. So, slow is definitely relative, just so you know!

Anyway, I should thank them, since they made me laugh, and thus gave me extra energy. They also showed me a new part of the route, which made me run longer in the end. Today is so far the longest I have run outside a competition, and although I felt the body afterwards, I could have continued. That is quite a nice feeling, given the fact that today the letter with the Göteborgsvarvet-information came – with starting group and time.

Let’s hope everything continues going to plan with training! I am a bit worried about my friend, though, who I am supposed to take up this challenge with, since she got a few problems with foot and back. On the other hand, we still have a month left, so maybe (hopefully!) things will be alright.

Good night!

#41 of #blogg100

Getting lost, exploring

Running again. Friday afterwork run. A short one, I thought. Max 5k. It was great weather outside, with some early spring sunshine and warmth, blue sky and a few centigrades on the plus side.

Yep, and I really blame the weather. After about 3 kilometres it was so nice outside that I got the idea that one could try and see where this other way leads to, the turn I didn’t take the other day.

And then it happened. I took a turn which made that I ran far longer than expected. 5k were so out of the window, but it was a very pleasant feeling!

Back home I mapped out my way on Runkeeper, and yep, just over 10k it became. Very unexpected, and very enjoyable. longrun

That’s what I like about Norrköping, there are still new running routes to explore, and you know you are lost when you are out of town almost ;-).

Happy weekend, everyone, and do like the duckies I met at Motala Ström – enjoy the sunshine!

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#11 of #blogg100

 

A totally new meaning of blog(g)100

Last Friday the world’s oldest (known) blogger was guest at Skavlan, the most popular Scandinavian Talkshow.

Her name is Dagny Carlsson, and she started blogging at the age of 100 years. Now or never, one could translate her motivation. When she was younger, she didn’t dare to put her dream of becoming a writer into action, and also, when she was young, women did not have the same possibilities as today. Another fact is that today’s technique makes it easy to write and publish online. It is amazing that Dagny at this high age tackles modern technique and starts blogging. But as she says in the interview at Skavlan, the biggest hinder in life is oneself.

For that, Dagny is a real inspiration to many of us, an example of “It is never too late” and “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”. Not to mention the detail that she at her age is a walking Wikipedia of history. She remembers a lot about the old times and writes about it on her blog.

The old times were NOT better, she emphasizes. So I’d say, let’s just do what we want to do – it is not sure that we get the chance to become 100 years old, so that we then can start realising our dreams. Let’s start NOW.

Another advice she gives is “Be curious!”. For her, blogging has an important social function – she meets a lot of people online and offline. She does not know anyone her age, all old friends passed away. She has a younger sister who is over 90 years old, the only family that is left. She never had children of her own, since she first married a guy who loved alcohol too much. The second one, who she spent over 50 years with, she met at the age of 40. Then she was too old for children, she thought. After she left her first husband, she went to Norrköping and became a “konfektionstekniker”, someone who is an expert in fabrics, patterns, sewing technique – an important role in the textile and clothing manufacturing industry, even today. Norrköping was at that time still Sweden’s Manchester with loads of textile industry and many women were employed there. (The concert hall Louis de Geer I went to yesterday is a part of the old, now totally rebuilt industrial area.)

Dagny has by now more than 1 million followers, and this is her blog:
http://www.123minsida.se/Bojan/ 

If you understand Swedish, then you can watch and listen to this interview with Dagny:

#6 of 100

An afternoon with SON, Bruckner and Jurowski

This afternoon it is time for the second last concert in our subscription with Norrköping’s Symphony Orchestra (or SON – “Symfoniorkester Norrköping”).

Since we luxuriously enough live a 15-minute-walk away from the home of one of the main Scandinavian orchestras’ home, it is almost obligatory to go and listen.

This afternoon, Michail Jurowski, a very well known Russian conductor will lead the complete concert of Anton Bruckner‘s 5th symphony – a piece of about 80 minutes length.

This will probably be the longest classical concert I listened to and I am actually looking forward to it! (I remember a situation during university where I successfully avoided Wagner’s opera “Tannhäuser” which is on for more than 4 hours with intermissions.)

Wagner and Bruckner lived during the same time. What I noticed when I read about Bruckner’s 5th symphony is, that it has been written during the same time as the early years of our old railway station in Grythyttan, which we try to renovate. The composing periods where 1875 – 1878 and 1877 – 1878.

It will be fun to listen to some music from that time period! Grythyttan’s station master will not have been able to enjoy the music at home, though. The phonograph was only invented in 1877, and Bruckner’s 5th did not get recorded until 1937.

On Youtube one finds some nice introductions to the piece, like this one, played by Leipzig Gewandhaus orchestra conducted by the famous Herbert Blomstedt, who by the way was principal conductor in Norrköping between 1954 and 1962.

Enjoy the music!

#5 of 100

Norrköping Walkabout

Today the BF suggested to take a loooong walk through our town, Norrköping. And yep, off we went, almost 10 km from South to East and West of town. We discovered a few new sights and places, and it was a real pleasure to be able to enjoy all the Christmas lights in a halfway decent weather. You must know, it has been pissing down with rain most of the days, and November was a month with only a few hours of sun. December hasn’t shown much of an improvement for that matter either. But never mind, let’s focus on the nice things in life!

Follow the link and join us on our Sunday afternoon Norrköping Walkabout!

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Route10 km in 2,5 hours, if anyone is interested. A great round for runners as well!

Norrköping Sunday Morning Walk

Having been bed bound during almost the entire last week due to a nice office flu, I was very happy to finally get out into sunshine and fresh air. Time for a Sunday morning walk through Norrköping, between about 09.15 and 11.15, before the shops open and the city really comes to life. The camera accompanied me, and I took it veeery easy during the almost 7 km long stroll through town. Partly because of the nice weather, but definitely because not all the nice germs left the body yet. So join me on the rest of a lazy Sunday, maybe checking out the pics I took today.

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Flimmer!

Last week it was time for the annual film festival in Norrköping – Flimmer! The festival was organised for the 15th time this year.

These are the movies we saw – a good mix as you can see, and all very much recommendable!

Cykla med Molière

Inequality for all

Good Vibrations

In a world…

A River Changes Course

Hot Flashes

Big Sur

Pics from the CNEMA-sessions

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Norrköping in autumn colours

Last weekend we had best autumn weather ever. Here are some impressions in pictures of an Indian summer afternoon.

Footie for the win!

With excitement we follow this year’s European Championship of ladies’ football which takes place in Sweden. One of the places the teams play is Norrköping, and so we went to see the second semi-final last Thursday. Norway played Denmark. It was a match with ups and downs, not at last due to the first goal being scored by Norway in the first five minutes, and the equalising one coming from Denmark during the last five minutes of regular match time.
So the match went into extra time.  Most of the audience appreciated that, however, somehow the security guards placed out around the arena did not seem to be overly impressed by the fact that they needed to spend at least half an hour more on their positions…
Anyway, since Denmark played stronger, it was fair enough. Norway won in the end on penalties. The otherwise catching-it-all Danish goalie definitely wasn’t at her best that night, which was a shame. The German Denmark fans who were sitting behind us during the match would certainly agree on that. Their “Denmark! Denmark! Goooo” is still ringing in my ears.

Anyway, after the match all the Norwegian players came to our corner where we sat. Their families were sitting there during the match, the other noisy group apart from the German Denmark fans. But oh how proud they were! Some pics from the event:

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The text on his t-shirt says “real men watch women’s football!” So true! I was actually quite disappointed when I noticed how many of my otherwise footie-crazy German friends didn’t even seem to know that this tournament is taking place. Well, they might have noticed by now since the German ladies play Norway in the final in Stockholm tomorrow afternoon. My odds are on Norway, though!