Gotland...continued

So...didnt get round to updating the blog for a while. You forget one little thing and before you know it people are on your back! Anyway. The cycling trip was really really good. We did caving...almost did kyaking...cycled over 350km and had a really good time. I got a great tan, and came back feeling like i had one of the best holidays i have had in a while. I think Taras felt the same...but i am not sure he would do it again. I certainly would. Anyway, enjoy some of the pictures. Now.....to plan my english channel swim!!

GOTLAND on BIKE: Getting ready

So departure day is nearing. Spent a day getting in some supplies with Taras. We both needed the saddle bags, and i treated myself to a super lightweight camping tent. It folds up tiny...great for packing onto the bike and only weighs 2.1kg.


I wonder why my bike looks slightly more loaded than Taras bike??? I have to say i am rather pleased with the bags i got too. 36Litres each side.


We had a practise set up of the tent in the garden as well. Just wanted to get it all figured out so that we dont look a complete pair of plonkers at the camp sites!! Its not the biggest tent in the world, but so long as we dont fall out we should be OK.

Funny night out

This has to be one of the funniest photos during a night out!?

Camping weekend

It was how this blog started...way back...and we said we would do it again soon. Well now, three years later we finally got round to it? Went camping on one of the islands of the east coast of Sweden...just below Stockholm. Very nice it was too.

It was not a long walk to the camping site...but the little trolley that Jonas fetched made it a whole lot easier!!

The sandy beach was a surprise (to me at least) and very nice it was too! There is not that many like this in Sweden to my knowledge?

If only this trailer trash tramp had not followed us and started creating trouble (he even won at our poker game god damn it!)

Anyway...looking forward to next time! Hopefully I wont have to wait three years again.

What a bloody idiot

Nothing to say...just feel my pain.

Are we still the same?

Have we changed anything from these heady days? Any picture evidence to the contrary would be usefull!

Test and Drive

Finally got to go on a fabled test and drive day at Scania. We had two scanias, including a V8, and new TGX, a new Actros, and a couple of rigids. Managed to drive both Scanias, the Merc and the TGX during the day. My favorite was the TGX. I like the interior. For a barnd new interior it may not be the biggest step....it is the most modern for me though. It has the i want one factor for me. Although i know not everybody at work agrees. Never mind. I am right and that is all that matters. The day was great fun, although i wish there had been more tricky driving. Saw a slick piece of reversing by a 24metre logging truck that i wish i got a picture of too. I want to drive trucks more!!!!

Söder reunion

Well, after Rob and Marc finally got here...after missing their flight, and sending me and paul on a 400km journey to pick them up....we had a good weekend. The weather was pretty good, and we had a fine time supping beer in södertälje and stockholm. Some highlights include the bumblebee man, the girl with one leg (optical illusion), the woman walking her cat, as well as pauls unbelievable poker win. The grand prix on the other hand was crap. Although we must not forget the 3 day taxi journey back from stockholm..."where are you really from?" We stopped at a cafe on the way and had a coffee...with the taxi driver?

Lost in Translation

This sign at Stockholm Arlanda airport makes me giggle every time i see it. So your pet must have travel documents and a guide dog, otherwise it cant come. What if your pet aint blind?

Easter weekend!!

Sweden or not....i am pretty sure it isnt supposed to snow this hard in the tail end of march?

Poker night

Poker night was great fun...and thanks to everybody who came. I am a bit disappointed that i didnt win of course, but congrats must go to Juan. Our clear winner, and reciever of over 700SEK in cold hard cash. I really look forward to next time!

New Wheels

Finally got my nice shiny new wheels for the beetle. Took longer than i hoped....who ever heard of 20cm of snow in easter?? Anyway...a very happy young man i am now. I think they should last about two to three months, before i come down to find it on bricks in the morning!

Old apartment

Was looking through some of my old pictures, and found these from my old apartment in Gothenburg. I sooo miss this view!!

HOJAB parking

Apparently paying for a ticket and displaying it the windscreen is not enough. It appears you have to come down and scrape the ice off your windscreen all night...because if you dont it just might be that the parking attendant idiot wont bother either and will just write you a ticket saying "it was not visible". Perhaps I should actually wait by the car all night and actually point the ticket out to him...since he abviously cannot see further than his own nose! So, now that HOJAB have decided that my ticket, photos, and explanation are not good enough, they are going to demand payment. So, with NO way to prove that I am innocent (it does just come down to my word against the attendants), I MUST pay. Well thats fair.

I dont care about all these people who perhaps should not have got a ticket and dont want to pay. I POINT BLANK should not have got a ticket.

I find it hard to contain here my anger towards the parking attendant at HOJAB Parkeringsservices. Perhaps Hojab should look at employing people with eyes to check for tickets...or people with brains....or just even human beings would be enough!

Why should i bother paying for a ticket and displaying it now. It appears that you can just get a penalty anyway, and there is absolutely fuck all that you can do about it.

Thank you legal system! Good job!

Another friend

Friends with a Californian spec beetle. Side markers, smaller bumper plate and no fog lamps.

That was quick

I waited weeks to see plate 002, but 003 and 004 have came very quickly after. I am looking forward to seeing 005 now, as 006 parks outside my house.

BIGGER GEEK!!!

OK...now things have sunk to a new low. I have now become addicted to a number plate spotting game. Basically you have to spot all the number plates from 001 to 999 in order. After being introduced to the game by ingrid, i spotted my first plate (001 which i unfortunatly did not get a picture of) within 5 minutes. The rest are proving much harder though. Its actually surprisingly difficult. This in no way takes away from how sad this is!! I dont care though...i am ahead of ingrid!!

GEEK!

OK, I know that this is really sad....but hey, I bought a beetle so what do you expect! But when I am in work all day, i thought my little beetle might want a friend.

Svenska

Ok, jag hoppas at det har går bra, men jag vet inte. Hello från Allan till min lärare Charlotte! Du kan sager om min svensk är skit.

I am not looking forward to learning jsut how bad the swedish above is....spelling mistakes...grammer mistakes....HEY...MY SPEAKING HAS IMPROVED LOADS!!

Oh Brother

I came across this video today and remembered that i promised my brother i would add it to my blog. Enjoy!! For those who dont know....this is being done only for the cringing it will create!!!

Home

The drive back home after new year wasnt the simplest. The conditions were not end of the world bad, but were also not the kind you want when you are looking at a 450Km journey. Saw a couple of breakdowns (thought i was going to have one myself), and a jacknifed truck. Got back just fine though.

Xmas and New year

Had a great christmas in Sundsvall with Klara and her family. The beetle had its work cut out getting us their though with all the christmas presents!!

Ate loads of great food...and i mean loads, spent tons of time just lounging around, and also went out sledging a couple of times. New year was good as well with loads of food and fireworks. The highlight of the whole visit however was Santa Clauses visit on xmas eve. I laughed so much my face hurt!!!

Parking scum

God do i HATE parking attendants. You pay for 24 hours parking, the ticket is in your windscreen....it frosts over night and instead of scraping the windscreen some moron just writes a ticket. The ticket was in the window...so what else can i assume? A blind parking attendant...a mean parking attendant...a joke parking attendant?? Now if they dont remove the fine the only way i can possibly get this corrected is to go to court. Its just f#cking stealing money. And before anybody starts writing in....yes i know i dont hate all parking attendants, just the f*cking morons who do this sh*t. I do hate all twat faced parking companies though.

AND JUST SO WE ARE CLEAR. The car was parked correctly in a parking space. A full 24 hours of parking was paid for (the ticket came after only 6 hours of this). The ticket was placed in the windscreen. F*cking theft.