Vinterviken; moving Derby style

I have been busy almost every minute since getting to Stockholm.
The league is starting a new intake of fresh skaters.
Plus there are bouts coming up and many hours of practice.
Also a small group of skaters started Jam skating practice.

There has been a little bit of snow.
There have been some warm sunny days.
Small spring flowers like crocus, snow drops and daffodils are blooming.

Before Wednesday night practice, I helped a few derby girls move.
They are living in a crazy big, fancy house.
Out on Vinterviken, which was once the site of Nobel's factories.
(inventor of dynamite, gift of the Nobel prize)
There is also a book and movie named Vinter Viken.
I love getting to see places in Stockholm I have never seen.

The owner left some interesting choices behind, a photo of the King and Queen of Sweden (in one of the four bathrooms), a large painted family portrait, bits of furniture; including a grand piano.
Five roller derby skaters will be filling up this beautiful house, and the rest of us might just help out to take up some patio space when summer arrives.
Two of the bedrooms are easily the size of my living room.
We moved two of the girls out, one had a handy elevator to help with moving her boxes.

This weekend is our Roller Derby Bout (B team) in Göteberg.

and then the time comes to say farewell

I want to buy the house across the street. (Although I would want the price to come down, so we could rent it out).
Because as you see there are huge trees, the largest trees in the neighborhood all around the property. Those trees get credit for all the diverse bird life I get to see. I notated 14 species of bird, and 2 new species that were in our yard daily.
So- if anyone wants to give me a job, I can start saving up to be the lorax of our neighborhood trees.

I will miss the food of Tasmania. Such a small place to have so much produce and small farms that grow saffron, wasabi, walnuts, countless types of cheese, bakeries, coffee roasters, breweries, and vineyards.

I am sad to leave and happy to leave all at the same time.
An embarrassment of riches as the cliché states.

Well this is the first time finished, so next time I will be more prepared.
All of this is new territory in my life- dividing my time between two countries that even ten years ago I barely knew existed.

This weekend I will be in Stockholm.
Monday night will be try outs for new skaters.
Tuesday night is jam skating.
Wednesday night is normal practice.
Thursday is off skate training.
Saturday is extra scrimmage training for the upcoming bout.

Yes!

"you got me huffing and puffing like a choo-choo train..."

For lack of other inspiration, Zok and I took his niece on some bush walks.
She lives in Victoria, in a suburb- where there is not an abundance of these types of walks in her neighborhood.
I was feeling appropriately appreciative of Tasmania under this revelation.
I of course mostly think of 'Australia' as 'Tasmania' but Tasmania is an exception to many of the generalizations one can make about Australia.

I noticed today that I had set out nineteen pairs of shoes to take to Sweden.
Obviously my want versus the weight restrictions of the airlines are going to have to line up. I am expecting this to be a painful process.

Fitta is the word for vagina in Swedish

Now that the very long, black corridor in MONA is hung with artwork that is no longer the vagina casts, I felt compelled to write an 'ode to'.

When the museum first opened its doors, two exhibits were spoken of a lot.
The very large 'Snake' by an Australian artist Sidney Nolan.
(Below is a link to an article about the piece and the artist)
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/years-on-nolans-masterpiece-finally-uncoiled/story-e6frg6nf-1225979664721

And- the long wall of vagina casts.
http://www.quadrant.org.au/magazine/issue/2011/4/mona-s-brutal-banality

There are times that I am happy I never took too many classes about Art, because I do enjoy having enough ignorance to not have to over think my trips to museums.
So here is my take on the long wall of 150 plaster casts of various aged women's vaginas- I think they are excellent.
Growing up in the United States, and also my time in Australia leads me to believe that true nudity can not be over rated. With the amount of easily accessible porn, whether fashion porn or porn directed at the male audience, there is very little shown of unaltered real life nudity.
I am definitely the Aunt who will take her friends teenage daughters on their first trip to a sex shop, and leave behind a copy of 'Our Bodies Ourselves'.
I loved the idea of all those school aged Tasmanian girls and boys going to MONA and having the vagina wall there.
I hope they bring it back soon.
I also wonder- where is the collection housed 'off season'?

"...now you got the right records...and you got the right shoes...you look so good...but that's all you do..."

In the time I have been back in Tasmania, most of the art in MONA has changed.
Of course this makes the fact that I have gone four times in three months make a lot more sense.
Recently Zok and I took one of his nieces. This was her first museum visit.

I am busy getting ready to return to Stockholm.
My calendar is already full starting from the day I land.
I feel as if I am on the cusp of some new life change.

I planted a new kangaroo paw plant.
Pink paw.
I didn't know that kangaroo paw came in that color.

"Well, I tried to make it Sunday but I just got so damned depressed that I set my sights on Monday..."

Early on in my time here on the small island, I learned that I had to trick myself.

I cannot put into words the feeling I get, knowing that I can spend days, or weeks without talking to another person.
Yes, sure, I can talk to the woman at the post office. Even just this week I know that she has just come back after two weeks of vacation, which she spent here locally, and that she has children.
But this is not exactly a exchange of ideas, I don't really consider it a true conversation.

I am not even here alone for any long period of time, but the unhappiness that started to creep into my psyche the last time I was- is still malingering.

I knew this, I knew I was coming off a week of good conversation and house guests. Zok was leaving for a tour. I saw the potential-
So I made plans, I made appointments, I wrote a list of goals.
I went to Roller Derby practice, and all was good.
I hung out after practice at the pub.
Then the next day I tried to upgrade my operating system-without first backing up my computer.
Then this caused me to be a bit late leaving my house for my appointment, which was then going to be followed by a nice day out with some friends.
Then my car wouldn't start.
A few other small hassles happened and now Friday has become almost the next Friday and I can't tell you what I did with those days.
I slept.
A lot.
I cleaned.
A little.
I read one or two books.
I read some letters, I wrote some replies.
I ate.
Very little.
I drank.
Maybe, too much.

Perhaps by not having a winter- I missed some needed hibernation.
Maybe, I have good physical health, but sometimes get a sick mental-state week.

I can't quite see myself clear yet- but perhaps sharing is the first step.