...first fall was new, now watch the summer pass, so close to you."

All the trees are changing.  Green leaf to color, or fruit back to seed.

I had autumns in Tasmania where I thought I might never see such autumn colors again.  Because as usual I underestimate the amount of change in my life.  Does my constant propensity to believe that all of life in contained within the day you are living, make me more open to adventure or less?  Zok and I tend to say things like "I miss Tasmania, but these leaves are very pretty." As if the two are mutually exclusive, which we are living proof they are not.

 

 

 Zok left for America in time to miss our rollerderby bout.  We wanted yet underestimated the amount of people who came.  We had over double the amount of our pre-sold tickets.  The rent on the hall is so high that profit is a bit prohibitive, but of course having a great game, with teams fairly matched, and a large audience can only help build STRD as a league.

Of course it was a lot of work, and I was fairly shattered by the end.

Our committees never seem to think of every detail and there is always a large mistake (or two) made.

Roller Derby is like having a job with no guidance.

(and no pay)

STRD won against Malmo.  This week they go abroad to London to play a game there.  Then there is Berlin- http://trackqueensbattleroyal.com/

Followed by another home bout.  Zok is away for both those events as well.  Which gives me unhindered time but not energy because thinking of the schedule makes me want to hide in a pile of those pretty autumn leaves.

 

"...who wants to live forever..."

I do not think even I appreciate how much time and effort is volunteered to make Roller Derby bouts happen.

Even though I have been part of that work force many times now.

Eighteen or so of us went over to Finland to play a bout last weekend.

That was just us- the visiting team- the league there had to organize and put the bout together.

This month we have a home bout so I will be on the other side of this situation.

Of course I have put many hours in already.

If you read this blog, you know that a couple of years ago my hope of playing in an organized league was very low.

I would sit and scheme and wish I could find just five women to help make it all happen.

Now Hobart has not one but two working leagues and here I am playing around Europe.

That is pretty strange.

Roller Derby is one of those subcultures is very difficult to explain to those not involved and if you are involved then any story I want to tell...you already know.

 

...after all it ius a great big world...with lots of places to run too

STRD our Bteam (my team) played a game against the league in Tampere, Finland.

There is a very large ferry that travels regularly between a city near Tampere and Stockholm.  Cabin sleep four, so the price for our trip was pretty low.  Traveling to play a game always has a bit of a trajectory that involves nervous energy, on the way out, and a sort of hazy hung over, feeling of dulled nerves on the way back.

One must travel, pay the way, and slog gear to play opportunities for games that come up- because why else do we put in so much time? If not to actually bout?

I always have fun.  I have had almost six whole months of training.  In Tasmania we were basically making it up as we went along- other than what I learned in Geelong or a guest coach.  I am satisfied that I got the opportunity to see if I could be a good player.

I am however, decidedly average.  On a less competitive scale I think this might be okay- but I will have to think through what is the best way forward when I am back in Tasmania.

"I'll light the fire...and you put the flowers in the jar..."

I think that Zok and I may have had grand plans- for moving the furniture to rearrange the rooms but in the end we simply filled up empty spaces.

Actually Zok moved his desk- to the other side of his office but he plans to move it back.

 

The cold seems a bit sharper each day.

We went for dinner and our friends Smashed and Calavera made traditional Swedish food.  I suppose because of me and my vegetarian ways mine was a bit more modern.

I did not get a good photo.  I was really tired from a couple of committee meetings which followed Sunday scrimmage and this is my excuse.  But- I had veggie meatballs, with vegetarian gravy, mashed potatoes that were re-baked with cheese on top and fresh ligon berries.  I felt as if many a sad Thanksgiving meal was erased by my tasty food.  

Tomorrow I go to Finland a city called Tamprere for a Roller Derby match.  Their b-team has played together much longer than ours- however as I always mention- I have so much fun that win or lose I am happy.

Zok and I have been in Stockholm now for six months now, and we are both homesick for Tasmania.

I know it is strange to love a place and the people that live there and still miss another place while being in love with the first- but that is what we feel.  Zok has been so, so busy with work- that Tasmania will be a well deserved rest.

We still can't find a bakery near by that we like, so Zok makes pancakes- all the time.

But I am not complaining.

 

...pictures hanging in the hallway...and the fragments of a song...

Certain things depress me- I don't know why- or I do know but I do not want to really explore or explain where the sentiment comes from.

Bad hotels are one of these things.  I can take a cheap, David Lynch hotel much better than I can take a fairly high priced hotel with no regard for its inhabitants.  By this I mean thin towels, worn out beds, cheap materials, windows that do not open, windows that look onto alleys, noise, bad carpeting, grout that looks mildewed, no ventilation- well I could go on and on. I believe I have stayed at some of the worst and also some of the best hotels.

Zok and I experienced both the good and the bad on our trip.

We also stayed at a friends summer home.  The house is a converted social hall.  So the space is open and the ceilings high.

There was coffee, good records, and a dvd collection.

I sort of just wanted to stay right there, but this was the beginning of our trip and I also needed to recognize that my wanting to stay stemmed from my feeling that I have not been home enough this year.

Perhaps I only have six months of the busy city living in me at a time.

Sometimes I wish I had friends nearby of the same age so I could check in and see if I am particularly lazy...

Or do I do too much?

Am I allowed to be tired when I am not a breeder?

 

...keys that jingle in your pocket...words that jangle in your head...

The island of Gotland is pretty small if you are driving.

We decided to just sleep in Visby though.

Zok and I were out of our element though, and I think we could not fully appreciate the island.  There are many ruins.  Visby itself is a walled city (not as pretty to my opinion as Chester).  The wall still has over forty towers, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.  The wall unlike Chester can not be walked upon.  The whole thing is about 4 kilometers.  The churches have parts that are from the 1200s, our hotel had parts from the 14th century.

The ruins are older than that.  This is not a time in history that I am knowledgeable of- so most of my reading ending in my thinking 'Gee that is old'.

As we were there at the very end of August, even the museums were closed.  We did stop as some Viking areas, stone markers, ring stones ala Stonehenge.  But Zok was really focused on his 'Loppis' quest.

No road sign was too small to go off road for a look.

...why did summer go so quickly? was it something you said?...

I have come to Sweden almost each year since I met Zok in 2000.

Usually I would come here because due to his work schedule, which is less 'touring' per say as working at the various European festival shows that happen each week in Sweden from about March through August.  

This year he was particularly busy though working at over forty festivals.

I now understand that his only chance of a real Summer is to be in Tasmania from January.  He is too busy otherwise, and he does not have good weather luck.  We just took a long, a very long drive from Stockholm down to Malmö, where we dropped off some band backline.

Then we continued up the east coast- over to Öland, then took the ferry to Gotland.  Zok had this idea to go 'loppis' shopping.

Loppis means thrift store, garage sale, and sometimes antique shop.

One never really knows what following loppis signs will bring.

Gotland is supposed to be jam packed with people all summer.

I do know a lot of people who go there around mid-summer.

Apparently come September first, the island is a ghost town.

We had a hard time finding places that were open although we still ended up with a lot of loot.

I didn't really believe that there would be loppis stores all around, I thought maybe the red cross variety in towns that we were passing though, but no- many people have them permanently- somewhere on their property.  In barns, small sheds that look like doll houses, or just on the lawn.

We bought a large bookcase, three chairs, a smaller bookcase.  Zok found the rest of the outdoor furniture he wanted at the 'fynd' room of the IKEA in Malmö.  I found two cute pair of clogs for about $9 each, and a good pair of wellington boots for $7 and a really cute suitcase that still has a lock and key.

We also picked up odds and ends like a horse shoe, a milk glass vase, a uranium green class soap dish, a good light fixture (the last we needed), two owls (I thought the small one would bring us luck and the large one is the type that hangs with a tealight that shines through both sides) and some pottery.

Everything was really inexpensive- compared to what I have researched with my loppis shopping in the Stockholm area.  As far as vacations go though, I feel like a need a few days to recover.