Spending time with our
grandchildren in Botswana, Kenya and Sweden was, as
usual, a great pleasure. There is never a dull moment
when one has them around. They keep us alert in ways
unimaginable, from ensuring that baking and pancake
adventures do not end with accidents, putting together
jigsaw puzzles of 1000 pieces, to nerve-wrecking rides
at amusement parks. This year we did not go on long
safaris. We crossed the border to Madikwe in South
Africa with Nyaladzi, Chedu and Tesana and later went
to Lake Naivasha in Kenya with Asali and Amani.
We also had time to travel to
other places. As soon as we returned to Sweden, Per
joined friends from Botswana's yester-years, Hans Hede
and Göran Aronsson, on a trip to watch the annual
crane dance around Hornborgasjön in western Sweden.
The trio came to Botswana at the same time as young UN
associate experts in the early 1970s and are now
graciously retired old men.
Per's 70th birthday in May took
us to Ireland. After two days in Dublin and visits to
some of its famous pubs and historic places, we rented
a car to take us to the southern tip. Ireland is an
exceptionally tourist-friendly country. We stayed in
bed and breakfast places and always felt very welcome
wherever we went. But driving along the narrow
mountanous roads turned out to be a challenge - but
what beautifull sceneries!!
We continued to enjoy our
get-togethers with "the Sigtuna Soup Gang", meeting
Botswana-Sweden friends through BOTSFA, spending time
with Per's folk dance and photography groups and many
more. We had a beautiful BOTSFA get-together in
Vänersborg, western Sweden, attended by 50
participants over a weekend.
Highlights
in our grandchildren's leaps and bounds was the
graduation of Julia, Petter and Cecilia's second daughter,
from high school and a visit by Nyaladzi, Moleko and
Kutlo's son, to Sweden to be part of a marimba
performance in Lund in August. He spent ten days
with us in Sigtuna. Per took Josefin, Julia , David
and Nyaladzi to Gröna Lund, the amusement park in
Stockholm.
Asali
and Amani visited us during June to August. This gave
us the opportunity to explore more of Sweden. We
travelled by train to Åre, 500 km north of
Stockholm. They were very excited to play in snow on
top of Åreskutan, in summer. We also spent time with
other friends, inlcluding an activity fun-filled day
with Eidem family.
Early in the year, the International Monetary Fund's Retirees Association sent an invitation for retirees and their spouses or partners to participate in a trip to Toulouse and Carcassonne (France), Andorra, ending in Barcelona (Spain). We decided to take part. What a refreshing experience! We visited many interesting places and enormously enjoyed the company of 30 other participants, most of whom we had never met. It was a generation of those who joined the Fund in the 1950s to those who had recently retired. We were rejuvinated by the reunion!
Most of the year was taken up by
a book project we have been working on with three
other members of the Botswana-Sweden Friendship
Association (Viera Larsson, Roger Bergström and Mats
Ögren Wanger). The project, which involves the writing
of a book to commemorate Botswana's 50th independence
anniversary, in September 2016, turned out to be a
very engaging and time consuming commitment, but very
fullfilling -- specifically this year. The book is a
collection of stories on Botswana and Sweden's
partnership since Botswana's independence in 1966. We
have had the honour of meeting and interviewing
authorities in Botswana, including former Presidents
Masire and Mogae and a most respected former Minister
of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Gaositwe Chiepe. We also
greatly enjoyed reading text crafted by at least 60
contributors on their experiences as ambassadors to
Botswana or Sweden, as technical assistance
experts, or just simply, as Swedes or Batswana living
in either country. The 220-page book is turning out to
be a beautiful piece of work and is targetted for
print in mid-2016. If you are interested in ordering a
copy, please, click on the inserted book cover.
We are in Botswana spending time
with our son, Moleko, and his family and also Julia's
mother. Our daughter Anna and her children arrived
from Kenya yesterday and we will together celebrate
Christmas and New Year in Botswana. Our son, Petter, and family
will celebrate the festive season in Sweden.
There was plenty of rain in Kenya
during our three.week visit but Botswana continues to
suffer severe drought and extremely hot temperatures. Gaborone dam is completely
dry. We are adjusting to living with absolutely no
water in our house for days -- not so easy!
Stockholm has not had a white Christmas in the
latest two years and this year is likely to be no
different. Global warning is becoming a serious
warning!
Wishing You a Happy and Peaceful 2016
Per and
Julia
