2017 turned out to be a more relaxed year for us, following the intensity of preparing for Botswana's 50th independence anniversary last year. We had a little bit more time for family and friends and even managed to travel within Sweden and in Europe.

We kick-started the year with a three-week trip to Albir in Spain with friends Viera and Sixten Larsson, Tore Zetterberg and Judit Lukacs. We were initially skeptial over a long stay on a charter trip, but this truned out to be one of the best group trips, maybe because we were in the company of friends. We went on beautiful excursions, line-danced, played bowls and the time simply flew past.

Then it was time for a belated celebration of our 40th wedding anniversary. We booked two nights at the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi. We had both wanted to do something different and the Ice Hotel attracted us. We spent the night of February 14 (Valentine's day) on an ice bed in an ice cold room -5°C. Quite an experience! We spent February 15 defrosting and were glad that we had not booked the two nights in the ice room. We treated ourselves to a dog sledge drive and had the luck to see the aurora. Not as spectacular as we had expected, but an amazing treat. A heartfelt experience!

Julia was back in Botswana in April to be with her mother, son and family and to enjoy the greenness that heavy rains had brought to Botswana in March. This was followed by a trip to Gotland to be with Annelie and Roger Bremberg. One of the highlights was a visit to Stora Karlsö, a paradise for birdwatchers.

Skåne, in southern Sweden, was our next visit. There we spent time with friends (Christina Nelke, Tommy Andersson, Bosse and Jana Önnerlöv) who had been part of the trip to celebrate Botswana's independence 2016.

A celebration of Midsummer took us to Karlstad to be with old friends from Botswana time (Settergrens, Bergströms, Bobergs, Ericsson-Groths and Christina Skarpe). This was followed by a trip to Höga Kusten and visit to niece Kicki Westaman and family in Härnösand.

We also went to Copenhagen with our neighbours, Lena and Stefan Hammarbäck, followed by a visit to London to be part of a memorial service for Patrick van Rensburg, the brain behind the establishment of Swaneng Hill School, other secondary schools and the education with production movement in Botswana. There we caught up with friends living in England (Martha and Kneen Charlton and Derek and Hazel Hudson. We were also very happy to see Ross Kidd, a dear friend living in Botswana who was visiting his daughter.

Our last trips were "hemliga resan/secret trip" with Märsta Folkdansgille to Nora in central Sweden and lastly an overnight boat cruise to Åland (Finland) with the Botswana Sweden Friendship Association together with 56 other members to celebrate Botswana's 51st anniversary of independence.

It is very rare that we meet as full family. Being scattered over different continents provides opportunties for us to see the world, but present the challenge of regularly seeing all our children and their families. By the strike of luck, this year, all of us happened to be in Sweden over a day. Our son and his family living in Botswana arrived on the morning of Sunday August 13, the same day as the son living in Abu Dhabi would be leaving. Since our daughter and her children live in Sigtuna, ten minutes' walk from us, this provided a golden opportunity for a family reunion over lunch. We visited Tallin with the family from Botswana.

We lost a good friend, Ulla Odqvist, in April of this year. This was immediately followed by the loss of yet another friend, Ove Andersson. The passing of Chuba Ngisi, Julia's niece, also left us in deep sorrow.

There are people who touch our lives and leave indelible impressions. Botswana's former president Sir Ketumile Masire was one such person. We had the pleasure of getting to know him and to spend time with him during the preparation of Botswana 50's commemoration book. A wise man with a hilarious laughter! Our attendance of Patrick van Rensburg's memorial service in London was to pay tribute to another great man. Without Patrick van Rensburg, a number of women may have been deprived of opportunities to get higher education. He created schools that allowed young mothers to continue with their studies, Julia being one of them.

As we reflect on the happy moments we have had and the sadness from the loss of friends and relatives, we are grateful for the times we spent together. This year are once again able to spend the end of the year with friends and relatives in Botswana. We will be celebrating Julia's mother's 90th birthday as part of the visit.

Wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy 2018!

Per and Julia