1 February

Can't believe that January 2010 has come and gone!
Time flies...

Good Jul!

Merry Christmas!

It's a girl!

My fantastic wife Rene gave birth to our baby daughter Sophia Ellen Nilsson on Monday 15th September @ 19:17.
Sophia's weight at birth was 2.665kg and 46cm and she is a real angel.

Sophia Ellen Nilsson 15th September

On the bed

I have not posted anything for such a long time that I don't know were to start...
So I better start with a small thing:
Our little Labrador puppy, Alfie, is not that small any more being 7 months old and weighing 28kg. Last night he made it up on to our bed to our and his surprise! I don't think he was aware about what was happening because he looked as surprised as us. He has never been allowed on the bed and he has previously been to small to jump up! Anyway that is not going to be a habit; NO dogs on the bed!

And I have changed jobs within the company. Or at least changed project and office and it is all very very much better than it was before! ;-)

Up to date

A lot of things have been happening since I posted anything of value on this blog so I doubt that anyone is reading anything here!!! (Make a comment and prove me wrong and I will start writing more often. ;-)

Anyway, a quick summary of what we have been up to would be:

Free State, wedding, holiday, Christmas, summer, New Year, Labrador puppy, mom (mamma) and birthdays!

So, we went up to a BIG wedding in the Free State in December. The Free State is vast and flat and consists of mostly farmland with small towns dotted around the countryside, but it was nothing like I had imagined. It was green and lush and also a lot colder than I expected.

The reason for going was that Rene’s cousin Via got married to her (husband) Dani. The bride was beautiful, the groom handsome and it was a great party. And when I say it was big I mean BIG: +/- 260 guests.

There is also a tradition in the Free State that is reason enough not to get married (if you are the groom); the grooms speech. This is the usual thank you speech, but with all your friends at the front heckling you and making comments the whole time. I got away lightly at my wedding!

In the Free State

We also met Rene’s father’s family again who were friendly and fantastic hosts!

Christmas, New Year and the summer holiday has come and gone. I think we had a very nice holiday even though we did miss family and friends in Sweden and in the UK. The best thing with celebrating in SA is that we get to celebrate twice; 24 December is celebrated in Sweden and 25 December is the main day in SA. We still only get one set of gifts...

Then on Yew Years Eve my mom (Lena) came to visit us for 3 weeks. It was great to have her here and to show her our new house and spend some time together. We didn’t tour the country but kept it local and went to Worcester and Onrus/Hermanus.

Mamma visiting SA

We also got a dog during my moms stay: a Labrador puppy called “Alfie”. The name comes from Alfred or Alfredsson who is a great Swedish ice hockey player in Ottawa Senators. Our good friend Fraser was the one who first suggested the name and we liked it. (Fraser is a huge Ottawa Senators fan). Here are some photos from when we picked him up.

First day with Alfie

Alfie is very cute and likes to bounce and bite and chew and dig. He is also (sometimes) a brave dog who likes to play with other much bigger dogs, like the Great Danes on the farm in Worcester. He also liked to play with Nala,Craig and Lil’s dog, who is a huge Ridge Back, and a very kind dog.

More of Alfie

I/we would also like to say congratulations to James and Jill who have had a baby boy!

Last but not least a big “Happy Birthday” to every one who has recently had their birthday.

Happy new year!

Lots have happened since I wrote a post last time. So I have a few thing to write about, but some time you just have to do the experience and live your life, rather than just talk about it and plan it on the internet (here ;-) and elsewhere.

Anyway it is now 2008 and I wish you a happy and prosperous new year!

The "things" or stories I was going to write about? They are coming soon together with photos...

Babelas! (A party or two to remember!)

Went to a great party two weekends ago. It was Rene's sister Jules 40th birthday.
Jules had arranged for all her close friends to come and celebrate with her at a B&B outside Hermanus. It was a good location and no one had to drive after the party; we all stayed at the B&B. The food was good, great people and too much to drink! (If there is such a thing ;-) Perfect! The main thing that changes with parties when you get older is that the music do NOT change and your hangovers get worse. This hangover lasted a day and a half! Perhaps one reason is that you never have the luxury to sleep in to the afternoon as you did as a student. Thank you Jules; we had a great time!

And last weekend it was another birthday party. It was Fraser's turn to turn 40. (Just kidding Fraser, it is still a few years to go ;-) Any way... Some times you (I, that is) never learn! Too many drinks again! Or perhaps it is just lack of sleep (again)!? However we had a great time, South Africa won the rugby and the braai was excellent. Thank you for everything Nicole and Fraser! Also want to say thank you to Chandre and Clinton for letting us stay with them. The breakfast alone was worth the trip!

The game of golf the next day was everything but excellent!

I am now looking forward to the Scandinavian Golf tournament which is played on Atlantic Beach on Friday. I will need to improve quickly and stop mixing pars with triple bogeys to have any chance!!!
I will also need to drink less on the following braai to avoid headache the next day. Have I learnt my lesson?