Dr. Martin Rundkvist is a Swedish archaeologist, journal editor, public speaker, chairman of the Swedish Skeptics Society, atheist, lefty liberal, bookworm, and father of two.
Moving into a house has conferred a number of unforeseen advantages. The first one I discovered was that I now have a continuing relationship with the sky again, something I really only had before during my scant two years in student housing during my late teens. I see the stars and moon in the evenings, I see the sunset, I perceive the weather much more clearly. I'm looking forward to borrowing a telescope from Jonathan or Pat, come autumn.
The second advantage is a closer relationship with the vegetation. There is now fresh greenery outside the windows where recently I saw only bare branches. Every week the flower beds in the yard bring a new surprise as each new plant flowers. We have the loveliest view across the park and playground from our kitchen window.
I enjoyed the third unforeseen advantage this morning. Wearing only dressing gown, sunglasses and slippers, I took my tea cup, the new issue of Current Archaeology and our second-crappiest laptop and stepped out into the yard. We had a box-like balcony at the old place, but it had sunshine in the afternoons and evenings and got really hot in the summers, so we rarely sat there.
I type these words sitting at the garden table, sunshine in my face, a soft wind in my chest hair, a budding little lilac tree in front of me, and I see that it is all good. There is some birdsong, the drone of a bumblebee nearby and intermittently the distant swishing sound of cars passing by on the highway. But mostly it's quiet.
Comments
"but it had sunshine in the afternoons and evenings and got really hot in the summers"
Hot? In Sweden? Just how hot is hot?
Posted by: eleanora. | May 16, 2009 9:22 AM
In Australian terms I guess Swedish "hot" equals to "brisk" or "chilly". (-;
Posted by: Martin R | May 16, 2009 10:33 AM
Yes, it's a special feeling. After a while you'll start feeling somewhat proprietorial towards the resident insect population!
Posted by: jenjen1352 | May 16, 2009 3:28 PM
I've been reacquainting myself with the big room with the blue ceiling and big warm light way up high, thanks to my Kindle. The screen looks great in sunlight.
Posted by: Jon H | May 24, 2009 11:19 PM