Back in the land of semi-skimmed milk (direkt övers., reds anm)

I am back in Sweden once again, and it wasn't really a culture chock this time. When I came back from living in Spain for six months it felt drastically different. The quiet takes some getting used to though, and not just the general silence but the lack of people, traffic, I dunno, all the things that make noise! At the moment I'm sitting at the open window staring out at the lilac hedge, and hearing nothing but the leaves rustling, the dog panting downstairs (just took him for a long walk, and it's actually sunny and about 24 degrees) and occasionally the faint sound of a car on some fairly distant road. It'd be perfect, except it means I can actually hear my ear noises very clearly. Usually they're muffled by the 'white noise' of suburban London (and of course, the oddity of having a fridge next to my bed...).

Thursday was the company summer party, which was fun, but felt like it went by incredibly quickly and ended quite early. Of course, Friday was a work day and most people go home by tube which stops running around midnight, but especially after living in Spain being quite drunk at 11 is usually just the start of the evening, not when you should be heading home. Feels insane to remember our usual head-to-town time when going out was about 1.30am...

On a completely unrelated note, have found a perfect vacation book. I found a review of Scarlett Thomas's latest novel in a freesheet (which I very rarely read), but after doing some reading up on her decided on purchasing 'PopCo'. This review by 'sophie-a' at amazon.co.uk in particular really hit home:

"Before reading PopCo, I was getting frustrated with the lack of books suitable to my tastes. I had read all of Haruki Murakami's books and wanted something similarly intelligent and thought provoking. Scarlett Thomas restored my faith in the female writer with this book. This book is a great read for a female reader who is sick of chick-lit and doesn't know what to go for next. Despite the girlie cover of the latest edition, this book is intelligent and witty. It is not chick-lit, but an amazing, compelling novel that stopped me from doing anything until I had finished reading it. The story appeals to the young, leftish person wondering why they are doing what they are doing in life (and anyone older who considers themself trendy but morally conscious). The excellent thing about the book is the author's ability to create characters and intertwining storylines that leave you wanting more. Once you've read this book you will begin your quest to track down the writers others."

So far it's very good, and you get a basic tutorial in cryptography. Anyway, I'd recommend it (and hope I didn't just break copyright too badly). Now, have to go get ready, am heading into Lund to meet a friend for dinner and some wino :)