The final day of 2011 is over and I thought I’d for the first time try to write a kind of chronicle of the past year, together with some thoughts for 2012.
For those who want the really short version; I have had the most wonderful year with my very best friend Monica, whom I am proud of also being able to call my significant other since this summer. I wish you all the very best for 2012!
Celebrating the arrival of 2011 in Frösön
Here follows the long-winded and over-illustrated version in case you really want to know..
January
2011 started in a similar way as it ended, with a visit from the best friend I’ve ever had, Monica. We met in the summer of 2009 on a tiny train station in Enafors, western Jämtland. Little did I know then she would become one of the most important persons in my life. We spent some time together during the following two weeks and very much enjoyed each others company.
Wouldn’t be until a year later when we met again in the same mountains as our friendship really took off however and in late 2010 I decided to invite her to Jämtland. Fortunately she accepted. :)
My sister Julia playing a game with Monica in early January 2011.
We had a lot of fun, watched movies every night until early morning and among other things visited Jamtli, a very interesting museum in Östersund describing the history of Jämtland.
February
In February long-time despot Hosni Mubarak of Egypt falls and I had the honor of taking care of two dogs, belonging to my mother and her partner Torgeir who were travelling overseas. The real names of the dogs are Jussi Bellman and Lasso Picasso, though I find Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid better describe their personalities.
Jussi "Butch" Bellman and Lasso "Sundance Kid" Picasso
The views were as always stunning, and somehow snow free, despite the overall cold winter.
Trondheimsfjord, Norway
Later in February the university in Luleå, covered in much more snow, held their annual winter festival in -25 degrees Celsius. My camera survived the entire day.. :)
Sleigh dogs at the Winter festival
March
Sunrise over Luleå University in March 2011
Not that much happened to me in March as far as I can remember. A lot more happened in Japan where a magnitude 9 earthquake struck the Tohoku region, causing extensive damage. Just as the Indian ocean earthquake of 2004 the following tsunami were even more deadly than the earthquake itself, among other things resulting in a meltdown in Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, events later described as the most serious nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
The city of Sendai, close to the epicenter of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake. Photo by US Navy
I must admit I was surprised how easily a nuclear powerplant in one of the worlds most advanced nations could suffer a meltdown. The occurance of major earthquakes and tsunamis are well known by everyone in Japan and it amazes me how they could not have foreseen and prevented this.
But to put things into perspective, an estimated 13 000 people are killed by coal power every year in the United States alone. Imagine the outcry if nuclear power would do the same.. People in general are much more afraid of the spectacular and things they do not understand.
April
April was for me a long wait to meet you know who again. Earlier in the month I managed to take this rather stunning image of the university, with northern lights hovering far above.
Northern lights in April 2011
April is also the month when winter starts to release it’s grip over northern Sweden and migrant birds start to arrive.
Whooper Swan, Cygnus cygnus, in Luleå
Monica and I had made plans for her to travel to Jämtland in the week after Easter. From there we traveled on to my mother in Trondheim and among other things had a completely magical day on the westernmost point of the island of Fröya off the Norwegian coast.
The endless ocean
May
In May the worlds most hunted person was killed and Germany made the in my opinion very overhasty decision to close down all nuclear power plants by 2012 following the disaster in Japan. I do not like the nuclear power plants of today, but I still see them as a lesser evil than fossil fuel which Germany will be forced to rely heavily on.
May and June are usually filled with field work for my part, which was the case this year as well.
Storrun Windfarm in May 2011
On May 21st the end of the world was supposed to come, as it has been supposed to do so many times before. Must be tough being in the doomsday prophecy business., the failure rate is at 100%.
Judgement day, announced in Spanish. Photo: O'Dea
May of course brings a lot more migrant birds. This White Wagtail was found in a nature reserve near my home.
White Wagtail - Motacilla alba
June
June consisted of work pretty much every day. Still, I had a great time. The reason being mostly that I had my friend Monica helping me with all the field work.. Boy did we have a lot of fun!
Taking a break during a trip around Mjölkvattsfjället.
Spending the evening and night at 1050 m.a.s.l.
Magical sunsets
Beautiful birds (Gyrfalcon - Falco rusticolus)
Magnificent views
And a wonderful friend
There are more photos on Facebook.
July
In July Monica and I both went to the bird observatory in Handöl and she stayed for a week before being forced to return to Stockholm. I stayed most of the month and had a really good time with some very friendly people, among them another 3 friends I’ve met through the observatory.
Katie Thorpe, Meera Lee Sethi and Peder Edvinsson admiring a beautiful male Redstart.
I have to say it is really a good way to make new friends and not only doing science and watching birds.
Towards the end of the month 77 people, most of them youth, were murdered by one very disturbed man. I am not normally easily affected by events in the news, but this got to me. Fortunately it did not have the effect the perpetrator had intended. Instead interest among youth to participate in politics increased and xenophobia declined.
August
In August I had the fortune of meeting Monica once again, this time in Stockholm. We went to the Museum of Natural History, a favorite of both Monica and me, and took a boat trip to Ängsö national park.
Ängsö national park
This was also the time Monica and I ultimately decided we simply couldn’t only be best friends any more, we were very much in love no matter how much we tried not to be. Obviously we had known and talked about these mutual feelings for quite some time, and most people around us saw it too even though we did our best to hide it (acting is not a career choice for us..) But with this decided we could make it official. Monicas mother was told first and the rest of the world a few days later.
So far this has been the best decision I have ever made, I haven’t regretted it for a single second.
My lovely girlfriend!
Directly after visiting my new girlfriend I flew off to Karpathos in Greece to celebrate my father’s 60′s birthday! Karpathos turned out to be a very beautiful and sparsely populated island. Took a lot of photos.
Apella beach, Karpathos
Birthday party in Greece!
September
In September rain was continuously pouring down, making it one of the wettest autumns I have seen.
A home outside Luleå isolated by floodwater.
September also meant a new visit to my girlfriend in Stockholm as well as a trip together to Kristianstad in Skåne where we are taking a course in ornithology together!
October
The world drew a sigh of relief as Sarah Palin announced that “after much prayer and serious consideration” she decided not to attempt to become the republican candidate for the 2012 election.. Unfortunately there are a few more candidates equally nuts, or worse.
For my part October meant mainly two things, more field work and another visit in Stockholm and Kristianstad.
Course participants in Kristianstad
Stockholm
October snowstorm in Oldfjällen
Morning after the storm
World class feather finder Lasso Picasso (when not chasing lemmings instead)
Later in October Monica had her 20′s birthday, which I unfortunately was not able to celebrate with her. This was also the day those doomsday prophecy makers yet again predicted the end would come. And yet here we are..
November
November meant the last of my field work in Storrun Windfarm, probably forever. Sadly have only computer work to do from now on.
Also spent a week fishing in Norway. Turned out to be a difficult time to fish, but did get a few species I’ve never caught before. Among others these four Blackmouth Catsharks. Very cool fish..
Blackmouth Catshark - Galeus melastomus
On the 11th my father finally celebrated his 60′s birthday with a larger crowd.
Birthday party!
Monica was invited as well and was kind enough to help with table setting and cleaning afterwards. <3
December
For a long time there still was no snow in December, and when it came it almost rained away again. Managed to take a few photos of it before it started melting though. :)
Christmas decorations in Luleå
As I wrote the year ended in the same way it began, with a visit from Monica. This time however she brought her mother Eva along as well. :) Had a lovely few (much too few) days with them both, including a visit to the ski stadion as Eva is a big fan of Biathlon.
A very cute mother and daughter!
2012
So, 2012.. Can it beat 2011? I think it might actually do that, the prerequisites are there, but it will require a lot of hard work and perhaps some luck. These three things will be my focus during this year:
1. Finally finish my education once and for all. This has put so much stress on me for much too long. I have maybe six weeks worth of hard work still to go, unfortunately there’s a lot of other things to do as well so it will take longer than those six weeks.
2. Find new and more secure business opportunities for my company, possible start another one related to Internet media. After this year I no longer have the secure funding from the Storrun projects. I also have a strong feeling it will become increasingly more difficult to find work in what I do now over the next few years. Need to find new and greener pastures.
3. Work hard on my relationship with Monica (which is truly wonderful already but I want it to stay that way) as well as my relationship with other people (where I have much more need for improvement). I have unfortunately never had much social skills, in fact I am somewhat disastrous in certain situations. I apologize to everyone who have been affected by this. I do believe I can change, but it will possibly be the most difficult challenge I have ever taken on.
As for the world.. No, I definitely do not believe the doomsday prophecy makers will be right this time either. However there is a great deal to be concerned about. The possible war between Iran and Israel and a mutated version of the H5N1 virus are perhaps the two things I would put on top of my list for 2012. But at the same time there is also much to be hopeful of.
Alright then, won’t bore you much longer. If you made it this far, you certainly deserve to know what Lang may yer lum reek means, if you don’t already. It’s a Scottish salutation and literary means “Long may your chimney smoke”.
I wish you all the very best for 2012, especially those of my friends who have not been so fortunate in 2011!
