Farewell, Ollie

I’m desperately sad to share that our beloved Ollie passed away peacefully this week. 

Ollie was handsome and strong and stubborn and smart. We will miss his beautiful face and his charming personality. 

Our family was blessed to have such a wonderful boy with us for so long.

RIP, Oliver Rhiwelli Blue Moon. You were a very very good dog.

Happy Birthday, Ollie!

My furry boy has become an old man! He is 14 today. He's darned slow these days, but he still remains as happy and handsome as ever.

I've made a little slideshow of his birthdays over the years:



Who would've thought what the future had in store for us when we brought our little puppy home all those years ago?

Thanksgiving

It's time for my traditional Thanksgiving address. Our holiday was a bit unusual this year; we were gifted theatre tickets for Thanksgiving night, so we moved our dinner to the Wednesday. We were joined by Tim's girlfriend, Ashleigh, who was staying with us while she attended courses in London. Sooz made a lovely artisanal chicken along with all the trimmings. Grant had his own holiday with friends in Boston; apparently he was in charge of the bird itself. He certainly doesn't get any of those cooking skills from me!

And as is traditional, we celebrate the anniversary of Ollie's back surgery, which was 8 Thanksgivings ago. I'll say the same thing as I do every year: he's getting a bit older and slower, but he's still a happy and charming dog whom we all love very much.

Lucky 13

Today is Ollie's 13th birthday. He poses here for his audience at one of our local pubs on his morning walk.

I've looked back at all of his posts on the blog. I've apparently used it as a bit of channel for my concern over the health of my furry boy. Sorry about that.

In the scheme of things, though, Ollie's doing pretty darned well. Thirteen is a decent age for a Corgi, especially one who's had a repaired back most of his life.

Ollie is slowing down quite a lot these days, but he remains a happy and charming dog, and we are blessed to have him in our family.

Making plans for Ollie

I had written that, during our April visit,  Ollie is going to be with his old dog-sitter, Ethie, in our previous neighbourhood of Ascot. 

It turns out that we may not be able to do the same this summer, as Ethie is pretty booked up around the summer dates I'm able to be off work. 

I looked into the possibility of taking Ollie with us to Sweden. It turns out to be surprisingly inexpensive for him to join us on our Norwegian Air flight. The import rules for his moving between the UK and Sweden are also straightforward. We'd love for Ollie to be with us all summer, and we know he was happy out there last time. 

But things are a lot different now. Ollie will be 13 by then and he can't get around as well as he used to. There are a lot of steps and uneven ground around our little stuga, neither of which Ollie likes much any more. He also doesn't have much stamina, so he couldn't, for example, walk all the way to the Waxholms dock. We worry it may be too stressful for both him and us to have a good summer in Sweden.

The other option is a new dog sitter. We've had a trial run with a young lady whom Ollie seems to love. She may be able to stay in our flat while we're away. That makes things easier and simpler for Ollie, and so less a concern for both of us.

I haven't totally given up on the thought of our furry boy being with us, though! I'll share our thinking on this as we make our summer plans.

Micro-Apartments in New York City

I read recently in the New York Times about a new apartment complex in the city.

Much like the legislative changes to address housing shortages in Stockholm, laws have been changed in New York to allow much smaller flats to be built.

These flats are around 350 square feet (32 square meters), and are filled with space-saving design features. One touch I like is the 9-foot ceilings, which adds a sense of space to a small flat, much like the high ceilings in our little stuga.

Another innovation is Ollie, not our dog, but rather the trademark for a set of amenities designed for micro-living. Ollie provides a number of shared facilities, and along with conveniences and services to make it easier to live together in small private spaces.

Ollie seems a bit fancy but I endorse the idea. On Aspö, we have shared facilities and events on the Midsummer meadow, and the sense of community is quite strong. Who needs a trademarked New York idea when we have island life?

Thanksgiving

Time for my seventh annual Thanksgiving address. Looking back, quite a bit has happened. We lived in London at the first posting, then moved to Texas, and now we're back in the UK. Grant's graduated high school and college, and moved to New York. Ollie, though, is still with us. Today marks seven years on his repaired back. Although he's slowed down a lot, he remains (just like Sooz and Grant) handsome and happy. That is plenty to be thankful for today.

A dozen years!

The birthday boy

Today is Ollie's birthday. He's reached the ripe old age of twelve. I seem to have mentioned most of his birthdays since I started this blog. Looking back, we've all been through a lot!

I am glad to report that he's still the same happy and handsome boy he's always been. A drawback of living in Texas is that it's not feasible for him to join us in Aspö for the summers. He stays at a great kennel while we're away, so we know he is well cared for. That said, we sure wish he was with us.

Perhaps he can celebrate his next birthday in Sweden? We can only dream. Today, though, he gets his traditional lamb chop.

The latest news from the island

We had initially planned to leave this week, but I decided to stay one more week on my own, so I can be here for the island working day this Saturday. As much as Sooz doesn't like to leave Aspö, she hates leaving Ollie in the kennel more, so she kept her original plan.

So we left Aspö on Monday mid-day and made our way to Marcia and Rutger's house. Sooz's flight was very early Tuesday morning. I took her to the airport, and then took the bus out to shop at Gustavsberg in the afternoon. Sooz gave me a grocery list to stock the house. We had also ordered a few boxes of wine, so we'll be all set for staples and booze when we come back in July.

I fear I over-reached a bit at the store, because I had an enormous load of stuff to carry up to the bus. It turns out boxes of wine and frozen flanks of beef can be pretty heavy!

The good news is that I was met at the port in Stavsnäs by Janne himself, who is in Sweden for a few weeks. He's spending a couple of nights with me, and we'll hang out and visit his old stomping grounds. Word is that Viktor is having the helicopter deliver a new house tomorrow, so that'll be fun for us to check out. I'm really looking forward to having Janne around!

UPDATE: Sooz made it to Texas in good shape, and Ollie was very pleased to see his mommy again!

Thanksgiving

Time for my now-traditional Thanksgiving message.

Looking at my previous posts, I don't have much different to report. We're in Ohio this year, visiting Sooz's family. Grant flew in from Boston, but sadly, Ollie didn't join us, instead enjoying his turkey treats at his favorite Texas kennel.

Our Corgi is still doing well, older of course, at 11½, with six years now on his repaired back. But he remains the happy and handsome dog he's always been.

I'm thankful for not just Ollie's, but everyone's, continued good health and happiness! We wish the same for all of you, too.

In the Lone Star state again!

Darn, is it hot here (compared to Aspö, at least). But we've arrived fine, and the best part is that Ollie was none the worse for wear. As much as we love Sweden, we did miss our furry boy.

We have a number of Texas errands to get done in these next few weeks before our return. Sooz also wants to top up her tan!

As for our return, we're going to try very hard to travel light this time. I'm not sure if we can succeed; history suggests not.

Lots going on in Aspö, however, so stay tuned for a few (hopefully) interesting updates.

On our way back to Texas :(

Writing this from the departure gate at Stockholm Arlanda. We had a few good few days, doing a bit of shopping, and having a fun ride up to Sigtuna on Saturday.

Leaving isn't so bad this time, knowing that we're back to Sweden in 3 weeks. A bit of regrouping, and picking up Ollie, seems about right.

There are a few topics coming up, however, so stay tuned!

Penblwydd Hapus i ti, anwyl Ollie!

Ollie after an early-morning swim today

For my readers who don't speak Welsh, the title of this post is "Happy Birthday, dear Ollie."

Today our boy turns 11 years old. Depending on how one measures these things, he's between 60 and 75 years in people terms. It's now safe to say that he's older than either of us, no matter how you measure it.

It is also 5½ years since his back surgery. From today, Ollie will have lived longer on his new back than his original one. I've written over the years about Ollie; I enjoyed looking back on the older posts, although, maybe in hindsight, I came across as a bit negative. The bottom line is that Ollie remains a happy dog who has had great love and care. He's doing really well for his age.

Ollie's surgeon, Dr. Noel Fitzpatrick, obviously does fine work, as evidenced by our boy's continued good health, but he's also become a bit of a celebrity in the UK. Sooz has her radio in the kitchen tuned to BBC 2. I was startled to hear his instantly-recognizable Irish accent one recent morning. It turns out he has his own TV show now!

Tonight, Sooz is grilling lamb chops. We bought three, so Ollie will be in for a special treat. And if one would like to sing Ollie a birthday wish in his native language, Episode 8 of "Learning Welsh with Will" gives a perfect lesson.

Thanksgiving

Time for the yearly Thanksgiving post. We're back in Minneapolis with my mom and extended family. Everyone, that is, except Ollie, who's back in Texas at his favorite kennel. He's still doing fine, 5 years after his surgery, and I'm very thankful for that.

We have an extra special guest in Marcia & Rutger's son, Tim, who is in school in the US. He was able to join us for his first American Thanksgiving, and my mother and sister filled him to the brim with turkey and all the trimmings.

In fact, everyone is doing well, and it's been a great family day.

Grattis på födelsedagen, Ollie!

My furry boy turns 10 today. Ollie has had an eventful journey from his puppyhood in Aberystwyth, to London, France, Belgium, Holland, and the island of Aspö, to the suburbs of Texas. According to the internet, he is about 56 in human years, which puts his age neatly between me and Sooz.

He has slowed down a bit, which is natural I suppose. Given his big surgery 4½ years ago, I'm thrilled he's still with us today at all, a happy, handsome, and charming dog we all love very much.

The happy birthday song in Sweden is called "Ja må du leva", which translates to "may you live a hundred years". It's a song that even I can sing fairly well. I'll spare you my rendition, but here's a link with a bit more info (and an example) of the well-known Swedish birthday song.

Today, Ollie and I are going to chill out (as best we can in the Texas heat) and I think we'll share a bit of Welsh lamb for dinner tonight.

A thousand posts!

This is a momentous occasion: my 1000th post. From a humble introduction in August 2007, my blog has exploded over the past half-decade into the internet's go-to source for information on building kit homes, Swedish archipelago life, the Eurovision song contest, and incinerating toilets. Especially incinerating toilets. Google tells me Cinderella is the most commonly-visited subject here by a wide margin. (Google also reveals my blog has been viewed by 60,000 people! Wow!)

I have made 4 introductory posts; I suppose I can add to the canon with a fifth. Sooz, Ollie, and I are happily back into the swing of Texas life. People ask us if we miss living in the UK, and we truthfully answer "yes", but that doesn't mean we are unhappy here; it's not a binary choice. Let's face it, life in the USA is pretty easy and we enjoy that ease. Grant is still in college in North Carolina, a junior now, and doing well at school, both academically and socially. Ollie is also doing fine, a bit slower of course, but since the dark days of his back surgery, every day that he is still happy and healthy with us is a joy.

We're still adjusting to being 5000 miles away from our little stuga. But we've settled into a pattern of being there three times a year- all the seasons except winter! Given the Texas heat, Sooz plans to be away longer in July/August, and I will join her, for two weeks if I can. A one week visit is OK, but the jetlag makes a 7-day visit less desirable.

It's a good thing the house is done. Maintaining it and bringing small things out is do-able from so far away. I sure couldn't have built it from the other side of the world! Fortunately, we have great neighbors in Olle and Annika who keep an eye on our home for us, which is a great relief.

The internet also makes it a lot easier to keep in touch. Olle and Annika send us photos when they're on Aspö. I can see the hourly weather and the Systembolaget specials on my iPhone, as well as the local news, and Rutger is always a FaceTime call away for advice!

It's around this time of year that I really pine for Aspö. The weather is starting to get nice; March here reminds me of June there. So I start itching to go. But we will be there soon enough for our spring visit. And longer-term, I will admit the thought of retirement is starting to creep around the borders of my thinking. Sooz and I know we couldn't live there year-round, but the thought of an April-October residence is appealing. And all that time would lend itself to a great deal of blogging!

Who knows, my next thousand posts may come much more quickly.

Thanksgiving

It's time for my now-traditional Thanksgiving post. And just as the previous Thanksgivings were very different from each other, so is this one.

For the first time in at least a dozen years, we're enjoying the holiday with our family in the good old USA. In fact, we're in our mother's house in Minnesota. Here's a photo of the whole clan. It really is great to be together.

The only one missing here is Ollie, which is a bit ironic, because for him, Thanksgiving has a special meaning. It's three years since his back was repaired. I am happy to report that he's still doing well, happy and healthy, and very well-loved in his new Texas home. Something to be thankful for, indeed.

Happy Birthday Ollie

My furry little boy is 8 today. The photo at the left was taken on Memorial Day. Although he is not enamored of the Texas heat (or its thunderstorms), he sure likes our pool cleaner, stalking it all day.

It struck me recently that Ollie is now about my age, (depending on the conversion formula one uses). I certainly share many of Ollie's symptoms of middle-age: we both really feel it the day after a lot of physical activity; we're less of a morning person than we used to be; our doctors are prescribing us more pills; and Sooz has had to cut back on our dinners to keep us trim.

On the plus side, he is still as handsome and charming as ever, another trait he shares with his owner!

A weather aside

Ollie experienced his first real thunderstorm last night. We had to fish him out from under the bed this morning.

And a clarification from my previous post: Sooz is attending the royal wedding in the stand-in-the-street-waving-a-Union-Jack sense, not in the seat-in-Westminster-Abbey sense.

Thanksgiving

It's Thanksgiving today in the US, but a normal work day in the UK. I had posted last year about the contrast between the day's celebrations in America and Europe. This holiday is extra odd for us, as Grant is in Minnesota with his grandmother, and we're in London, with a house full of boxes, preparing for a move.

The day is also the anniversary of Ollie's surgery. It's been two years since his back went out. What I wrote last year holds true: he remains happy and gets around well, just a bit slower and more easily tired. I'm still enormously thankful he's with us to enjoy this Thanksgiving day. He'll get a bit of extra turkey, I think!