The Forest is How Close?

Hi. I hope everyone is doing well! Things have been rather quiet this past week here in Almhult. After 7 weeks here, things are basically settled. The last thing is next Monday we will (fingers crossed) get DSL here at the house and we will no longer have to use the mobile broadband.

I have also learned that it is not efficient, monetarily to order or have anything sent here from the U.S. Last month, I had my daughter send a package of goods, kind of a care package, and it cost me an additional $60 to pick it up at the post office due to customs and duties. Then I received a catalog in the mail from Land's End and they said they ship to Sweden. Well, David wanted a couple of new shirts and a pair of boots for the winter, so I placed an order thinking that everything was included in the shipping and such. Well, needless to say, I was wrong again! I guess UPS left a notice or two in my front door, which we don't use and when I did see the notice, they wanted me to pay an additional $70 to pick up a package that was worth no more than $60. The boots were on backorder, so I contacted Land's End and asked them not to send me the boots and I am just now hoping that UPS sends the package back to Land's End. I am not certain on how Sweden determines the charges when the package comes here, but it is incredibly expensive. They can even charge you if you receive a gift and it is more than a certain amount. So please, do not send me anything! One reason I wanted to get some items from the U.S. was because things are obviously less expensive. Last week, I noticed my mascara was running low, so I decided to pick one up at the supermarket, well it was $20 (155 kroner). I will be restocking when I come home in December!

Otherwise, we had a great weekend here. The weather was beautiful and the sun was shining down on us. On Saturday, my friend, Carmen invited to take me around Almhult to visit stores that I had not visited and to show me around. We had a great time, shopping and looking. Mostly, I looked. However, I did find a nice Christmas present for my daughter and some ideas for other gifts for my family. Saturday night we had Carmen over for an American dinner of North Carolina Ribs, packet potatoes, coleslaw and carrot cake.

On Sunday, David and I decided to go Geocaching on our bikes. We rode 9 miles and found 3 caches. If you don't know what Geocaching is, you can learn all about it at www.geocaching.com. Basically, we use satellites to find Tupperware in the forest or other places. Anyhow, we found these great forests that are just 1 - 2 kilometers from our house.  They were absolutely beautiful, especially with all the leaves changing colors.   When we were in the different forests we found ruins of old farms from the 1830s and 1890s out there as well.  Here are some pictures from this weekend.  I hope you enjoy seeing them.  I think it is amazing that we are so close to the forest. This area reminds us very much of Colorado. It is a blessing to be able to spend so much time outside in clean air, enjoying nature.

Swedish Horse Farm

Forest across from the Farm

Sign designating the different counties (We live in Smaland)

Inside a circle of beech trees looking up

Trail/Path through the forest

We have to take advantage of every opportunity that we can to get out and see the sights.  The days are starting to get shorter and the rain is coming more often.  Our Daylight Savings begins a week before the U.S.(October 30th), so the hours of daylight will start decreasing quickly.

Hopefully, I will have more to share with you soon.