Riksgränsen

Finally I had a go in the skiislopes again! Was a year ago I was at riksgränsen skiing so about time! I went there with Camilla and I bought a skiipass for the afternoon and hired skiis. I went up the hills with Camilla and her sister Sofia, both who are great skiiers. I was nervous as usual and tensing up the first times down the hills but finally in the end I was starting to enjoy it and boy oh boy it is fun to go down them hills all you wanna do is get back up again and head back down he he he. Camilla gave me some real good tips and was very patient with me, must have been frustrating for her to wait for me all the time but she didn't seem to mind. Camilla and her family have a caravan up at Riksgränsen and we have been up there a couple of times this season and been out at the local pub there where there is always a huge party and lots of alcohol consumed. We have had some big nights there and lots of fun. Maybe there will be some skiing again this weekend, I am sort of a bit annoyed I did not try and go downhill a bit more this season. I could have become a skiimaster he he he. Oh well, I will have to go on a skiingholiday sometime in the future. So as I had so much fun going down the hills I have a lack of photos to put up but I managed to get a few snaps of Camilla in her new hat =)

Since my last update the snow has quickly disappeared from Abisko and we are having very long days. Finding it a little hard to sleep as it does not get completely dark in my bedroom and you sort of loose track of time as it is light for so long (actually I do not think it gets completely dark now). One of the cool things I have done since my last update is to try out dogsleding. I got to try this up at riksgränsen on vassijaure (the lake up there). I had four dogs, three huskies and a bird dog. I found it a very interesting experience, the dogs are so excited to pull the sled and before the start they are just crazy! I got told not to let go of the sled whatever I did, always make sure you got a firm grip. It was not as hard as I thought but then again we did have a wide open space, there is no way I would have been able to make them turn that is for sure.
I have had a frequent visitor outside my house. The local elk, called number 81 because of it's tag. I will be doing something in the kitchen and can just notice something outside my window and it is number 81 walking by. Rather amuzing I think. Otherwise my time here is coming to an end and today I actually booked my train ticket for going "south" (for me Hudiksvall is still north of Sweden but I suppose it is south as it takes 18 hours from here). Feels a bit odd moving again but also exciting to do new things. I have applied for money from the Swedish research boards to do a post doc in Australia but think it is rather hard to get funded so will we see what happens.