Newsletter 2025

This year’s "stolleprojekt" (crazy project) was building our own scaffolding so Cacke could paint the dormer at the back of the house and the balcony at the front. The logic went like this: renting scaffolding is very expensive. If you buy wood to build your own, you can later reuse that wood to build "new animals." Therefore, we should obviously build our own. Any concerns about how on earth we would actually get the scaffolding into place were deemed completely irrelevant. Luckily, we have strong children with strong friends. The scaffolding went up, the painting got done, and Cacke survived! The process of building new animals has also begun: A new giraffe on the balcony. A new snake in the garden. A "half-finished" crocodile in the basement. Sadly, the old crocodile and the old snake have headed to the "Happy Hunting Grounds," where they enjoy eternal greenery and a free supply of suitable prey—such as apples and beer cans. The other animals were looking a bit worn out, but they’ve now been renovated and repainted. To keep them from freezing this winter, Kersti knitted scarves for all of them. We also finally took action regarding our friends' safety. For years, walking up our front steps has been a life-threatening endeavor, but we now have stair railings in place. They are very stylish and bright red.

The image shows "Christer’s" journey to the Happy Hunting Grounds. (In case anyone is wondering, the Happy Hunting Grounds are located in the land of Sysav — the local waste management center).

Our wonderful car, Heinz, started complaining about various minor ailments, so we decided to upgrade. Being the thorough people we are, we conducted extensive market research. The goal was to find a hybrid or an electric car, but we ended up buying another VW Sharan—exactly like the one we had, just many years newer. Her name is Kafka and she is a beautiful blue. You can fit quite a lot of champagne in a Sharan! The best place to buy a new car is Örebro, because then you can visit Anne and Tord on the way. Right next to the car dealership in Örebro is a boat shop, where one might "spontaneously" buy a small aluminum boat for Matvik. It only weighs 50 kg, so Cacke and I can heave it in and out of the water ourselves without waiting for the "strong children" to visit. The problem is that Örebro is far from Matvik, but that can be solved with a truck delivery. Afterward, we continued to Saltsjöbaden for a family reunion with almost all of Cacke’s cousins. It was incredibly cozy.

In the spring, we traveled to Portugal. It was absolutely wonderful! Fantastic nature, beautiful houses, lots of history, and great food and drink. We visited some lovely churches too—one per mountaintop is about the right ratio. Our favorite was Bom-Jesus in Braga. Our favorite Port wine is now called Pacheca, though unfortunately, it’s best purchased on-site. To make the summer feel longer, we took our vacation in a way that gave us long weekends all summer! Since no one else is at the office then, it’s almost like being on vacation while at work, too.

Axel is enjoying student life to the fullest. He parties, fixes things, and studies in roughly equal measure. He was heavily involved in "nollningen" (orientation week), which meant he didn't shave all summer so he could dress in "steampunk" style with a cape. The highlight was organizing the Reagattan. During the summer, he got his license for medium-weight motorcycles and is already planning to upgrade both his license and his bike next year.

Johan is also loving student life. This past summer, he paused his studies to work full-time as a "pedell" (caretaker) for the Engineering Students' Union. This involves fixing everything at the Union Building and "Lophtet" for a very small salary, as well as being responsible for the most sacred of places: the Union sauna. Johan travels with friends and has visited both Japan and Wales.

Axel & Johan continue to do fireworks together. They are very happy that our new car is just as big as the old one, as it fits many fireworks. Both boys have also used Kafka to take friends to Matvik for weekends by the sea. They’ve even managed to party together—the photo below was taken in the early hours of the 2025/26 New Year’s Ball.

Adam can now call himself a .NET Developer. Last autumn, he earned a few extra certifications and is now looking for a suitable job. We enjoyed his company this summer, but for now, he is still living in Gävle. He didn't burn down the Gävle Goat this year either! He is constantly trying out new recipes and loves experimenting with unusual flavors.

Kersti was on half-time sick leave for a large part of the year, but in the autumn, she increased her hours to 75%, with the goal of being back to 100% by spring. Progress! She took on a partially new role at work, helping develop the new version of the microscope and software that was released just before Christmas.

Cacke has traveled with colleagues to exotic locales such as Prague, Skövde, Borås, and Ljungby. He continues to invent products that don’t exist yet—but will in about 3 to 5 years.

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