I am back to Sweden for less than two weeks. My feet are still remembering me my last day of hiking in Greenland (a story to come on this blog). It is barely the time needed to go back to the routine. Actually, it was quite frantic (tic tic tac) and I had virtually no time to write the posts of my last days in Greenland.
Today may be an exception.
I am on the road again.
And I will have some time to read, write and make some paper work.
I am on my way to Hatfield in England for the annual “British Ecological Society” conference where I will present some of my data (note for later: make my presentation).
It is fun to notice how long it can be to travel short distances. Hatfield, the famous city where Elizabeth the first spent her childhood and where Guy Ritchie was born is only few miles from London but it will take me the whole day to reach it. For some obscure reason, there is no direct line from Fiskebäckskil to Hatfield (I started at 5.00 AM to catch my first bus: Fieskebäckskil-Bokenås, followed by 3 other busses, 2 planes, the subway, the train and one more bus).
But maybe it is a good thing.
For example, walking between my house in the middle of the forest and the bus stop helped me solving a mystery: How my closest neighbor (1km from my house) was able to grow such beautiful vegetables in the forest. You have to know that the forest is full of “veg eating monsters” such as rabbits, deers and elks. At night, they hunt innocent vegetable and… eat them.
Antipesto… where are you?
However, the garden of my neighbor is always full of gorgeous and lively vegs.
Is he an inventor who found a way to brainwash the wildlife: “say no to carrot, cabbage and cauliflower”?
Actually, he is kind on an inventor but his solution is more… surreal.
I was walking the path in the forest. It was very dark; as dark as a forest can be in the middle of the night with a cloudy sky. It was very silent too with the exception of the sound of the crickets (the insect, not the game… I was not in England yet).
Then I heard the music.
Some light pop-rock.
Then I saw the light.
In the middle of my neighbor’s garden was a spot of white light and right in the middle of the light, a deer eating vegetables.
I was dragged into a David Lynch movie. I was more or less expecting a dwarf in red jacket riding the beast.
The moment was magic and bizarre at the same time.
I spent 10 minutes in the middle of nowhere watching this deer eating in the spotlight with some bad radio music as soundtrack.
Then it left, like an actor leaving the stage and the radio and the light turned off simultaneously leaving me alone in the dark. I was tempted to applause for the show.
Hummmm
I may have not solved the mystery of my neighbor’s garden after all.
Anyway, I will have some time to write some more about my last days in Greenland (and maybe a little about my stay in the UK). So, stay tuned!
Time to go to the “welcome mixer” party and find my conference buddy (I am not very optimistic… the “party” will last for an hour and I have a ticket for ONE free drink… will be difficult to find a new friend in these 1000 persons with such a low level of alcohol).
