Mostly research

Time for an update. August 30 I was on an excursion with my colleagues. We went on a bus trip to Ystad. There is an old regiment which has been converted into movie studios. They have produced several Swedish films there, mostly detective stories. It was interesting to see that everything really is fake. The police station consisted of some desks with movable walls and there were only decorations in the places that would show on camera. We got to see an exhibit on how movies are made, all the way from manuscript to distribution. In the evening we were treated to dinner at a restaurant with very tasty food.

August 31 I spent most of the day at the archive again, and then went home to my mother's place in the evening. Like every year, I wonder how the summer ends so quickly? September 1 it was book fair in Kristianstad. Not that I really needed any books, but I still shopped. This time I bought some books by the Swedish author Gustaf Hellström, whose ancestors lived in Norra Strö. I'm thinking of including him in the exhibit at the historical society next summer, so I have to do some research first. We met some friends in the city and continued on to Kulltorpet, a meeting place for handicapped people. They had arranged a motorcycle day there. It's owners of very fancy motorcycles who come over and let people go on short rides in the area. Very much appreciated by all ages, though I stayed on the ground. We spent the rest of the day in Hanaskog, visiting our friends Nils-Åke and Ann-Kristin.

Sunday was resting day, but Monday was a big working day, at least for me. I started by going to the cemetery in Kristianstad, taking a picture of Gustaf Hellström's gravestone. Next I went to Färlöv to do research at the parish office. The next emigrant list I'm working on is for Önnestad, and there were some 20 years of moving records still to go through. During this work I realized that the pastor who had written the names and dates in this particular book had no idea that anyone 100 years later would actually like to read it - the handwriting was hardly legible. After finishing the list with a Nils Persson who left for America in December 1933, but returned again three months later, I went for lunch at the golf club. I thought the parish office in Kristianstad would be open also, but I was wrong. Instead I spent the afternoon shopping. In the evening I attended a Leroy Anderson Centennial meeting at the city hall. We hadn't met since early June and we were all very talkative. The secretary had to leave and lock the room, so we had to end it by seven. But just like most other times the rest of us continued the meeting standing in the street outside the building..... That's how engaged we are in this.

Tuesday I travelled back to Kävlinge, after making a stop at work to do some research. My colleagues in the stacks were not that surprised to see me. They have come to know my habits pretty well by now. I'm probably the one who spends most hours at work during the vacation. There are so many interesting books..... And then I still have a lot of genealogy files in my computer at work, it's much more difficult to access the licensed databases from home and at work there is a color printer I make frequent use of.

Today I have spent many hours in front of my own computer, writing emails and searching for information.