Midsummer

Things have slowed down at work. There are still quite a few returns to deal with but our temporary workers have done a good job of shelving. We now have five extra people here in the stacks part-time. They also man the information desk but it's only open five hours a day. There are always projects to do, for instance replace old boxes with new ones, review collections and move books.

Recently I received a newly produced book where my name was mentioned in the preface. I had helped with references, so it was not a big job.

Last week we had a nice AW under a tree in the botanical gardens. Last Monday our new department head started. We had an online meeting with her (we have to do this even though most people are in the same building). I really haven't seen her much, she has been busy with a lot of meetings. She has a lot to learn about the house and us.

The Midsummer weekend was spent at the summerhouse. It was a quiet celebration. We had the traditional herring for lunch and (very expensive) strawberries for dessert. In the garden there is a nesting box in a tree. It was occupied by a starfinch family. Just this weekend the parents decided to kick their kids out. It was intriguing to see the four small chickens fly for the first time. We watched from the deck only a few meters away. This weekend I went for a dip in the ocean for the first time this season. I'm not saying the water was warm but it was tolerable.

The weather forecast said lots of rain, thunder and lightning but we only saw a little rain. The weather is now sunny and warm. It's the time of year I suffer the most. I really can't stand hot weather.

Spa visit

At work there have been lots of meetings. All of them online. I get a lot of desk duty also. This is because two of my colleagues are working from home. One other has also been sick. I find myself covering for all of them. I haven't done much of my ordinary work lately so the piles on my desk are high. This Monday the library building opened up a little more so the patrons can access the reference collection and sit here and study. This time of year we get enormous amounts of returns. Normally I sort one or two carts a day, but now it's three or four. The book drop box is overflowing every morning.

This Monday the Economics library moved 72 meters of journals to our storage. They chose to hire a moving company to do the work. It turned out very well, they placed the journals on the shelves with great care.

I spent the Whitsun weekend at the summerhouse all alone. On that Saturday I hosted a tour of the Norra Strö cemetery. It was one of very few activities the historical society could arrange, since it was outdoors. Only a few people showed up but we had a good time. The visit to the summerhouse was relaxing, apart from the plant watering and lawn mowing.

This past Saturday I drove to the middle of Skåne. I picked my mother up at the train station and we went to a spa. It was very nice to soak in the hot pools (one indoor and one outdoor). There were foot baths, comfortable chairs, two saunas and rain showers. We had been given this for our birthdays (my mother turns 70 later). Dinner was really fancy; three course meal. Main dish was fish, dessert elderflower mousse. Not bad at all. We stayed overnight and the breakfast buffet was extensive. After a short walk in the neigborhood (we visited the middle point of Skåne, a metal monument at a creek) I drove my mother back to the summerhouse. I spent the afternoon there and got both lunch and dinner. Then drove home again in the evening.