The issue at hand has been annulled

To make up for the fact that our usual Norrby’s fish soup didn’t happen on Wednesday, we had it today. And, I’m happy to report that it still tastes terrific on a Friday. It was a tiny bit more spicy but nothing to change the fact that we both enjoyed it just as much as earlier in the week.

Other than that, today ran pretty much as normal as our other Fridays here in Sweden.

Of course, there was the annoying announcement about masks being worn on public transport during peak hours. This followed a comment made by the king. Given his divine appointment in a position of authority, he is obviously an authority in things epidemiological. Plus the fact that he’s an old white male. He clearly knows everything.

Of course, being Sweden, which is still a free country, the mask wearing announcement is not a rule or a law or a government diktat. It is a recommendation. Exactly as it should be.

Anyway, on a much more pleasant note, I finally received notification that our parking fine had been expunged.

Back on November 22, we were presented with a parking ticket for the parking area at Tyresö Slott. I’d paid via their app. I sent them a copy of the parking receipt and an email suggesting I’d paid and didn’t want to pay again. They sent an email saying we didn’t have to pay the fine for the moment, and they’d look into it.

I’d just like to say that this is a far better system than the one in the UK where you have to pay your fine then query it afterwards. It happened to us at Haslemere once.

Almost a month later, today in fact, they wrote back to say we were innocent of any wrong doing, and didn’t have to pay. The case, they said, was closed. To quote them directly:

With regard to your complaint we hereby inform you that the issue at hand has been annulled. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused you.

It was with great joy that I declared it was finally time to get rid of this:

Apart from our usual evening constitutional and Mirinda’s numerous strolls around the neighbourhood, that was it for today. I was busy studying the requirements for Mirinda’s journal submission but, other than that, it was a normal old day.

Of course, the sun wasn’t seen all day. Though, as we left Norrby’s, the clouds parted for a little bit and the blue sky was glimpsed. Sadly, it wasn’t the bit of sky inhabited by the sun. The clouds soon crowded the sky again and the grey returned. Though the clouds dispersed during the night as we could actually see stars. For a bit.

While we were at Norrbys’ we had a lovely chat with one of the staff. She asked us where we were from and when we said Australia she told us about her Christmas at Cairns and Hamilton Island.

While she loved it she wasn’t that keen on the intense heat and torrential rain. Or, as I call it, typical Queensland Christmas weather.

She told us that she’d planned to return this Christmas until the pandemic put paid to her plans. Like just about everyone else around the world, she’d put her plans on hold. Maybe she’d go next year.