It was quite blustery down at Trosa Harbour this evening. The specially constructed t-shirt rack refused to stay in one place, sending t-shirts sprawling everywhere and paper bags chased down by eager participants. The occasion was the Parade of the Leaders, as the various instructors showed their Friskis & Svettis routines in a bid to drum up business.
And the turnout was very good. I sat at a nearby picnic table, guarding handbags and dogs as Mirinda and the self-confessed eccentric, Beth From Next Door, joined in the work out in the wind and dying rays of the sun.
Actually, it made me quite jealous. If only I could remain standing up, I thought, I’d be out there as well, moving about with the rest of them. As it was, my walking stick attested to my inability to prance, jiggle and generally stretch unaided.
Nicoline told us about this annual event which takes place ahead of the summer indoor exercise class hiatus. Every summer, down at the harbour, classes are freely given.
The sun shone down on a vibrant display and made me so happy we lived in Trosa.
Earlier in the day, and as suggested by Nicoline, I asked my teacher at sfi about the numbering convention I wrote about yesterday. Ninni’s response was short and sweet. “I have no idea,” She said.
I did, however, discover (on reddit.com) that the activity is called tipspromenader and is performed by all ages, not just school kids. And, yes, the multiple choice options are numbered 1, X and 2. When asked why this was the case, one response was that it is as a result of stryktipset.
Stryktipset is a form of football betting whereby the results could be a home win (1), draw (X) or away win (2). Like the Pools in Britain, the gambler has to predict the result of a load of football games (both in Sweden and England) by placing a 1, X or 2 in the appropriate box.
When I posited this to Ninni, she agreed that it sounded highly likely. She then told me about the football and bridge playing hero, Putti Kock. He apparently had quite a distinctive way of announcing the results of the Stryktipset which she tried to imitate. It sounded like she was talking through a mouthful of dumplings.
She tried to find an example of his strange style online, but couldn’t. She promised she’d try a bit harder and get back to me. If she does, I’ll include it in a later post.
Back at Trosa Harbour, the vigorous display finally ended and the three of us went and had a rather shivery, celebratory drink in the nearby Trosa Sjökrog. We sat outside and enjoyed a refreshing, liquid cool down before heading home for a late dinner.
