Just who was Ralph Erskine?

Ralph Erskine was an interesting chap. He was a celebrated British architect who may have either rowed or cycled from the UK to Sweden just before World War II. That may or may not be true but he reached Sweden somehow and ended up staying because he loved the place so much. That sounds very familiar. Apart from the rowing/cycling bit. That is also not the interesting bit. The most interesting thing is that he designed the first shopping centre in the world.

The shopping centre was built in Luleå and it opened in October 1955 barely a month before my birth. Americans may boast that the first shopping centre was in Minnesota but that’s just fake news. That one was built a year later, in 1956.

As a side note, he also designed Ekerö centrum which I got to know really well when we lived there for a bit.

Now, you might wonder why I’m talking about Ralph. It’s a fair enough question. I wanted to ask Gertrude myself when she suddenly brought the subject up tonight but I was so fascinated with her tale that I just sat and absorbed her story.

Not that Gertrude knew Mr Erskine. At least I don’t think she did. It may have had something to do with the fact that I don’t speak Swedish. It seems that Ralph may also have not learned it either. Which I have to say, puts me in pretty good company. Along with Joseph of Hairy Pig fame.

Gertrude was talking to me across the table at Lagnö as we tucked into plates of some amazing salad and grilled meats or meat substitutes. I was there with Nicoline, celebrating Autumn, listening to Swedish and escaping from the Retreat which had taken over the red house.

Today, the Retreat was all about building insect hotels. Well, after the oat and oat milk breakfast was made by Bo. (I have to admit that I don’t know how to spell her name but it’s pronounced Bo so that’s what I’m going with.) Speaking of Bo, I told her about Dogs of Summer, the book by Andrea Abreu that we’re reading in the Other Book Group, and she went all ecstatic, saying she’s off to Tenerife some time soon and will now have to read it first.

They all worked very hard under the instruction of Nils and there was some solid beavering* away at their task in the glassroom because it was absolutely pissing it down outside. It was so wet and Nils was so wet I think he may have shrunk a bit.

Apparently they are going to mount them outside tomorrow when (if) the rain has stopped. I was well impressed. I’ve never seen Mirinda with a hammer or screwdriver working away with wood before.

Once they had achieved maximum hotel construction, they all jumped into Zed and headed into Trosa for lunch at Tre Små Rum. I chilled with the girls. I also typed up a few old entries and accidentally published one which made Nicoline ask me why I sent her an entry from 2004 about a boring Anglo Saxon conference I attended in Falmer with the Weasels. To be honest, I don’t remember it at all. Mind you, that was in my drinking days. The sending her the entry was a stupid programming error by me.

When the Retreat participants returned, I had an hour to show Bo how to show a movie on our giant TV before being picked up by Nicoline.

Now the food was, as expected, an absolute delight as were the numerous queries as to the whereabouts of my wife. There was also quite a few questions regarding my t-shirt which featured an exhibition I saw at Liljevalchs a while ago. I have worn a lot of t-shirts over the years but this one has garnered more questions in one day, than any other one I’ve worn. Ever.

Now that I’m looking at it in the photo above, I admit it does seem rather creepy and odd. Actually, one of the Retreat people asked if I’d seen the exhibition and if I’d heard what Ann-Sofia was up to these days. I said yes and that I had no idea. He said she seems to have dropped off the radar.

Anyway, back at Lagnö, we were not just there to talk to Gertrude and eat delicious home grown salad. We were also there to listen to a band. A rather political band that sang songs about protest and corrupt politicians and death. That makes them sound a bit dirgy but, to be honest, if you don’t understand the words, they sounded quite jolly at times.

I was a bit disappointed though. With Nicoline translating what each song was about, I was thinking they really should have finished with a rousing rendition of Always Look on the Bright Side of Life.

The band was called, I think, Friends of Marsha. I haven’t been able to find anything about them online. I don’t think they have anything to do with The Brady Bunch.

It’s a pity about the music stands but there you go. And Nicoline was not that keen on the voice of the main singer (the woman on the left) but I thought she had a very interesting (in a good way) voice. According to Nicoline, this evened things out nicely.

Also, staying with the photo, it looks like the woman on the left is playing some strange sort of nose flute thing. She isn’t. It’s the microphone.

Of course, I saw Anita, Annika, Mårtin (briefly), and all the other regulars. It is always lovely going to Lagnö. And an education. For instance, you would not believe how Aboriginal is pronounced in Finnish.

Anyway, I got home to all the Retreatees sitting down to a very late dinner, prepared by them all in my tiny little kitchen. I made myself very scarce.

* That was especially for Nicoline.