It’s true whenever day breaks

After eight solid hours of sleep on the old white sofa that once stood in my grandfather’s farmhouse in Skåne, I woke up wide-eyed and ready to head out in my running shoes. With last night’s rain finally over, the day broke just as I reached Kalmarsundsparken and, of course, I had to stop to take a few pictures.

Ten easy kilometres later, I was back at my parents’ place for a quick shower and coffee before taking William and Filip out for some castle exploration and Kalmar sightseeing.

The last month has given me reason to reflect on place and continuity; how we draw our circles from Valencia to Melbourne before returning home, how childhood backstreets can mark the beginning of something new, and how open the future can suddenly feel.

Chess away

Leaving Gothenburg in the autumn rain, I am now on a regional train across Sweden with William and his friend Filip for the national school chess championship in Kalmar. Four hours to mark some exams and take in the last few weeks.

Earlier today, I went for a calming forest run in Skatås before taking William to the police station to get his new passport. Since his last one three years ago, he has grown more than twenty centimetres, and it feels like a much bigger boy who will be travelling to Germany with Eddie and my parents in three weeks’ time. Before that, I will go to a concert with Melissa Horn in Halmstad and try to submit one more manuscript. But first, Kalmar awaits – and the weather forecast looks promising for running.