Manfred´s piano

My grandfather Manfred was, among many things, a great pianist and my inspiration to begin playing myself. I took the train many times in my younger years to visit him and grandmother in Dalarna and have lessons.
Since he past away the piano has been in the ownership of a church in Storvreta, in the outskirts of Uppsala, and yesterday I went to pay it a visit.
Fortunately, it was in a good condition, having recently been renovated.
The evening continued in the musical theme, with harpsichord lessons with Pär Lindh. Since I played the organ in Santiago, the time has come to this keyboard instrument, which is much more similar to the organ than the piano. Essential reading on the subject: L´Art de Toucher le Clavecin, written by François Couperin in 1717.

New header

I haven´t been at the foot of the Andes for more than three weeks now, so a change of title couldn´t wait any longer. The graphics had to be reworked too, of course.

Fixing it up

This weekend I´m assisting Martin and Lina with their renovation project. We were seven pair of hands working with the brush, hammer, saw, crowbar and steam generator. We set loose our destructive side on the kitchen, and it ended up looking like ground zero.

Uppsala greets the Sun

As if saying "Sorry for being late", the Sun showed itself from it´s brightest side this Thursday and Friday. Termometers climbed to the 20° mark and beyond, causing people to gather along the Fyris canal to sit and talk, read or just enjoy the moment they had longed for so many times the past months. Isabel and I strolled along the flow of the Fyris and observed how everybody unfolded to the warmth.
Outside my mom´s apartment, birds fill the air with genetically programmed acoustic calls and a woodpecker furiously prepares his new den.
For someone who has spent the last year and more in a city with 5 million people, it´s a rather nice place to be. Everything is so clean, the air actually consists of air, cars drive slowly and even in the heart of the city it´s possible to hear silence. Just don´t look at the price tags, or it will ruin the fun.