Well hello. It’s been a minute, no?
I had real thoughts of not renewing my web hosting service a few months ago. The site’s theme was no longer supported. I’d had break-ins. Hosting keeps getting more and more expensive. And we’ve been so busy that I just don’t get time to write here (I still do some writing. See below), let alone re-design the website on a clean, secure platform (which I had to do this morning).
And then there’s the question of whether or not I should write about the worst president in all history, and the way he makes one of the best countries in the world look like a barrel of monkeys. The burnout on that one is very real. He’s your problem to fix, but you should know that from the outside, he and his cronies are making you look like a fucking joke. And I never rarely swear here.
But I did renew the site. I wanted to renew. Swadeology has always been important to me, both as a way to get my thoughts out there, and as a way to keep in touch with some people in far away places.
So here we are. I guess a minor update is in order….
Where Are We?
Caro and I left Sweden in September 2024, which is both good and not-so-good. I’m happy that we’re home in Australia because this is where we want to be in the long run. But I’m also a little sad because Sweden is like a second home to me, and I miss it a lot. I was back at Koenigsegg when we left, too, and that place is always, always hard to leave.
So we’re back in Brisbane. We got lucky finding a lovely new apartment building in an inner-west suburb called Indooroopilly. The Swedish market was dead flat for the 2 years we were there, while the Australian market went up by around 25%. We lost a fair bit of our purchasing power in those two years. But we convinced a bank to give us a mortgage and got back into the Australian property market, which we’re extremely thankful for.
It’s great to back in Brisvegas – home of the 2032 Olympic Games. We’re not legally obliged to say that every time we refer to Brisbane, but it won’t be long before we are. Three of the four seasons here are great (summer is too humid for human habitation). The city’s looking beautiful and growing at a rate of knots. It’s actually out-pricing Melbourne right now. Ouch.
What Are We Doing?
Our main reason for returning what so that Caro could resume her old job. She was in a position where she either had to return to Australia and resume her duties, or resign her job completely. Returning made the most sense.
It also means that I’m 80% unemployed. I’m still doing some writing work for Koenigsegg but that’s mostly around the annual magazine, which doesn’t occupy that much of my year. So 80% of my time now involves me growing my own small business.
First I worked with numbers. Then I worked with words. Now I’m working with pictures.
I’ve spent far too much money on camera gear over the last 10 years, so I decided to put my camera to use. I’m doing photo work centered around architects, builders, interior designers, etc, which I absolutely love. I’ve long had an interest in the built environment, so it was an easy fit.
The difference between a good amateur and a professional is speed and repeatability. I’m still developing both. I’m yet to master the finer points of finishing an image, and I’m a looooong way off having enough clients to replace a salary. But I’m getting there.
We’re also parenting a cat. This is Freddie – a superb new addition to the Wahoo clan.
What Am I Driving?
Now that’s an interesting question. I’m going to take some photos and do a write-up soon.
It’s French. I got fascinated by them while in Sweden, so when one came up for sale just after we’d landed in Brisbane, I couldn’t help myself. We’ve had it for just over a year and spent far too much money catching up on foregone maintenance (I can hear Mats laughing from here). I think it’ll be leaving soon.
After a slight hiatus over the last few years, I’m getting more and more interested in what I drive again. The need for character and intention is returning, and lots of thoughts are forming as to how I can fulfil those needs. I still have a LOT of cars on the bucket list.
I’m also interested in what you’re driving, especially as we’re now 14 years on from The Bankruptcy.
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I can’t believe I’m saying this as I was in my mid-30s when I started blogging….. but we’re commencing a 5-year countdown to retirement! My goodness, how did I/you ever get that old?
We know where we want to live, and how. We just have to make it happen.
I like to think this website will still be kicking along when that happens. As I said, this outlet’s always been very important to me as a two-way communication tool. I’ll just have to make sure the content is more interesting than this, which I will.
For now, I just wanted to say Hi, check in, and re-familiarise myself with this place.
I hope you’re all doing wonderfully well. And I hope you have a cracking 2026 to come!