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That's all Folks!

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Thank you for sticking with me over the past six years as I’ve wittered away about my Swedish adventures, aka my PhD. Little did I realise, as I sat in a traffic jam, Heathrow bound on the M25, on 20 th   April 2018, that this was not the just the beginning of a 4.5-year degree but one of those turning points, at which I reset my life’s trajectory. Six years on and I have finally completed that degree, fallen in love with a Swede, bought an apartment in Stockholm with that Swede, started a job in a Swedish state-owned company, and just four days ago, become a Swede (don’t worry, I’ll always be at true Brit at heart!).   The final three items in that list have all occurred since my last blog update, six months ago, along with my PhD defence, turning 30, completion of the 12 months of dips, and a few fun trips away. February was a particularly full-on month as I was working 50% at Vattenfall (in a role that I’m loving), I had my defence on the 2 nd , 30 th  birthday on 8 th...
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The end is nigh

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It has just been brought to my attention that nearly a year has passed since my last post on here, what a lot I have to catch up on. I must admit that writing doesn’t top my list of fun activities right now, given that much of the past twelve months has been spent writing and re-writing my PhD thesis. However, as of last Friday I am now thesis-free as I sent it off to be evaluated by the first of many examiners. All being well, this means I should have a printed copy in my hands at the beginning of 2024, ready for my defense in February, marking the end of this nearly six-year adventure.   Despite the work on my thesis nearing its close, the coming three months are unlikely to be a period of calm. With the end of my PhD comes the end of student perks, such as cheap student accommodation, so back in March Emil and I bought an apartment for which we get the keys next week (photos here:  https://www.fastighetsbyran.com/sv/sverige/objekt/?ObjektID=2708158&Digitaltflyttkort=1F9...
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Expanding my carbon footprint

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  Nearly six months ago, I finished off my blog post with a nod to upcoming trips to Skellefte å and England. Since then, I’ve been on not just those two, but eleven trips around the Nordics, the UK and beyond, celebrating various birthdays, visiting family and friends, driving students around the Swedish countryside, and digging in plenty of dirt. A post about all of that could easily turn into a novel, so I’ll stick to the highlights and in many cases, let the photos speak for themselves. 2022 has been a year of big birthdays in the Watts and Burman families. In the space of one week at the end of June, we had two 60 th s and a 70 th to celebrate. First, it was the Watts’ turn with Uncle Simon and Mum’s 60 th s, so Emil and I popped across to England for five days to join in with the festivities. While over, we slotted in a foodie day in London before the full Watts gathering on Saturday at Simon and Lisa’s place. It was fantastic to see so much of the family in one place aft...
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