A week off work and my batteries are recharged. Lots of golf a few party nights and a few hours of sun and i feel like a new man! This weekend will be spent relaxing and i even have a running session booked with Biggy Wiggy tomorrow.

I have been watching the European Athletics Championships from Barcelona on TV4. Edlund, Juhlin, Jihde, Sunneborn and collegues have been on the top of their game which is definately not the case regarding the Swedish Athletes. A sorry bunch that haven´t lived up to expectations. Unfortunately for many of them its seems however they have lived up to their own expectations. I know everyone cant be a winner but for most it seems like a week in the Barcelona sun is enough.

Max Grindals article about the different starting methods used in the world of athletics was both interesting and entertaining. Even Paddy would have been proud of that effort.

2 Flavours at ”Byttan” was as always a good way to spend a friday night. Biggy, Silver, Uffe B, JR and Emil H were all in place and in great form. No surprise to hear we ended up at Harrys and met up with a few familiar faces. A ”deja vu” feeling just hit me. I really must try a new watering hole soon!

”King of the Castle” gets under way again tomorrow. We had a visit from the June winner yesterday and he recieved his prize. A Lansdowne.se suitcase from Cavalet.

If Fabregas leaves the Gunners for Barcelona for a reported 30 million pounds then maybe they will have to sell someone to cover the cost. I wonder who that might be?

Junior presents ”King of the Castle” winner for June – Gustav Eliesersson with his ”Cavalet” suitcase!

The Voice, Silver and PK enjoying summer in Kalmar!

Dancing Queen on stage with 2 Flavours.

At last a few days off work. Monday, tuesday, wednesday has been spent on the golf course. Not a great deal of success but very relaxing. Monday we played Kalmar GK ”Old Course”. JR, PK and The Voice. The first 4 holes were probably the worst ever witnessed on the ”Old Course”. Things got a bit better after that and ”The Voice” was the best of a bad bunch. Tuesday and Silver took ”The Voice´s” place in our 4 ball. The ”New Course” this time and Silver played like he was in a trance (he probably was) he had an easy nice paced swing all afternoon and his 35 points were enough to take the spoils. Wednesday and we drove over the bridge to ”Öland” and played Ekerum GK. Myself, Uffe B, JR and ”The Voice” teed up at 12.50. Match play. Jr and The Voice against Sr and Uffe B. My form has been to say the least dodgy and Uffe B hasn´t found his rythm yet this season. We knew it would be a tough match and when Jr started par,birdie,par things didn´t look good. We however somehow managed to share a few holes and even win a couple and after 9 were only 2 down. That was as close as we would get and we were put out of our misery at the 15th. Junior won the individual competition with 35 points.

What will we remember most of all during the 3 day tour? When i was looking for my ball at the ”Snake Hole” and was not paying attention to were i was walking. My foot fastned in a pot hole and i went down like Drogba at his best and lay there with my bag over me and clubs everywwhere. Jr, PK and Silver stood there trying not to laugh to much.

Watching the athletics on TV 4. Carro in the long jump final. I hope she can have the last laugh on the ”know alls” who have criticized her long jump ambitions. She is still and probably always will be Swedens best ever athlete.

2 days left of my week off. Pouring rain probably means a day at the office tomorrow.

I sat at home watching the golf. Scandinavian Masters was coming to an end. 2 holes left Richard S and Echenique battling it out. The phone rings and it´s Silver who wants to follow him to Fredriksskans to watch Kalmar FF – DIF. Difficult choice but my concience tells me that i must have a look at Nanne´s boys who haven´t lost for 14 games.

The rain had stopped but the pitch was soaked and there were a few puddles making it difficult for both sides. A crowd of just under 6000 were in place and waiting for the red machine to fire up. 90 mins later i was on my way home annoyed that i chose to miss the last 2 holes at Bro Hof to witness the most uninspiring performance i have seen by a Kalmar FF side for years. They created absolutely nothing. I guess a side with 3 workers and a debutant in midfield cant be expected to create a great deal and when Sobralense (play maker) had a ”day off” it didn´t look at all inspiring. Djurgården weren´t any better maybe a little hungrier but all in all it was a poor ”Allsvensk” match and Kalmars next opponents in the Europa League Levski Sofia must be smiling ahead of thursdays match.

I am looking forward to a week full of golf. PK, Silver, Uffe B, Kjelle A, Janne, The Voice and Jr are all available so lets hope the rain stays away.

Per Ulrik Johansson has become the new voice of Swedish Golf. Viasat last weekend SVT this weekend. It makes a big difference when a commentator can relate to his own experience instead of coming with an educated guess. ”Zacky” will always be Mr Golf but times change. In the States its Faldo and Johnny Miller now Sweden are moving up a level with PUH.

By the way Richard S won by 1 shot and Djurgården also won with 1 shot.

It would appear saturday is rain day in Kalmar. It has poured down all day and ”Kalmar Market” was washed away. Even yesterdays After Work wasn´t really as planned. No sun very few party goers and only the amount of beers and ”2 Flavours” musical talents were of a normal standard.

A quiet Saturday for once. Scandinavian Masters on the TV. Richard S Johnson is flying the flag for Sweden. -10 after 3 rounds and starting in the leader ball tomorrow. ”Radio celeb” Anders Timmel is caddying for him and the cameras have been following him closer than the OJ Simpson chase 1994.

Kalmar FF play Djurgården tomorrow and a ”big” crowd is expected (well, over 6000 any way). Kalmar have gone 14 games without defeat and are looking stronger than for ages. I have always said that the test of a good trainer is being able to sell top players and bring in replacements that fit into the pattern of things. Kalmar never buy big name players but Nanne has a knack of putting round pegs in round holes and building a strong unit.

”Silly Season” in England and Man City are behaving sillier than most. They have already signed David Silva, Jerome Boateng, Yaya Toure and Serbian defender Kolarov and have made a bid for James Milner. They now have 42 players in their squad. I get the feeling that manager Mancini must deliver from day one or start looking for a new job.

Just started raining again. Film time!

At last a day in the sun. Böda Sand in the north of ”Öland” (an island of the coast of Kalmar) sun sea and sand and a lazy day doing absolutely nothing. Arrived at 11 and the beach was already busy. Threw down my towell and sat there looking out over the sea and enjoying the scenery. A great mix of young familys, groups of both boys and girls and even some pensioners soaking up the rays.

I lay there listening to different conversations and came to the conclusion that a lot of holiday makers should be prescribed a dose of valium. On holiday you should be enjoying the chance to relax just sitting there and appreciating your free time not sounding like you´re stressed out. A typical example was a women around 35 who turned up with 3 kids her husband (i presume) another couple and what looked like her mother. First she put out all the towells then told everyone where they should sit at the same time put the kids swimming trunks on poured her husband a cup of coffee helped her mother with her sun chair all the time giving everone instructions in a loud voice and telling the kids what they should and should not do. Then when one of the kids answered her back he recieved a sharp ”keep your voice down” no one else wants to hear your opinion. Classic soap opera stuff.

4 hours on the beach two trips into the sea and a litre of water later and it was back down the 136 to Kalmar.

Kalmar FF got the result they needed away to the Moldovian side FC Dacia. 2-0! Goals by Israelsson and Sobralense. Five games in a row Petter Wastå has kept a clean sheet and shown that he still is Kalmar´s no 1 goalkeeper.

Helsingborg beaten 2-1 at home to Häcken is a good result for the chasing sides.

Hammarby in the Swedish cup semi final is a good draw for Kalmar FF.

Soaking up the rays.

Böda Sand a must for 2011.

Return match at Kalmar GK. Lansdowne v Lansdowne JR. Out  classed on Monday and in need of revenge tuesday. Junior´s 42 points meant he started with 2 fewer strokes and only 1 stoke more than me. I started with a pathetic 5 at the 150 M par 3 and Junior had an easy par. I did however feel that my swing was solid and i knew i had a chance. Uffe B and the Voice joined us today and we not only had ”fun in the sun” we were treated to some classic one liners from Claude ”Voice” Rask.

After 9 holes i was 3 points up and in control. 2 par 5 holes later and the lead was down to 2 and not looking good. Then Par, Par, Par and my lead had doubled. The Par 4 17th and a great drive solid 7 iron and a 8 foot swinging up and down hill put into the wind and a birdie meant it was all over. It reminded me of a saying i learnt when young ”its good to be king ! everyone loves the king” !!

After the ”duel in the sun” a quick gym session and then 3,2 km at ”Stensö”.

Later in the evening i joined Uffe B, The Voice and Thailands Lasse at Krogers to have a celebration Zlatopramen and listen to Calaisa. Krögers was packed solid and a big croud had turned out at ”Larmtorget” to see the ”Girl Band” from Malmö. They were on stage 45 mins and it sounded like they sang just the one song over and over again.

Congratulations to AIK who managed a 0-0 draw away to Luxembourgs footballing pride AS La Jeunesse d’Esch and made it through to the next qualifying round of the Champions League. Its Irish or Norwegien opponents that await. Alex Miller is off to a great start.

Off to Böda Sand up in the north of ”Öland” tomorrow. A day of relaxing in the sun!

Not a bad weekend for Lansdowne.se predictions. Lee Westwood my tip to win the Open came second. 7 shots behind the unstoppable South African Louis Oosthuizen. Ranked 54 in the world before the tournament he played like a tour veteran and didn´t even seem that ”stressed out” after the winning putt. Family and friends were in tears not Louis just that same ”Shrek” smile he had worn for 4 days.

Look out for Kalmar FF this autumn i said. OK a 2-0 win against an embarrissingly poor Djurgården isn´t a surprise result but a win is a win and Nanne seems to have the ”midas” touch when it comes to team selection! Jimmie Augustsson at left back? Genius!!

AIK will pick up a lot of points under Alex Miller. He has the AIK mentality in his veins.

Played golf today. Kalmar GK ”new course”. Just myself and Junior. I have the feeling that my game is coming slowly together. The result still isn´t at the level of my swing but its getting there. Junior however was in the Zone! Despite four putting the 3rd and missing 7 fairways he went round in 79. Not bad for a 14 Handicapper!

Joe Cole on his way to play for Roy´s new boys. A great buy for Liverpool and also a sign to Gerrard, Torres and Mascherano that Roy has good ”pulling power”.

52000 people for the opening ceremony of the 2010 Gothia Cup. A fantastic youth football competition that Sweden should be proud of.

Golf again tomorrow and its my turn to shine.

Another great friday night out in Kalmar. Uffe B, Silver and myself met up at 19.00. Byttan was the location and 2 Flavours Janne and Matte were on stage and in great form. A few warm up numbers and then their special ”music quiz”. A quiz were no one really knows how many questions there are or in what order or even if the answer is right or not but there is always a winner and everyone seems to enjoy themselves. After Byttan it was off to Harrys where we were joined by the 2 Flavours and time just flew by and i was standing with a ”hot dog” in my hand at Larmtorget before i knew it.

Allsvenskan started up again today and as i predicted Alex Miller got his AIK of to a great start with a 2-0 win over Malmö FF. Aggressive, hard working well organised AIK will be hard to beat this autumn.

Zlatan back in the national side and as Captain. Next time he takes a ”time out” he will probably be offered the trainers job to return to the fold.

British Open is really warming up now. The Swedes are having a good day and Stenson and Karlsson are both in with a shout. My man Westwood is hanging in there. Should be a great sunday in front of the box. Viasats PUH, Fulke and Zachy are getting better day by day!

2 Flavours in full flow.

Ray Charles and Mark Levengood !!

A bad nights sleep due to the ”tropical” weather. A quick shower and then off to work or so i thought. A burst pipe in town meant no water no morning tea no shower and no smiles as i walked to the office. 40 degrees in the office not many suppliers reachable on the phone and a few deliverys running late. Not a great start to my day.

British Open day 1 was a good day for the Swedish players. Best of them all was Peter Hansson who had a 66 round. The club house leader is the young Irish Wizard Rory McIlroy who set a course record of 63. My two boys Westwood 67 is up there and Poulter had a 71 and needs a good round tomorrow. Viasats new team of Zachie, Per Ulrik and Fulke work well together.

Not a great start for Swedish sides in the Europa League. Gefle were beaten 2-1 at home by Dynamo Tbilisi. Good bye Gefle. Elfsborg won 2-1 at home to a side from Moldovia and will have to perform better if they want to reach the next round. Kalmar FF drew 0-0 with another Moldovian team. Apparently the Moldovian league is on a par with the ”Allsvenskan”.

Emile Heskey has decided to quit international football. Whats he going to do now for a game then? He hasn´t played club football for the last two seasons.

Paddy´s boys didn´t win the Båstad Beach Volleyball tournament yesterday. I bet he found it hard to celebrate last night!

I joined Junior and Gustav E for a run at Stensö tonight. 3,2 km at a very modest pace. Not a lot of people running today not surprising when its as hot as this however i needed a run and when i returned home the water was back on and i got the shower i needed as well.

2010 Victoria Golf – Ekerum Golf Club on ”Öland” . 16 teams battling it out for the prestigious team trophy. Last years winners team ”Mix Megapol” kept the same line up. Haeggman, HIO Holm, Calle B och yours truly. 9.00 ”shot gun” start ( Hole 5) and already 24 degrees. A solid start was made but not many birdie putts were dropping (not many par putts in my case). As the weather got hotter the quality of golf wilted and it was only really Haeggman that delivered the goods 6 under par for the 18 holes in tropical conditions was a treat to watch. Ekerum was in great condition and when we checked our score cards we finished on a combined total of 132 Points.

The prize ceremony and barbeque was held at Strand Hotell in Borghom and as always hosted by Kay Wiestål ”Mr Victoria dagen”. Kay was in command from the moment he grabbed the ”mic” to the last winners applaud had died down. Team Mix Megapol were on the winners rostrum again. Haeggman won the individual prize for his 67. Calle B was the best amateur 77 and we finished 2nd in the team event. 3rd place 2008, winners 2009 and runners up 2010 is not a bad series.

HIO Holms son CJ and Junior had joined us for the barbeque and we decided a 2nd place must be celebrated. Great barbeque a few beers a couple of bottles of red and we were off and running.

The biggest applaud of the evening was however when Kay manged to persuad Charlotte Kalla to come up on stage for an interview.

Later in the evening we met up with Silver and Snäckan and together with CJ and Junior the people of Borgholm were kept on their toes!

Many thanks to Mix Megapol (for inviting me) and both Ekerum Golf Club and Kay for a great event.

Back at the office this afternoon. Lots to do and it looks like i might not even have time for a few days off next week either. Lifes hard but i am not complaining am i?

The British Open Golf starts at St Andrews tomorrow. My pick to lift the claret jug is Lee Westwood or Ian Poulter both players have been close to winning a major and it feels like Tiger and the other top Americans aren´t really on form at the moment.

What a great stance! My drive at the first. Photo CJ

HIO, Lansdowne.se, Haeggman and Calle B. Outfits are from Galvin Green not Dressman! Photo CJ

Not sure where to go after picking up our team prize. Photo Lansdowne.se

Charlotte Kalla looking ”summer chic”. Photo Lansdowne.se