I take the opportunity to visit Olafr who made my swords etc. I'm most curious about how he's doing with his own steel, and I hope he will agree to make saw blades and small steel stamps so I can start marking things with serial numbers, years, my trademark and an academy symbol. Olafr is happy to see me and proudly shows his craft and that he is working on two swords and a dagger. The work is absolutely beautiful, and with finely decorated grips. Just the scabbards are works of art. One sword is completely finished and we both admire the craft. He has continued to inlay the triangle ROB triangle A marking in these blades as well, which he asked if he could do and I said it would be an honor if he did, and it is an honor to have that inlay as part of such crafts. I almost want to buy the sword from him just because its so beautiful, but I do not need more swords. And it's unnecessary silver to spend, and someone else deserves to enjoy that craft.

I already blew the guards minds when they saw the finely carved wooden board with the two extra swords I have, mounted as art on the wall, with the swords in A shape with the tips overlapping each other. With its wooden plate, it is reminiscent of the Academy logo, and it hangs between the middle windows on the mezzanine. The way the swords are mounted makes it impossible to pull them because there is a discreet wooden block that must be unscrewed to release the blades, and the screwing motion is locked with a discreet latch. A lot of violence will of course bypass the lock, but its metal in the middle, with wood on the outside, so it should be noticed and most people already have weapons.

It especially annoys Alith and Gunhild that the only thing I could think of to do with the swords is to hang them as works of art, and I understand their annoyance. Swords are both beautiful art and tools, tools that deserve to be used even though I hope they are never needed, as they are tools to kill. But I have no one to fight with - as far as I know anyway - and I still have my own sword. They do agree, that hanging them on the wall is better than lying in a chest. What really bothers Alith and Gunhild is that people will see that they are beautiful swords, with a nice inlay if they look closer, but almost no one will understand exactly how valuable those swords are. I just think it's funnier that way.

Olafr is proud to make my stamps, especially my trademark and the Academy logo. Every skilled craftsman has his own mark, and he likes to do mine and the Academy's. He does not really look forward to making the saw blades, but it is at least interesting and different. I also talk to Olafr about my plans for my own smithy and forge, with water-powered machines, and it doesn't take long before Olafr like the idea, and proudly shows his own forge and points out things and details to get right.

When Olafr really understands what I mean to do, his eyes light up. He suggests an agreement with me; I make the smithy as I described and with his refinements, and he gets to try to use it and refine it along with me. He also has two apprentices, Ketill and Loni, who can 'fight' for a place at my Academy if I am willing to let them get the job, but I warn him that there will not be so many swords or weapons for them to do, even if it will happen. I give Olafr the same speech that I gave Digraldi about what the craftsman can expect. I think I got a skilled smith too, because his apprentices knows their stuff - I know they did a lot of the work on my swords and knives.

I realize I need some pliers, a couple of hammers, files and an anvil for my mansions own little future smithy, and when I ask what I need, Olafr sells me some of what he has extra of which he thinks is 'the bare minimum'. It is quite absurd how much he has accumulated, and funny when he is slight embarrassed of a couple of 'shoddy' tools he made as an apprentice, but kept for sentimental reasons. I thought what he had out in the smithy was a lot, but that was before I saw his storage room. But it is useful to have an anvil inside the workshop too, and I can put some of the pliers and two hammers there as well.

The last thing to buy before I can finally return to the ship, is to buy winter shoes. I buy two; a more durable pair and a warmer pair. There is a decent chance I will use my hiking boots if the weather gets too bad, but one new pair is fully lined with fur and is terribly warm, which my boots deliberately aint as I mostly use them during nordic spring-summer-autumn.

Once I get to the ship, it is quite obvious that even though I have been to most places, I am quite alone in thinking that shopping is boring, and today we have made many merchants and craftsmen happy considering all orders and purchases, and one load after another arrive to the ship, which is loaded on board and exchanged for silver. The crew loves the crane, and I like how easy and safe it is, and I enjoy watching where I sit in a deck chair up on the aft deck, as load after load of goods are being loaded on board.

Asta takes a chair and sits down next to me and also watches everything, completely confident that the crew don't need her help or directions. We talk about new extra sails, and they have brought more sail canvas to be able to try. When I see the furniture for the houses by the harbor being loaded, I point it out to Asta, and whisper that the houses that are being built by the harbor? They are for her and the crew when the ship is not sailing. The men in one and Asta plus Lifa in the other, if they do not want to make another arrangement, but Asta sees the value in that and likes that she almost gets her own beautiful 'luxury' house. Everyone in the crew is willing to spend the winter on the ship and had not complained about it, because it is better than many other have, and the ship now also has lanterns and deckprisms. If the weather is not too damn ugly, merchant ships usually cross the seas all year round, especially in the south. But now she is looking forward to calling the my islands her home. She has seen and heard how nice those houses are, and how warm and cozy they will probably be during winter. I ask her to wait to tell the crew until it's time to move in.

Bodil points out when the barrels with the floor oil arrive, and it will be nice to see how it turns out, but we will probably wait with the actual oiling until Kari and Jane have left for their trip.

When Caecilia returns, I bring Ciara and Caecilia to the two musical instrument manufacturers that are here in Borgarsandr, to see what they have or can be made. We find surprisingly many ready-made instruments of different types, but the first makes mostly blowing musical instruments of different types along with drums etc, so I buy a couple of flutes, tambourines, and two simpler drum sets with three different size drums simply because they are available. There may be more people in the mansion who want to play on something. People have to entertain themselfs here, and playing music is popular.

The other craftsman has almost only string instruments and it is string instruments that interest them both. Ciara quickly chooses a harp she likes even if it is not exactly like the ones she learned on, and it is obvious she has used one before considering how casually she sits and tests, and it sounds good. The small happy smile Ciara gets, makes me immediately buy it for her. She does not wish for much, and she always deserves anything that makes her happier and smile.

Caecilia try most of the instruments, and she clearly knows a lot of the, and finally the choice is between three; another nice harp, one that is more lute like and one that is more guitar like. That says how much I know about music instruments. Caecilia discard the lute but continues to have decision anxiety between the others, and decides to pay for one herself. I still do not really consider that Caecilia is actually richer than both Iselin and Ciara. But the instruments are not that expensive, and the instruments will probably be used quite a lot as she partly is a bard, so I say that I will buy both for her. I also buy the lute but as part of the mansions instrument. It still feels uncomfortable, but not so much that I stop Caecilia from jumping into my arms and giving me hugs and kisses. Especially kissing her feels a bit too intimate when it doesn't happen during sex, and in fact feels more unfaithful and dirty due to her age. I want to see her as my personal assistant, but she is more courtesan'ish in behaviour. Had we not been in a craftsman's shop, I think Caecilia would like to have sex with me out of sheer happiness.

When I think about that, it doesn't really say much.

I think the instruments are the first thing I really buy for her that isn't clothes. In any case, it wasn't sex toys first, which is slightly ironic. Actually. When I think about that, she might be hurt if I give her sextoys, as she might take it as I don't want to have sex with her.

They've finish loading just before sunset, so we'll be able to sail early tomorrow. The days are shorter now than during summer and will be drastically shorter afterwards. Here it goes from the sun being up 18 hours a day to just under 6 hours, but the further north and closer you get to the Arctic Circle, the greater the change until it goes from weeks with 24 hours of sunlight to 24 hours of darkness. It is special to live in a place where you won't see sunlight for months if you can't go out in the middle of the day, and if you work indoors without windows, it is dark when you go to work, and dark when you go home, months in a row. Thank goodness for electric lighting, but that is missing here in Alfheimr. It will be dark this winter with just 6-8 hours of daylight, and I must have a realistic view of what can be done each day, and how far it is possible to sail. New sails to increase speed can be very valuable, as it might mean the difference in getting to harbor or having anchor and just wait until the next day to sail the last bit. Sailing during night is dangerous without lighthouses, charts, radar or any modern instrument, especially in amongs shallows and islands in the archipelago. Just trying to take aim for the right direction is hard when all you see is a slightly less dark sky and a black horizon where everything just blends together, no matter true distance.

A messenger arrives from the castle who thanks for the information and tells us that a place will be arranged for the auction in Lysesund. I have not thought about the fact that Radgeirrson owned a large mansion here on the outskirts of Borgarsandr which is now mine, because the messenger tried to find me there first, but I really don't want to visit the mansion and take care of it now. It is something like half an hour by road. Had I thought about it earlier today, I would have visited the mansion, but they have managed for a week, so they can manage one or two more weeks. They should be use to the owner being away on his other properties. Unfortunately, the messenger also tell me what has emerged that Radgeirrson did after I left the orgy feast. Damn pedophile - Radgeirrson should have been castrated with a dull wooden spoon.

My mood is improved when my sambos present the nice gift they have prepared for me. New trousers in modern cargopant style with thigh pockets, side pockets and buttons, in gray and dark blue fabric, and two pairs of shorts of the same type. It is clear that they have made them using my durable Midgård pants as a template. They even have had the buttons copied in bone. I am so grateful to have pockets again, and I give them well-deserved hugs and kisses. Iselin is pleased to inform that she also ordered two pairs of lined outdoor trousers that I can pull on the outside this winter when it gets cold, both with pockets, but not as many pockets.

Iselin proudly and happily shows off her new nice dress with two simple pockets. The same style as the one she sewed herself, only much nicer. She likes pockets enough that the dresses ordered for the maids have the same pocket solution, but of course less luxurious embroidery and decorations, and she has also ordered new luxurious dresses with pockets for Ciara, Kari, Caecilia and Jane. She has also ordered some other clothes, but wants that to be a surprise.

I don't think they have really understood the comming clothing problem yet. If it is as hot inside the mansion as I hope this winter, we will go lightly dressed for summer in there, but if they need to go outside, they have to add layers or completely change clothes. In general, it is quite cold inside also in the winter in many places, and humans - I mean elves - are quite warmly dressed indoors, unless they are next to the fire and every window or gap is blocked, and then going out to the toilet and such is less of a problem. I can only guess what it's like as a maid to run out in the winter in a summer dress. We should atleast give them panties or larger shorts to wear underneath. But it's future problems, and the reason for the vestibule and wings wardrobes where outerwear can hang, which everyone thinks is a weird idea, but which they accept because Jane and I say it's a good idea, and I have explained the problem of cloths.

Beside cloths, especially Kari has methodically convinced me that we need to buy carpets, and they have managed to find and buy four damn expensive carpets from the south. They will be on the great halls mezzanine and second floor balcony, the meeting room sofas and my bedroom sofas. I'm generally not much for carpets, but the others think it would be nice at the sofas, and they are probably right about that, but I have claimed the one with geometric patterns. The flower and greenery motif fits best in the meeting room, and the two with nature motifs can be in the great hall. It seems that Jane has mentioned some modern interior design tips for Kari when they talked about other things.

I don't think that empty wooden floors everywhere except in the wing is an issue, but as we do not use shoes indoors, Kari and the others see it as a reason to make the floor luxurious. Or well, I have given okay for them to go with special indoor shoes, and buy it for the staff, because the stone floor of the wing can be cold. The staff can run in and out of the wing as everything is stone floors, but they are not allowed to run in and out with the usual outdoor shoes in the main building, and definitely not when it is wet, muddy or snowy. They all see it as I'm being eccentric, but understand why. Personally, I prefer to go barefoot almost all the time, but Iselin is not alone in thinking that I should use some kind of indoor shoes because of the look and to show that I am rich. It is mostly the poor that walk barefoot, especially in the summer. But I won't give after on that. Barefoot is nice and practical.

I explained clogs, sandals and slippers when we talked about the problem, and Iselin has sought out a shoemaker to make some classic Swedish clogs in different sizes, with a thick wooden sole and leather top. Jane have loudly complained that I will defile Alfheimr with something so ugly, instead of something beautiful like high-heeled shoes or stilettoes. That high heels and especially stilettoes would be totally impractical and dangerous, apparently doesn't matter. It at least gave me an opportunity to sarcasticly reply: "No-one will ever doubt your femininity." but it failed when Jane just thanked me and was proud of it.

Before we go to bed, I realize that I still havn't made any real planes for a stove in the ship.