SWEDISH SOJOURN (Part Two)

Thanks to the Gothenburg newspaper which had given me a full page display in my search for a job as an au pair boy, I found myself sailing across the North Sea to Gothenburg. It was Wednesday, 31st January, 1968 and I was 21.

As the ship docked around 7.30 a.m., I noticed that there were a few photographers and reporters at the quayside. I wondered who they were greeting and it turned out to be me! This photo was part of a special lunchtime edition asking readers if they remembered me from the previous article and informing them that I had arrived. This was my 15 minutes of fame.

Bjorn and Agnetha, the couple who I was to live with as an au pair, met me and took me to their home. I was to look after the newborn baby to allow Mum to continue in her job. Much more importantly, I could now find Anna, the love of my life and we would live happily ever after.

At the first opportunity, I went to her home where I was quickly disillusioned as it became clear that my love was unrequited. Anna had enjoyed our holiday romance but that is all it was to her. I was dumped.

The pain was somewhat lessened by the fact that some 150 girls had offered their 'companionship' in response to the newspaper article. I began 'sampling' them. In addition, Bjorn was a jazz saxophonist with his own band and I toured with them at weekends when I was off duty. Through this I encountered a great many girls.

Although Agnetha had planned to go back to work after having her baby, as you may have guessed, once it was in her arms, she couldn't bear to leave it. I became redundant. Under the terms of being admitted into the country as an au pair, I was only allowed to stay for up to 3 months. Bjorn and Agnetha honoured their obligation to employ me for until the end of April but then I had to leave.

However, I now had a new love, Karin, another stunning blonde like Anna, and I moved in with her. Despite the regulations, I managed to stay a total of 10 months in the country which I had grown to love but then Karin and I ended our relationship amicably and I had to leave.

I had enjoyed a wonderful adventure but now that it was clear that I would not be emigrating to Sweden I needed to resume my life in England.

SWEDISH SOJOURN (Part One)

Having revealed in my last post that back in 1967 at the age of 21, I had the need to place an advertisement in a Gothenburg newspaper, I had better explain the circumstances.

I had met a lovely Swedish girl called Anna while she was on an exchange visit to Bristol but sadly, though we had become close, she had to return home to Gothenburg. I was desperate to go to Sweden and pursue our relationship.

I resolved to emigrate to Sweden but discovered that they weren't letting anyone in unless they were on a short list of trades such as plumbers, electricians etc. I was none of these. Then I spotted that at the bottom of the list were 'au pair' girls. I thought 'Why should au pairs be girls?'

So I placed a small advertisement in a Gothenburg newspaper advertising my services as an au pair boy. Luckily for me, the editor of the paper thought this was newsworthy and wrote to me asking for more details and a photograph. Yes that's me aged 21. They used this to produce a full page story in their paper.

As a result of this coverage, I was inundated with job offers. I eventually chose a family in which the wife was a manageress and about to give birth. She wanted to continue her job soon after the birth so I was to look after a new-born baby. Her husband was a jazz saxophonist with his own band.

I suppose I do look a little like a Beatle in my photo and the Swedish girls must have thought so too because I also received around 150 offers of quite a different sort!

But my heart was lost to Anna and very soon I would be able to join her and live happy ever after in Sweden....at least, that was the plan. I soon learned that the best laid plans often work out very differently.