And so it begins

JoeConstruction on the annual Julbock, the world's largest straw goat, has begun in the small city of Gävle (about 100 km north of Uppsala). According to the newspaper, they Goat committee this year has opted to forego the highly successful flame-proofing used in the past two years. They say it's because the chemical caused the straw to absorb water and turn a dull brown instead of the goat's natural proud yellow coloring. I suspect it's because they secretly want the goat to burn every other year or so.

Either way, the webcam is up, as is the goat's blog (only in Swedish this year, by the look of it). You can keep an eye on the goat's progress off to the right.



I can't resist posting this charmingly unintelligible machine translation of the goat's first blog entry:

So it was finally time for a world celebrity to wake up from its summer slumber. On Friday the whole I should be place on the Palace Square in winter white Calcutta1. Follow the building via web cameras! New raiment has bock Committee cost of an old man too. Ah, the smell luscious malt indeed - straw will apparently from whiskey production in Mackmyra. And some, it is nice to regain its former glory. Unfortunately, the flame retardant (used in recent years) that I lost stinget total. Nobody likes of course, a dirt brown CHRISTMAS GOAT, which most resembles a roller cured terrier. But this year I am irresistible again with the New barley straw! Although I am not as eldsäker night, but I hope you will help me to look out for FIREBUG industries. Now is the ZOMBIES!

1 For some reason, online translators generally mistake the Swedish town of Gävle for the Indian city of Calcutta. Go figure.