I wish i could say it was done and everything was getting back into order but I can’t. Yesterday when I came home I thought, no I had planed to get everything unpacked. I even skipped yoga for it.

But

When I started to clean up I found a leaking line, loose tiles, a “long” hole along the window and doorway and so on. And to top the electricity for the washing machine (I don’t have one but perhaps future owners will) was gone. My stress level was high before but now. Let just say that I didn’t sleep much last night.

Anyway this is how it looks

I can see the finishing line

Almost there, almost ... I think that in my 101 post I'll be able to say All done constractors - now it's my turn.

Ok, I can now see that my bathrobe can't be hanged where I had planed, nor can my scale be placed there I had planed for it and I can see that the towelhangers can't be placed where I had planed. I guess that over night I have to deside if I should let them drill holes for the hangers or not.

So much better

I got them to redo the tiles and look what a different. I can’t get the walls the way I wanted it but I sure did get the floor I wanted.

Before:


After!!!!!!

At home in the mess

I have spent the day cleaning up what I can. Kitchen, bedroom and livingroom have been dusted, vacuumed and mopped. 10 loads of cloths and other textiles have passed the washing mashines. I have swept the hall to get rid of as much as possible. I guess it’s just me left now.

I plan to go to Petra’s place and have a shower before going to the cinema. I have changed my mined of what I’m going to see, so instead off Russel Crowe I’m going to see a new Swedish movie.

By the way this is how it looks in the bathroom right now. I’m a bit disappointed about the floor. I had ordered the joints to be dark but as you can see they are not. Guess who will be on the phone at 7 am on Monday.

Wall

After several days with nothing happing the guy turned up yesterday. I had to leave work in a haste to show him how I wanted things. He had held my drawing the wrong way. Later he called and told me that my measurements were wrong since he had to start from the middle. This meant that my drawing was wrong and I told him that he could do the tiles the way he thought looked best. Today I went up to have a look. I’m not sure what to say. Perhaps it will be better when the shower is up.

Anyway this is how it looks right now.

He is still standing and it’s snowing

Now I am worried

A quick visit at home to water my plants and to check out the bathroom.
Monday the man in charge said they would start the tiling on Thursday, Tuesday it was Friday so today I got worried when I saw the walls. Will they be ready on Friday when I’m moving back home.

And when I do I’ll have some serious cleaning to do. This is how my hall looks today.

Any way … He is still here!

First update

I have been up twice since they started on Monday. It’s a mess at home. My hallway is filled with stuff. I could hardly make my way to the bathroom. My poor plant that I couldn’t move was in a mess, I pushed it back into the pot and dirt and can only hope that it will survive this adventure.

On Tuesday the bathroom looked like this …

Yesterday I went strait to my yoga class and then home to Petra without passing my flat. Today it had advanced to this state.

After work tomorrow I’m first going to check into the hotel and then head home to my brother’s to take care of my niece and nephew for the evening. New photos will be up during the weekend.

Something else that has been up for the first week is the strawgoat.

Now it just need to survive another 22 days until it's Christmas.

Stella

Stella has accepted the sofa as hers. The sign is that she hid her candy among the pillows and then made a "nest" with the rest.


Stella has had a hard time with all the changes at home and to make things worse. One Saturday morning I found her in my bed among pillows, blanketts and her stuff too. I was mopping the floors.

Renovation update

During the past months things have changed on the outside and inside. It took the constructors about 6 weeks to finish. Today all that is left to do is the planting.

But as you can see that will have to wait …

On the inside:

Well, after having the kids over for an evening I was left with just a few books, the rest found new homes. Getting rid of my childhood books meant I could go on with the next steep and today the room has got a new function.

Now, moving the couch from one room to another meant that I needed to get a new one and one thing led to another. With that said I now have got rid of even more furniture.

As I’m writing this I’m staying at “Hotel Lagerbäck” aka one of my dearest friends home. For 8 nights this will be my home with a break during the weekend when I will be staying at a hotel. Now that is something I haven’t done before, staying at a hotel in my home town. Reason for this. Let say this is how my bathroom looked when I left for work …

And this is how it looked when I came home this evening.

Renovation time

Right now there are renovations going on both on the outside and on the inside.

A few months after I moved into my flat October 97 I suggested at a meeting that we should do something about the grounds around our houses. I was made fun off. Now 13 years later things are happening. On the 6th of September things happened, well it really started last year when we got to see the suggestions a landscape architect had done. Earlier this summer I came home for lunch and the large tree outside my balcony was gone. And on the 6th of September things really started to happen.

Last Saturday, a month later ...

I have to admit I’m a bit worried that they won’t be able to finish before the snow comes. I do not want to think about how it will be outside if they don’t.

Now that was the outside. …

On the inside this is happening.

On the 29th of November they will start knocking down the walls in my bathroom. It is going to be new walls, floor with floor heating, a ceiling with spotlights and new furniture Stella will once more be staying with my parents but this time it will only for a month before we get to be together again.

Another thing that is going on is that I’m finally doing something with my spare room. That room has been storage when I have been working on the other rooms, it is my computer room, my library, that is where I put things I need to keep but don’t know what to do with and so.

I have carried 8 paper bags with books and the same amount with cross-stitch magazines to the Red Cross shop. Next Friday the kids are coming over for a “tacos and book choosing evening”. I hope that when they go home none of my, my siblings and parents childhood books are left in my living room. If there are, a choice will be made depending of age and memory. Are they my teenaged books no problem – Red Cross next, my parents old books – storaged.

Copenhagen

Yesterday I went abroad for the day. I still find it hard to call Copenhagen abroad but yes; it is in another country, they do speak another language and so on. I do understand what they are saying in Danish but have to admit that I use English as much as possible just to sure.

As always I went strait to my favorite confectionary: La Glace. It was opened in 1870 and the enviroment is like it was with minor changes to upgrade it to the 21st century. I always have their speciality "Sports cake". It's made out of crouched nougat, whipped cream, macaron botton and has caramelized chaux pastry on it. They have been making it since 1891. (www.laglace.dk)

I didn't do any shopping this time; instead I was a tourist. I started off by visiting Rosenberg's Castle. It was stuffed with people like me and with several guided tours going on it wasn't easy to look around. Even with this said the place was a bit of disappointment as there were a lot to look at but not a sign to tell what I was actually looking at. All we got was a paper with a map saying what room I was entering. I guess I should had bought the guidebook. Not even the crown jewels were that impressive.

The David collection was next on my path. It's a museum that is housed in the building that once was occupied by the founder C.L David. It has 3 different exhibitions: Islamic art, European 18-th century art and Early modern Danish art. In art they mean not only paintings. Mr David owned some very nice furniture that I wouldn't mind having myself.

After a quick lunch at some Italian place since I couldn't find the place I was looking for, I continued to Thorvaldsen's Museum. It was opened in 1848 and very much looks like it did back then. It houses nearly all of his orginal models for the sculptures, sketches, drawings and his own collection of subjects from acient Greek, Roman and Egypt. From there it was just across the road to Christiansborgs Palace and the Royal Reception rooms. One had to wear shoe covers. One thing did disappoint me and this is my being really picky. Being able to read and understand both languages I noticed several translation mistakes. The worsed one was when a small snake was called a small worm. On the tapestry the text was describing it is very clearly a snake.

After a quick snack after this I was definitive ready to go home and after 1½ hours travelling I was back in Trelleborg. The bus ride from Malmö was so bad that one woman as we steped off said "one could think he had stolen the bus"

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to get some more samples to my Hoya collection. At least I should be ... there are 250 different sorts and I only have 21.

Time - where does it go?

Outside the rain is pouring down. I have two very wet dogs next to me and I guess you all know how a wet dog smells! I guess they think the same of my wet odor!!

The summer has been absolutelly wonderful, that until my holiday started. It has been raining , the autumn has started to show its face and I started it all off with a flu. However I shall not complain. I want to have a late holiday, I had 8 wonderful days in London in May, the topical weather that we had in July meant that Stella and I were able to have picnics om both weekends and after work and last week I got to spend two days with a childhood friend and meet some of her family. And I still have my visit to Copenhagen to look forward to.

While walking the dogs I always let my mind wonder away. I find it such a good way to solve/sort out things. Unfortunate it is also a way to start a "problem" or make things worse. Today I realized that I need to do somethong so that I don't lose my English. I used to mail almost daily with Linda and very often to a friend in Burr Ridge. The later is now having such problems with her computer conections that mailing isn't any idea at this point. A few years ago I also used to be active in different groups, writing my stories etc - now nothing!

For some reasons I find it hard to get active in The Writing Desk once again. Why I don't know? I didn't know anyone when I first joined in 2004 so why does it feel like I'm facing Mount Everest this time? The Alan Rickman och Peter Breck groups I'm in are "dead", nothing has happend in them for ages. I have other interest, I could join a group for them perhaps? Nah. As for my writing - well it seems that even if both stories are done "in my head", the connection between mind, fingers, energy and time seems to have lost its way somewhere. I just can't get myself to sitt down and write them down. In fact if I look at the time I do spend by the computer at home it's almost only the hour in the morning for checking the mail and newpaper, perhaps a little more during the weekend. I guess there is one of the problems - not computer time - no writing. Which brings me to todays worry about my knowledge in the English language.

I do know there is a time and place for everything but I wonder what time and place I need to be in so that I don't dropp the language I feel as strongly about as my native Swedish?

Studing mummy

I started to do Zumba in January and I really love it. In fact I love it som much that I got a DVD to exercise to at home. Well, on Saturday I decided that it was time to have a go. I cleared out some space in the living room, put the DVD in the player and stood in front of it ready to go. In walks Stella. She looks at me and then "takes a seat" comfortably in front of the TV, leaning her back towards the desk. For the next 10 min she just sat there and studied me.

How I wish I knew what she was thinking!!

Getting nervous

For a couple of weeks the ashes from Icelantice vulcano Eyafjallajokull has stayed away from Uk. Now that my trip is getting closer and closer the ashes have come again and Heathrow is of today closed. I just have to continue to hope that the winds shall turn to my favour and not get in my way on Saturday or when I'm bound to return to Sweden (even if I don't see the last as a problem :))

Last time my brother got stuck in Australia. Not that he seemed to have minded to much since he got a few extra days of warmth. I think it was worse to my sister-in-law as she was being home alone with the kids, not knowing when he should return, getting different dates all the time. As it turned out he arrived home just 5 days later.

Kitchen pictures

It has been a few months where I have hardly looked at my computer, except for the mornings when I check my e-mail and read the news. This winter have been horrid in many ways but tomorrow I hope luck will return as I and Stella get on the train taking us south. We are going to be in Trelleborg for a week before I fly to London. London, so I have been longing for my trip there.

During the renovation of the kitchen I posted photos of it but I noticed that I hadn’t shown you how it turned out when everything was ready. So here you are.

And when I came back home I’ll pull myself together, start reading my friends blogs and keep my own going.

Ridin’ On Ahead

The title of this post is the title of my dear friend Linda’s award wining story. Why I found it fitting to use it today I’ll get to later.

It has passed a week since Linda peacefully left us after a long time of struggle with poor health. It was easy to tell when Linda wasn’t feeling well or worse than normally. She commended less on the Writing Desk, it was longer between the posts on her blogg, she didn’t answer mail as fast as she usually would do and the most definitive clue when Linda openly admitted that she wasn’t feeling well. It was with great concern I read and reread her description of her heath issues knowing what it could mean but I have to admit that never in my mind could I believe it would shorten her life so soon. It has taken me these days to finally be able to sit down and write as I have been at loss of words both in English and in Swedish.

I have known Linda since spring 2004. It was then I found the Peter Breck Yahoo group. Linda welcomed me, as she did with everyone new. She also mentioned the Big Valley discussion group and the Writing Desk but it took sometime before I wandered over the discussion group. I officially joined 29th June 2004. I have to admit I have left and come back a few times since then. At the time I joined I thought that the Writing Desk was only for those who wrote so I didn’t even bother to check it out until later. It was like coming into a BV heaven. When I had read several stories there and on Holding Pen I had a few ideas and asked if there was a place where I could write them down as an idea for someone who wrote. I was told to write them myself. Linda offered to beta for me. (I was her first I believe) That was the birth of our friendship. Together we worked on 11 stories that were finished. The last one done with struggle. I got a writer's block before it was finished but when Linda told me that someone wanted to finish my story I pulled myself together and continued. Shortly after that Linda got ill and I had another beta for a few chapters. Boy, what a difference. I was pleased when Linda was up for it again. Linda was generous with her time, her encouraging words and extremely careful to suggest changes that wouldn’t be me. It took a year before she even told me that there was one word I almost every time spelled wrong and since the word I wrote existed my spell check didn’t pick it up. Now I’m trying to get myself together to finish at least one of them I have stored on my computer since Linda already have betad half of it.

More BV incidents: At one point I came into a disagreement with a woman who always seem to say that she was in a writer's block and then produced story after story always begging for feedback but never giving any to others and this was what the disagreement was about. At one point Linda pointed out to me that as an administrator she told me to back off a little but as herself she agreed completely with me. A “warning” from an administrator is to be taken seriously so I did what she wanted.

Now Linda and I did have our disagreements too. Numerous e-mails were sent about broken links and the hardness about finding information among those who worked. Some of you may know that this led to that I then got to sort them up. When the Study turned up I wanted what I had done deleted. Linda did not like this or agreed with me so we discussed this until the day I got credit for the links. Then she saw it from my point of view and the post was deleted.

I think that I shall share with you a memory that is not related with the Big Valley groups, directly that is. At one point there was a talk about cross-stitches, patterns and the Barkley family. I promised and did sew Nick for Linda. Years after I asked Diana Breck if that photo could be bought from them. She hadn’t seen the photo before. Anyway along with the picture I also sent Linda a cookbook I had put together for close friends for Christmas 2004. Linda gently told me that even thou she loved it she didn’t cook.

Linda and I have talked several times over the phone. It was always a pleasure to hear her soft English accent. Sadly our talks towards the end were rare. When ever I was in London I would talk to Linda almost every day sharing my day and experience. Going to London this May isn’t going to the same, something will be missing. Besides talking about our lives, we talked about our favourite family “the Barkley’s”, about books, well really about anything that came up.

I can go on and on this travel down the memory lane.

Now to why I chose the headline I did. First it was to honour Linda as this was her award winning story. I am so, so happy that she got to know that she had won. It had felt so bitter if the result had come this week. Secondly I like to think that Linda now is sitting by a campfire letting her family and friends know what has happened since they passed on. And I like to think that she is just ridin’ on ahead and will have a campfire ready for us when our turn comes. She will have gathered a huge pile of twigs and branches. The coffeepot and water kettle will ready to be hung over the fire the moment she sees us riding up towards her. She will have a chuck wagon ready with all the goodies we like or want. And there, by the fire, we will catch up with everything that has happened this day and forward.

So to end this.

Linda you became one of my dearest friends who forever will have a piece of my heart. Rest in peace, you will be forever missed.

Oboy what a trip!

It started so well yesterday. The train left the station right on time but 15 minutes before we were due in Stockholm it stoped. A train a head of us had lost it tracks. After a while we starting moving backwards and then after another time of waiting we moved towards Stockholm arriving about 2½ hour late.

I did get a new ticket, a first class ticket but had to wait for 50 mins. It was a long wait when you are tired and been up early. I went a bought a magazin, not that I needed one as I already had packed a couple but I found this one interesting because of an artical. The artical was "Uncover secret London". I think I just might visit one of those places "Lina Stores" in Soho.

On board the train it was easy to see those used to travel first class. They grabbed a newspaper and a cup of coffey while entering, the rest of us started to search for our seats. I exchanged places with a husbund so that he could sitt next to his wife, I got the newpaper as a bonus.

Even this ride didn't go very smoothly. When we came to Lund (where Stella and I normally get off) every one who were bound to Malmö also had to get off, for a busride to Malmö. The train itself were going directly to Kastrup so those who had flights to catch wasn't going to miss them.

I took a direct bus to Trelleborg instead. Couldn't see the meaning of first going to Malmö in a bus to there take the bus to Trelleborg. Anyway I arrived 4 hours later than I had planed after about 10½ hours travel. Needless to say I was exhausted.

Some of the triedness did leave when I saw that Stella was really happy to see me. She is staying close to me. She demands my attention. She wants to cuddel and so.

I have 3 to gather energy for the next traintrip and I can only pray that it will be a smoother ride since I'll have Stella with me. Had I had her with me yesterday the wait in Stockholm would have been even longer since there were no seating left on the train for travellers with pets.

AT LAST!!!!

Tomorrow at 5.30 am I’m hopefully leaving Gävle Station and hopefully everything will at least run smoothly until I have changed trains in Stockholm. Due to the weather this might just stay as a dream.
Tomorrow I will finally after 3 months and 4 days be able to cuddle my little girl again. Now I’m not so sure that Stella will want to cuddle with me.

Is the kitchen ready? No, due to an electrician that never turns up. Today he called. He was in my flat and said he needed today and tomorrow to be finished. Had he started when I got home this evening? Wishful thinking!!! If he isn’t done by Monday I won’t be easy to handle.

Have things run smoothly? Now that’s a so so. Friday when I came home and saw the wallpaper and the painted areas I broke down and just cried. The wallpaper was filled with air bubbles, and still is even if it is a bit better. The painted areas were raw white and not the colour I had bought. When I talked to the painter on Monday it turned out that his boss hadn’t mentioned to him that I had already bought some paint. He did the works on Monday and when I came home it looked like this:

Thanks to my close friends Annelie and Petra the kitchen now looks like this:

Yepp, it will be a bit harder for the electrician to do some thing but I told him earlier today that I was moving in the furniture tonight and get things ready as much as possible for Stella’s arrival back home.