As prepared I can be

Tomorrow at this time I'll know if I'll be getting a new kitchen or not as I have an appointment at my bank in the morning.

I have done a layout. I have picked out floor, tiles and units. I have done a budget. I have checked over and over for costs that might turn up during the travel and then added some extra money. I have checked with a broker what the starting bid would be on my flat.

In a sence I'm not afraid of not being granted the loan, it's more if the cost per month will be more than I feel I can handle and I have to back off.

what shall I write about?

I promised myself once that if I was going to keep a blogg I was also going to post regularly, otherwise there was no use of it. I seem to be breaking my promise now and then. It's not that I don't lack things to write about. At least not when I'm thinking of what to write and sometimes things just pop up. It just seems that when I sit down to type, it's all gone. So these past few weeks several subjects have come up and lets see if there is anything useful amongst them today:

That I have made a complete fool out of myself ? Is that something to write about? Nah, besides that it happened a week and half ago I'm sure nothing good will come out of it so why dig deeper into it.

My kitchen? Nah, I'm sure that before it is in place you will be sick and tired about the subject anyway, so I'll save that subject for later.

Stella, my favourite subject. Well, she is up for loan right now but please send her back to me in a few weeks time when her heat is over.

Indian Summer? It was a smashing day yesterday, it really was. I won't deny that. And after a cold morning it was so refreshing to be in a t-shirt. Oh, if it would just had lasted!

Books? Books is wonderful subject. It can be discussed in many ways and for many reasons. For me two things pop up: the review list and Nigella Lawson. Let's start with the last one first. Nigella Lawson is my favourite TV-chef and I just love her cook-books (and yes, I do use them too). When I was in London last November the Christmas book had just been released. I don't know how many times I picked it up. Two reasons made me put it down every time: the weight and that I have her other cook-books (nearly all that is) in Swedish. And to be honest it is easier to use a recipe in Swedish than one in English. Laziness I guess. So why are I'm bringing her up now? It's about to be released in Swedish!!!!!! And no, I'm not waiting for Christmas to get it, I'm going to buy it as soon as I can. Then I'm going to start dreaming that her first two will turn up at a translators table, or I just might have to get them in English. I have to admit that cook-books to me are not just a cook-book. It is so much more. I love looking in them, dreaming etc. I also have to admit that even if I claim to collect them it has been sometime since I got a new one so even if the subject is Christmas I don't care, that book is mine!!!!The first thing was the book review. I have read several books about the Victorian era and the wild west. I done some reviews on them, poorly but they are done. It has been ready for posting for sometime but what keeps me from doing it? Perhaps it s that I know that I don't give the books the credit they should have. I have just skimmed through (opps!) a few. Why is hard to say? Were they bad? Don't know. The written language? Well, here I have to admit that even if I think my English isn't too bad, at least one of the books were at sometime hard to follow. But still, the book reviews are written and still spending time in my computer.

One step closer ….

Today I took a step, a huge step, closer to a new kitchen. Today the craftsman was here and gave me an estimated price of what it would cost to have it done. I have estimated the price of the equipments so ....

All I have left is to pick out the tiles and floor I want before I can have my “little” chat with the bank.

Until then enjoy my newest decoration at home – just need some nice battery-run
candles.

(By the way, Stella thinks I’m nuts for carrying home rocks and rowan-berries)

What pops into your head when you see these?

In Trelleborg’s citypark there are 6 statues that trigger my imagination. The money that bought these was donated by a woman who worked as a secretary when she passed away. I really love them and feel that I want to share them with you.

Perhaps they can get your imagination runing wild as well!!!

Stella and her toys

Stella has never care much about squeaky toys and these days not so much about soft toys either. What she does like are toys where there are treats involved. It started with Easter eggs and continued with a Kong sent to her from a friend of mine in US. After that I got her two of these and a couple of similar ones.

These I can find them every where except where I put them. As they keeps her busy when I’m off to work I don’t mind filling them up with treats each evening after a search for them (under bed, sofas etc).

I started to look for something else to keep her mind busy while I’m gone. And earlier this year I found some toys created by Nina Ottosson (http://www.ninaottosson.se/) at the Pet store. Not knowing if Stella would like it or what to do with it I got her a level one toy called “Dog smart”.

A piece of cake. Actually I have passed it on to Ceasar.
So I got her another one during my holiday. It was suppose to be a 2-3 and called Dog Brick.

With in a day she had figured out that if she got rid off the white “boxes” that was placed in the middle all she had to do was to get the brown things pushed towards her to get to the treats hidden under it.

So I went for something else: The Tornado. According to the saleswoman in the pet shop it would be a challenge, that would take her some time to solve. Not for my girl. Few hours after I brought it home it was solved.

Starting to give up I got my four legged girl a graded3 toy: Dog Casino. It was a toy that she wasn’t supposed to solve by just using her claws. She was supposed to bite and lift the pale blue bones up to be able to get the boxes opened. Now Stella solved the problem in another way. She figured out that if she “hits it” hard on the corner it will would “jump up” a little and after doing so few times the blue things would start to leave the hole, and then she could scratch them off.

And if that don’t work, you can always try to pull the box out with force.

But her favourite game is:

“Where are those minks?”

Holiday is over and it's back to reality

I think I have had the best vacation I had for a long time and it was probably perfect due to the circumstances in my life just now. I can't say I really did anything but doing so I have to admit I did do some things. I went to a few city walks (2 by bus) and a few museums. I had my eyes checked out and needed new glasses, this time progressive ones. Stella and I started each day with a very long walk, spent time together. I enjoyed my balcony, even had lunch on it. The tempo these four weeks were slow and that was what I needed. I have during the holiday figured out, well a little, how my sleep is. It's very light and it has been episodes where I have heard Stella but I haven't been a wake, I haven't been able to open my eyes. Odd feeling.

Now being back at work, and the pace there is slow right now, I'm feeling worse again. Not as bad as before but still. The tiredness is gradually extent ending and I don't seem to get things done. Well, besides a long walk with Stella after work I might have the energy to do one more thing.

On the bright side and to end this in a better mood:

- I have a trip to Skåne coming. It's time for Sofiero Garden Show and I really want to find some new Hoyas. This time I'm thinking of getting samples of the more expensive kind and there for a bit more rare. I am going to visit my parents too.

- I have booked a hotel room in London for May next year. I haven't been there in May since I worked there as an au-pair in 1984. I want to fulfil another of my dreams and visit Chelsea Flower Show and next year it's planed to be between 25-29th of May. Plans for what else to do is already turning up in my head.

- I have started to plan for the new kitchen too.

I do have some enjoyable and happy things coming. And memories of Stella and me on a picnic.

Feeling like a bad friend

One thing that is on the list (if my memory is correct) I wrote when I started this blogg was that I wanted to be a better friend and keep in contact with those I have and love. I still lack on this really bad. Some still get to wait for the reply of their mail and some I don't even know when I was in contact with the last time. It's really terrible. It doesn't get any better that I took a decision at the beginning of the summer that I shouldn't be on the computer that much as I normally am. It was taken after what happened in May and that I felt I needed to keep a distance to all "must do things" and I'm afraid mails where placed in that catagory.

It's not that I don't think about them. It doesn't go a day without my thought of them and yet the distance between thinking and doing seems wide like an ocean. I can only hope that they know I care.

Well, right now I'm trying to catch up and I guess that is why I really feel bad for neglecting my friends.