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.

Almost there!

Things are slowly getting back to normal. Thursday meant another trip to IKEA since Rasmus had forgotten to tell me he needed one more long board and two smaller ones. Only this time they didn’t have what was needed which meant that Petra and I been to IKEA today. I do feel sorry for my friend, she has not once complained about going there even if it has been 3 trips back and forth. Any way I didn’t post anything since the things that had happened that day really didn’t show on a photo. And yesterday, well I did come home a bit late after having seen “It’s complicated!. I really do recommend it!

As you will see the kitchen is almost done:
- refrigerator is in place and so is the stove.
- I have a sink and running water.

I haven’t got used to see the pale colours that now are in my kitchen. I do hope it will get better when the floor is seen and the wallpaper is in place. And I do hope my finishing touch will be the ice-ing on the cake.

I can start to shop for food and groceries again. I have really been running low just to have as little as possible to store around in the flat, which by the way is getting to slowly be recognizable and liveable again

What is left, I think, is wallpapering, coats of paint, lights, a few doors, handels, shelves and odd bits and pieces. Oh! Rasmus has to deal with the problem that there is a level difference of 5 cm between the door and the wall when he closes the gap between cupboards and ceiling.

Rasmus is working hard

I have had quite a day.

After lunch I when I was on my way to a patient I stopped behind ar to let a lorry with snow pass (the snow from our streets is getting driven to the ocean and dropped there), behind me another car stopped. Suddenly I see the car in front of me starting to reverse. I had no chance to go backwards myself so all I really could do was to go into no gear. As you surly have guessed she drove into me. Luckily the man in the car behind me had noticed what was happening and pulled back. I do hurt a little in my left should and neck and for some reason my right wrist. The car got a bump.

When I got back from my calls I had during the afternoon Rasmus called. One of the pieces that should be some sort of cover was too short. Slight panic! I had free tickets to the new Merly Streep movie “It’s complicated” and really wanted to go and see it, besides I also had a friend going with me. Rasmus said that he could go but it would cost me his working time.

I have a great boss. She let me borrow the company car and said with a smile “You have already had a crash with the car today”. My movie buddy joined me so instead of having a great relaxing time we ended up at IKEA.

Now I must say that going there in the middle of the week at 17.30 is an excellent idea. Hardly any people shopping at all! Any way things went very smoothly and I could not only return the wrong piece of “wood”, I could also get my money back on all the lamps I had bought. I have to admit that I also got some boxes for the “cleaning cupboard” that I missed on Sunday.

Still after all this it’s nice to come home and see what Rasmus had done.

Smelly

My flat stinks! It stinks of the distinct odour of glue. I’m so happy that I’m of to my first training session of Zumba but still a bit worried since I am going to sleep in it.

Today I had “what if moment” but managed to quiet it down by telling myself it’s only day two. The what if was “What if they are not done by the 4th?”I think I should give Rasmus a little more credit than I felt at that moment. I mean
- all the cupboards are screwed together and waiting to be placed.
- Nearly all the floor has been laid

This morning I had a chat with the electrician. He had a few good ideas and listened to my ideas – which he should since I’m paying. Any way it turned out that I’m going to try and get my money back on the ones I bought at IKEA since he had a much better option.


Ok, some where in here is my computer ....



and underneath here is my new floor ...

and as it wasn't enough holes in the walls the electrician made a new one

At least one place of the flat is getting better ...

Demolition went by fast!

Around 8 this morning a young man, yes, I’m going to say a young man because when you count out that you could be his mother, then he is young. Any way he came but hadn’t gotten all the info he needed. He was a little surprised over how much were going to be done. Not strange consider that he doesn’t work for the firm I ordered but someone they have contacted. Together we went over the drawings.

Within an hour his boss had turned up with something that were needed plus a bigger van for him. A plumber came and, yeehaa, there isn’t any problem to install the sink I have bought. He disconnected the water pipes so that young Rasmus could continue to tear down my old kitchen. Oh, and he will fix my old radiators as he said that there isn’t anything wrong with them but bad water flow. So perhaps I’ll have a warm kitchen in the future!

I stayed home for a little longer until it was clear that the electrician wasn’t going to turn up. He called me at 4.30 pm after he had been at my flat and disconnected the stove. We have agreed on him turning up at 7.15 tomorrow.

Rasmus had besides tearing down my kitchen started to put together the new cupboards. I thought he was going to do the floors first but I can understand that didn’t he get the stove disconnected earlier it might have been hard. Ant way, who am I to tell him what to do, I mean it is his job and I’m paying him to do it.


Well, it's easy to see how I had painted before!

This is not my mess!