~ happy weekending

Wishing every deserving soul a wonderful weekend,
which should, needless to say really, involve
a cat or more to be picture perfect ~

twitter this, twitter that

I'm on Twitter since a few months back. I still really do not get what all the fuss (in some circles) is about. I rarely see anyone writing outstanding oneliners, and I rarely write them myself. I know, that's perhaps not the idea behind tweeting-twittering-whatevering, but as I love words, texts and wittiness I guess I'm just not, and will never be, a very inclined twitter myself. Or reading others attempts at it. Besides who has the time to keep up with it regularly...?

Now and then I feel an silly immediate urge in tweeting something though. If you like to see what that might be - follow me.

Are you on Twitter? If yes, what are your feelings towards the whole hullabaloo? Any obvious benefits from tweeting?

jasmine and sweetie

One of my absolute summer scents is jasmine (which may or may not be mock-orange in Swedish "schersmin", but I enjoy the word "jasmine" so I'll stick to that...). The sweet wild strawberry scent isn't only reminiscence of carefree, wonderful childhood summers at the country cottage, for my grown up olfactory sense it's irresistible lovely and alluring all on its own. Like its season predecessors lilacs and lilies of the valley.

Something else that's always irresistible and lovely is a sweet furface. Appropriate poppet no matter season ~

strawberry water

because it's pretty.
because it's good.
because it's summer.
because you're worth it.

cheese and grapefruit

Not much of a cheese person myself, but couldn't resist these wonderful very Wallace-and-Gromity post cheese earrings for my much more cheese loving mother. And yes, she did adore them. I did too, in a totally-cute-but-not-wanting-cheese-ears-myself-way.

My sunny yellow treat for self were a pair of dangling grapefruit earrings instead. As opposed to the cheese posts, these are totally cute in a I-love-grapefruit-and-I-have-to-have-them-way. Very summery and fresh looking. If I was a miniature person, with peas for brain, I might be very tempted to eat them. However I'm neither, I happily settle for them brass dangling in ears.

From PetitPlait on Etsy - same talent that made the strawberry icecream earrings and chocolate mousse cake hairpins - a shop chockablock of minuscule delights. ~

random photos athens, IV

ancient agora, the stoa of attalos

acropolis seen from the ancient agora, ancient art meets...

... a modern running man, sculpture "dromeas" at evangelismos. amazing piece all made of glass sheets.

one lucky dog in the plaka district...

oh the joy to have an inspiring workplace looking like this.

these steps on the lycabettus hill may be nothing compared to the hellish staircase at möns klint in denmark. but if you're anything like the tin can woman it might as well have been...

the view from the top was breathtaking. once again, can you spot acropolis?

after the steep, long walk one ridiculously overpriced pistacchio icecream for two hit the spot.

eyes that haunt me still, the hard life as a stray cat in athens.

glimpses from one amazing sculpture park cemetery, 1st cemetery. grand, yet time-stained, serene, eerie, fascinating and so very different from a Swedish cemetery. If it hadn't been for the qualmingly strong flower fragrance everywhere (that I obviously in my state of the flu couldn't smell but made me cough and made my eyes hurt) I could have walked around there forever and ever.
.

.

one of the creepiest tombs i've ever seen, really, what were they thinking?

.

evil chucky turned tombstone.

last supper in athens. simple and reasonably nice greek salad. way too much olive oil though.
~

More on Athens in previous posts and other places;

random thought on athens

random photos athens, I

random photos athens, II

random photos athens, III

athens photos on pomp & serendipity

athens flickr photos

the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society

The title alone would make anyone want to dive into this book. But the question is of course, does the words inside the cover live up to the promising title? I believe they do. It's quite a delightful read, it begins with a by chance correspondence between a post-WWII London writer and some people (members of the literary and potato peel society) living on the English channel island Guernsey and turns into so much more.

It's an easy, witty and funny - reminding me of the "Uncommon Reader" - read, but it doesn't lack of depth, thought, sorrow and interesting historical bits as the story of life and immense hardship for many during the German occupation of Guernsey during the war (I never knew) unfolds.

A sweet with sour bits, very entertaining book about the power of literature, love and the importance to stand up for what's right. A worthwhile story to read. Of course.

ode to loaf dog

For all his quirks and more or less charming features (tyke, cat herder, squeaker toy lover to name a few), one loaf dog is quite a little gem as far as dogs are concerned. He has a refreshingly lack of interest in hierarchy and the opposite gender, he's sure and secure in himself, happy, content yet curious, his philosophical side has a reasonably endearing streak of mischievousness.

All and all, most of his qualities are such I also very much value in humans. How fortunate he and no one else was the puppy that came to live in this home and life.

Sometimes though, one really must make a subtle stand to let obnoxiously annoying teenagers and such know who's in charge of important matters ~

prickly model 2009

Proudly presenting this season's first food guest caught on memory card, not the to-me-unseen minuscule hedgehog (I doubt he/she has eaten that much since yesterday) but a larger version. A version that didn't appreciate the sound camera made hence jerked every time I took a picture. Enter Prickly Blurriness ~

the let them eat cake cake

This is what became of some of the fine looking blueberries - my first properly baking of a vegan cake. Recipe from brilliant "PopCo", an almond-lemon cake with a lovable name alone. Easy to make it turned out rather sweet in texture but unfortunately the ingredient I had most trouble in getting hold on, orange flower water, gave it a quite unpleasant perfumey tang of after shave.

I will definitely bake the cake again, but needless to say, omit that water from the recipe. A few spoonfuls of fruit liqueur or punsch would probably be a nice flavour addition instead.

random tuesday thoughts

:: There's a minuscule hedgehog eating a whole lot of cat food on my property. Unfortunately I seem to be the only one who, so far, hasn't seen him/her. I can only imagine how adorable he/she is...

:: I do love my newish hairdo. Again. It might have something to do with the flat ironing. Something which I can't be bothered doing myself. Ever. So about every 8-10th week I fully enjoy having completely straight hair for a couple of days. As well as no more grey hairs for some weeks to come.

:: The average Swedish family with children seems to be the perfect contraceptive. When did things go so terribly wrong? Why do people have children when they clearly can't be bothered giving them enough time, rules or set boundaries? Or care how they behave or interact with others, people, the world.

:: Today it was a lot of pasta in my world (something I don't eat very often); lunch being a lovely fresh tortellini with pesto, ricotta, mushrooms and leek. And dinner being an ol' reliable of spaghetti with carrot-quorn sauce.

:: Dessert; strawberries and "Midsomer Murders". Alas the bittersweet last episode for this season. (No summer is far from over. Not!) Although, Tuesday night follower is last season of "Foyle's War". Top notch.

:: I really. really. wholeheartedly loath singalongs. It doesn't only ruin any party, I find it quite appalling that so (too) many Swede/stockholmers watch/participate in Swedish summer Tuesday night television singalong. Ugh. When I become president one of the first things on my agenda will be banning of singalongs. Hopefully that will be soon.

:: Why is it so difficult to pack a suitcase with the right (amount) of clothes? No matter destination. Either one packs too much or too little or just plain wrong-ish (always missing something special). Can it be one has too much options - nah - too much time on one's hand to think about it - nah - or making too big a deal of what one wears - nah.

:: Why do so many Swedes complain about the weather? Every. single. summer. If it's not too hot - which granted it can be - it's too rainy - it happens - it's too cold - sometimes. I firmly believe we've had some pretty awesome Swedish summers with a grand mix of weather-types these past years and the only really awfully cold and sad one I can remember was 1998. But the summer-weather-grump really seems to be many Swedes favourite tune. Beware of having a different opinion when the mighty Swedish summer-weather-grump is on...

:: Not only infatuated with my own hairdo (which may sound slightly borderline mental, sad and lonely or just plain fetish. Neither is true in my case. Honestly) I also love the El Naturalista shoes I spent a portion of the tax refund on a while back. Apart from the first time wear major blister on left heel (which can only be blamed on silly me for wearing them barefoot on a hot day) they've been just great, roomy, supportive, giving the walk a springy, determine gait (oh, my favourite walk!). The deep, mustardy yellow colour also deepens with wear and weather just keeps getting nicer. These shoes were made for walking. With love ~

granola and blueberries

Breakfast, as semi-usual, although this granola muesli from Renee Voltaire, is in sad and complete lack of natural sweetness (despite what the package says). Very far from as lovely as the one from Almviksgårds bageri. Ah, much ado about a name... I'm glad I can rely on the perfect sweet apple sauce to spruce my meal.

These fine looking (squirrel approved) blueberries plan to adorn a cake I'm pretty excited about baking in a not too far future. Cake and possibly recipe to follow.

My plans for today hopefully involve an encounter with the world's best vanilla bun. (It's been a long time since. Far too long time...)

After much needed sprucing of the coiffure (others might look great in grey hair, myself I so do not. It just isn't me, unless I feel like sporting the inside out look of worn, haggard, miserable old witch. I usually don't).

Have a fine day, wherever, however you spend it~

butterfly and acorn

I seem to have developed some kind of acorn-addiction. There's just something completely irresistible about their appearance, shape, style and pattern, in nature as well as design. As it is still summer I won't be sporting anything acorny soon, I think. But still, a gal can dream and wish for more acorn in life.

To be honest, in this case of hair clips it wasn't the acorn and leaf that first stroke my fancy, but the incredible looking felted and stitched monarch butterfly.

It's about life sized with its 35 x 75 mm and just stunning irl too, ah, such a pretty, pretty hair ornament (I chose a sturdy French clip, but you can get it as a brooch too) I'm sure I will treasure for a long, long time.

And well, the acorn and the leaf aren't half bad either. Obviously. Acorn rocks.

More irresistible sweet work,
for females all ages,
in Pammy Dawn's Etsy Shop

the path of good intentions

Lots of nifty ideas and plans for the weekend turned into a lot of reading, thinking, watching movies, sleeping (not very well due to heat) instead. And, sadly, not even eating anything particularly nice. Yes the cherries were reasonably nice, but not as juicy, sweet delicious as I prefer them. (Perfectly free picked outside a nearby day care center, seems an awful waste not to eat them though.)

Garden looks reasonably nice, so instead of blabbing more nonsense, here are some more glimpses of that (ol' reliable)~

This tiny, perfect red rose I got some years ago from a dear friend. We've lost contact - for reasons to me unknown, but that's another story. I miss her though. And our talks - but the rose diligently appears every mid summer. A wee beauty.

Rudbeckia, sturdy, colourful and very bumblebee friendly.

The pink clematis is the only one of my three clematises that's planted by yours truly. The first summer in this house, which was seven years ago. Needless to say (really) it hasn't thrived as the other two that came with the house. Still pretty, but still small.

Some claim poppies are easy and grateful to grow. I say not. I've tried to please them countless of times, in vain. Now I've spotted two of them, not in flower bed but in lawn, source unknown. Kind of sweet just the same.

One (hairy) loaf also thought it was a rather humidly warm, lazy weekend. That just about sums it up. My weekend.

wishes of a lovely weekend

here's to a peaceful,
picturesque weekend,

restful, joyous hopefully with

many wonderful sightings,
scents and
possible sweet treats ~