happy new 2012 ~

I had planned to do a 2011 in 12 pictures post - like last year - but alas, that will have to wait until the new year has arrived already. For now I will just share three wishes for 2012;

• That the world will be more compassionate, kind and loving place
• That people will stop eating meat - it's not difficult at all & very rewarding on many levels, promise!
• That my business will prosper - one has to make at least one new year's wish for the self!
  
  

I am so looking forward to a fresh, new start and I am wishing everyone dear, near and far the very same - may it be a year filled with many a blue sky and sun, joy and laughter ~

Happy New 2012!

two weeks with ztina and zigne

The wee ones have now turned plus two weeks, have been growing steadily since that awful first week and weigh over 200 grams each now. They seem awfully content and pleased with life as it is. Signe opened her eyes when only a few days old - too soon for my liking - but overall they seem to have adopted an attitude of, some days I want to only eat, sleep and have my eyes shut, some days I can peek a bit in between meals and sleep.

As it has indeed been a weird and unusual course of event since start I will just accept this as normal for these lassies. And hope that they will open their eyes for sure during the week to come. Besides, I wouldn't want to flash them blind from such a young age.

They've just been given proper names, Ztina Sezincote is the little colourpoint girl - she has yet to develop her points but I think I see signs of her being a tortie, probably a chocolate or brown tortie and one never knows, maybe even an agouti (spotted, mackerel or tabby) tortie. Oh the wonders of genetics! - and Zigne Shandy is the redhead. The sisters Adorable, wouldn't you agree?

miss march, miss april and miss december

I'm most pleased to announce that for the fourth year in a row my photos have been chosen to play a part in the municipality's environmental calendar. This year with three photos. Say hallo to March (below, surprisingly fun when in larger size in a calender),

April (top above) and last but not least, the December pig

I picked up this year's prize the other day. As blown away by the awesome one last year and pretty happy with the one the year before that, as disappointed I was about this year's - a set of intricate and ridiculous cheese knives (or possibly equally intricate murder weapons, but given the situation and the instructions that followed I doubt that's what they're meant for).

I really don't eat cheese that much and certainly not that way. And if I did I would definitely not use silly, special knives for it, they play in the same silly league as grape scissors and alike.

The cheese knives was from the same company that was behind the first year's cheese book prize. All and all, it's pretty silly to think everyone enjoys cheese, I believe more people would enjoy a photography book or a local craft as a prize. At least in a local photography contest.

I think I will simply return the box with silly cheese knives, do a wee bit in saving taxpayer's money and hopefully they'll find their way to someone who appreciate them more. And settle with the fact that I still enjoy last year's candlestick very very much and am indeed very pleased about me (or rather my pictures) will adorn the walls of many homes this year again. In March, April and December.

Calendar 2009
Calendar 2010
Calendar 2011

random photos lisbon

Well, one can't really let the new year begin without posting something more substantial about the birthday getaway, right? The random thoughts on the destination in question will have to wait, but here are a few random photos - more in the Flickr set of course - from Lisbon. Because yes, no beating around the bush - which is a weird li'l expression me thinks, the one with the same meaning in Swedish is "gå som katten kring het gröt" = walk like the cat around hot porridge. Which I suppose is a strange way of putting it too, I have yet to see any cat eagerly circling a a bowl of hot porridge... - the October trip went to Portugal and its capital Lisbon.

A very pretty, picturesque city in many ways, but as any city with both pros and cons. Of which my random thoughts will contemplate upon at a later date. For now, enjoy some October city sun, blue skies  and views ~

post-christmas 2011

I hope you've all had a lovely Christmas weekend. Ours was spent in a fine, unpretentious way, reasonable amounts of good food - I've never understood the ridiculous concept of Christmas food gluttony - and sweets. Watching tv,

knitting - one and a half perky beanie finished - admiring the wee ones - growing steadily - and sleeping. Oh for the joy of sleeping again...

Weatherwise; snow melted the day before Christmas and it has been a green world again ever since. There's been a storm sweeping of large parts of Sweden since a couple of days creating all sorts of chaos. Today the thermometer showed 10+C - it's indeed a crazy world we've created...

I got some good work done today and tomorrow I'll hit the intermediate days sales. Christmas money found its surprising way here thus gave me the opportunity to look for three specific things at the sales. Fingers crossed I'll find them and that they'll fit.

Now it's time for the first episode of one of my favourite authors Arne Dahl's fabulous crime novels turned into a TV-series. I had so much looked forward to this - since three years now - but admittedly I am quite sceptical to the casting of the rather specific characters. I do hope it won't be too much of a disappointment...

Toodle-oo for now ~