tired thursday

Feeling a bit under the weather, tired, a touch of snivels, a bit of cough, achy muscles, no real appetite, uninspired and sad, for no particular reason, funk and blah - that sums me up at the moment. An unpleasant mix of a cold and spring funk perhaps. I'll have to wait it out and take it easy for a while I think. What do you do to get your mojo back, your inspiration and go ahead? Any suggestions much appreciated.

And to top that off I bit a tooth off yesterday, an old, nasty amalgam filling broke - it was meant to happen one day, I suppose I should be grateful it didn't until now... - so tomorrow I'll have to get that fixed. At a local dentist this time, I have to say that I'm not very happy about all the money I had to pay for the root filling nastiness last year, so I'll try the general dentistry this time instead. And not the private dentist I've been going to for some 20 years now. One might say I've lost *a bit* of faith in him after last year's ordeal. Hopefully this will be a quick and easy thing, plus fingers crossed, not as costly. I got a very very nice impression from the very service-minded nurse who answered the phone. Plus they sent me an SMS to remind me of the appointment. Small nice gestures you don't always get.

So, no walk and talk tomorrow, but a dentist appointment instead. Not really the way I had hoped to finish March. Things can only get better now, right? Right.

The only clever cat tuesday about this post is a photo (there will be a proper kitten post soon, there really will). Zigne perfectly illustrating how I feel, tired and black/white. But this funk too shall pass. Of course.

on a random march tuesday

On a random March Tuesday I find that the banana-recycled silk scarf is nearly finished - it needs trimming and primming, but still, another yarn-project with a short finishing time from yarn-purchase to a complete garment. And by saying that I have of course put myself under pressure to finish it for sure. I have an idea how I want it, but I think the idea needs a bit of mulling. In the meantime I am actually knitting on the tulip sweater. 2012 needs to be the year this sweater gets completed.

Nearly finished scarf is proudly presented by the two naked bobbaloos, Bumley and Jaybird. Who also got to sport their nudity alongside a freshly baked lemon cake on this random March Tuesday. And there were crocuses.

And kittens. The most adorable pair of kittens got to have a their first venture out in garden, which was both an exciting and scary thing, the wind, the grass, the mud, the sounds, the birds, the smells - and the annoying photographer calling for attention and posing. Really.

More Ztina and Zigne later this week. I just felt a little glimpse of their current three months old adorableness were called for, alongside perky scarf, naked bobbaloos, lemon cake and crocuses. On this random March Tuesday.

one day after the waffle day

Yesterday the Daylight saving coincided with the Waffle Day (Våffeldagen) in Sweden. Yes it is awesome that we have such a day - like with Fat Tuesday and Cinnamon Bun Day etc - and yes we did have waffles, but not very nice ones. Thus I won't be writing any praise about the waffles per se, but more muse a bit about the weather. The weather on Waffle Day, March 25, these past six years. Since blogging is not only good for the soul, sharing, therapeutical and so forth, but also a great way to remember the weather.

The weather is the weather, being weather and in general I'm not very interested in it, in case it isn't very atypical for the season, which it tends to be more and more of course. Sadly so. But I've found it quite amusing these past few years, how people keep complaining about having crappy, rainy Swedish summers when in fact they've been overall rather gorgeous, albeit a bit too warm for my liking, but no way near complainable due to rainy. Thus my only conclusion is that people like to complain. And if they can't complain about something really tangible and real, the poor (only figuratively of course) weather gets the blame. End of side note.

So here it is -

2007 - the waffles were great and so was the weather, amazing really. I wore shorts and we sat on the terrace having tea and waffles. Not the least bit snow in sight.

2008 - freezing snow, icy streets...

2009 - I'm sure the waffles were great, but I can't remember the weather, if it had been shorts and sun I think I'd remembered though

2010 - had fantastic almond waffles, must remind myself to make them again, soon, but the weather was snowy and cold

2011 - the waffles were good but the snow was falling

This year the weather was definitely more like 2007 than the rest of the other wintry Waffle Days. Blue skies, sunshine, perhaps not shorts weather, but still lovely. I hope the weather sticks. And I'm thinking I should make an effort and make some nicer waffles next weekend instead.

Have a good week,
the last of March,
another month has flown past!

five friday snaps

Yes, getting out of bed early is hellish, but I did it, I really did. The sun shone, the skies were incredibly blue and it was a gorgeous day - ie a perfect day for walk and talk. And it was a lovely such, I'm glad I went. Although I could have skipped that strawberry jam I managed to take with me in handbag. Had a pancake with strawberry jam at IKEA after the walk and somehow a dollop of jam thought it was a nice idea to tag along when I left. The content of handbag did get a bit sticky, hopefully I got it all out.

I spotted a yellow Easter Hoptimist. I now want a yellow Easter Hoptimist very much.

Apparently yellow is my current colour of obsession interest. I would love a yellow handbag, I spotted a gorgeous vegan one, but then it was sadly discontinued.

We met a sweet cat lady. I have a fair share of sweet cat ladies in my life already, so I just said a thorough 'hi' to this one before we each went our own way.

Then it was time for the first outdoors lunch this year, yayness! Greek salad and sourdough bread at Bakgården.

As most of you know by now, apart from shoe per diem and such I prefer to be behind camera and not in front - the last issue was the silly dreaded new identity card thing... - but I felt a little spring has sprung capture was called for. Plus I need a proper reminder to wear the fabulous Isle of Skye tweed hat before weather gets too warm. And possibly its tweed friend too.

Happy weekend one and all!

thursday thoughts

Just a few random thoughts today.

~ I didn't thought my memory was this short, but apparently I wrote about the red graters in two posts, granted in the first one I hadn't used them yet, but still, silly silliness. That's one reason why one should always add the blogpost-link to the Flickr-photo's description I guess... It's not as if I have only very few photos to chose from, or few things to write about. I don't *have to* kind of write a post twice.

~ I will do my very best to get out of bed early tomorrow morning and go have a walk-and-talk. Promise. I have already visualised my presence there. Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. Or well, at least there and reasonably talkative. The weather is suppose to be great, sunshine and around +10C, wow! It's just that it is really nice and creatively great to stay up late, to get out of bed early is on the other hand very, very creatively and bodily challenging.

~ Finding lots of nuisance and mis-information in the tax- and accountancy-related part of having-your-own-business - this is so not something I will be doing myself next year, but only a way to learn and know how it basically works initially - it is laughable to think that tax law and business administration was actually one of my fortes once upon a law-student-time. Now I just find it basically annoying and time-consuming.

~ And while we're on the subject of timeconsuming nuisance, if there's anyone who happens to be reading this and is a pedagogical wizard on WordPress, please oh please raise your helping hand. I'm struggling with a Premium theme that simply refuses to upload properly as a plug-in should. I've googled, I've searched for answers with solutions that actually works for real and not just in theory, so far all in vain. So if you happen to be interested in helping, I would be very very happy and grateful. And if you so wish, will offer payment in chocolate.

~ The fabulous blue boots might be the one single reason for me not wanting the spring/summer-shoe season to arrive. Because if there was such a thing as being in love with a colour, that blue hue is very high on my love-list. But of course, even blue shoes need a good rest and hibernation. And there are quite a few warm-season-shoes that I very much look forward to wearing again. Still, the blue boots rock...

~ It's been an unjustifiable long time since the two tiny - though not so tiny anymore - Z:s got a post of their own. That will be adjusted next week. There are loads of photos that needs tweaking and now when the weather is so much better they can go and have a sniff and explore in the garden (where the photo light is endlessly much better). But I can say as much for now, that they are a true delight and just fantastically fun to watch with all their individual quirks and traits (many of them so obviously inherited from either mum or dad). And sweet, oh so sweet - I love how I've been so blessed with being able to spend so much time with them right from the start, every day. I'm not sure they're equally impressed with all the carrying around, the cuddling and the kisses they've been *forced* to endure since basically day one - but who cares. Cuddles and kisses galore it is, that's what makes a most purring world go round.

~ I'm so looking forward to a little trip late April. For my mum's birthday we're heading east, she and I, to Helsinki. We gave her a trip as a birthday gift five years ago, a promise, I'm ashamed to admit for different reasons, had not been honoured, until now. So this is that trip. She got to chose destination, but we've had talked about returning to Helsinki for many years now. It's such a lovely, beautiful city within such an easy reach - and the fact that it's an Swedish-speaking city too, well that doesn't hurt with a travel-companion that doesn't speak English - with loads of great cafés, design - also being the design capital of 2012 -, fabulous architecture and an appealing ambiance. And these days it can also boast of having an El Naturalista store - that is certainly something very few cities can say. Walking the streets, travel with the cute tram, having cakes at Fazer Café, oh it's going to be great fun I'm sure!

~The yellow Lovikka mittens are finished. It's just the embroidering left, I can't decide on exactly which colours I want. I'm, as usual, partial to the bright pink one, but it feels tad silly to have the same colour as with my pink pair - not that I'd wear them simultaneously. Will finish them this weekend and then they'll go spend summer hibernation with pink cowl and friends. I have to say I'm quite proud of the fact that the time frame of buying the yarn - finish the project has been this short. Rather unlike me. In a good way.

a cowl and a scarf

This is winter, this most pink woolly woolliest of cowls - in the same yarn as the beanie that has kept me warm a lot of wintry days these past few months - which finally has buttons attached to it, will now go into summer hibernation (yes there is such a thing) and wait its inauguration until next winter. It'll be a warm and perky addition to the winter wardrobe.

But now it's spring and as silly as it may seem, this green scarf was made in 2009 already, but despite the lovely yarn itself I always felt it missed something something. Thus it has been biding its proper time in a box alongside other half-finished yarny projects.

Now it has buttons and a fringe. Not to mention colour matching bobbaloos. Which is quite essential of course.

And since you asked, no the bobbaloos aren't of my own making (alas, I'm only a crazy addict admirer of them) but of amazing felt artist Kit Lane.

happy vernal equinox ~

Finally, spring, at least according to the calendar,
you are most welcome vernal equinox!

Fingers crossed and hopefully there won't be any nasty, longlasting snowfall coming, one never knows... But for some weeks now the days have just kept getting lighter, brighter so quickly and it's such a lovely relief after all those dark, glum months.

I hope you've had, are having, will have a lovely equinox day,
and by all means, treat yourself to something special and nice ~

two kinds of red graters

In Swedish the word "rivjärn" means both "grater", "rasper" as well as a fiery woman who stands firm and debate well. Someone just like the Moomin's Little My. I'm not sure it's an applicable expression in English too, but I couldn't resist calling this post just that.

To the left we have the fiery woman kind of "rivjärn" - a spatula I got as a gift. Actually for Christmas, but then with the actual Moomin print. I waved it around a bit, like one tends to do with spatulas you know, and it broke in two pieces. Bohoo, gift giver had to return it and get a new one, this time I got the Little My print on it instead. Much more befitting of course. I have waved it around too and she hasn't acted silly and broke. Plus, even if I'm granted not a fan of silicone kitchen utensils, she really is a good little thing for scraping out that last batter from a bowl compared to my previous spatulas.

But I have to say, to the right we have a little impulse buy, it was the mini grater from Jo!e that turned out to be the best graters of these two, in this case of grating. Just today I was most most pleasantly surprised by it when I semi-panicked in realising I had forgotten to by a new garlic press - as my old one broke in the weirdest of ways a while back - and chopping tiny pieces of garlic for fajitas really isn't very nice. And the dish was already cooking. I rummaged through the kitchen drawer for a small grater when I came to think of this new gadget I got for basically grating cheese or chocolate. And it seriously rocked! It has a very comfortable handle, grated the Solo garlic easy peasy and is supereasy to clean.

Just like the fabulous strawberry stem gem this little piece is just a perfect little thing to have in the kitchen. From now on quite indispensible I'd imagine. And I'll skip looking for a new garlic press, who needs that when you have a perfect little red grater for the work.

of course no I, unfortunately, see all sorts of neat, must have gadgets in the Jo!e shop, all very perky, cute and quite affordable. Like a yolky egg separator, a piggy wiggy little whisk, Mr. Potato masher, lemon fresh pod, bagel knife - which will in its turn be a perfect excuse to make bagels regularly - and slicer with guard for example.

How about you, do you have any little, simple gadget(s) in your kitchen that you treasure a bit more than the others?

little birds and teacups

I favourite so many sweet things on Etsy - who doesn't? - but I rarely buy things there these days - well, apart from bobbaloos that is, obviously - but whenever one needs something small, pretty, not available in every chainstore to fit in a little parcel, Etsy is the place to go.

When I got these two pairs of ear-posts for the upcoming Easter eggs I also got myself the bird quartet hairclips. You never get too old for hairclips, right? Right. And I really should make an effort to have different hairstyles - what's the point of having long hair and wanting it even longer if you don't have different dos? - and with the no-hat season pretty much already here I'm all out of excuses for not making a regular effort with that.

How about you, do you find it easy to change your hairstyle or do you stick to the same rut?
Is it because your lazy or because you really enjoy it that way?
Do you have any favourite hair-dos, braids, ponytails or something completely different?
And have you found something really nice on Etsy hairwise that you'd like to share?



These cuties in teacup and bird-mood comefrom Layla Amber on Etsy. She has all sorts of cute things in her shop, but admittedly I'm especially smitten by her tiny birdies.

weekending with ztina and zigne

One yellow mitten is finished and inspected by Ztina - now 13 weeks old and her eyes have yet to (if ever) become this blue of course, I just enjoyed playing with the turquoise against the yellow - while Zigne is overlooking the tired garden - where all the ice and snow have now melted, hooray! - hereby we're declaring it weekend.



And hoping you'll have a lovely one!
Cheers ~

yelp in stockholm

The project I've been involved in for these past few months have been just that, the cityguide Yelp has come to Stockholm - and now it has been launched. Only in Swedish, obviously, but the tips and reviews are easily translated (I'd imagine). You can find my reviews here - and always in the badge to the right here >>>

Read more about the launch here (also in English) - and hey, the app is pretty great and the photo and first review shown in that blogpost is mine, just a little quirky detail...

Tomorrow I'll finish some details in the project - after I've attended a walk and talk session - and then it's a wrap! It would be sort of nice to have a few days off after that, but I had a business meeting yesterday for which I'll spend the weekend writing a job estimate. And since I've already treated myself to a great red reward, so there won't be any such treats, but a nice cup of tea and a decent slice of cake, that will certainly be a neat, affordable and well-deserved thing (as always).

Even if weekends aren't as *special* these days - work and leisure time intertwine in a whole other way when you're working for yourself, which basically is a very good thing, as long as you mostly just love what you do - I think I'll try and have a special one just the same. A special mid March one.

the tea room at svenskt tenn

Last November I met a new friend for the first time over a lunch-ish cup of tea. For a moment we were ladies who lunch. In a rather special place. Ever since the posh Swedish interior design shop Svenskt Tenn (Swedish Tin) re-opened last October - on the very distinguished day called Pia's birthday no less - I had wanted to visit their tea room. Because yes, with the re-opening came a tea room, ah the bliss!

So I suggested this place for our first date -

I wish we had had more proper opportunities to meet, walk and talk before she went back to the US again, but sadly tragedy stroke in her life, things happened, those kind of walk and talks never did occur, life came in between... -

and it was indeed lovely. The ambiance, the setting and the food. However I was ravenous when I arrived, I had looked forward to a fancy afternoon tea-ish lunch but the things served turned out to be  t i n y  , delicious, but tiny - the bobbaloos thought they were perfectly sized of course - and it wasn't really satisfying as far as fullness goes. But again, the company, the milieu, the service and the flavours, pure loveliness.

I had a (bobbaloo sized) baguette with Appenzeller cheese, fig jam and mache lettuce, followed by a (nibble sized) chocolate cake accompanied by a fine pot of tea (the Svenskt Tenn Classic, black tea with raspberry, orange peel, blackberry, mango and sunflower). Yes it was all very tasty and refined, I do recommend a visit to this (very small, but darlin') tea room, but I also strongly recommend you not being hungry when you order something here, just peckish for a fika.

I love how Svenskt Tenn manages to combine poshness with unpretentiousness, good quality with a touch of madness and loads of colours. This is pretty much the opposite of IKEA, this is actually Swedish design one can be proud of for real. And even if it comes at prices most of us can't afford - at least not the larger pieces of furniture - the inspiration is completely free.

And having a ladies who lunch-moment in their tea room is perhaps not free, but quite affordable and very very enjoyable. Plus you can always buy some tea to enjoy a perfect cuppa of the stylishness that is Svenskt Tenn in your own home.

Preferably in the company of bobbaloos of course.

the red end of project treat

So today was the final day of the project I've been working on for six weeks, it's been fun, illuminating, exhausting and hard work in a way one really wouldn't expect. There may be some finishing touches to it yet, but all and all, today was the last day of original project. And sometime during March it'll go public.

I promised to show and tell what I did or didn't get for myself as a well-done gift, so here it is, in all it's predictableness. It's red. And it comes in a pair.

*Jeez how many shoes does a gal need, really?!* Well, apparently quite a few. There are a lot of things I don't spend money on, obviously shoes does not fall into that category. I've been drolling over this red pair of ART boots - same style as the purple birthday shoes, which I will show and tell more about when heel issue will allow of course - since before Christmas, they were on online sale, then they were sold out. Which was *tad* disappointing.

But as faith would have it, they appeared again in an online sale just recently in a new shape with these crazy woolly flowers - the first pair had red buttons only - and even if I would have preferred the first style I could always remove the flowers... So I went for them.

Turned out upon their arrival the crazy flower adornment made them even more pretty darn special for marking a pretty darn special occasion, the finishing of the first proper Prosit-project. So they'll stay on boots.

A quirky pair of red bootines I've only ever tried on so far, weather haven't been good enough and given the special heels I do prefer the winter streets still full of gravels being spring cleaned before I walk in them outdoors. Until then, they do a swell job marking the occasion and being rather swoonworthy to simply look at, wouldn't you agree?

The bobbaloos certainly think so, but then again they have impeccible taste for red racing shoes and flowery things. Which certainly always is a good trinity on earth, red, shoes, flowers. And something special to welcome spring with, in.

life is like a bowl of yarn

If you're lucky its brimming with colourful hanks in lovely textures.
If you're even luckier the yarn is accompanied by a bunch of bobbaloos of course.

This current yarn basket is filled with a) yellow Lovikka yarn - I was so happy when I spotted it in a nearby yarn shop since I've been looking for the yellow yarn for quite some time now - it'll become another pair of Lovikka mittens, first one pair for myself and then another one made to order. It'll be a nice thing to finish for Easter, my favourite holiday, but despite it's very yellowness the very woolly inauguration will naturally not be until next winter season.

Then there's b) smaller skeins are actually recycled banana-silk yarn - it's a fantastic material, silky, smooth yet rugged, if that makes any sense. I stumbled over it in a sale basket in another yarn shop, it was the the green one that caught my eye but of course I had to get some more to be able to create something special. I'm glad I found the orange and yellow ones too. They'll all be a perfect thing to turn into something after I've finished the mittens - see, if I say stuff like that in blog I need to finish projects too. I'm not just a hopeless starter of yarn- and fabric-projects, I can finish them too. Promise.

Plus c) the little hank that seems all lost in there with all its perky woolly company. It really can't compete in awesomeness. But it'll make a nice pair of wristwarmers I think.

I'm going to wrap up the project this weekend.
Then I'm going to hopefully finish something old.
And start knitting something new.

Wishing you a lovely, restful weekend,
hoping your's filled with bright yarn and bobbaloos too ~

on women's day 2012

Just like a year ago one can only ascertain that nothing much has happened, sadly predictably so, as far as gender and any other equalities goes. Women are as much human as any man, but in large parts of the world they're still treated as very less than so.

And feminism's only objective is of course, as usual and still, equal rights, same power, same salary - it's just common sense. Just too bad there's so little of that sense around.

In this household today there were cakes baked by yours truly, one batter, three tins, cakes suitable for all sizes, genders and colours. Because in this little world of ours we do actually believe in equal rights and non-specieism and act as we believe - everyone deserves a piece of their own cake, as always served with a heart.

recent randomness

Putting in a lot of time working this last week of the project, hence even less time for blogging than usual these past six weeks. That said, here are a few snippets of recent randomness. And even if it was hellishly cold winds in Stockholm today, the sun shone yet again and it's very obvious spring is definitely on its way for sure (fingers crossed, touch wood etc).



Bobbaloo outing



A favourite flee market - charity shop revisited



One of the books I picked up at said flee market - charity shop. It wouldn't have been even better if in pocket, but still a Julian Fellowes book, squeee!



A pink lady and a red lady on a bench, chatting away in the early spring sun



If there's a discontinued 60% sale on fabulous shoes and boots and you've had a recent name day which soMeone forgot there might me a pair of boots in it for me



This board holds one of the best vegetarian meals I've had in a long time (more of later)



A little red cat named Zigne



Fika with bobbaloos



Somewhere under all that shaggy fur there is a loaf dog. Promise.



This would make quite a neat spring crocheting project...



Bright blue skies



Working lunch - one could do with more of these, wouldn't you agree?



Apparently there's something like vampire knitting, who knew?



Pretty café, Amy's Café



It is the time of Pretty Edgy, Essie again



And that was the recent randomness of my life. I hope your week is a good one, that the sun is shining and benevolent winds are blowing your way.

And hey, don't forget to enter the tea giveaway ~