apoidea and beebee have been bizzy bees

a week since their arrival and 12 golden honey jars already. apoidea and wee beebee have been busy indeed.

leonard might have helped. 

and possibly the very local hobby beekeeper. 

honey is just like with most things in life, don't buy from large scale producers, buy organic, local and small scale. and if possible collected by bobbaloos.

chocolate sauce (and it's vegan)

Let me tell you about the best chocolate sauce I've ever had. And it's made of three ingredients only. Plus it's vegan. Tastes great, simple to make, is kind, things doesn't get better than that!

the best chocolate sauce ever

200 g dark chocolate
3 dl oats milk
1,5 - 2 dl light syrup

Chop the chocolate coarsely. Put all three ingredients in a pot. Let it melt together while stirring. Let the sauce simmer for 1 minute. Ready!

If you pour the chocolate sauce in a sauceboat and keep it in the fridge I find it lasts well over a week. Goes awesomely well with vegan icecream, cakes, fruit and such.

It's adapted from the cookbook Vego by Mattias Kristiansson - the guy behind Sweden's first vegan food magazine, in which I found the awesome banana pancakes - so far I've tried a few of the recipes in the book, some I love, others not so much. And since I don't do palm oil (dairy free butter in Sweden = palm oil) it's tricky to go all vegan on every recipe. But even a small step helps. And so does inspiration.

how well do you know your swedish?

Remember the English test? 

Yesterday the actual Swedish scholastic aptitude test took place at universities in Sweden. And this was/is the comprehension part. Like with the English test it isn't rocket science, getting 20/20 isn't such an achievement for a native Swede. Still flaunt it if you're good (without the help of Google of course). And oh the shame if I hadn't had 100%... 

If it had been math I would most likely have had a rubbish result. Not flaunted.

Had an online discussion with someone about the result, that she doubted "as much" as 19% had all correct answers given the rather depressing result in general when it comes to Swedes comprehension and reading these days. That many of the 100% probably had cheated with Google.

Speaking for myself only I would not see the least bit point of doing that, if I'm not great at comprehension (or any other part) I wouldn't bother with showing the result. But then again I'm not a person who lie about my achievements or in my CV. What's the point? Most of us are good at something and less good at other stuff. Flaunt the good stuff and skip the rest. But then again (again), there is such a thing as inferiority complex and people who just have to show good results always, cheating is just a part of an imaginary game.

Which simply is a sad sad thing.

a walk in the woods

A quiet Saturday, walking in the woods (I love my suburb!) and airing some bobs. It was lovely and refreshing. I do need to make this a very regular thing. Sans dog it's so easy to skip doing it.

There is something magical about this time of the year. When winter meets spring and colours are dull still.

And you still stumble over ice on water.

the reusable keepcup

finally i got me a reusable, biodegradeable keepcup. in brilliant colours - red, pink, orange.

it seems ridiculous to keep buying the takeaway soy lattes in paper/plastic cups which you mostly can't recycle because there are no recycle bins available out and about.

i'm not a very regular drinker of these takeaways, i mostly sit down at the cafe for them. but still, too many papercups for comfort.

so meet my new clever cup, which i simply must remember to take with me whenever there's a slight chance the day holds a takeaway coffee. 

every little step for a better world helps. and why not make those steps colourful?

welcome apoidea, little beebee and fly al

I ordered a bee bob, but as small sized woollies can't travel alone along came Fly Al. A bobbaloo so full of panache he even intimidate the cats. Which is indeed a very rare trait for a small sized wolly.



He is without a doubt the weirdest and coolest bob in the Scandinavian bobbaloo settlement so far. I do believe we are all very lucky he has arrived.



Apoidea and her little BeeBee are of course a perfectly adorable pair too. Peachy perfect with a fine pair of wings for humming and honey collecting.



So happy they've arrived, Apoidea and Fly Al. They've already wind up a right buzz amongst the other bob settlers. Who knows what will happen next? Watch this space.

All bobbaloos are needlefelted with talent and love by Kit Lane, in Minnesota. 

And they have their very own book of vegetarian delights by me.

happy waffle day 2015

To be honest I'm tad fed up with waffles at the moment (and not only because we ate some a couple of days ago), so despite it being the distinguished waffle day (Våffeldagen) in Sweden today I haven't eaten any.

But if you love waffles I hope you've stuffed your face with as many as you want -

happy waffle day one and all!

spring times stockholm

From a busy morning juggling professional bits to a much need colour-and-hair-cut.

Followed by a 2,5 hours delay of every train at the Stockholm central station - this is what you get when the politicians pour tax money is into roads and car traffic and blatantly ignore the need for maintenance and work on the railroads - and then late evening work due to deadlines tomorrow.

There'll be a very early rush hour morning with a breakfast seminar tomorrow followed by a meeting and then home to work. To be honest I'm rather dreading the commuting tomorrow because of today's awful, timewasting delays.



But then again, I'm the lucky one who doesn't have to deal with this on a very regular basis. Thank you home office.

From the return of winter the other day to the return of spring today, it was indeed a glorious day weatherwise at least. And I spotted crocuses for the first time this year. Pretty inner city ones. Lucky me.

what happens when one of your favourite writers is released in pocketbook?

The answer is: you get THIS excited.



And since it's actually NOT a brick novel you get even more excited.

I'm already half way through. So far I don't think it's one of Marie Hermanson's best, but a really good and easy read just the same. Sometimes it's just such a relief with books just  a r e, rather than being overly intellectual and pretentious. Even though I love them too, well the intellectual bit, never the pretentious part.

Also, I'm in desperate need of a haircut.

waffle buffet at the film factory

Buffet food isn't my cup of tea in general. Apart from food waste (which seems quite obvious with most buffets) I'm simply not a big enough eater to make justice to the spread or price. Today I made an exception to my no-buffet-rule.



For a waffle buffet - a pre-celebration of the Swedish Waffle Day on March 25 - at classic Swedish film grounds. Filmstaden Råsunda, the movie factory in the Stockholm suburbs built in 1919 where film legends like Great Garbo, Ingrid Bergman and Ingmar Bergman began their careers. On the grounds are several restaurants situated and one of them is Portvaktsstugan (The Door-keeper's cottage). A sweet 1920ies style cafe opened weekends only.



The perfect cosy corner for waffle eating, wouldn't you agree?





The buffet was lovely, cute and colourful but in the end I always chose fruit and whipped cream or ice cream for waffle topping (I wish they were vegan and non-dairy though). I'm just not keen on peanut butter and candy, caramel sauces and fluff, liquorice and marshmallows. Too sugary for me.









I had three waffles, all with bananas and a dollop of whipped cream. I tried to vary them a bit but I admit, not very successfully. They left me very full and even a bit nauseous. The reason for that is most likely the whipped cow's cream. By now I've realised that dairy just isn't good for me. Still, sometimes I can't resist.



But all and all, a lovely round off to the weekend. And awesome week.

the return of winter

it was bound to happen. but still, where do you file the complaint when you wake up on the second day of spring and the world looks like this?

surprise. disappointment. grumpy face and the showing of fluffy butt.

on the international day of happiness

This has certainly been one of my most eventful weeks recently. And since it has mainly been an awesome kind of eventful week, what better day to summarize it on than the International Day of Happiness? And the first day of spring?



And of course, the day of the quite possibly most disappointing (partial) solar eclipse ever. And snowfall. Yes really.

But this is overall not a day, a week of disappointments, quite the opposite. And this is what happened -

• Sunshine every day up until today
• Good meetings (on- and offline) and 
• quotes will be left
• Fine lunches and fikas
• A couple of fine bobbaloos heading to the Swedish colony as I write
• Business speed dating
• New glasses ready and picked up
• I got the "do you have any cat or dog?" job! And
• I'm doing the happy dance

Remember my thoughts about questioning where I was/am workwise? And that life has/had an amazing way of kicking someone me in the heinie when least expected but probably just when I needed it?

And today was the day when this was kind of implemented. This being I will still work with my up until now major client, but since their organization has changed they will no longer be able to provide me with as much job anymore. And even if it's tad melancholic, because it has been such a smooth working relationship and it has paid well, I'm also so very, very ready for new beginnings and great things to happen.

And that this new long term, part time freelance gig landed now of all times is pretty amazing I think. I've worked hard, made cosmic orders and it seems it was just the right time for it. But still, for me, a mere human being with, in the big schemes of things, limited imagination (well) and brain capacity it feels kind of magic. The saying 'When one door closes another one opens' has never been more true somehow.

The other good meetings I've had this past week especially are also about really exciting things. Different and new paths but in their own ways just what I want to do and do more of. Hopefully those quotes will be accepted but even if they're not it's been so inspirational to think about such matters, that it's actually something someone believe I'm the right person to do. Yes, I know, it's all very cryptic. But for now, that's how it'll remain.

But once again, I'm thinking about how truly grateful I am for being where I am in life right now. Truly, madly, deeply.

One big reason, I suspect, for getting the purrfect cat or dog-gig was the fact that I do have cats. Needless to say the furry ones now demand great rewards for all their hard work ie just being themselves. And really who am I, a simple human, to say no?



Happy happiness day,
spring equinox,
solar eclipse and
weekend to you too!

all the pretty packagings

Vegan cream cheese from Astrid och aporna

I've said it again and again and again and countless times again, I do adore a pretty packaging. And these days I seem to stumble over them even more frequently than ever in supermarkets of various kinds. Often with a retro look to them.

Behold some of my recent pretty stumbles.



Potato bags to love.



Your very basic tea to love.



Your organic rolled oats and rye flakes to love, from Coop's award-winning organic brand Änglamark.



Adorable vegan products from Astrid och aporna - vegan ham, giant vegan sausage and vegan chipotle mayo.

Do you have any favourite pretty packaging?

from breakfast to fika at prosit

The income status may not be as steady and predictable as for a regular employee. Yet. And dealing with the financial paper work may not be hooray how fun-worthy.

But pretty much everything else with running your own business, the FREEDOM and independence, the opportunities and the no limits, that is truly priceless. And I'm so deeply grateful I am where I am in my life.

Of course you still have to deal with (to put it mildly) idiots. That's life. But perhaps not in quite the same way as before. And it's easier to chose your battles. And avoid people and situations who and which only drain your energy. And seek the company and situations that give you energy and inspiration.

Gratitude.



Also I have the best staff lunch room ever. With only furry happy colleagues - who keep me healthier, happier and more productive. And slightly hairier.

And when I pause from work and stretch my legs I can do a bit of laundry, washing up or bake something for the afternoon fika break.

I make my own hours, I can have a lie in or work at night and I practically never ever have to deal with rush hour commute. When on the very odd occasion I have to, I'm so immensely grateful it's simply an exception to my general work day rule of working in the loveliest of home offices.

And when it's time for fika I don't have to bother with "profiling myself in the fika room" (to quote the famous words of a less than sane ex-boss) I can just be who I am. In the company of awesome, unpretentious, clever, fun-loving colleagues.

Lucky lucky me.

10 things to refill your happiness account

I don't watch the Eurovision Song Contest (not my cup of tea for a gazillion reasons), but if it was like this always I might reconsider. Watch the viral success of the Swedish sign language interpreter doing his fabulous thing during the show last Saturday here - if you haven't done so already. It will put you in an instant happy mode. Promise. It's most likely the peak of Swedish public service television.

When people talk to brands on Twitter. Oh the stupidity. Oh the cleverness.

I bet you don't love your banana as much as this rescued fruit bat - I know I don't.

Cats as kittens, cats now. Adorable always.

Oh why do I never find a koala trying to drive my car?!
Because a) I don't have a car and b) I live in a sadly void of koalas country.

Fill your office with cats and improve health and productivity - it's such a obvious thing, crazy that noone (except us with home offices) have figured that out before!

Men and their cats - so much awesomeness in these pictures. And loving your cat/s or any other animal has never been crazy, just totally cool, lovable and right.

Tourism posters being improved by Yelp reviews - because honestly, sometimes the must-sees aren't all that fun to see or visit.

A beautiful dog and owl friendship.

More people should include their (rescued) pets in their official portraits.

mellow monday matters

organic tulips.

someone plush on top of the world. or at least on top of a cat in the garden.

a hearty cup of oat latte in fine company. 

the finer details of a sweet day. and the sun shone.