the purrfect dress that wasn't meant to be and other weekly snippets

counting down to plaster comes off day - 10 now.

and before that there's a day to "celebrate" i've become yet another year older. and a year wiser, that's more celebratory in my world. 3 days to that.

for years i used to get myself a pair of shoes for my birthday. but since i do shy away from buying leather for some years now that's not an option.

- not counting the fact that i don't really need more shoes. other than a pair of icebugs for what i dread will be another winter of crazy icy streets in stockholm. but that's of course an investment in my safety and health, not a fashion/consumerism thing. -



i didn't get myself anything last year, if a leaky roof and the costs and worry that held counts. but this year i wanted to gift myself a special dress. and as you can see this one meowed my name loud and clear. pink. cats. om my gosh.



as it was impossible to try it on properly in the changing room due to plaster inconvenience, but it looked like it would fit, i got it to be returned if it didn't.

it didn't. if it wasn't such a disappointment for a not so crazy cat lady with a penchant for pink, it would be laughable. clearly the dress was made for flatchested cat women. myself i showed the infamous, unflattering loaf bosom instead. so back it went. got myself a little scarf in the same fabric. i'm hoping i'll be able to use it for some fine, literally pussy bows with it on other dresses and blouses.



i also got myself some lovely rooibos tea in a moomin tin. one odd and annoying little thing with a broken arm is that it's impossible to fill loose tea in bags and strainers. the angle is just too painful. so when not someone is around to help i've had to have tea bags only. it's a rare treat when i get to fill a bag of my own with help. and when the plaster comes off it will be a standard again, hooray!



this week's special coffee was a cococcino at johan & nyström, coconut oil and oat milk, new on their autumn menu. it was nice, but i do prefer their excellent oat latte. best thing was meeting this chocolate coloured sweetheart named laika. i even got a friendly little cuddle. cafes that allow dog guests are just so much better than any other cafes.





as ben & jerry's wonderful, palmoil free, vegan nicecream costs the equivalent of gold in sweden, it was excitement when i realised coop stores sold it at 50% discount this week. i may have stocked up. a bit. my absolute favourite is peanutbutter & cookies, unfortunately everyone else seem to think so too. i don't like chunky monkey much. but chocolate fudge brownie ain't half bad either.



stockholm has been pretty in october.



i've also re-discovered the joys of the library. i still do prefer to own books from my favourite authors and such. just because i love to write in them, take notes, re-read passages and so forth. but with books and writers i'm uncertain of it's perfect to take them for a test read i e borrow them at the library.

right now i need a lot of feel-good books, to stop brooding and rest the brain. not a genre i like to buy, if not from charity shops. so that's where library books come handy too. currently devouring the 'mad about the boy' in the bridget jones-series. as she's now meant to be around my age it's interesting to see how it's partly easy to relate to parts of her life after mark darcy passed away (sob) partly i'm feeling like a very proper grown-up (even with my fondness for bobbaloos and sonny angels). she's still such a crazy immature character. which i suppose is part of the entertainment of the book, of course.



my hand has been pretty sore regularly this week. like in growing pains or muscle soreness. not unbearable, touch wood. but i get a bit panicky because i just want to rip the plaster off and flex, exercise it in a much less restricted way. counting the days indeed.

i'm glad i have the muppets - even if one of them obviously also is the cause of all this... - that try their very best to keep me occupied. or use me to their advantage, that cast is the perfect rest for a cat head...

but mostly they're just cute overload. and much much much better than any cat dress.





cheers (in a ginger shot) to another october week, 
may it be special, colourful and joyous ~

authenticity is a beautiful thing

counting the days to november 1, when the plaster comes off. oh the joy to be able to wear long sleeved things, to actually close the coats and jackets. to be able to have a long and decent shower. to peel, chop and grate veggies. not having to worry about getting the left arm wet. to lift things with both arms. to sleep in whatever position i want not having to accomodate the arm angle. to write properly. etc etc etc. all those simple everyday things we mostly take for granted.

but as inconvenient, painful, costly and time consuming as this situation is, perhaps i needed it to slow down a bit. and see things in another light.

earlier this week i felt a significant improvement with the hand, but i might have overdone it since. it's darn difficult to be patient, and you do want to test the limits. plus it's a fine line between the ordered physiotherapy and overstraining yourself.

before the p day (as in plaster) comes another p day (as in birthday). looking forward to the william morris exhibition at millesgården and some lovely vegan food on that day. and after the plaster comes off i might treat myself to a facial. my tired skin deserves it.

i do miss the autumn trips we used to take for my birthdays, m and i, but to be honest, just the thought of flying fills me with shame these days. i really really miss travelling, but as long as it's not done in an environmentally sound way on the ground i can't see myself doing it again.

which obviously is a deep sorrow in itself, the favourite places and cities that now seem so out of reach. but this is where the rich world's living has gotten our planet. we all need to share our responsability for that. and change our habits.



pelle is doing great after his neutering. he seems calmer and a bit more playful. and i don't have to worry about unwanted kittens.



i've enjoyed "the split" so much. i always love a decent legal drama, of course, and even more so when it's multilayered, questions human nature and why we behave like we do. nicola walker is great like always (she's such a versatile actor) and well, barry atsma is too plus a decent eye candy. still available on svt play in sweden. and i see there's a season two coming next year, hooray.



after five years of extensive renovating the national museum re-opened in stockholm this weekend. it's one of my favourite museums and i can't wait to see what they've done with it. this beautiful documentary on svt play (available in sweden only) really wets the appetite. such a gem filled with craftsmanship, innovation and attention to detail.

150 years ago it was the most modern national museum in the world, now it is again.



i'm hopeful that there's finally a decent solution in sight to my financial worries. which i'm not going to share on the internetz - it's that fine line between personal and private. but needless to say it would be glorious to be able to spend a significantly less amount of time worrying and say goodbye to sleepless nights.



obviously no baking my own vegan cinnamon buns for kanelbullens dag this year - but here's a recipe if you want to - but this bunch of vegan ones from bagar'n hornstull were delightful!



i've begun working on a social media, communication, marketing project within urban farming and the agrotech sector. it has been a year since i first heard of the exciting project. and hadn't i been involved in the project that turned out to be a massive let down by a dodgy client and unreliable team mates, i might not be where i am today. which i hope and think is a good place to be. (despite the worry, anger, tears and disappointment it also took to get here.)

i won't ask you to keep your fingers crossed again for ms sustainability 2018, because no matter what, what is meant to be will be. and there's no place like hope.



i also had a really lovely interview at an international animal rights organisation last week. i usually shy away from applying for positions in such organisations because they're just too close to my heart. but the ad screamed my name (head of digital communication). and whatever happens, i'm chuffed to have been one of the six chosen for an interview out of hundreds of applicants.



after the interview i had a spicy pumpkin latte (oat milk) and since global warming has given us +16 degrees celsius in mid october i could enjoy it (with mixed feelings) outdoors.



currently listening a lot to london grammar, specifically "hell to the liars". beautiful. as truth. and authenticity are. and the colours of october.

goodbye september, hello october

it's world vegetarian day today. united nations have now declared meat production the biggest environmental issue.

please be kind, be a true, smart environmentalist and go vegan. for the animals, for the planet, for your health and for a kinder, more compassionate world.



how about my poor broken arm? well, i had a dt scan on wednesday - 8 am, in the middle of rush hour, so in order to beat it i left home at 5.40 already and arrived at the hospital at 6.45. and yes i had to wait until after 8 to get my scan. which took the whole of 2 minutes - on thursday i had an appointment with the orthopedic surgeon. i didn't even have to argue for not having a surgery, he just asked if i had changed my mind about it. if not i'd get a better plaster, that i had to wear for 5 more weeks and then a lot of physical therapy.

not happy about 5 more weeks in plaster - and oh my, how i dream of a proper, long shower with lots of bubbly soap... - but so relieved about no surgery. the plaster will come off on november 1st, so yeah, my birthday will be plastered this year. literally.



the fascinating thing about my new plaster is that it's made of wood (aspen), environmental friendly and biodegradable. very light and easy to wear compared to the previous hummungus one. and i don't have my elbow fixed anymore.

a very odd and quite annoying thing with the re-plastering process - the nurse (male) kept talking about how smelly it is to have cats. 'no it isn't if you use good cat litter and clean the boxes properly' 'oh, i've had cats myself i know they smell'. seriously. he was good with the plastering, but clearly not very competent when it came to social skills and small talk. and one would think that health care staff should be aware of the fact that pets mean the world to a lot of people (even when one slip on their vomit and broke an arm), and are important for recovery processes. plus really, humans doesn't exactly smell like roses either using their equivalent to litter boxes.



i've scheduled a neutering for pelle this week. i should have done this ages ago, but he's such a doll and very easy going for a non-neuter. but since i'm now unable to give the pill to my still fertile girls with this plaster i'm really worried about unwanted kittens. and the easiest thing is to neuter him. he's 13 years old, so i feel guilty i haven't done it earlier, but it is how it is. hopefully he'll have quite a few more happy years with us all. his punishment for throwing up and me slipping in it, broking my arm one might say.



when it comes to finances everything is figureoutable, they (the illusive they) say. i'm working hard on figuring out my predicament. ever since m's death i've done that, but what i've thought would be sustainable long-term solutions have so far just been short ones. and the nasty let down didn't exactly help. i'm proud of everything i've accomplished, how much i've grown, but i'm also getting exhausted, so very tired, of all this seemingly constant problem-solving and short-term solutions.

for everything i'm grateful for having, having had in my life, i'm also sad that this is where i am financially. at a stage in my life where i really had expected i would have the perfect blend of both freedom and security. life decided differently. to work hard to find creative, great solutions while fighting the panic that's seeping in through the cracks - that's not only where the light comes in -, is not ideal.

and now i'm doing it with a broken, very blue arm. seems befitting somehow.

i do have a few interesting job interviews and possible gigs lined up this week though. may the perfect long-term solution appear soon, very very soon. dear, october, you are my birthday month, so that's not too much to as for as a perfect birthday gift, right? right.