how i help the blackbirds sing & other little small joys of the week

It took a while, even for my fairly web savvy middle aged brain, to realise the easiest solution to upload photos to the blog again was to switch web browser.

So bye bye Chrome, hello again Ecosia. 

The little positive things (on a personal Pia-level, as the world continues to be a misogynist cesspool of daily lowpoints) from the cold cold week that was have been; (because semi-colon’s day, congrats dear ; !)

A very good keep cup of soy latte.

Even if I desperate long for spring to come, I continue to be grateful that I was lucky enough to snatch this gorgeous Marimekko faux fur up when I did. It’s reliably warm (but quite heavy) and I love its blue colour.

And given the winter weather this year, every day with time spent outside is faux fur day.

I’m fairly certain that the birds in my garden aren’t 100 % happy about the food supplies here. The peanuts I had in thebird feeders last year was much appreciated. But I haven’t found any in nearby stores this year alas. So the feed has left a lot to be desired.

However, my most loyal birdy friends have been fed seeds and apples fairly regularly. I think they are magic little, friendly birds. And I do hope they will find good places to nest in this spring, so they can continue to sing their besutiful songs when spring finally comes. 

Surprisingly enough I realised we had finished a lot of tea this winter, and it was time to stock up again. As my favourite tea merchant in Stockholm turns 110 years old this year, they have different treats when you place an order of a certain value. I ordered som ol’ favourites and new flavours and the home delivery arrived this week. 

It was a box of gloriousness! 

One of my new favourites to have for a quick, satisfying vegan lunch or even dinner (the lines are v e r y blurry in this residence) are a moreish edamame-chickpea spread on sourdough bread from local bakery. Topped with grated carrots and a big cuppa.

I also made a very good loaded bulgur salad with airfryed smoked tofu, carrots, pickled red onion, corn, tomatoes, pomegranate and plenty of seeds that I topped with the above spread. 

I love colourful food that makes you happy and is kind and compassionate to the planet and the sentient beings we share it with! If that isn’t obvious by now…

Continue to stay safe, stay warm, be strong, be kind, be a decent human.

💚

farewell veganuary 2026, you have been a very mixed bag of life lessons

EDIT: 6/2 switched by web browser and uploading photos is back! Here’s a photo of a lovely lentil soup to prove it.

This will be a post void of photos. Because Google/Blogger won’t let me do it (for very very very unclear reasons) I might be able to figure it out tomorrow morning (Feb 1st already!). Fingers crossed.

As for Veganuary/January this year, it has really been a mixed bag of sweet and sour treats.

- After a fairly decent first week+ there have been non of the aha/yay/wow/finally I can see light at the end of a dark tunnel moments I had hoped/manifested/meditated/worked for.

That has been deeply disappointing. Not going to lie and say otherwise. The transformational change the 21-days meditation promised did not lead to any positive transformational change, alas.

For better sleep I do continue to put on sleep meditations every night, and if I wake up during the night I put a new session on,  since I’ve realised they are like drug-free sleeping pills for me.

- The new mobile phone provider I changed to at the beginning of January has so far been great. I’m so glad I finally researched which provider would better fit my needs and would save me money.

- I was scammed on the second hand site Tradera last week. Didn’t get paid by the buyer, a Danish woman who bought 6 garments (for a fairly high sum). Never replied to messages. And I was forced to report her. Turned out she had apparently done the same to other sellers and is now overall blocked from Tradera for 1-6 months. 

I have no idea why anyone sane would think this was a smart idea to behave. Even if no-one was frauded off things, as no-one sends anything before they get paid, everyone she had her ”fun” with did loose both time, energy, trust as well as presumptive serious buyers.

And for some of us the money would have been very welcomed. (And very much in line with my daily manifestations…)

- As circumstances would have it I haven’t cooked as many new vegan dishes in Veganuary as I planned. But I did baked overnight bread for the very first time, and that was a repeat hit.

As was the fact that I discovered those fantastic heathy plantbased date snacks from Dave & Jon’s. After the two first ones, I’ve tried several other flavours. I loved Salted Caramel Peanuts, Cinnamon Bun and Chocolate Ball. But not everyone has been lovely, there have been a couple of horrid ones and a few blah ones. But, tastes differ, they most likely appeal to other taste buds.

- The third book I finished this year was the last one I borrowed at the library last year, and concidently a wonderful one. Fresh Water For Flowers turned out to be one of my best reading experiences of 2025 🧡 

And I’m only at number 3 on my at least 55 reads goal of the year. 

It may not be a reading experience for everyone. And the writing style take some time to get used to. The non-chronological set up is not my favourite style. But there is so much love, sorrow, humanity, (the good, the bad, the ugly) slowness and beauty with sprinkles of quiet laughter between these 500+ pages that it is worth the initial stumbles.

- For now I only hope and manifest for a joyous, positive beginnings and passionate opportunities filled February. As well as the perfect time to figure out how to upload photos to Blogger again. Being gentle and caring to myself (although I’m screaming inside) are also important. 

And a kinder, compassionate, caring world, which January also sorely lacked.

Stay safe. Be kind. Everything is connected.

💚🍀💚🍀💚🍀💚🍀💚

1/3 through veganuary 2026

 

Surely I’m not the only one feeling that trying to get trough the days like everything is as ”normal” as it was (not counting the ever present climate emergency and ongoing genocides) is like playing normal in a world going completely bonkers. Taking showers, get dressed, going outside, seeing people, going to the grocery store, and for those who has to go to a workplace away from home, feels like playing a role in a theatre production. Pretty much everything feels surreal.

And then I’m not even living in a country that has gone full blown crazy (yet). But as everything is connected, as well as everyone, it still feels completely bizarre how the world has turned in 2026. And how angry, hateful, bitter and violent too many people have become.

I felt the craziness began during the pandemic. And then it has only gotten worse, conciderably worse. It’s like evil infected too many brains and then those brains, those sorry excuses for human beings, or possible the very human beings finally have stopped acting like they care. 

Have you read the Dean R. Koontz book (its name escapes me right now) where troll creatures have taken over human bodies, and are only seen by very few people, while most still see them as humans doing exceptionally evil things? And the catastrophies are suddenly stacked upon eachother in a previously unpresidented speed?

That is exactly how I feel in this day and age. 

There are so much evil and stupidity around, big and small. In times where there is plenty of information around to do better, do less harm, make wise, moral, ethic choices. And yet, people are more stupid than ever, more uneducated, more gobsmackingly ridiculous.

That said. How’s Veganuary going for you, 1/3 along the way?

What I’m extra grateful for this far (and it’s not all about the vegan food experiences) are -

- the money we were forced to borrow from a childhood friend’s mum to get us through the end of 2025 bills (and how hard it is to even realise you have to ask for help, how deeply ashamed you feel when you don’t have your finances in order at this time in life…), were simply waived with the words ”you have given us so much things and help over the years”.

That generous gesture was overwhelming. The sum may not be a very large sum in the big scheme of things, but for us right now it meant so very much.

- I finally decided to change my mobile phone provider to a new one, as their prices have increased in a ridiculous way over the past few years. And would get even worse in March. It was a long time overdue doing this, but the switch was done a couple of days ago and it works very well, so far. Let’s hope it’ll continue to do so. It will certainly save money, about 70% less compared to the previous provider.

- That I have sold some more high end garments, boots, handbags (even if not the two most expensive ones, yet) and antiques over the winter months have also helped the situation a lot). Thank you, Universe!

- Just before the New Year’s I realised that ”no, I’m going to continue to fight for my business as a sole trader and freelancer!” The feeling of having wasted my years, energy and money was overwhelming. 

Just because it has been a struggle since the pandemic years (and 2025 being the worst) it’s a new year and new opportunities will come knocking on the door!

So yes, prositordochbild.se will remain in communicative business, in the shape and form it has been since 2012, but with a more distinct sustainability focus. And no AI and much less social media.

- Also very grateful for my kind accountant who lets me pay my invoice in installments. She’s gold!

- On Jan 1st I started listen to a new podcast with sleep meditation & hypnosis for positive change. You’re supposed to listen to the same episode for at least 21 days. I most often listen to sleep meditation to get to sleep, began doing so during the pandemic, held up after a while, but started again last year since my brain was full of troublesome thoughts that kept me awake at night. 

Slept really well the first 3-4 nights but lately my (menopausal?) brain has begun keeping me awake again. Not from worries, but more because I can’t stop thinking and mulling things over. Hopefully that will change back again.

With the Swedish Veganuary weather being as it has been, my cooking and eating has mostly been about old reliable favourites. 

But for these Swedish vegan date snacks from Dave & Jon’s I got when I ordered supplements recently. I generally don’t like dates, even if raw food desserts at cafes often are very nice. But I thought the Xmassy flavours Candy Cane and Gingerbread sounded interesting so I went for it. 

And what a lovely surprise that was. Especially the candy cane flavoured ones were borderline addicted. So very good, and not the least bit of date flavour. The gingerbread ones were nice but not at all as strong flavoured or addictive.

Put an order for some of their other flavours recently, as these two were sold out, and hope they will be as the good. It’s so nice to find something vegan as a healthy-ish Swedish palmoil free snack that changes your mind about an ingredient you’ve never really fully enjoyed. 

A very nice rekindling in 2026 so far has been the Moroccan Rose Superfood Facial Oil from Dr Botanicals. We’ve been on and off friends since 2017ish. It was lovely to meet again. The smell is still fantastic. And it works well with my surprisingly basic vegan, Swedish skincare cream I began using a year ago. 

I do hope it’ll continue to work well and that the duo will continue to save me both time and money. And finally giving me the hassle free skin I’ve been trying to get back for so long now.

The Swedish organic apricot marmelade to the left is my longtime favourite. When I was a kid I remember we bought a fantastic cherry marmelade at a nearby Coop store at the country cottage. Probably Polish as they are great at cherry products.

Have searched in vain for a cherry marmelade as great as that one over the years. I thought this one might be a good, new to me, one. Claims to be ”a taste of Persia”, have no idea if they are suppose to be well-known for cherry products. 

But this so called cherry marmelade turned out to be no marmelade with no cherry flavour at all, but a very sticky, overly sweet syrup with bits of mysterious fruit. Such a disappointment. 

- On the positive plantbased food side; you can always trust a lentil soup, when so called cherry marmelade lets you down.

Onwards and upwards, Veganuary as well as 2026, let’s bring the truly good stuff only!

veganuary 2026 et al

 

I really truly wanted to start the brand new year, with all its promise of new positive beginnings and glorious opportunities, with an inspiring post on How is Veganuary going so far?

Instead we have experienced a vast amount of snow fall all over Sweeden and snow storms mainly in the Stockholm area. So no matter how beautiful it looks, it has been hellish to venture outside, or even impossible, since the snow ploughs can’t keep up with clearing the streets for walkers.

Grateful we got a food delivery prior to New Year’s as well as having a pretty full freezer, fridge and kitchen cupboard. I have even baked proper bread myself (eons ago since the last time) 

No-knead overnight rise bread rolls. They turned out great for a first try!

One of my goals this year is to  f i n a l l y  bake sourdough bread. But these fancy looking, simple baking rolls aren’t alas. Still great texture and very tasty. Perfect for breakfast. There are a gazillion recipes out there on the internetz, but I might share this one, if anyone is interested?

However disturbing and debilitating the recent snowstorms have been - it is after all an annual thing in Sweden, even if this was heavier than usual due to climate change (which really is real…) - 

nothing is as disturbing as seeing a braindead president - that he still, barely, is able to walk and doing his usual uneducated toddler talk, is a daily surprise for most of us - invading a sovereign country and kidnap its president (whom is a dictator, I know) for completely made up reasons known to us all (who care to educate outselves).

The audacity, the stupidity, the lack of functioning brain cells and decency, to do this is mindblowing. As is the lack of spine in most every other prime minister/president of other Western countries. 

I am so ashamed, but not the least bit surprised, of our Swedish, truly incompetent, government and its statements regarding this gross behaviour. 

International law is real. 

And should be upheld by any and every decent country. Period. You do not invade countries on a whim and kidnap other presidents, you imbecille orange nincompoop with cronies. 

And yes, Greenland is still and will remain a part of Europe. Period.

Given there is still an ongoing livestreamed genocide in Gaza, (and a mindboggling impunity for the perpetrators) and zero interest in facts, history or the law, it should not come as a complete surprise that the beginning of 2026 is unfolding like this. Yet it somehow is. 

The very opposite of democracy. Of safety. Of working for a better future for us all. For a livable, breathable, healthy planet.

Not to mention the Nobel Peace Prize laureate (who should never have gotten it) now saying she’ll hand it over to the orange joke… FFS. We are living in a real life Twilight Zone. With mental toddlers in charge. 

Capitalism. Colonialism. Fascism. Propaganda. The astonishing lack of decency and what used to be called common sense, solidarity and compassion. This is not what 2026 should bring.

Anyone else feeling the year certainly started in a way that get us off focus and personal goals for the year? All because senile white old men with megalomania… 

That needed to be said. 

Now it has. 

So how is Veganuary going for you? Are you eating old favourites or venturing into new recipes and ingredients?

Myself I started the year the same way I ended 2025, with this wonderful seafood inspired saffron tofu bowl of stew/soup with root vegetables. 

After that feast my kitchen has lacked a few ingredients (snow caused) to try new and exciting recipes alas. So old favorites and more basic cooking has been my Veganuary tune so far.

May the rest of the month bring more, so much more, joy and positivity, laughter and decency for us all!

💚