happy 15th blogoversary to me!

15 years ago today, late in the evening, I sat down and wrote this tentative post of what would be this blog. September 8, 2005.

And in that post are two things I've been true to ever since. Cats and climate change. Though I'm happy to say that pretty much everything I also mention in that post has also gotten its fair share of space in the world according to me, over the years, in cycles. Jill of Many Trades as I am.

15 years is obviously quite a milestone, but I have prepared exactly zero celebrating for this post. As a celebratory mood is hard to find and channel these days. Though I should of course have baked something vegan nice...

Ah well, I acknowledge the feat. In this very short post. And I also think this past week, September so far, has been pretty good and quite interesting. More of that in a later post. (Though next up is that delicious bulgur pomegranate salad recipe I promised, me thinks.)

Congrats little darling blog, 
on your 15th blogoversary!



Slowfashion, OOTD/of the week and shoe per diem:

Dress, Marimekko
Vegan sneakers, Matt & Nat
Re-Kånken, Fjällräven

goodbye september, hello october 2019

I wish my one month silence in blog was due to fantastic and dreamy news, but alas September turned out to be a pretty sh*tty month.

The fun and inspiring things I've also done were overshadowed by the fact that The Job that was truly dreamy on paper, with a great interview and some anxious yet rare I-know-this-is-mine-feeling waiting turned out to be a really disappointing process. Simply a short "we chose someone else" without any explanation to the whys (which is standard procedure in Sweden, at least when you're one of the few they chose from, in these case three persons). So I asked, with no reply. Which says a lot about the company culture.

As I mentioned, the ad was basically a carbon copy to what I'm looking for and what I'm offering. The position was as head of communication in a company working with sustainable innovation. It screamed my name. Didn't get it. Was truly disappointed, since every job I've applied for since I decided this is what I must focus on now have been good enough, but not great. This was great, on paper. The reality was another story.

And even if I had good advance information which gave some warning signals, I also know different personalities react to different things and I prefer to talk to people and experience things myself. Turned out the information I got was spot on, alas. And the ad most certainly didn't convey the truth of the company.

What I learnt though, is that THIS is just the position and kind of company I must pursue. However that might be easier said than done since I've never seen an ad, or heard of a similar company/position, before. So many boxes were ticked, on paper. The reality was something very different.

And after getting the news I honestly felt so low, that only the thought of picking myself up, focus, feeling inspired enough to continue looking, got be exhausted. I don't want to feel this jaded, but right now that's how it is.

But the hilarious, endearing incident that happened before the interview still makes me giggle. I bought a coffee (in my KeepCup to go of course) and the barista was extra chatty. And somehow I ended up telling him I was on my way to an interview and bought coffee for extra oumph. He just stared at me and spontaneously said "But you don't need any extra oumph, you're full of oumph already!". I laughed and thanked him for both compliment and coffee. Even if, despite my built-in oumph, I obviously didn't impress at the interview - or who knows, it might have been too much of a good thing.

The illusive search continues.

On the last day of September I began a new little web project gig, with people I trust and like a lot- This will be fun and hopefully just as enjoyable as work and collaborations should be. And not least, as things currently are, good to focus on nice work matters instead of dwelling over things that weren't meant to be. And seriously, I'm too good at what I do to dwell on what I possibly were deemed to lack at the interview. The company was clearly not worth my time, energy or work. And that's that.

Even if this search process is incredibly draining, and I do wish there would be more positive lessons learnt instead of the opposite.

On the positive September side, in a few words -

Västerås day trip. Turned out that the train ride there from my home took less than one hour, the equivalent of how long it takes to get into Stockholm city. It's nice to live in the outermost suburbs, Sweden seems closer than just Stockholm somehow. Spent the day there, on one of the last few warm and sunny Indian summer days. Walking around the city, which is much nicer than I remembered from the plethora of cat shows I've attended years ago. A lovely museum visit with an exhibition called Age Rich, about old age, all the experiences and wisdom we as a society don't care much about. As youth is celebrated and ageism rules. It was a soul soothing day on so many levels.

Vegan cooking class. Yes, it was finally time and it was lovely, unpretentious and the food turned out great. There were 15 of us and I was definitely the most experienced in vegan cooking. But I still learnt some tricks and tips. Well spent evening.

14th Blogoversary. September 8. Missed it completely. But there you are, happy blogoversary dear blog, thank you for being my little personal public room to share, sort and rant still.

Broken arm anniversary. September 18. A year ago I had a broken arm and life was a new kind of rough. But I got myself through that too. Some days the arm and wrist feels pretty normal. Others it can be a bit sore. But well, even if'll never be 100% as it was before the unfortunate cat related accident, I'm still ever so grateful I said a firm no to an operation, with all the risks that would have entailed and of course no guarantees for a 100% outcome.

Downton Abbey movie premiere. It was a nice couple of hours spent on Friday the 13th. But you might as well wait for the DVD or streaming.

Inspiration lunch on Digital behaviours. Those lunches at a Stockholm book store including a delicious vegan salad are most always a great thing. This time the authors were very entertaining as well.

World Clean-up Day. This was a more infuriating that good event. The organisation Håll Sverige Rent (Keep Sweden Clean) really made an engaging mark during my childhood. Kids and grown-ups alike in general back then, knew how to throw trash in bins and keep the streets and nature clean. Schools and companies were involved in regular campaigns. Now the NGO is doing a really crappy job with visibility and marketing.

My mum and I were out for 3-4 hours, filled 6-8 bags with trash, in an area that wasn't that large. Noone else out and about picked trash and noone we talked to knew that it was World Clean-up Day. Imagine if everyone that attended the Climate Marches also picked up a bag of litter, that would make a huge difference.

In the end we were too tired to pick up more trash, the absolute majority being cigarette butts - idiot smokers are obviously careless, selfish idiots on so many levels - but I felt so ashamed walking past all the littering. I'm not the one littering, but feeling so ashamed of how the human race have polluted our one and only planet and continue doing so by being ignorant and stupid.

Reading. Finished 5 books in September. And begun reading 3 more. So grateful I at least haven't lost my reading mojo amidst the lack of mojo in other areas of my life currently.

Decided to start my October with a new hair colour. This time I went with Bright Red, from Maria Nila. I can see it'll be very visible in daylight. Unfortunately I got a bit too much of the colour on my forehead and on my ears too. That'll be an interesting new look for me.

September, writing things down I realise you held some great stuff too, but the early days disappointment has still been covering you like a big, wet, suffocating blanket. So thank you for the good days, but really, I'm very glad to say bye bye.

Dear, October, darling birthday month, can you pretty pretty please bring 31 days of happiness and at least a few of immense joy!? So much gratitude in advance.

happy 12th blogoversary

The Blog, this blog, turns 12 today. 

After a both emotionally and physically exhausting week, mostly in a good way but not only, I alas don't feel very witty or capable of writing something profound about the blog journey of 12 years.

But I will say as much as it has been a true haven during both ups and downs in my life. Not least in my most challenging, heartbreaking as well developing, insightful and healing last one and a half year of growth.

When I look back on my post from the first few years I admittedly sometimes shudder of embarrassment, the way I wrote then and in parts how I looked at the world, the topics I chose, it was a very different me. That said I let them be were they are, available to be read, a testament of 12 years of development and finding my voice, both as a human being and in writing style. 

My blogoversary was spent with a lovely LinkedIn-lunch, a possible new client getting in touch, an unexpected meet cute of the doggie kind and not least a cup of tea and a perfect cinnamon bun contemplating 12 years of blogging. Who knew this would be where I'd find myself after a decade plus?

And of course, thank you, dear readers, who keep coming back for more, and sometimes leave those kind and heartfelt comments. I treasure them all.

Happy 12th Blogoversary to me, may it feel meaningful for many more years to come!

the 11th years blogoversary

Today its apparently 11 years since I started blogging. And how my voice, and my life, has changed since that first, tentative post. How much I have grown.

Of course this year has been completely overshadowed by the death of my life partner M, and my energy levels for blogging isn't what they used to be. But when I do blog I tend to want to write a lot instead. So who cares if it's pretty irregular posting these days, after all the only constant in life, and blogging, is that it changes all the time. The posting, the reading and not least the commenting.

That said, I spent this glorious Indian summer blogoversary day visiting a lovely art and design exhibition at one of my favourite museums in Stockholm, Millesgården (blogged in 2007). The Austrian designer/architect Josef Frank's amazing, famous fabrics for posh Stockholm design store Svenskt Tenn (Swedish Pewter) was on display and it was just such a wonderful, inspiring atmosphere. 

Being able to saunter from the Frank exhibition to the delightful, permanent sculpture garden and home of Swedish sculptor Carl Milles and back was both soul soothing, inspirational and not least energising.

I have a gazillion photos in the iPhone, but only a small handfull have been edited so for now, some highlights only.

Finished the day off with a rather late organic, vegan lunch (at 4.30 pm, living dangerously) and a dito icecream (passionfruit sorbet).

And a lot of walking in between. Nothing spectacular, just really lovely in an unpretentious, colourful and soul soothing way. The perfect, little celebration of the milestone that is the 11th blogoversary, if you ask me.

Happy blogoversary, dear blog readers, 

I'm so grateful that some of you have stuck around for a long time, reading my rants, about my ups and downs, letting me pour my heart out and along the way I've hopefully given you some laughters and inspiration in return - so, why not treat yourself to some cake and celebrate a bit too!

the 10 years blogoversary

Oh, I just realised I completely missed the 10 years blogoversary of this very blog, which took place on September 8, 2015 already. Oops.

a) It's quite a powerful thing, realising that I've been at it for 10 years already. With all the things, the ups and downs and in betweens that have happened through that decade. 

b) I'm admittely not as passionate about blogging these days (clearly, just missed a milestone blogoversary...). Or really, perhaps simply my approach has changed.

c) But I also admit the blog is now (and still) such an intricate part of my life. And work. My portfolio one might say. And even if most visitors are lurkers these days, the statistics show there is still such a thing as blog readers. Which is awfully nice of course. Hopefully this ol' blog of mine still have the capacity to inspire a few readers near and far.

Happy 10th blogoversary to me - 

and in celebration of that I'm giving away 10 colourful Prosit postcards to one reader who leaves a comment about how you found your way here, what made you return and what you most enjoy reading about. Last day to participate is October 1st - the bobbaloos will graciously choose the winner. 

Come on, stop lurking, leave a snazzy comment!

farewell september

Oh September, I had such high expectations on you. Sadly you have not lived up to them. August was such a blah month, thus I had so hoped that you, September, would refill my happy account in a big way. Can't say you have really. At least not in the grand way I had every faith you would.

On the blah front: job related stuff has sucked once and twice and third. Things seem to happen, I'm getting excited and then they fall flat. It's indeed rather tiresome. The Swedish election outcome was a rather disappointing one - or perhaps it'll work out in an unxepectedly good way somehow.

On the good front: then arrival of Sheldon and Dymphna and then Nerdle and Ruby. Sunflower fields and castles. Blog turns an amazing 9. Good food, good fika, good talks. I began taking a course in storytelling for change - admittedly I'm a bit behind, but getting there and it's an interesting journey. There was an innocent discovery in the grocery store. There was a pretty amazing Indian summer day and gargantuan balloons - but after that the weather turned rather chilly. Scandinavian Autumn as it is has arrived. My reading mojo is definitely back. And I had a really lovely evening in Gothenburg in the company of ABBA music and stories. And there is a new computer. And a pleasing amount of work during the month that was you, September.

But despite the good stuff I'm feeling rather blah, uninspired and wistful just the same. I'm really, really, REALLY hoping that October, my birthday month will show a benevolent face and offer lots of amazing surprises of the very best kind. Because seriously, I do need that. My happy account could use a decent deposit of the rosiest kind.

Bye bye September, welcome October,
you month of complete and utter awesomeness!

happy 9th blogoversary to me

One might think that on a day one celebrates such a mighty event as the 9th blogoversary it would have been all fireworks, cakes and party party party. Instead it has been a quiet, uneventful day. A day of thoughts and contemplation. And evening rain.

So what has happened since last year?

:: My life revolves very much around my work (in a good way, well, mostly) and work opportunities these days I may not find the time or energy to blog as much as I used to. But I still blog (obviously). My love for blogging has not been diminished.

The way I write and publish may have changed, I may not write as much as I used to, but I'm adamant to post something every day. If only a cat snap (as if there's anything "only" about a cat!). Consistency is good.

:: I think most of us long time bloggers don't read as much blogs as we used to anymore. But since I've recently gotten my reading mojo back (hooray!) I might get my blog reading mojo back too, who knows. I also knows that what goes around comes around, visits and comments have plummeted. I'm alright with that. It's simply a case of I blog therefore I am.

:: It's almost 10 years (!) now since I began blogging. So much has happened. And pretty much everything have some way or other ended up in this blog. But I never name names. Because personal is one thing, private is another matter. A no no matter.

And you should know that every single comment you leave is always much appreciated.

:: There've been quite a bit of blah regarding things that I feel very passionate about these past few months, people can really be truly disappointing and odd. But it's also been a test of my resilience. I'm happy to report that despite deep disappointment I know things will be alright. Because things just are. And I am too.

Happy 9th blogoversary to me and my world on the internetz,
I hope we'll have many more creative years still together!

happy 8th blogoversary ~

That eight years have now passed since I began my first tentative try on blogging is difficult to grasp, so much has happened, the good and the bad and the in-between, the highs and the lows, the love, the hate, the indifference.

This past year I've seen a distinct change in blogging habits, we may continue writing and posting ourselves, but most of us don't read and comment other blogs as much as we used to. Which is a pity, since there are a lot of good and inspiring words written out there.

Thank you all who still read,
thank you even more you who still take the time to comment,
your comments are treasured indeed.

Hope you'll treat yourself to a nice piece of cake today and
celebrate the marvellous thing that is the 8th blogoversay with me!

blogoversary number seven

seven years ago i apparently thought it was a good idea to start blogging. seven years later i'm still at it. with some things i am indeed perseverant.

i would love to write something witty and have a little giveaway of some sorts. but after a rather sleepless night at hospital (see yesterday's post of course) and still waiting for more tests and see the doctor i'm pretty much out of wit. so that will be another day.

but i hope you've had some fun with me over these seven years and that you (and i) will continue to for many years to come.

happy blogoversary, go have some cake and celebrate!

and the winners of the 6th blogoversary giveaway are...

The littlest bobbaloos were chosen for this special task - and the new family pet, Burble Blue, although granted he was more interested in playing silly in the autumn leafs - , the drawing of the three blogoversary giveaway winners. As is obvious they were, as usual, enthusiastic in a way that only bobbaloos know how to be.

The three winners chosen, by the quickest bobbaloos - Wifflesteinborgen, Kinklewort and Miffwinkle, who all of course proudly wanted to pose with their winners, lens louse bobbaloos as they are - were;

~ Angella ~

~ Katie ~

~ Sienna ~

If you email me your adresses (you'll find my email at the 'about me' page) I'll have your respective postcard/bookmark set in the mail asap.

And again, thank you all so so much for all kind comments left in that blogoversary post, in any post really. Always appreciated. Lots.

6th blogoversary ~

Another year in blog, with blog, has passed. It has hold a plethora of high- as well as low-points - I'm still waiting for 2011 to show its true face of light, heart and butterflies... - one high being the Blog of Note acknowledgement. Which was definitely truly lovely, even if things have since calmed down to pretty much the same as before BoN-day, via that came new fine friends, so for that I feel only happy gratitude.

To celebrate this 6th blogoversary I'm having a little giveaway again. Three readers who leave a comment in this post, and it would of course be nice to hear why you like to come here and spend some reading time, will take part in the draw to win a set of 3 postcards and 1 bookmark -

similar to the ones for sale in the Prosit shop on Etsy, yes you can always hop over there to find something to fit your mood, I'm about to list new motifs and you're always welcome to ask if you have something special in mind, I will do my best to see if I can find it in my photo-stash

Please leave your comment no later than September 22, 2011 and you'll participate in the draw (the little drawers will be, depending on their mood du jour, bobbaloos, little loafie or plush kitties aka snoopervisors).

Happy 6th blogoversary
in "The World According to Pia" ~

pretty wordless wednesday

Busy, busy, writing, writing, Christmas cards and other important things. Drinking tea, eating the odd lussekatt. Accompanied by the one whom snow becomes. Therefore only the shortest of posts today.

And yes, the blogoversary giveaways are now in the mail, out of my hands and in those of the Postal Service. May good luck be with them all and reach the five winners before Christmas. Ho-ho-ho!

randomness from the week that was

:: I have all sorts of things I'd like to say, write, share, but it has been a busy week, in weather as in work, in mind as in heart. So the pieces I've written this past week have been short (but I hope still a tad sweet). And the blog posts back log keep a growing...

:: Sadly I don't feel any closer to a good solution of the thing(s) that's troubling me still, the askew piece of the life puzzle. Which makes me feel I'm living my life in limbo. Some days are acceptable, some days are great, some days are fine, but the next day, the next hour things feel suffocating, unacceptable, ridiculous, maddeningly wrong as they are.

:: I did have a couple of job interviews this past week. Both jobs sounded rather nice, but I don't like to get my hopes up, since I'm far too versed in these matters now. The one interview was a bit like having a nice chat with an uncle, I thought the questions and thoughts that came up were a tad unusual and the more I thought about it later the more I got the feeling that the guy probably didn't take me seriously.

:: Which is, needless to say, both exhausting and exasperating. In fact I'd go as far as to say I'm completely dumbstruck as to why even bother to call me late in the afternoon being very eager to see me next morning wanting to know if I could start right away and then not being all that interested in my skills and qualities anyway.

:: I'm more than sick and tired to seemingly not being taken seriously - especially by men of a certain age actually - and I feel trapped (and not in a lovely yarn) in a sticky web that only offers glimpses of what could be, but never let me really get out of this entanglement.

:: The thing that one day seems like, all things considered in current situation, a reasonably good idea (persuade myself to think positive, think positive), the next day, after a night's sleep and a good think-through not at all that good. I can see that me doing this, me doing that can add value for this person, that organisation and so forth, but where's the value for me? What do I get out of it? It's energy guzzling, heartbreaking to constantly having to think like this, to not being able to put my skills and energy to use in a more productive and true way.

:: The sore thumb, wrist is feeling better. I have yet to dare try my luck with needles, hook and yarn again though... Oh how I want to finish some projects and oh how I want to begin that froggy one!

:: I've decided that my perfect amount of people/organisations I follow on Twitter will keep around 300. I have no idea why certain/many tweeps follow thousands upon thousands of people/organisations, not even if you had tweeting as a full-time job would you be able to keep up, interact, be personal on a regular basis with the majority of them. And that interaction, informative and also personal touch is what I like with Twitter.

Yes, I admit I have changed my mind about Twitter, compared to that post in summer of 2009...

As most always I want quality not quantity in my life, to follow such tweeps or be followed by them is completely uninteresting (well, perhaps not of it happened to be Sean Connery. Or Nelson Mandela. And I've just discovered that Grand Designs' Kevin McCloud has a Twitter-account...).

:: I most certainly haven't forgotten the blogoversary give-away (the deadline I've set is to send it before the end of the year). Just so you know. Your postcards, bookmarks, favourite-colour-surprise are all waiting to be sent/made one of these weeks.

:: And even if my unread items in the Google reader is piling up in a terrible pace, I don't really have the heart to push the "marked all as read" button on every blog in that feed. I will pop around for a comment here and there in due time.

:: If you'd like to see/read glimpses of the past week of undersigned then head over to shoe per diem and read about

Tuesday - inauguration of the red boots and the most cute meet with Molly
Wednesday - the apple heart (also mentioned here)
Thursday - floating
Friday - red shoes meet
Saturday - red in red
Sunday - which happened to be Father's day in Sweden. One of those days I don't celebrate per se, the post I wrote about my father a few years ago can be found here.

:: Last, but not least, I have also been working on a new I'm-looking-for-a-job-website, in Swedish only for now but in English to come. Yes simple but at least it shows what I'm looking for job-wise and what I'm (in few words) offering competence-wise. Website can be found at piaktw.se -

och ja, du som har seriösa funderingar, tankar kring, erbjudanden om jobb, uppdrag, projekt efter att ha tittat in där, hör gärna av dig.

:: Also this blog, yes the one that you're reading right now, can also be found via this web address now worldaccordingtopia.se . Not that it matters all that much, but after being a reliable ally through all these years I thought it kind of deserved its own domain. The usual piaks.blogspot.com still works perfectly well too. That's what happened to a couple of the domains I booked a while back. Baby steps for many. But hopefully at least small steps in the right direction for me and my life. Because that I need. Very much.

the winners of 5th blogoversary giveaway

It's about high time to reveal the winners of the blogoversary give-away, don't you think?

If I could I would send something to everyone that left a comment on that post, because there are some truly sweet and oh so heartwarming comments (which can be appreciated any time, any day, but even more so on a blue day). Thank you lots and lots and lots!

Now to the drawing. For which I got eager help from on Buttcrack Character (yup really) named Mr Ola, blessed with a fancy moustache and a hat jauntily askew - thank you Sandra Juto, see, he has already begun earning his keep -

he likes to spend time in autumnal garden and climbing trees. Thus there is where the draw took place.

Mr Ola came in a bag that was almost too perfect for becoming the actual draw-bag, Glück und Liebe (Luck/Happiness and Love). But we do like too-good-to-be-true in this residence so all the tickets went down in bag (sorry 'bout that Scottish tin) and the exciting draw began.

With a little paw of help from Mr Muddy Loaf

When five names had been drawn, Mr Ola thought it would be nice to give a little show-off in tree. 'Look at me, look at me. And my five winners'

Who are ~

Felis

Kea

heidikins

Erica

mangocheeks

If you'd like to email me the address to which I can send the give-away (my email address can be found at my profile page) and also let me know what your favourite colour/pattern might be (for wee surprise), there will be something heading your way, over land, over sea, as soon as possible. And by that I mean not next week, perhaps not even next month, but certainly before 2010 turns 2011...

And again, thank you so much
for all the dear comments,
Glück und Liebe to all ~

happy 5th blogoversary ~

Today it's been five years since the first tentative post in this blog - where did the time go? - so thank you for these years blog, I couldn't have done it without you. And well, just so you don't get all hoity-toity with self-importance, sweetie, you wouldn't have been without me.

In celebration I feel it appropriate to have a little give away, much like the latest one;

a set of 3 postcards and 1 bookmark (similar to the ones for sale in the Prosit shop on Etsy). Add to that something extra little to beat the possible Autumn blues.

This will be sent to 5 recipients that leave a comment in this blog post and tell what kind of posts you enjoy the most here (be it Stockholm, cats, travels, dogs, Sweden, books, skin care, crafts, etc etc and so forth).

Please leave comment no later than September 22nd CET and you'll participate in the draw.

Now, do enjoy a cup of tea and pink strawberry delight in celebration of this fine blogoversary day ~

the fourth blogoversary

There's often more than a grain of truth to many cliches, that time flies is one of those cliches~truths. It truly does. Not always gracefully, but fly it does.

Today it's four years since I wrote my first (tentative) attempts on a blog. Namely this blog. And where has the time gone, does anyone know?

The blogoversary will certainly be celebrated in style - with the annual dentist appointment. And if I ask nicely, there'll hopefully be some grazing too.

This is post number 1501 ~ Happy 4th blogoversary. Thanks for visiting, it's been a pleasure having you here. Let's have cake ~

In the 901 Post It's Time For Blogoversary # 3

This is most certainly just significant for me, myself and I, but today this blog turns three (3) years old. This is the 901 post.

So where do I begin..., three years, a lot has happened since the first post back in September 2005... There are also a lot of things that I had every conviction, hope, faith and intention would happen that sadly haven't. Yet.

I still wake up to a new day every day, I still manage, I still make it through the day, I still know I'm lucky, blessed in many, many ways. Those ways I often share a bit here and a bit there on blog. Thinking that shared joy is double joy.

The times of not feeling neither lucky nor blessed I share sometimes too. Because there is, always has, always will, something truly liberating about writing it all down and sharing. Despite lurking readers, comments or not.

Since three years back I've in times written more or less regularly on this blog. This past year more regularly than ever. Yesterday, I very befittingly and unknowingly, cracked the 900 post. What I most loved about that is that it was about books and life, hence very me.

This blog which now is celebrating a distinguished Blogoversary isn't my only blog. I'm also a (sadly) sparse contributor, since about a year back, to the Stockholm pictures and views blog by plenty, the reason for it being worth reading and looking at obviously isn't thanks to me. But it is fun to contribute now and then still, in a laid back, no-pressure way when I get a snapshot that fits the style.

I also decided to get me another, personal blog earlier this year. Just so I could play around a bit with the design and pictures, without messing things up here. Though that playing around got completely and sadly messed up by someone else some time ago. But at the same time I realized keeping it simple in black (only on blog though!) wasn't all that bad. And since I have an ever growing well of photographs to spoon from I might as well have a bit of fun with it there. Even if I, as usual, some days let the pictures do the talking here too.

Now it's not only Blogoversary time but once again September and officially Swedish Autumn. Despite being an Autumn child I've only truly begun enjoying this time of the year these past few years. The unpretentiousness of this season of new beginnings in a different, but amazingly colourful shroud is really rather wonderful. I'm hoping, having faith and fingers crossed, and always writing, that this Autumn will bring welcome and much awaited new beginnings for me, myself and I too. So -

~*~ Happy Blogoversary to The Wor(l)d According To Me ~*~

Blogoversary!

Today is the day when this blog turns 2 years old, how time flies! I had every intention in celebrating that world overturning event in style - but as it happens I managed to catch a cold instead.

I usually don't get them very often, but when I do they tend to, with few exceptions, strike hard. So right now I just feel sorry for myself and my poor body parts, sour throat, aching head, ears, jaws, teeth, gum, limbs, fever and nausea... And of course it's going to get even worse before it gets better... If noone else want to pity me, that's fine, the extent of pity for myself at this moment is ridiculously overwhelming anyway.

Before I put myself to sofa, under a blanket of wool and cats, as I'm waiting for the delivery man to bring me the only things I've come to consume while feeling this way - apple juice and vegetables in hot green curry, the best way to fight nasty little viruses! - I might as well muse a bit about how it all began two years ago.

I can only blame Anne for it, she raved so much about how fun it was to blog about one of her passions in life, food and cooking. And since I've always loved to write I thought I'd give it a try, this might just be a fun way to let out some steam in semi-public, to share thoughts, ideas and views.

Mustn't forget to mention the fact that whenever I'm tearing my hair over the idiosyncrasies of computers and the web, I can rely on Anne to calm me down and most often show me how to get back on track to outwit them.

And the reason for writing in English was basically that it's a whole wide world out there, and not only the duckpond of Sweden.

I can probably safely say that my first tentative attempts of blogging here weren't very interesting nor being very me. Certainly not me now, and probably not very me then. And since I hadn't really found my own way back to writing in English again, I did have a long break from writing here for a while.

Mainly due to being very involved in getting the Swedish web community for cat-lovers (Katter iFokus, Cats inFocus) going and growing - alongside with other more personal and serious matters - and also finding that the diary (blog) inFocus was a perfect way to pour my mind and heart out in Swedish...

I did find my way back here though, and I tend to think and write inside my head in English nowadays, I'm not sure if one should consider that to be worrying or not. At least it's challenging and interesting! I most probably make grammar mistakes, sentence construction faults and yes *oh my* chose the completely wrong word now and then - but that's what I prefer to call a personal touch.

And yes, I do enjoy playing with words, in Swedish as well as in English - not to mention making up new ones, if it doesn't sound all too pompous *and who cares* I'm always striving and struggling to becoming a wizardess of wordplay, and my favourite kind of words, if you hadn't figured that out by now, are definitely the ambiguous ones...

So happy blogoversary to me and my world of words - and as a special treat, only for you, I give you the photo - portraiting once upon a time, the coolest cat in Sweden - with which it all began, today two years ago...