from july flowers to august powers

Apart from a scarf on my birthday and basic underwear, I hadn’t bought any new clothes for a year without making an effort really, I kind of put a few things on a wish list and forgot about most of them). 

And with a pandemic, all the pretty dresses, and a very different life with very different priorities, it's hard (for most of us) to justify clothes shopping and other luxuaries. Food, books, skincare and tea are always considered essentials obviously.

But as you know a leopard can't change her spots. And if she's human it will take time. So this was the dress on my wish list since well before corona entered and changed the scene called life as we knew it, I couldn't get out of my mind. 

So here it is, the only big treat to myself during the infamous summer of  2020. Marimekko obviously, duh. In one of my favourite prints, Pieni Pioni, the same as in the flowery happy coat of 2016. (My garden peonies may not be abundant, buy I love them and I'm no stranger to wearing them.)

What can I say, it's simply gloriously lovely. And seriously paw approved. By my trusty snoopervisors.

And hopefully there will one day, and for years after that, be time to love and wear it to other outings than the regular walking-to-the-garbage-bin-wearing-a-pretty-dress. Soon I hope, very soon. And then, at least another year will pass before I think I *need* to invest in a new piece. Fingers crossed, and not to lie. 

Right now I spy with my little discerning eye, a long walk and a vegan fika to welcome the wistful month of August in style. In flowers. With power.

Thank you July, you weren't exactly brimming with unlimited summer fun, but restrictions and a smaller life bring other insights, inward gazing and growth. So for that I'm grateful. And for the rain, all the life-giving rain, that oh so magic meet cute and the back to uni news. And books, never forget the joy that books bring. And purrfect cats in their boxes.

Welcome August, please bring sparks, light, hope, encouragement and golden opportunities. It's about high time you bring all those wishes and hopes at the beginning of this topsy turvy year called 2020 to fruition, wouldn't you agree? Many deeply, grateful thanks in advance, dear August.

pia's vegan power blend, god's disobedient rib, the job that wasn't meant to be and other non-foolish april stories

Hello again, there seem to have been a case of a slight blog hiatus. It's only the old "the more you have to write about the more of a struggle to get going there is".

And the more you'd want to really dive into each subject, the more overwhelming it seems. So I've decided to keep each step reasonably short - do I hear sniggers of disbelief?



Started my April by picking up my new cat frame glasses. That style has never fitted me, but I think the looked pretty cool when I tried them on. It's a new collection from Smarteyes called The New Femme Fatale, and this particular model is called Confidence. For those days when you need a little extra boost perhaps?

I remember when I first begun wearing glasses, late teens (but then I could still get away with not wearing them and see reasonably well if I squinted a bit. As I prefered to do, since glasses weren't really I back then). Then they were just terribly expensive, in fact I think one pair costed as much as my four pairs now set me back. And I still had to had my eyes checked regularly and new prescriptions, and the frames weren't of better quality, only more expensive.

Now there are a gazillion optician chains competing for us spectacle snakes's attention. Glasses are cool and have sneaked up as fashion accessories. For better or worse I suppose.



On April 1 I also inaugurated The Trousers. And I don't think I looked like an April Fool's joke. They were comfy and felt weird at the same time. Being a 99,5% wearer of dresses and skirts I guess that was a very normal reaction. But as the weather has been unseasonably cold - which I'm grateful for in these global warming of our times - they were also rather perfect. Hopefully there'll be some more days of wearing them before summer hits.

As is probably evident by now, my wardrobe is full of patterns, stripes, dots, flowers, birds... And as much as I love to mix and match colours and patterns, sometimes you just want one special pattern shine. Which, for me, is difficult. I don't even have one plain white T-shirt. True story, believe it or not.



So for months now I've been trying to add a few good quality basic neutrals and block colours. Which, for someone who is so in love with colours and patterns, is no mean feat.

But behold two gorgeous, happy pieces I think will serve me well for many years to come. The green blouse is the one from Marimekko I wrote about in the last post. It needed end incisions to fit me in more ways than one, so for the first time ever I decided to go to a tailor to have it done. Will pick it up tomorrow and I do hope it looks great.

The yellow knitted sweater (in cotton and linen) is from Bric-a-Brac. It's cosy and oversized and pretty much goes well with the same skirts as the green blouse. Now a white T-shirt, preferably V-neck, and I'm all set for having a gazillion combinations for summer.



And how about my little blue-eyed light? Well, I thought she was well on her way back to normal (normal for her, not any other cat,as she is a little odd character), the antibiotic for the not-sure-what-it-is-but-some-sort-of-bacteria-infection seem to had done its job, but she went back to not being herself again. Back to to vet, which obviously both annoys and worries me, it's not particularly fun to a) knowing something is not alright with her, but b) the vet not being able to determine, nor very strategic in ruling out things, what it can be and then charging me for it...

I thought the iron supplement for her initial anemia had worked, and it turned out she was once again slightly anemic. So back on that. So far some days are better than others. I'm glad she has a great appetite for wet food, not too keen on the usual dry food, and eats lots. But she also sleeps much more than usual and well, isn't her old self in general. I'm actually thinking it might be borrelia. It was a few years since I saw a tick on her, but then again the longterm effects of those nasties can take time. One day at a time. And patience I suppose.



I really hate early mornings. And not having to deal with rush hour behaviour on a regular basis is one of the huge benefits with running your own business mainly working at your home office. Nevertheless, breakfast seminars is clearly something I do reasonably often, and as I know they're more often than not rather enjoyable I keep attending. Despite every morning thinking"well, this seemed like a good idea at the time but now naaah...".

Thus I've been to three these last two weeks, very different, all good. One on service driven communication - great vegan breakfast -, one on Train holidays - poor vegan breakfast, it's not very sustainable with avocado and then the avocado not even being ripe... But it was a bookstore than arranged it and I suppose their main goal is to sell books, not paying attention to all those details like making the who event sustainable... -

(at which I got the book above. It's very inspirational, stories on train holidays within Scandinavia, through Europe, to Japan and Russia. And going on holidays by train instead of flying really has a HUGE impact on the environment. Still, it seems to be a long long way until it offers the same comfort and covenient booking system as flying does- And as long as governments and authorities still don't take their responsibility and make train travel the norm and not least maintain the railroads,I fear our need for travelling will continue to have an enormous impact on the planet...)

and then a seminar on making the most of your brand platform. With the best vegan breakfast by far. All vegan and very colourful. Simple as that. Just stop mollycoddling meat-eaters. It won't kill them eating plantbased, in fact quite the opposite.



In the end I didn't get the job I went through three interviews for. But really, the process was great, the feedback was brilliant. And the guy the choose in the end had a very different background than I, less creative, less social media and technical savvy, but more knowledgeable within this very specifical industry. And somehow they thought I would get bored quickly because the job wouldn't be challenging enough. But words like "had it been another company I would have chosen Pia for the job any day of the week!", I went happy and stronger from the process and that's fine, more than fine, by me.

In fact I thought the whole process was so different, professional and respectful, than most of the recruitment processes I've ever been involved in, that I wrote a piece about it on LinkedIn. Which seem to have stroke a cord within the recruitment and HR-industry. It's much nicer to tell a great story about people who know their job, than the frankly, gazillion times they don't. I could write a thesis about HR people and recruiters with zero respect for the candidates and as much professionalism as my thumb. Alas I can only write a small piece on the positive experience, but that is on the other hand much nicer to do. Dare to compliment.



So back to, if not square one, at least another square than I had planned to be on April 1st. Still looking for the perfect job, and my kind of people. I KNOW it's out there, that they are out there. Though in what shape and form remains unknown still. For now I'm tinkering on a reversed job-ad for LinkedIn that I want to have up and running this week.



My mum's birthday is coming up during Easter - and this Wednesday, three years ago M passed away and his birthday would have been on the 19, but instead his funeral was on the 20th, so that might be the reason my mood is swinging from high to low currently... - and I really want to make Easter happy again this year. Let's make Easter great again.

I'm getting her a blue Kånken, which was the first colour she had when I was a child, and we're having vegan brunch. The problem with the blue Kånken though, is that it now comes in almost a gazillion versions. It took me a long time to chose, and far from sure I made the perfect choice I thought we could go back and possibly swap it for another before her birthday so I showed it to her the other day. And as cute as it may be, we will indeed swap it for another type this week.



At my boring bus stop there's a large flower bed that last year was full of purple crocuses in spring that then turned into red tulips. It's just gorgeous and so mood lifting. And no photo can make it justice, but here's a glimpse of the gorgeousness anyway.

I've just finished reading the BulletJournal-book, it took a while since it needs one's full attention. It was great, I could relate to a lot of things, others less. But the main thing is that now I'm ready to start getting real with my own BuJo, and adapt it to my own need and wants and plans. And it will not be an embellished version, I like to keep it simple and effective (hopefully).



The littlest one, Ågot, turned 7 last week. It's hard to believe since she definitely looks like a kitten still. And seven years, how much that have happened during those years..., since she was born with her brothers and I thought she was a boy too.



Theatre isn't usually my cup of cultural tea, it's just too theatrical and I much prefers movies or great TV-series. But when the Royal Dramatic Theatre, which can only be described as a stronghold for patriarchy and too many #metoo stories, had a play called "Guds olydiga revben" (God's disobedient rib), the bible read from a feminist view, which mixed actors and the impressive acrobats from Cirkus Cirkör, one kind of had to go.



So very glad I did. It was magical. Upsetting - since reading the bible from a woman's point of view will never be anything but upsetting obviously - funny, sad and inspiring. So different from anything else I've seen. Cried, laughed and got angry. Unfortunately taking photos was strictly forbidden since it could pose a life danger for the acrobats, but the old interior was a beauty too.

The playhouse is currently also under extra scrutiny from the Arbetsmiljöverket (the Work Environment Administration authority), since there have been too many cries for help from women working there that have been silenced for many many years. There have been several female managers over the years, but it feels like the work culture is so infected that nothing has been done against numerous assaults on female staff by male actors (the so called geniuses).

The last straw was probably a very moving and upsetting Swedish documentary about the much loved singer and actress Josefin Nilsson, who died much too young some years ago, apparently due to aftereffects from years of mentally and physically abuse by one of those "male geniuses" lauded employed by Dramaten. The documentary is still shown at SVT Play (only in Sweden, but I'm sure you can find the story itself in English).

Conclusion, one might live under the illusion that Sweden is a gender equal country (even if the Swedish Academy debacle showed it isn't), but even if it's much better than many other countries, there is still a too long way to go. Humans in general, and in this case, men in particular, should know better in 2019. Much better. So. much. better.



After the play we went to Wagamama, which I used to frequent quite often some years ago. Now not so much, but I always love the food when I do go there. Even if I most always end up with the vegan yasai pad thai and carrot-ginger juice, despite the vegan menu being much extended these days. This time we shared a bowl of edamame, which never disappoints in its simplicity. Unfortunately we ended up so full from the food that neither had room for dessert. Alas. As a great dessert is literally the cherry on the sundae.



But after my annual dentist check-up - which got all thumbs up and the third year in a row without cavities, huzzah! - I did have a gloriously lovely vegan lunch salad which did leave room, just, for dessert. And oh what a dessert it was. Creamy, smooth mango mousse with crumbs and fresh blueberries. So much flavour and very moreish. Very much deserved for being a good dental hygiene girl.



It didn't manage to keep this a short and sweet post, your sniggering was on point. But now, oh now, last but definitely not least, ta-da, behold the very special Pia muesli!



After my one year consumption of mymuesli-prize in 2016 I was rather tired of muesli in general and mymuesli in particular. Go figure. And then the Stockholm store moved to a remote suburb, and later was shut down altogether. So ordering online is the only option. And if you don't want to pay a hefty shipping fee you need to more tubs than you'd necessarily want here and now. Most of my old favourite mueslis have been discontinued alas, plus the completely vegan (no honey) mueslis aren't all that tasty to be honest, but for overnight oats.

But I've found that their porridge oats are pretty great for making just overnight oats. And I noticed their Easter muesli is all vegan this year. So I placed an order a while back. And for the very first time mixed my own mueslis. Which you can name and chose tube design for too. And write a description for.



Which I obviously had to do. I've only tried one of my own blends so far, sprinkled on a lovely overnightoats made from the mymuesli turmeric-orange porridge oats. Perfect crunch and flavour, so pleased to say I did good.

And no, I haven't forgotten I did promise a post of various suggestions for lovely, simple vegan overnightoats. It'll come when you least expect it.



April, you have been just as capricious as one has come to expect with age and a reasonable amount of wisdom, there have already been both tears and laughters, worry and stress, but also inspiration and gratitude, spring flowers and bird song. But can you please, pretty please, be just kind, benevolent and joyous from now on? Many grateful thanks in advance.

thorn in my side, lilacs in my heart

Amidst sorrow blogging was tremendously therapeutical. In a chaotic project - with a client obviously many vegan sausages short of a full English breakfast and ill-equipped to lead a company - blogging was a must to sort out the bizarre, erratic behaviours.

This past couple of weeks with even more unsavoury behaviours, irrelevant ideas, a complete lack of acknowledging responsability, offering plausible explanations and solutions et al have been an exhausting source of even more blog topics of various kinds.

I don't even know where to start.

With the final proof that my team was a chimera? That their endless story of blatant lack of communication has cost me a lot of money, sleepless nights and caused so much anger, worry and disappointment. Our respective work ethics, business behaviours and moral compasses are clearly very different. Worlds apart.



Or that the immense beauty in nature all May also is a very obvious reminder that global warming is real? Everything, and I mean everything, is in bloom now. Flowers and trees that should bloom one after the other between May and August, if nature wasn't having a breakdown caused my human behaviour, is now simultaneously blossoming.

Dandelions, lilacs, lilies of the valley, honeysuckle, rhododendron, peony, fritillaria, roses, apple blossoms... The beginning of the end? High summer temperatures and no rain. Weltschmerz is also real.



What I think about the fact that some companies still use personality tests in their recruitment processes that are completely irrelevant for the job in question? It's simply outdated, bizarre and not least unprofessional. And would I really want to work for an organization that use obsolete methods like that?



That this is not my cat-cats that have been sweet and friendly for years suddenly act crazy and can cause a lot of pain with an unprovoked big bite? I should probably be grateful that I'm still alive. And I admit to for the first time ever having encountered a cat whom I'm actually afraid of, from here on.



Or that when nicecream is free every kid in Stockholm claim they are vegan hipsters (and are a bit full of themselves)? Especially the salted caramel hazelnut was nice, but not nearly as fantastic as Ben & Jerry's vegan icecream.



That you can actually get pretty decent results when you cut your own hair with guidance from YouTube tutorials? I cut over 20 cm. And funny enough I don't really miss the lost wisps, this time.



Or that Haevn's first album is released tomorrow May 25? That every song they've slowly released all through April and May have been lovely. But my favourites so far are "Back in the water" and this one "Love is a game". The phrase "I will be on my weakest when you hold on" is beautiful. And I like that it's dance music. Ie perfect for star dancing.



That the discovery that new TV-show "The good fight" is a spin-off from one of my favourite series "The good wife" makes me very happy. Always love a great story, a clever dialogue. In legal setting.



That there is a special, very warm place for recruiters and HR-people that don't realise the only decent way to behave (and not least an important part of their job!) towards every interviewee that don't get the job is to call or send a personal email, tell them why and thank them for their precious time and interest?



Or that I'm so incredibly tired of stupid, ignorant people (that don't live in a cave or are illiterate) that A) Don't acknowledge that it's their behaviour that causes global warming. That everything is connected, what you chose to do on this side of the planet, the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the transport, the holidays affect what happens on the other side of the planet?

That B) always blame other animals than humans for the environmental issues. And per usual think killing animals is the solution to sort problems caused by humans. Own your responsability, idiots. The butterfly effect is real. And a huge reason for the world being what it is, is people refusing to take responsability for their actions or non-actions.

Well, where to start? Let's see this post as a foretaste, and I'll elaborate another day.

When I'm not in swoon over the bliss and beauty of lilacs.

oh let the river in

Hell hath no fury like a woman not being paid by her client. And as new unsavoury details unfold in the ex-project mess I'm really gobsmacked that they think the people affected by this appalling, careless and selfish behaviour will just accept and be quiet. Which is obviously sheer stupidity on their part.

Not only have I not been fully paid, this project has also put my own business in danger. Due to the fact I have lost other revenues since I said no to other job offers as I (was a fool to) believe in it as a long term prospect. And the whole thing has been time consuming, energy draining and obviously really hurtful. At a time in my life when I really really didn't want to fight any new battles.

And that's only my story in very short. I'm not the only one hurt. It has been an important life lesson. But with ramifications I did in no way expect, just because I trusted people to be decent, fair, truthful and not despicable ass hats.

Of course I'm not going to be quiet and accepting about this. Doing that would eat me up from inside. They have certainly messed with the wrong person. Currently collecting facts and pondering the best way for maximum impact.



So while I entertain different scenarios in this aspect, my brain is still capable of work, entertain and enjoy other things. Like long walks and seasonal inauguration of the Moomin sneakers - which sadly gave me serious blisters this year so I won't be stepping into them anytime soon, buhu - and the brilliant weather. Global warming gave us high summer weather in early May, I know, and it's with very mixed feelings of human guilt I enjoy it. Weltschmerz is always lurking at the back of my mind.



I baked vegan scones and had a little brilliant cream tea brunch to celebrate the arrival of May. To be able to enjoy so many meals al fresco as I've done so far in May is bliss. And I'm certainly not alone. My ever present masters of mindfullness and life enjoyment make the most of every day in the garden.





I May have got myself a very Moominesque Marimekko dress. I feel like a life size Little My (obviously my spirit character) in a fabulous power dress in it. Classic design and it will last for years. Just like my beloved flowery happy coat. Statement pieces of great quality that lift the mood of both wearer and viewers are great. I also like the fact that the dress is both casual and party depending on accessories. And it has pockets. Which all the best dresses have.



On my way home that day I spotted something that looked like a Moomin stuffed toy discarded at the recycling station. It was. Serendipity. The Moomin dad naturally came home with me. He might be the start of the revival of the Teddybear Sanctuary.



In the shivering last days of April my Christmas (!) amaryllis finally came into gorgeous bloom. Those two flowers have since withered but I think my little eye spy a couple of new buds replacing them. Better late than never, only five months late.



Soon, very soon the lilacs will be in full bloom already. My hedge is brimming with buds. And fingers crossed I don't have the snivels this year, so I can enjoy the wonderful, enlivening scent. The hedge is situated right outside the bedroom and the scent of it seeping inside is one of the loveliest seasonal things.

The top loveliest seasonal thing though arrived here today, the first summer hedgehog. Contemplating mowing the lawn when I noticed movement in the shrubs and some cute little sneezes, sure enough a wee hedgehog sighting. S/he was treated to some luxuary cat food and later feel asleep in an adorable little prickly bun shape in the flower bed. I feel blessed having such precious summer guests.



As far as the Ms Sustainability 2018 new gigs and jobs go, so far no positive news alas. Keep those fingers, toe and paws crossed, please.

september highlights

Hello there. 

It has been over two weeks since I blogged. (The reason is not that the blogoversary celebrations where heavy. Really.) And it certainly isn't for a lack of matters to blog about. I've written lots of posts in my head these past few weeks. None of which obviously haven't made it to online status. And now I'm not really sure where to begin.

So, this won't be structured. This will be deeply emotional, this will be light-hearted and possibly frivolous, this will be about sorrow and happiness. In other words, this will be a bit of a long post.

:: First of all - I didn't get the part-time job I had hoped for. They said they'd settled for someone with slightly more experience of the tasks, but they thought I was great too. At least they took the time to call me up and tell me that. Which is a rare rare thing these days alas... Apparently they never got in touch with any of the referees either so the person they hired must have been oustanding in their fields.

But you know what? The more I thought about the job, the more trapped I felt. Sure it was within easy access from home by train - but it would also mean crossing the county border thus forcing me to pay 100% more for the monthly train card. Sure it was a brilliant half-time job - but instead of me working 2,5 days per week they wanted me to work half-days every day. Which is just crazy since that would mean I had to waste 1,5 hours commuting every day and not really being able to do my best for neither them nor running my business with focus for the rest of the time. And having to comply with that schedule for one year - scary and limiting. Also, the salary level crossing the county borders (even if really, it is a suburb of Stockholm still) means lower payment. Which would obviously mean quite low given half-time plus that mad train ticket as well as the stress of having to deal with working in an office environment every darn day for a year.

So all and all, in hindsight I feel this was for the best. Now I'm all open to exciting stuff instead, that suits my lifestyle and what I want from life. To be honest, I was more upset with the fulltime marketing and community manager job that never happened - because if it had been as great as it sounded on paper and felt after the first interview, it would have been something new and exciting to deal with.

So I'm all good about this. In fact I'm proud of how great I am at this resilience thing. And I'm looking forward to more work and clients that suit my needs and wants better. Welcome, welcome.

:: The Indian summer weather has been pretty glorious for most of the days, sure the evenings and early mornings for most days have become distinctively chillier. But the average temperature has been around +15C degrees, some days even more. From a global warming perspective this scares me a lot. But in the here and now I try to enjoy the surprising warmth and generous sunny days, the vitamin D.

:: Since September 1st I've been consulting per hour for my May client. Which is pretty good, it may not be creatively exciting tasks as such, but I know the organisation and what they want, the people are really nice and I have been able to invoice a decent amount since then. I've calculated that if I could do this regularly - and obviously it doesn't have to be for this client only - for 3 days/week I would almost meet my monthly goal in what I want as a salary. And it's enough that I pop by their office on the odd occasion to talk things through. Perfect.

:: It is now six months since M passed away. For me to move on to the next stage in the sorrow process (whatever that may be, I'm not sure myself) I realise I have to tell the people that have hurt me the most during his passing, his relatives, just how I feel and have felt about their behaviour. 

So I wrote draft a couple of weeks ago - only finally writing it was a relief - and have returned to it, rewritten and thought about it since. I will email it this week. I just want to tell my side of the story, I don't expect or want any explanations or discussions. They have clearly decided to delete my importance from M's life, something I will never be able to forget, obviously its incredibly hurtful for a lot of reasons. Perhaps I will be able to forgive some day, but not now. But just sending this email is catharctic and important for me. Not doing so would seriously belittle both myself and M, and our years together.

:: I've been meaning to write about that organic. muesli I 'discovered' at the Yelp event in May, but I've never gotten around to it. But since I won an annual consumption worth of it last week on Instagram, I might as well write a few words right now.

It's a lovely, German brand called MyMuesli - which encapsulate a lot of things I love: organic, colourful, healthy, vegetarian and vegan (when the products don't contain honey or dairy products like chocolate) with a dash of humour. When you sample the mueslis in store there's always oat milk or soygurt available too.

As far as I know they only have stores in Germany, Switzerland, UK, Netherlands and Sweden (Stockholm), possibly you can order online in the rest of Europe too. You can either mix your own unique muesli (which makes for endless variations) or chose one of their regular lovelies. Because yes, lovely they are. Most of the mueslis I've tried has been great (with a couple of exceptions), but my favourites so far is the Paleo Coconut, Mango, Berry and the brand new one as seen in the happy winning picture above - StockholmMuesli. Lovely design of one of my favourite views of Stockholm and a crunchy, fruity granola-like muesli. Only available in Stockholm or the Swedish webstore obviously (like four other limited editions for Sweden).

I'm such a happy, happy winner! Obviously.

This makes my third awesome win in an Instagram competition in a year. I'm thinking I should add this special knack to my CV.

:: The trip to Freiburg is now booked! One might think booking through a travel agent would make things so much smoother, right? Well it has not. Because even if I'm pretty flexible about dates, it has been quite tricky to get a room at a conveniently located central hotel that accept vouchers. But now I have one - and since I definitely prefered that over a more expensive hotel, for various reasons, I also get to fly with a bit of luxury added - as well as the plane- and train tickets (from Frankfurt to Freiburg, looking forward to travel by train in Germany!). It's weird that it's more expensive to travel solo than in pair, so the 4 days for 2 did not extend into at least a week for 1, but 5 days and 4 nights. Which I suppose is rather perfect for a solo trip as this.

So the week before my birthday I'll head south and enjoy some lovely, lovely days exploring a green city on my own. And before I had even booked the trip I did get that new suitcase I contemplated, it's darling and in bright, apple green. Ready to be filled my many, new and fabulous memories.

:: Early March I saw this stunner of a coat from Marimekko online. All flowery in orange, yellow and white on a black background. It wasn't obvious what kind of material it was made of, but I saved the photo on my mobile and have had a crush on that coat ever since. 

When it finally turned up in the Autumn collection last month it turned out to be a padded coat devoid of animal matter, which made me want it even more. Rather pricey, but not nearly as prices as some of their other coats or clothes. I thought I might at least try it on in store to see if it was something I should continue to dream of or not. It was gorgeous. The upper sleeves were too tight for me, but the rest was just as stunning as in that initial picture.

I've thought a lot about this coat. In fact, as ridiculous as it may seem, it has become symbolic in many ways. Apart from its gorgeousness - the print is a revival from 1970 called Pieni Pioni - it's vegan (I'm not shucking out my old wool clothes or leather shoes, but at least I can make better choices from now on) and completely different both in fabric and style from anything else I have in my wardrobe. It's another kind of happy coat than the Marimekko one from 3 years ago, for another type of weather.

I decided it would be one of those new, positive memories, from a year that turned my life upside down in sad sad way, and what would be better than give it to myself as an early birthday gift? From deciding on that to it arriving at my door, less than 48 hours.

And you know what, it fits so well! Just as the above mentioned happy coat #1, even if the model is very different. And given it'll be a great autumn/winter coat for many years it's a reasonable price really. Welcome fabulous happy coat #2!

There, happiness, sorrow, frivolity and emotions - two weeks of my life turned into one blog post of highlights.

my perfect contemplation corner

Remember when I painted this Adirondack chair years ago? Since it's actually pretty comfy it has been residing indoors since. But when I changed things around a bit this spring - due to unexpected life events... - I put it out in the garden near the fragrant mock orange, which has since obviously been overgrown by the amazing clematis. Didn't realize it would become one of my favourite spots in the garden this summer, but it certainly has been!

Weather and time allowed it is the perfect place to enjoy breakfast, fika and contemplation. It's my thinking and life enjoying chair. Sitting there on a warm summer day, in the shade, mild breezes and the cats flocking around me for cuddles I know I'm so blessed and grateful for all the wonderful things I have in my life, have had, will have.

My clematis is bigger than yours! And the picture does not do it justice.

Hopefully there will be quite a few more moments of this and breakfasts al fresco still this season. But one thing's for sure, I will miss my perfect contemplating, gratitude corner lots when weather turns autumn.

How many cats can you spot here?

Do you have a perfect contemplation spot too?
Tell me all about it!

global warming's first snowdrops 2016

Hello snowdrops, hello global warming.

This is how something sweet quickly turns into melancholic thoughts about how badly the human race have treated this one planet. And of continue to treat it. 

Yes I'm talking to you animal flesh eaters.

To you gas guzzling obsessive vehicle drivers and 

to clueless, frequent plane travellers who don't care about the environmental impact.

To everyone who doesn't recycle their trash or throw it in bins.

To those who don't strive to buy organic and/or locally grown products as much as possible.

How come you still haven't changed your despicable habits and lifestyle?
ow many more have to pay the price for your lazy ways?