Showing posts with label gratitude. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gratitude. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 21, 2020

magic meet cute and other tiny stories of the day

meet cute, july 21, 2020 - mama roe deer and her fawn 💚

Remember the three TBE shots I took last year? They needed to be topped up this year and after that it's every fifth year - whether or not the planet will exist in a state that calls for TBE-refill-shots in five years, that's another story... So as things are, I was very grateful there are several mobile vaccination centers doing the rounds over the summer here.

meet cute, july 21, 2020 - mama roe deer and her fawn 💚

So today I took a walk to Lidl's parking lot, which was the vaccination bus's stop for the day. When I was getting closer I saw something that, in my vivid imagination, looked like a guy who'd lay down on his back in the tall grass and was taking pictures of the trees and the sky. (I know, that's such a weird thought...).

meet cute, july 21, 2020 - mama roe deer and her fawn 💚

Then suddenly a roe deer appeared on the path and stood looking at me. I was so worried she might turned back to the road instead of heading in to the woods, but she crossed the road. Moments later a little fawn appeared, and also stood looking at me for a while, before s/he followed the mama.

Pure magic. And as I was the only human around on the walking path this moment was truly mine alone, with a roe deer and her baby. Three is a magic number.

As you can only do so much with the iPhone camera, if you're not close enough - and I wouldn't dream of zooming because heavily pixelated photos are awful -, this is what I got. And with a smartphone camera the distance to the photo-object gets significantly prolonged compared to the reality, so the meet cute was quite a lot closer. You'll have to squint and imagine the beautiful sight. (Or click on the image and zoom on Flickr.)

fully vaccinated against TBE, july 21, 2020

I got the vaccination, so now I at least don't have to worry about tick-borne encephalitis - I have enough to worry about, thank you very much -, quite common in these part of Sweden. One of the judges at my previous work, 20 years ago, got it. And that man, so full of joie de vivre before, never was the same again. Living with cats and dogs also obviously makes it more likely you might get it. I love most animals (as opposed to humans, they're impossible to love as a species), I can coexist with the others, but ticks, they're just evil and only cause pain and destruction. Like too many humans I suppose.

#vegan nicecreams, july 2020 -

Then I got this vegan nicecream from Danish plantbased company Naturli, at Lidl. To be honest I haven't been a fan of the brand since I first tried their vegan butter spread, awful thing that completely destroys a pleasant sandwich experience. But the flavours sounded delicious and it is palmoil-free, so we decided to try a couple of them. Little Mum and I.

#vegan nicecreams, july 2020 -

Happy to report they are both absolutely delicious, so much flavour and great creamy texture with crunchy bits. I'll just have to go back and get some more tubs and also try the liquorice flavour. It's good to find new favourite products, when old ones break your heart.

As this evening also held the very last (forever? Which if so is sad, since I thought the last season definitely picked up in quality plot-wise) episode of Midsomer Murders, the dairy-free icecream was a perfect treat for that too. The Swedish summer season generally both starts and ends with MM (would be a pity if it ended in late July already, but nothing is given with global warming, the seasons just aren't what they used to be...), so maybe this treat also was a a farewell to the summer of 2020. Hope not. Fingers crossed it will be with us until early September, as the summer it once was.

With the smaller, more restricted lives most of us are currently living, most things that used to feel nonsensical and just one of those everyday things you see, do, experience without really noticing, are suddenly very meaningful, rich enough to be savoured, to feel gratitude over - or deep irritation for that matter - and write a little blog post about. 

Today was a good day. And I'm grateful, for every little bit of it. But most of all that magical meet cute, that crossed my path. Thank you, Universe, for a new treasured experience and loved memory.

summer vibes, sweden, july 21, 2020

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

the only colourful person in stockholm and other july bits

örebro open art 2019, sweden -

The more I read, the less inclined I am to write apparently. And I seem to have gotten my reading mojo back in a major way. Hooray. 4 books down in July so far, soon 5 and reading 3 simultaneously.

It should be the other way around, one might think, the more your read, the more you'd feel the urge to write. If you're a writing human being that is. But as things are now, obviously I don't work that way.

So some short glimpses from my world since June 27 then -

:: A lovely lovely writer's talk with the wonderful Stina Wollter, painter, artist, writer, body activist, feminist, wempowering every day on Instagram.

"Never say you're sorry for crying, it is the caring, feeling human that will save the world"


:: Ztina continues to have bad days, good days and pretty great days. Given how few answers that have come from the countless veterinarian visits, tests and money spent I can not see that anything more enlightening can be done that would improve her life. As long as the good and pretty great days are more than the bad ones we will adjust to this life as is.

I wish there was a veterinarian nearby that was truly interested in solving the enigma, and less interested in charging hefty prices for treating symptoms without solving the problem.


:: Continuing on the path of looking for my kind of job, my kind of people. I had another interview scheduled for last week, but it was re-scheduled to August.

I got a message from a job I applied for saying "You have a really interesting CV, but we feel you're going to be more expensive than we are willing to pay. But do give us a call.". I'm too old, too experienced, too jaded to even bother with such calls, if it's not a Dream Job.

I'm also thinking a lot about the fact that all these experiences, these years as my own boss, leading myself, is it even possible for me to fit in in an organisation not in a leading role, just as a "mere" communicating employee? Am I not too independent, too eager to drive change? Too quirky?

Food for thought. Especially with all the utterly weird situations I've experienced since I started this journey of finding...


:: The annual summer substitute buses debacle is ongoing. For the at least sixth year in a row, but probably it's seven or eight. The first years we always went on holiday during those periods so I rarely had to deal with all the stress and nuisance. You loose a lot of hours commuting during these weeks. It usually takes me 50 minutes - 1 hour + from door to door to get into the city. Which is a time one is used to after all these years.

Now add about 1 hour and 15 minutes to that, single trip. And no reduced ticket prices. And noone has yet to see what kind of work is exactly done during all these weeks, everything is very elusive. I'm so grateful I don't have to commute every day.

I'm also grateful for us having a clean, safe, environmental-friendly public transport system in Sweden. That is used by everyone, no matter which social class you belong too. Sure, there is room for improvements, but it's also so very basic for a well-functioning democracy to have a well-functioning infrastructure with decent and safe public transports available for its citizens. And for the environment.

To be dependent on a car to, hopefully, get you safely from A to B, is just unhealthy, unsustainable and not least retrogressive.


:: I've had some really great lunches, with fabulous conversations. Of which a couple with the lovely Lizzy, who so kindly showed me around Heidelberg in 2016 (and can we not talk about the fact that I still have not blogged about that Schwarzwald-trip...). Currently doing a "heritage tour" in Sweden but being able to spend some treasured hours with me.

And have you noticed that with people you don't see that often, you often get more meaningful conversations, you learn more? And with learning comes gratitude for so much in your own life. We all have dark moments, despair and demons to struggle, some much more than others. Then it's good to get other perspectives, learn about other walks of life, situations, to get that deep gratitude of being where you are, have been, grown up in those circumstances you have and so forth. It's so easy, too easy, to take things for granted, to feel entitled, for many of us.

Thank you again, Lizzy. Hope it won't be three years until next time.

And thank you for coining my new fabulous name "The Only Colourful Person in Stockholm"! Yes, the Swedes are sadly well-known for being afraid of colours prefering to blend in with black clothes and other drab colours, but you already knew that, right?

örebro open art 2019, sweden -

:: Went on a lovely day trip to Örebro Open Art 2019. Love train trips (when everything is smooth and working on schedule naturally) and seeing the world swoosh by outside the window. The exhibition itself was rather disappointing, nothing wow as in the amazing big yellow rabbit of 2011, but just the same, a day well spent (and very tired feet) followed by a good, long night's sleep. A perfect day that gave me a much needed relief from my brain and thought processes.

Funnily enough, the first thing the tourist information woman said to me, when we asked for directions, was "Oh, I love your fabulous, colourful style!". Perhaps I could also be coined the most colourful visitor in Örebro summer of 2019?


:: We've had really hot days. but also cooler days and happy rainy days. I think the summer weather this year on these latitudes in Sweden has been pretty great and varied. And I much prefer cooler temperatures (around +20C), which allows you to breath and function as a normal human being. perhaps this year has been slightly cooler than usual, but this is also the face of global warming and after last year's hellish hot summer I'm every so grateful for this weather.



Current music crush - Joy with Bastille makes me happy.

And until next time, hopefully it won't last weeks, think about this -

örebro open art 2019, sweden -

Friday, May 31, 2019

karma come over and welcome june

may flowers stockholm and suburbs 2019

With only a few minutes to spare before May 2019 turns June, procrastinator Pia realises she should write a farewell May-post. To at sum up these past couple of weeks, of sorts. And somehow try and keep it really short and sweet. *Do I hear sniggers again?*

:: I think I'll skip photos for now, and add them later. It has been such a hassle being without the computer. Luckily it's back and extra super luckily they did managed to save the hard-drive too. But alas it's not doing very well, so they recommended I'd get a new one anyway... Try not to think too much about that for now, and limit my time on it.

Really hate the fact that a computer is considered old after 4 years only, and instead of having a repair, service or update, which clearly would be better for the limited resources of this planet that are constantly diminished as I write, we should discard and buy a new one. The wear and tear society of poor quality is just so completely naueseating. One would think we should have come so much further along on the sustainable road by now.

luddkolt’s british shorthair, june 2019 -

:: There have been further developments in the mysterious case of little blue-eyed light of mine, Ztina. She finally had hear dental check-up and surgery, confirming FORL, several teeth already gone and then removing several tiny toothies (saved in a box). She must have been in such pain and I feel like a bad bad meowmy for not realising that earlier. One might think the vet should have thought about that earlier too though... It has been a costly and very worrisome path to get here. But then again, cats are so great at hiding pain. And showing weird symptoms.

However, pretty much immediately after waking up from her surgery she was a changed cat. Step by step back to her old self. She is still on pain medication, and have some weird quirks going on. But I feel she's on a strong path of recovery. She may not be her completely old self ever again, but I love her new self very much too.

sonny angel, stockholm, sweden, may 2019 -

:: Due to last year's incredibly hot global warming summer the aspen has been in bloom like never before this year. Covering the air and ground with thick whiter fluff lite snow, lint or dandelion seedlings for a week or so. It was a bit magical really.

And so far, touch wood, we've had much more rain and chilly days in May compared to last year. Please, please let that continue. It is so much easier to enjoy the days of sun when it's not tropically hot and dry for months.

circular design thinking, valtech breakfast, stockholm, may 2019

:: I've attended four seminars. One on circular design - interesting topic, so-so presented. One on the Naturskyddsföreningen's (The Society for Preserving of Nature) new book "Naturligtvis" (translates Naturally but the word is also a double meaning in Swedish, it can also be Naturally Wise) about how to help insects, animals and biodiversity in your garden - it was great, bought the book of course. But can also affirm that I'm already doing a lot for it by not being a keen gardener, letting it tend for itself and be *a bit* wild is a great thing for biodiversity. And who knew that dandelions and its pollen are great for insects?

hudbibeln - the skin bible book talk at akademibokhandeln + vegan lunch, stockholm, may 2019 🌱💚

Extra plus for the fantastic vegan salad that's included in the lunch ticket at the bookstore that hosts some of these events.

hudbibeln - the skin bible book talk at akademibokhandeln + vegan lunch, stockholm, may 2019 🌱💚

The next seminar was on skincare, and how much of the skincare products sold are just clever marketing tricks and of now use for our skin, often quite the opposite. The writer who talked is a pharmacist and scientist. It was so very interesting, and yes it confirmed a lot of the things I've always suspected about skincare products. Eg that serums and tonics are basically useless for a healthy skin. It's the ingredients that are important, not the product. Yes, I bought that book too, Hudbibeln (The Skin Bible). It's fascinating, in Swedish only but I hope it'll be translated. EDIT: Horay, it's in the process of translation into several languages as of June 2019. Soon in English.

Currently using more skincare products in my daily regime than I've ever done before. But it has been a struggle these past few years to try and regain as much as possible of the once healthy skin of mine. And it wasn't until I began using Dermalogica I felt I was finally on the right track. So now I'm just trying to figure out the best products to continue with, and the ones that haven't made that much difference. I want to get down to a bare minimum. Don't think 2 + 1 + 6 products is viable in the long run...

rewilding sweden seminar at the swedish parliament, stockholm, sweden, may 2019

The fourth seminar was on Rewilding Sweden. I've followed Rewilding Europe on LinkedIn for a couple of years now, and also worked with a client a few years back who was part of various wildlife project in Italy. Such an inspiring project. And also an important part of fighting climate change. The seminar was hosted by a politician in The Green Party and it was held in the Parliament. Some speakers far better than others, and the president of the Swedish Hunting Association was of course pretty nasty and offensive. Void of thinking outside her narrow little box and without compassion. But other than that, it was a really enlightening afternoon.

garden, sweden, may 2019 -

:: After the reversed job ad I published on LinkedIn a few weeks back I have some interesting meetings booked in the upcoming weeks. To be honest, yes I'm pretty jaded by now, I don't think that perfect illusive job will finally land in my lap any time very soon, even after all my hard work. But I'm curious and open-minded, who knows.

And as the song goes "Karma come over, lean on my shoulder, tell me what's good, I've been thinking about you" (Years & Years, great, catchy song).

This "Trusting in the timing of the Universe", that does take a lot of effort and energy. And frustration. Which could obviously be used in better ways.

shoe per diem and #ootd, may 2019 -

:: I've finally bought a pair of lovely white, chunky vegan sneakers. I had a pair of Rombaut Boccaccio high on my wish list, but seriously, I could not defend paying that much for a pair of white shoes. Have not even paid that much for a pair of great quality boots now on their 10th season the upcoming winter. And I seriously doubt a pair of white sneakers will last for 10 seasons, no matter how well I care for them, if I'm honest.

Good thing was that when I compared them to the Matt & Nat pair I think they looked better, more I. At a way more reasonable price. They're super comfy, but it's also a fact that it takes time to get used to how well-padded sneakers work on your feet compared to sturdier shoes. All that softness, I find it... strange. But I'll get used to it, I'm sure.

vegan skincare 💚, may 2019 -

:: I stumbled over the vegan, organic, natural deodorant Nuud on Instagram. Been thinking a lot about how rubbish pretty much every common deodorant is, and how about all those ingredients, are they really healthy? So I decided to order a bottle and have a try (free postage everywhere, in case you want to try it too). Love the package design, and clever, simple copy too. Have just started my detox, and even though they warned that one might experience extra smell initially during the process, I have to say that it's definitely better after +24 hours than with an average deo. Don't smell a thing actually. Can it be that Nuud is just as fantastic as it claims to be?


:: I've cooked some fantastic meals from the vegan organic food box too. It has been far too long since I wrote a post on that. Soon is the time for one.


:: Got some new solar lights at IKEA, this time three bigger bulbs that I hung in the tree. After only a few hours on a cloudy day they shone brightly the same evening already. Which is a small sign that there are so much free energy out there, waiting to be harvested, at no cost for the environment, the opposite. We should all install solar panels on our roofs, for goodness sake! Which has been high on my wish list too, for years and years.

But for now, I'm contemplating getting 3-4 more bulbs to put higher up in the tree. Imagine how magical that would look when the clematis covers the branches by the middle of summer.


:: I'm using the Bullet Journal every day. Not sure if I'm using it as one "should", perhaps more a simple diary than a planner as such. But I also do monthly and weekly lists and feel the pressure to tick them off more than I did before. So I suppose I'm on the right path at least.

Looking forward to start planning for June, do the monthly log, migrating tasks or deem them irrelevant.


:: In April I read five books. It has been ages since I did that. I had hoped to do the same in May, but I only started with two books and on the last shivering minutes of the month I'm only half way through them both. Too much on my mind, in my May days for reading I suppose. Reading fingers crossed for June.


All and all, I think May has been a pretty glorious month, full of fabulous learning experiences, inspiration and great food. Yes, there have been problems and worries too, but I've also solved most of them with pleasing results. And for that I can feel strong and proud, also on those days when I feel small and troubled (we all have them, if we're honest, no matter how great we are deep inside). Most grateful thanks, May, you've been lovely, mostly kind and caring.

Welcome, dear June, let's continue on this path of goodness and why not add sprinkles of glory, m'kay? An abundance of kindness and gratitude your way, in advance, yours truly.

Monday, April 29, 2019

easter shenanigans in pink

cherry blossom kungsträdgården, stockholm (20 years in bloom), sweden, april 24, 2019 🌸💖🌸

Over Easter I began planning in my Bullet Journal, one of my goals for April and forward was to blog 1-2 per week. I've already begun slacking obviously. At least there are other areas where I've ticked a reasonable amount of boxes. And I honestly think we would be very boring humans if we got A+ in every single thing we aimed for. Life is so much more fun and interesting if we leave room for spontaneity and life's little surprises, wouldn't you agree?

And just as the BuJo principle says, if you haven't ticked the box there's always a new month for that task. Or perhaps it's not important enough, and can instead be removed form the to do lost.

Welcome to my easter shenanigans in many shades of pink!

tea from sibyllans te & kaffehandel, stockholm, sweden, easter 2019

As if I needed more tea. I got it anyway, easter calls for special tea. Including a refill of the wonderful angel tea I bought after the completion letter session in my grief recovery process group. And as M's birthday would have been on the 19th, and instead his funeral was on the 20th, three years ago, I got it so we could have a cup of tea together of sorts.

tea from sibyllans te & kaffehandel, stockholm, sweden, easter 2019

As is also obvious by now, is that everything need special snoopervising by special feline lens louses in this household. In the end, everything is about the cats. And more often than not about this redhead.

thielska galleriet museum, jobs exhibition, stockholm, sweden, april 2019

I picked up the green Marimekko blouse that needed altering, from the tailor. It looked great and I inaugurated it on a museum visit to one of my favourite Stockholm museums, Thielska - which I wrote a bit about 12 (!) years ago - there was a special exhibition on the Dalecarlian design sisters Jobs - behind my beautiful slippers from 2011 - the exhibition wasn't very good alas. (Unlike the William Morris at Millesgården on my birthday.)

thielska galleriet museum, jobs exhibition, stockholm, sweden, april 2019

thielska galleriet museum, jobs exhibition, stockholm, sweden, april 2019

But visiting the charming Thielska gallery is always lovely. And I got to visit the magical tower room with it's painted ceiling animals and see one of my favourite paintings, The Knight and the Maiden. The only vegan dish on the menu in the cafe was rubbish though. An overpriced salad in serious need of protein and lots of love. Plus a cheeky seagull that snatched parts of it before I sat down.

overpriced vegan salad in desperate need of protein and love, thielska gallery, stockholm, sweden, april 2019

thielska galleriet museum, jobs exhibition, stockholm, sweden, april 2019

my own special vegan power muesli from mymuesli 💚🌱and overnightoats, april 2019

I enjoyed my breakfasts al fresco, with my special Easter teas and the vegan Easter muesli. And look, Zigne. Plus speckled eggs nails and dairyfree chocolate bunnies. Wish I had bought more that one jar of that muesli, it was so crunchy and lovely.

my own special vegan power muesli from mymuesli 💚🌱and overnightoats, april 2019

vegan eats at home, april 2019 -

There was a simple vegan Easter lunch and too much plantbased candy. Loveliness. I read books, watched movies, went for walks, cleared the garden from the clematis. It's absolutely crazy how it grows and grows and grows every year. Still need to figure out how to get the garden waste to the disposal site. Tricky without a car of your own. But problems are there to be solved.

cherry blossom kungsträdgården, stockholm (20 years in bloom), sweden, april 24, 2019 🌸💖🌸

Remember the vegan hair colours from Swedish cruelty free brand Maria Nila? I saved them for a first use until spring. And what better than try one of them during Easter weekend? I chose pink and I'm happy to say that despite still being predominantely brunette my hair now has now highlights of light pink (thank you greys!) and a pink overall glow. As it's only hair mask and colour refresher it'll only last 8-10 washes, but I think that's perfect to have a play with. Looking forward to try the blue one. And as the pink was such a hit I'm no stranger to find more colours to try.

cherry blossom kungsträdgården, stockholm (20 years in bloom), sweden, april 24, 2019 🌸💖🌸

And the gorgeousness of pink cherry blossom trees in Kungsträdgården happened during Easter too. It was their 20th year of bloom this year. Pure magic as usual. And another year of collecting pictures for my long-term planned book "Men under pink cherry blossom trees".

cherry blossom kungsträdgården, stockholm (20 years in bloom), sweden, april 24, 2019 🌸💖🌸

zigne and the blue kånken, april 2019 💙

Here is the blue Kånken my mother went for, ended up replacing the one I bought for her birthday for a blue that suited her better. And look, Zigne.

vegan eats stockholm, april 2019 (plantbased power brunch, radisson blu royal park hotel solna 🌱💚)

vegan eats stockholm, april 2019 (plantbased power brunch, radisson blu royal park hotel solna 🌱💚)

The vegan brunch I treated her for on her birthday, on Easter Sunday, was lovely. Happy birthday to little mum, and many more to come, I hope and wish!

little mum and her birthday kånken 💙, stockholm, sweden, april 21, 2019

siri and the lush soaps 💝, april 2019

Got me some lovely soaps from Lush. Miss that Serendipity (you know, my favourite English word, and notion) has been discontinued, but Rockstar and Maypole are other favourites I return to. Plus the scrubby Sandstone is pretty good too. And look, a cat. A photobombing cat. How unusual.

dotty and striped ootd, april 2019

There have been many sunny, beautiful days since I last blogged. But as we're in desperate need of rain to cope with the probable hot summer, and this is just too warm too soon, I struggle to appreciate the beauty amongst climate angst and, frankly, human stupidity everywhere.

- Yes, I also think the fire in Notre Dame is sad. But I think human priorities are just crazy warped when so much money can be collected into the cause of rebuilding it, when the whole world is on fire and desperately needs rebuilding and caring for. There will be no planet to live on, breath on and enjoy architecture and culture on, if we don't stop using and abusing instead of rebulding and caring for nature and species we share this planet with, first. That there are in fact private citizens who have so much money, and so little common sense obviously, to give away and chose to give to such a cause when there are a gazillions more important causes out there, that's mindboggingly distasteful and infuriating, in my opinion. -

cherry blossom kungsträdgården, stockholm, sweden, april 2019

But as someone wise said, nature won't thank us for not appreciating the beauty it still offers. Despite its seasons being warped. Who knows how much time we have left, the planet have left. I will appreciate more, I promise, despite my constant companion, melancholia.

I had looked forward to wearing the combo above all winter, when the day finally came, during Easter week, it was too warm, too soon. But yes, at least I have an abundance of colourful clothes and combos I get happy just thinking about combining and wear. And that I appreciate lots.

luddkolt’s british shorthair, april 2019 -

And colourful, quirky cats with lots of character. Who I am every so grateful for.

bullet journaling, april 2019

Apart from starting the Bullet Journal during Easter - not fully in to the daily process yet though, but I hope it'll help me focus and tick more boxes than before - I also finished that reversed job-ad for LinkedIn, I have no idea if these things actually work or if it's a lot of much ado about nothing. Time will tell I suppose.

vegan eats stockholm, april 2019 -

As this will be the last post for April, I want to say thank you ever so much, month, for everything colourful, beautiful, magical, pink and kind things you have gifted. And all the amazing plantbased food and drinks. You have not been without struggles and sadness, but you have taught me a lot and for that I am grateful.

Welcome, May, I can't begin to tell how excited, curious,wishful and not least impatient I am over what you will bring! Can we decide that it will only be good, very good, much good things? A gazillion grateful thanks in advance.

cherry blossom kungsträdgården, stockholm (20 years in bloom), sweden, april 24, 2019 🌸💖🌸

Monday, April 23, 2018

hope will carry you home

ulriksdal castle, stockholm, sweden, april 20, 2018

April so far has shown a sunny face and a capricious personality. It has been an emotional month of highs and lows, professionally and personally. I wish life could stabilize, that I could worry less - that useless feeling - and sleep better. As good as I am in being actively mindful and enjoy the little bright and beautiful things as usual, my subconscious mind lives its own life.

And it really didn't help that I got some quite shocking, but far from unexpected, news  on Friday afternoon about the company that has caused the project mess and for which I haven't been fully (under)paid. News which quite possibly mean I won't get the final payment at all. That I have put in so many hours for free. Which obviously makes me incredibly angry, hurt and disappointed. At the person/s causing this to happen and at myself for being somewhat naive, accepting too much, working too hard.

I'm the least gullable person I know, I always question and analyze everything and everyone. Yet clearly I've not been quite myself here. And trusted people that weren't worth my time, creativity, hard work and trust. Such a fool was I. Because I wanted it to be true. I was happy. And why must everything be too good to be true? Well, in this case it was.

That I trusted my team, that clearly wasn't a team in the complete sense of the word. Everyone, but I, seem to have had a hidden agenda and a very casual attitude towards this project. Did their own thing with no thoughts whatsoever as to what ramifications their actions would have on the team, other people's lives and finances.

It has certainly been a bitter life lesson. But such is life. And with all this I took quite a leap in my personal development. Now I can only hope for a decent solution appearing soon, very soon. And I certainly know what kind of work circumstances I won't accept in the future. And the people I will never recommend or work with again. To trust the gut, and facts, has definitely proven important.

That they managed to run the company to the ground, with such a long and great why story and products, basically due to bad leadership and poor business acumen, that's just heartbreaking. On so many levels.

The interesting thing in this is that what I accomplished in the project is actually one of the things I'm professionally most proud of. Unfortunately I missed taking screen prints on everything, for my portfolio, and the beautiful website I created with so much attention to details is no longer there. The Twitter account no longer exists, but all the photos I took and captions for Instagram I have of course saved as well as the articles written.

And noone can ever take away the fact that I worked incredibly hard, way above and beyond what I signed up for. Even if the end client wasn't worth it, and the teamwork I treasured turned out to be a pipe dream. So in a very strange way I'm still deeply grateful for the opportunity at the same time as I'm equally deeply saddened how it turned out.

april dogs 💚, 2018 -

On the bright side of last week - had my annual dentist check-up which second year in a row turned out to be a happy one - even if you basically pay 1000 SEK just to step inside the door of the dentist - no cavities, hooray! Who's a good girl? Well, I of course.

flowers, sweden, april 2018 -

Before I was reached by the above upsetting news on Friday I had a sweet meetup with my grief recovery process group. We hadn't seen eachother for 8 months and it was really lovely to catch up a bit, three out of four of us where there. The one who couldn'make it and another one still work at the same place, and even eight months after our sessions they still haven't had lunch together because it's a case of 'What shall we talk about after we've shared our most personal secrets and life's sorrows?'.

Looking back at those intense sessions and the work we did together, the tears, sorrows, laughters and gratitudes we shared, it's pretty amazing. And having shared all that, and never judging, we can always talk much more freely with eachother than with other people. We are very different people, and I'm not sure we would have become friends if we hadn't met like this, but I think we've formed a very special bond through this. For which I am truly grateful. Hopefully it won't be eight months until we meet again.

ulriksdal castle, stockholm, sweden, april 20, 2018

On Friday early summer also arrived, it was a whooping +24 C. That awkward time of the year when you don't really know how to dress weather appropriately. However it was the first day of mary-janes and no socks in shoes. The following days haven't been nearly as warm, and now rain has finally fallen. Which is a relief, because all this April sunshine and no rainfall has turned into a fire hazard. So far this April has been the warmest month in Sweden since the early 20th century. Hello global warming. But as snow fell on May 9 last year, who knows what will happen next. I hope for more rain at least.

vegan vietnamese crepes with organic tofu, minh mat, stockholm, sweden, revisited, april 2018

One of my favourite restaurants in Stockholm is Vietnamese Minh Mat. They serve three dishes for lunch, of which one is vegan - and they have a special vegan menu in the evenings which is amazing - and every Thursday they have Vietnamese crepes filled with veggies and lovely organic tofu. It's absolutely delicious, if a bit tricky to eat since it's so crispy.

I would never have thought of making this dish myself, since it looks so accomplished and complicated. But then a friend told me her partner had made it and that it was simple and turned out crazy good. I got the recipe and decided to make it this weekend. Conclusion; I will never be a great pancake maker, but the whole dish with the filling (veggies only) and a delicious, spicy soy dip turned out brilliantly. I will definitely make it again.

vegan vietnamese crepes, april 2018

Food should make you happy to look at, delight your taste buds, satisfy your stomach and be kind to the world. This dish certainly tick all those boxes. I will share the recipe in another post. And no I haven't forgotten about that yummy vegan Snickers-dessert I made at Easter. My mind has just been rather preoccupied with sorting out other things lately.



I've listened a lot to Causes' 'Where does love go?' lately. It's not only a simple and beautiful song, but I can't stop thinking about the phrases 'Where does love go when it dies?' and "Where do tears go when they're cried?'. No simple answers to that, but food for thought.

luddkolt’s british shorthair, april 2018 -

Hey, April, would you mind, prettiest pretty please, showing your very benevolent side from here on? And finish these final weeks of your time with happy news, kind fireworks, applaudes and colourful confetti? I would be so grateful if you could make that effort, m'kay? Thank you ever so much in advance, yours truly and hopeful.
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