Pia, the rednosed

I feel like crap, sour throat - on the mend - runny nose, headache, aching muscles, fever, aching tummy, and a cough - life just couldn't be better... So this is about all I manage to write today, poor me. Right now I just feel like curling up in a mattrass and go to sleep. And oh, I wish I would wake up feeling like Tinkerbelle, full of energy, full of ideas, full of fun and playfullness. Oh sweet imagination.

Happy 1 year, dear blog!

Oh I just nearly, nearly forgot - Happy 1 year to you, bloggy blog! Have a piece of yummy raspberry pastry everyone!

Under the duvet

Oh, it feels like I'm going to wake up with a sour throat tomorrow, hope not... I better go and make yet another cup of tea and watch a movie, maybe with a catfur on my chest (yes of course it's a live one) before I head under the duvet.

Today has been a slow day for me - not at Katter iFokus though, yet another record has been broken concerning the activity-index... It's silly really, because that index doesn't show the quality of the discussions or the atmosphere in the community, but still when it's rising this fast one can't help being amazed and proud.

Tomorrow we plan for this season's last outing in the cab - hope the weather will be ok for that! And some summer-cafés still open. Then I ought to start making some seasonal jewellery for the upcoming fairs too, and I should, should, should... All these shoulds and ought-tos, which more often than rarely is a hindrance than a thing that makes you go forward in life I think... And with that food for thought I once again bid you goodnight, from a chilly Autumn Stockholm, clear skies all the way.

Orange, the colour of Autumn

A wooden box with some lovely orangecoloured plants (with an, to me, unknown name) at more-than-well-worth-a-visit Norrvikens Trädgårdar (Norrviken's Gardens, Båstad). A place of tranquility, reflections and inspiration. In parts due to the fact that it's Tage Andersen who is now "the man in charge" of the gardens. And yes I think he has succeded in making the place Tage-Andersenish in that very special way that moves you into the worlds of a film by Peter Greenaway and Sally Potter's "Orlando".

The Big Sleep

A really, really good night's sleep after a tough massage-session yesterday. Maybe the long sleep had something to do with the fact that I didn't get much of that the night before. All due to the fact that one of the cats - Pelle - had run away - or perhaps not. It actually turned out, when we found him late at night, that he knew all too well his way in the neighbourhood. He really had to point that out to us in a very self-important way when he returned home with us watching...

He had also managed to get friendly with another cat, a black cat (gender unknown, but to me he looks tomcatish) who sometimes sits on the neighbour's shed-roof and contemplate the going- ons with the rainbow-coloured herd in my garden. Malte has really made a big deal of him really not belonging to this household, not even close to here, not to be visible at all, thank you very much.

But apparently this cat has somehow gotten the message through to Pelle (the only cat ever acting like this and finding his way out of the garden of Cat-Eden) that there is a whole new, exciting world out there, behind the paradise gates of Pia's garden. Where life sure isn't as sweet and comfortable and safe, but full of adventures waiting to happen! For the right guy in the right company, carefully chosen of course.

I really don't know what to do next about this. I don't want my cats to roam freely in a densely populated area, it's not safe for many reasons and it's not nice to the neighbours either. And him being fertile and a part of my breeding-plan - this sure is a problem to ponder over...

Talking about fertile, today I finally neutered those two sweet girls I've written about before, Prunella and Qlara. Everything went well and now they have to spend the next 10 days with a "thinking cap" on, ie a funnel. Two of those walking around here, I wonder how that'll go...

But it's good to have that thing over and done with, the spaying, at least I don't have to worry about Pelle getting himself another wife and another (unwelcomed) family. He has his planned life as a Casanova well set out for him, or at least I have those plans for him. He sure has enough females around here to keep him happy when that time comes!

Så far, and yet some, my day - in a rainy Stockholm - has been a busy one, at least when it comes to writing and spending time doing that at the computer-site. An all time high (until now) activity-index has been set at Katter iFokus - I'm still amazed myself! I've also been writing letters and this and that. My BIG plans of cleaning out the wardrobes and giving away clothes in heaps today have been, once again, postponed to a later date... Some words, syllables, letters came in the way of that. But I have been filling the washing machine three times + the dishwasher once anyway. Great inventions that'll do the job for you!

I received a nice reply yesterday too, that my sort of application for selling things at lovely Zetas Finsmakarens Trädgård (Zeta's, the epicure's garden - www.zetas.nu) Autumn fair Oct 7-8 was approved. So I'm happy about that, it'll be great fun I think - an autumnal harvest festival with apple-testing, roses and handicraft! Two fair-weekends in a row, I hope I'll sell more than just one aroma-candle or two... I better start knitting some more shawls - right now, in front of the TV with another episode of "Love my way" on before I take another big sleep.

Sweet Dahlia

The uploading of pictures through Blogger once again doesn't want to co-operate with me, anyone else having the same problem??

Anyway, here's my beautiful companion which I'm hopefully going to share that cosy box with in the garden shed during winter. Isn't she just gorgeous?! So perfect in an almost unreal way. Like so many things in nature, when we take the time to have a closer look, which we, in general, of course rarely do.

It's dawn here right now, looks like it's going to be a windy and cloudy day, for busy bees and not so busy friends.

I just realised this blog here is just about to turn 1 year old! Amazing. And I wonder what I'll do to celebrate that, maybe change the name once again - since I never seem to get it just right - or just serve some picture perfect cakes, for the eyes only to enjoy. I'm not sure. I still have some days to ponder upon that. I with my almost unreal friend Dahlia, who might have some ideas.

Sunday Blues

I need those vitamin pills now, right now! I can't believe how tired I feel nowadays. Perhaps it also has something to do with the fact I feel I have a million things to do, but no real energy to do them all... Ah, pull yourself together, why don't you! Easier said than done those days it's overwhelming to just put the kettle on or fill the washing machine - not to mention hanging the washed clothes up to dry... - help, somebody please clean the litter-boxes since I can't lift the litter-box's spade.

So instead of ponder over the fact that I'm just so tired and in desperate need of something to pick me up - maybe I sould go and make myself a yummy smoothie in the blender? And now we're talking a really yummy, healthy Swedish smoothie full of fruit and yoghurt and not those absolutely disgusting artificial ones you get in the States - I can dwell upon all the things I've planned for this week.

Monday: it's election time in Sweden soon, September 17th, and now you can pre-vote at different places already. I think I'll go and do that tomorrow. And mail some long due letters + parcels to my friend R in Canada (if you read this you know something is on its way!) and my friend K in Berlin (who recently got a baby boy). I do have some treats for friends in Australia and Poland too, but I haven't gotten around to writing those silly late letter as yet... I have a parcel myself to pick up at the Post office too, although I have to pay for it so perhaps that'll have to wait a bit.

Tuesday: Hairdresser-time, what will I do with my hair this time, I want a makeover, something fabulously chic and sophisticated plus low-maintenace. I want to walk out of the salon a new me, a brighter me from inside and out - ah, a girl can dream can't she?

After getting that fab new haircut I'll have some nice lunch/coffee on the town with my mum I think. Do som errands, maybe (hopefully) find some winterboots that actually fit me. WINTER-boots, a scary and unfamiliar word I think...

Wednesday: Oh, ah, oh, finally a booked massage-time, that'll be heavenly for my aching neck, shoulders and hollow. And probably some more aching places I didn't know existed or ached until the masseur touches them... Can't wait to be laying at the table! After that massage I bet I'll just be sailing through air at the streets of Stockholm.

Thursday: Prunella and Qlara (which I wrote about in November, they had just moved to their new home, but it didn't work out well and they were returend to me some months later...) is going to be spayed. To the vet's in the morning and home again in the evening.

Those are my plans so far. I hope I won't fall asleep while carrying them out.

In the pic my beautiful deep-red Dahlia, which I hope to be able to hibernate until next season. When those long dark months now coming will be over and the brighter, sunny days will be back with us again - oh I feel like hibernating myself! Can I please share the paper-box in the garden-shed with you, sweet Dahlia?

Stinky, lazy day

The room (guest-room) where I have the computer stinks from all the aromacandles and soaps I have bunkered. I suppose the more correct word is that the room is full of fragrance and the scents of wellbeing, since it's a rather pleasant smell - but since it's quite overwhelming I say stinky smelly...

I got a whole bunch of lovely pics in the mail from a kitten-buyer today, the cat is now 8 years old and has a really cuddly look full of stylish personality. Her sister, Eulalia, which I kept is as cute as a button, a real dollfaced cat, but in a smaller format.

The sold sister, Eggletina, is rather big though, well more than rather, she takes after her mum (who has just turned 10 years old, still going strong and a b i g mama) and looks more like a big male than a female. Which I think is quite nice, especially when it comes to British shorthairs who unfortunately nowadays tend to be more on the slim side of things than the bigboned, cobby cats they ought to be.

Other than that I've written some future articles, letters, done some housework and then just crashed in the sofa in front of the TV today. I can't seem to muster up much energy as lately, I'm beginning to think it must have something to do with the fact I ran out of my prescriptive vitamine pills (extra dose of B12) during the Summer. At first I apparently manage to get along with just an abundance of sunshine - now I'm tired again. A trip to the doctor soon is probably in place.

Some days my head just seems to be full of cotton - this has been such a day. I think the only solution to this right now is to get under the duvet and try and go to sleep earlier than usual. So I bid you all farewell and goodnight - sweet dreams!

Talk to the hand(bag)

Sometimes a live discussion face to face, or perhaps even more so when it's a written one, just makes me want to say "talk to the hand(bag)" because the reactions and answers are so unbelievably stupid and ignorant it's difficult to realize it's a grown up who has uttered those words...

Maybe that's one (subconcious) of the reasons I give names to and talk to my handbags, because they often answer back in much more clever and intelligent ways than people?

They don't take up a lot of space, never waste my time or disappoint me, can be filled with everything a girl needs, look their best everyday, are the envy of every handbag-crazista in town, always agree with me and follow me everywhere. The only thing I can think of they don't fill my need of - well, I can think of something else, but hey, now we are talking about house-broken matters - is cuddling with something soft and furry. But for that I have fourlegged creatures in different shapes and sizes hanging around at home.

Now to a totally different topic, the day that have passed. Woke up with an aching tummy, again, and cancelled the meeting with the potters. Turned out one of them had already cancelled too, so yes I did feel bad for the girl who was left to spend the day in Stockholm on her own... After having dozed off for some hours I woke up to find the mail with the bill for water/sewer being cut down to zero! Since I had apparently been paying to much for water/sewer this past year, it'll be cut down the next period too.

In the afternoon I got around to order some really lovely handmade earrings from a jewellerymaker in the States who makes these amazing, personal and inspirational pieces, I'm so looking forward to recieving them in some weeks!

Later I somehow got all the right answers in an Internet film quiz (10 questions) in no time at all and won a DVD of my own choice. So now I'm trying to figure out if I want an old goodie or a new one I haven't seen as yet...

Tomorrow - or, oops, today it is when I look at the watch... - we'll get in the cab (the little BMW Z3 which looks like a true toy-car and is quite lovely to drive around in, as long as you don't feel the need of an elegant and ladylike exit from it...) - for perhaps the last time this season. Head up to a part of Sweden called Bergslagen. There we'll pick up some orders of gorgeous, handmade aromacandles and soaps. Of which I'll hopefully sell some at the handicraft-fair in about a month at the Fiholm Castle - read more about it here: http://www.fiholm.se/evenemang/index.cfm

Please feel free to stop by if you're passing, there'll be lots of different handicrafts on display plus special food-items. Apart from the candles and soaps, I'll of course be showing and selling my one-off-pieces of jewellery and mohair shawls. Those shawls you just can't be without this Autumn/Winter season. Or if you have such bad judgement that think you can - talk to the hand(bag)!

Officially Autumn

In a few minutes it's officially Autumn here in Sweden - September 1st. I've just planted the asters in my flowerbed today and I do hope they'll bring colour and joy for quite some time still this year...

I'm just off to bed, I have the energy to stay awake for some more hours, but I think it's a good idea to at least get into a horisontal position under a duvet and try and get some rest, since I'm going to meet up with some acquaintances tomorrow and talk about the brochure we plan together (me a jewellerymaker and they potterymakers - or is it potters?). And it's sort of nice to be more than 25 % awake when doing that I suppose...

So which little darling will accompany me tomorrow, Rosa, Milda or Lill-Tindra - life is just full of difficult choices! Sometimes it would just be easier to be a furry, cute, carefree (?) little bumblebee buzzing around collecting nectar and pollen from flowers - and always looking good in a photo too!