thursday thoughts, the random sort

:: Been feeling quite relaxed yet focused, all over content and satisfied all week, gotten loads done. I'm pretty certain it has something to do with the bike as well as using a generous amount of Nuxe Multi Purpose Dry Oil every day.

:: Tomorrow I will finish yet another project in computer class, yay! See above for my overall relaxed and yet focused reasons for that. Reward to myself for this achievement is to start reading a new book. What will it be, what will it be, oh the sweet bliss of brand new book.

:: Still, even if I have felt this sense of peace and contentment all week, it is annoying beyond words when people's cells ring constantly in classroom.
A) One usually doesn't have to be reached all.the.time. Life was good, life worked before the cellphone era too. Really.
B) Ever heard of the mute feature?

Extra annoying when they actually don't take their calls outside classroom but continue chatting nonsense when the rest of us actually are there to learn something. These overaged teenagers (in this case middleaged women) are also chatting private stuff in between themselves oblivion to the learning process of others.

However I can't be bothered comment (complain) about their lack of consideration (anywhere else than here). See above reasons for that.

:: I find it very curious that the suppliers of the public transportation system always make a huge deal about (the growing numbers of) gate-crashers when the trains, subways and buses keep running late. When one as a commuter pay for train/subway/bus tickets (month cards) it's a tacit understanding that one pays for the transportation to run on schedule and not waste all commuters valuable time.

Minutes, quarter of an hour, half hour, hour, more, in a year that amounts to a lot of lost time. User pay for the ticket - supplier make darn sure the system runs on time, if not it's a breach of contract, hence why should users have to pay full ticket (month card). I pay my tickets (month cards), and I grump about the system. I secretly applaud the civil disobedience of gate-crashers (minus the usual slacker free-riders).

:: When the bus is full of empty seats, why do some people insist on sitting next to others unknown (me)? I really like my space and being able to read comfortably in peace, not having someone irritating rubbing against one (me). Get your own seat will you.

:: I remember when in school (stone ages) we learnt heaps of new words in the dictionary every week and had word and spelling-tests every week (in Swedish "glosprov"). I loved that. I still remember the two words I got wrong. Call me a word-nerd. I've decided to have my own private one-new-word-a-day challenge - word of today: curmudgeon.

:: Had a conversation a while back about my job applications. Hot tip was that I really should curb my enthusiasm while applying, because The Employer's view on such energetic applications is 'how will this qualified and motivated person cope with the every day dullness of work?'. Silly me for thinking employers were looking for motivated, creative, passionate employees.

:: I've always wondered who exactly gets on and off at those strange bus stops you see in the middle of nowhere. Or seemingly nowhere. The living-under-the-tree-people? The gnomes, the trolls, the fairies?

:: As one (me) don't have a 9-5 life one (me) don't use as much of the wardrobe content as one (me) used to. Despite my closet cleaning episodes I still do have lots and lots of lovely garments I'm very fond of and want to wear. It's just that these days usually I don't have all that many obvious opportunities to wear them (unless I see it fit to strut around the garden, mow the lawn, walk the dog in snazzy suits and pretty dresses).

So with this above course episode I've decided that I'm going to keep an outfit diary. Just for myself - certainly no sharing of outfit-of-the-day photos online, been there, done that, it wasn't much fun really - to make sure I make the most of my wardrobe and combinations. Just because pretty clothes make me happy too, seeing them, wearing them. Indeed all this rekindle with outfits buzz might have something to do with the aforementioned feeling of contentment, relaxed focus and sweet satisfaction. I admit to being shallow that way, call me multilayered.

gps is your friend, always

... at least if your idea of a perfect round off to the holiday is the feasible prospect of being a Stockholmian addition to a banjoman stew.

Which it quite possible if you're a not think for yourself (male) person. If you're a provided with common sense (female) person, you know that a road should be reasonably driveworthy.

Just sayin'.

the wind-up bird chronicle

I truly loved my first Murakami encounter which was"Kafka on the Shore", that book captivated me from the first page, "The Wind-up Bird Chronicle" did not. Not as completely. And while being a was a fascinating, multi layered, inventive novel, I also think there were far too many threads left unexplained, forgotten come the end.

Which was unfortunate, since Murakami's writing is a unique way of combining simplicity with refinement, magical ingenuity with harsh real life, humour with poetry, beauty and philosophy with violence, tragedy and sorrow, the surreal with the mundane. The book and all its strange characters with their different stories made me think of "Twin Peaks" - still one of the best TV-series I've ever watched - and I really don't mind a loose end here and there.

To have to slightly ponder and muse different scenarios and possibilities afterwards is always one of the best things about really great books and films I believe. But there is such a thing as too much loose ends. Add to that a truly truncated ending of a book (or film) and you get one sorely disappointed undersigned. A book, a story, the writing on the pages that shows so much promise deserves a well composed closing.

Alas, the lack of a decent ending was the main fault with Kafka above too, so perhaps that's Mr Murakami's foible; while being a truly gifted storyteller and writer he just can't make it all satisfyingly well to the finish line? He either lack the talent to wind the story, idea threads together or quite possibly he doesn't care. Or maybe I simply anticipate too much from the last pages of a book that contains such winding and depths.

Still, I do adore his style in writing, the stories, the wittiness, the strange and wonderful ideas and philosophical reasoning that permeates his books. I will definitely read more of his work - next in to-read-pile is "Norweigan Woods" - I will just have to lower my expectations of a befitting end to a story so very well told.

melon soup and raspberry sorbet

Sweet, refreshing summer dessert in a bowl. Not made by yours truly. At least not yet.

And I don't blame the soup for a mint leaf going down the wrong way, causing me to act the unwilling bulimic. Honestly don't. Just glad I got myself and cough to the bathroom in time. Besides, main course was quite disappointing anyway.

When I have a go at recreating this lovely dessert I will not use any stupid garnish. That much I know.

Melon soup and raspberry sorbet.

in dalhalla - peter carlsson & blå grodorna

Dalhalla is a unique outdoor musical event stage situated and built in an ancient lime stone quarry in Dalecarlia. It's supposedly quite an experience to see a concert there, at the bottom of the quarry surrounded by the forest, the dark sky, the lights, the performances, the acoustic makes it magical. They claim, some say. Since 1993 there have been 20-30 performances from May-September.

Until a few months back I had only seen the stage and quarry from outside the surrounding fence. Then we had the opportunity to see a musical entertainment with Peter Carlsson & Blå Grodorna (Blue Frogs). A mix'n'match band (music from different genres, jazz, Swedish folk songs, rock, French chansons, blues, pop, ballades, quite a bit of tall tales, sing-talking and so forth....) that has been pretty much sold out since the band got together somewhere around 1993.

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This Dalhalla show was my first proper encounter with them and we had a lovely (even if not everything in the repertoire appealed to me) evening, even if I wasn't all that impressed by the venue and the acoustic, lots of mosquitoes, and alas not the least bit of magic. (For some reason I always find it difficult to "feel the magic" when one has to share a live show with thousands of others...) So, no, I would probably not jump at the opportunity to attend another event at Dalhalla - well, perhaps if Pet Shop Boys would perform I would find it quite irresistible - but I'm glad I've experienced the place from inside at least once.

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The first night of the Dalhalla season was a lovely light, warm, early summer evening, a couple of the best seats "in the house" (front row, as close to the stage one gets, still not as close as one would think since there's a moat separating the stage from the audience), an appetizing picnic, a brisk walk uphill after the show ended (when the night had far from fell as far as light was concerned) made for an overall rather awesome night with or without magic and spell bounding acoustic.

A film glimpse from the show itself,

a couple more pieces with the band can be found here and here,

more of my Dalhalla - concert photos on Flickr

yarn delight

Simply wonderful (cotton) yarn I'm planning to make some pretty pieces with asap. Doubt I'll be very adventurous as far as models and patterns go, since the yarns itself scream character, but it'll be great fun to see what becomes of these delightfully mixed colours when they turn into stitches. Haven't decided on crochet or knit yet either, but I have some ideas swirling.

The curiously irresistible mix of rust, beige, turquoise, orange and brown...

... and the perk me up lime-green-grass-forest-whiteish one.

Do you have a favourite?

the 60.000 club

... and on August 10th 2009 one of the visitor counters I added somewhere along the blogging way since September 2005, turned 60.000. As I'm not one of those blogging people who can preen themselves with having 60.000 visitors per month, week, day even - they probably exist, although I'm rather clueless to which those extremely well-visited blogs are, since personally I rarely find the massive hullabaloo things in life or blogs to be all that interesting. For me - I think 60.000 is a rather awesome number. Small potatoes in the big blog picture, pretty groovy as far as my world is concerned.

And of course, every little visit is a much appreciated visit in this world of mine, thank you! And hope to see you here again.

As I write, 60.018 - minuscule huzzah.

meet helmet, meet bike

This is my helmet.

This is my bike.

Inherited from my grandfather who curiously enough had a pink bike with flower stickers. Even if he was a worldly man I think he might have got it second hand to have as a spare bike. He was a great believer in bikes. Morning, noon and night. Which, sadly, in the end, was the end for him. Or perhaps it was just the way he wanted it to be. But that's another story. His name, Helmer, is still ingraved in the bike. I like the connection, the continuity of that sign. And then I've added my little quirks to the bike. Like ...

I'm pretty certain there's not a woman - or man with a fondness for girly stuff. Nothing wrong with that! - out there who isn't insanely jealous of my pretty bicycle basket adorned with sunflowers.

Not to mention this cool beyond words really, ladybug bicycle bell. You can admit it's very droolworthy even if you're older than five. It even has moveable wings. But I'm certain it will stay snug as a bug on by bike for many a ride to come.

august weekend

Some weekends are just perfect.

The weather, the company, the outings, the food, the sightings, the encounters, the purchases, the sleep, the reads. Life. Some glimpses of my overall rather perfect weekend (details as usual in posts of their own, some sooner some later);

hazelnut and lingonberry ice cream
that tasted heavenly on a warm summer day
(and i'm not a huge fan of ice cream,
so when i say it's good, it's really good, ya' know)

steam trains (which i've never been the least bit interested in.
this one had me pretty excited for reasons unknown though.
honestly it wasn't the not so jovial train conductor)

wonderful droolworthy curiosity shops and jumble sales

sweet ol' ladies just looking irresistibly cute on a bench in the sun

birdies to share food with

a lovely sunday brunch after a lovely as always cab drive

followed by an equally lovely bike ride on a really snazzy bike
(yes i am older than five, but only slightly)

a perfect weekend is not complete
without lots of cuddles with furry, quirky characters

Hope your weekend was a grand one too ~

clover, cat and shoes

Yet another one of those special summer scents,
clover



Yet another one of those special (summer) moments,
cat meet

A sweetie who obviously have an impeccable taste in shoes.

(The thing one wears when there's not sand between toes.)