Where to now?

Clearly I lost momentum. The photo a day was easier said than done - even though I really enjoyed it while it lasted and I love photos (both taking them and looking at others), I lost momentum.

Life somehow got very, very busy for a while there. Between work and kids with all their activities I just didn't manage to maintain it and once I stopped it was hard to get started again - I mean what was I supposed to do - go back and fill in the photos for the last month or just skip a month and keep going?

I watched a tv program this morning about blogging and realised how much I miss the blogging life, both writing and reading other blogs. As is often the case in life coincidences seem to gather and a conversation yesterday prompted me to read a blog post I wrote in 2008. I looked back through the topics dated from February 2008 and onwards and the variety in my writing became evident. Nowdays conscious of "my audience" and my "purpose" I suddenly saw my blog before me as a record of my life and my thoughts. The posts I read felt very precious.

Life is precious and as someone once said the memories are a wonderful gift to my children. Something they will cherish in years to come. And as the days of writing long letters are over I will endeavour to continue sharing my life and my experiences here. For the hell of it. Because I enjoy writing, exploring my thoughts and observations, and taking photos.

And now I found the iPhone app which should make things a whole lot easier.

Seeya soon!
*******************

And for the day's photo(s):

I went to Ikea today to get a couple of frames. Makaila asked a few days ago why we don't have their art hanging around the place like everyone else does. This wall used to be covered in photos but has been empty since it was painted.

I managed to get in and out of Ikea with exactly what I went there for despite the temptation to linger, dream and spend money. I think their art looks brilliant, and beautiful. I want them everywhere.

Another year goes by

I've been toying with the idea for a long time now, what to do with this blog, now terribly neglected, when an idea struck me today as I came home in a white-out.

I am, it seems, forever fascinated by the seasons in Sweden, despite over 15  years of living here. Perhaps it is due to growing up in Australia where the seasons are not as dramatically different from one and other, as they are in a land that is covered in ice and snow in the winter. There is so much that fascinates me here - from the snow that piles up as the tractors plow the streets, the icy footpaths of recent days, and the spring flowers that pop up when everything else looks barren after a long winter to the glorious summer days and the magnificent colours of autumn. But even if I love all the seasons I think it is winter that fascinates me most of all.

So, what is my idea and why? I've been inspired by my dear friend Michelle to do a photo diary - she seems to always have a photo project on the go and I thought I'd follow her lead - one photo every day for the next year. That photo will signify my day, or reflect the season.

I can hardly wait!! But I have decided to wait until Monday - just because. Although I am tempted to go out and take a photo tonight of the 20cm of fresh snow we've just received, or the huge snow pile at the end of the street... Having a great camera in my phone will make this easy - I just need to acquaint myself with loading the photos up straight away so it does happen every day.

You will find my continued ramblings about life in Sweden at www.liveinsweden.se, if I manage to produce any that is. You will undoubtedly find some of these photos on there too. I have a couple of more creative writing projects on the go so my writing energy is going into them at the moment. More about them in another 10 years or so!!

While I'm at it I decided to change the blog address - have wanted to do that for a very long time and now seems as good a time as any - a new start so to speak. So what was NicsNewest is now NicInSweden and I'm very happy about that change!

Well, if you are still reading - thank you!!
And I hope you enjoy the photos in the coming year.

Inspiration!

I've been inspired to start writing again, inspired by far-away friends and contemplation of how they might see life in Sweden. Viewing my world through their eyes. My internal voice has broken through the silence and is once again speaking to me. I welcome it back like a dear old friend.

But don't hold your breath. Summer is finally here and it's the end of the school year. There are picnics, parties and graduations. Not to mention a full-time job, independent assignments and a website to continue working on - nor the fact that I need to get back to my 10km runs before the Stockholm Midnight Run and have kids that want nothing but to be outdoors - at the beach, in the park, riding bikes or visiting friends.

But I am inspired, that's the difference.

I miss the writing

The observation, reflection, the contemplation.
If only I could earn my living on it. My way. Now.

Content Management Systems for Dummies

This subject could well bore most people, but here goes anyway.

I finally managed to do some major stuff today, backing up Live in Sweden.se and downloading/uploading a newer version of drupal. It is a huge relief to have that done - every time I went into the site I saw the red signs around the place reminding me of the necessary updates and the security alerts.

Until a couple of years ago I was clueless about web sites and once I decided to start Live in Sweden.se I had to work out how to build one. Sure I could get someone to build it for me, there are plenty of solo site designers around offering to do it for a cheap price, but I needed something I could make changes to myself and it had to have a whole lot more features than the standard flat website. One friend suggested going and doing an html course, but somehome I discovered content management systems - don't remember now how but I think it was a chain of events and I was without doubt influenced by this blog, I have learned a lot from the blogger tool.

Once I decided it should be a content management system I then needed to decide if it should be one I buy or one that is open source, which ultimately means it's free. I met with web companies and decided I didn't want to be dependent on one for their CMS - I mean what if I didn't like the results or working with them or if they went bust?? So that left open source and I contemplated three of the big ones, Wordpress, Joomla and Drupal. A number of people told me not to get too worked up about which one I chose, I could make a change at a later date and that they were really all much of the same. On the other hand I wanted something I could grow into and the idea of changing everything from one system to the other was mind-boggling. I found that the best way to compare is to go to CMS Matrix and check the boxes of the ones you are interested in. Assuming you have a clue about what you are after (this too is a long process for the novice!) and know all the necessary jargon, the results are really helpful. I'm guessing that if these people don't have a CMS listed, its either too new or not worth knowing about.

There are a ton of pros and cons for each system and for all the research I did it ultimately depended on whose opinion you asked and what their personal preference was. At the end of the day I was influenced by a couple of web companies that suggested Drupal was the better option for my site.

After having two web companies go bust on me (luckily I had not parted with any money) I finally found someone who was willing, able, and affordable. Buying services is tough when you are a novice, it is hard to envisage everything you need, especially fairly "technical" services. It was far from the easiest thing I have done.

Eventually, after many, many months of decisions, discussion and designing, I had the frame of my website, looking just the way I wanted it to. Then it was time to learn how Drupal works and start filling the site with content. It was pretty easy to navigate around and despite some minor frustrations that have led to changes, it hasn't been too hard to learn.

As with most projects, they change along the way and factors became evident that we hadn't discussed, hadn't solved or hadn't been obvious. All in all I felt I wanted more control over the site and decided I want to learn more about Drupal. I went along to the Geek Girl Meetup recently and listend to Annika Lidne share her thoughts, knowledge and experience of this CMS. It was enough to ignite a lot of enthusiasm and I was hoping the WPGirls or the WPFika group would be converted enough to start up a Drupal gang. Alas, that has not yet been the case. I'd be the first to sign up to learn more....

Annika did make it seem easy and I have decided to build a new site in Drupal. Myself. From scratch. More about that another time......

So while things have been going along relatively smoothly I have been getting increasingly nervous about the big version changes that are being made to the system and my need to update Drupal as well as do something about the security alerts!! I can't help but feel like I am way out of my depth. My manual from the web guy was far from complete but luckily a friend had a much better manual for her site. Still it was overwhelming and I hardly dared open it and look at it....

Today I managed to corner my darling other-half and force him to draw on his old IT skills by putting himself into the workings of Drupal. It took a while, and we worked through both my friend's manual and the accompanying Drupal instructions. We did it. Everything is finally, newly backed up and the latest version of Drupal has been uploaded - no more security warnings from the administration side!!

Thank heavens for that. Now it is on the the next task!

The Age of No Response?

I've started wondering lately if it is a sign of the times, if we are too busy, if we forget or if it is just ok to not respond to someone.

An email to a colleague to remind her that I cannot be there goes unanswered. Do I need to know what happened in my absence, obviously not. Someone else promises to ring back about something and it is never mentioned again. An idea runs out in the sand, nothing more said. An approach taken, a first step initiated, no response.

Are we so busy, so over-loaded with information, impressions and people in our life that we miss responding to people who have contacted us. How many times have I done it? How guilty am I? I sit and contemplate...

Or is it ok to just ignore? Have times changed so we don't need to bother saying NO - I'm too busy, it's not possible, I'm just not interested? Is it no longer considered polite to say "thanks for the information, thanks for letting me know, let me think about it, I'll keep it in mind".

Perhaps these niceties no longer matter in these days where we have so much information and so many opportunities at our fingertips, so many pressures on us both personally and professionally...


Perhaps it is time to reposition my thinking, to anticipate one way communication, unless it really suits the other party to respond. Perhaps I need to look back through my emails and see what I have missed.

Women on the run from family life

There was a very interesting article in SvD on the weekend as a prelude to the Swedish annual Book Fair that starts this week. Three books are due to be released in the next couple of months, by three women about three women who have fled their own domestication.

Ironic that this article and these books come at a time when Anna Anka is making headlines and filling the online forums, debate sites and article comments. The rest of the world probably doesn’t know who Anna Anka is but here in Sweden she is blowing up a storm with her traditional opinions about the role of men and women.

Picture: The Local

Read more .......

Don't do it! Stay at home!

I was at a function on Saturday night where the couple were celebrating their 60th birthdays. The place was filled with their children, their grandchildren, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins, second cousins, aunts, uncles, family friends and so on and so on.

This is the sort of event that hits you like a ton of bricks. It is the sort of event that make you realise what your life choices have resulted in. These are the sorts of events you miss when you live so far away from home - family get-togethers, cousin's weddings, best friends' 40th birthdays, babies being born, grandparents' funerals, engagements, christenings, wakes, graduations and celebrations of any kind. These events make you feel like you belong, (or that you don't!), they remind you that you come from a long line of people with generations and generations behind (or ahead?) of you, and many more to come. They remind you that life goes on and that you are not alone in the world. They remind you that blood is mostly thicker than water...

Not such a big deal when you are around and "have" to attend yet another family event. But they leave a hole in your life when you are far away from family and lifelong friends.

My advice to young couples, so in love they are prepared to move to the other side of the world? Go home! Stay at home! Marry the girl or the boy next door. You can travel the world together, live somewhere else, and then go home together.

Life is complicated enough, don't make things worse.

The Joys Of Being A Waldorf Parent

My sister and I chuckled on many occasions over being good Steiner mothers (Steiner in Oz, Waldorf in Europe), which saw her trying all sorts of crafts over the years. Now that my daughter has started school I am really starting to understand what that means.

Starting school in Sweden is weird, at least for an Aussie mum who only knows one way of doing things. Firstly kids start school the year they turn 7, which in some cases means they are almost eight years old. Compare that to starting at 5 in Oz. Then there is no list stating exactly what the school uniform should consist of, which pieces are compulsory and which are non-compulsory, as well as where to buy it, there is no school uniform. There is no list outlining exactly what pens, pencils, writing books and even text books to buy, no fees to be paid before school starts (not even non-compulsory fees as in Oz). These kids don’t even need a lunchbox, a thermos or a drink bottle. All their food is provided by the school and the after-school centre, free of charge.

Instead of the list we have to make sure she has two pairs of slippers, or inside shoes, for both school and after-school care - the no-shoes in the classroom policy is also weird when you are not used to it.

Swedish education law says schools are to provide children with what they need, and they are not legally entitled to charge fees of any description if they are teaching according to the Swedish curriculum. It is all in the name of Sweden’s socialistic roots, in the name of equality. No child should be disadvantaged because of their family’s financial status. Every child should be guaranteed one hot meal a day. It is all about taking care of children, no matter what their lot in life is.

So while most parents have little to organise for their children starting school (I’m assuming), the Waldorf parents amongst us are busy, busy, busy. With Makaila starting Grade 1 we were given two important tasks back in the spring – a name-tag and a crayon case, along with detailed instructions as to how these tasks should be completed.

Naturally, like all enthusiastic, well-prepared parents we did not use the summer wisely, nor did we con one of Ty’s talented aunts into doing it for us – we left it hanging over our heads until the pressure built sufficiently!

Once I finally got started on the name-tag, I decided it wasn’t all that bad - although it is tough to embroider when you haven’t really done it before. I bought one of those cross stitch kits when I was about 11 years old, the ones where the pattern is printed on the fabric and all the colours are chosen for you. It was of a clown and I’m not sure what possessed me to buy it but I clearly remember my dad giving me a hard time, telling me I would never finish it. Guess whether or not I did……

Anyway despite struggling with the stitches I actually enjoyed sitting doing this handcraft in the evenings. Then one night when we were discussing how on earth I was going to embroider her most beloved animal, a killer whale, it was taken from me. Ty took over. After all, equality is the name of the game in this country.

We found a great picture on the net which we were able to copy and he did it over two nights. A friend even called in and was so inspired when he saw Ty sitting embroidering at the kitchen table last night that he went home and got started on his daughter’s name tag (gotta love these Swedish men!). We (both) added the finishing touches (water) and hey presto – it was done! Here’s the final result. Not bad huh!

The next task was the crayon case and I knew that would be fairly easy – which does not explain my procrastination! It took me the better part of the afternoon-evening but I got it finished and I’m pretty pleased with the results. Just so long as no one looks too closely at the stitching because it is extremely amateurish.

The kids were so amazed to see me pull out a borrowed sewing machine that they watched my every move and questioned all I did. Kieran tried to get an understanding of exactly how the machine worked and was so fascinated he snapped a few shots of me in action.

Counting to make sure I've left enough space.

The finished product aims to reduce classroom noise.

Tied up ready to be put away.

What started off as a “Oh no! How are we going to manage these little projects” has ended with a “Well that was fun. What’s next” kinda feeling.

Makaila was totally and utterly thrilled with both pieces – and I think kind of amazed by her parents. Now that brings joy to these Waldorf parents!

Tjejmilen -from zero to ten in six months!

Six months ago I couldn't run a kilometer, three months ago I struggled to run five, yesterday I ran 10.
Words hardly describe the exhilaration I felt as I ran that last kilometer, knowing I could do it, seeing my kids standing on the sidelines waving and cheering and crossing the finishing line with 25 000 other women. It was one of my really proud moments in life. I ran 10 kilometers!

Goals are important to me, and I need to feel the pressure to keep my motivation up so when my friend Rebecca challenged us back in March or April I was fast to take up the challenge - the 5km Vår Ruset in May. While I really enjoyed it I found it a struggle, I wasn't used to running the full 5km so I found it hard going.

Even before the run we started talking about Midnattsloppet and Tjejmilen and I signed up for both - I needed something that would force me to keep running over the summer and something that would force me to go further. It worked. I spent many a morning running along the waterfront when we were at the cottage in Canada.

I was really looking forward to Midnattsloppet, although I was nervous about it too. A couple of days beforehand I found out my friend was not running and I would be going in alone at night, running and coming home alone. The idea of having no friends to run with, no-one to cheer me along and no-one to meet up with afterwards took all the fun out of it and I decided that afternoon not to run. As hard as the decision was the deflation was relieved by the sound of pitter, patter on the windowsill that night. Running in the rain and in the dark would have taken any remaining joy out of it.

The time finally came around for Tjejmilen, a 10km women's run around the beautiful Djurgården. I was looking forward to it and even if I wasn't as fit as I was a couple of weeks ago I knew I could do it.

What started off as a cold, overcast and windy day turned into a beautiful afternoon with the sun shining and a perfect 16 C. Five of us met up a couple of hours beforehand and all travelled to Gärdet to where the run would start.We hung out together, did our warm-up together and then all ran our own race, or walked as was the case for Anastasia (and Molly) who was suffering from slipped disks. The nice thing about this run is that you could do it with a stroller or walking poles which opened up the even to thousands of women.Not everybody loves to be in a crowd. You spend a fair amount of time zig-zagging your way through if you are not in the right category and there is always a chance you will trip over someone else's feet. You might even get stressed running with so many people around you. But I love it. I find it so interesting. Not only did I have beautiful scenery to look out but watching all those around me kept me so distracted I hardly noticed the kilometers passing by. The sport drink and energy tablets helped along the way too, as did my music, the bands, the DJ's, the cheer squad and all the people who turned up to cheer us along! It really makes the event a whole lot of fun!

I'm the slow coach in our team, but only by about 10 minutes so I'm ok with that. Even Anastasia was faster than me and she was walking with her daughter! But these girls really inspire me to run and to keep running, even when I don't feel like it. And nothing gives me a better workout nor makes me feel really good like a run does. Just writing about this is enough to make me want to put my running shoes on, even if my legs are a little tired today.

So what's next? Lidingöloppet for women (10km) perhaps? Or Hässelbyloppet maybe? Now that I have started I don't want to stop, I just need to keep finding the carrots that will be my incentive. I like being fit, being able to run for a bus and not thinking anything of it, being able to run about in the park with my kids without heaving. I love the feeling of saying "I did it", especially to the man that scoffed when I bought running shoes a year ago. I love the feeling of a good workout, I want to be a good role model for my kids and I don't want to go back to where I was just six months ago.

Meeting the challenge is exhilarating!

Getting unpacked and sorted out

We've spent days unpacking (7 suitcases x23kg plus hand luggage!!) and finding room for everything, sorting through things, weeding out anything that is too small or no longer used/needed). It is still not all done but after a major overhaul in the kids' room today we are getting there.

It is always nice to come home, living in someone else's place and out of suitcases for over 6 weeks takes its toll and we've done it twice in the last 12 months - that's 3 months of the year away from home!!

Our saving grace when we go to Canada is the cottage, it is our refuge, our home away from home where we can really unpack, relax and be ourselves.
Walking back into our apartment brings a very unique feeling and I feel it upon each return, with some variation. It is hard to put words to it but the place always feels so crisp and neat and depending on where we have been it often feels very, very small. Sometimes I walk into a room and get a shock at how small it is, sometimes the whole place shocks me for how small it is - especially when we have been in Australia where we have so, so much space at my mum's place.

But even if it feels small it feels undeniably ours and I like it - at least until we have unpacked all the suitcases and then it is just crazy and it drives me crazy having all the stuff everywhere!! And as I said, it takes days to get it sorted out..... On the upside it forces us to go through everything every six months or so - every thing in here has to have a good reason for staying!

I'm tired of living in a small apartment, 73 square metres is not a lot of space when you have two kids - even if the original owners did have three and lived here for 50 some years.... That's Stockholm living for you - our friends and peers at home would hardly believe their eyes!
But we have to be patient and hang in there a little longer. Our time will come, I know it will. And there are lots of good things about living in a small space - epecially when you are a hoarder by nature - it has been a good, long lesson for me. This small space has a positive impact on the kids too, in lots of ways - Makaila has made it quite clear that she wouldn't want her own room - even if she could (we'll see how long that lasts).

Live In Sweden is "Live"

Well I guess I can't put it off any longer - friends are starting to discover it for themselves!
Live In Sweden is finally live!!

I took the password off on Sweden's national day, I figured that was as good a day as any. And each year when we celebrate the coming of Sweden as a nation, I will be able to crack open the champagne and celebrate Live In Sweden!


In true Swedish style the site has been born - understated, un-promoted and uncelebrated - I will save all that for later.

Someone said to me today that I must be feeling proud - actually I'm cringing at the thought that people are looking at it - far too much left to be done for my liking! Even a simple blogpost is a scary moment - drawing attention to the site when there is so, so, so much left to be done. I'm not halfway there yet - but here it is - for all to see.

Live In Sweden has been a long time coming. It goes back to the dream I once had for the Southern Cross Club, to the vision I had almost four years ago, and to the years of thinking, planning and writing. It is a compilation of knowledge, of experience and of research. It is a vision and a dream I have been fortunate enough to finally realise!

May it have a long and prosperous future and inform, inspire, encourage and support those considering or actually moving to Sweden, as well as those already here and in need of support.

Make friends with the locals, not the other foreigners

I have 4 friends that I have known for longer than 10 years, not great statistics considering I have been here over 15.... My longest running friendship is with a Swede. We've known each other almost 20 years now. Another is with an American, married to a Dutchman. Then there are a couple of Australians, one married to a Swede, the other is here to be with his son.

The news came a month or so ago that my Aussie friend and her family are moving to England in August. I knew it would come sooner or later. They had already moved back to Australia and come back again, and I knew they would not be here forever. But knowing that does not make it any easier. I will be sad to see her go and will miss her.

Yesterday my American friend broke the news that they are probably moving to New Zealand later in the year. We were kind of tied together, neither having family here and both knowing what an impact it would have on the other if either of us ever left. This is my friend who I can call on in times of need, who picks us up when we are feeling the absence of family, who drove us to the hospital when I went into labour in the middle of the night, whose house I have a key to. My one friend who I can ring at any time and say "help" and know that she will be there for me. My friend who dotes on my children, who has her own special relationship with them, my friend who my children ask after and get so very excited every time she comes by. My friend is leaving...

And all our friends with a Swedish connection are busy this weekend with family stuff. Because blood is thicker than water.

Suddenly Sweden doesn't feel much like home any longer.

www.liveinsweden.se

Apologies for my quietness..... www.liveinsweden.se is my focus and I am trying to fill it with content just as fast as I can, so I can open it to the public by the end of the month, or so....

Juggling that and my work that actually brings in the pennies leaves me with nothing but thoughts of what I could be writing about.

My writing will be very sporadic, so until my next post, enjoy the blossom, the lime green of the new leaves and all the other joys of spring.

On the weekend my darling children did just that - they played in this forest under our balcony for a couple of hours until the rain finally brought them in. They sat on a big bolder talking and fishing into an imaginary lake, with a roof of blossom and new growth over their heads.

Hope you too are enjoying all the simple pleasures in life, the seasons, the long days, the sun and the rain. It is spring - a time of beginnings.

10100 Unique Visitors and I almost missed it!

Thanks to my friend Michelle in Australia I realised that I have reached a new blogging milestone - 10 000 unique visitors and another 100 too.I used to get excited about every 100 new visitors and here I am I forgot to keep my eye on it. I've also seen what other bloggers have achieved so 10 000 doesn't seem like such a big deal anymore (!) I'm sitting here chuckling at myself over my ambivalence - shame blogspot does not do smiley faces.

The truth of the matter is that I just want to transfer this damn blog over to www.liveinsweden.se but I still have far too much work to do on the site before I am ready to do that.
What started off as a way of updating the family, my mum in particular, has turned into so much more. I love writing a blog and now realise I should have studied journalism instead of economics - oh well, such is life.

It is also fascinating to watch the stats and see how people behave on the net - seeing what people search for and how that leads to me, or who else out there is linking to me, is nothing short of totally fascinating. It is also interesting to see what links people click on and to see those who come back regularly and never click on any of the links I put up.And it has caught me off guard a couple of times too. I found out last night my sister-in-law must pop in here from time to time, and here I was thinking it wouldn't be of interest now I am not writing as many personal posts about the family. It has also had me in trouble with my mother when the occasional post has led to phone-calls to her. I've often wondered if I should have a "don't quote me and don't ring my mother saying you read it on my blog" disclaimer, just to keep me out of trouble. After all - a blog is personal, it is my way of experiencing the world around me. But a blog also teaches you about accountability, about being conscious of what you communicate and how it can be perceived.

One of the things I really like about blogging is how it has led to other things. It is a great way to develop your writing skills - practise, practise, practise. I have also put thought into the profile we create, who are target audience is, how we attract people and keep them, the balance between personal and general information, privacy issues and what our goals are with a blog. I say WE because I have had many interesting discussions with other bloggers and I find this whole area of modern media so very fascinating. I get to apply all the theories of marketing, and relationship marketing from studies in the years gone by and yet apply them in a different way, in a new world, to a new media. Love it!

Blogging also opens up your world to a range of new people and I can't help but explore blogs in areas that interest me. I have a couple of favorites and like to read the "life in Sweden" blogs, as well as those using their blog as a professional tool.
I encourage anyone who wants to build a profile for professional reasons, or has something they want to say to the world to start blogging and to keep blogging. You will work the rest out as you go along. You can even do a blog writing course! Click on the picture above to have a look at one.

If you don't have it in you to blog - then start a Twitter account - it takes a while to get a feel for what the point is but it is a whole new world and it is here to stay. It is a whole new way of communicating with people, both privately and professionally.

Both my blog and Twitter have, without any doubt, brought me closer to my nearest and dearest. That's the best bit.

Thanks Michelle!

Busy, busy, busy and the mind ticks away - impatient that the rest of me can't keep up...

I don't think I have been this quiet since I started my blog, that is unless we've been away in Australia or Canada.

We had a pretty good Easter, filled with friends, parks, Skansen, BBQs, sunny days and chocolate, followed by a very, very busy week.

Work was pretty full on last week as I juggled the different sides of my professional life. I went from discussing cultural implications of the English language to chatting with 11-12 year olds about spring and 14-15 year olds about suspension from school. And in between negotiating with landlords and agents like never before, all day every day. Several of my relocation clients seem to be suffering difficulties and need help sorting them out - lucky me.

Apart from the fact that my days have been long, varied and demanding leaving me with little energy to write in the evenings, I haven't really had all that much to say......unusual even for me...

I am also trying to run 4-5kms every couple of days to get my fitness level up, boost my metabolism and prepare myself for Vår Ruset. That coupled with my attempt to stay away from the sugar and the carbs keeps me busy on the home front - summer is on its way!!

My mind is also too busy thinking about my website and wanting the chance to work with it, about wanting to find someone to bring into the project (or several), about the seminars that I want to get out and sell, and about some of the big things on my "To Do" list, about the summer holidays coming up with my mother and my mother-in-law - who will meet for the first time. The mind is ticking too much to even be able to absorb what is going on around me. I flick through the newspaper and think "wow, that's interesting" and put it aside.

But my busy week is behind me, the conflict is sorted out and I have a little more space this week to take control over that "To Do" list. Hopefully I will get a little more space in my head to get back into writing.

Until then, have a good one.

Culture Shock & Cultural Differences

After 15 years in Sweden you would think I would have a pretty good notion of how things work in this country. Yet every time I find myself in a new situation it hits me that I spent the first 25 years of my life somewhere else and that these years still fundamentally form who I am and how I think.

Still, as time goes on it becomes more and more difficult to know exactly where the cultural differences lie. Is it just because it is a new situation? Is it a generational difference? Is it some other reason or is it because my frames-of-reference, my learnings, my experience - my culture, is of a different origin?

Vår Ruset - Spring Rush

Let it be known that I am entering into Vår Ruset - thanks to a friend who I am very grateful to. It is just the challenge I need.

Vår Ruset translates, according to anything I can find, into Spring Intoxication or Spring Rush/Surge. It is the latter, I assure you - and to be more specific it is a 5km run around Djurgården. You can even walk it - which I am not going to do(!)

We are putting together a team and are not yet sure if we will participate on May 26 or 27th. The run starts at 7pm - by May the sun won't be setting until after 9.30pm.


Time to dust off the running shoes and get busy! I just wish it wasn't so damn cold outside!
Me? Having a mid-life crisis now that I've turned 40?? No, never......

From lost to found, in just 10 minutes

I lost my mobile phone today.... I put it into my pocket and it fell right through the hole and into my coat and out onto the ground - it was my only explanation.

We had to get off the train, go back home and retrace our steps. Nothing.

I rang it and rang it an rang it from the home phone. No answer.

I was just about to ring and suspend the subscription when an old lady answered. She hadn't been able to work out how to answer it.

I met her 10 minutes later, just blocks from home, where she found it.

I hugged her.

From extreme stress to great relief - all in the space of 10 minutes......
She saved me a lot of money and a lot of phone numbers that would otherwise have been lost.

Thank you.

Happy Birthday to me!

Well, middle-age - here I am!
Hit the big 40 on Saturday which is why I have not had a chance to blog the last couple of days. We had a great party at home with a 60s, 70s or 80s dress and music theme - lots of fun!Not only did I get some really lovely pressies but some friends also made very generous donations to the Australian Bushfire Appeal, in lieu of a present.

So far over AUD 80 million (over 444 mil SEK or 52 mil USD) has been donated as Victorians continue to struggle, fighting fires and fighting to pick up the pieces. Yet as my sister put it, this damage was just two days in our history, peanuts compared to the suffering of the many people in war-torn areas around the world.

I am eternally grateful for the simple things in life - family, friends and the opportunity to celebrate what I have and where I am at!

Hooray for family, friends and celebrations - what more do we really need?!!