Waffles

Belated "waffle day" with friends at the country house earlier today...
...while Isolde was getting some beauty sleep and fresh air.
Via Anna's iPhone

Friday Four - Time Travelling

I really liked the book "The Time Traveller's Wife" and I need something to blog about while I sort out my South Africa photos (though I have posted most of them on Facebook). In addition, it was a long time since I did one of these Friday Four things (the guy even stopped posting them so I had to take an old one).

Theme: If you could wind time back and forth, what would you have done if you were...

1) ...7 years old?
Written down what I felt my first day of school because I can't remember it at all :( Weird, because I really enjoyed school. The good thing is that it must mean that it was a traumatic experience for me (it's not like my mum got lost on the way to school).

2) ...15 years old?
Convinced my parents to get me a moped and to let me go on one of those summer language exchange courses.

3) ...30 years old?
Not postponed things, like posting travel photos or sewing pillow cases (I bought the fabric in Hong Kong in March and... that's how far I've got)

4) ...60 years old?
Retired and spent the rest of my (hopefully very long) life travelling the world, spending time with grandchildren and doing charity work for a worthwhile cause (or involving myself in local or national politics).

Friday Four

Theme: Favourite quotes

What is your favourite quote about...

1) ...love?
Love doesn't sit there like a stone. It has to be made like bread; remade all the time,...made new. - Le Guin

2) ...life?
Play for more than you can afford to lose and you will learn the game.
- Winston Churchill

3) ...death?
'til death do us apart.

4) ...happiness?
Happiness does not depend on outward things, but on the way we see them.
- Leo Tolstoy

Making Up For Old Sins

Since I have been neglecting my blog lately, due a new-found love, eh...addiction, to Facebook, I feel like I have to post twice in the same day.

Today's Friday Four - Theme: Current Opinions

What do you believe/think/feel about...

1) ... Paris Hilton getting out of jail?
I don't care too much except that I'm glad she had to go to jail like a non-celebrity would have had to do, had s/he been guilty of drink driving (wihout a license!). It felt rather short though but hopefully she learned a lesson and will never do it again.

2) ...Spice Girls temporarily getting back together for a reunion tour?
Great! Probably the tickets will be impossible to get and/or obscenely expensive, but it would be fun to witness it. I once saw them in concert back in...1999 I think, just a little bit before they split up. Didn't really plan it but a friend of mine called me 3 days before the concert and asked if I would go instead of another friend. We pulled up the average age in the arena by far but it was fun!

3) ...the release of iPhone in the USA?
Fun for those who want it but I don't care. Don't think I will get one this year. I would never queue for days for anything.

4) ...that it seemed to have rained so far this summer?
Well, lately it has but before that it was pretty nice. Even 30'C for a while. I don't complain too much about the weather - hot or cold, dry or wet - what's the point? You just get annoyed and stressed in vain.

When Is It Going to Be Summer?!*

Theme: Summer feelings

* The weather has been very autumn-like lately

1) Do you feel bad if staying inside on a sunny day?
Definitely! I have to take a walk, at least. It's okay if I'm at work but on the weekend I get very anxious.

2) When does summer begin and end according to you?
Summer starts around this time. I can't really go after when I take summer vacation because that's towards August. I like to take vacation towards the end of the summer because there are so many holidays in the spring anyway, like a Friday or Monday off here and there. In autumn there are none so taking vacation in August is perfect. Usually the weather in Sweden is pretty good in August while it can be rather chilly still in May-June. In September it starts being late summer and October is definitely autumn.

3) What things are a must for you for it to be a "real" summer?
Long days with sunlight until midnight, swimming, skirts and summer shoes, lots of grilled food, cutting the grass

4) Did you ever not long for summer?
Not that I can remember, perhaps when I had to leave a boyfriend behind and have a long-distance relationship for a while.

Friday Four: Motion

Theme: Travelling & Trips

1) If you could go at least 100 km in any direction, where would you go and what is so good with that place?
At the moment I really want to visit China and am hoping that our trip (through Peter's work) will actually materalise! China has such history and is also entering a new phase as (hopefully) a benign superpower so I really want to go there!

2) Do you any favourite route that you take by foot, bicycle or car?
I like talking walks around Årsta (and Årstaviken) and Djurgården. As for driving I like taking the country roads instead of the motorways, time permitting, for the breath-taking views.

3) What mode of transport is most fun? Bicycle, car, bus, train, boat, plane or your own legs?
Well, it depends where I'm doing of course. If I'm on a plane I'm probably going somewhere fun (and sometimes new) (unless it's on business). Train is nice because it's green and also allows you to see much more than a plane.

4) What's more fun: to go somewhere or to go home?
Both. I love travelling but coming home is also nice, sometimes just to get rid of those creased clothes in the suitcase. Home sweet home or "borta bra men hemma bäst" as we say in Sweden. (Having lived in four countries home can mean different things at different times though.)

Friday Four: Meet the Family

This week's theme: Family ties

1. How far back can you trace your family?
I haven't actually conducted any serious searches but I can at least go back to my grandparents' parents.

2. What is the most interesting or weird you've heard about your family?
Maybe that my (maternal) grandmother's mother (I think, or even a further generation back) was the result of a extramarital relationship with a nobleman. I also think it's pretty cool that my (paternal) grandmother played football in her youth (1940s)!

3. Does your family get together often?
Pretty often. Mostly with my aunt and uncle and my cousins on my dad's side. My cousins have started families of their own now as well, so there are quite many birthdays to celebrate. And we usually have some sort of Christmas lunch or similar together too and sometimes we just socialise without any special reason. But I don't even remember the names of all my second cousins on either side as I hardly ever see them.

4. Does your family have any traditions that you don't want to pass on to your children?
Nothing that springs to mind right now so I guess it can't be that serious.

Friday Four

Theme: It is about yourself

1) My biggest disappointment in life is...

nothing of a serious nature. I'm still young so there's still time to achieve a lot of things. But perhaps I would've liked to have had more brothers and sisters. And even though I really like my present job and that there is still time to get these jobs, I would have wanted to have worked for the European Commission or the UN already.

2) I was the happiest when...

I was a small innocent child (probably, not knowing of the horrors of the world), when I got into Oxford, and when Peter said he loved me.

3) The most embarrassing thing I have experienced so far was when...

I as a small child for some weird reason pushed my grandmother into the counter (she wasn't hurt but she - and I - of course wondered why I did it; I guess children don't always display affection in the right way) and when I spoiled the surprise by telling my (other) grandmother what she was getting for her birthday (I was 7 or 9 years or so and still had a problem keeping secrets I guess. I still have no poker face what-so-ever). These are things I still remember. But as a adult I haven't had as many embarrassing moments, or perhaps I've dealt with them better because I'm more confident in myself. Other little things are when I didn't realise that my skirt was stuck in my nylon stockings at a party and I was showing everyone my behind (yes, I was wearing knickers at least!) or when I did a quite deliberate hands playing football.

4) What I most of all wish for right now is...

nice Christmas presents! And in the more long-term perspective, perhaps a job at one of the Swedish government departments (as a step to the European Commission or the UN) and a bunch of kids!

Friday Four

There's a Swedish blog called Fredagsfyran (Friday Four), which helps you blog on a Friday when/if you're out of ideas or don't really have the time to blog about anything longer. Admittedly I don't blog every day (sometimes not even every week) so it's not like I need ideas for Fridays while I always have ideas the other days of the week. But Friday Four poses some interesting questions - sometimes just picking up on the week's gossip but often also touching upon more serious topics, like this week. So I think that this week is a good time to start.

(I will already apologise for next Friday when I probably won't blog since I'll be in St Petersburg, Russia)

Theme: Moral questions

1) If a homeless person begs you for money, what do you do?
Very, very, very rarely give any money. I like to think that I contribute directly to shelters, etc. instead but I have to admit that happens only once a year or so.

2) If you see someone standing with a broken down car by the side of the motorway and waves his/her hands, what do you do?
If I was alone in the car I probably wouldn't stop because you never know, but if I was with a friend or with my boyfriend, we would at least stop and ask whether we could call some services for him/her.

3) If someone rings your doorbell and asks you to take care of a kitten that would otherwise be put to sleep, what do you do?
I would love to take care of it but my boyfriend is a little allergic and I don't really feel like I have the time to take care of a cat right now. So Id probably recommend he/she to call a animal shelter.

4) If a friend asks to borrow 5,000 SEK (€550, £380, $715), but absolutely does not want to say for what, what do you do?
Sorry friends, but you would have to tell me what the money is going to (I would keep your secret). Then I would consider lending out the money.