Grumman the Handsome

It´s been a very busy time, yet we´re still waiting around for the winter to release it´s grip on our garden so we can get stuck in there. Waiting for warmer weather to roll in as I am itching for adventure. I want to go canoeing, hiking, camping, cycling etc. Until then we will keep ourselves amused with movies and roadtrips in sunny weather. And sitting around with our cute and cuddly kitty

How a South African can survive a Swedish winter

It's a question I get asked by a lot of Swedes, and even by a few incredulous South Africans.  I think these pictures give clear indication how I survive.

A few hours of sunshine in Stockholm can make up for weeks of grey weather.  When the sun does come out, it's sure to be a stunner of a day because Sweden is just that beautiful.

And no, we didn't use the picnic table.  Instead we had our hot chocolate in the car, then came out to take a few more photos before the sun sunk too low.

See my Flickr stream for more photos of winter fun in the sun.

Norrland - Årrenjarka

Sweden - the land of lakes and forests.  Such a stunning place - Årrenjarka.  Wish we lived closer to it.  I want to go camping here some sunny day.  We'll fish in the lakes and cook food around the campfire, like we did in 2011, but hopefully in warmer times

Sunrise over Globen

Pretty sunrise (at 8:00).

Pink Grass in Älvdalen

The busyness of business

It's been ages since I have had time to blog. Now I'm on a day's leave and finally sitting down for a few quiet moments. My head has been full of work for months now. There are too many projects going on. Too much inter office politics and bickering going on. I got too caught up in the GTD mindset. I find it causing so much agitation. This is because I'm not doing it properly, which leads to increased agitation. So I'm putting the GTD aside for a while. Important things will be dealt with as they appear. If they're not important then they will be dealt with when they get important. I will keep a few tricks from GTD going, like writing down all things I need to do and doing the weekly review. For those interested I do my work weekly review on Wednesdays and my personal one on Sunday mornings. Yes I keep them separate - otherwise I get sick at home thinking about all the office work I can't do and vice versa. Previously I've been a person who can switch off as solon as I leave the office. That is the state I am aiming for again. I do not live to work. I live to live! Instead of focussing on how busy I am I'm going to try and focus on doing the things that I find refreshing. So I'm hoping to invite lots of people over for informal meals. No fancy meals and tough if the house is not magazine style tidy. A clean house that reflects our busy lives in the occasional piles of clutter is just how it's going to be. You won't get sick coming to my place, but you might sneeze a bit. But that could be your fault for being allergic to my cat. :) We've just had a visit from our circuit overseer. Straight after our circuit assembly. While very tiring these two things have been a source of encouragement and motivation. I gleaned lots of tips and I hope to incorporate some into my daily life soon. I was also reminded of the things I am doing right. In a day and age where there is so much pressure to be the perfect wife, the perfect career woman, the perfect you name it - it was high time I was reminded that there are a few things that I am doing right. My plan now is to slowly start adding things one at a time. It takes time to build up a new habit and I don't want to break any of my existing ones by taking on too much at once. Time for dinner. The weather in Stockholm has been stunning today, so a break (BBQ/grill) is in order. Fire up the Weber, DH! It's grilled chicken with home made tzatziki and a greek salad for supper.

Current obsessions

Music
The Piano Guys - Beethoven's 5 Secrets
The Asteroids Galaxy Tour (especially Heart Attack - on my gyming/jamming mix)
Pumped Up Kicks - Foster The People
Simple Song - The Shins
David Garrett - November Rain

Food
Yummy pasta salads galore this week for lunch.  I had left over supper for lunch today and I was so disappointed...missed my pasta salad
Otherwise I'm feeling a little uninspired food wise...but spring is temptingly close along with lots of awesome braai food again
Oh yes, and I tried my hand at cooking both Fillet Steak (melt in the mouth tender, very mild flavour) and Rump Steak (yum, yum, chew, chew...)  I think I can cook Fillet Steak really nicely now (smokey hot griddle pan coated with sugar & butter (!), seal the outsides, put on a place cover in tin foil and rest a few minutes in a slightly warmed oven).  But the Rump Steak needs trying again - pity it's such a difficult cut to find in Sweden.

Technology
My new "little" point and shoot camera  - a Samsung WB690 "super zoom" camera
I saw a real life Asus Zenbook last weekend - lust at first sight!  Only question is which colour?

Clothing
I love wearing this jersey (I have it in this colour and in black)

Cardigan - från H&M

http://www.hm.com/se/s/02FPGV

En lång cardigan i trikå med struktur. Fickor fram.

www.hm.com

Beauty Products


The Body Shop - White Musk Libertine
This is my spring/summer scent for 2012.  I've even splurged and bought the matching shower gel and body lotion!

I've also signed up for a monthly Glossy Box.  My first one arrived this week.  It's got some really lovely products to try out - even two full size samples!  Definitely got my money's worth this month.

What are you doing tomorrow?

I've been updating my Filofax today - with dates, not a different system for once!  It's fun looking for different events to enter into my calendar.  It doesn't mean I'll attend all these events, but it's good to know what's on offer.

I look at the various Convention Centres around Stockholm to see if they have any interesting shows coming up. There are also some annual events that I attend - I check their webpages in December or January when I'm updating my new diary for the next year.  Those pages often have links to similar events, so I click through and look for things that I think either Monseigneur Foojah or I will like.

But this evening I have decided to set up a little Tickler File for this kind of thing.  I want to get a Monthly index and then fill each month up with the details of things that normally happen in that month.  I'm also thinking of putting in obligations/chores that should be done in that month too.  I do a rough monthly plan to  balance keeping up with house maintenance, obligations and of course fun and relaxation.  I think setting up a tickler file will help me build up a reference work so that I can know what is possible in certain months.

I already have a file.  I just need to get the monthly dividers.  I know what I'm doing tomorrow, do you? :-)

Autumn Wishlist

Some things I'd like to buy


HEMTEX

HEMTEX

Summer in Sweden

There's so much to do in Sweden in summer.  How are we going to find time to fit it all in, and the usual routine "must-do's" too?  How to enjoy summer relaxing to the full without feeling stressed out about not enjoying summer to the full?  Then again, how do you relax with a full to do list...even if you're like me and can live in chaos, living with a full to do list just sucks all the enjoyment out of relaxing.

Today feels like we've done some summer things.  That might be because it has been so warm today.  We had plans to go look at bicycles today, but the shop was closed.  Good thing we phoned first to check.  Then we tried to buy a second hand bicycle from someone in our hometown, but it was sold just as we phoned.

Then we saw that someone local was selling their outdoor furniture.  Since the beginning of spring we have wanted to buy a new set of outdoor furniture for our deck.  We had already selected the set we would buy, but hadn't actually done it because it was quite a bit of money to lay out.  Then when we saw the set today on the local second hand website it just looked so cosy.  Nothing at all like the set we had chosen new.  But it looked worn in, and it was dirt cheap.  Even with hiring a van for a few hours to pick it up and transport it it was still only a fraction of the price of a new set.  So now the set it installed on our deck.  Next step is to get some oil and give it a little TLC...and maybe a bolt or two to strengthen the weakest spots.

We also bought a tent today.  I have been wanting to go camping again for two years, but we never really got around to it.  But this summer feels like the summer we are going to go camping again.  We got a lovely little four man sleeper tent (which means it's perfectly comfortable for two people).  It also has a little "courtyard" section of the tent to set up kitchen in.

All camping I have ever done has been with all the creature comforts of home...electricity, chairs, tables occasionally even fridges!  I am super keen to try out some very basic camping.  I have been doing a lot of research to work out our magic minimum of gear needed for camping.  My trusty Filofax has been the repository for all this research.

My idea is to get a kit together and have it ready to go at a moment's notice, so that if the weather is nice one weekend, we can just chuck the kit in the car and head off for a lake somewhere.  Then if the place is nice we'll set up camp, but if it's not so nice we can head home at the end of the day.

We had a taster of this kind of thing last weekend.  We had a short holiday up in the north of Sweden.  One of the days we were near a lake.  We cooked simple meals on alcohol stoves and fires.  We considered spending the night by the lake in a tent, but it was actually too cold.  But it was still a lot of fun.

It's also just lovely to sit outside in our garden in the beautiful summer weather and that's how we have ended the day.  It's now nearly 7:30 and I'm sitting comfortably on the verandah.  It's not too hot, nor too cold...it's just right.  Some days are just perfect :-)

Yum

On Friday evening I got my first home delivery of ecological, semi-locally produced veggies and fruit. I liked the mix of ingredients that came in the box.  It sent me on a bit of spree this weekend looking for ideas for using the different ingredients.  The box included a few items I've never cooked with before, namely fresh asparagus and rhubarb.  

First dinner using some of my goodies...I really enjoyed this meal.

And then mister found the empty box...and the inevitable happened.

So far I have made grilled asparagus (as a side to pepper steak) and a rhubarb pie.  I definitely found that getting the box inspired me to loads more home cooking.  I won't be getting a regular box just yet as I'm sure most of the stuff would go off before we got around to using it.  But as a catalyst for some inspiration I might just order the occasional box.

two posts in one day

 The start of my outdoor kitchen (I hope) - looking forward to summer

Simply Me

Time to simplify. This is a thought that has been on my mind a lot lately. And actually simplifying life is quite a complicated process. 

I know it's possible to have a completely simple life. And that could be nice. But it's not what I'm looking for. 

I suppose what I am talking about is efficiency. Streamlining all the need to do's so I have more time for the want to do's. 

I have been reading a lot about David Allen's GTD and find it very attractive. But I am 1) too lazy and 2) too parsimonious to buy his book. 

I have learnt a lot from the FlyLady - especially about the importance of routines. I have begun my Household Journal but it still needs to be worked into something usable. Right now it's a glorified reference book. 

Now is the time to take what I have learned from months of trawling the Internet and come up with my own system. When it's finalized I may blog about it. Or I may not. I am lazy after all. 

Market Day

Today we visited Hötorgshallen - an indoor food market in central Stockholm.  We bought some Oxtail as I am planning to make an Oxtail Potjiekos tomorrow.

The recipe I am going to try out can be found here:
http://funkymunky.co.za/potjierecipes.html

After wandering around the hall we walked around Stockholm for a little bit.  All the streets have been decorated with their Christmas lights.

It was -8C in Stockholm today, so we didn't wander around empty handed for very long.  We went to Chokladfabriken for my favourite of favourite indulgences...hot chocolate made from pieces of chocolate melted with steamed milk and flavoured with a Rum Ball.  Yum...I had a white chocolate one again.  Next time I think I'll have to give the Milk Chocolate one as the OH tried it and was suitably impressed.

Recently

I love my Polaroid simulator :-)

Snow has come to Sweden - and lots of it.  Are we in for an even more serious winter than the last?

Make mine a White Hot Chocolate, please!

We went into Stockholm today.  We wandered around Sergels Torg.  It's amazing that there are still so many tourists in Stockholm...in November.  Always after a day like today I think that we must do it again soon...and then months go by, and the thought of actually going into Stockholm for the day gets less and less appealing.   This time though we will be going into town again soon - we have friends coming to visit and so it was good today to be reminded of some of the interesting sights to show them.


We went to the Tudor Arms for lunch today - Steak & Mushroom Pie - yum yum!  Washed down with a Stella Artois pint.  The place was as busy as ever, but I think the food was better this time than last time.  


After lunch we took a walk to Chokladfabriken (The Chocolate Factory) for a little dessert.  I tried out a White Hot Chocolate - ooooh!  Now I want another one.

All together

Our little kitty curled up in the study with us this evening while we were browsing the internet and listening to music.  He's not completely sold on music yet - his education continues.  Tonight he has been listening to some Swedish Rock courtesy of Volbeat & Johnossi.

All in a day's work

Well, actually two day's work.  Matthew put up a new security light on the outside of our storage room.  And it works :-)

Smug

Grumman, settling in for the night.  

Late post

Photo taken last Saturday. We went for lunch with the family at Ett Glas in Norrtälje. Lunch was a well executed Entrecote with slow roasted tomato and a decadently creamy potato gratin. All in all a great experience - good food and great company.