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as far as work goes Saturday relly wasn't too bad. Although it was a twelve hour work day it didn't feel that long and I really enjoyed it... Maybe it was the fact that I was working at Twickenham in a corporate box, maybe it was the company of my equally enthusiastic co-workers or maybe it was the big tips... Or maybe it was a combination of all those things that made it one of the most enjouable days at work ever:)

Postcard from surf Devon

I know, it's been a week since we got back from our surf weekend but Ihave been working all week in Battersea park. I've been doing 12 hour days in the hospitality village organising the bar.

Last weekend, however, we popped down to north Devon for a spot of surfing. I got to use my gorgeous new surfboard for the first time. Harland also had a new (second hand) board to play on.

Below: me and the yet to be named board at Putsborough beach near Croyde.
When we got there on Friday morning we got in the cold sea as soon as we could.

On Saturday we went for a long drive followed by some surfing in the afternoon. On the Devon/Cornwall border we found Hokey Pokey:)

Sunset on our last day of surf antics.

Going back to London we took a trip down memory lane. A visit to that beautiful valley where we lived when we first left London. Thee is nothing like seeing old friends, an being welcomed with open arms (and paws).

midsummer madness

Although Swedes can be seen as a quite serious breed, they do know how to partay. Midsummer is one, and maybe the main, time of year when they let their hair all the way down and enjoy themselves. Letting your hair down Swedish style more often than not involves singing, dancing and drinking. For me the midsummer tradition of dancing around a flower clad pole pretending to be either frogs or musicians never struck me as being odd. But yesterday at the celebrations in Hyde park I almost felt like an outsider looking in, and I liked what I saw! At the same time there was a sense of familiarity and childhood memories.

You can take the girl out of Sweden but you can't take the swede out of the girl sma grodorna:) ko-ack-ack-ack. ko-ack-ack-ack-ackaaaaathe miniature midsummer pole

got my plopp!:)

you almost have to see it to believe it:


Love Danelles happy face in the video above. She looks like she belongs, perhaps she was Swedish in a previous life...

Dinner with a view

The great thing about summer is that you can take your dinner outside and make it taste one hundred times nicer than it would at the dinner table.

The great thing about London is that amongst all the hustle and bustle you can find a place of peace and quiet to sit and admire the view. Our dinner spot was on the river front in a small local park on our side of the river overlooking greenwich.

Oceans apart....

We received a letter from Harland's sister Rochelle and her family yesterday. Two drawings from Flynn(5) and Gracie (3). And although we haven't seen them for over a year it would appear we are still a part of their life. And it becomes apparent that where ever we go in the world we will always be without loved ones. And somehow that makes me feel very blessed, always knowing that wherever I am, I could be somewhere else, and still be loved. Sounds odd, I know....

As far as I understand, Flynnie drew this picture when he found out that we are engaged and getting married. I love the attention to detail; the aeroplane with us in it waving, all the lovehearts, the two little happy people holding hands; I wonder who's who?:)

Gracie had a go as well:)

Miss you.

Branches of a tree

When saying farewell to mormor on thursday, there were a lot of tears and there were times, even during the ceremony, that I was in denial over the fact that I will never see her again. I also felt that it was unfair that we will have to go without.

But there, by the grave after the ceremony and memorial, a certain little girl whispered something to her lillamormor whilst playing with the gravel and admiring the flowers. This girl is wiser than most adults, it has to be said. "Good-bye, thanks for everything". And there it was; everything that needed to be said.

Hejda, tack for allt

Because we have so much to thank mormor for. Little things, like all the warm memories that we will always have in our hearts. All the skills that she has taught us and knowledge she has passed on. Little things like providing us with support and words of wisdom, sometimes without us realising we were being helped. Big things like putting us on this planet. Because I stem, partly, from her. Had she done one thing different we might not be here. The choices she made in her life has affected all of us. All of a sudden it doesn't seem so unfair, we have been given so much!

And it makes you think; how relatively small decisions we make in life, such as taking up a certain hobby, moving to another town or even just going out dancing on night and then talking to a stranger in the street on the way home, can influence the rest of one persons life. And generations to follow. Ultimately, we are just branches on a giant tree ....

Not so black

Black was for many years the only coloured clothes I had... No real reason why, I don't think. Now days I enjoy injecting a bit more colour in to my life, nothing crazy, just a bit of blue and green etc. and I like it. So imagine my surprise when I found out that for work this weekend (catering, my gig over summer) I have to wear black and there were limited outfits to pick from in my wardrobe...
Speaking of the colour black, how's about a change in colour for the blog?????