miramiramazing

I've done four loads of laundry tidied and vacuumed , packed and unpacked trying to take the absolute minimum. NOT easy

Packing for 3 days in London , 5 in Canterbury and 3 at Rancho Collapso. Will it be hot or will the heatwave break ? Anything could happen. Hard to imagine cool weather when it is boiling hot and vice versa.

Jolly punky girl with many piercings came to pick up Ina's flat keys that were given to me to pass on. The PRIDE parade is on Saturday and Punky Girl and friends have come in from the countryside to watch , all excited.. much excitement. Last year PRIDE was fun and very colourful.

Lots to remember.

Started the day by paying bills and phoning telephone company. Success. Got 55 kr knocked off the monthly bill. Thank you very much

I'm feeling really tired now , Too tired to write . Peace zzzzzzzzzzzz will check in tomorrow . NIght night

A lovely hot and sunny Sunday. Stayed close to home today mainly on the balcony. Took my sewing out there - the bits that needed hand sewing.

It was like a sauna. Drank lots of water and watched the sweat pouring off me. A lovely way to detox. The skin does all the work so the kidneys get a bit of a rest

Ate light meals , fresh fruit smoothies and then garlic prawns in the evening after which a shower and into town to pick up my train tickets for tomorrow.

I'm going on the big train to Katrineholm and then bus 405 and ask to be put off between "Fagermon" ( fair mon ) and "Skogen" ( the woods ) where A-S should be watching out for the bus to flag it down in case the driver forgets.

A couple of days in the country in the middle of nowhere. Two days without the computer or the internet among the flowers, trees, birds and bees and possibly one or two nature beings.

Back on Wednesday take care and mind how ya go
xx

I wonder if it is Jupiter ?

According to the fantastic link that La_Spice sent ,( Stellarium ) that first star to appear in the sky as seem from my south facing balcony could be Jupiter, Pluto or Juno

Junowot ? .. I still don't know

x

It's a lovely balmy evening , anyway

It is GLORIOUS today hot and sunny I wish my balcony was bigger to accommodate a sun lounge chair.

I'm sitting on my ancient scrubbed pine chairs , wrapped in only a sarong , hair pinned up and off my face , feet up on the other chair and sweat pouring down my face. I love it. Don't mind sweating. All home comforts within easy reach.

Started reading " Women who run with the wolves " and the fairy tale about the girl with no hands. Gruesome tale until you start to look at it through the eyes of symbols and archetypes.

Mrs Pide landed on the balcony rail. We sat looking at each other for a while. She wanted to go to her nest under the plant pot stand in the corner behind me, but as I am now occupying the greater part of the space , she spent a long time debating
a) Is the landing strip big enough ?
b) Dare I land ..after all.. he big person is there.

Well, fly down and land she did and took her habitual place in the nest ontop of the plant pot under the plant pot stand

So there we are co-existing

I'm going back out there again tarra

hehehe

Woke up this morning in a lazy mood. A drifting down the river on a hot and sultry fragrant sunny summer's day sort of mood.

Melancholy, but not is a sad way. A pensive, reflective, contemplative , day dreamy sort of way.

The past is a familiar place. Cosy. Been there, done that. Safe. A lingering aftertaste to indulge in , before moving on

I think it is Venus, the evening star and morning star. I watched it appear in the south at 10pm while the sky was still light blue. It has since moved westwards or towards the right. It looks more like a thin crescent than a star.

Today was really hot , it must have been about 28 C and my balcony was like a sauna. I love it.

Anway , time for bed - can't seem to keep my eyes open

I wish sometimes that I was able to thread a pipe-cleaner ,or similar, through one ear and out the other to clean out the itch that is impossible to get at and drives you insane with the worst kind of itchy torture.grrrrrrrr

I don't know why it happens, but suspect it is to do with an allergy of some kind , possibly breathing in a bit of fluff or swallowing a fly while asleep ? Whatever...... a damn nuisance. I've taken antihistamines now, and the " attack" is over. Could this be what tylluanpenry would call a psychic attack ?

4am to 5am ..whatever ....... back to bed

HISTORIA DE UN LETRERO (THE STORY OF A SIGN)

This film by Alonso Alvarez Barreda "Historia de un Letrero "(The Story of a Sign) produced in Mexico/U.S.A.and was the winner of the NFB Online Competition Cannes 2008

P.S. The sign in Spanish says " Have compassion, I am blind, "

My Oyster card arrived today along with leaflets and brochures , thanks to my sister How kind ! Bless.

I'm looking forward to using it but admit to being a little nervous , as with all first times

Feet that is ... ouch Sought out the orthopedic shop that I was referred to for my wonky ankle. Alas not much joy there. Spent over an hour trying different things out , non of which seemed to help. I was so hopeful too. Disappointing Came out with a a sort of elastic bandage with two loops . Slip loop over toes and the over and under and round the ankle and then finally second loop goes over toes again Took me a while to get it right. Support yes , but not a solution. I suspect there may be a broken or cracked bone somewhere Will phone the doc tomorrow . Limping around is not much fun.

In other news - GLORIOUS hot and sunny day here. Had my lunch in front of Stadshuset overlooking the water and watching bus loads of Russian and Japanese tourists .

Now MacLappy and I are on the balcony as the sun goes down and it is getting cooler. Dinner was yummy - spinach and feta cheese pastries with tomato salad and a glass of chilled vin blanc. Just the thing. How was your day ? :Wave:

Happy Birthday , Doralene.
http://doralene.blog.co.uk/

May your heart and soul be filled to the brim with joy !

(((hugs ))))

From the Triple Goddess:

Fill my heart with Love, that my every teardrop may become a star. –Hazrat Inayat Khan

It is a very good practice to stand up with arms reaching toward the heavens in the shape of a chalice. Imagine you are being filled with the elixir of divine love. Let the radiant light of Aphrodite pour into your heart. You will find that people cannot resist you, for the joy that emanates from your loving demeanor is both healing and contagious. Light a candle in your home symbolizing the purity of love you wish to share with the world.

http://www.ishalerner.com/home/is1/reading_goddess_main.html

"A part of you has grown in me. And so you see, it's you and me together forever; and never apart, maybe in distance, but never in heart."

this made me chuckle

Ahem

Some people feel a strong urge to build , create , become involved, achieve, make an impact upon the world.....Others , after the natural expansion that comes with growing up has run its course , lead an outwardly unremarkable, seemingly more passive and relatively uneventful existance.......

......In past ages they have been called contemplatives. There is no place, it seems , in our contemporary civilization. On the arising new earth , however , their role is just as vital as that of the creators, the doers , the reformers. Their function is to anchor the frequency of the new consciousness on this planet. I call them frequency-holders. They are to generate consciousness through the activities of daily life , through their interactions with others as well as throug " just being ".

In this way they endow the seemingly insignificant with profound meaning. Their task is to bring spacious stillness into this world by being absolutely present in whatever they do. There is consciousness and therefore quality in what they do, even the simplest task. Their purpose is to do everything in a sacred manner. As each human being is an integral part pf the collective human cansciousness, they affect the world much more deeply than is visible on the surface of their lives.

-- Eckhart Tolle in " A New Earth . Awakening to your life's purpose."

Finally , someone who understands !!!

Had a physiotherapy session today. Foot is feeling wonky again. Fredrik played around with it trying to suss out what the problem was and I now have a referral to one of those orthopedic places for an ankle brace or some kind of support !

Just had a quick google and see that there is a world of support out there It all costs though

Sun is peeping through the clouds now after a right downpour, thunder and lightning.

The sewing machine is still out. I've unearthed more fabrics that I didn't know I had and paper patterns. With some patterns you need to add seams , some you don't. Some are the wrong size and I can't be bothered with alterations. Iron needed to smooth out paper patterns as well as fabric... snip , snip .....careful....cut on the fold....zig zag edges,thread needles ...remember right sides together .... Chaos reigns for another few days till I've got this out of my system and hopefully some new clothes to wear. I hate shopping for clothes.. hence the "bohemian" look

Break over .... hope you are enjoying your Monday

One of the advantages of being single is sharing my big bed with books. Inspiration at every turn should insomnia strike; it seldom does. I sleep surrounded by books and my journal so that I can catch a thought or dream by its tail and write it down as soon as it happens.

On waking this morning " The Power of Now " by Eckhart Tolle opened up as I picked it up and I read :

"Picking up "The Power of Now" again , reading and taking it in , all new and fresh in the moment. I notice I got the book 6 years ago, 2002. How time flies.

" Wherever you are, be there totally .....Waiting is a state of mind . Basically it means that you want the future : you don't want the present.You don't want what you've got.

With every kind of waiting you unconsciously create inner conflict between your here and now,where you don't want to be ,and the projected future , where you want to be . This greatly reduces the quality of your life by making you lose the present."
-- Eckhart Tolle

" So next time someone says 'sorry to have kept you waiting ' you can reply " That's all right . I wasn't waiting . I was just standing here enjoying myself - in joy in my self."

--Eckhart Tolle

No more waiting

I'm simply here and now

Sorry Meno , couldn't bring you a Hagabulle ( cardemon and cinnamon bun ) 'cos they hadn't baked any this weekend. WOT ? WHY NOT ? I inquired. " It's because the weatherman said it would be pouring down this weekend , so we didn't bake any ". Silly weather experts - what do they know ? This particular cafe is only open when it is fine. Anyway , I can share a bit of my walk with you

Strange flowers . What can they be ?


wild strawberries

Koppartälten

A carpet of dainty summer flowers

It's so much better if you use the criteria of how it feels than
whether you are right or wrong.

Then you begin to realize there is no actual fact about anything.

In other words, EVERYBODY is right, because what ever they believe,
Law of Attraction brings it to them.

- Abraham-Hicks -

It's a bit like " what you see is what you get " and " what you focus on , grows "

Still waking up ... *yawn and stretch *

Was I tired last night !

Came back from the picnic with the story tellers around 7.30 , ravenous for real food, I put the oven on as soon as I get in, pour myself a glass of Italian red and set about scrubbing and slicing potatoes , chopping onions , garlic and mushrooms. All the ingredients then go into my big cast iron pan, one by one with some olive oil to pre- cook before going into the oven to cook through and brown on top for about half an hour.

Meanwhile ,I put my feet up, sip my wine and watch a short film called " Carnival" about a group of travelling entertainers who arrive at a small town in Colorado , I think, The whole thing takes place about a hundred years ago. Small town mentality and clappy happy jesus people ..." praise the lord " and miracle fake faith healing

This keeps me happy while my meal is cooking in the oven. I then scoff my meal (which really hits the spot and is absolutely yummy) have another glass of wine and start to watch this really weird and slow-moving film called " broken pink flowers " or something like that. It is a bit retro and as I said before ,slow moving so I am fighting to stay awake, but want to know what happens. Nothing much does happen though Disappointing . The film ends and I summon up enough energy to crawl into bed.

Beautiful inspired dreams of painting and producing works of art.

For some reason I feel that the 19th July 2008 is significant and important. I may have read about it in an astrology report or prediction of some kind. Anyway, now I am obsessed with this date and it being important in some way. A time when portals of opportunity are wide open. A day for being clear about what you want and desire, because what you think and intend has a good chance of manifesting today.

My dream last night had a nightmarish quality to it; intriguing rather than terrifying.A psychopath with a gun appears and takes me to a Stups like building with lots of high steps. Together we climb up but I stop about 3/4 of the way up and he goes up to the top on his own where he occupies the premises in a gentle sort of way. He's not violent but exudes assertiveness and control.

Down at the bottom, I hear that taxi driver's wont give me a lift because they have seen me together with this man and are now afraid of me.

Two women in the dream are also afraid of this chap. I seee them in a room trying to cover themselves with blankets.

Another woman fills in a form for me which I take to an office and they give me a wad of money which I stuff in my sock ( ) and later hide about my person , somewhere else.

Some people in the supermarket feed me soup by the spoonful,( a loving spooful ) as they feel that I need to be nourished.

All in all an interesting captivating dream. Freud would , no doubt have a field day

Must get a move on - supposed to be meeting friends for a picnic in Haga Park at 2 pm

Toodle pip .. have a grand Saturday

LMAO this morning tee hee ha ha ha jackfrost and kev have me in stitches.

( I've written this post once already , but it seems to have gone *poooof* ... well here goes once again )

http://goodshiplollipop.blog.co.uk/2008/07/18/fantasy-island-4465983

Jack Frost’s Fantasy Island

Kev’s Doris http://eagle-eye.blog.co.uk/2008/04/11/intimate-moments-with-doris-4029029

Carry on lads

Went for a walk along Norrmälarstrand - a lovely path by the waterfront that leads right into town. Found a comfortable spot over looking the water and Västerbron bridge. The water was choppy as there was quite a wind and for a moment there it looked like rain , but , the rain clouds chose to pass by.

Anna-Stina came to dinner. I made an aubergine lasagne and mixed salad using the lettuce that I've been growing on the balcony - rocket and other kinds - Very tasty

After dinner we sampled the Madeira and we were not disappointed . Very nice it was

The moon isis gorgeous tonight. A heavy shower of rain earlier this evening has cleared the air a bit. There was a rainbow to in its usual place in the sky.

I've practically finished sewing my top. It's been quite a while since I've done any sewing so I am a bit out of practice. I kept having to thread the needle which is annoying , but apart from that no great challenges. Now there's pieces of fabric everywhere , paper patters , instructions and pins on the floor. It's a right mess, but I don't care. There's noone but myself to tell myself off.

Leonard Cohen has been keeping me company. Quite often it's the only music I can tolerate. Odd that. So soothing.

Only junk on television. I could quite easily do without. I'm sure watching TV makes me eat more. There's always some reference to food and drink, people tucking in, and they always make it seem so apetising. Here I go again . Time to nip into the kitchen for a snack before bedtime ?

"Ah we're drinking and we're dancing
and the band is really happening.......

....all the women tear their blouses off
and the men they dance on the polka-dots
and it's partner found, it's partner lost
and it's hell to pay when the fiddler stops:
it's CLOSING TIME

busted in the blinding lights of CLOSING TIME.... "

Had a lovely lunch with the Prof and his lady. They're both brown as berries and looked well and healthy. Lunch was an amazing couscous salad with oranges, grapefruit, cashews, avocado and grilled halloumi all tied together with a piquant citrus dressing.YUM ! A most unusual combination , but absolutely delicious.

Saw their Madeira holiday pics. Apparently the sea was amazing - the crystal clear and clean and surprisingly warm. Food in the restaurants mainly disappointing apart from one or two exceptions.Local fruit and veggies delicious when bought fresh. They'd rented a car for the day and travelled all over the island along zig zag mountain roads.

And.... I got a pressie

Cheers

Met A-S after work , sat in her back yard and drank wine.
We got through two bottles of wine.
I 'm feeling a little tipsy, but not drunk - it was over several hours , but still , it's been a while since I've indulged and it was fun.

A bunch of people celebrating a girl's 35th birthday were also there as well as grey Persian , James , as in James Bond , a most wild and delightful pussycat who kept trying to get into A-S's picnic basket

Earlier today , a client's cat Simba , greeted me by licking my toes !!! " " He's never done that before , ever ," said my client.I felt quite honoured and really enjoyed having my toes licked by this gorgeous green eyed cat. I can't imagine why my toes would be so tasty They were newly washed and it was only my right foot He did seem to enoy himself

In other news, the Prof and his lady are back from Madeira , all healed , brown and healthy . I am meeting them for lunch tomorrow

Hope y'all have had a good day

;wave:

My " Bucket List " here and now .. off the cuff for # adamantixx
# http://adamantixx.blog.co.uk

1. A week at a spa enjoying massages, manicure, pedicures , facials , acupuncture and all kinds of treatments for holistic wellbeing.

2. Meet my grandchildren to be .

3. Travel around Italy .. Florence, Damanhur, Venice

4. Have tea or share a bottle of wine and chat with Prince Charles. Think it would be interesting.

5. See the TajMahal by moonlight.

6. Have a pair of jeans and shoes specially designed and made to measure for comfortr and style.

7. Have a vernissage of my paintings - I would paint more so that I would have enough

8. Write a book and have a booksigning

9. Spend a night in the desert with a good guide and howl at the moon .

10. Meet my "other half" and live happily every after.

Earlier on today I was thinking about space - emptyness. Everything we know is in relationship with something or other. Everything is either form ( matter ) or no form. Things that appear solid are not when you get up close and there is lots and lots of space inbetween the other bits.

Light travelling at 300,000 km per second takes just over a second to travel between the earth and the moon. Light from our nearest star Proxima Centauiri travels for 4.5 years before it reaches the earth. Light from the Andromeda Galaxi takes 2.4 million years to reach us.

Our bodies are like that when you loo closely at them , under the microscope , magnified time and time again. Not solid at all, Mainly space.

This kind of thinking kind of makes my brain hurt. I enjoy it for a while and then I have to do something else. Today I got out some fabric , a dress patteren and my sewing machine. I've been snipping away , humming and ahhhhing and now a top is cut out and ready to be stitched together. It is anyones guess what it will turn out like .. we shall have to wait and see.

Had a couple of glasses of Kir with my evening meal and now I am thinking about bed.

Mrs Pidge has settled down for the night too. Amazing how she vacates the balcony for me during the day and returns there to sleep

Hope everyone is well and happy

xx

"I work with Diamonds " by Jules Sparkle

" Sex on the beach" by Sandy Shorts

"Danger " by Luke Out

" At the Dentist's " by Yin Pane

" Downpour" by Wayne Dwopps

" I say so " by Frank.O.Pinion

" It's a hold up" by Nick R.Elastic.

" Slap me Happy " by Ben Dover

What will it be ? 40 days of sun , or 40 days of rain?
It will all be decided tomorrow . 15 July , St Swithun's day

St Swithin’s Day, if it does rain
Full forty days, it will remain
St Swithin’s Day, if it be fair
For forty days, t'will rain no more.

The weather is really strange this summer. Not very Swedish at all and more English. Usually summers are either rainy and cold for a few weeks and then sunny and hot for a few weeks, but this year since the middle of May it has been sunny every day, cool , sometimes hot and very changeable.

This morning was cloudy to begin with, then sunny and bright , an hour or two of heat and then threatening clouds and heavy showers for an hour or so. Now, I can see the bright moon rising through the clouds.

Looked in on a friend's flat . Picked mail, emptied rotting rhubarb and lettuce and milk from the fridge and left fresh fruit , bread ,milk and cheese . It's nice to have food in when you return tired from a trip.

I got home tired and ravenous after all the shopping and walking around. Mad myself a sandwich : a couple of slices of crusty Italian country bread, soft creamy blue cheese mashed gently into the bread and topped with slices of tomato and devoured greedily. Food can be orgasmic !! It doesn't have to be complicated. Simple and tasty hits the spot

mmmmmmmmmm

Have a wonderful day http://lifeinjelly.blog.co.uk/!

X

On TV tonight , The Exorcism of Emily Rose - a 2005 horror/thriller film directed by Scott Derrickson.

Horror films are not my cup of tea so I kept getting up to clean the kitchen and tidy the living room. Managed to do the dishes, tidy and clean surfaces as well. It all helped to dissipate the evil demonic vibes

Apparently the film is based on the true story of Anneliese Michel, a young Catholic woman from Germany who died in 1976 after unsuccessful attempts to cure her from the alleged state of demonic possession with the use of psychotropic drugs. It was a church-approved exorcism that was performed on her according to her wish but the court found her death was caused by the medical neglect of the priest watching over her.

Watched the moon set again- even more orange than last night and tonight she set in a different place. I really don't understand her moves

*yawn* time for bed ... night night all

" Help yourself. Have a banana while shopping." signed : The staff at Hemköp supermarket where I did my shopping today.

So I had a banana and munched away happily as I did my grocery shopping.
Wasn't that a nice gesture ?   

On the way home I was stopped by 4 people in the space of 5 minutes; two young guys in a car ( who says guys never stop to ask directions ) and and old couple .. all of them wanted to know where the nearest tube station was.

Wasn't that strange?

Sitting here with MacLappy with a huge grin on my face and feeling quite daft after reading friends posts and commenting.

Sadly dafter left a long time ago *sighs* end of grin

I've had breakfast, done my gratitude journal, read posts and commented and that's it . THat's as far as I've got today.

I'm really excited about going to London and Canterbury and staying at Rancho Collapso for the weekend. *oooooo excitement *

Early mornings and changes in my routine for 11 days or so, shaking up set ways , which, I think is a good thing to do from time to time. The older I get the more set in my ways I become. I can be quite stubborn.

Last night I saw a film about people who had found the spring of youth and they simply didn't age and could not be killed. They were " doomed " to live forever. On the surface of it sounds wonderful , but when you think about it .. would you want to ? Stay a certain age , never age and life for ever watching your friends go old and die but having to live on ?

I wouldn't want that .. would you ?

Happy Sunday

She's really stong tonight.
There's a lovely stillness.
Tranquility.
I'm going to take my lantern out on to the balcony and gaze at the moon before she sets which won't be long now as she's low down and a bright orange now.

I'm doing my laundry. Has to be done before things start crawling down to the cellar on their own. All my jeans are in the wash. 2 machine loads already with jeans and smalls. Should I do towels and sheets too and a piece of turquoise linen fabric that needs to be washed and pre-shrunk before being turned into something ... ?

This is a beautiful site

I've just spent nearly an hour on the phone with the telephone company. I switched recently from Telia to Tele2. Tele2's subscription costs are lower but maybe not so much as their prices are quoted exclusive of 25% taxes. You also have to know if you are being quoted for a month , two months or three months and if it is FULL month or not quite a month.

Anyway, they'd made a mistake and charged me 139 kr too much on one bill which they blamed on a technical error and refunded. I also questioned a charge which they call " charge for extending a contract or making changes to an existing agreement "

I pointed out their representative who signed me up assured me there would not be any extra charges and that I felt cheated by this - so they gave me 100 kr credit , about half the sum of this charge. " Not something we usually do , but will in this case as a gesture of goodwill " which makes me wonder how often they have to dish out these " gestures of good will ". I expect they are still making a profit from the 90 % or whatever who never bother to question or complain ...after all , it does take time. So , what it boils down to , I was paid about 100kr an hour for my time

Right .. that's it .. I have ventilated now and can move on , a happy bunny

In his introduction The Sufis, a book Robert Graves co-wrote with Idries Shah, Graves translates a poem of the Sufi mystic Ibn Arabi (1165-1240) which illustrates a triple goddess as a theme among medieval Sufis:

I follow the religion of Love,

Now I am sometimes called

A Shepherd of gazelles

And now a Christian monk,

And now a Persian sage.

My beloved is three-

Three yet only one;

Many things appear as three,

Which are no more than one.

Give Her no name,

As if to limit one

At sight of Whom

All limitation is confounded.

In this book, Robert Graves and Idries Shah explore the influences that medieval Kabbalah and pre-Islamic Sufi beliefs had on surviving pre-Christian folk-traditions in Europe.

The Goddess can be both compelling and subtle.

She enters my life in subtle ways.
whispers that grow louder as I reflect on them.
They morph and take root in me, in my body, feelings, mind and spirit.

Symbols speak.

Fucus vesiculosus

Sounds rather naughty , doesn't it, but it is seaweed.

"The main use of bladder wrack (and other types of seaweed) in herbal medicine is as a source of iodine, an essential nutrient for the thyroid gland. Bladder wrack has proved most useful in the treatment of underactive thyroid glands (hypothyroidism) and goitre.[6] }} Through the regulation of thyroid function, there is an improvement in all the associated symptoms. It has a reputation in helping the relief of rheumatism and rheumatoid arthritis, both used internally and as an external application upon inflamed joints.[citation needed] A chemical constituent of bladder wrack called alginic acid swells upon contact with water; when taken orally, it forms a type of "seal" at the top of the stomach, and for this reason is used in several over-the-counter preparations for heartburn.[citation needed] The same constituent gives bladder wrack laxative properties as well.[citation needed] Other proposed uses of bladder wrack include treating atherosclerosis and strengthening immunity, although there is no scientific evidence at present that it works for these purposes.

Bladder wrack should not be used in cases of hyperthyroidism or cardiac problems, or during pregnancy and lactation. Excessive dosage (many times the recommended dosage) may lead to hyperthyroidism, tremor, increased pulse rate and elevated blood pressure."

from :

Two days away can seem like a week. This morning , I wasn't sure what day it was. I turned up for my physiotherapy appointment with Fredrik only to find his door closed and the rest of the clinic and gym empty. Odd. Being a good girl , I started cycling to warm up and then exercises before knocking on F's door. It was Wednesday, I did have the right time and Fredrik was running late. End of confusion

Anyway, I've been catching up with comments and about 12 private posts until now plus a backlog of emails. So , this is what's happened since my last post. ( Accountability )

Left home around noon on Monday for Lena's island and the GJLM sleepover It's not only Lena's island, she shares it with half a dozen neighbours. Elk Island , accessible only by boat. Arghhhhh or plane.

Vi. Lena's 21 year old daughter joined us 4 Wise Women , Crones and made us feel ever so special and wise. It is a rare thing to be appreciated by an intelligent young being, who seems to be well ahead of her years.

What can I say about these 2 days ? Time ceases to exist when the 4 of us meet. It is an intense time , lots of talking, listening , laughing , eating and drinking until 2 a.m. and then starting again after a hearty and leisurely breakfast.

Around midnight we all listened to a " sommar " talk on the radio. " Sommar " is a Swedish tradition. Every summer for about 12 weeks , usually a well known person is chosen to speak on any topic that they choose to fill 80 minutes on the air with talk and music.

This time it was an unusual 53 year old priest, Olle Carlsson , author of the book " Christianity for Atheists " who in in 1997 started turning Allhelgonakyrkan in Stockholm, into Sweden's most popular and well attended church,always packed and very mixed congregation.

Olle himself said he had tried to be an atheist and battled with alcoholism and nearly losing everything before he found himself.He spoke simply and sincerely.The music played included Bob Dylan and Bob Marley and lead to each of us sharing what we would talk about if we were chosen to be " Sommar Speakers ".

This is a good spot for consulting The Goddess and inspired listening to the " Sommar" speaker, the priest from Allhelgona .... what's his name ....Olle Carlson

A glimpse of the Goddess.

At 4 a.m. this morning , a pink rainbow and a bit of sunshine . Now , 13 C  and raining .  

Typical.

Glorious sunshine would have been better for our trip out to Lena's island and our GJLM sleepover !

Hmmm------maybe a change of plans ? I'm taking my warm jacket , socks and layers of clothes.

I'm not pleased about this but still .......

...says Mira returning from the balcony after hearing noises. Twas a randy pigeon on my neighbour's balcony trying to rape a small delicate looking pidge. She was not having any of it. and after evading his advances several times, flew off to safety to the house opposite. He remained behind all puffed up and disgruntled. I wonder if it is the same Mr PIdge that has been knocking up my Mrs Pidge , who has once again taken her place on the nest in the plantpot under the plant stand on my balcony.

In other news, I've just had dinner. Poached fish in a white wine sauce, new potatoes and ruccola salad.YUM On my second glass of vin blanc

The Prof and JOhanna stopped by for a chat on their way to dinner. Johanna wanted him to phone and tell the hosts that he was having difficulty chewing " what if they are serve steak ? " She argues.. it will be embarrassing ( thoughtful girl ) " NO fuss " Says the ProF.. " no fuss " and I kind of have to agree with him too

The Prof had bought big sun glasses as a cover up. I laughed so hard when he put them on to shiw me, I'm ashamed to say .They reminded me of ones I had in the 70s Naughty mamma As they left he'd picked mine up by mistake so I had to catch them before they drove off.

Also spoke to my sisters in England to talk about neices wedding next year. The wedding is in NOrthampton on the weekend of the Silverstone car race , 20 June , so they reckon we have to book hotel accommodation now. None of us are used to planning so far ahead. Ah well ....

;wave;

" A friend is , as it were , a second self "

This lovely singing bowl and funny card are  from Penny, my dear friend in Silverdale.
I'm going to frame this one

Mikael rang while I was in the shower this morning. Somehow I cannot let the phone just ring as it might be important. Wet puddle on the floor and remind myself to tread carefully .. don't want to slip do we ?

Met Mikael in town and made our way to Norra Mälarstrand for lunch. .There are quite a few bars and floating restaurants there. Felt luxurious a bit like being in Monte Carlo or some other Mediterranean resort, especially in the sun. Good food , very limited menu but nice and fresh.

After that a walk through town . Left Mikael and browsed through shops on the way to the train.

Back home, dinner and a bit of TV a programme about Agatha Christie and another with Palin in the Himalayas.

Was going do a bit of sewing and make a top using the pattern I bought the other day , but can't be bothered. It's nearly 11 pm and I am feeling drowsy ... time for bed ...

Spent hours this evening fiddling around with documents and company and stationery from PC to MacLappy.

I have a company logo as a jpeg which I have emailed to MacLappy and tried in vain to make a decent letterhead on Mac. It takes me a while but I usually work out ways that work for me , but right now can't for the life of me reduce the jpeg logo in size. There must be a simple way of doing this.

I've also seen some very nice invoice templates in Mac. They seem to contain programmed cells,so when you change figures the calculations go wonky.

Maybe I'll just keep my work stuff on the old PC, but that is a bit defeatist innit ?

Ajnspencer was not the only one shopping for shoes yesterday. I hates it too. I have feet that don't like to be squeezed and pinched and restricted. They complain .. a lot , and let me know it .... so when I find a pair of shoes that are comfortable , I wear them until the disintegrate and virtually fall off my feet.

So yesterday , after my meeting in town , I go walkabout , in search of shoes , or sandals to be more precise. My last pair bought 5 years ago before my summer in Greece. 5 summers is pretty good going.

Yesterday , the gods were smiling . After a minor set back in Löpparlabet a specialist sports shop which was my first stop, I was told they only sell lace-ups now. BUT almost next door was the ecco shoe shop and they were marvellous.. full of sensible,comfortable and quite attractive footwear. They are like these

http://www.ecco-shoes.co.uk/shop/mens-shoes/andes.php only black So I was one happy bunny . I'm leaving nothing to chance though and will check with Fredrik my physiotherapy angel to see if they will do.

Next, still bouncing along the road ,in my "one happy bunny mode " was stopped by young guy from Eritrea who was collecting funds for Medecins San Frontieres http://www.msf.org/ a humanitarian aid organisation .

Having just bought a pair of ecco sandals that I badly needed I pleaded "no money to spare " We exchanged a few words and he said " well thanks for stopping for a chat .. have a good day " and I walked on.

Then the thoughts come. Inner dialogue thoughts.He was so nice ....5 Euros a month is nothing .... I can do that ... I've just been blessed with a comfy pair of shoes and there are little people out there badly hurt, some without legs or feet ....and I turn round.. walk back a block ... find Billy ( that was his name) and say " Sign me up for 5 Euros a month ( 50 kr ) " .

Billy reassures me " you can always freeze payments if things get tough " . " I don't want to think about that " says I - they 'll not get that tough "

As soon as I've left Billy there's a homeless guy ( by this time I'm on a self - righteous high from the joy of giving ) so homeless guy also gets 1 euro . He's been homeless for 13 years and has quite a lot to say about his situation and it wasn't getting any better , he said. I got the feeling he was resigned to his situation in life.

I turn a corner and see a bin of black cotton t-shirts for an unbelievable 10 kronor - 1 euro !! and I buy 2

The train on the way home is packed. I'm standing there with my bags wishing for someone to get off at the next stop ...AND ... SOMEONE DOES !!! say no more . Thank you thank you thank you. All this is going in my gratitude journal to be read on a rainy day.

I am ... a horrible, horrible, nasty person

I'm sorry , Mrs Pidge. I had to take the egg away. I can't have little Pidges appearing every month. I'm sorry , please forgive me . Thank you . I love you .

Mrs Pidge flew away while I harvested the egg, returned distraught and settled down again on the empty nest. I feel terrible. This was the 5th egg. Two hatched, grew up and flew away , one hatched and died and two were disposed off my nasty horrible Mira

*sighs*

Set the alarm for 9 and now an hour later I'm still waking up. I have written my diary , washed the dishes from last night, on my second big glass of hot water and about to hit the shower and ablutions .. that word always makes me think of Andrew, alias The Weasel. Morning rituals. I love'em. After that, two hours of work and then off I go into town for a meeting with a new client.

I wonder how long the bus strike will last. My soul sisters and I are planning a sleepover on Lena's island on Monday and the last part of the journey requires a bus ride to the jetty where Lena comes and picks us up in the boat.

Btw Mrs Pidge is STILL sitting on her nest. Third day now. Won't move. Doesn't leave even to stretch her legs or flex her wings. How long can she keep this up ? I hope she's ok .

Better get a move on .. see ya later

I made lucreziaborgia 's Italian salmon recipe tonight and it was absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS ! Crisy on the outside , tender and succulent on the inside. Perfect!

Here it is , a la lucreziaborgia

" Salmon fillet. Two plates, one with good, I repeat, good extra-virgin olive oil, enough to cover the flat plate, and one, again flat, with a mixture of bread crumbs (I make my own with days' old bread, but you can buy it too) and parmesan cheese, grated. A pinch of salt in the oil OR in the crumbs/cheese.

Dip the salmon in the oil first, soak well, and then roll it in the crumbs. Pat the crumbs onto the salmon so they stick.

Now, put the fish in a frying pan WITH NOTHING in it, no oil or butter, nothing. The pan needs to be very hot so that it will sear the salmon without burning, because the fish has oil inside it already.

Turn it after three minutes or so and cook the other side.

Done!

Even healthier: put the oiled and 'crumbed' salmon in an oven tray and in the oven for twenty minutes. No need to turn or oil in the tray. it'll be crispy and delicious with greens and home-made bread."

I used my own bread too, blitzed it into crumbs and mixed with herb salt , lemon pepper and parmesan ...YUM !!!

Thanks lucrecia .. I opted for the oven version .. dead easy

Busses are on strike today      http://www.thelocal.se/12760/20080701/

1. Drunken Swede attempts to row home from Denmark »
2. French man with two asses surprises Swedish officials »
3. Deogan family anger at YouTube pic »
4. Stockholm bus strike looms »
5. Stockholm awash with inner city children »

It's all in The Local - Swedish news in English .isn't that nice. Don't have to rely on Mira as she doesn't know what's going on anyway 
http://www.thelocal.se

A sunny, blue skies and 20+day here. I'm hoping it will get warmer.

I had another scary nightmare last night in which The Prof , a teenager , had fallen into bad company and was taking drugs. Horrors. In the dream I tried in vain to talk to him but his eyes were glazed and distant. He did however respond to my niece Helena showing him a big blue painting she had done of a door or French window. It was in different shades of blue and very beautiful. In the dream Helena was teaching 10-12 year olds and had given them essays to write , whereas in real life she is a primary school teacher. Significant ? I don't know.

This is the second of unpleasant dreams I have had within a week. The other one was very sci-fi and involved aliens spitting out chewing gum -like goo as their way of possessing or taking us over.

Even though these dreams are unpleasant , I can't help feeling that they are beneficial in some way- a bot like airing the darkest creveces of the psyche.