miramiramazing

Switched on the TV this morning and learned that ;

There are about 17,000 homeless people in Sweden, the exact number is not known as people refuse to take advantage of shelters as there are too many rules and regulations.

EVERYONE is entitled to a roof over their head BUT there are rules.
They have to be in by 7p.m. and out by 9:30 a.m.
What they get is a bed, shower, food and maybe a new clean pair of socks.

There is so much I don't know

What I DO know is that there are many who fall through the cracks and then the question is Do I give money or not ? Some say don't , they will only spend it on drugs or booze. I feel bad when I pass the guy standing in the tube station selling " Situation Stockholm " the official magazine for the homeless. There 's one in every tube station and street corner in town, You can't avoid them. *sighs* but what to do ?

What happens to food that is left over at the end of the day at restaurants , food halls and shops ?
A food hall stall owner says " Someone from the Salvation Army comes to picks it up at the end of the day " but... does it reach the homeless ?

So much I don't know

*yawn* in case you are wondering why am the early hour of this post - it is because the Radon man cometh
:

In July 2004 the Swedish government set new detection limits of 200Bq/m3 for private real estate and public buildings.

This was done to reduce the risk of lung cancer in the population and in correspondence to the national goal of having measured and reduced the indoor radon level for residential buildings by the year 2020.

Radon gas apparently comes from the ground and sometimes levels are very high. I thought this was only a problem for buildings built in the 60s but apparently it can occur in older buildings too.

I set my alarm for 7 a.m. as he needed access between 7:30 and 8:30 and of course I wake up around 6 just because I have programmed myself.

Anyway.. he's been and gone now , mission accomplished.

I have two little black discs that have been placed on top of cupboards in the living room and bedroom . They will stay there for two months collecting information and after that will be sent away to be analysed.

Back to bed for a snooze

There was chaos today ue to the Russian presidential visit. The whole of the centre the centre of Stockholm was cordoned off and police escorts out to Arlanda airport. I waited ages for a bus and finally gave up and took the tube.

Yesterday Maarja and I went to another concert at Engelbrekts church. ( click to see pics ) This time it was the Latvian State Choir and they were very good. Fantastic acoustics in the Art Nouveau style church .

A few of my Latvian friends were there,  all enthusiastic about the 18th November celebrations in honour of the Proclamation of Latvia's independence on 18 November 1918. Celebrations going on in Stockholm and the National Anthem being sung at the same time by Latvians throughout the world: 8 pm Sweden, 7 pm England 9 pm Latvia and so on.

I cannot get excited about this patriotic nonsense. My dear friend Maarja,  bless her Estonian roots , thinks I have a wound that needs healing. She may be right. of course I sympathise . I would hate to be taken over by the Russians and forced into being a communist, but then I was forced to be Latvian too in a way. " you are not to marry that man " said my father the day I introduced The Prof's Venezuelan father. " you are to marry a Latvian ". he said , and he meant it. 

I was born in England of Latvian parents who did their best to bring me up as a good Latvian. I attended Latvian school, learned to read and write the language, history and geography. Danced in a Latvian folk dance group too, which I enjoyed at the time as it was also my social life . All that changed when I left home at 18 to go to college in Birmingham and my personal independence started. Each to their own , but I find labels so limiting . Why can't I be a citizen of the universe ? 

Are roots important ? Why ?

This was sent ( no pun intended) me by a friend and sparked off my previous post on Scent

Hope you find it useful. As always ... discernment, in all things

Scents to Seduce Your Lover

The power of aroma in love

by Martine Jeanne Craughley

And remember how closely linked scent can be to memory: your sweetie will be recalling this night for years, if you get it right.

Male vs. female

If a male is your target, scientific tests reveal that men become aroused by the scents of pumpkin, vanilla and cinnamon. To intrigue a man, warm a drop or two of those essential oils in a saucepan to leave him weak in the knees. If you're trying to seduce a woman, the recipe is simpler. The fragrance of black licorice will trip her wire. Try star anise essential oil, or boil some black licorice and water in a saucepan before she arrives.

Whenever you are working with essential oils, you'll only want to use a couple of drops. They're potent, and too much will literally repel the other person. Also, if either you or your partner is pregnant, avoid essential oils, as they can be toxins. You may prefer to use scented candles, or perfumes - for a lighter effect.

Those scents will be the base of your love potions, but to make your prospect or partner really melt, you'll need to get specific. Each astrological element - Fire, Air, Earth and Water - responds sexually and powerfully to different fragrances. For a powerful potion of scents-ual seduction, you'll want to add in fragrant notes that correlate with your lover's primary element:

Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius)

Juniper - a stimulating erotic scent that makes negativity waft away

Frankincense - potent, and known for its ability to open spiritual channels to ecstasy

Ginger - a spicy, seductive scent that inflames sensuality

Earth signs (Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn)

Rosemary - a fresh, stimulating scent that awakens devotion and undercurrents of eroticism

Basil - gentle, it enlivens love and invigorates passion and fertility

Lavender - a calming scent that enfolds the beloved with a sense of being nurtured

Air signs (Gemini, Libra, Aquarius)

Sandalwood - an ancient aphrodisiac that inspires experimentation - a perfect accompaniment to Tantra

Cedarwood - inspires spirituality in eroticism, and allows for a deep focus on one's partner

Clary Sage - creates mental clarity, releases inhibitions, and stimulates the erotic body

Water signs (Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces)

Jasmine - known for its sensual properties since the ancient Asian civilizations, it bewitches and intrigues

Orange blossoms - lifts the emotions and brings a sense of lightness and energy

Ylang Ylang - a powerful sexual stimulant that arouses the libido, attraction and sensuality

Seduction

To get the most from the seductive properties of scent, prepare a bath in a candlelight bathroom. Add a couple of drops of oil (only a couple of drops). If your partner enjoys the sensation of silken bubbles, add a little bit of bubble bath. Once you and your lover are soaked and relaxed, use a loofah to work up a lather, and stimulate the skin. To incite trembles of delight afterward, gently stimulate erogenous areas with a sliver of ice.

Then towel each other off, rub in a soothing cream - and retire to the bedroom. If all goes well, your scrubbed bodies will be intertwined in no time at all!

Scent, perfume, fragrance , eau de toilette ...
For years .. well over 30 I have been loyal to one in particular. It's been almost like a signature. A friend whom I haven't seen for years gives me a hug and exclaims " ahhhhh Shalimar ..... "

A fragrance, like taste , is not the easiest thing to describe, but here's one that I like from a review

Shalimar in extrait is, simply put, one of the glories of French perfumery. The base is rich, smoky and animalic; it smells mysterious and sophisticated, and frankly, dirty, almost indecently so. It hails from an era before fresh-from-the-shower became everyone's notion of sexy; Shalimar is sexy precisely because it smells unclean.

There IS something erotic about bodily scent , BEFORE it turns rancid, if you know what I mean ...

But back to Shalimar

Shalimar (1925): Named after the garden in Lahore, built by Shah Jahan in memory of his wife, Shalimar is one of the first perfumes to successfully incorporate large amounts of vanillin in its composition. The scent of Shalimar is deep and velvetly black with the scent of lemon hinted medicinal vanilla. This is the flagship perfume of the House of Guerlain.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guerlain

Yes .. it's Shalimar for me or ...sometimes 'Insolence'

What about you ?

Afternoon tea with The Prof and his lady yesterday was DELIGHTFUL 

Having missed the bus I text to say I'm delayed.
Text comes back
- 8 or 15 minutes ?
*thinks*
- Wot ?
I've never been good at texting - it takes me forever.I phone from Odenplan to say that my train is terminating there and I have to wait for the next one to go the extra stop.

That's ok, says The Prof but his precision is puzzling me.

I arrive to hugs and kisses and hot scones straight out of the oven

Johanna explains that TheProf says " mum is usually on time .... I want to know when to put the scones into the oven "

awwwwwww

- What sort of tea would you like ?
- hmmmmmm
- Here is our 'modest' collection *points to a dozen or so different teas* ... red , white, green and black
- Hmmm I'll go for Vanilla green , please .

My freshly baked hot scone is fluffy light and scrumptious with whipped cream, raspberry jam .. I also try a little ginger marmalade later on.

The new kitchen and white wooden floors look great.

*admiration*

We watch my nieces wedding DVD and Johanna shows us her sister's wedding pics.

After that I have a little chat with Mr The Fish
and tell him I I am really looking forward to his coming to stay with me again over Christmas.

Altogether a lovely scrumptious and cosy Sunday afternoon tea.

Afternoon tea , with the Prof and Lady J

Freshly baked scones ... mmmmmmmm....

Enjoy your Sunday . See you later ,

XXX

Darkness all day long.
Not much daylight.
Don't feel like doing anything.
Sorted the laundry out and did the dishes
Alexander phoned to invite me round for tea tomorrow.
Phones and broadband working
I'm taking things easy today, snacking on left overs and watching TV.
Nothing much to say -I'm very much  in a state of semi hibernation.


Two things have caught my attention as I browsed the net earlier  :


Irshad -Manji and THE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION. No direct connection there, but these two things belong together I think.

Firstly the woman named Irshad - Manji - who appears to be controversial. An activist, loved and hated. Yes, she generalises, but she also speaks from the heart and what she says resonates with me. Surely a religion or belief that is strong and sound stands up to criticism ? Irshad Manji is really stirring things up and I believe , a breath or fresh air. I admire her courage as she constantly receives death threats for what she says and writes. These days it doesn't seem to be politically correct to critcise or have strong opinions about religion.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irshad_Manji X


Irshad Manji - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Source: en.wikipedia.org
Irshad Manji (born 1968) is a Canadian feminist, author, journalist and activist. Manji is Director of the Moral Courage Project at New York University. The Moral Courage Project aims to teach young leaders to speak truth to power in their own communities. Manji is openly lesbian.

The second thing, which is also important this day and age is Compassion,






THE CHARTER FOR COMPASSION
Source: dotsub.com
http://dotsub.com/view/4468573a-9796-44e0-8f30-fbe2b9085721
Hear the words of the Charter for Compassion.
www.charterforcompassion.org
Read the Charter for Compassion here http://charterforcompassion.org/


As important as it is to bring the world together , a certain amount of stirring up is probably necessary for change to take place.


Everything has a place and there is a place for everything

This is part of the ongoing saga of the on going Mira Telecommunications Saga; changing of service provider and telephone broadband package. As you know , broadband worked fine, but phone was only good for out to receive calls, not make them.

New phone was purchased to solve this problem.

No joy

Techie support, ComHem Lasse then sent new modem, which has been here for a day or so waiting to be connected.

This morning, I discovered to my horror that broadband was gone too

It took 15 minutes just to get through to support ComHem Birgitta this time, who informs me that the old modem is no longer in service and the internet signal is now going to new modem waiting to be connected.

Just connect the new modem - says ComHem Birgitta.

I look at the spaghetti junction of cables - no way, says I. Can't do it

CHBirgitta then says she can connect old modem back but then if she does that , it will take 3-4 days to get broadband back.

That won't do - says I
Try- says CHBirgitta- I'll call back before I leave for home to see how you are getting on.

Mira then phones the Prof who can't come by tomorrow.

Try mum - says the Prof- you can do it. What have you got to lose ?

Mira returns to cables and starts switching over from old modem to new modem. Some are very difficult to unscrew. Intesnse focus and concentration ......

Finally , lights blinking on new modem Mira bravely turns to MacLappy et voila ! Eureka ... internet works .

Phone is dead though no calls coming in or out

At least I have the INTERNET *happy face*

The Fathers mount a protest against a blasphemous film...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT9xuXQjxMM

oops .. hope the link works this time....here's another one ,,,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLTnacYvvg4&NR=1

hehehehe night night blogland

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLTnacYvvg4&NR=1

Finally, a bit of blue after several weeks of dull and grey. I'm taking a picture of it before it goes away. These moments deserve to be recorded.

If this carries on , we may get a glimpse of the moon tonight .

Have a lovely day , friends :9

Brunch with Emmerdale is a habit of mine. The programme starts and 12:00 and I am usually there in front of the telly watching and getting involved emotionally. Powerful stuff coming from 'the old country' - it's where I grew up- with characters similar to the inhabitants of Emmerdale.

Today, Lisa had a melt down suspecting her husband Zak the gamekeeper of having if off with Rosemary , The Lady of the Manor , as it were.

Now Zak and Lisa are devoted to each other and finally made it up thanks to Rosemary having a woman to woman talk with here, setting her mind to rest and then going home to sit in a darkened room at the Manor , all alone , to have a right good cry. So there we all are , bawling our hearts out

Aren't relationships wonderful ? There's nowt as queer as folk ....am I being daft ?

btw Rosemary King , is( was ) played by Linda Thorson reveals a few secrets here ...

This next is the 'future' for me as we are 3 years behind, but you can see the Dingles , Lisa and Zak

will get on with my day now ......

D.H.Lawrence , Women in Love , Ken Russell

One of my favourite films by my favourite classical author- D.H. Lawrence.

There's a nude wrestling scene in this film that is also very good.

night night..

Julian Rachlin Lithuanian violinist and violist is AMAZING - At one point Julian Rachlin performed a brilliant violin solo as well as conducting !!!

Tonight's concert at Koncerthuset , Stockholm with the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra was OUTSTANDING. !

I was totally captivated ,  sat there soaking up every sound and note, marvelling at this guy's  genius  talent and skill .....his powerful , passionate interpretation of the music...  music that reached the depths of my soul. He made that violin sing in much the same way as Jimmy Hendrix . We were all on our feet at the end.

NOVEMBER 9 at 19:30

Stockholm Konserthus / Hötorget 8 / Box 7083 103 87, Stockholm, Sweden

I

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791)

Symphony No. 29 in A major, K. 201

Allegro moderato / Andante / Menuetto: Allegretto – Trio / Allegro con spirito

FRANZ LISZT (1811–1886)

Après une Lecture de Dante: Fantasia quasi Sonata

(“Dante Sonata”) from the Années de pèlerinage, Deuxième Année: Italie,

S. 161, No. 7 (arr. for violin and stings by Sergej Dreznin)

II

ALBERTO IGLESIAS (1955*)

Factory of Silence for viola and strings

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA (1921–1992)

The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires, four tangos for violin and string orchestra

(arr. by Leonid Desiatnikov)

Autumn / Winter / Spring / Summer

Bless Maarja for taking me - this concert was truly amazing .

The day has whizzed by.

Made a batch of gingernuts and Lena N. dropped by to return the sleeping bag she borrowed. 3 weeks in Peru and many tales to tell .. bathing in ice cold waters of sacred lakes and also hot springs, chewing of cocca leaves , high altitudes , long bus journeys to remote places without electricity ... shamanic rituals .....

Munched on biscuits and drank green tea.

I haz wanderlust or should that be wonderlust ? Not Peru , but Damanhur
*sighs* I have been on my way there for several years and not quite managed.
Now the call is very strong.
I intend to get there ... somehow ... soon

In other news, spoke to me mum. My sister called yesterday and shared her frustrations. Mum is a feisty lady with a wicked tongue and has been upsetting my sister who does SO MUCH to help and does not get acknowledged for it

So today I listened to mum .. and listened some more. Since my sister had put me in the picture listening with equanimity came easier . I stayed calm .. it was fine.... and I do hope this listening helps.

btw consult the synchronistic oracle here

It gave me great advice. I shall consult again tomorrow .

night night all xxx

Scarves.There are so many ways of tying a scarf but one way in particular both intrigues and annoys me.

When I was growing up , scarves were simply wrapped around the neck a few times, ends dangling down, but then, I think it was about 10 years ago , everyone seemed to start wearing their scarves like this :

long scarf , end to end and then both ends looped through. The first time I really noticed this was about ten years after a carol service, a whole family , mother father and three children stranding on the church steps all wearing brand new scarves all tied in the same way   I think  it is called 'the european loop'

After that , I keep noticing this and judging Silly , I know .. but I find it most annoying.. a sort of uniformity that started happening on mass

Little Sam has been behaving himself. Took him to bed last night. We are slowly making friends, I am pleased to say.

Little Sam .. awww.. bless all his buttons that I simply cannot resist from pressing.

The more time I spend with him , the more I discover about him. He is quite complex

So far I've discovered FM radio , email, games, calculator , currency converter, stop watch, camera , video ........and there's still more.

I've been entering phone numbers manually to sim card and then clicking 'save to phone ' option. There is probably and easier way. This is time consuming , but , in a way , I am also sorting out my life and contacts.

Now what about this email function, I'm wondering. I think is scary to use. How much does it cost to email from the phone ? I don't want any extortionate costs now , do ? , no nasty surprises when Sam's pal Bill appears

Making friends with little Sam is a time consuming business.

btw dishes are now done in miraland

How's your day unfolding ?

TTFN

Hello miramaze,

in order to use your tags to improve the searchability of your blog posts, it has been necessary to make a few changes to the tag system.

The changes are as follows:

- tags will continue to be separated by a comma
- a tag must consist of between two and fifty characters
- a single tag can consist of up to five words
- almost all characters can be used as tags, except <, > and any other HTML code symbols

Unfortunately, these changes have caused some of your tags to be deleted.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The following are your tags were deleted:

Media Itemtag: from-my-window-one-windy-wet-day-in-may

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Can anyone tell me how to download a ring tone? Is it complicated ?
The ones on my phone are quite boring but I have found a bollywood one that I like

It is actually a lovely mantra

Toss up between this one

http://www.zedge.net/ringtones/694338/gayatri-mantra-ringtone/?pos=9&search=om

and and nice deep OMm

X

Snow is on its way to Miraland .. it's trying .. very trying I don't want it in my back yard

It's been a long and busy day. My phone ComHem saga continues. 'ComHem Lasse' (technician) phoned me for a chat about my phone and did something over at his end of thye line , but still no joy Incoming calls fine - outgoing - no way

In the end ComHem Lasse told me to get a new phone and that he would pay for it - not in money but in 200kr worth of free calls.

I am thinking now - how is that going to work if I can't make any calls ??

Anyway - bought a new phone and still NAHTHING ComHem Lasse has promised to phone me again tomorrow.

In other news Johanna helped me insert my SIM card into new Samsung E2120 mobile phone. He was not expensive at all - 399kr and worth every penny if he behaves. I just called the Prof and he said he could hear me fine.

Also today , baked bread and I cooked a three course birthday dinner for my friend Anna-Stina with a batch of gingernut bickies to take home with hyer.

Champers ( the bottle I'd been saving ) and nibbles, creamy porchini mushroom Risotto with hot chili tiger prawns, and vanilla Greek yoghurt dessert with crunchy walnut and caramel topping - I'd seen them do the topping on TV and guess what .. it WORKED ... halleluya ... nom nom goodness. On TV they mixed the greeK yoghurt with lemon curd , but I mixed it with vanilla

*yawn* time for bed now methinks I'll catch up tomorrow .. night night xx

Switched service providers a few weeks ago from Tele 2 for phone to Comhem's offer of phone and broadband for the same price as Tele2 was charging just for the phone line rental. Well - broadband works fine but the phone phone works to receive calls , but I am unable to dial out and make calls.

Emails to customer services have been going back and forth and I found a way for Comehem to call me by finding them on line and then clicking on a link where they call you up for free *pats herself on the back for discovering this ingenious solution *

I've done this 3 times today and spoken to a Niklas , an Andrea and finally a Jesper.

These people must also have the patience of saints to deal with confuddled irate neurotic non techie users like myself

Out of respect to them , I have decided to take this fixing as an exercise is patience , politenessand clarity and not bursting into tears out of sheer frustration,keeping swearing to a minimum when having to answer VERY difficult questions about modem , flashing lights, cables , SERIAL NUMBERS !!! 'sorry I can't see .. them numbers are MINISCULE

Anyway......Jesper has now told me that he is sending real life Com Hem techie person round to sort things out for me

- When ? I ask
_ Sometime soon. says Jesper
- Tomorrow ? Day after ...?
- We will get in touch.

Hope springs eternal

Full moon blessings, dear friends xxx xxx

Yep .. my  gals got properly squashed this morning during their check up . They have their picture taken every two years,  it costs 140kr amd you don't get to see the picsd  pu pics either- but that's alright , so long as they are fine and well. Lots of TLC and gentle massaging needed  or something after all the squashing Apart from that , everything went smoothly. I walked to the hospital  , arrived early and was seen straight away . In and out in 20 minutes. I've  only been to this hospital once before I think and that was with the Prof. The telephone number they had for me for was over 15 years old !

Discernment is a very important word. May the Angel of Discernment be with you this month.

Use your sharp-sightedness to make clear distinctions and wise choices. Move forward with confidence in your inner compass.

Discernment is the recognition of the soul's impulse within our lives. It builds our intuitive ability to act with an awareness of the power that is concealed within the present moment. Discernment requires that we regularly take a personal inventory of our values, beliefs, past actions, present hopes, and future dreams.
We live our lives based on what we believe. Our actions are preceded by our beliefs. Our consciousness is reflected back to us. What we look for we will find. So, the question is 'where do our beliefs come from?'. I would guess the overwhelming answer is 'from what others have told us'. We have very few original thoughts that comprise our beliefs. As individuals, we are defined by assumptions that have been formed over generations.

But, what if we are more than this? What if we are powerful beings about to awaken from a long night of dreams? What if we are at a tipping point of illumination, on the verge of uncovering the deep knowing of our origin and with it the capacity to bring about global peace? What would it be like to feel our connections to the whole and choose our actions based on this as reality? How would you be different today? How would this realization influence your actions?

Our collective challenge and opportunity is to surrender the illusions that keep us cocooned in assumptions and limitations. And, like the caterpillar, dissolve into our imaginal selves and redefine the world envisioning a future that welcomes the butterfly.

We hope the Angel of Discernment will illuminate your life this month. May your heart and mind discern and embrace the presence of your soul.from : http://www.innerlinks.com

It was a long day, full of contrasts.
First the drive out to Skogskyrkogården woodland cemetery. Kjell impressed me by finding an alternative route thereby avoiding the traffic jams, lines of cars bumper to bumper all on their way to the same place. Swedes have always celebrated All Saints Day by lighting candles on graves , but I've noticed that every year there seem to be more and more people. Kjell says it is because there are more and dead people , but I'm not sure This traditions seems to be gaining popularity.

We started by visiting ( Kjell's ) Aunties Olga and Alice, for a chat, lighting a candle and leaving a wreath. They seemed pleased. I thought I heard them say.. " how about wine, next time, glass of sherry or port, maybe ? "

After that, a bit of a wander around before the concert in the chapel; a choir singing , Bach , Mozart as well as some Swedish pieces by Evert Taube, Benny Andersson and Sven David Sandström. A beautiful hour of meditative music.

Then out in to the dark to the 'minneslund' to light candles for our departed friends without graves.

Pics from last year's visit

All in all , a couple of hours walking and talking and an hour of meditative listening. It was well after five when we left for the second part of the evening - a Halloween dinner party, hosted by Kjell and Pether