Am I getting too old?

Having one to bed at 4 am after an evening of hard partying, and then woken up at eight the prospect of a seminar and then an evening and night of work don't feel that appealing. So I ask myself. Is this natural - or am I just getting too old?

Yesterday the film crew went to a town by the see further south called Skaör, where there's a big house you can hire as a student. We had a great time with good food (for entré: chanterelltoast gratinaded with very mature cheese), good/abundent drink, time in the sauna and generally wonderful company. It feelt like the week-end until this morning when all I wanted to do was rest and I realised it was a school day with yet another to go before the week-end. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Isn't that what they say? Let's hope so. And then there's anotehr party on Saturaday. Good grief! Happy days.

Shake it shake it

I've just had my first oriental dance lesson (i e belly-dancing). It was great fun, but difficult. We tried flicking our hips in a certain way, shaking our upper bodies in a controlled manner and looking harmonious at the same time. I did... well I didn't look to graceful that's for sure. I do believ I might have mastered isolating movements in my upper body from mu lower body - and the other way round. But it's difficult to tell if yoou're doing it right. What I want now is a shawl with attached small coins that make a distinc sound when moving. That would be good. We'll see, hopefully I'll do better by X-mas - but I don't think I'll come close to our teachers serenity and composed mien.

All work and no play

This hasn't been a week-end of relaxation. More of a money-making one. I worked both Friday and Saturaday night as entrance-quard/wardrobe attendant/technitian/problemsolver i e hostess at our party and conferance venue "AF-Borgen" here in Lund. So I'm mostly tired and my voice is tghat of a teenage boy with all its inconsistancies.

Friday night was a real pain in the derrière. We weren't enpugh staff and those who were there had to work ther butts off. I didn't get to rest my feet at all between 22-03 and we had parties all of the place of all different kinds (from alkcohol reeking youngsters to happy middle aged men and women celebrating a jubilee and more). When I got back home (at 5 am) I was knackered and my feet were swollen and cranky from the treatment they had received.

Yesterday was better. I sleept in late and the had ice cream in the park with a friend. The sun's still with us and so's the warmth. But it's due to end any time... That night and evening were dedicated, here in Lund, to culture - the so called "Kulturnatten" (Cultrural night) and there were activities all about. It all feelt really coninetal with the warm evening and everybody out on the town. I realised that I haven't actually visited this evet myself during all my time here since I've been working in some way or another. And this was my last autumn as resident (if all goes well). What can one do. We had a pleasant evening not having to do much, but making sure everything was alright at AF-borgen. I even got to test using a blue-screen and presenting a weather forecast. It was harder than it looks.

Today I'm mostly tired, thinking about the work I should do and happy that Linus's back in England - only one hours time difference away (it beats the six hours I've put up with these last weeks.

Not feeling very well

An so I am yet another victim of the autumnal cold. Bugger. I had so hoped to miss it. But noooo. Slight temperature, worse head-ache and a generally yucky feeling. And I can't even be happy about missing school. Where have those days gone were one hoped of beeing ill and missing lessons? Well, well. Maybe some hot broth will help...

Yet another weekend

I love weekend, especially those that are nice and relaxed and when tghe weather permit one to enjoy them to their fullest. I must say I have done my best to enjoy my weekend thus far.

Saturday was a time for a little change. I went to the hairdressser and cut my hair. It's shorter and I've got a sort of fringe. I like it and it's the first hairdo that's made me confortable with my sort of curls. During the afdter-noon I lounged in a ravine near by reading and studying with sheep grazing on the ridge. Pastoral to be sure. Later we had an evening of board games at Linda's and Jonas's. Very nice - despite not winning. But boy were we tired.

Today is election day here in Sweden and I went to the cast my vote around lunch time. We have to choose who we want for parliament, for regional goverment and municipality. I've voted for three different parties which feels wierd but was the best (only) solution for me. Happy to have done that I cycled to Lomma (by the sea) with Rikard. We bought some smoked fish and some shrimp and had a lovely lunch on the beach. We stayed there talking and enjoying the sun for a couple of hours. I just came home and I can still feel the sun on my face. The trip back was a bit though though since the wind had got fiercer and blew in the wrong direction, i e we had to fight it. But then it's ood exercise.

Summertime in September

Life is sweet at the moment (excepting certain aspects like not seeing Linus for over a month...) withh summer lingering this autumn month. I've been enjoying the sun and the heat as much as possible by beeing out-doors inbetween classes, wearing summer dresses and today I went to the coastal town Bjärred with Linda (by bike). We had lunch on the beach (feet bare and burried in the warm sand), ate soft ice-cream on the pier and had a quickish dipp in the sea. Fantastic. I feel much more up for studying now than if I had stayed in-doors all day. And I get exerciese. If this keeps on at leas another week I'll be much more well equipped to face the greyness and cold of November. Hip hip hurray for summertime in September.

Cruising the coast

Yesterday was glorious. Rikard and I went for another biking excursion - but this time we headed for the coast. WE manged to ride through five counties during the day and we were out from 10 am to 6.30ish pm. Not bad at all. The sun was shining and it was quite warm - perfect but for the wind whcih was a tad too insistant when biking over the plain. Here you can check out a map of the area - we cycled from Lund to Burlöv to Lomma to Bjärred and then back to Lund.

After having got a bit lost (a lot of bulilding sites) we arrived at Lomma a coastal town with a white sandy public beach. We lay down in the sun and enjoyed the sea breeze, talked, doodled in the sand and had our packed lunches. I thibk we spent a couple of hours in complete relaxation.

Then we continued to Bjärred, a even smaller town further north, also by the sea, where we were hoping to buy ice-cream. There is a kiosk there close to the beach that's renowned for its soft ice-cream. And there is a reason why. Creamy and slighly fluffy, cool and smooth it's perfect. I bought a big cone and had it dipped in melted chocolat (which gives it a chocolate cover mmmm...) and we ate them whilst walking down to the beach and out on a long wooden pier where there's a platform at the end and a bath-house and restaurant. We sat out in the sea whilst the sun started drifting downwards and enjoyed the feel of the sea yet again. We headed home a bit more purposely when we started getting cold.

The trip back was fine - and we saw our destination a while before arriving at it - the landscape is ot very hilly. Once back I was absolutely knacked but pulled myself together and went to eat crayfish at a friends. Lovely evening. Those who've read my blogg commented on the brave english I had forced to eat crayfish and were very impressed by their having whole-heartedly enjoyed the feast. I didn't stay long though - and when I went to bed I sleept like a baby.

Telly freedom

Am comeing to the end of my second week back at school and all is well. Am being very good and studying hard - more than I have these last 3.75 years acually. I should have got rid of my telly ages ago. Not being able to leisurly slouch infront of the TV without any resistance has worked wonders on my dicipline(?) and I spend time studing, reading for leisure, cooking, even exercising (have become a memer of my local gym and have already been once, moreover I'm going to be taking belly-dance lesson as of the end of September!)

These last two weeks I have been reading a series of three books by Louis de Bernières that take place in a fictional country in South America and the books are wonderful. I've laughed and cried alternately, the book being full of humour, warmth, joy at the same time as it describes horrific events and people commiting attroceties and developing into monsters. The country in question being fictional delivers one from having to think about historical accuracybut still learning about the turbulent history of a continent. And more: my dad is in it - more or lesss. READ THEM! The books are called: The War of Don Emmanuel's Nether Parts, Señor Vivo and the Coca Lord samt The Troublesome Offspring of Cardinal Gauzman.

Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen

School's started and I'm quite looking forward to getting on wih my studies. Naturally I have some complaints about teachers (one who likes to say stuff in english quite unnecessarily) and cost of books and "hand-outs". I've had a nice long weekend with Linus though to distract me. Feeling a bit down though since we won't se eachother again for five weeks. Happy we had this weekend.

We've devoted much of it to eating naturally: indian caserole, stake, sushi, tender stake with new potatoe sallad with chanterells, sugersnaps and ligonberries. And to each other - that goes without saying. We even managed to squeeze in a trip abroad on Saturday.

We enjoyed the last summer warmth and went to Copenhaugen for the day. It was sunny and the temperature was around 20 degrees which was perfect. We had planned to eat "Smörrebröd" (tradional danish sanwiches with wonderful topping son rye bread) at a famous restaurant for them - Ida Davidsen - but it was closed. Fortunately we managed to find another place close by where we could sit outside and enjoy our lunch. It was really nice and we had "smörrebröd" with: rost beaf with horseradish, tartar sauce and roasted onions, a fishburger with capers and with taratar sauce and roasted onions, warm liver paste with cruchy bacon, new potatoes with mayo and crunchy bacon, and shrimps with egg. We were very happy with our meal. We took a stroll round Nyhavn ( a nice and trendy area by the docks with colorful houses) and looked at boats and people drinking bear by the dock's edge. Lovely! We also walked up and down Ströget (the main pedestrian street with shops and cafés) and looked at some shops - Linus was on the look out for a couple of differnt kinds of jackets/coats. We were quite tired when we finally sat down in the sun on Rådhustrget (the main square by the town hall) and had som ice cream. Once at the station we realised we had not purchased any alcohol (much cheaper in Denmark than in Sweden and available at all times) and tried to find a shop close by - but we failed miserabely. We made yet an effort by getting of at Kastrup (the airport) on our way home, but with no better luck. So we came back home without a drop of alcohol... Well it could have been worse.