50 years of rock n' roll

Today a very special family member celebrates his 50th birthday.

50 years of rock n' roll, as he likes to put it.

I hope you're having a wonderful day.

Happy birthday, daddy!

[photo: scanbike.se]

P.S. I'm hoping he'll like appreciate this photo better than last year's.

His complaint was that he didn't look tough enough... Boys will be boys...

A miniature love affair

I bought a Diana Mini-camera during our stay in Copenhagen earlier this month. I've been wanting one for ages. Been ogling the Diana F+ & Mini-Diana whenever I happened upon them in a shop, but always pushed the thought of buying one away. It seemed silly to pay that much for a toy, plastic camera... But I finally gave in, and couldn't be happier! Haven't seen the photos yet - it's true, it does take forever to finish the film when you get up to 72 half shots! Just got notice that my first film is finished devloped, so going to pick it up now! Can't wait to see the photos!

...now to remember, apply some restraint and don't go crazy with Diana-accessory shopping!

September 7th -10th

Hihi, I've cashed in my x-mas present from lover-boy (see here) and really soon heading off on part II of our holidays this year. From Tuesday 7th to Friday 10th of September we'll be exploring & enjoying the best of Copenhagen! I can hardly wait!
None of us have been there before, so there's just so much we want to see. So far there's two definitive to-do's on the itinerary: 1) A visit to Louisiana - a must to catch the "Warhol after Munch" (ends on September 12th) + "Sophie Calle", and 2) pick up our first (?) design addition to the flat, a floor-lamp that looks like an oversized desk lamp. We came across it in a shop in Rethymnon and it was love at first sight. And after some internet research to find a seller closer to home, we deemed it easier to lug back from CPN than Crete.

Other than that we're bound to hit the tivoli at least one day, I have to have a drink at the tiki bar The Brass Monkey (too bad their own souvenir tiki-mug is first released in October) , eat smørrebrød, check out the amazing shopping & just walk around and enjoy life, time off & eachother! Hi hi... I'm already in love with Copenhagen!

Friday Fling!

Happy Friday! Late morning start today. Home alone last night (1st time in new flat!) as the beau was of on a work-related trip. Combined with working late, let me a not so sleepy Sheki when I finally got home. Anyway, soon of to work again (that's basically all I've been doing lately). Got the day off tomorrow as Mommy Dearest is coming! Yeah! Lucky lady is jetting of to Rhodos with a friend and we're the gracious hosts of their sleepover in Oslo. "Patsy & Edina" reunited - again, haha!

On another note, I'm hoping to get round to posting some pictures soon. Haven't had time to look through the many photos of the last two weeks. Lots of photos from my farmstay at Bokerød (had a wonderful stay in the beautiful countryside!), and also some documentation of my recent experiments in the world of cooking. Last Friday, for the first time in my life, I made a pie. From scratch! Had to try cooking with the berries we picked the previous Sunday, so blueberry pie it was. Delicious, even though I say it myself!

..but enough said.

Wishing you a wonderful & adventurous weekend!

Friday Fling!

Yeah, another week's over & the weekend's here to again, bringing promises of good times with the best of company! Great! I've got the day off which is even better.

However the weather is not quite what I was hoping for. Rain, rain and even more rain. Not quite ready for the arrival of autumn, understandably. In any case, had an slow start this morning with net surfing & an episode of Project runway - I love that show! But now it's time to get my bones together and head out to do those errands I've been thinking about for days ... mainly window-shopping! Spent some time this week perusing cool DIY/craft sites on the net - really inspirering - and I've come across several projects I wouldn't mind getting my fingers on. Just supplies needed! So out we go!

The rest of my weekend, you say? I'm going for a 2 1/2 day visit to E's family farm in Østfold after work tomorrow. We've been talking about this for years, so it's high time we put it into action. Rumour has it the woodlands surrounding the grounds are full of mushrooms & blueberries, gotta check it out.

...now out into the city we venture.

Just watch out for the black cat (Friday the 13th you know...)!

Happy weekend!

ØYA - OH YEAH!

Woho - today's the Øya-festival kicks off at Middelalderparken, just outside the city centre of Oslo. F & I have tickets, and man am I excited!!! It's my first time at Øya, and tonight we're going to see Iggy & The Stooges and Air! I'm hoping for a "dry" experience - not looking good so far, so I'd be delighted if someone could please put in a good word for me with the weather goods ... pretty please!

Photo of the Week: #19 *

Week 31: "The Street"

Photo of a random street in old town Rethymnon. Might have mentioned it before, but F's parents own a house in the old part of the city and that's where we were staying during our holiday. A beautiful house over 3 floors with the most amazing rooftop terrace! I'd love to live on a street as lovely as this. Especially fond of the tree in bloom hanging over the street and the flowerpots standing outside the houses. Wouldn't just you love to live here too?

On another note, I'm way behind on my photo & travelreport posting. Been back from holiday 2 weeks today already. I need to get at it soon, but it's sort of easier said than done. I've got 2 computers but both are only 1/2 working. I edit photos on one, and post on the other. Goes without saying that it's a bit of a hassle, but I've just got so many nice photos & good memories I want to keep safe + show of of course!

*Doing a come-back! Time will tell if I'll be able to keep it up. Might just have to re-invent the whole concept. Perhaps on a monthly basis, or just an act of impulse. We'll see...

Blog of the day!

I've never been one to turn down food nor drink - always been a great lover of anything yummy, just ask my mom! And recently with a lot of extra time to surf the net, I've come across some great blogs centering on the subject of, yes your guessed it, food!

The two hot tips of the day I personally found so inspiring that I spent hours upon hours paging back through the posts. Great photography, well written, in fact, they just want to make me run straight into the kitchen and get on cooking! I hope you'll check 'em out too - enjoy!

1) Bakerella:

I've always had a sweet tooth and a soft spot for cupcakes. What's better than a miniature cake, beautifully decorated and just for you? Also a lover of anything chocolate, it's certainly a given that that's the one I go for when I bake. Preferably chocolate cupcakes full of chocolate chips! Guess what - Bakerella's blog is certainly the holy grail of baking! Cupcakes, pops & bites, cakes & pies... 7th heaven for a sweet tooth like me, indeed! Colourful & cute photos all the way, and recipes too so that you can recreat the little wonder in your own kitchen.

2) Khymos:

Norwegian foodie writing about what happens when food meets chemistry. A great blog on the truely exciting topic of molecular gastronomy. A subject I fist read about in a post by an American blogger known as Luxirare (great food & design - she's definately an artist), and read more about in a cocktail book my brother gave me for x-mas. But now, after reeding Khymos' blog, I'm ready to start experimenting! Let's just hope I don't blow up/burn down the house ;)

That's my hottest tips for interesting reading. Check it out if it grabs your fancy.

Have you got any foodie blogs you follow? Drop me a line, I'd love to know about them!

Candid shot

...taken outside the Nobel Peace Center, on my way to work on a rainy afternoon.
Quite morbid actually, when you come to think of it.

Happy Friday! This time last week I was based on a sunbed on a beautiful beach in Crete. That's the good life. Wish I was still there... However, can't complain about the weather in Oslo at the moment. Sunny with almost 20 degrees. My only complaint is that it seems to be blowing quite a lot, though that won't stop me from enjoying an ice-coffee in the sun before work (though the weather-gods ruined that plan yesterday. Sunny with clouds when I headed for the subway at Grønland, raining cats & dogs when I reached Nationalteateret). So just got to finish my bowl of pasta (spiced with home-grown basil!) and get ready. Yeah, and by the way, no plans this weekend other than work and perhaps squeezing in a better dinner date with my beau - I sort of think we've deserved it!

Have a fab weekend! å

Back from holiday!

O'hoi there!

Back again in Oslo after a lovely week in Crete. We had a fabulous stay with several days at the beach, two outings to check out sights on the island, delicious food & drink, and great company! Just what I needed to keep myself motivated for work and play for the next few months. Already started on my holiday report and as soon as I can reach my computer located in the far corner of our guest bedroom-come-storage room (put there during a speed cleaning the day we departed), I'll get it posted along with some pictures.

But now it's time to get the new curtains for our bedroom sorted!

Friday Fling!

Happy Friday! The last one before our big break - yes, next time this week we'll be laxing on a beach in Crete! ;)

Had a horrible night, just couldn't sleep at all. Was tired, but everytime I tried to fall asleep, my head would fill with a myriad of thoughts just swirling away... Finally fell asleep just after 7 am and I'm planning on getting through this day on a major caffeine high. And bucket loads of entertainment!

Working this evening in the restaurant - quieter days now that the holidays are here. But before that I'm meeting up with dearest Mari for sun, cake or ice-cream ... or all of the above! Really looking forward to hanging-out with her!

And tomorrow afternoon F's celebrating his birthday 3 days early (enroute on the big day), so we're dragging friends out for a BBQ, party & sleep-over on Nesodden! His parents have the most amazing balcony (it's probably to big to call it that), no overview from neighbours and a stunning view of the Oslo-fjord!

Now, let's get this weekend started!

Here's wishing you a fabulous time out!

Week 26 in photos

Back in early February I had a minor accident with my camera. I sort of caught the strap on a doorhandle when visiting a friend, and the lense mounts broke clear off. Fixing it professionally would cost a small fortune, and buying a new lense wasn't really an option at that time. So after finding a few tutorials on the net, F & I gave it a try ourselves. Micro-surgery... It worked! Though ever since I've lost "my touch" with the camera and I've been rubbish at taking it out with me, and taking photos when I've drag it along. So last week I decided it was high time to hit the button and shot some photos whenever I felt like it. Here's a my week in photos:

Monday 28th of June:
Snow peas in bloom in the window sill...

...and bearing fruit! I've tried them and they're delicious!

Tuesday 29th of June:
Couple time and BBQ with T & E in Sofienberg-parken.
For once the weather gods were playing fair when T & I met for a BBQ, as everytime we've tried this earlier this year, it's clouded over and started raining.

Thursday 1st of July:
How time flies! Already July and the summer has finally hit Oslo for sure. F took of an hour early from work and we headed for Tøyenparken to BBQ & worship the sun.
Perfect summer day!

...yummy! Nothing like a juicy slice of watermelon on a hot day!

Nice view! ;)

Friday 2nd of July:
Made a bad decision and headed for town instead of the sun first, so when I finally got back home it had clouded over. Too bad, but in any case I was totally knacked and lounging on the couch was good. Came home with a few great buys though: Summer dress on sale at H&M for 100kr, pots for the "garden", a new BBQ (nice big one!) and these beautiful lilies!

Sunday 4th of July:
Photo of our supper. A steaming, hot bowl of noodle-soup with scampi!

Friday Fling!

Happy Friday!

Got the day off again - yeah! I love not having to go to work on a friday. Just taking life easy and relaxing. In fact I like it so much that I never get anything sensible done on a free Friday. Though at the moment I'm comtemplating whether I should try to attempt to do something but sit in the sofa. It might be a bit ambitious... However, the sun's out even though it's a bit cloudy, and I'm planning on getting some fresh air soon. Perhaps I should take my camera with me in case I come across something interesting?

Going to a farewell-party to a good friend who's moving back to Mandal this sommer. Going to be great and sad at the same time.

Other than that I'm working in the bookstore tomorrow afternoon, and a full day in the restaurant on Sunday. Thinking green - as in money - is what's going to get me through the weekend. I need cash for shopping in Crete! Haven't got the roster from the restaurant yet, so don't know how much work there'l be... I hope we get it soon so I can plan the rest of the summer!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Green fingers

Horrible weather today. Cloudy, gray skies as far as the eye can see. I was hoping for a sunny day so I could get a kick-start on my tan before we hit the beaches in Crete (the way this is going I'm almost certainly going to be lobster-red after five minutes outdoors). But it was not to be. So to bring a bit of sunshine into my life, here's the update on our window-sill garden, already promised last weekend.

The photos were taken early Saturday morning before I work. I'm glad I decided to document the development because it's really exciting to see how much they've grown since the last photo session. And you really wouldn't believe how much they've grown since these photos were taken! There'll definately be another update along really soon - the snow peas are starting to flower, so I want to show it off!

The tomato plant: I was pretty sure that this one had hardly grown an inch since I bought it at the flower marked on Stortorget in the end of May. But when I looked at the previously photo I discovered that it in fact had almost doubled in height! I was totally surprised! The plant support has been extended with some duct-tape and a few wooden skewers. And we'll hopefully have our first taste of home-grown cherry-tomatoes before our holiday as he little yellow flowers are starting to open.

Snow peas (sukkererter): "Jack, you're bean-stalks ready"! It's scary just how much these have grown the past month or so, and since this shot they've grown even more! According to the discription on the seed bag they're going to be no taller than 50 cm. Puh, lucky! Supporting a taller plant would be a bit problematic. As mentioned above, pretty, white flowers are starting to show!

Basil in a pot (basilikum): This one is starting to fill out nicely. Looking like the one's you buy at the grocery's, but much better! I'm hoping it won't wither & die like all the one's I've bought in the shop, becaue you either water it to much, to little, or it's already half dead on the inside. Just look how much it's grown (P.S. Check out the difference in the snow peas since end of May)!

Leaves a delicous smell on when I run my finger tips over the leaves. According to wikipedia basil is very beneficial to your health as it's oil has antioxidant, anti-cancer, antiviral and anti-microbial properties. Fun fact, according to F's dad it's wiebacterialHealth-wise it's full of beneficial Fun tip: apparently basil is widely used in Crete as a method to fend of mosquitos, and most balconies have a planted hedge of basil.

The garden nasturtium (blomkarse): Last time it was bearly a stalk with leaves on and now it's crawling up the window. I love just love the large windows in our flat - and as you can see the plants do too! They're really thriving on all the sun light coming in (hurray for the greenhouse effect). Now the nasturtium really needs to be re-potted soon, well actually, several weeks ago. It's getting a bit big to handle and soon it will engulf it's neighbours in the seeding box. The problem is that I haven't been able to get hold of the pots I want. They're sold out at the hobby shop, so PLEASE let me know if you've come across terracotta pots anywhere in Oslo - I beg you!

Chilli: There's only one thing to say about this photo: HOT! I can't wait to these babies grow up and we can use home-grown chilli for cooking. I'm a big fan of chili, and I basically use it in everything I make. Hot & spicy, just how I like it!

The baby-strawberries (markjordbær): Coming along nicely, and looking a bit more substantial now compared to the small flecks of green on black back in May. The leaves are actually looking like real strawberry leaves now. I don't know how many put into each compartment, but there's still seedlings coming up regularily. But still no chance of strawberries this year...

! SURPRISE REVEAL !

Sweet pepper (paprika): RememberI told you I planted a few seeds from a red sweet pepper bought in the shop? It was sort of a experiment and I didn't have high hopes that it would work. Though amazingly enough out of the four seeds I planted, two have sprouted. Just look how big this one is! Now I'm just wondering how big a pepper plant is, 'cause this guy is already taller than the chilli...

21 days is a terribly long time to wait

...but then I'm off to sun, blue skies and beautiful beaches! Yours truely with my better half are off on our one week vacation in Rethymnon on Crete on the 13th of July. In fact, we're leaving on my beau's birthday. Now that's what I call the right way to celebrate!

Ooh, I can hardly wait! Hope we'll be seing some nice weather here in Oslo before that so I can work on my tan. Don't want to get burnt on the first day out in that southern sun! And I really have to do some shopping because summer wear is really lacking in presence in my closet. I've got like 2 pairs of short, a few T's and singlets, a bikini, and a few light summer dresses. Besides, it really doesn't help that the airline lost most of my summer clothes back in December (the family emergency in South Africa)... ah, I hate practical shopping!

Friday Fling!

Happy Friday! 7 days gone and here is my update:

I've been working, working and working a bit more. Working this weekend too, so there's my plans for you! I'm hoping the weather gods are on my side so there's less to do at work (full restaurant + rain = a stressed-out Sheki).

Other than that I've still got a cold. I'm fed up with the sniffles, coughing and sneezing, blocked nose, runny nose ... you name it! Can't believe I've managed to get a cold in the summer - again. Enough I say, enough!

F & I took a trip to Ikea earlier this week to get hold of some stuff for the flat. Survived the ordeal (a full stomach helps as we both get a bit short-tempered when we're hungry), happily we scored most of the stuff on our list. A beautiful, big, new bookcase in the living-room, a butchers block in the kitchen (good for extra working space), a lamp for our bedroom (yet to be installed), plates & noodle-soup bowls, bedding, a lavender plant and much more. Now there's no excuse for living among boxes & bags anymore!!! The extra shelving is a winner as quite a few of my possessions will be store there. We're talking cocktail "collectables", coffee-table books & glass-ware worth exhibiting.

Had an appointment with the hairdressers earlier today. Got rid of quite a lot of hair - it was really worn & tired looking - and now I'm sporting a fresh & shorter do for the summer!

Hey - and I'm finally going to get round to taking photos of my little green friends. No, we're not talking Marsian her, just my window-sill garden. All my plants are really thriving in the new flat and I can hardly believe how much they've grown. Photos coming up one day this weekend!

The past week in my life

I completely forgot to write up my "Friday fling"-post, or truth to be told, I just couldn't bother. So instead of boring you with the completely uninteresting happenings this weekend (no plans, just work), I'll bore you with the just as uninteresting happenings of the past week instead. Lucky you!

The days are sort of flying by, and it's already summer. As you know, the BIG move was last Sunday, and most of my stuff has been successfully moved from Grünerløkka to Grønland. 3/4 loads - yes, I do have a lot of shit - which isn't bad considering that both licence plates on the car where stolen Saturday night/early Sunday morning, which resulted in us taking the safe option and only moving 2 loads illegally. Monday evening we moved the third load, and by the time it was Tuesday and we were supposed to take the last, we were to knacked to carry any more boxes & bags up 3 flights of stairs... I knew we should've had big, strong, hired men! It might cost money, but it sort of would have been cheaper anywas as we had a minor accident with the car. Not good...

Now, we really ned to get sorted. We're literally living with boxes and bags in almost every room (except the bathroom, naturally and our new bedroom). That means I need to dig deep, find an ounce of self-discipline and start unpacking. I haven't got that much spare-time in between all the work, so I need to make it work. .Besides it's sometimes quite fun unpacking boxes I haven't seen for 2 - 4 years, loads of surprises inside when I open them up. Books I didn't even now I had, that once highly favoured piece of clothing, or funky kitchen-ware.

At work it's been really busy latelyIt's been really busy and I've been tied up on the phone infront of that computer ( <-- ). Time just flies by when there's so much to do and before I know it, it's time to go home. Plus all the working ultimately means more money, which is a great thing as we need quite a few things for the apartment. Storage is a major issue that need soritng out quickly, and then there's the hunt for a table and chairs for the kitchen. The one standing here now belongs to F's former room-mate, and we've got our minds set on a 50's/60's teak dining-room table with 6 chairs. We've seen quite a few, but just not the right style yet. In any case, a trip to Ikea is a must in the nearby future.

Anything else worth mentioning? Yes, I met up for coffee with Marte Tuesday afternoon. Haven't seen her in like forever. Great to catch up + she generously let me inherit a barely used pair of champers which she didn't fit properly. Lucky me - thank you very much Marte, I love them!!! My childhood friend, Kristian, came to stay this weekend even though I'd warned him that the flat was mess. He just wanted a taste of big city living, and I think he had a nice time. The crazy guy's driving al the way from the south, so I've forced him to help us move the last load this weekend - need to take advantage of the weels! I also want to post some photos of my window-sill garden soon, the plants are looking wonderful, and there's a few surprises!

Finally, a complaint. I've had a cold since Tuesday and it's progressively been getting worse. I've spent the first few hours of work trying to make my nose stop running and stop coughing, and I'm quite sick of being ill. Really bad timing and I don't need this right now! ...or ever!

Friday Fling!

Happy Friday! Knee deep in boxes and stuff - almost! The Move is approaching faster than lightning and today is basically the only day I have to pack. Have been trying to do some packing all week long, but it's been sort of difficult. Arg, there's just too much stuff happening at the moment! And the weekend is no different. Working tomorrow, and then going to a birthday party. Yeah! And, Sunday's the day - so better get back to those boxes and stuff. The count stands at 2 1/2 ready-to-go-boxes at the moment...

ARG, I've promised my self a number of times that the next time I'm moving, I'm hiring big, strong men to do the job. Have I done it this time - NO...

Have a happy weekend! ...and have some fun & enjoy the sun for me too!

This is how my garden grows

About two weeks back I planted the first seed, and so much has happened since! I'm so increadibly proud of my gardening efforts, so here's a photo update on how my little green friends are doing:

Wednesday 19th of May:

Still in the growing box. As mentioned here, only the basil are showing signs of succes at this moment though I know for sure that the snow peas have sprouted but not pushed through the soil yet.

Monday 24th of May:

Five days later, man, how they have grown! The basil is turning into something edible for sure, and the snow peas have shot through the roof (so to speak). At this point they're almost taller than the clear platic lid, and their roots are shooting through the draining holes in the bottom. No action from the nasturtium yet, though. But amazingly the baby-strawberries are sprouting! Can you see the tine green sprouts on the bottom row? The only reason I know it's them, is that there aren't any weeds like that in the other compartments - I never knew strawberries started out that small...

Friday 28th of May:

Planted the seedlings into proper pots two days ago (Wednesday). Only the snow peas and two of the compartments of basil - no room for the last one unfortunately - and it was about high time! I wish I'd taken a photo of the snow peas roots - tightly packed in the shape of the container and a few rogue ones (really, really long ones) growing out of the draining holes. Also bought a tomato plant on Wednesday which I'm hoping will give us lots and lots of cherry-tomatoes all summer long!

As you can see the basil is coming along nicely. The leaves seem to be a bit bigger (at least I hope it's noticeable ), so I'm taking this as a sign that it's thriving. Really happy about that 'cause it was H.E.L.L. to re-pot the basil. The roots hadn't developed enough, just long, thin roots going straight down, and as I tried to lift the eart & plants out of the container with a spoon, they started to fall apart! Crisis! Stressed quite a lot trying to get them into the pot, often having to plant one and one at a time, but it will definitively be worth the effort as soon as we get to use home-grown for cooking!

The baby-strawberries are still alive. Looking a bit bigger aren't they? Highly unlikely we'll have home-grown strawberries for dessert this summer, I think...

I've been waiting a long time for this and I'm proud to show of the evidence that shows the garden nasturtium sprouting. Look how big this one is! Ready to be potted soon! In the background you can see two more coming up, so I think I'll wait until these are big enough and then repot the whole bunch:

And I've got good news! The chili seeds I had in water for, like, for ever are ALIVE!!! Two of the seeds have a tiny tail, so I planted them the other day. I'm crossing my fingers that the last three will follow soon, but 2 out of 5 isn't bad! I also put a few bell pepper seeds (paprika) in water the other day in hope that this technique will work with them too. But the seeds are from a pepper bought in the shop so I might be hoping for too much.

Finally a note on pots. I've been searching all over Oslo for terracotta pots, but they are amazingly difficult to find. I've only come across plastic ones, and only the larger sizes too. After searching high & low, I finally found some at a hobby shop the other day (can you believe this is the only place they seem to have them?!?). It's a bit too big, but I bought it anyway and I need an extra one for the tomato. But sweet, dear friend E came across the pots I wanted in Sweden and she brought some back for me! Thank you, E! I'm really lucky to have such great & caring friends!

Friday Fling!

Happy Friday!

More or less mid-morning now and I haven't done anything usefull so far. You know what that means - I've got the day off. In fact, I've got the whole weekend off! Hurray! Now, what do I do with all this spare time? For one thing I'm planning on doing a bit of housework, cleaning & tidying-up . But that's on the general part of my to-do-list, that sort of thing I always have good intentions about but sort of never get round to doing. Though there are a few things happing this weekend. Here we go:

Some R&R today + tomorrow, 2 parties to attend tomorrow evening - both Eurosong-related. Sunday is likely to become av very busy day- First Mr. F & I are hitting the second-hand markets & shops. We've found at least three close by that we're planning on checking out. After that I think we are obliged (and happy to do so!) have dinner with his parents as they're soon off to Southern Europe for a long vacation, and later that evening Mommy Dearest is coming for a sleep-over (yeah!). She's going to the AC/DC-concert at Valle Hovin - rock on, mama! Ahh... a lot to look forward to in other words!

But now I'm off to the shop to get some grub and stock up on boxes. Sort of haven't gotten round to announcing this before, but here we go... Next weekend I'm moving in with Mr. F! About high time T would say, I'm sure about that! The girls have been teasing me for weeks saying that I'm "nesting" - the plants, furniture, lighting, kitchenware etc. Can I help it if I like to be surrounded by nice things? In any case, I'm really excited about this - it's going to be great living with my beau - not to mention, having all my stuff in one place (I know he's looking forward to that part too)!!!!

--> Norsk <--

Gressenke slår rot

My love is on a two week vacation in the states - Salt Lake City to San Francisco. In the mean time I'm working & waiting, and my dearest friends are keeping me happy and entertained. Though suddenly finding spare-time that would normally have been spent with the beau, I've started on a few projects. One of them is trying my hand at gardening. Not necessarily a natural thing when living in a city appartment with no balcony, so I'm sticking to herbs, flowers and small fruit & vegetables (the beau gave orders to stay below 50 cm in height, else it would take up the entire window sill). And, here's a photo to show you how it's coming along.

The snow peas (sukkererter) have started sprouting, but they haven't come through the soil yet. Nothing happening with the baby-strawberries (markjordbær) yet, and the same goes for the garden nasturtium/indian cress (blomkarse). My pride & joy is of course the basil (basilikum) - it's growing!!! Mmm, looking forward to home-grown basil with mozerella & tomatoes!!!

--> Norsk <--

Min elskede er på en to ukers ferie i statene - Salt Lake City til San Francisco. I mellomtiden får jeg tiden til å gå med å jobbe, vente og så har jeg snille venner som passer godt på meg. Helt plutselig har jeg fritid som jeg ellers under normale omstendigheter ville brukt sammen med mannen. Det betyr at jeg har satt igang et par prosjekter i det siste, og et av dem er å prøve meg på hagearbeid. Nå skal det sies at hagearbeid er langt ifra naturlig når man bor i en leilighet uten veranda i byen, så jeg holder mine "grønne fingrer" til urter, blomster og små frukt & grønnsaker (mannen gav order om å holde plantene under 50 cm for ellers kom de til å ta hele vinduskarmen). På bildet over ser du hvordan det går. Sukkerertene har begynt å spire, men har ikke greid å dytte seg frem fra jorden ennå. Skjer nada med markjordbærene, og det samme gjelder for blomkarsen. Basilikumen er min store stolthet - den spirer!!! Gleder meg til å spise hjemmedyrket basilikum med mozarella og tomat. Yummy!!!

Hipp, hipp, hurra!

Gratulere med dagen!

[Congratulation - Norway's national day!]

Alt mange timer ut i dagens feiring, og her på jobb er det travelt!!! En tidlig start på dagen for meg, opp kl 7:30 for å gjøre seg klar til jobb, trang-trang-trang & varm busstur som tok mildt sagt en evighet fra Sannergata til brygga, og siden har det gått i ett. Ser frem til å bli ferdig her kl 16 - da er det endelig min tur til å nyte pølse, brus og is - så mye is jeg bare vil!! Men må spare plass til litt mat for idag spiser vi godt. En tur med gode vennter på Brasserie 45 venter meg, og jeg gleder meg skikkelig!

Ha en fantastisk 17.mai-feiring!

Friday Fling!

HAPPY FRIDAY!

The day is almost through so just time to squeeze in a quick report. Been a busy week at the restaurant as a lot of things need to be sorted out for the 17th of May, the Norwegian national day. Really busy today on the phones & e-mail and I was alone in the office, but it's mostly sorted now so I'm hopefully looking forward to a calmer day tomorrow.

Other than work this weekend, I haven't got any plans. I've got almost the entire week off next week, so plenty of time for some R&R. The boyfriend is gone on a two week vacation (lucky bugger!) and I'm sort of lonely and lost at the moment. Luckily I have the bestest friends in the world - they're keeping me happy & entertained! Any ideas what I can do with all this sudden free time? I feel like travelling, though I doubt I have the money to be honest. Only plan so far is to continue watching Heroes. I'm on the first season and I'm officially hooked!

Have a fabulous weekend!

-->Norsk<--

God fredag! Er ikke mange timer igjen av dagen nå, så jeg for holde det kort. Er travelt på restauranten om dagen. Vi nærmer oss 17.mai - den store festdagen - og det er ganske mye som skal ordnes før mandag. Var alene på kontoret idag, og det var travelt med mange telefoner og mail, men det ser forhåpentlig ut som det blir litt roligere i morgen siden det meste er på plass nå.

Annet enn jobb denne helgen er jeg planløs. Har nesten hele den kommende uken fri, så da er det nok av muligheter til å slappe av og ta livet med ro. Kjæresten er bortreist i 2 uker (heldiggrisen!) og jeg føler meg litt ensom om dagen. Heldigvis har jeg verdens aller beste venninner - de holder meg glad og underholdt! Noen tips til hva jeg kan bruke fridagene minte til? Har kjempe lyst til å reise bort, men tviler sterkt på at jeg har råd. Eneste planen så langt er å fortsette på Heroes-maratonen min. Jeg holder på med første sesong og jeg er offisielt hekta!

Ønsker deg en en fantastisk helg!