Greetings from a frozen land!

Haven't blogged in ages, can't seem to find the energy
for anything when I'm here at my mum's...
A while ago I decided to post something quickly before she got back
from her evening walk with her dog, as the evenings
are her "internet time", but I couldn't get online!
She had to do it for me...
Earlier today I was saying how I'm so brilliant, and just great at everything
(jokingly of course), as I can always get online on the first try (dial-up)
and today when I fed her dog he ate everything which he usually doesn't.
What's that they say, pride comes before a fall?!

It's been absolutely freezing here in the north pole (I mean Sweden)
and we seem to spen most of our time on the
sofa, curled up under mountains of blankets...
I can't believe I soon have to leave!
I love it here, cold and everything, and of course I love hanging with my mum.
My mum wrote that it always seems like I'll be here
for ages and we have so many plans.
And then time just seems to fly by.
That's exactly how I feel...

Tomorrow is new years eve and I'm cooking a
lovely (I hope) three course meal for my mum.
Complete with mocktails, non-alcoholic wine and bubbly (she doesn't drink).
I think we're going to have a lovely night!
Then on new years day I'm leaving.
*sob*

But she's, hopefully, coming to London in the spring.
So I'll see her then!
Yay!

I do love my mum.

Sab x

Yo ho ho!

Out in Skivsjo, at my mum's now.
And my goodness, there is a lot of snow...
My mum told me to pack warm clothes but,
as a londoner, I don't really own any clothes suitable for this kind of weather.
I was going to take a picture to show what it looks like up here
but of course I forgot to take the camera with me when I went out!

Prepeartions for christmas are in full swing here!
Some guy on the telly is singing Christmas songs,
there's cleaning galore and the christmas tree is being
brought in later to defrost, ready for decorating
tomorrow night!
That's a tradition in our family,
we always decorate our tree the evening before
christmas eve.
I'm sure there'll be some baking at some point as well.
In fact, I think I'll stay home and bake
when my mum takes the dog out tonight.
I usually like going with, but I nearly
lost my toes to frostbite when we went
to the shop earlier today!
Like I said, no suitable clothes...

I will also apologise for any mis-spelings etc
in this post.
I'm having to write it on my mum's desktop
and being used to my laptop I keep hitting the wrong keys!
My mum doesn't do wireless broadband,
she has dial-up as it works out cheaper for her!
Her Blogger is also in Swedish so I can't spellcheck...
I'm sure someone more tech savvy could do something
with the settings, but not me!

Must get on with preparations now!
(Bah, humbug - maybe a bit less now!)

sab x

Flip

Sitting in my friend Filip's flat.
Trying to get going, getting the bus out to my mum's in
a few hours and I need to shower and get ready then go into town to
pick up a few things I forgot to get yeaterday.
Outside it's snowing and I'm feeling decidedly uninspired!

sab x

What's going on in your life right now

I hear you asking.
Well, I'll tell ya!

Just finished watching Buzzcocks, wheich seemed to be Doctor Who themed.
Hosted by the lovely David Tennant
(drool)
and Catherine Tate and some old guy, I'm sure was
Doctor Who at sometime, as guests.
It rocked.
Now I'm going to wrap some presents, make a couple of cards
and then go to bed.

And as I'm typing this, listening to my stomach growl
I realise I forgot to have dinner.
The kitchen was too crowded, so I decided to pack my suitcase
(YAY I'm packed 2 days before I go!!!)
and have dinner later.
That obviously didn't happen...
Ho hum!

sab x

Snow chaos!

Now, how much do you want to bet this
is going to mess up my travel plans?
Does God/Allah/Mother Nature/Whoever
not want me to have a nice Christmas?!

It snowed today, all day.
It didn't stay on the ground or anything.
However, the Met office has issued a "24 hour severe weather warning"
for friday, it seems we might get up to 10cm (!) of snow cover...
Now for someone who grew up in the north pole
(ok north Sweden)
this isn't very "severe" at all.
London, though, does note cope well with snow.
Last time we had snow on the ground the city pretty much ground to a halt.
For days!
So it does not bode well.

If there is snow on the ground in London on friday
and you see a grown woman crying on the Picadilly line,
it's probably me...

sab x

selfish a***holes!

Bloody BA cabin crew are going on strike.
Over Christmas and new year!
How selfish, uncaring, bitter do you get?!

I'm all for the right to strike.
I think it's a great bargaining tool for workers.
But...
BA have made a loss of nearly £300 million this year
£300 million!!!
It's not like they're being greedy and trying to make more money
by freezing salaries and offering voluntary redundancy.
They're trying not to go under!
I'm guessing the millions they'll lose over the Christmas period
because of this strike would have helped.
I mean, these people realise that if BA go tits up, they lose their jobs right?!
Shouldn't they all be pulling together to make it work?

And whatever the business side of it.
What about the million or so people who won't be able to be with their
families this Christmas?
Where are their rights?
Yes they'll get refunds and whatnot.
I guess they'll have a great Christmas knowing that although
they can't be with their loved ones, at least they'll get their money back!

I'm luckily flying out on the 18th and back on the 4th
so strictly speaking my flights aren't affected.
BA are however offering passengers flying 48 hrs either side of
the strike (22 Dec-2 Jan) the chance to rebook free of charge.
To another ticket within 12 months.
Well this doesn't really help me, as I have to be back at work on the 5th.
Have to, have to have to.
Have to.
I'm guessing there will be delays and many hours spent at the airport.
But hopefully I'll get home.
I have to believe that.
Because right now I'm freaking out.

I hate travel at the best of times...
And this has just made me rethink my choice
of living in a different country to my family...

sab x

lol

The world according to bus drivers

The weirdest thing happened to me today.
I was all the way in the back of a queue waiting to get on a bus.
There were quite a few of us and the bus was filling up.
As all the people before me had got on and I put one foot in the door
to get on, the bus driver said uh-uh and shook his head
in that way that only bus drivers can.
"Sorry love, the bus is full" he said.
I looked around wondering if there was a throng of people
I'd missed trying to get on the bus.
But nope, just little ole' me.
"Are you serious?" I asked "it's just me!"
"Sorry, can't take any more people" the bus driver replied
and closed the door.

I can't be the only one who finds this slightly odd?
It was just me!
What a random place to draw the line for the bus being full,
when there's one person left trying to get on...
I mean, it's not like I came running just as he was
about to close the door.
I'd queued up!
I had waited patiently for my turn!

Bus drivers.
They do seem to live in their own little world...

sab x

Dear santa pt 6

Polka dot tights please!

Although these seem to have a ladder in them
and I'd prefer a pair without...
:)

Sab x

woe is me

The other night I yawned (half asleep) and
my lip stud caught in my bite guard.
It was extremely painful!
Now I'm scared that I'm going to rip my lip apart
in my sleep and have stopped using it.

The flipside of that, though, is that I'm now
back to living with an aching clicking jaw...

I wonder what the dentist would say if I rocked up
and said I need a new one for my top jaw.
Because I decided to get my lip pierced...

sab x

frightening

I read blogs.
I read a lot of Swedish blogs.

And I've just realised something:
I've viewed Sweden through rose-tinted glasses.
Sweden is so gender equal.
Sweden is so good at looking after it's vulnerable people.
Sweden is so integrated.
And non-racist.

Wow, talk about going through life wearing blinkers!
Now, my question is:
was it always like this and I was just blind?
Or has my beloved country changed that much in the 6 years since I left?

When did everyone turn into conservative, right-wing,
selfish racists?!

I find this very upsetting...

sab x

grrr

So much to do.
I should really get a move on.
But right now my bed is too comfortable...

Less than a week sabina!
Less than a week!

sab x

Tally

Today I have hed the following accidents:

Fallen up the stairs carrying a hoover - 1
(happens on a weekly basis)
Been whacked in the face with an hourglass - 1
Been hit in the mouth by a shoulder - 1
Taken a wrong step and twisted my ankle - about 20
(I'd say it was about 50/50 between both ankles)

I also atone pint looked up from hoovering, saw my own reflection
in the french doors and screamed.
Not because I looked so hideous but because, for a second,
I thought someone was standing in the garden watching me...

sab x

On flogging a dead horse

Speaking of knitting and crocheting

I guess this is what I'll be doing tonight...

knit a square

Why don't you join in?

sab x

Dear Santa pt 5

A haberdashery box.
This one obviously has sewing stuff in it but I want it
for my crochet and knitting (yes I'm planning on taking that up too)!
I'm sick of keeping everything in plastic bags!

sab x

Dear Santa pt 4

I wouldn't mind a Crop-a-dile Big Bite.
Maybe along with soem gromlets and other bits...

sab x

trippin' down memory lane

hands up if you feel like this sometimes

on the art of navel gazing

I have been neglecting my poor little blog
(and any readers I might have)
and I'm sorry.
Forgive me?

The problem is that with all the things buzzing round in my head
(like a thousand angry bees)
I just can't seem to focus on anything at all.

Time after time I find myself staring in to space,
slumped at the kitchen table or in my bed.
Often I can't even be bothered to turn the telly on...

This usually happens to me when I get stressed like this.
Stress is a double edged sword with me...
I find it very difficult to pull my finger out and get down to
business unless there's some sort of deadline looming.
I've always been like this, when I was finishing my last year of school
(I guess you'd call it college?)
there was this funny little quirk which meant the final grades were set
but they could still be changed for 2/3 days
(I forget which)
and I spent those days finishing assignments/papers/essays
for several courses so I could be graded in them.
(In Sweden there is a grade which is basically "no grade"
meaning you haven't done enough for your teachers to be able to grade you.
It's a grade below Fail..)
I guess what I'm trying to say is that I need to be under some sort
pressure to get something done.
But sometimes I leave things too late and it becomes
(what feels like) an insurmountable obstacle.
There's just too much to do.
And I can't see how I'll ever get it done.
So I shut down.
Withdraw.
Ignore it and hope it'll go away.
Of course it never does.
(except for once but that's a whole other story)
This is where the snowball effect comes into play.
The more I bury my head in the sand the worse it gets.
The worse it gets the more I bury...
Well you get the point.
It also spills over into other parts of my life.
Everything becomes the most difficult thing in the world.
Making a cup of tea feels like climbing mount Everest
and I sink deeper into the sofa, sigh and continue staring into space.

What does this have to do with the blog? I hear you ask.
Several time over the last week or so I have had great ideas of things to blog about.
I've had drafts of blog posts half written in my head.
And then in the evening when I'm slumped in bed,
trying to summon the strength to turn the telly on I think:
I should blog. I had that great idea...
And then I sigh and continue to stare into space.

Everything feels like a huge task right now...
Last night I stayed up for ages watching Miami Ink on Big Dave
(my beloved laptop)
because I couldn't be bothered to go to bed.
You see it would involve brushing my teeth, getting changed etc...
To much effort.

Interestingly enough (well, for me anyways)
this has now turned into a long, rambling post...
Go, figure huh!

Now, onto other things I've neglected.

sab x