My little paradise

Working from home today. Its already started getting quiet at work and i had zero meetings today so why not. My plan is to chill when i can this summer to be ready for what is most likely going to be a hectic fall at work. We dont have the swede holidays here so you have to take it where you can.

This is my little summer oasis. The umbrella was the missing piece to make this heaven. I can now lay out there and work as well as read my books. Hello tan.

Eating a mini strawberry i grew myself. I was leaving it for George but then it became too tempting and i just had to.

And raspberries. Live on fruit and berries at the moment.

At 7 it was time for the England game. We met up with Lollo and went to the Draft House. It was filled with drunk english people.

George was a closet Belgium fan and silently cheered when they scored. Lollo and me rooted for our adopted country. I mean, they have taken us in after all (even if they want to throw us out with Brexit).

George and me found a beer bottle on the shelf made for us. C&G beer. The awesome bar man gave it to us.

I instantly put it up in our flat. Our place looks like a happy flea market. The opposite of all swedish perfect homes. Anyone could spot it was ours a mile away. I love that, i have never been perfect and this place suit me. Im just glad George is the same as me. We’ll create a weird and wonderful home together.

Lastly, got myself a dress on sale. Im thinking this for Danis wedding in Ibiza in October. Think i will feel like an edgy dream in this.

Tonight meeting the girls for dinner at the new soho house here in White city. Bring on weekend.

Yes Sweden!

If you are a swede like me you know exactly how I spent my time between 3-5 (4-6 your time) yesterday. By cheering and jumping up and down for my team of course.

The game started while i was in a phone conference. No one could see my screen. Aced it.

But very timely all our calling systems went down (it wasnt me, promise) so i could watch the game eating candy undisturbed.

And what a game it was. First i was very stressed seeing the Mexicans in our space dreading a repeat of the german game.

But fucking heroes aced it and my team got to see a very happy boss dancing around.

After all that drama i went home, picked George up and then we collected W for another lazy picnic. This time in Ravenscourt.

Catching the sunset.

Moley was supposed to meet us but then this happened…she was a bit busy not having time for picnic (no baby yet though, water broke but she is in for the long haul)

This is me realising we are meeting Switzerland and not Brazil in the next game. Yes, im living this world cup.

Taking selfies with my unwilling doggo. Standard.

Charlie joined us as well. He has gotten a new job and was quite nervous. Hell do well, hes pretty much done everything in his life so im sure hell do great.

Park shenigans. Yes, im himalarious putting a tennis ball inside Georges shirt. A regular stand up comedian.

Tonight we are forgetting about the nice weather going to the cinema. Im becoming Aussie. Next week i have W all week so im counting on a lot of park time. Walkies every morning before work.

Summer sadness

Lazy days. Can you do anything else when its this hot? I understand why Spain has  siesta. I want to take a siesta after lunch every day. Or even better, have the 2 months summer holiday of my childhood. But here in London we only have 22 days and i have to save mine for Australia in March. So i enjoy the cool of the AC at work and leave work a little early to catch the evening sun.

Its almost like the burning sun and the dying grass of London makes me a little sad. Summer is supposed to be when you are all happy enjoying the sun. But what if life is just normal? You do the things you always do. Are you failing on summer then?

I have too much time to think. And my dreams are almost feverish since its so hot. I think about what ifs and maybe nots. There are things i desperately want but i have to wait and i feel lonely in that wait. I dont want to live my wait and talk about it all the time. But its there, constantly, in the back of my mind.

The heat makes my mind sluggish and my thoughts slow and i can barely focus on anything complicated. So i kind of exist in this bubble of summer.

Yesterday Uday came back from Mexico and as the hero he is he brought the team a bottle of tequila. Team party coming up.

After work George and me packed a blanket and a bottle of Gin and Juice and went down to the river for a picnic.

This bottle is one of a small batch made by Kyro and it was delicious. My hope is that they start selling this so that we non wine drinkers has something sexier for a picnic than beer or cider.

Imagine whipping this bad boy out in a date. I would swoon.

My man posing with his brands awesomeness.

Mini family. Love these guys with all my heart. The make my life all kinds of awesome. My somewhat summer sadness is not them. Not at all. They are what make me happy and i felt so much better after our picnic.

Woolly is not unhappy when he gets to eat meat in the sunset.

This guy. I dont know how but he always makes me smile and laugh no matter how i feel. He is my person.

Also, love his unruly mop of hair at the moment.

Aceing the selfie game.

This little guy is my hero. He is suffering massively in the heat so he loves when it gets a bit colder and goes absolutely bonkers.

Gin and Juice guys, im telling you, its deliciousness in a bottle.

(also, my nostrils are some wonky shit)

This is what i call real love. A man and his bottle of booze.

Such a lovely evening by the river. When summer is like this it does have all of that happiness and something to live for when its all cold and dark outside.

Creating this post and looking at these pictures helped my summer sadness.

This sweltering heat

Its 30 degrees in London. Im so happy i dont need to go on the tube at the moment, central line is even more hell than usual in this heat. Instead W and me take slow walks around the block when its cooled down a bit in the evenings.

This feels like the never ending summer. My garden needs watering every day and i can barely sleep at night because its so hot. George goes out and see friends and i stay home since i try and live a bit healthier. Many reasons for that. Both body and mind needs all the energy it can get. Im back to reading super simple books where everything works out in the end. My kind of vacation.

The weekend after all the midsummer shenanigans was super chilled too. George made me breakfast when i was suffering my snaps hangover in the morning.

Then i stayed there pretty much all day. Too hot to be in the garden or leave the house at all.

Until the game between sweden and germany. I crawled down to the Draft house for food and games.

Bringing my man of course. No choice but cheering for Sweden. If you drink with us you cheer for us.

I was representing again. You go Abba country.

Got my juices flowing by eating this monstrosity. The whole living healthy (ish) only counts for the weeks. Weekends are a free for all.

The started 90 minutes of hell. Im not good with sports stress, never have been.

and this game was a killer. Knowing my fellow swedes and what a machine the germans are under pressure i had a feeling it wasnt going to end well after the 1-1 goal.

So stressed i did.

My poor heart almost couldnt handle all that drama.

When we went into the overtime i hid behind my glasses to avoid the unavoidable.

And for sure, the germans scored in the 94th minute. I mean come one.

After that i just went home, saw an episode of Lost and then went to bed. No more drama for this poor heart.

On sunday i chilled some in the garden and enjoyed my new brollie. Needed in the sweltring heat right now.

Then we headed up to East to 100 Hoxton for Helens and Simons leaving party. George was super excited and planned to go big from the start. All his friends out and about.

me and W not so much. Normal people cant do Sundays plus my little man need someone to take him home when it gets too much.

So at 8 i left everyone and headed home to the sofa again. Told you we are mostly hiding away from the sun him and me.

Londoners do Midsummer too

Happy belated Midsummer everyone. We celebrated like pros. Small London crew but the weather was lovely (one definite perk of london midsummer) and swede cheese home dancing until 3 in the morning. Still got it.

Yes, my midsummer was all i dreamt of. Including all of the snaps.

Started the morning in my garden. Due to this crazy hot May and June the garden has almost bloomed out now. I keep watering my flowers but the bigger garden is pretty much done. Well. it was amazing as long as it lasted.

Then George and me went for lunch with Miika. I was representing Midsummer in my ABBA t-shirt.

After a lazy afternoon in the flat we headed up to Kattas to help with the last couple of things. And make garlands. The most important Midsummer part.

I set up a flower station.

And got to work. Must say i feel like ive becoming a bit of a garland pro by now. It was all swede colours this year.

I was wearing green and white this year. Infortunately i can barely fit into my skirt any longer (goodbye smaller hips of pre 30s) so had to change clothes halfway through when the food went in)

Did feel like a midsummer nights dream though.

Katta looked all fresh and tanned coming back from a health trip to Mykonos.

Midsummer ladies. Love this little London tradition for us to celebrate together. If you move countries sometimes its time for new traditions.

All the boys cancelled on us last minute and we sent angry photos telling them no. Poor George had to deal with all the girls on his own.

Ella came last minute and i made her a garland so she could just jump straight into it. Our honorary swede. Now we just need to hook her up with a swede so we can make her one of us for reals.

The beautiful Midsummer table. Katta had made a dream dinner as always.

Ha, a somewhat unimpressed George. Not so sure what he feels about being dragged around everywhere for my weird swede parties and holidays but hey, thats kind of what you signed up for wanting to marry me.

This is the weather that all swedes dream of. Sun slowly going down over London and being able to sit outside until midnight.

Kelly joined us and suddenly we were 6 garland clad prettties (yes george, you too)

I got to play my 6h long swede cheese list. Not so fun for the non swedes but the rest of us loved it. Nothing like scream sing to Tommy Korberg.

A very beautiful, happy, smiley Katta. Love that her smile is back. And that glow. Shell wreck havoc on the London boys.

Liam and Dan joined and i told them they had to make a garland if they wanted to be a part of the fun. So they did. They sucked and Dan kept complaining that there was no flowers left for him.

But looking pretty happy doing it.

Me having a little love moment with my gorgeous Ella. She is breaking so many poor boys hearts at the moment. Good on her. She needs that.

Bromancing. I feel like these true London boys barely knows what to do about all the swedeness. Its all too white and pretty.

Nah, lets just dive right in and go with it. I think Liam makes and excellent Midsummer boy.

Ha, love these guys. My own, weird London family. I feel so lucky that i have truly found a place that is mine. Never felt at home in Stockholm, its too perfect for unperfect me, but London with its never ending forgiveness makes me feel like i can be anyone.

People are judged for who they are, not what they have or where they are from, here and i love that. It means that i dont have to be where im from either. I can find who i want to be instead.

I mean, look at these girls and the happiness on their faces.

Yeah, we had the best time. Midsummer in London is kind of winning over Midsummer in Sweden at the moment.

Me and my best trouble maker in crime.

When the swede list is a roaring success and its 2 am and no one wants to go home yet.

Katta and me dancing to ‘Bakom mina solglasogon’ and thinking, rightly so, that we own the world.

Yes, you are the best babe. And i love you endlessly. If London makes me feel like i can be myself you make me feel 100% loved for the who i am. No one else have ever looked at me with zero judgement and never ending love the way you do.

Heres to many more Midsummers together.

Even when i look like this and follow you around the flat asking if you find me sexy.

Best Midsummer.

Getting midsummer ready

Midsummer tomorrow. Not too excited about drinking again but a girl needs to do what a girl needs to do. And what she has to do is snaps. Have the day off as well. Cant Midsummer without the day off. At least its sunny and beautiful in London. One win staying here.

We are celebrating at Kattas. My plan is to make an even bigger garland than last year. Last year was pretty impressive…

Me and my midsummer crew -17. Totally won the garland size game.

But before i clock off for a three day snaps drinking bender lets have a look at the last couple of days.

The calm after the storm. The house in Gotland post party when Tove had cleaned the place up. I wish i had a place like this like an hour outside London.

We chilled and nursed our hangovers for all of Sunday. A very tired group of heroes making dinner and then pretty much sleeping in different parts of the house. Perfect sunday chill time.

Ready to leave and go back to London. My entire body filled with bruises and mosquito bites. And mosquito bites turning into bruises because i scratched them so badly. There is only that much countryside one can take.

Eating before our first flight. Everyone knows that two day hungovers needs all the food.

Flight number two. We were both a bit rough around the edges.

8h of traveling later i was home with mini doggo. Must admit to very glad to be home in our little mini paradise.

I checked out the garden and it survived. Hortensias in bloom. Ive always been jealous of all the big bushes lining the streets in London and now i have one myself.

And check out my tomatoes. I start to actually believe i have somewhat green fingers. Or as George said ‘you are no longer useless in the zombie apocalypse, you can grow stuff’. True. Hey jules, im now a valuable member of your apocalypse team.

Both tuesday and wednesday was spent on the sofa in various stages of sleep and undress.

Went to all my meetings looking like this. Cant get this one off so now im one classy broad sporting a silver dream catcher tattoo. Good thing i work in music and pretty much all my colleagues are tattoed.

Back on the sofa. W is hoping to not get kicked off by hiding under Georges sweater. Worked like a charm.

Frippfest!

On Saturday it was finally time for the party. As you can imagine i was over excited have schlepped not one, but two, outfits all the way from London.

The morning started slowly with breakfast and getting things ready before more and more people started dropping in and i decided i needed the world to see my first outfit.

Some kind of Unicorn star child. You can never have too much glitter. Thats a Cissi fact. (future kids, dont ever hold this against me)

And epic unicorn tights. Fighting (or making love, each to their own) a robot t-rex. Hell yeah epic.

Out in the garden George and Johan were grill masters making swedish hot dogs.

Everyone was on wine and beers except for Tove and me being non wine drinkers. Hell yeah to having a hot girl bringing you vodka redbull all day.

We went to the glitter station to get some more bling going. Never too much glitter.

I want every party i go to to have a glitter station from now on.

And a photo booth with silver drapes. Tove and i had spent the whole week getting jacked up for the outfits. And, if i get to say it myself, we look epic!

Forget Coachella, i do Frippfest!

Mega soapbubble umbrellas might be what the world needs at all times (and yes, i realise we are all giant kids playing at being grown ups.)

Everyone had made a serious effort at dressing up and even if i won (she says humbly but i mean, this is kind of my thing) there was some awesome outfits.

Me and my man in our day outfits. I love everything about this picture, the glitter, the colours, the bubles, the flamingo. Dream life.

Toves brother decided he needed more of everything. Who am i to say no. More it is.

Family! All of Frippens cousins and siblings. Nykoping people most of them. I think they brew them in clans down there.

And they definitely grow them strong in Bulgaria.

As you can see it was a very happy party and for about 6 hours we were just hanging out getting tipsy, taking photos and getting our glitter on. And for me so many friends i havent seen in ages.

Ok i just cant get enough of the epicness of this party and being able to walk around in Unicorn tights.

Time for the night outfits. George had glow in the dark suspenders and we glittered up the Unicorn.

To me this is sex on legs.

I went for the burlesque look with top hat, tutu and loads of fairy lights.

Night outfits owned! I think i must have been a moulin rogue dancer in a previous life.

The place was just awesome for a party. This is up in the barn where Tove and Fredrik had seated dinner for all 50 of us. They had a guy coming in with a whole lamb with salads and bread.

When i get rich and famous ill have a place like this close by. Amazig being able to have a party for 50 people without breaking a sweat (well, im sure theyll say it was shit loads of work and of course it was, i mean more that you have room to do it)

Always double drinking. I love that this is around 9 in the evening and the sun is still properly out. Oh Sweden, you rock my heart.

Ready for dinner and Friippen gave a welcome speech. Thank you for having us!

Andreas, Jens, Frida and Ida giving a speech. They are pretending to be an anchor lift in the background. Dont ask…

After dinner we all went down for a glowstick fuelled party in the barn.

Tove and Maria played all the cheese hits and people were dancing like it was 1999 and they were not in their 40s.

Love when swedes party.

George and i looked like Christmas trees. I might have been the one making that happen. Because not only is it a festival but i get to make people look like a Christmas festival. Dream.

Around midnight the secret rave club Driftwood in Space opened. It was Frippens friend Patrick who had set it up complete with the smoke machine, UV lights and german deep house.

I loved it but people like PP drifted off and headed to bed when the music got too crazy.

Youll find me raveing to the end though.

The t-shirt we gave Frippen for his bday. It moves with the music. Absolutely epic for a rave party and i instantly want one.

Dont get more weird german nightclub than this.

By the end the sun went up and there was only some true troopers left. Not surprised that me and George were among the last men standing.

Moody Gotland early morning.

I have borrowed Toves hat and found even more lights and glitter. A 4am festival fairy.

When we got to our room we realised that since it was next to the party it was filled with smoke. Oh well, who doesnt want to sleep in a nightclub?

Thank you Fredrik and Tove for magical FrippFest. Now im only hoping theyll do one next year. Or maybe Tovfest. Either way we’ll be there.

Hello Gotland my old friend

I wrote this long post and then it all got deleted just before publishing…seriously, that is just how today is going. One of those days when nothing goes right.

So lets have a look (again, ive seriously just written all of these captions once so dont expect anything exciting this time around) at what we did on our little mini holidays.

Summery and ready to rock and rumble.

Holiday feelings. Beer is needed.

One happy meatball face.

An even happier meatball face.

Feeling hot and in love and ready for some serious swedish summer.

Big guy in a tiny plane.

Finally we arrived in Visby and headed for dinner at Bolaget that sis booked for us. We drank gin, ate beautiful food and decided that even if Visby is lovely its way too tiny to love in (sorry sis).

Very pretty though. Its all ye oldy timey and George was all taken by the architechture.

After food and drinks we headed back to our tiny hotel where the bed creaked and the ceiling fan did nothing for the heat. To add to the medieval feeling of the trip.

Georges very unswedish brekkie. Nutella??

Before heading out to Tove and Fredrik we walked along the city walls and the beach and got at least a little Gotland time.

Ive never really spent much time in Gotland but when its like this its a little slice of heaven.

George was not impressed with the beaches. ‘What is this stone thing’. Sorry babe but we are not Australia…

But he was more impressed with the city walls. From the late 13th century. As he said, like 3 times older than Australia.

My little merman posing by the sea.

More selfies because why not?

Proving that we did something more than just the house we then spent the rest of the weekend in.

It was an absolute stunner of a day and we ate ice cream and i think i even got George to fall a little bit in love with Sweden. We are hard going on that one but im working on it.

Feeling history walking under these old fortifications.

After a morning of walking and a lunch in the sun Tove came to pick us up to take us out to their house about 40 minutes from visby.

Half of the crew had joined early and we had dinner in the sun with Fredriks and Toves friends and family.

Their house is absolutely beautiful and they have restored lots of the old buildings. Toves owns it with her family and they got it about 2 years ago. This is in the old windmill. Almost 200 years ago.

Your never ending swedish nights. This is 11pm and then sun is just going down on our first full day in Gotland.

I promise il tell you about the party but ill save that for tomorrow when im a bit more on the ball.

Soon under the swedish sun

We are off to Gotland tomorrow. Very excited. Both to see my friends and to show George Gotland. Its a very particular place and very beautiful. Weather looks like it will be perfect swedish summer as well.

That smell of spring green birches and meadow flowers. And everything is so light green it almost hurts under that never setting sun. Its something so magical about it and so very swedish. I forget until im there. And its like my soul is like ‘hey, this is MY place’. Dont worry soul, we are going to frolick around on those flowering meadows you and i.

Yesterday we were doing something so very London. Phil had his bday party and newly opened Puttshack in Westfields. Finally something down this way.

Wearing all the flowers like the tiki soul he is.

George did a top knot and instantly turned into every italian football player ever. Could not stop laughing.

Cheers to Phil.

It was opening night and only for friends and family so everything was 50% off. Everything was a bit in the teething state so im happy i was not paying full price for the experience.

I wore a 50’s bandana in my hair channeling old school diners and americana. Dont think ive ever gotten that many compliments for a hair do. And easiest ive ever had.

The golf was some super high tech mini golf experience. But actually very fun and i found some never before tapped into mini golf skills. Who knew.

Talula and Phil with their balls.

Charlie joined and i tried to hide behind her not having to drink the shots. Pretty successful. Who needs shots on a tuesday?

Charlie waiting to ice Phil

(Iceing is this bartender thing that if you get the person in question to find a smirnoff ice somewhere they didnt expect to they have to down it on one knee. We had one hidden in our book shelf for a year that Dan put there before i made George find it.)

Sucessful. Phil started to look a bit fuzzy around the edges at this point.

And look at this…  I did end up in second place but still. Who knew Ceciii was such a mini golfing prodigy.

The it was time for dinner but the place fucked up our order so badly so after waiting for 50 min and no food me and George cancelled our stuff and went to the turkish instead. Best decision ever.

That was it for now, logging off and see you on the other end of sweden.

Longing for holidays

Tired today. Work has started to slow down a bit. Wont go proper dead for another month but it already feels like people are half on holiday. Or maybe thats just me. Im most defintely already partly holidaying.

My outfit for this weekend have shown up. Or at least one of them. I just cant stop myself when it comes to costume parties. My plan is to one day make a business out of renting  out all my outfits. Ill be richie rich.

As soon as i put these on my soul just screamed burning man. I really want to go now. Was happily not going this year because was so stressed out and in need of never ending sleep when the tickets went on sale but now i want to dance in the desert sun.

Guess Gotland sun will have to be the next best.

Ha, made George and me in to THIS couple. Colour coordinated matched Toms.

Cant. Even.

In the evening i went to the Allbright with Lollo to watch a screening of the McQueen documentary. Feel like there is a lot of suicides at the moment. It was an amazing movie but sad. Success dont equal happiness. Good thing im aiming for happiness more than success. Or like i kept telling my therapist ‘I just want to have a fun life’,

And i am. My life is full of fun and happiness.

Came home to mini doggo. We chilled and ate ice cream. Yes, both of us #naughtydogmum