ONLY A FEW HOURS TO GO

It's 12:30 and I will go up in 3.5 hours. I'm so not looking forward to it. But, hey, I have only myself to blame for it. But I'm really looking forward to being on an airport again in 6 hours and this time for me to check in and not pick up someone. How exciting! See ya folks!

SELKIRK COMMON RIDING WEEKEND

What a weekend. I don't recall being this tires in ages! But I'm really happy. It's been a crazy good weekend. 

Friday

I woke up at 4 am after 3 hours sleep (I had left the blind open so it wouldn't be to hard to go up, but it was so bright so I woke up an hour earlier than needed) and right before 6 am I was a the square with a bunch of other people looking at the brass, flute and pipe band.

We marched through the town to pick up more people and then we walked over to the Town Hall were the leader (don't remember what he's called) recieved the flag.

After that we followed the band down to the river and saw the horses crossing over to start the ride. They're riding around the borders of Selkirk, been doing for around 400 years. We saw around 300 horses passing us. It used to be more up to around 600 horses but Health and Safety decided it was to dangerous so now only around 300 allowed. However, after the last one has crossed I headed over to have breakfast with Nielsen's.

An hour later we headed back out to follow the bands again further down the road to see the horses ride in again. We catched up with a few more friends and it was so much fun! It's not only adults riding, but children as well. Really cool. After that time for another walk up to the square for the 7 flag shows.

Back to Nielsen's for a BBQ and after that I went for a walk around the Haining with Christina.

We came back to my place took a 15 min nap and then headed over to hers. In the evening we headed down to the Shows (an Amusment Park but here they call it Shows.. don't get it). Oh my goodness I'm not used to rides anymore. I only went on one, haha.

After the rides over to Jess and Brian's house with the youth for another BBQ. I came home around 1 am. So only 21 hours of activity with a 15 minute nap. Not to bad... 

Satuday

My friends decided to go up to Edinburgh. So we did. Another early morning and more walking.

On the journey home I just collapsed and slept the whole way back. So nice! Came home and about an hour later I got picked up by them again to head in to Gala and see the Jurras World movie. IT WAS SO GOOD! Really enjoyed it.

Sunday: 

My plan was to only go to the church in the morning and then head home and take it easy and rest the whole day (since it's quite busy days ahead). But instead I endeed up going to the Sellers for lunch and then I joined them to Hope picknik and then back for tea at their place again (tea means dinner/supper here). So I came home at 9:50 pm. It was great fun!

Now I'm just waiting for the week to pass quite quickly and painfree to wensday evening, when I finally go on holiday. It won't be that much relaxing though. So full on for another 1 ½ week. With other words, non-stop for 3 weeks straight. But it's fun most of the time, so I'm not bothered by it.

AFTER WORK TODAY

10

1. What is your first memory?

Eeeeh... I'm not sure. I have glimpses here and there from when I was around 3?

2. How did you look exactly one year ago?

3. When you had rapid heartbeat last?

When I was at the airport waiting for me friends to come thourgh the doors.

4. What do you look forward to right now?

Common Ridings on friday and then my vacation next weekend. I'm off to Sweden! 

5. What are you doing in few years?

Hopefully I will have started university, maybe even graduated, traveled more and hopefully still live abroad!

6. What is your worst habit?

Not being able to say no, even if I have a lot to do. I'm getting better, but have quite far to go still.

7. Your last meal if you can choose freely.

Meatballs, chocolate, cake, tea.

8. Tell us three things we don't know about you!

My room is always a mess, I'm a hopeless romantic (a few of you already know this) and last but not least I tend to skip a few pages in every other book when it gets to intense. (I know, I know.. How can I! I try to stop myself!)

9. What are you afraid of?

The dark, horror movies, not being able to travel anymore.

10. Who would play you in the movie of your life?

I like Anne Hathaway, but she doesn't look at all like me. But hey, it's my movie. I can choose whoever I want. 

WINDY DAY

Haven't realized that it's been a few days since I wrote here last time. Time really does fly! I'm having such a good day. It's been a bit weird days lately, but in a good way. On thursday I was really confused, and I still am over what happened. I won't go in on it, it's a bit personal, but lets just say I'm confused. Still to figure out it means and I'm supposed to do. My guess is that it will take a while, but that's okay.

Otherwise we have finally been starting to have some good days with nice weather. It's been raining most time today but it cleared up later on in the afternoon, and when I went out for a walk with two friends around the hills we almost blew away!! It was soo windy up at the Golf Hill!

The Golf Hill a few months back.

This morning the last piece of last weeks crumble was eaten so in the afternoon I decided to make some more rhubarb and strawberry crumble. It's really a hit with everyone here. I'm really pleased! I'm happy I'm able to convert more people into my all time favorite crumble! I didn't take anything earlier, been savint myself for tonight.
I'm looking after the kids tonight (they're sleeping right now) while Anna and Iain is out celebrating Anna's birthday (that was 2 months ago). We've just not come around to it. We have all been sick and there's been so much going on for them on the weekends. I'm just happy I can help out.

Apperantly it's the Swedish National day today. I didn't realize until Anna mentioned it to me. Haha, that's how important it is to me.

Anita also has gotten chicken pox right now so I'll be home with her all week. We'll see how it goes, Hopefully it's not to itchy! But I'll be working extra this week.

Now I'm off to see a movie, eat some crumble, popcorn and take a glas of wine or a pint of Strongbow. Haven't decided witch yet.

IF YOU ARE YOUNG AND NERVOUS DON'T BE

If you are young and nervous, don’t be.

I urge you to be curious.

Question society and what you are told. You don’t have to live the life that has been laid about before you. You don’t have to live the life your parents, grandparents, and great grandparents have lived. Feed your potential by moving around, by stirring things up. I want to protect youth from false guilt that is projected onto them when deciding what path is their own. You don’t have to answer your neighbor when they condescendingly ask about your plans are after high school. Breathe, collect your thoughts, try things, see what falls in your lap and recognize what feels true. What is time? It’s subjective. You are not the same. You are you. Why are we told we must decide by a certain age? Pressured into decisions with their deadlines, we’re told we won’t be great if we don’t follow through into traditional schooling. Why are we conformed into school systems that control our minds for eight hours a day, telling us we must learn this way, speak this way, perform this way, obey until we graduate, and then live this way, retire, die? The natural latter seems like death to creativity in so many of the young, leaving them silent and straight jacketed walking in a straight line to predictability. It’s always your choosing to decide whether you’ll live a curious life or a comfortable one. Maybe I’m crazy for not following a path I know that would lead me to a stable life, maybe I’m crazy for following my passions. Maybe I won’t have a big yard or an abundance in my bank account, but I’ll have stories and a heart bigger than my body, a brain with stretch marks. I’ll have films and images, an archive of my life of adventure. My life of constant hunger for better understanding of Earth and my spirit within it.

There are always other options.

Challenge your comfort, let yourself unfold.

I found it here.

PRODUCTIVE DAY

Today has been a productive day but not an intense one. Just a good-stress-free-productive day. So I'm quite content with myself right now. The weekend was also a very productive. So I can't complain over the last 4 days really. Which feels really good. 

I'm sitting right not listening to the kids run in and out of their rooms and talking like no one can hear them, they're supposed to be in their beds, sleeping. To be honest it's starting to become a little bit irretating, since it's a lot of slamming doors. But I'm gonna turn up the music and pretend like they're not there. 

FYI I love the kids, sometimes they just manage to get on my nerves. Which recently they've been pretty good at. I'm in so need of a smaller vacation. Quite looking forward to do some traveling soon. A little bit over 2 weeks and I'll go on a mini vacation!
It will be nice going away from this miserable, cold wheater here (allthough I'm not sure is any better in Sweden). I don't mind rain or wind, but when it's been the same for more then a month your mood start to hit a low point. We've had a few days with splendid wheater; sun, warm, no wind, t-shirt/short days. But they've been few and not enough to keep everyones mood up. Like right now we have a rain/wind storm going on. It's just pouring down and changing direction because the wind is going mental. 

I don't know how to capture rain on a camera, but imagine you not being able to see through the rain, and there you go. That's my view right now.

I finally have had rubarb crumble again! On friday I made a rubarb/strawberry crumble! Sooo good. I've had at least one portion every day. There's lots of it left so I'm definitely having some every day for the rest of the week as well. Rubarb is the best! And it's so easy to make a crumble out of it. I was a bit nervous that it wouldn't turn out any good since it was my first time making it but the result is absolutely F A N T A S T I C !