The final Countdown

Det är nästan ofattbart, men årest sista dagen är här. Ännu ett kapitel i "boken om mitt liv" är skrivet. 

Mitt kapitel är fyllt av glädje och äventyr - men också sorg. När 2007 startade var jag nästan havlvägs genom mitt äventyr i Kapstaden, Sydafrika. Första halvan av året spenderade jag på denna fantastiska plats på jorden. Under dessa sex månader flyttade jag tre gånger inom Kapstaden, jag körde bil ca 1200 mil runt i landet, jag besökte en hel massa fantastiska platser.

I maj åkte jag till Kunming, Kina för att hålla min andra utbildning i förberedelserna inför Paralympics i Beijing. 

I början av juli sa jag hejdå till mina vänner i Sydafrika och hej till familj och vänner i Sverige. 344 dagar i Kapstaden var över.

Sommaren spenderade jag hos mina föräldrar och i slutet av augusti flyttade jag (tillbaka) till Gävle, där jag fått nytt jobb och ny lägenhet. Från september och fram till idag har det mest handlat om jobb och jobb... Jag har haft tid och möjlighet att besöka några av mina vänner och säsongen för Rullstoslrugbyn har startat också....

Jag måste säga att 2007 har varit ett intresant och fantastiskt år fyllt av äventyr som gett många nya erfarenheter.

Under 2007 har jag träffat och lärt känna många nya människor som jag lagt till min "circle of friends".

Jag kommer att titta tillbaka på 2007 med glädje och värme i hjärtat. Jag kommer också att se tillbaka på 2007 och ge en extra tanke till dem vi förlorat under detta år.

Jag ser fram emot att möta 2008 och se vad det året har att erbjuda mig!!

Mitt enda nyårslöfte blir att njuta av vad året har att komma med och njuta varje dag av det!

GOTT NYTT ÅR!

Vi ses 2008....

It's unbelievable, but the last day of the year of 2007 is here. An other chapter of the "book of my life" is written. 

My chapter is full of joy, happiness, adventure - but also some sorrow and sadness. When 2007 started I was about halfway thorugh my adventure in Cape Town, South Africa. The first half of the year I spend in this fantastic place on earth. Within this six months I moved three times in Cape Town, I drove about 12 000 km's around the country, I went to see lots and lots of fantastic places. 

In May I went to Kunming, China for my second NTO training in the preparations for the Paralympic Games in Beijing. 

In the beginning of July I said good bye to my friends in South Africa and hallo to family and friends in Sweden. 344 days in Cape Town had passed by.

I spend the summer by my parents and in the end of August I moved (back) up to Gävle, where I got a new job and a new flat. From September to present I have mostly worked and worked... I have had the time to go see some of my friends a few times and we have started the Wheelchair Rugby season as well... 

I must say that 2007 was an intreresting, fantastic year with lots of great experiences.

In 2007 I met and got to know some new great people that I've added to my circle of friends.

I will look back at 2007 with a smile and a warm heart. I will also look back at 2007 and give them whom we lost this year a thought!

I'm looking forward to see what 2008 has to offer me!! 

My only new year resolution will be to enjoy the comming year, and enjoy every day of it!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

See you in 2008....

My Enchnated X-mas and all the food!!

On Friday I left work at lunchtime, took the train to the ariport and flew to Copenhagen, took the train back to Sweden - to Malmö, where I got picked up by my brother and his girlfriend. We all went to my parents place in Ystad. There my sister and her boyfriend was alredy waiting. 

It was our Christmas eve. We ate some good food, no Christmas food... played a board game, had lots of fun and opend our Chirstmas Gifts. We went to bed rather late - or early in the morning. 

After a few hours sleep and a big breakfast all the "kids" left.

I went to town to meet with a friend of mine I haven't seen in a long time. She is from Värmland where I stayed before, and was down here for Christmas since her husband comes from here and have his parents in the area. It was lovely to see her.

On Christmas Eve, yesterday, me and mum and dad had a great lunch with all the herrings, eggs and other great dishes for Christmas - and the SNAPS of course. At 3pm we parked in front of the TV, as we always do on Christmas eve in Sweden, to watch an hour cartoons. But this time we just got to see about 50 minutes, then the power went off!! The whole neighbourhood was dark! We lightened lots of candels and found a radio to put new batteries in, and had a great time. The power came back after about an hour. If it wasn't for the fact that it gets very cold when the power is gone, I wish it lasted a while longer!! But it didn't really mattered that much, we kept the candels burning... 

Later in the evening we continued the Christmas table - this time we served ham, meatballs, sausages, cabbage (red and brown), liver sausage all together with beetroot and different kind of mustards. Everything was ended off with the rice pudding.

The 25th is alwas a kind of slacky day in our house. So even this year... The only thing we did was me and my mum went to the movies. We went to see "Enchanted". Such a lovely movie! Sweet, funny, great and... well - go see for yourself!!

Well, that was my Christmas - a great slacky couple of days! Great, but I have to admit, I miss the Christmas I had last year... sunny, warm, with a swim in the Atlantic Ocean, the whole family together in my paradise - Cape Town!! 

Let's see where I spend Christmas next year.... =) 

Yes, all my swedish readers, this time I am to tired to translate........ you have to do with my english version!

On the movies - all by my self....

Som vi alla vet är julen bara runt hörnet. Idag är första dagen på månader som jag inte hade något inplanerat. Så jag såg till att planera in julshopping. Jag har EN julklapp att köpa. I vår familj har vi i år beslutat att vi ska köpa en julklapp till en person var. En vännina till mamma drog lott om vem som ska ge till vem. Det enda jag vet är vem jag ska ge till. Jag vet inte vem som ska ge til mig och heller inte vem någon annan ska ge till. Det ska bli skojsigt.

Jag trodde att det skulle bli ganska enkelt att bara behöva köpa en julklapp, dessutom för en utvald person. Men där hade jag fel.... det är svårt, väldigt svårt! Kanske är det för att jag ställer höga krav på mig själv att hitta den där perfekta julklappen och till just denna personen!?

Så, efter en hel dag i och ur affär hoppas jag att jag gjort rätt val med vad jag köpt!

Jag köpte också en julklapp till mig själv - en ny vinterjacka. Mycket välbehövligt. Den är i microfiber och ska vara väldigt varm och bra. Den är jättelätt och väldigt mjuk. Håller den vad den lovar kommer jag att älska den!

Efter flertalet timmar i affärerna, varm choklad och scones gick jag på matiné på bion. Det var smygpremiär på "BeeMovie" som har riktig premiär nästa helg. Så klart jag ville se den... Jag som älskar animerad film... För att vara säker på en plats var jag på bion tidigare på dagen och köpte min biljett. Filmen började kl 16. Tio minuter före öppnade de dörrarna. Någon minut efter det gick jag in. Det var tomt... Jag var först!! Efter en stund insåg jag att jag var väldigt först - eller rättare sagt. Det var bara jag där!! De fick visa filmen för bara mig!! Det kändes lite konstigt att sitta där helt själv. Jag går ofta på bio själv, men det är nog första gången jag varit helt själv i salongen. En anlednign till att jag var själv kan vara att jag valde den engelska versionen av filmen. Skulle gissa att det rä en film som föräldrar tar med sina barn på, och då väljer den svenska versionen....

Hur som helst, jag fick se filmen och det var helt kanon!! Ett sånt gulligt litet bi - eller ja, cool var han i alla fall!! =)

Ta en tur till bion under julhelgerna och se "Bee Movie"!! 

Christmas is, as we all know, just around the corner. Today was the first in months that I had nothing planned. So I made plans - to go Christmas shopping. I had ONE christmas gift to buy. In my family we have decided that this year we will buy one gift to one person each. A friend of my mums decided by drawing lots whom will give whom a gift. The only thing I know is who I will buy a gift for. I don't know who will buy me a gift and I don't know who any one else is buying gifts for. It can be quite fun. 

I thought it would be rather easy to only have to buy one gift, and for a picked person. But I was wrong... it is hard, very hard! Maybe it is cos I want to make it very good now that I only have one person to think of!? 

Well, after spending the whole day in the shops I hope I did buy the "right" thing!

I also got myself a Christmas gift - I bought myself a very nice winter jacket. It is a micro fiber jacket, so it should be nice and warm. It is very light and soft. If it keep its promice I think I will love it! 

After several hours in the shops, a hot chocolate and scones I headed for the movies. Next weekend "Bee Movie" is up on the Swedish cinemas. This weekend they have a "sneak peak". Of course I wanted to see it... I love this animated movies... To be sure I went there earlier in the day to buy my ticket. The movie started at 4pm. They opened the doors ten minutes before. I got in a few minutes later - and it was all empty... Well, I was first... after a few minutes I realized that I was very first. I was like the only one there!! They had to show the film for just me!! It was kind of strange to sit there all by myself. I often go to the movies by myself, but I have never ever been all by my self in there... One reason that I was all by my self can be that I choose the english version. It might be a movie to which parents bring their kids, and they choose the swedish version I guess... 

What ever, I got to see the movie and it was just great!! Such a lovely little bee!! =)

Go see it!!

 

My new jacket, but I got a black one!

Picture from the Haglöf website.

Lusse Lelle

Picture from the web

13 december och Lucia är här.
När jag gick till jobbet imorse kunde jag på långt avstånd se att det stod marschaller runt hela rondellen en bit bort på vägen. Mysigt. klockan var 06.30. Det var kallt och mörkt. Det enda som saknas är snön. Här i Gävle gör de ofta lite mysigt på särskilda dagar som denna. Länge hela Gavleån stod det marschaller och brann, liksom i många av stadens rondeller.
De brann fortfarande när jag 10 timmar senare var på väge hem igen. Även då var det kallt och mörkt.

På frukostfikat idag hade några på jobbet fixat Lussefika med glögg, lussekatter och pepparkakor. Massor med tända ljus och julmusik. Mysigt.

Jag har inte haft möjlighet att se någon Lucia live idag, så jag får väl slå på TVn och se om jag kan få se en där.

Så, nu när Lucia har kommit, då vet vi ju att det bara är elva nätter kvar till jul!!

Picture from the web

Today, December 13, is Saint Lucia's Day. All day long, with start early in the morning you can see girls, and boys, in all ages dressed in a long white dress - almost like a nightdress. The girls have tinsel in their hair and around the waist and a candel in their hand. The boys have a paper cone with stars on, on the head. It is big groups of people proceeding on a line singning. In the front of the choir a girl, often with long hair, walks in the same kind of dress, with a crown with candels on her head and a red ribbon around her waist. This is what we call a Lucia procession.
It is beautiful when they come in the dark with all this candels, singing beautifully. We have quite a lot of traditional songs for Saint Lucia.
I haven't seen a live Lucia this year, I think I have to watch it on TV tonight.
To this day, Saint Lucia's Day, you also eat a traditional bun called "Lussekatt". It is made with saffron.
If you are interested you can find out more about the Lucia tradtion here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Lucy%27s_Day

At work we normally have a coffeebreak at nine. Today some of the staff prepared a special Lucia break. Lots of candels, and we were served Glögg (a traditional drink for Christmas) that you drink with raisins and almond, the "Lussekatt" and gingerbread biscuit (an other Christmas tradition we have).
It was lovely.
Here in Gävle where I live they often make great things for special occations. Today when I was walking to work I could from far distance see that around one of the round-abouts I pass there was pitch torches burning. Lots of them! It was lovely. It was about 06.30 am and it was very cold and dark! The only thing missing is the snow!! They were still burning when I ten hours later passed on my way home. And it was cold and dark!! As if nothing happened in between.
In town we have a small river flowing by. Along both sides there was pitch torches burning. Lovely!

So, when Lucia come visit we all know it is only 11 more nights to Christmas!!

The Gävle Goat is up

Varje år till första advent byggs Gävelbocken. Tyävrr är jag alltid bortrest den helgen så jag får aldrig se när det tänder ljusen i hornen. I år har jag inte haft möjlighet att se honom än. För er som inte är bekant med Gävlebocken kommer här lite fakta hämtat från bockens hemsida.

Total vikt: 3,6 ton (varav halm 1,3 ton)
Total höjd: 13 meter
Mankhöjd: 7,6 meter
Längd: 7 meter
Röda band: 79,5 meter
Bockens ben: 2 meter i diameter
Lampor i hornen: 24 st
Halmen levereras från Låta gård i Uppland

För er som är mer intresserade rekommnederar jag bocken hemsida:
http://www.merjuligavle.se/merjuligavle/mjig_sida.aspx?id=11
Där finns det ocks en webcamera så du kan titta på honom.

Jag hoppas hinna se honom i år, innan han går upp i rök...

The picture is from the website and is not from this year.

Every year at the first Sunday of Advent the Gävle Goat is build and so even this year. Unfortunatilly I'm always away that weekend so I never get to see when they light up the lights in his horns. And this year I haven't seen him yet. The Gävle Goat is something that only happens in the town of Gävle.
I will give you some history that I found on his website.

The strange history of the Gävle Goat began in 1966. A man named Stig Gavlén came up with the idea of making a giant version of the traditional Swedish Christmas goat of straw. The aim was to attract customers to the the shops and restaurants in the southern part of the town centre.

On 2 December the 13-metre tall, 7-metre long, 3 tonne goat stood on the square. At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve, the goat went up in smoke. The perpetrator was found and charged with vandalism.

The Gävle Goat has been burned down 22 times since then. We have therefore impregnated him with flame retardant chemicals, which will keep him fire proof. We did try this some 10 years ago, but the chemicals were then washed off by the rain.

The new chemicals are water and snowproof - and often used in airplanes -so we are very confident that the Gävle Goat will make it this year.

If you are interested you can visit the website to read more about him and his history and even watch him on the webcam. http://www.merjuligavle.se/merjuligavle/mjig_sida.aspx?id=71

I hope I get to see him before he goes up in flames...