Signs of Spring!?

Picture from www.gb.se

För nästan två veckor sedan kom jag hem efter min härliga tripp till Kapstaden. Ett underbart avbrott i vardagen. Sol, värme, god mat och dryck och en hel massa upplevelser var precis vad jag behövde för att komma ur dvalan jag hamnat i under den mörka vintern.

Jag var borta hela mars och hoppades så klart att efter den dåliga vinter vi haft att jag skulle mötas av en begynnade vår när jag kom tillbaka. Måste erkänna att jag var ganska nöjd när jag satt i solskenet där nere och hörde att det var snö och kallt hemma.

Men det fick jag för. De första dagarna efter hemkomst regnade det i stort sett konstant!

En och annan solglimt skymtade förbi, men det var mest grått grått grått!! Så förra lördagen kom den, våren! En fantastiskt vacker dag, som jag spenderade i tvättstugan för att ta hand om all resetvätt!! Tänkte att jag tar igen det på söndagen och ger mig ut i friska luften. 

Eller hur!! Söndag morgon och det spöregnar igen!! *suck*

Och vad händer efter det... Jo, då kommer snön!! Hela veckan har vi haft SNÖ!! Först idag är den så gott osm borta och solen gör ett tappert försök att lysa upp våran tillvaro!

Kallt är det fortfarande?!

MEN, ett säkert vårtecken har vi i alla fall fått... GB har släppt sina nyheter i årets glasssortiment! Lakritspuck är tillbaka!! *mums*

Jag är inte mycket för glass, men just Lakritspuck är en favorit som jag kunnat sakna ibland. 

Det var ju ett tag sedan den var i ropet senast - närmare bestämt sedan 1993!! I femton år har den varit borta från våra frysdiskar.

Tittade igenom GBs glasslistor från 70-talet och framåt och det bjöd på mycket minnen!

Minns ni Pommac från 81, Lollipop med tuggummistång från 84 eller min andra favorit Jelly Split från 85?? Visste ni att den första Magnum kom redan 1989 och att det sedan 1992 kommit minst en ny Magnum om året. En del har stannat länge, andra försvunnit direkt. I år finns det inte mindre än sju sorters Magnum i frysdisken!

Så nu hoppas vi på att vårsolen får lysa över oss och värma vår tillvaro lite så att vi kan prova GBs nya och gamla sortiment!!

About two weeks ago I got back from my wonderful trip to Cape Town. A lovely break in my everyday life. Sun, warm weather, great food and drinks and lots of great adventures was just what I needed to get back on track after the long dark winter.

I was gone for almost the whole of Marsch, and of course I hoped the bad winter we've had was gone and that the beginnign of spring should meet me when I got back. I have to admit I was rather happy when I was in the nice sun and I heard it was snowing and cold back home. But that got back to me. The first days after I came home it was raining almost constantly!

Ths sun tried every now and then, but had a hard time to show, it was gray gray gray!! But, last Saturday spring came. It was a beautiful day, which I spent in the laundry room taking care of the laundry from the trip. I planned to go out in the fresh air on Sunday. Well!? Sunday morning and the rain is back!

And what happends after that - well, ths SNOW is back!! We've had snow all week!! Only today it is almost gone. The sun really tries to shine over us, but it is still cold.

But we've got one sign of spring anyway... the icecream company GB has released the news for the season! And my favourite "LakritsPuck" (Liquorice Puck) is back! I'm not very much into icecream, but LakritsPuck is one of my favourites that I missed from time to time. It's now back after it has been gone since 1993! For fifteen years!

On GB's website you can see all the icecreams for every season fron 1967. Had a look at it and it brought back lots of memories. There is a few I would like them to take back again.

Well, now we hope for the sun to come and shine over us to warm us up so that we can try the new ieccreams for the season!!

Great White and more...

For some reason I never got to continue the stories from my trip to South Africa after the balloon flight. Sorry about that. I will now give you a short summary of my last week in Cape Town.

My last week in Cape Town was filled with great events. The Nedbank National Champs started in Stellenbosch and I was there to see some friends. It was great seeing you all. Sorry I missed a few. I'm also sorry I missed the finals on Friday, but I had no chance to get to Stellenbosch. I was stuck at the TAX Refund office for hours... It was more than me leaving CT that weekend.. However I got to be there twise and I'm very happy for that!

I also got to go to "work" and say goodbye to the people there. 

But, there was one thing I did that last week that was extraordinary!! I went to Gransbaai to meet eye to eye with the Great White! And I did!! A sat in that cage in 11° water for what felt like forever... just waiting! But hey, it was worth all the waiting when that great big shark came straight towards us and swam very close to the corner of the cage where I stood!! What an experience!! I saw lots more shark from upper deck on the boat later! I'm so glad I did that trip!!

On the last Saturday, me and Ali took the four boxes of clothes that me and my colleauges send and went to a shelter in District Six to donate them. It was a great feeling to do this donation to people that really needed the stuff we cleaned out of our closets!! Thank you all!

That same night we went to The Barnyard Theatre and the show Sixty Something. What a great show!! We had a fantastic time. I went to bed 2.45am and got out of bed again to go to the airport at 4.00am. It was time to go home...

There couldn't have been a better way to end my fantastic time in CT.

After a long journey and an almost missed flight in Frankfurt I closed my own door behind me at 2 am Monday morning. 

Five hours later I'm back at work... and everything is back to normal!

Ballooning in the Winelands

It's been a while. I'm still in Cape Town doing loads of great things and having lazy days in between... Just enjoying myself soo much!

Have to tell you what I did this morning. I went ballooning over the Winelands of Paarl. That was amazing! It was my first time in a hot air balloon. 

The day started already 04.36 am when I got the wake up call and the

 final confirmation that we are flying. I got out of bed and drove to Paarl where I met the pilot, his crew and the other passangers. We took off out to the farmlands and found a nice spot to take off from. everyone helped to prepare the balloon. Well I must admit I did take photos most of the time, but I was the only one there without a following person. So I think I might be excused. I did help too.. 

When the balloon was out on the ground it was filled with air from the help of a fan. The air then got heated up by the burners and the balloon started to rise. 

We sailed in the air for about an hour, watching the fullmoon, the sun rise, the spectacular surroundings, the animals below us and it was all quiet, exept for an odd puff from the burner... So lovely!!

We landed and again helped to get the balloon packed up and

 back on the trailer before going for champagne breakfast at a nice hotel in Paarl. 

What a lovely day!! 

First couple of days in Cape Town

Hallo my friends. 

I have now spent close to a week in Cape Town. Crazy how times fly...

This first week, or I prefer to say couple of days, cos it doesn't seams to be as much, has been great. I got my self a car, so I can drive around the surrondings. It is scary how easy it is to adapt this time. To the traffic, leftside driving! To the language and to find my way in the cupboards in the house... It is like I never left... and maybe I didn't really leave!

These days I have tried to plan some tours that I would like to do. Hopefully I will be able to do most of them. Lot of the tours has a minimum of four people in a group and that is kind of hard to fulfil when you are travelling on your own. So now I'm busy waiting for the travelagancies to get back to me with details and to sey if there will be a tour or not. Let's wish for the best.

What I have done this week is quite a lot. I went to the finish of the big cyceltour Argus on the Sunday I arrived. On the Monday I got my car and went to the Tourism Office to get some information to work with. On Tuesday I got back to town to change the car... long story... On Wednesday I visited the company I worked for down here earlier. While I was there I left the lights on on my car, so I neede som help to jumpstart it to be able to get back!! I have had sushi at my favourite place, I have had calamari tubes at Ocean Basket, I have walked on the beach... I have even been to the Paschal Meal. 

AND - I caught this bad cough that I'm now busy trying to get rid off again!! 

This Friday will be a quiet one. I will stay home, watch TV and try to get rid off this cough of mine.

I'll get back to you when I have been on one of my tours, to tell you all about it.

Travel diary!

While I'm travelling I will write this blog only in English. Swedish readers are welcome to my travel diary at www.resdagboken.se. 

Since I have one diary in Swedish I will try and update this blog for you nonswedish.

The Saturday I have been waiting for for a very long time, is finally here. I woke up very early this morning, like a child for christmas. After a kind of bad breakfast (fridge is empty) a shower and some last packing, I was off. Took the train to Arlanda Airport. Where I am at the moment, waiting for my first flight, the one going to London. In London I transfer to Cape Town. Tomorrow morning I will touch ground in my paradise and I'm looking forward to it soo much!! 

here in Sweden it is gray and some rain and it is great leaving that for a few weeks to get some sun... according to my computer it will be about +28°C in Cape Town tomorrow...

I like! =)

Have to go now - boarding soon. 

See you all in Cape Town.

Last weeks news

The past week has been quite hectic and filled with surprises. 

Last Friday I went to the movies to see the premiere of a new Swedish movie (Morgan Pålsson, världsreporter - for my Swedish readers) made by my two favorite comedians. It was thier first movie, after years of TV and live shows (Hipp Hipp). I think they did a great job with the movie. The caracter they used for the movie isn't my favourite amonst all the caracters they have done, but I enjoyed the movie.

It was long hours at work and a few strange projects this week. The worst project I got this week I got on Thursday at about 10.30 in the morning, and the costumer had to have it on Friday... leaving me with about four hours to start and finish it!! It was a big half pallet display. And guess what - I made it!!?

Earlier that same morning I received my official invitation to the Paralympics in Beijing in September. I am selected as one of three international table officials for the Wheelchair Rugby. The rest of the group will come out of my students I've been to China to educate.

It's going to be such a great experience to go to Beijing. I'm so happy, honoured and excited!

Yesterday was a girls night out. Eleven of us started the evening with a very interesting winetasting and continued to a resturant for some great food and after that to the local pub. Late at night, or you can say very early this morning I lumbered home...

It put a great end to a day that hadn't been that great.. I decided to borrow the washing machine at work to wash some clothes. My plan was to wait until most people had left for the day, but for some reason I got the machine going a bit earlier than planned. About half an hour later they came running for me... The machine I was using was broken, and had been broken the last few months... and the only three not knowing that was myself and the two I had spoken to about borrowing it... So, now we stood there with water up to the ankles!! It was the company we chare building with that noticed the devastation when the water come in to them from under the walls... For the next 30 minutes there was about six of us trying to get rid of the water!! We left the buildning with all the doors open and a fan to dry it all... 

I put my laundry in the RIGHT machine and finally it was washed and dry!!

I felt relieved that I didn't stuck to my plan to do the washing after everyone left... =) 

This weekend I spend doing the last preparations for my trip to Cape Town. 

It is very close now... In a weeks time I'm in the air and on my way... =)

A tribute to Chip..

Yesterday it came to my knowledge that I've lost a friend of mine.

A true friend that didn't leave my side for over four months

if he wasn't forced to... or if his real mummy was home!

He came in to my life in February 2007 when I moved in to his house. 

From that day he was by my side whenever I was in the house. 

In the afternoon, the 2 July 2007 I closed the door for the

last time and went back home to Sweden. The last thing I saw

was three pairs of big brown eyes looking at me. One of them belonged Chip.

It was really hard to close that door that day!

Chip, had a great peronallity and garded you with his life.

Unfortunatilly I won't see Chip when I come back to his place in a few weeks.

Thank you Chip for the time we had together!

I will never forget you and your slobby face in my lap.... 

Rest in peace my friend!

Lots of love to the three girls back in the house!

You are all in my thoughts and I'm looking forward to see you shortly.