Home alone

It is Wednesday, and I have been home alone all day.
Kris left at 7 this morning and he won't be back until tomorrow evening. He's away down in Bristol for work. Maria is still at school, she usually has orchestra practise after school, so she doesn't finish until 16.45. I assume she'll be home in about an hour.

I have been really good today, I have done some laundry and I have tidied up in the bookcases in the living room. I also dusted of course. I tried to organise the books a bit better, so now I have the ones I am keeping separate from the ones I'll probably donate back to the charity shops when I bought them.

Some of these books are old, and used to belong to my grandparents. I will keep those for sure.

I miss my cat, I miss her purrs and her soft fur.  I miss her reply every time I'd look at her or just say her name. I miss burying my face in her fur and smell the outdoors in her fur. I  miss the best cat in the world.
I like dogs, I like them a lot. But I love cats.  It is how it is.

Also, after watching a YouTube channel quite a bit the last few months, I have once again realised how fragile life can be.
So, people..take care of each other.

God Bless , Linn

OH dear

Ummm, hello there...

October is nearly finished and I can't say that is has been a slow month at all. I have walked the dog...alot and i have done nothing..alot.

And I have visited the shop Locavore and bought a new shampoo, well I have actually tried it before, so not "really" new.

I have also found a new channel on YouTube to watch...1000's of roots. I am so inspired by their kindness and smiling faces, watching them lifts my mind and heart.

Paris the greyhound is officially a member of this clan, and here she is enjoying life on her biscuit.

Her doggie personality is shining through more and more every day.

She is  a good dog for sure.

What's is left to mention... Right, here we go.... I am kind of dabbling in giving up Facebook, can you believe that? I am not sure how easy it will be, but it is a timewaster and I donot spend super much time on there anymore anyway .

Has anyone else given up Facebook? How did THAT  go?
I am getting in the stage on my life where I am ready to possibly give up this phenomenon.

So, I am thinking about doing my penpalling stuff in here, instead of on FB..atleast update here as well as in my private group.

I WANT to blog more often, about everything that goes on..so I am going to try to schedule this in my calendar to see if that makes a difference at all.

Highlands

Today the child is coming home from a residential trip up to Fort William, she has had a great time and she sent me this photo from the bus.


I will be very busy the next couple of days, work, work, work, double shifts both Saturday and Sunday, so I probably won't have much time to do anything else.

This is all for now really, I am sure I'll be back soon with something else at some point soon.

Hugs, from Linn

September

Here we are now...September has now started and we are already almost halfway, but not quite. 

Since my last blog, I have been dumped by a penpal I have written a letter to a penpal that has not given up on me..

I have nearly finished my journal, and have a new one ready for use. 

And we are trying something new....

We have a little visitor. 

Her name is Paris and she is staying with us until the end of the month.

We also of course still have our cat, and hopefully if these two can get used to each other and get on well...Paris may well keep on staying here next month also. 

She is a retired racer, her last race was only in June, so not long since she stopped.

Yesterday we went for a long walk, and we met another Greyhound, his name was Moyes, and he had also retired from racing recently (in May). 

Through talking, we found out they came from the same place (Sunderland) and checking it out online....Moyes' last race was in a race with "our" Paris. 

That is so weird and funny! Anyway....today is my first day alone with the dogness...she is lying in her den sleeping I believe. 

 Child and dog

Paris, used to be trap 6.

No more racing for you, Paris. 

Manchester

I am so sad and upset about what happened in Manchester a few days ago.
It is the opposite of how I am trying to live my life.

Terror must never win.

Peace

I try to smile, I smile when I pass people in the street.
I listen when others talk, I might not agree with their views, but I listen and accept that we are different.
I can still be your neighbour, your friend.
-, Even if we do not share the same views, nationality, ethnicity, family, language or religion
We can still be sisters and brothers- Best friends.
IF we accept that we are all different, and do not choose to force our life on anyone else.
Freedom of choice.

I try to be kind and helpful. If we all try to be kind to each other, and help the ones that need helping.
We would be alot closer to having Peace.
Peace with ourselves
Peace in the world.

Be kind, Be respecful.

C T S

Good evening everyone!
It's has been a busy week for me, I have joined a challenge..the challenge is to get rid of 2017 things in 2017.
I am well on my way, I don't know how I have managed to actually get rid of nearly 600 tings in just one week. It's basically everything from paper clutter to pens that don't work any more.

Even the white IKEA dresser is going, hopefully tomorrow. I can't wait to get it out of the house.
I am not sure how I have managed to aggravate my Carpal Tunnel Syndrome once again...first I thought it was because I have been playing Slither.io too much...but now I wonder if it might be the whisking I did when I made mayonnaise.  I don't really know.

What I do know is that I have purchased a wrist support, super cheap one..but I think it helps a little. I am not a big fan of this particular one, because my hand sweats a lot with it on.

And I had joined InCoWriMo , but I have had to be super careful with my hand..so- so far I have only managed to write one letter, the letter is to Jennifer in Massachusetts. Might post it tomorrow, if I have the money to do so.

Oh...should I mention my kid...should I...well maybe or not? All I know is that I am really annoyed with my mother in law today. My daughter had an accident with her foot, and had a fair amount of skin scraped off. This was well over a week ago and the wound had gotten a nice scab on it and it was healing nicely. Today the mother in law made my daughter soak the wound so the scab got soft, and then she (the mother in law) managed to dry the scap so roughly so the scab was completely gone.!!
now it's all weeping and bleeding again. Oh my goodness...what was the deal with that please tell me someone!!!
I am hoping it will heal quickly, but I am sure she'll have to miss swimming next week as well!!
Rant over!

Better get ready for bed, it's nearly 23.00 o'clock.
Talk later <3 p="">

Good Afternoon!

I hope you have all had a wonderful start of the new year.
We haven't done much, apart from booking a holiday in Spain. Which is a pretty big deal.

I am currently looking into learning some Spanish before we go..but it seems I really have to go through the course a few times before my braid (that's a typo, should really say brain..but I think I 'll just stick with braid) remembers it.

Actually, I am doing on online course by BBC, and I think it might be ok for what I need.

Other than that, I have started running again, twice I have been running, and yesterday I ended up having a pretty sore back afterwards. BUT, I am not giving up on my dream of a 5K in about 30 minutes. It is possible!!

Today I have also done my Self assessment regarding taxes...and oh My Gooodness...it was tough to find all the correct papers. No doubt I need to really tackle all old paper clutter. I have always though my husband has loads..but I have it too...I have just put it neatly away.Without any systems whatsoever!

That's going to be my big project of the week...!

And purging and decluttering, that is my constant goal. To end up with less!

I will leave you here, with my wishes of having a great day where ever you are.

Hugs, LinnM.

New year start

Hello everyone,

We are starting the new year with a Harry Potter movie marathon. I love Harry Potter, and I will probably never stop loving both the films and the books. 

Still, sad to know that Severus Snape, aka Alan Rickman left us for real in 2016. 

Rip Alan Rickman, loved, and deeply missed.

LinnMarit

2017

Happy New Year

to all my friends, family and readers.

May 2017 be the best year so far in your lives.

  Many hugs, LinnM.

Once Again

I have once again decided I want to continue my blogging, but a little more often than before.

I will cover many topics, and I should probably actually start all over again with a new blog, but I don't think I want to. So instead I will just continue with what I already have. It can only get better, right?

Hope to see you all soon!!

Namechange

So I have changed the name on my blog, for a few reasons..

• I live away from my home country and I often miss my language and my family.
• I come from a Nordic country and have always loved Vikings and they are a part of my heritage, according to my grandfather St.Olav was my 30 great grandfather. 
• I like to think my name Linn comes from the name Hlin that has been mentioned as a goddess, some people think it's another name for the Goddess Frigg. I like to think Hlin was a goddess of her own, a minor goddess, but still. 
• They used to take the fathers name as surname in "the olden days" , so I am doing it too. 

I guess these are the only reasons for the change, and who doesn't need a change every so often?

Have a great day! 

Marialinn

Summer?

Where did the summer go?

A few weeks ago the weather was great, the sun was shining and it was nice and warm. Now it's just not so..the clouds are grey and it's wet and rainy outside, I am even going to put on the heating for a couple of hours! 

I really hope it's going to get a little warmer soon, no wonder why I had to have my shower so hot earlier today. 

I just wanted to mention the challenge I am doing this summer, just as I did last summer. 

The Running Bug is doing the PUMA challenge once again and tomorrow is the first day. Iam going to go on the treadmill for the first time in over a month. Well..I am going to attempt some sort of interval jogging. We'll see how it goes. 

I will give you a little update on my mileage tomorrow when I have done my run. 

I am going too turn the heating on, and hae a warm cup of coffee..with some butter and oil in it. Yummy! 

See ye efter, Marialinn

Changes

I have thought a lot about my blog lately, and what to do with it..Should I just leave it? 

should I try to blog more? 

should I keep it as a hobby-blog, the way I used to ? 

should I use it to document my life and where I want to go? ¨

Well, after some thinking..I have decided:

I will continue using the blog to document my life, where I want to go and the changes that happen within my life. 

I will be honest, although I am not using our real names.

I have only today figured out how to get pictures from my Windows phone...not easy! 

But, i am sure this is the beginning of something really good for me. 

I do hope you will follow me on the way forward...

Yours truly, in Eskdalemuir on my 38th birthday...26 june, 2016!

See ye efter, MariaLinn

 

On the horizon

On my horizon I can view something new and different....

My experience after trying for a while now..to eat low carb...eat more fat, less carbohydrates and more wholefoods...well, we have been eating tons of veg for years now... we have literally cut out bread, pasta and potatoes since November...we do have carbs,, but not tons of it.

Today after really trying to get away from sugar....I skipped out of the kitchen...

I SKIPPED...with no effort, and I didn't even think about it until after I had done it.
I still haven't lost tons of weight, not really...but hey my jeans are very loose,....and I ahve to wear a belt.

The jeans were new in November. Lucky for me that I have already worn these jeans out by now,...so I can happily get a new pair of jeans that will last me for the next 4 months...until hopefully I'll need a new pair anyway..a size smaller.

Maybe wishful thinking, the goal is to fit into my bunad on 17th of May.
Here's a picture of my bunad..THIS in not litereally my bunad,  but this is what it looks like.

 I found this picture after a quick Google search. My grandmother bought it for herself when I was a little girl, and she gave it to me for my confirmation when I was 14, with the promise that she could still use it whenever she wanted. A few years ago I managed to finally take it twith me here to Scotland, and now that my granny passed away over a year ago..I really cherish this costume even more. 

Anyway...weightwise..I will weigh too much, and I still haven't been uinder 90.3 kilos..which was my weight this morning. 

I also finally found my excesise gear..so I can start on my c25k program again.

Wish me all the best!

MariaLinn

My my...

I have again let my blog slide for way too long. not that I haven't been busy.
Doing pretty much nothing I guess!

No just kidding.
In January I should really have mentioned that we went to London, It was not for pleasure, but business. My kid and I needed new passports, so we drove down to London. It took us 10 hours..and we went straight to the Embassy. And we were actually about 2 minutes late for our appointment. Luckily there were only one other woman there, and we got it sorted pretty quickly.

We stayed with my father in law, and that was actually really nice! We hadn't seen him for several years...maybe 5 or 6 years, so it was a pretty good visit. He said to come back in April, but going to London is pretty expensive, so it'll have to wait.

In February the kid had her danceshow, and it lasted forever and ever.
Dress rehearsal on Saturday..only 5 hours!!
Sunday..Matinee show..met at12, show started 13.00 and lasted 3 hours..so finished at 16.00. Then two hours off, and we decided to go and grab some dinner..and then back for 18.00 for the evening show ar 19.00. Show finished at 22.00, then home at 22.30 and bed at 23.00
11 years old kid was very tired.

AND..the last show was Monday evening at 19.00, but didn't finish until 22.20..We weren't in bed until 23.30.

We had a few busy days.
Then we had the Rookie Rockstar 
Rock concert at school where MY kid won the competition for the best cd cover, and she got a tshirt and two cd's as a prize. Great evening !!

Tehn a few weeks ago the kid was at the Dance Festival, where she and 14 other Primary 7 kids danced for our school, among 15 other schools. Amazing to see all these youngsters onthe stage!!

The next thing on our agenda has been the Orchestra concert on Tuesday night. They did really really well, and I love that the kid loves toplay music.

We have had a few really busy months, sp we really look forward to the spring break. They finish half an hour earlier than normal tomorrow. I look forward to two weeks off school. Yippie!!!

My old phone broke...internal breaking..and I doubt it can be fixed, so my "new" phone is an old windows phone..and it's difficult to use. When i figure out how to get the pics on to the blog, I'll show you how my Wiola is coming along.

I have attached the sleeves to the body, so not really that much left to do. I am SO excited to hopefully finish it soon. I have been working on this jacket for a long time now!!!

Ooops, it that the time already??? Guess it's time for me to get going, school pick up is next.
And..as a last thing here..I will try to update more often about what I am up to.i have some very interesting new projects on the go.

Have a great day people,
Maria

November

*November is here, and we are already well into the month already.

Last week was so foggy, almost unbelievable! Usually the fog lifts when it gets light, but at 9am it was still there. 

Also, Princess is practishing for her piano exam, but we only have a keyboard. So we went to Granny's house and practised a little. Just a shame that the piano is SOOOO out of tune and it just sounds horrible. The piano is pretty much unusable, but it is ok to practise on every now and then. 

I am not sure if the video will work, if it does..Iam sorry for the horrible out of tune sound!!!

Hugs, MariaLinn

October is over

*And Hallowe'en has been celebrated with pumpkin and spiders. 

Now it's time to say welcome to November and hello Christmas! 

This month I'll be knitting alot. I have already started, and it feels great! You now, Christams comes round so quickly, I really need to get a move on. 

Have a good day lovelies!

Sunday morning dreams...

It's already Monday again, the weekends seem to go by so quickly, and as usual ,, it feels like I have done nothing. I know it's not true. 

Yesterday morning I woke up early, to let the cat out. I went back to bed to sleep a little more, which I did. But I dreamt about my grandmother--.AGAIN. 

This time I was at a cafe with her, and some women came and sat down at our table. She was a carer and knida knew my granny, but she didn't want to tell me her name. I got absolutely pee'd off with this woman..told her "we should sstart over again". So I went over to her, smiled, stretched out my right hand to greet her and said "hi, my name is Maria". She just smiled, and said, "I can't tell you my name". 

Wow, I was not happy, sparks probably flew from my eyes...and granny and I didn't even finish our pancakes (pancakes, really??) and left really quickly. I might even have swore at that woman as I left. 

Not fun waking up being in a bad mood because of something that happened in a dream. 

I realised it was actually my granny's 93rd birthday yesterday-..maybe that's why she was in my dream. 

This is the 4th time I have dreamt about her since her passing in January. 

I miss her.

MariaLinn

Princess party

Princess went to a party on Friday, and i did her hair. Was very happy with the braiding result! 

She had great fun, and they danced the night away..well..until 9 pm anyway. 

Happy birthday Freya! 

MariaLinn

Abnormal week

Yes, the week has started, the weird abnormal week when Princess Sunniva is away on a school trip...and I am all alone from yesterday (Monday ) all the way to Friday.


That is of course not stricly true, as the husband Kris is also at home...but he's a little boring and he also cought our cold so add on a little bit of grumpiness and you'l get what I mean.

Sunday evening Kris was out at a concert, not my music taste, so it was great that he could get free tickets from his workmate and they could go together.

That also meant that Sunniva and I could have a nice relaxing evening before she went. We lit candles and watched a film..super cozy...or "koselig" as i normally would say.

So, last night I Sunniva was away and I was wondering how she was getting on while I enjoyed a little bottle of some cider while watching Coronation Street.

It was Kopparbergs cloudberry cider, I really enjoyed that and will probably get it again. I OH so miss the cloudberry yoghurt I was able to eat many years ago.

 I don't think they make it anymore, I mean it's probably a reason why they call it Gold of the Forest.

Today is my first full day at home, and I started a tidy up project. So...I have started..firstly I emptied the cupboard that was FULL of shoes, jackets and 2 chairs..and then I put our IKEA Trofast thing in there.

Now I have to EMPTY all the boxes, clean the shelves and then I can start putting everything back again.
WHY did I even start,,this is so much work!!!

I am sure it'll be better when I am finished.

Wish me oh so much luck! Not to mention that the Puma points Re-match started today and I need to get running before the day is over!

Take care, lovelies!