Much good.

Our son will finally start kindergarden.
(On March 3rd, in a nice place - different from where he was to start last september)
He longs for it. Loves to play.

Also soon I will have fixed the lighting-issue
in my studio (read kitchen)
I will decide tomorrow in a shop what armature to use.
I´ll order the full-spectra (day-light) -tubes
...and give Anders, the electrician a call.

So... SOON I will have enough time
and the right lighting-temperature for painting.
My work will be easy as a dance on roses!

For many days Noak had asked and begged to go visit grandma and grandpa...

grandpas hand

...so Wednesday morning I tried for the first time to make a little buisness with "the Swedish e-bay" www.tradera.se. I was lucky to get hold of two bargain-traintickets for less than a Euro; 7 kronor, that would get us to my parents home later on that afternoon...

Karlstad greated us with snow and it snowed the day we left. It had been wet, dark and no snow up til then. It was so beautiful there in winterland!

Good being with my parents! We visited dear friends and my brothers family. Noak was happy!!!
My Mother Eva, is thrilled because she thinks Noak much looks like herself. when she was a little girl. See here and here !

A letter was waiting for me when I got back home -
words from the signature "Casa" about that wonderful house I showed you here on my blog two posts down.

"Hi Olga, I found your blog yesterday when I was looking for some special information about the Glottra village.
It’s amazing, that "That House" you came across, was "My House" in Glottra in the province of Närke. Glottra is the demographic midpoint in Sweden according to the statistic authorities in Sweden and I can tell you it’s a wonderful place. I lived there with my family for ten years from 1972. Later on we moved to another house near Grisslehamn, northeast of Stockholm, close to the sea. But I didn’t want to sell the school until now after 35 years, because I was so attached to the place and the two school houses. I should like a family like yours take over, but I understand, this is not the right time. It is also a responsibility and you will have to devote much time for big houses like that. Like you I was staying with my family in a suburb outside Stockholm, before we moved to this old school. All the ten points in your wish list were true in our new home. You wrote: "I have learned that school buildings (and chapels) are known for being very well built :)" That is also true. When they built those houses, it took very long time and it was the pride of the village. The niece of Irja Browallius, the famous author, told us when we were going to move: "you will never more find a house like that". Sorry to say, she was true. As you know Irja Browallius was a teacher in the school from 1927-1937. Later on, during the summers, she stayed in a wonderful croft near Glottra called "Svalbygget" (The swallow nest), a house that got its grey patina because the lack of painting. “The swallow nest” is even more beautiful than the big schoolhouses and much more mysterious.

Conclusion: compared to the rather boring suburban life outside Stockholm I recommend you to later move to a nice house in the countryside not too far from a big city. You will be aware, not all things will be better. I can tell you about this another time, if you are interested."

You bet I am interrested!!!

"sofa-talk"
This gorgeous sofa is from: www.squintlimited.com

Hello Olga!

I am talking to myself about home and about things to be happy about.

Remember my dear self, when you were young there were times when you really wanted to live in Stockholm. Well, now you are (I am) there! Stockholm is a beautiful city! You are a part of that city now, Olga. Lift your head and be happy!

Remember when you moved into your apartment in August 2004, after having lived in a big old flat in Arvika with high seeling and wooden floors, how practical you thought it was here. Allthough it was smaller here, the space was so much better planned and easier to live in. This apartment is practical!

And what else? This is quite cheap living. The money you save by living here you can use for travelling. (You like travelling you say.)

You can easily live here without owning a car! Twenty minutes with subway and you´re in the heart of the city! It is a piece of cake to travel abroad from your place - you get to the international airport using public transportations within a couple of hours!

Olga you don´t have a house but you have a home! And the sweetest family to share it with :) Lift your head and be happy! See all your possibilities!

What about if you made an effort to...

• get to know your beautiful city better and learned how to use it?
• really make your home more cosy?
• get to know more interresting people around here?

WISH LIST for a house -- what is written in thick letters are must-haves

• Good drinkingwater
• Peasefulness
  
• Surroundings that invites you to many nice walks
• Spacious and light
• Lovely garden
• Walkingdistance to a lake
• Fireplace
• Guestroom
• Workshop for working with wood
• Studio with lots of light

Now and then I look at www.hemnet.se for houses that looks like potential HOMES.
This house I found the other day. I am NOT ready to buy a house now,
but I want to prepare myself. And if it IS right for me to own a house - I will in a few years.
(...with my family, ofcourse)



There were two houses in this garden. Used to be a school and a teachers-home.
I have learned that schoolbuildings (and chappels) are known for being very well buildt :)



Trying to come up with solutions for overcoming all my fears and doubts
about owning a house. It has to be taken care of. And it has to be payed for.
I am playing with the thought of going together with two other families
that can own it, care for it and enjoy it together. Utopia?

How WONDERFUL to be able to show a picture of a dirtroad and like Susan Tuttle say; "The dirt road I live on, and plan to call home until I am old and gray"

...Or like Helena, the little sister of my friend of Anna, that has lived in several places during some years (and enjoyed them all) whom not until recently, when they bought a house, thought that she had come home.

...or Mary who moved to Portugal from Boston, US, who now can´t imagine living anywhere else. She sounds so wonderfully rooted and at home!

I long for a home!!!!!!

Right before Christmas I had a request of painting three portraits.
Nothing set yet. Just a request. I´m not the only one being asked,
but I am "in the game". And if I get that commission
I´ll have paintings at my easel lasting me a year!!
So I was very happy for the request!

And today I am happy for another request;
An English-speaking newly-wed gentleman called my cellphone earlier today.
Wanted a portrait of his wife and himself.
Wished to make an appointment with me...
Nothing set there eather ...yet.

But what is cool about this is that in 2006 - all of a sudden,
I started getting commissionsregularely.
And several times it has happened that
just as I am aout to finish with one portrait the next job has turned up.
This is happening again; in just a few days
I will have my present portrait framed.
After that I have one other good job.
But it doesn´t hurt at all to have two or three jobs at the same time
to alter with...

Would do you think of my motto?

Noak has made me start baking again. Haven´t been doing that for years!

50 gr yeast (fresh. Not powder.)

5 dl lukewarm water + 2 dl milk (we use soyamilk)

2 tablespoons of honey. 2 teaspoons salt.

2-3 tablespoons oil

200 gr hazel nuts (don´t cut them!)

1,5 dl figs or raisins

2 dl rye- or wheet crush

7 dl flour (a mix of wheet, rye, barley and oats)

6 dl wheet flour +1-2 dl extra for when you shape the breads (we use dinkel)

• Stir yeast with salt until it melts.

• Add liquid, honey, salt and oil.

• Add everything else while stiring.

• Knead well as the dough remains in its bowl. (It is not a very thick dough.)

• Let it ferment 2-3 hours in a not too hot place under a towel. Protect from draught!

• Knead the dough again very well on a table (on some flour that it doesn´t stick to the table) and make two breads. It is nice to put some flour on top of it and to make five scars in it.

• Bake for 45 minutes in 200 degrees celsius.

• Alow it to chill of very slowly under lots of towels.

• ENJOY!

Bea is Noaklanguage for bread.

Thanks for your comments on the last thing I wrote!

Well...
I found it went surpicely easy to stop nursing Noak.
No protests.

But last night - the third night -
was sooo difficult for him to sleep.
Hi cried.

In the middle of the night
when he was discontent - I cheeted.
In a milisecond he was sleeping beautifully again.

Tonight he sat in my arms
and begged me so sweetly saying;
"just a little"
I let him. He was satisfied.
In a litttle while he had fallen a sleep for the night.
No crying.

So... I am slightly changing my strategy here;
I will nurse Noak a little when he is very sad or can´t sleep.
I think eventually he won´t need that eather.
It will stop naturally.

Nature is so fascinating!

I am very proud to say that
this is my son!

Today was a big day...
This morning I told Noak that now he is big;
"No more nursing!".

It took some thinking
before I was ready for the decision
to stop breast-feeding.

Last night we visited some neighbours
with two children slightly older than my.
The mother toled me that it took three days
for her girl and one and a half for the boy to quit.
She had made sure her children
still would get much closeness.
And when I asked her if she thought
her relation had changed anything
after stoping, she said no.

This was what I needed to hear.

Noak has been souch a good boy today
and cooperative ;)
I feel that it has been good
in every way to have breast-feeded him
until now.

LIGHT

Dear Mary,

The sun here where we live
at latitude 59.25 and longitude 17.45
rose at 8.45 this morning
and will set at 15.13 in the afternoon.

We got our first snow this morning
and I´ve been out pulling Noak in a yellow sledge.

love,
Olga

Some old pictures

Just because

I seem to like to post

things here

for no particular reason...

It would be better

if I DID have a reason

and a purpose and goal

for what I choose to do...

HAPPY new year!

Noak is baking bread.

Thanks to each and everybody for this passed year.
Lets help eachother experiencing yet another good year!

With love,

Olga

Once I pretended.
I walked into Nordiska Galleriet, one on my favouriteshops here in Stockholm.
They sell furniture.
Instead of being devistated by the prices that didn´t sute my wallet at all -
I pretended I could have ANYTHING!
It felt good walking around in there with that attitude :)
Nevertheless, I just walked out with a handful of gems...
One of the things I desired was this sofa (but in other, more fun colors)
designed by Hella Jongerius for Vitra.

Today I walked by this beautiful table at Bukowskis.
If I was to pretend again, I would pick that too!

the 24th