Crouching Anja, hidden berries

That is how one could summarise this day. Over 6 kilos red gooseberries, about half a kilo black currant and about three kilos red current. Picked within almost three hours. (I consider that a personal record in berry picking time.) Thankfully the magpies discovered that red currant is good food as well, otherwise I would have needed to spend even more time in the bushes.

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Company I also had, two little snail buddies that were actually surprisingly fast and very determined to find a way out:

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After over three more hours making juice and cleaning berries (the loved one helped, bless him) we were off to Cornelis, the local pub. Strategic drinking was on the menue, since we ran out of suitable bottles for juice making. Well, there are worse things one has to do, I’d say. Bernard is actually a really recommendable black lager!

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So tomorrow the berrie marathon is to be continued! And there will be jam, too.

Theatre Nolby – Le Figaro

On 20th of July we went to the premier of “Le Figaro” at the Theatre Nolby in Swedish Västmanland, close to Karlskoga, see map. Theatre Nolby is a small open air theatre that opens during 4 weeks each summer, this year from 20th of July to 17th of August.
Le nozze di Figaro originally being a comic opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Theatre Nolby decided to set it up as a scene play. They succeeded brilliantly with the set and the actors in their different roles. Apart from a wonderful performance of everyone involved, the location of Theatre Nolby simply convinces. The audience gets drawn into the piece by being seated close to the stage, and actors sort of involving them into their reasoning and thoughts.

During the pauses one has time to either enjoy a pre-booked three course dinner, or a pre-booked pick-nick. Or one simply buys some snacks. The environment around the stage is also prepared in the most thoughtful way. The actors are also part of the friendly and welcoming staff taking care of bar and food service. Everyone is open for conversation with their visitors, be it just for a few friendly words, or a more serious exchange about the theatre piece or the art in general. All this adds to the fact that the visitor kind of feels like becoming part of a special family for one night. One simply melts in, relaxes instantly and leaves heavy hearted but extremely happy after a gorgeous cultural night out – in the middle of nowhere somewhere in the Swedish woods. Extraordinary.

Some pictures of our night out:

Pick-nick-time!IMAG0960

The seating area in front of the stage  IMAG0966

The stageIMAG0970

The programIMAG0971

The bar areaIMAG0972

Relaxing during one of the breaksIMAG0973

Flowers for everyone after a successful premier!IMAG0974

Conversation with family, friends and visitors in general after the showIMAG0975  IMAG0977

On the way home after a great night outIMAG0978

View over the lake nearby the parking lotIMAG0983

Therefore, if you plan to visit or pass this area of Sweden during July and August, check out what is planned at Theatre Nolby. You are in for an unforgettable experience. Promised.

Running reflections

Last month I completed Midnattsloppet, as some of you might remember. Midnattsloppet is a 10k run late evening in Stockholm (or other cities in Sweden). Preparing for that run got me into more serious training, even though this month I didn’t get the shoes on as much as I wanted to.
With me it’s like I need the first 3 to 4 kilometres to warm up. After that distance I get the feeling that I can run as long as I like – not necessarily hugely fast, but about 10k should by now always be achievable, even though I rarely make my round that long. Sometimes one is contemplating, do I take the longer round today? Or shall I take the shorter alternative? Well, I usually decide depending on what I fancy. But then, sometimes, something on the way happens that makes you going the extra mile, so to speak.

During a hot summer evening (I hate running in really hot weather) I was close to giving up and walk the last 500 metres. But then there was another runner crossing my path, seemingly boasting with energy and just whizzed past me. Effect on me? Well, I did run even the last stretch and afterwards I felt so happy that I did it! Physically it was possible, so it really is only in your head!

Today’s run went superwell, nice and relaxed, sunshine, and I had all the time in the world, no “musts” waiting to be done at home. So I decided to for the longer round straight from the start. When there was about a third of my round left, I met an old fellow being out and about with his walker, holding on to it tightly while pushing it forward. When I went past him, he took a moment to rest and shouted “Right you do, going running on such a beautiful day! Really good job!!”, smiling broadly at me, waving with one hand. I shouted back a “Thanks” and “Good job yourself to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather!” and off we went, each in our own direction. It made me laugh and glad to meet a person probably about 80 years old, getting that enthusiastic about my humble jogging round. Nice it was, and yeah, I reckon that acknowledgement did put a bit of an extra spring into my steps. Such a difference to most peeps one meets on the way, lots of which looking at one like something from a different planet approaching. OK, probably that assumption is triggered by the colour of my face matching the one of my T-shirt (red) … Anyway. Sometimes it’s small events like these that make you go the extra mile, or just a wee bit faster than you probably would have gone otherwise.

Happy Sunday! 🙂

Thank you for the awesome ride, Twingly!

More than 4 magnificent years I enjoyed together with the awesome crew at Twingly! My first “work-day” started on 12th of May 2008 at Gelleråsen with a round of Go-kart, and here is the evidence picture (taken by Martin Källström):

Little more than 4 years later, on 31th of May 2012, my last day at Twingly also involved – Go-kart. This time a bit closer to home, though, at Sviesta.

I mean, honest, how many of you can say that their work at a company started and ended with just Go-kart?

Working with Twingly opened the world of digital and social media for me. I started blogging, tweeting, facebooking, foursquaring, pinteresting, deliciousing and got to know loads of other social platforms. I got into using these tools as part of a social media and/ or online-marketing-strategy. I experienced which great results our customers achieved in their online-strategy using Twingly products like eTrade, Blogstream and Blogwatch. Not to speak of all the social media monitoring companies using Twingly’s data-API. Today I (finally!) started using Instagram btw :).

In other words, I learnt an awful lot about digital social and became a part of it, both here in Sweden as well as in Germany. Thank you, Martin Källström for giving it a try with the back then newly arrived German girl from London who at that time was far from fluent in Swedish 😉 !

My latest project Medienbewachen.de which I started in June 2011, involved getting into the world of social media monitoring – a hugely important topic, since today one really should know what’s been said on the interweb and social sharing platforms about oneself, one’s company/ organisation or brand. A topic I therefore will naturally continue to follow very closely. A fast developing area it is as well. New monitoring services enter the market every month, some of them being genuine and offering great value, while others are more after the quick cash and probably bugger off again later. Anna and Steffi now manage Medienbewachen, together with Twingly.

However, I left Twingly, you’ll be asking yourself since quite some time now… Why?

As some of you surely know, there is a special place in my heart for the motorcycle world. When I in February spotted the opportunity of working with the Swedish Association for Motorcycle- and Snowscooter Sports, SVEMO, I couldn’t resist putting myself forward for the position of Coordinator for Road Racing, Minimoto and Dragracing. The rest is history.

A bonus that needs mentioning is that SVEMO is situated less than a kilometre away from where I live… . For the first time in my life I can walk to work! A luxury after having commuted to work since almost 10 years, duration at least one hour per way. First on London’s cattle-waggons (how I call the local transport during rush hour) and then on Östgötapendeln. The latter was luxury-commuting, though. Always a seat, hardly ever a neighbour it was uncomfortable sitting next to.

What’s next? Well, Twingly is looking for an enthusiastic person with great sales skills and an interest in blogs and social media. You will be joining one of the very best teams you can wish for! Your ideas and spirit are wanted at growing Twingly – and you will grow with them. That much I can promise. As another bonus you maybe could see that you’ll be working with Peter, who is heading up the Twingly-team. Peter is not only a knowledgeable and great person to work with (like the rest of the team!!), but also a Gladiator and Rugby Player in Swedens National Team.

And what about me? Well, I started getting my little head into the world of Swedish and International motorcycle sports. I have to learn a lot about Road Racing, Minimoto and Drag Racing, get to know all the lovely new colleagues around me, who helped me hugely during my first two days at SVEMO. Then I will also meet the people out in the field, who are working hands on with “my” sections and all the races and who I am supposed to help in their work. I also look forward to meeting some of “my” racing riders, so that I don’t only fix their licenses but can put a face to a name. I will start doing that at the Sweden International Dragracing EM in Tierp.

We read, chat and whatnot each other as usual, I reckon! And luckily, Linköping isn’t that far away, so there will be the occasional Afterwork as well ;).

101 years old and still running!

You’re a couch potatoe, want to run but really don’t get your bum into gear? Well, maybe it helps you watching Fauja Singh, the world’s oldest marathon runner, also named Turbaned Tornado. At the age of 101, he completed the London Marathon last month and also broke his own record on that distance in his age class. An amazing inspiration, if you ask me!

Fauja Singh also blogs at The Independent, if you want to follow his tips of a healthy, vegetarian lifestyle – he has been a vegetarian all his life! Don’t get me wrong, I love my steak once in a while, but I’d agree that one should definitely eat more vegetarian food. The Indian kitchen is ideal for discovering meat-free food since it has loads of amazing vegetable based dishes . Even after more than 4 years in Sweden, I really miss my local Indian restaurant from Muswell Hill, London. The one that gets closest to that one in terms of food is Indian Garden in Stockholm, and luckily there is also Indra in Norrköping who do decent Indian food.

Anyway – ‘nough about food, on with your shoes now and off you go – RUN!

 

Do you speak … ?

A video found today via Facebook; two cocky Russians breaking the speed limit in Ukraine. They think they can get away with English, since they assume that these “stupid hillbillies” in Ukraine won’t be able to understand and that they this way skip the bill…. Well, far from it. The Ukraine cop actually speaks better English than the Russian. But watch for yourself 😉

This reminds me of the numerous experiences on the London Tube when for example German tourists think they speak such a unique language that they can make bad remarks about the people around them without anybody understanding them… . Well, again, far from it.

When in Germany, I sometimes use Swedish as a “secret language” when accompanied by someone, who understands it. But I never make bad remarks or anything, since you can never be sure who’s listening. And Swedish would absolutely not be “secret” at all in Berlin where there are many Swedes living and visiting… . Therefore, just be a bit aware about your surroundings and show general respect. Definitely never try to be a smart-ass like these two experts in the video or like many tourists abroad. You never know who around you understands what you’re saying 😉 !

Christmas Market Berlin Charlottenburg

Last weekend I went to visit my best friend who now lives in Berlin. On Saturday we went to the Christmas Market at Berlin Charlottenburg. A proper Christmas Market with lots of stalls of local handicraft, something that I didn’t enjoy for quite some years! Proper Glühwein (mulled wine) and fresh waffles with hot cherries included 🙂 .

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I like coffee and I love blogging

A great initiative from Flattr, the Pay A Blogger Day on 29th of November! (Tomorrow!)

This is what blogging would have earned me until now:

Not really anything, but this isn’t why I blog. I just think it is fun to keep an online-diary, and that it is an easy way to share thoughts as well as cool stuff that one encounters, either online or in real life.

Also, when you look at the range of web content, I think that it is important to find as many views on a subject as possible. No matter whether a journalist has written his take on things, or bloggers theirs. Only with lots of different opinions, uncensored by anyone, we will be able to get the full picture of a story. By the way, an insight about how journalists function, you can read here. Might be useful to know next time you want to pitch a story.

Anyway, even if blogging hasn’t earned me even as much as a cup of coffee yet, I will continue. You are very welcome to take a cup of coffee with me some time!And no worries, I can pay for myself or maybe even invite you 😉

P.S.: I am particularly proud of my company Twingly who supports the “Pay a blogger Day”! Read their interview with Andrus Purde from Flattr!

Great quality Timberland winter boots for sale!

Unfortunately, though, they don’t really fit my feet, and therefore I’d like to sell them.

The Timberland Chocorua Trail Hiker (their official name) are equipped with
– Goretex
– Sturdy rubber soles
– removable inner soles

More information and the current prices you get here on Brandos.se or on Brandos.no.

I have a pair to sell in size 38 – Price: 480 Swedish Kronor, plus shipment.

The shoes are worn twice and therefore really like new.

There is another pair of Timberland ladies boots to sell, size 39 and worn once. Price: 390 SEK, plus shipment

These are no Goretex-shoes, but it says “Waterproof” on the side. They also have a high rubber rim from the rubber sole that seals the area where the outer sole and the leather meet. The inner soles are removable.

Please leave a comment if you are interested in any of these.

Both pairs are located in Norrköping, Sweden. Shipping to wherever you want, payment with PayPal.