31 December 2007

At home II

I'm at home again... the other home. The Swedish one. I know it's confusing... I'm confused myself sometimes. For although I really consider Sweden and my flat in Göteborg to be my home, I still call my parents' house "home" as well. Commodity and habitude I guess. Because I also say "my parents' house" sometimes as well.

Anyway, I'm in Sweden again after 10 wonderful days in France. And now it's New Year's Eve and I have to go get ready, the fireworks are starting in 1 hour...

See you next year!

PS: I had a looooooot of presents for Xmas and made myself a few more as well ;-) Took some pics when I started unpacking my bags. You'll see tomorrow. I'll probably have a hangover tomorrow and it will be a very good activity, uploading pics. Hehe!

24 December 2007

At home

I'm at my parents' house in France and if I quickly find my old routines at home, there's always something bothering that takes several days: the keyboard!!! It's an azerty here instead of a qwerty (the swedish is not that different from the english one i think). Aaaaah! I put Qs instead of As everyzhere, so irritating!
Apart from that, everything's fine. I've been there for 3-4 days now and the weather is amazing! Blue sky, quite warm (up to 12 or 13 in the afternoons) which makes it possible to go out without a coat. But it's getting cold in the evenings and in the house it's cold; it's always cold, so I'm always putting several layers and usually look like the Michelin guy. My mother is always suprised that I wear cotton tee-shirts + pull-overs only, but that's what I wear in Sweden and it's enough! I'm never cold when I'm inside in Sweden...
Yesterday I went skiing. The last time I skied must have been some time in February or March 2003... Or maybe one day in January 2005? But I don't remember and I don't think... The weather was great, the snow amazing, I was with my dad and my sister, I fiiiinally solved my problem with my shoes and it didn't hurt as it used to do: what else can you ask for? Hope to be able to ski another day in the week. If I don't, it's ok because I know I won't need to wait another 4 years. Just 4 weeks. In the end of January I'm going to Serre-Chevalier for one week with my Italian and Swedish friends.
And now my nephew is coming in a few minutes. My little prince I have already written about and posted a few pictures of. And after that wrap my last presents, get ready and FAAAAMILY TIME!!!
Merry Christmas everyone!

19 December 2007

18 December 2007

Noël avant l'heure

Noël est dans moins d'une semaine désormais. Mais les festivités ont déjà commencé pour moi. Mis à part les festivités culinaires j'entends vu que ca fait presque un mois que je me baffre, hehe!! Ca a commencé vendredi soir avec Manny chouchou qui m'a offert non pas un ou deux cadres mais 5!!! Avec des photos de Paris en noir et blanc. Comme j'avais mis dans ma wishlist (colonne de droite). Des photos qu'elle a prise elle-même en plus et qu'elle avait sur son Facebook. Trop belles. Trop contente. Merci.

Ensuite samedi on avait une soirée de Noël et chacun devait amener un petit cadeau sympa et un cadeau rigolo. Moi j'ai recu une boite de chocolat et un jeu de yatzee de voyage. Trop contente. Bon je suis pas fan des chocolats, c'est des truffes en fait. Donc viendez chez moi et en bonne hôte que je suis, je vous offrirai des chocolats. Mais contente pour le yatzee, c'est sympa comme jeu.

Ah!! Attendez, qu'est-ce que je dis, je délire!!! Les cadeaux ont commencé avant ca! Une semaine plus tot pour être exacte. Avec l'arrivée de Delphine et Hélène. Qui elles non plus ne sont pas venues les mains vides. Pleins de petits pâtés, un foie gras fait maison et QUATRE bouteilles de vin. Elles ont pris le risque de mettre des bouteilles de vin dans leur valise. Moi je ne l'ai jamais fait depuis leurs restrictions à la con. Du coup j'ai eu 2 bouteilles de rouge et 2 de blanc. Que du Bordeaux. Ca me va. Trop contente. Merci.

Et today au boulot, re-belote. Je ne vais pas revoir mon chef avant Noël puisqu'il part a Paris demain matin tôt et avant de partir, il a débarqué avec deux bouteilles de vin... les deux du rouge, une du Chili et une d'Afrique du Sud. Trop sympa, je ne m'y attendais pas du tout. Trop contente. Maintenant vous pouvez venir chez moi et en bonne hôte que je suis, je ne vous offrirai pas seulement des chocolats mais je vous servirai du bon vin à table.

Et puis de mon côté, ma hotte du Père Noël est prête, elle est dans l'entrée. Demain la valise normale. Noël peut continuer!

17 December 2007

Paris juste avant Noël

Le texte est de ma copine Charlotte. On avait un peu perdu contact ces derniers temps mais on s'est retrouvées grâce a facebook, merci FB! Une des grandes qualités de Charlotte est l'écriture, elle écrit souvent de tres jolis textes. Voila le dernier. Ca m'avait manqué. :)

La folie de Noël : les lumières, les paquets, la foule qui va et vient, les klaxons des hystériques du volant, les nez qui coulent, les mains enfouies dans les moufles, les écharpent qui dégoulinent sur des corps sans forme. Mais aujourd’hui enfin le soleil. Il est bas et frileux, mais une lumière claire et vivifiante flotte dans les rues grises de Paris… Eglise de Saint Sulpice, une série de petites tables sous les platanes dénudés, une grande flaque de soleil. Les mains autour d’une tasse de chocolat, les yeux une fois sur une page de magazine, une autre fois sur les sacs des passantes : Yves Saint Laurent, Benetton, Victor, Bonpoint, Fnac… des paquets rouges, verts, blancs argents, des rubans, des étoiles… Et qu’est ce qu’il y a dans ce paquet informe ? Pour le paquet vers anis, un bambin roux à bouclettes, une grand-mère aux cheveux retenus dans un chignon ? Quand sera ouvert le délicieux petit rouge et rond ? Dès ce soir sur un coin de bureau, le 24 au soir dans un salon poussiéreux devant belle-maman, le 25 au matin en pyjama technicolor ? La chaleur du soleil transperce une à une toute les épaisseurs des petits oignons qui sèchent sur les petites chaises du café : So paris. On entend des rires italiens, des interrogations anglaises. Et dans ma tête c’est un concert de Garfunkel…

A la petite table voisine, un monsieur seul et débonnaire s’est installé presque imperceptiblement... Son corps a disparu complètement sous son gros manteau brun, de sous sa chapka ne dépasse qu’un bout de nez. Un bout de nez un peu rabougri, rougi, ridé… Le monsieur commande un café. Le garçon presque congelé revient vite. Au dessus de la tasse des petits nuages fragiles blancs et éphémères. Le monsieur pose sur ses genoux une petite boite carrée, rose bonbon. Avec lenteur et délicatesse, il ouvre un à un les rabats de sa petite boite. Il contemple un moment l’intérieur de la boite, ses lèvres frétillent un peu. Finalement, c’est vers la tasse fumante posée sur le guéridon que sa main se dirige. Voilà, environ la moitié de la tasse a été avalée. Maintenant, la main blanche et parcheminée est à nouveau au dessus de la boite carrée, rose bonbon. Ses doigts effectuent une petite danse au dessus de la boite, puis ils s’engouffrent dans la mystérieuse boite. Les yeux du vieux monsieur s’écarquillent, sa bouche se tord avec tendresse. Et sans attendre son reste, le bonhomme croque avec délectation dans un adorable macaron à la framboise. Un gâteau rond, voluptueux, rose intense, croquant et fondant, serti de magnifique framboise fraiches. So paris, So Hermé, So Gourmet.


Merci Charlotte.

16 December 2007

Count Down

4 days... only 4 days left before I go home. Thursday evening. Goooood I want to be Thursday. There's nothing else I want more right now. Luckily time went fast last week 'cause I really wasn't motivated at work. I'm done, just waiting for time to fly and finally get to Thursday.

This week-end was an exception though 'cause my little Fanny was here. Such a nice time we had together. She arrived on Friday evening and we started by going to Farrelli's on Avenyn for some cocktails and club sandwiches. The funny thing is that we were already there last March when she came here for the last time. Then we were there on a Sunday morning (well afternoon rather) for a brunch and we got the same table the two times! How funny is that!

On Saturday we woke up veeery late, took a long breakfast, long time to get prepared and got ready even later than with the girls last week. We left the flat at 14h45!!! And the only thing that made us speed up was that Systembolaget was closing at 15h and we had to get there before to buy some glögg. We made it. And then continued to the city center for some shopping. Got home at 19h30 to leave our presents and get ready for the evening, only to find out that the invitation was actually at 18 and not 19 as I thought! We only arrived 2h late... After that we had a great time the whole evening and even got some presents.

Today the day was unfortunately short... mainly because we woke up at 12!! I guess we're both really tired and we really need holidays. Just like last week-end then: we got ready faster and left the flat around 14 to give Fanny's her surprise. Massage. When we got out 1h later, we were all flappy and like floating on a little cloud, feeling like speaking slowly and low. Hehe! We walk around through Haga and stopped on Storgatan to have a nice fika and some very very nice cake. It's a place I had noticed some months ago but had never had the occasion to go there. Guess what they have here: a cake-buffet, alla the cakes you can eat for 65 SEK!!! and even if you take just one piece of cake, they let you help yourself which means you can take it as big as you want!!! Ouh I love that!!!

After that we went slowly to the bus station and said good bye and for once "see you soon" as we'll meet again in three weeks. In Stockholm this time. Nice!

So now, just three little evenings and then I'm heading home.

PS: by the way, I have almost all my presents now. Only need to find mum's, the hardest as usual... What about you? Found everything? Got started even?

11 December 2007

Time to go home

Next Thursday I'm going home for Xmas.It's high time! You know how I know? Tonight I cried in front of "Svenska hjältar" (Swedish heroes, a program where people had to vote for "heroes" in their community), then in Ugly Betty and then in Desperate Housewives, the three programs were shown one after the other.

Tiiiiiiiiime!!!!!

:-p

10 December 2007

Trop bien

C'était trop trop bien ce week-end!! J'ai rien écrit car je n'ai passé que tres peu de temps devant l'ordi, trop occupée à profiter des filles. Rapport dans la semaine.

06 December 2007

Demain demain demain

Il me taaaaarde! Demain Hélène et Delphine débarquent jusqu'à lundi. Ouaiiiiiiiis!!! Top bien! Presque 3 jours rien que toutes les trois, ca va être trop bien! Bon il va nous manquer Numéro 4 cause finances à marée basse... On dit pas merci aux impôts et encore moins à la caisse de Pau qui réclame le paiement en trois fois au lieu de plus de mensualités à Paris ou je ne sais pas trop quoi... M'enfin, un jour on y arrivera.

Bisous et bon week-end à vous chers lecteurs. Et en bonus, mon nom en chinois. Super joli je trouve. Trouvé sur Internet il y a qq temps mais je ne sais plus où...

05 December 2007

Week-end Illustrated

OK, it's wednesday today which means the middle of the week. Which means the week-end is soon there again. Which means it's time to tell about the previous one because it's was quite busy. And because a picture says more than a thousand words and because I really don't feel like writing a lot, here you go again: pictures!

First of all, a good breakfast... the baguette was just as good as in France, the best in Sweden so far. And guess the best, it's just 3 minutes walking from here. Forget Le pain francais where I was going until now, Steinbrenner & Nyberg, here I am!

Then, a Swedish tradition, baking Lussekatter, these small breads with Saffran. Oh so good! Last year I must have eaten some eeeveryday in December. The ones on the pics are the one I actually baked myself (with the help of my friends), just when we took them out from the hoven.

In the evening we had a party for Pablo & Rimma, with me on the picture above, because they are leaving Sweden and moving to Germany. A bit sad because I like them a lot, but that's life.

Nice party with nice people. =)

Then on Sunday I just took it easy and had a walk around in the city to buy a few decoration things to give a Xmas feeling to my flat (see below) and start checking for some presents. Then I paid a visit to Marina who opened a massage centre here in Göteborg in September. This place is pure heaven...

An advent light, the same as last year (the candles as well, yes! :-p) but I like it.

My Xmas tree. Unconventionnal I reckon but since when am I conventionnal? ;-)

Another set of advent lights. Etienne & Gaëlle, remember this one? ;-) I usually have it built as a long range of light but on Sunday I was inspired to do this.

02 December 2007

My blog is blue

This website translates (I don't really know how but it doesn't matter) your IP adress into a shape and a colour. Mine is:


I promise I didn't cheat! ;-)

01 December 2007

Celebrities

Yesterday I was out in Göteborg for a very nice Friday. First I went home early from work, tidied my flat a little because there were clothes everywhere mainly. Then I open a bottle of riesling, put a Cerrone by Bob Sinclar CD and enjoyed the week-end starting. Got ready and joined the guys I used to work with for some poker. I unfortunately never got any good hand and lost quite fast. But it was good to see them and fun to play again.

I continued to Tranquilo a few meters away, a really nice bar with a nice Miami-Brasil-LatinAmerica feeling, you know bright colours, lively, slightly kitsch sometimes. There I met my friend Male and her colleagues from Volvo who were having an afterwork. Within just a few minutes, Male & I were asked to be photographed for these sites with pics from people partying. We felt very pretty and maybe a little bit topmodels to be asked to pose! ;-)

So today I checked these websites to see how we looked like and I then discovered we had both become Swedish or at least gotten new names. Namely I've become Jen, probably short for Jenny and Male became Stina.


And even more surprsing some other girls on another picture are called Marie & Lorraine... mmmh, strange, don't you think?

;-)